Rebirth: Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Part 61：Admiration from My Girlfriend

Xu Guangyuan and the others paid no attention to Jiang Fan's mention of lithium iron phosphate power batteries. They dismissed it as mere boasting.

For them, developing a new type of battery material was an endeavor that would take years, if not decades of hard work. Furthermore, there was no guarantee that such a material would even succeed.

They were willing to listen to Jiang Fan's explanation out of respect for his status as Long Lao's student, but they were skeptical.

Noticing Xu Guangyuan's mocking smile, Jiang Fan knew he did not believe in what he had said. Seeing Xia Xiaoyu and Niu Xu's confused expressions, it seemed that they hadn't grasped the chemistry of lithium iron phosphate batteries either. It appeared that the matter would have to wait until his teacher returned to discuss further.

After lunch, Jiang Fan did not return to the lab. Researching lead-acid batteries was, in his view, a waste of time. He called Dean Li to check on the materials and equipment, and was informed that everything would be ready and sent to him by tomorrow.

Next, he contacted Zhou Huaide to inquire about the situation at the northern base. The research there was progressing smoothly, with everything on track. Jiang Fan felt relieved and also asked about the ITER magnetic materials. Zhou Huaide reported that negotiations with the United States were not going well, with many hurdles and difficulties. However, Zhou assured him that he would contact him as soon as there was any news regarding the ITER magnetic materials.

Jiang Fan felt helpless. If only the system had provided him with the manufacturing methods for ITER magnetic materials, there would be no need to rely on the Americans.

For now, the materials he had gathered for controlled nuclear fusion were sufficient for Zhou Huaide's team to work on for a month. So, there was no rush to compile more data for the time being.

After hanging up, Jiang Fan found himself with little to do for the afternoon. Just then, his phone buzzed with a message from Xiao Ye Mao.

Xiao Ye Mao: Jiang Fan, what are you up to?

He grinned and replied:

Jiang Fan: Chu Ruoxi, I just finished lunch and have nothing to do this afternoon. I'll come find you!

Xiao Ye Mao: I'm at the main gate of your school right now!

Jiang Fan: Okay, I'll be there in a moment!

He put his phone away and headed towards the main gate. As he thought of Chu Ruoxi's cute and lively nature, he found himself walking faster, then eventually running.

Five minutes later, he arrived, panting, at the main gate. He saw Chu Ruoxi, her figure graceful as she waited, eyes scanning the crowd. When she spotted him, she immediately broke into an adorable smile.

"Jiang Fan!" she called out, and then bounced over to him.

"Chu Ruoxi, why didn't you wait in the shade for me?" Jiang Fan asked.

"Hehe, I was afraid you wouldn't see me!" she replied, giggling.

"By the way, why are you still calling me Chu Ruoxi? I'm your girlfriend now. You can just call me Ruoxi, or even Xiao Xi!"

Jiang Fan thought for a moment. Now that Chu Ruoxi was his girlfriend, it did seem a bit distant to call her by her full name.

After a brief hesitation, he tried to address her differently. "Ru...Ruoxi!"

Though it came out a bit awkwardly, Chu Ruoxi was pleased, her face lighting up with a satisfied grin.

"That's more like it!" she exclaimed, then immediately wrapped her arms around his.

The weather was still quite warm, as it was the tail end of summer, and the early days of autumn. Both of their arms were bare, and when Jiang Fan's arm touched Chu Ruoxi's soft, fair one, it sent a jolt through him like an electric shock. His heart began to race, and his face turned red. This was the first time he had such physical contact with a girl.

Chu Ruoxi noticed his reaction and asked, "Jiang Fan, why is your face so red?"

"I...I..." Jiang Fan struggled to find his words, his mouth dry.

"Could it be that this is your first time being this close to a girl?" Chu Ruoxi teased with a playful smile.

Jiang Fan's mind went blank. He couldn't come up with a good excuse, so he simply nodded.

Chu Ruoxi's smile widened as she hugged his arm even more tightly.

"Hehe, Jiang Fan, I've never visited your school. Can you take me around?"

"Hmm, Ru...Ruoxi." Jiang Fan still felt a little awkward saying her name, but it was much better than the first time.

Together, they entered the gates of Longke University. The campus environment here was not a patch on that of Huqing University, which had one of the best campuses in all of Longguo.

To be honest, Jiang Fan wasn't very familiar with Longke's campus either, except for a brief solo tour he took on his first day. In the past two days, he had been occupied in Long Lao's lab.

They wandered aimlessly around the campus. Along the way, Chu Ruoxi enthusiastically shared stories of the events she had experienced at Huqing University these past few days. Jiang Fan listened with a smile, responding from time to time. He liked how lively she was, constantly talking as though she would never tire.

"Jiang Fan, why don't you tell me about what you've been up to at Longke?"

Jiang Fan thought for a moment before answering. "Exams, the lab, and meeting you."

"No more?" Chu Ruoxi asked, her voice tinged with confusion. She had spent nearly two hours recounting everything that had happened to her at Huqing, but Jiang Fan had only offered a nine-word answer.

"Oh," Jiang Fan responded, though it was indeed the sum of his activities at Longke over the past three days.

"Oh, right! I heard from one of my roommates that she accompanied a friend to register, and happened to witness the traditional challenge exam at Longke University. Apparently, one freshman achieved a perfect score and broke a 30-year-old record! That's pretty amazing!" she said excitedly.

"Hm," Jiang Fan nodded, inwardly pleased as he saw Chu Ruoxi's admiration for him.

"Jiang Fan, how many questions did you solve in the challenge exam?"

"About nine," Jiang Fan replied.

"Nine?" Chu Ruoxi exclaimed in surprise.

"How many questions are there in the challenge exam at your school?"

"Nine."

"Ah! That...that freshman wasn't you, was it?"

Chu Ruoxi opened her mouth in disbelief, staring at Jiang Fan.

"Hmm," Jiang Fan nodded.

"Ah! It really was you!" she cried out, her voice filled with joy. "Haha... my boyfriend is amazing!" she laughed, practically bouncing with excitement.

Chu Ruoxi was so thrilled that she couldn't help but kiss Jiang Fan lightly on the cheek. Though it seemed like a normal gesture between a couple, to Jiang Fan, it felt like a stone had been thrown into the calm waters of his heart, sending ripples that lingered for a long time.

Meanwhile, Long Lao returned to the lab and discovered the summary of Jiang Fan's battery materials research, along with the proposal for lithium iron phosphate power battery research.

4o mini