The next morning.

Dad called, his voice excited from the get-go. "Son, have you eaten breakfast?"

"Not yet. What’s up, Dad?"

"Oh, your advisor, Teacher Sun, called me first thing this morning."

"What did Brother Sun tell you?"

"Teacher Sun said you got a high score of 99 in the semi-finals of that Mind Competition thing at school, first place in the entire university! He also said you even caught the president’s attention. The president specifically asked about you and said you have a boundless future."

The old man knew nothing about the prestige of a medical competition; all he knew was that being number one in the whole university was a huge deal.

Ever since he was little, his father’s approach to raising him had always been very traditional.

He rarely received any praise, but this time, the old man on the phone broke character and lavished him with compliments:

"Teacher Sun praised you for nearly ten minutes on the phone. Son, you did great. You’ve always been a kid who never caused any trouble, and now you’ve made something of yourself. You’re your father’s pride."

Hearing this, Jiang He smiled.

’Is this like unlocking a hidden achievement?’ he thought. ’People online always say that this sentence from their old man is what East Asian kids spend their whole lives chasing...’

Jiang He said, "It was just a school competition, nothing important."

"My son is so modest!"

"By the way, Dad, about what I said before... have you quit smoking?"

The laughter on the other end of the line stopped abruptly.

The old man gave a dry laugh. "I’m quitting, I’m quitting..."

Before he could finish, a scuffle for the phone could be heard through the receiver.

Then, his mom’s voice came through. "Don’t listen to his nonsense! He was smoking on the balcony just yesterday, and the ash fell right into my pot of green onions! He was just putting on an act when he promised you on the phone last time."

His mom continued, assuring Jiang He over the phone, "Don’t you worry, son. I’ve laid down the law this time. I’ll definitely keep an eye on him and won’t let him have a single cigarette."

The old man retorted, a hint of defiance in his voice, "You’ve got some nerve to talk about me! Son also told you to eat less salt last time, and I’ve seen you eating plenty of those pickled vegetables you made!"

"My dried radishes are sun-dried by me! How can they be the same as your cigarettes?"

"How are they not the same? It’s all salt! Too much is bad for you!"

Listening to his parents bicker on the other end, Jiang He leaned back in his chair and sighed softly.

For older people, lifestyle habits were long since ingrained in their very bones.

A few reminders over the phone were completely unable to change their behavior.

’To really solve this problem, I’ll have to find a chance to go back home and stress the importance of it to them in person.’

Once the arguing on the other end died down a bit, Jiang He spoke up. "Dad, Mom, I actually have something to ask you two today. I need money."

The other end of the line fell silent instantly.

’Talking about money? Time to drop the friendly banter and get ready for a serious conversation...’

Jiang He’s tone was calm. "I’m currently working on a research project for early screening using peripheral blood. The initial phase requires extracting and pre-processing blood samples, and the subsequent reagents and consumables are very expensive, so I was hoping to borrow some money from you."

This was the truth, but not the whole truth.

Yesterday at the library, Jiang He had carefully calculated that no matter which research path he chose, funding was essential.

But his core reason for borrowing money now was to make a profit through investing.

The stock market bottoming out at 1664 points at the end of the month was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to double his assets.

Before that point, the more principal he had, the more terrifying the leverage effect would be.

Borrowing money from his parents was one of the most direct ways to raise capital, an opportunity not to be wasted.

Of course, he absolutely could not mention stock trading, or his parents would definitely think he’d gone off the deep end. Using medical research as an excuse was the most reasonable approach.

Hearing this, his dad sounded a bit hesitant.

For an ordinary working-class family in ’08, the term "medical research" felt foreign and intimidating.

"How much do you need?" the old man asked.

Jiang He said calmly, "As much as you can lend. It’d be best if you lend me all the spare cash you have."

His dad was dumbfounded.

His mom sounded a little surprised and also worried. "Son, you’re not lying to us, are you? You haven’t gotten into any trouble at school, have you? Are you really doing research?"

"I really am doing research. My supervising professor is Professor Yang Xu from Affiliated Hospital No. 1. Besides, I’m borrowing this money from you. Once the project yields results, I’ll pay you back with interest."

The other end of the line was silent for a good while.

His dad’s voice became serious. "Let me hang up and discuss this with your mom. We’ll check our accounts and see how much we can transfer to you."

"Okay," Jiang He agreed.

He hung up the phone.

Back at his home, his mom and dad began to discuss it.

Mrs. Jiang was a bit hesitant. "Honey, what do you think... do university students have to pay for their own research? And he said to lend him as much as we have... that’s asking for a lot."

Old Jiang rubbed the stubble on his chin, pulled out a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes from under the coffee table, glanced at his wife, and silently put it back.

"When his advisor, Teacher Sun, called this morning, he said our son got first place in the whole university. He’s going to be a chief surgeon in a major hospital in the future. How can you not spend money on something as high-tech and sophisticated as medicine? The university’s resources are surely limited. Good steel must be used on the cutting edge."

Mrs. Jiang was still worried. "But, the money we have was originally saved for him to buy a house and get married in the future..."

Old Jiang waved his hand dismissively. "Buying a house and getting married can come later. Our son is doing so well right now. He’s ambitious and wants to achieve something. As his parents, we have to support him at a time like this. And taking a step back, even if the research fails and the money goes down the drain, as long as it was used for a good purpose, it’s a trial for him. It’s worthwhile for a young person to suffer a little setback and learn a lesson."

Mrs. Jiang heard this and thought it made sense.

Her son had always been level-headed, and this year he was like a completely different person—down-to-earth and willing to work hard. He probably wouldn’t go wrong.

"Then how much should we give him?" Mrs. Jiang stood up and walked toward the bedroom. "I’ll go get the passbook."

A moment later, Mrs. Jiang came out holding a passbook from ICBC, flipping it open to look at the numbers.

They had been frugal over the years and had saved up a little nest egg.

Old Jiang took a look and gritted his teeth. "Let’s transfer fifty thousand."

"Fifty thousand?"

"Yes, fifty thousand. I’ll go to the bank this afternoon and wait in line to wire the money. Since we’re supporting him, let’s not be stingy. Let our son do his best over there."

They had no idea that this fifty thousand yuan, once in Jiang He’s hands, would go through a frenzied round of bottom-fishing in the stock market at the end of the month.

And soon turn into two hundred thousand, three hundred thousand, or even five hundred thousand.

...

「Nanshan Medical University.」

Jiang He was thinking about how else he could get money.

The money his parents promised to transfer would definitely not be enough to cover his huge funding gap.

In reality, the best option was still to borrow from Wang Kuan.

But Wang Kuan was a businessman who wouldn’t act without a clear incentive.

To get Wang Kuan to open his wallet, he had to produce results first.

If his paper could be published this month, everything would fall into place.

Thinking of this, Jiang He sent a message to Yang Xu.

After getting permission, he dialed his number. "Hello, Professor."

"What is it?"

"I wanted to ask about our LNR paper. Is there any news on its publication schedule? When will it be formally published?"

"The blind review feedback was extremely positive, so the editorial department has given it the green light for the expedited track. The typesetting and proofreading are basically done. Barring any surprises, it should be printed in the next issue."

After hearing this, Jiang He felt a great weight lift from his shoulders.

Yang Xu said, "From the sound of it, you’re pretty anxious? Alright, I’ll touch base with the editorial department again this afternoon and push them a little. I’ll let you know when I have definite news."

Hearing this, Jiang He felt a warmth spread through his heart and said solemnly, "Okay. Thank you for your trouble, Professor."