Chapter 51 Resurrection02

Lin Shuicheng went through all the belongings in the house.

He hadn't brought much with him personally, as most of his items were in the workspace—around seven to eight boxes filled with documents, along with countless external hard drives, neatly organized in storage containers.

The rest consisted of storm glass and cat supplies that Chief was accustomed to using.

Chief was a small native cat with no particular talents. No matter how many cat toys or scratching posts were purchased for it, its favorites remained corrugated cardboard and a small steel basin, as well as a pillowcase it had punctured—during winter, Chief liked to curl up inside, pretending to be dead.

The clothes still on hangers, mostly untouched in their original packaging, were also sorted and placed aside by Lin Shuicheng. Although this house had been shared with Fu Luoyin, there weren't many items that truly reflected their cohabitation; Fu Luoyin was busy with work, and everything else was already in place. Even the framed painting on the living room wall was an undisturbed sample left over from when the property was first handed over, covered with a thin layer of dust protection film.

After organizing everything, Lin Shuicheng lay on the sofa, searching for rental properties near Star University.

Housing prices in Star City were generally high, and the area surrounding Star University was particularly expensive. He could have stayed in a graduate dormitory, but those usually accommodated two to three roommates.

Lin Shuicheng disliked living with others. During his four years as an undergraduate, his schedule never aligned with his roommates', and he never quite fit in. He would leave early and return late, spending his time in the library and laboratory, while his peers played games, dated, and socialized. They had few common interests, leading to inevitable conflicts.

After some searching, he found a professor from Star University selling an old campus staff allocation house. It was well-equipped and reasonably priced, but the location wasn't ideal—it was on the ground floor, situated in an older staff residential area where most units had already been rented out. The advertisement openly acknowledged the drawbacks: noise, dampness, poor lighting, and ventilation. The owner clearly wasn't skilled at photography, as the forty or fifty uploaded photos, though detailed down to every corner, presented a dull, outdated appearance, resembling a refugee camp. As a result, the property had gone unnoticed.

Please note: In Chinese culture, "Chief" is often used as a nickname for a cat, reflecting a close relationship between the owner and the pet. The term "storm glass" refers to a type of antique weather forecasting device.

Lin Shuicheng studied the listing for a while before arranging to view the apartment, planned for that very afternoon.

Once he called, someone answered promptly, "Looking to view the place? Are you a student from this university?"

"Yes, I'm a first-year graduate student," Lin Shuicheng replied.

"Oh, in that case, just swing by where I teach to pick up the keys. I have a class at 303 in Building One this afternoon. You can come straight in. If you have any questions after looking around, feel free to ask me anytime. You can leave the key under the pot by the door. The area is old and small, but it's quite secure. There's an AI system monitoring the entrance for any anomalies and it will alert the authorities if necessary."

The person left their department and name. After reading them, Lin Shuicheng was momentarily taken aback.

The landlord who was renting out the apartment turned out to be the author of the third article he had reviewed previously. His surname was Du, and his given name was Qingwu. He was a nearly sixty-year-old full professor in the Chemistry Department, specializing in metabolomics and proteomics research with his students, which dovetailed with the Medical School. Given its connection to analytical chemistry and mass spectrometry analysis, the paper had been assigned to Lin Shuicheng for review by Sinemora. The logic, experimental evidence, and innovative chain in the paper were impeccable. In many places, Lin Shuicheng had to spend a whole day researching to fully understand the content. This article truly sparked his keen interest in the work of reviewing manuscripts.

In a sense, this professor was also his mentor.

In the afternoon, Lin Shuicheng went to the academic building. As he passed by the quantum laboratory, he noticed that the research building remained sealed off.

He paused for a moment at the entrance, then proceeded to find Du Qingwu in the teaching building.

Du Qingwu embodied the classic scholarly demeanor often seen among older professors – refined and distinguished. He had produced countless achievements and nurtured generations of students. With years of experience, he no longer needed to hustle for funding and projects like many younger or middle-aged professors. He didn't take on undergraduate or master's students; instead, he only supervised doctoral candidates. His entire being exuded a calm, affable, and relaxed demeanor.

Lin Shuicheng retrieved the key during the break and happened to meet Du Qingwu. Afterward, he went to inspect the apartment.

The faculty residence was conveniently close to the third cafeteria. A few campus streets behind it led to the departments of mathematics, chemistry, and physics, while to the east were the art school and swimming pool. Lin Shuicheng observed that the room indeed had poor lighting, mainly due to the shading from the school's tree-lined path behind the building. Although other areas were worn out, as expected, they were significantly better than what the photos had depicted. The water and electricity were functional, and the air conditioning wiring showed some signs of aging. Lin Shuicheng took a glance and determined that he could fix it himself.

