Rebirth of Bloody Romance

After hearing Zhong Yuemin's words, Li Aiguo and Chen Zhiyuan were both slightly stunned at first, with a hint of surprise on their faces. However, just a moment later, they seemed to have suddenly realized something interesting, and laughed at the same time.

"Haha... Zhong Lao Er, I hope it's really as you said!"

Li Aiguo laughed loudly, and finally stopped laughing and said, "We have to admit that the field of engineering in our country is still in its infancy. Compared with those developed countries, the gap is beyond people's imagination. The more we understand about this huge gap, the more we feel an indescribable fear in our hearts."

Zhong Yuemin also laughed after hearing this, and his smile was full of confidence and optimism. "Yes, scientific knowledge can indeed be shared globally and remain transparent and open. But engineering is different. It requires us to be down-to-earth and move forward step by step. It is impossible to make a leap forward all at once. However, I always believe that the Chinese Academy of Sciences will give you a broad enough stage so that you can fully display your talents."

At this time, Liu Minghua, who had been listening quietly, took over the conversation and said, "That's true. For engineering, knowing its basic principles is important, but this is only the first step. The real difficulty and key lies in how to skillfully apply these seemingly easy-to-understand principles to actual operations. For example, let's take a car engine. The working principle involved is actually very simple. It is nothing more than a problem of energy conversion. However, looking around the world, there are only a few countries that are truly capable of manufacturing high-quality engines with excellent performance."

"Yup!"

Zhong Yuemin added, "Just like steelmaking, the hot molten steel rolls and boils in the furnace, and it needs to be tempered a thousand times before it can become extremely tough steel; just like brewing wine, from selecting high-quality grains to carefully controlling the temperature and time of fermentation, every link cannot be sloppy. Behind these seemingly simple and ordinary things, there are actually endless mysteries and skills. Only by relying on countless practices and accumulated experience can we truly master the essence and achieve them to the extreme. This is precisely the unique charm of engineering, but it also constitutes a huge challenge that cannot be underestimated on our way forward!"

After hearing this, Chen Zhiyuan smiled and shook his head, saying, "Come on, look, we were all fooled by you." Although there was a hint of sarcasm in his words, his eyes revealed nostalgia for the past years.

However, Zhong Yuemin was not happy to accept such an explanation. He quickly waved his hand and retorted, "Hey, stop talking nonsense! Look at you all, wearing neat suits and exquisite ties, looking so elegant. Even I almost didn't recognize you! In my opinion, you are doing pretty well out there."

"Zhong Laoer, what you see is just the surface." Li Aiguo's eyes were deep and solemn, and he spoke slowly.

"Indeed! The bitterness and hardship contained therein can only be understood by those who have experienced it personally." Chen Zhiyuan nodded in agreement, with a bitter smile on his face.

"Then what is going on?" Liu Minghua frowned and asked in confusion.

Li Aiguo sighed lightly, with a hint of self-mockery in his tone. "To be honest, we both had the experience of being temporary workers. According to common sense, government-sponsored students like us should not work to earn money, but rules are rules, and reality is reality. The income from working casually for a few days can be equivalent to the income from working hard for a lifetime in China. In such an environment, who can not be tempted? Even I am no exception. For those tempting figures, I have to bow to the capitalists and willingly accept their exploitation."

Li Aiguo's words were like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up ripples. Zhong Yuemin felt the same way after hearing this. He silently lit a cigarette, took a deep breath, and exhaled a cloud of thick smoke. Amid the smoke, his eyes became more and more blurred, as if he could see through the hazy smoke countless figures who had similar experiences and were struggling.

"Alas... it is true, everything is so realistic." Zhong Yuemin sighed softly, his voice so low that it was almost inaudible. However, such a simple sentence seemed to carry a heavy weight, weighing heavily on the hearts of several people.

