After Long Lao finished his instructions, he asked Jiang Fan to compile a list of materials required for the experiment.
Subsequently, Long Lao sent the list to the relevant personnel, instructing them to ensure that the materials were delivered to the laboratory by 8 a.m. the following day.
With a glance at Jiang Fan, Long Lao's affection was apparent.
"Jiang Fan, let's go, take me to meet your girlfriend!"
"Alright!" Jiang Fan nodded, and the two of them began to head out.
At this moment, Xu Guangyuan timidly called out, "Academician Long, what should we be doing now?"
Because Long Lao had just instructed them to halt their current research and fully cooperate with Jiang Fan, they were suddenly at a loss as to what to do.
Long Lao, somewhat annoyed, replied, "Just do whatever you were doing, you don't need to stay late tonight."
After speaking, he left with Jiang Fan, leaving the three of them standing there, exchanging bewildered glances.
"Xu Guangyuan, could it be that Academician Long has been enchanted by Jiang Fan? Just when our research was about to yield results, he stopped everything so easily!" Xia Xiaoyu remarked.
"Sigh! The problem is, I don't believe Jiang Fan's idea of the lithium iron phosphate power battery is remotely reliable," Xu Guangyuan said helplessly.
"Well, if Academician Long says do something, we should just do it!" Niu Xu remarked nonchalantly.
"Fine, so no research tonight? Sister, off to have fun then!" Xia Xiaoyu quipped, shrugging her concerns and agreeing with Niu Xu's perspective that if Long Lao had said it, they should just follow along.
Then, Xia Xiaoyu suddenly recalled that Jiang Fan had mentioned he had a girlfriend. Wait a minute! Her best friend, Qiao Yifei, had asked her to investigate Jiang Fan's background!
Quickly, she took out her phone and dialed Qiao Yifei.
As Long Lao and Jiang Fan made their way to Jiang Fan's residence, Long Lao took a quick detour to his own home.
Soon, they arrived at Jiang Fan's place.
Upon hearing the knock on the door, Chu Ruoxi hurriedly emerged from the kitchen.
She opened the door, and indeed, Jiang Fan had returned, accompanied by an elderly man.
She guessed it must be Jiang Fan's teacher. Before Jiang Fan could introduce him, she greeted the old man with a bright smile.
"Hello, Professor! Please, come in!"
Seeing how cheerful and beautiful the young woman was, Long Lao smiled warmly and responded, "Yes, thank you!"
They entered the living room, and Chu Ruoxi quickly prepared some fruit for Long Lao.
"Professor, please have some fruit!"
"Thank you! By the way, what's your name, young lady?" Elder Long inquired.
"My name is Chu Ruoxi, I'm Jiang Fan's high school classmate!" Chu Ruoxi introduced herself confidently.
"Ah, very nice! Jiang Fan, you're a lucky man!" Long Lao teased.
In fact, the reason Long Lao had come was to ensure that Jiang Fan was in good hands. He was genuinely concerned that Jiang Fan might end up with a girl who was ill-tempered, which could severely affect his research.
However, from what he could see, Chu Ruoxi was well-educated, cheerful, and personable—truly a wonderful match for Jiang Fan.
Long Lao finally felt at ease.
After a while of pleasant conversation, Chu Ruoxi excused herself to return to the kitchen and prepare dinner.
Elder Long looked at Jiang Fan and Chu Ruoxi, who appeared to be a harmonious couple, and smiled.
"Jiang Fan, I think this girl, Chu Ruoxi, is very good. Don't ever let her down, alright?"
"Yes, I understand, Professor!" Jiang Fan replied.
Ever since he had been with Chu Ruoxi, Jiang Fan had never once thought about separating from her.
During dinner, Chu Ruoxi looked at them apologetically.
"Professor, Jiang Fan, this is the first time I've cooked, so it might not taste very good!"
"Haha, let me try!" Long Lao eagerly tasted the dish and smiled. "Mmm, not bad! Haha..."
Jiang Fan took a bite as well. It was the first time he had eaten something Chu Ruoxi had cooked, and truth be told, he was quite moved by her effort.
"Ruoxi, it's delicious!"
"Really?" Chu Ruoxi smiled widely upon hearing their compliments, even though she thought the taste was far from perfect. Still, seeing Jiang Fan and Long Lao enjoy it so much, her heart swelled with happiness.
After dinner, Long Lao chuckled, "I won't disturb your time together. Enjoy your evening, haha..."
Jiang Fan and Chu Ruoxi exchanged a glance, their faces flushing slightly.
"Jiang Fan, come with me for a moment!" Long Lao said.
"Alright!"
Jiang Fan followed Long Lao out of the apartment, and once they were downstairs, Long Lao looked around to make sure no one was nearby before speaking in a lowered voice.
"Jiang Fan, regarding your previous scientific breakthrough, you must keep it a secret, even from your parents and your girlfriend. Do you understand?"
"I understand, Professor," Jiang Fan replied.
"This is for your safety and theirs," Long Lao explained.
Jiang Fan understood. As a researcher, especially one who had made a major discovery, it was easy to attract unwanted attention, even from hostile forces.
Long Lao gave him a few more instructions before pulling out a jade bracelet from his pocket.
"Jiang Fan, as your teacher, I want to give this to Ruoxi as a token of my first meeting with her. Please pass it along to her."
Jiang Fan glanced at the green jade bracelet. It looked quite valuable, and he immediately declined.
"Professor, this is too expensive!"
"Nonsense, Jiang Fan. It's just a small token from me. Honestly, I came here today to make sure you're alright. Ruoxi seems like a wonderful girl, so cherish her," Long Lao said earnestly.
Seeing how serious Long Lao was, Jiang Fan stopped refusing and accepted the gift.
"That's more like it, haha..." Long Lao chuckled.
"Now, about the research on lithium iron phosphate power batteries, you'll be fully in charge from now on. I need to focus on another project for a while. Hopefully, when I return, I'll be pleasantly surprised by your progress."
"Don't worry, Professor. I won't disappoint you!" Jiang Fan replied confidently.
After Long Lao left, Jiang Fan stood still for a moment, deep in thought, before heading back to his residence.
He handed the jade bracelet to Chu Ruoxi, who was thrilled with the gift.
"Jiang Fan, this jade bracelet looks so precious. Shouldn't you return it to your teacher?"
"I told him that you'd like it, and he insisted. Just accept it," Jiang Fan said.
Chu Ruoxi looked at the jade bracelet for a moment before accepting it, tucking it away carefully.
Since military training was to begin the next day, Jiang Fan accompanied Chu Ruoxi back to Huqing University.
The next morning, after breakfast, the freshmen at Longke University dressed in camouflage and gathered on the athletic field for their first military training class.
Jiang Fan arrived at the laboratory precisely at 8 a.m. and found that all the materials were already prepared.
Soon after, Xia Xiaoyu, Xu Guangyuan, and Niu Xu arrived as well.
Jiang Fan quickly outlined their roles in the research.
Then he addressed the three of them.
"Over the next 15 days, in order to accelerate our progress on the lithium iron phosphate power battery, we'll enter a closed research mode."
"Closed research?" The three of them were stunned.
"Yes."
"What does closed research mean?" Xia Xiaoyu asked.
"It means we'll live, eat, and work in the lab..."
The three of them stood in stunned silence. They had thought Long Lao was strict, but they hadn't expected Jiang Fan to take it a step further and impose such an intense work schedule.