Genius Playground

Zhang Yang felt his head swim. He was light-headed, consumed by a fiery rage.

In the face of Zhang Yang’s passive-aggressive remarks, Jiang Ran’s response was firm and certain.

’Actually, I just thought about it,’ Jiang Ran mused.

’If Zhang Yang absolutely refused this topic, then I’d just let it go. I could spend the summer preparing and studying the relevant material, and it wouldn’t be a problem to pick a more normal project when the semester starts.’

’But...’

’...just now, Zhang Yang, in his exasperation, had bet that he would ”never research Quantum Tunneling again.” That forced me to take this seriously.’

’Never researching Quantum Tunneling again...’

’That’s the very thing that could save Zhang Yang’s future.’

’In a prison in the year 2045, Zhang Yang had said, his face full of regret, that he should never have researched it. But there’s no medicine for regret in this world, no way to go back in time and give himself a couple of slaps.’

’But I can.’

’Now, in 2025, is the perfect time to deliver those ”two slaps,” to wake Teacher Zhang Yang up and help him find his way back from the brink, to steer him away from the prison sentence that Quantum Tunneling will bring.’

’So...’

’I’m sorry, Teacher Zhang.’

Jiang Ran apologized internally.

He knew full well that his actions would make the other man feel hurt, angry, disrespected, and stripped of his dignity as a teacher...

But compared to a ten-year prison sentence, all of that was as trivial as a feather.

...

Meanwhile, Zhang Yang...

...took a few deep breaths and gradually calmed down.

Recalling the passive-aggressive things he had just said, he felt a pang of regret. He felt he had gone too far, that he had been insulting to Jiang Ran.

’Sigh.’

’This is my first time as a graduate advisor, and the first time I’ve met a student who puts me under this much pressure. I really was too hasty and lost my composure.’

In a teacher’s eyes...

...the most regrettable and heartbreaking thing is to watch a student who is clearly talented—a promising sapling—go astray because they lacked proper guidance.

And right now, Jiang Ran—this genius so highly praised by Teacher Gao—was clearly in that exact situation.

He was indeed smart, but he was arrogant and conceited about his talent, which was a cardinal sin in scientific research.

’Since fate has brought us together as teacher and student...’

’...I can’t just throw a childish tantrum like this.’

’I should guide him properly, teach him with patience. After all, guiding is better than blocking—that’s the essence of education.’

”Come on, Jiang Ran, let’s sit down first.”

He beckoned, motioning for Jiang Ran to sit down so they could talk things over calmly.

Turning around,

he took two disposable cups from a cabinet, poured water into them, and placed one in front of each of them on the table before sitting down again.

”I apologize for what I said earlier. I hope you won’t take it to heart. I respect your ideas, and I understand your ambition.”

”For now, let’s put our biases aside and not discuss the authenticity or feasibility of your proposed project... Since you have so much faith in Dean Gao Yan, why don’t we hear his opinion? Or rather... let’s put the power to decide this matter in his hands.”

”After all, in the academic circles of the Dragon Country, Teacher Gao represents the highest standard. If he says this project is feasible and worth researching, then it definitely is. But if he says it’s not, then I’m afraid... it really isn’t worth wasting our energy on. Do you agree with that?”

Jiang Ran nodded.

Of course he agreed.

If it weren’t for the fact that he was running on empty, knowledge-wise, and if he wasn’t trying to save Teacher Zhang from a future prison sentence, he would never have treated his advisor with such an infuriating attitude.

To be honest, his respect for Teacher Zhang Yang... was actually far greater than his respect for Dean Gao Yan.

But right now,

he simply couldn’t pass up this opportunity to save Teacher Zhang Yang’s future.

”Then that settles it.”

Teacher Zhang Yang smiled faintly.

’It seems this kid, Jiang Ran, isn’t completely unreasonable after all. He just needs to be guided patiently.’

’He is a genius, after all.’

’Sometimes you have to coax them.’

’Sincerity is the ultimate weapon.’

”Let me be completely honest with you—I have my own selfish motives too.”

Zhang Yang said with sincerity,

”Within this educational system, I’m just an ordinary person. It’s inevitable that I have a desire for fame and recognition.”

”Especially as the last disciple of the highly respected Teacher Gao, I haven’t actually produced any results to be proud of... I’m far behind my senior brothers and sisters.”

”So, I’m sorry, Jiang Ran. I admit I lost my composure today. I’m always trying to prove myself in academia, always in a rush to achieve something great...”

”On one hand, it’s true that I’m ambitious; I don’t deny that. Every scholar wants to make a breakthrough.”

”But more than that... I don’t want to bring shame to Teacher Gao’s name. I don’t want people to laugh behind his back, saying his judgment was poor for taking on such an untalented, incapable, and mediocre disciple, tarnishing his reputation in his final years.”

Teacher Zhang Yang’s voice was soft, yet it carried a heavy weight.

He stared blankly at the steam rising from his cup and pursed his lips.

”Teacher Gao has never really demanded anything from me. He’s always taken care of me, let me do things my own way.”

”Including my decision to return to my alma mater, East Sea University, to teach. He really didn’t want me to come. He said that once you leave a pure research environment like the Longke Institute and go to a university campus, it’s often hard to produce significant results.”

”But in the end, he still let me come back. The truth is, I never told him the real reason... It was because I felt that my fellow disciples, every single one of them, were too outstanding, too smart, too brilliant. Being there... the pressure was just immense.”

He took off his glasses and placed them on the table. Closing his eyes, he laced his fingers together and rested them on his stomach.

”To put it bluntly, I just ran away. I couldn’t stand my own mediocrity, couldn’t stand my own powerlessness... I became a deserter.”

”I’ve always believed that the cruelest thing in this world is what happens to people who have a little bit of talent, but not quite enough—”