Chapter 12

Cheng Yedu threw my clothes at me, telling me to get dressed and get out.

I looked at the dog, concerned. “Are you sure you can take care of him properly? Should I take him with me?”

He practically roared, “This! Is! My! Dog!”

Well, that was a relief.

…

After that brief recreational detour, my life got back on track.

My main application was submitted. If I passed the initial review, the department would schedule two interviews.

Zou Yan and I were both in physics, but our research areas were very different: I was in controlled nuclear fusion, and he was in astrophysics.

He helped me with a few mock interviews, and we covered most of the questions they could ask.

“Anything more in-depth is beyond me,” he said. “Before the official interviews, you should talk to someone in your field about the latest developments.”

He was heading back to the U.S. in a few days. He had spent almost his entire vacation on me.

The day he left, I was suddenly tongue-tied, unable to properly express my gratitude.

He smiled and cut me off.

“You’re so talented, you deserve to be at the best institution. It would be a waste otherwise.”

“And I really want to see you succeed.”

He opened his arms and gave me a tight hug. “See you in Massachusetts.”