After examining the place for a while, he closed the door and locked it securely for Du Qingwu.

Instead of leaving the key under the flower pot, he returned to the academic building to personally hand back the key. He explicitly expressed his interest in renting the apartment and even printed out the initial lease contract from the rental platform, indicating his intention to rent for a year and a half.

Du Qingwu, evidently fond of simplifying procedures, seeing that Lin Shuicheng was a student of the university, waived the deposit and allowed him to take the key, saying he could move in at any time. "If you want to renew the lease after a year and a half, just let me know. If you're financially tight, there's no rush to pay the rent monthly."

Lin Shuicheng replied, "Thank you, Teacher."

A year and a half – the minimum academic years required for an early graduation in a master's program.

Quantum analysis wasn't difficult, nor was obtaining a degree. Previously, he hadn't planned on graduating early because he had other matters to attend to here.

From his backpack, Lin Shuicheng pulled out a set of keys – the ones he borrowed from Xu Mengmeng for the quantum laboratory. He had made a 3D replica of them.

Now that quantum computers were unusable across the entire alliance, these keys were rendered useless.

He tossed it into the trash bin.

In the evening, Fu Luoyin sent a message saying he had a mission to attend to and asked Lin Shuicheng not to wait for him to come home. After reading the message, Lin Shuicheng didn't reply but instead went to Lin Deng's hospital again.

Lin Deng's condition was as usual.

A nurse came over to record his data. After waiting for a while, Lin Shuicheng called her over. "Excuse me, is Doctor Yan Zi, the chief physician, available?"

The nurse replied, "Oh... I think Doctor Yan is on duty at the outpatient department today. Let me check for you..."

Just as the nurse finished speaking, Lin Shuicheng suddenly heard a familiar, clear voice. "Hey, Sister-in-law, you're here?"

Su Yu approached in a white lab coat, holding a small notebook in his hand.

Seeing him there, Lin Shuicheng was slightly surprised.

Scratching his head in embarrassment, Su Yu said, "My mom asked me to come intern here. I have a double major in medicine, specializing in neurology. Since I haven't found a suitable job recently, Mom dragged me here. For now, I'm just observing patients and learning from their data. What brings you here, Sister-in-law?"

Lin Shuicheng replied, "I want to inquire about transferring hospitals. Is it appropriate for Shuicheng to be transferred again given his current condition?"

Su Yu was taken aback. "Isn't it fine here? Why did Sister-in-law suddenly think of transferring him to another hospital?"

Lin Shuicheng replied, "It's still quite far from where I live. I want to transfer Etcetera to the affiliated hospital of Star University, so it'll be more convenient for me to visit and take care of him."

"Ahh... The affiliated hospital of Star University has good facilities and is indeed closer." Su Yu understood. He scratched his head. "But we might not be able to transfer him quickly for now. The machine we have here is the only one that can provide daily targeted neurological stimulation therapy for Etcetera. It would be a pity if the treatment were interrupted halfway through the course."

Lin Shuicheng said, "Etcetera..."

Su Yu guessed what he wanted to ask and informed him, "I asked my mom about Etcetera's condition before. Her opinion was that it might not necessarily be effective, but it also wouldn't worsen much. Etcetera is young, and the car accident didn't cause severe damage to any vital areas. His cellular activity and brain neural functions are better than most patients. Trying the treatment might not yield results, but not trying it at all will definitely yield none. If we transfer him to another hospital, they would only be able to maintain his basic life signs, which means buying time."

Lin Shuicheng took a deep breath. "I understand now. Thank you."

Lin Deng's medical expenses amounted to two million Alliance Credits annually. Previously, Lin Shuicheng had relied on the meager inheritance and pension left by Lin Wang, as well as loans, to make ends meet. After his second year, he joined a project team and also took on freelance work, such as consulting for the chemical industry, advising on clothing fabric and corporate procurement of raw materials. Synthesizing pharmaceutical intermediates and analyzing data for sequencing companies were also lucrative sources of income.

Back then, with each day consisting of twenty-four hours, his sleep schedule was perpetually inverted. He would seize any available moment to catch some rest, while every remaining second was devoted to earning money.

Occasionally, Lin Shuicheng feels that life is constrained by some invisible force.

Heaven had erected one transparent wall after another within his line of sight, placing him on the far side, gazing longingly at an entirely different world. Initially, that wall separated their dilapidated home in a southern town from the bright prospects that a clever child like him should have had since childhood. Due to lack of connections and direction, Lin Shuicheng was not permitted to skip grades; Lin Wang's promotions were repeatedly thwarted; in the examination for a research visit to the Old European branch, he scored a full fifty points above the second-place candidate, yet ultimately gave up due to being unable to afford the round-trip expenses. Later, that wall stood between the realms of life and death; here on this side, he beheld—through it—the glaring lights of the funeral parlor, the pouring rain and black cars at the cemetery entrance, and the pier that appeared night after night in his dreams, though he had never actually seen it in reality.

