Others originally wanted to advise Lu Chen not to escalate the situation, but upon hearing his words, they cast odd glances at him.
Inviting someone’s boyfriend to such a place was indeed a genuine attempt to reconcile the two.
Yiru’s heart sank: “…”
After we return, I need to check the feng shui; nothing seems to be going right today.
The original protagonist believed from a young age that he was the country’s backbone while considering others to be worthless. Every day, he left early in the morning and returned only late at night, of course, his relationships with others were distant.
The biggest problem was that the original protagonist was obsessed with foreign things.
Everyone who could attend a prestigious university was dedicated to national development, aiming for high achievements. However, the protagonist often criticized his country in the dormitory, claiming that materials and technologies produced locally were inferior to those abroad.
If you think the technology is lacking, then go develop it. If you think the software is inferior, then go create it. They were studying to contribute to the country’s development, yet Ye Qiu’s words angered everyone in the dormitory.
Fortunately, all his dorm mates were well-educated; otherwise, if someone was constantly saying that the sun abroad was rounder than at home, they would have been silenced long ago.
When Ye Qiu returned to the dorm, Qiu Xiangfei was sitting at his spot reading.
Qiu Xiangfei was loud and liked to engage in fantastical thinking.
Aside from Ye Qiu, the remaining three in the dorm got along well, including a wealthy second-generation who was flamboyant but had a “don’t bother me, and I won’t bother you” attitude. The dorm leader also came from a rural background like Ye Qiu and was a straightforward person. Even when Ye Qiu mocked him for working part-time, he didn’t take it to heart.
He liked to engage in imaginative thinking, which was a good thing.
Seeing Ye Qiu return, Qiu Xiangfei awkwardly smiled.
Despite coming from a poor family, the original protagonist never applied for financial aid and insisted on paying for meals when going out. Qiu Xiangfei always thought Ye Qiu came from a wealthy family; when news about the forum broke, he was skeptical at first but quickly had to accept the evidence presented.
Seeing Qiu Xiangfei’s reaction, Ye Qiu knew he was aware of the forum’s content and took out his laptop as usual.
Qiu Xiangfei felt a bit lost observing Ye Qiu; they were in the same dorm. Although he hadn’t participated, the situation was now too heated, and he felt a bit uncomfortable.
“Ye Qiu, a big shot came to our school to give a lecture today; are you coming with us?”
Ye Qiu glanced at him and continued his work, “Isn’t it just about hover technology? That’s been available overseas for a while; we are only just catching up.”
“Having this kind of technology is enough.”
Here it comes again, Qiu Xiangfei thought.
If everyone were like you, constantly criticizing foreign inventions without doing anything else, of course, you wouldn’t surpass them.
Since you’re so capable, why not show it?
Qiu Xiangfei initially wanted to ease the tension but felt somewhat defiant instead, “Did you learn anything from foreign inventions then?”
Ye Qiu rummaged through his desk until he pulled out a pile of inscrutable parts. In Qiu Xiangfei’s astonished gaze, he began assembling several components. Though it was not as precise as in the videos, it was clear that Ye Qiu seemed to have grasped the new research.
A mechanical hand appeared on the table, and Ye Qiu’s movements were incredibly deft. He lifted a cup of water smoothly, his hand could even make a fist and open up, almost capable of replacing a human hand.
He learned it just by watching the introductory video!
If only those researchers knew, they would be spitting blood!
“Ah! Ah! Ah! This is amazing!” Qiu Xiangfei exclaimed as he watched Ye Qiu’s demonstration.
But then he yelled, “Ah! Why did you take it apart?”
Such a beautifully perfect invention had been destroyed!
Qiu Xiangfei clutched his heart, unable to believe what he saw.
Ye Qiu was startled by Qiu Xiangfei’s outburst and his hands shook.
He turned around, bewildered, “My allowance only covers this little material. If I don’t disassemble it, then I’ll have nothing to experiment with.”
“Can you still put it back together?” Qiu Xiangfei thought for a moment and asked painfully.
“Did I not say that you just need hands?”
Qiu Xiangfei looked at him with puppy eyes, “You’re not just anyone; you’re the real deal. Why is it that I watched the same video but had no thoughts at all?”
“They won’t teach you how to do it, and can’t you see the materials and the final products?” Ye Qiu replied as if it were obvious.
He was really silly, truly.
How did he not realize before that Ye Qiu was such a genius?
“No wonder you often watch foreign videos; it’s to learn their new discoveries. We just need a glimpse to surpass their long hours of experiments.”
“Wow, is this the world of the elites? No wonder you think we’re too slow; you’re so right!”
Ye Qiu, hearing the latter part, said seriously, “China must develop its own technology to have a future!”
“Go to the hospital and see, most of the major devices are imported from abroad, and those devices are based on the most fundamental principles of physics. Such simple things, yet we still rely on foreigners. What if there’s a friction between countries and they suddenly halt trade? What will happen to the patients in the hospital? Therefore, we must develop our own technology.”
“Inside hearing aids, there’s just a tiny chip and a sensor, yet these things are monopolized by foreign companies. Just because they hold patents, a set costs around a hundred thousand. For two ears, that’s two hundred thousand! Do you know how many people outside can’t even earn a hundred thousand in a year?”
“Technology must be propelled by students like us!”
“If you don’t study and I don’t study, how can technology ever progress!”
…
The wealthy second-generation roommate, Mu Tao, pushed the door open and walked in, finding Qiu Xiangfei watching foreign videos like Ye Qiu. “We need to head to the lecture soon; why are you still sitting here?”
Qiu Xiangfei glanced at his watch, “The lecture starts in an hour; I have to seize the time to learn foreign technology. The country is currently in a state of rapid development, and I am the hope of the nation; I must work hard!”
He then launched into a discussion about foreign monopolies on Chinese resources.