Chen Zhiyuan took a long puff of the cigarette in his hand. His voice was deep and powerful amid the smoke. "When I decided to return to China, my professor tried hard to persuade me to stay. At that time, the olive branch thrown to me by the top laboratories in the United States was almost within reach. My classmates had the same view. They all believed that there was a huge gap between China and Western countries, and this gap was like an unbridgeable chasm. They kept asking me, 'How can I go back?' Yes, how can I go back? They were really scared and had no courage to face all these challenges in China."

Zhong Yuemin looked at Chen Zhiyuan silently, then gently blew out a smoke ring. The smoke ring floated up slowly, circling slowly in the air, spreading out little by little, and finally gradually dissipated into the air, as if it had never appeared.

At this moment, Zhong Yuemin was immersed in deep thought. If he was not a reborn person with memories of his past life, if he had the opportunity to go abroad in this era and then face the decision of whether to return to China, would he have enough courage to return to this familiar yet slightly unfamiliar land?

To be honest, Zhong Yuemin himself did not have a definite answer to this question, because he deeply understood that those who finally chose to stay in a foreign country might not necessarily be greedy for the bright lights and extravagant life abroad, but more often they might just be completely shocked by the huge gap in front of them.

The sudden drop from a technological level and living environment that were once at the forefront of the world to a relatively backward state is such a huge change that it is easy for people to feel at a loss and even lose the courage and motivation to move forward.

"So," Zhong Yuemin raised his head with a firm look in his eyes, "those who dared to return to China are truly determined people. They not only overcame geographical distances, but also overcame psychological barriers. They proved with their actions that no matter how big the gap is, as long as you have the will, you can catch up."

In the smoke-filled room, the discussion among several people gradually deepened. They not only talked about their personal experiences and choices, but also explored the complex relationship between talent loss and technological progress from a more macro perspective.

Li Aiguo spoke again, this time with a more objective and rational tone. "Of course, the fact that many talents have not returned to China does not mean a complete brain drain. Many people who have studied abroad and have not returned have also used the advantage of convenient information abroad to participate in the review of many scientific fund application projects in China and maintain academic exchanges and contacts with their former colleagues and classmates. Although they are in a foreign country, they care about their motherland and contribute to the development of the country in another way."

Chen Zhiyuan agreed after hearing this. "That's true. The flow of talent is an inevitable trend of globalization. We cannot simply judge whether a person is patriotic based on whether he or she returns to China. Those talents who stay abroad are also indirectly promoting the advancement of domestic technology by participating in international exchanges and cooperation."

Zhong Yuemin nodded. "The loss of some talent may be an unavoidable price. Historical experience has also proved that it is necessary for developing countries to pay the price of losing some talent in exchange for technological progress. This is a painful but realistic choice. We need to face this reality and work hard to find a solution to the problem."

Zhong Yuemin paused and continued, "We can improve the domestic talent environment, increase research investment and treatment, and attract more talents to return to China. At the same time, we must strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the international community and use external forces to promote the advancement of domestic technology. Only in this way can we remain invincible in the wave of globalization."

Liu Minghua, Li Aiguo and Chen Zhiyuan all expressed their agreement after hearing this. They knew that talents are the core force of national development and only by giving full play to the role of talents can the country achieve prosperity and strength.

"Yuemin, quickly clear the table and prepare for dinner." Chen Yijun's voice came from the kitchen, accompanied by the clinking of the spatula, which was particularly warm. She quickly prepared several plates of delicious vegetarian dishes, and poured the braised food she bought into a large basin one by one, and the aroma filled the air.

Li Aiguo sniffed the fragrance in the air and asked jokingly, "Zhong Laoer, where's the wine? You can't just let us eat it dry, right?"

Zhong Yuemin smiled, took out two bottles of Moutai from under the table in the main hall, and placed them on the table proudly. "No, let's drink something good today."

Li Aiguo and Chen Zhiyuan looked at each other and said nothing. But Liu Minghua was unhappy. He glared at Zhong Yuemin and said in a pretended angry tone, "Zhong Laoer, you are going too far! Who are you trying to fool with this? Hurry up and take out your "Qiongjiang"."