As if he was destined for this, worthy of nothing more.

Yet, he was acutely aware of another figure in his mind – a young boy walking with his father under the cold, starry sky, trudging through the snow.

He had grown up from that day, exposing the lies of adults. From that day, he had wanted to rebel.

Time and again, he collided against that transparent wall, bleeding and battered. If he stopped, the wall would remain intact, leaving no trace of his bloody efforts.

Lin Shuicheng calculated his finances.

In his senior year, he had paid off his bank loan and saved over six million for Lin Deng's treatment. He still had some savings left. His actual time with Fu Luoyin had been brief. Based on the rent of the apartment complex where Fu Luoyin lived, he estimated that their two months together had cost around forty-eight thousand.

After accounting for the clothes he had worn with tags removed and other miscellaneous daily expenses, he would still have enough to live comfortably. With the Quantum Analysis department temporarily suspended, he could take on more private projects during this period. Settling down at Star University, he could also start preparing his master's thesis ahead of time.

He could lead the normal, mundane life he could have had.

Lost in thought, Su Yu noticed his distraction and waved a hand in front of his eyes. "Shuicheng, how about I treat you to lunch later? The food at the hospital cafeteria is pretty good. Also, it's my mom's birthday next week. Would you like to come celebrate? Don't worry, there won't be too many people – mostly just those we know. I'm not sure if Negative Two mentioned it to you, but the invitations are still being made. I'll make sure Negative Two gives you one."

Lin Shuicheng was taken aback and asked softly, "When is it?"

Su Yu said, "Next Tuesday."

Lin Shuicheng whispered, "I might not make it, but I'll try my best to come."

Su Yu beamed. "Alright then! Come on, sis, let me take you to try the coconut chicken at the canteen first!"

Su Yu enjoyed his meal at the canteen, and after finishing half of the coconut chicken, he remembered to take a photo to send it to Fu Luoyin.

"Image 1: Coconut chicken from the Third Courtyard's canteen."

Fu Luoyin promptly replied, "Only you can savor the awful food at that trashy cafeteria in the third division."

Su Yu utterly disagreed, "It's actually delicious! Sister-in-law enjoys it so much!"

He sneakily glanced at Lin Shuicheng, who was attentively eating, and snapped a blurry photo to send to Fu Luoyin.

"Image 2: Sister-in-law eating coconut chicken"

Fu Luoyin responded with confusion, "Why is he with you?"

Su Yu explained, "Sis came to the hospital to visit Nainai, and I happened to be here for an internship under my mom's supervision, so we crossed paths."

"He's reserved and polite; perhaps he didn't want to hurt your feelings by saying it tasted bad," Fu Luoyin said. "Don't expose him to the culinary horrors of the third canteen. Remember to buy him some baozi when you go out." "You're abusing my partner, Su Yu. I'll remember that."

"Blimey! You're such a jealous dog, minus two! Just say it straightforwardly if you're feeling envious!" Su Yu vented his frustration with a multitude of exclamation marks to voice his protest. However, Fu Luoyin chose to ignore him.

Today, he had gathered information to rescue someone and planned to have a face-to-face discussion with He Muya to temporarily halt or revise the decree for the ongoing academic rectification. Despite encountering obstacle B4, he was determined to revive this plan with unwavering resolve.

Zhou Heng came over to deliver clothes and documents to Fu Luoyin. Upon seeing the spare uniform he was handed, Fu Luoyin suddenly seemed to recall something: "I haven't seen this outfit in ages. Where did I put it before?"

Zhou Heng replied, "It was the time Mr. Little Lin wore it out previously."

Fu Luoyin said, "Oh, you mean that time with Yi Shui?"

Zhou Heng pondered for a moment, "I don't think so. It was another occasion when you left your wallet with Mr. Little Lin as well. I had it dry cleaned and kept it in Section Seven for you."

Fu Luoyin couldn't recall the incident at first but reached into his clothes and discovered a wallet inside.

That jogged his memory.

Last time, Lin Shuicheng had grumbled to him, "I'm not you, I don't have as many phones as wallets."

Now it dawned on Fu Luoyin that this was the reason behind Lin Shuicheng's comment. He had stumbled upon different wallets in Fu Luoyin's clothes on two separate occasions.

Fu Luoyin took out the wallet and examined it, his expression subtly tensing.

His gaze fell upon a photograph nestled within the wallet.

It was a picture of Xia Ran.

Meanwhile, his phone rang. It was a message from Lin Shuicheng.

Fu Luoyin tapped to open it and found it was a concise message.

"When are you free? I'd like to talk to you about our separation."