When Li Aiguo heard "Qiongjiang", he asked curiously, "Boss Liu, isn't this Moutai very good? Is there any wine better than Moutai?"

Liu Minghua snorted and explained, "You two don't know, don't let Zhong Laoer fool you. Qiongjiang is a good wine, Zhong Laoer doesn't take it out easily. How can we use Maotai for such an important day today?"

"Oh, Boss Liu, this is your fault. We are all having a good time today, so why are you still thinking about the 'Qiongjiang'?"

"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up." Liu Minghua urged. "Hurry up and bring out the "Qiongjiang" and don't keep us waiting too long."

Zhong Yuemin could not refuse, so he had no choice but to take out two bottles of "Jiaojiang" from another hidden corner. The bottle was simple in shape, exuding a noble temperament. As soon as the bottle cap was opened, a strong aroma of wine came to the nose, intoxicating.

"Good wine!" Li Aiguo and Chen Zhiyuan exclaimed in unison.

Liu Minghua smiled proudly and said, "This is the best thing that Zhong Laoer has kept in his closet! He usually doesn't even know how many bottles to send me."

"Sister-in-law, you can't say that I bribed you, right?" Zhong Yuemin joked, causing several people to laugh.

"Go away, you're making fun of me again." Liu Minghua smiled and turned his head away, as if he suddenly remembered something, and turned back to ask Zhong Yuemin. "Oh, by the way, have you seen Lin Shufang recently?"

"Yes, she has. The school recently allocated housing for her, so she moved there. What do you want to see her for?"

Liu Minghua sighed. "My eldest child is going to junior high school this year. My restless wife heard from someone that junior high school will affect the child's life, so she insisted on finding a key middle school for him. This woman doesn't care about food and drink, and can get by whether she is rich or poor, but when it comes to the child's schooling, she becomes a different person. She makes trouble with me every day and asks me to find a good school for the child."

After hearing this, Zhong Yuemin nodded thoughtfully. "Do you want your child to go to the Affiliated High School of Polytechnic University?"

Liu Minghua clinked glasses with Li Aiguo and took a sip of the wine. "You know my personality. I don't want to go out and owe favors to others. So I can only think of Lin Shufang and ask her to help. The Affiliated High School of Polytechnic is also a key high school. It's close to home and convenient."

"That shouldn't be a problem. I'll give you her office number later and you can just call her directly."

"it is good."

Liu Minghua stood up, raised his glass high, and said with great enthusiasm, "Come on, cheers to our reunion!"

"cheers!"

"cheers!"

Several people responded and raised their glasses to celebrate. The atmosphere was warm and cheerful.

However, in the midst of all the laughter and joy, Zhong Yuemin suddenly remembered something. He put down his glass and asked Li Aiguo and Chen Zhiyuan, "By the way, didn't Chen Yuhong come back? Didn't she go out with you guys?"

Chen Zhiyuan's expression dimmed when he heard this. He was silent for a moment before he slowly spoke, "We went to New York together, but she moved away after graduation. The embassy and consulate people came to me several times to inquire about her, but they couldn't find any news about her."

Li Aiguo also sighed and continued, "I heard that she is not doing well. I once persuaded her to come back with me, but unfortunately... she didn't agree."

Zhong Yuemin nodded. He was just asking casually and had no other intention. But now it seems that Chen Yuhong's story is not simple.

The drinking lasted until 3 or 4 in the afternoon, when the sun began to hang slantingly in the sky. Li Aiguo, Chen Zhiyuan and Liu Minghua were already a little staggering from drinking, their faces flushed with alcohol.

"Oh, I had a great time drinking today!" Li Aiguo burped and patted Zhong Yuemin on the shoulder.

Chen Zhiyuan also nodded, smiling. "Yes, it's been a long time since we've been together like this. It's really fun."

Liu Minghua was a little unsteady on his feet. He held onto the table and tried to keep his balance. "Zhong Laoer, bring some good wine next time and we'll come back to drink."