I’m Really a Superstar

The next day.

It was the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Early in the morning, the people at the research institute were once again woken up by Zhang Ye. This time, it wasn’t “Tears Behind Prison Bars” that woke them up, but Zhang Ye’s loud voice.

“I’ve become a father!”

“This bro is now a dad!”

“I have a daughter now!”

“Hahahahaha!”

Some people pulled their blankets over their heads.

Some people were rolling their eyes in bed.

They were used to being woken up by Zhang Ye every morning. This fellow was even more punctual than an alarm clock and would always cause some commotion at this exact time. They couldn’t figure out what Zhang Ye was thinking either. Last night, he was singing sorrowfully despite his wife having just given birth. Instead of celebrating yesterday, why are you reacting to the news today? Aren’t your brain circuits moving too slowly! Indeed, geniuses were really such oddities that most normal people would never be able to understand their behavior.

In the cafeteria.

A lot of people discovered that Zhang Ye was in charge of the cooking today when they arrived.

Chi Xue said, “Wow, Professor Zhang is cooking?”

Fellow Zhou was also amused. “Are you sure of your culinary skill?”

Fellow Chi and the others were also suspiciously eyeing Zhang Ye, who was busy cooking.

Zhang Ye laughed and said, “But of course. But this is cooking for a crowd, so it’s a little more complicated. This is also my first time cooking for so many people, so this is still what we will be having whether it is tasty or not. We’re limited by what we can serve here. Otherwise, I would have brought you all out to eat at a Beijing restaurant if we were outside. Just make do with it, I guess.”

Everyone sat down and tried it. It actually tasted quite good.

“Delicious, delicious.”

“Professor Zhang’s cooking is pretty good.”

“Congratulations on the birth of your daughter.”

Everyone congratulated him once again.

Zhang Ye thanked them one by one.

Chi Xue asked, “What was that song you were singing last night?”

A female researcher asked, “Yeah, what is it called?”

Zhang Ye smiled. “‘The Gift.\'”

Chi Xue nodded. “It’s really nice.”

A young researcher said, “That’s right, I nearly cried listening to it.”

Zhang Ye said, “That’s why this bro’s current goal is to find a way to go back home to my family!”

Hearing that, Zhou Xiaohe immediately turned and looked at Zhang Ye warily.

Zhang Ye rolled his eyes. “What are you looking at me for? This bro wants to leave this place with my head held high. Do you think that I would attempt to break out of prison? Anyone in China can break out of prison, but would that even be possible for me?”

Zhou Xiaohe was taken aback but felt that what Zhang Ye had said was true.

When everyone else heard that, they were left chuckling in amusement.

Yes, anyone could attempt to break out of prison except for Zhang Ye. Break out of prison? How was he going to break out? Other people could hide their identities after getting out and find a place where no one knew them to settle down at. But Zhang Ye? How was he supposed to hide his identity? In all of China, in all of Asia, was there anyone who did not know him?

For the entire morning, Zhang Ye remained in a very excited mood. The feeling of becoming a father was something that was very different and could not be described with words. And when Zhang Ye received a photo of his child, it became even harder to describe that feeling. It was like a sense of happiness filling up within him.

Those tiny arms.

Those little legs.

It was too adorable.

Zhang Ye could not bear to put the photo away.

Chi Xue smiled and said, “I asked someone to get it for you. I believe this was what you needed?”

Zhang Ye was grinning from ear to ear. “I need this more than anything!”

Then Zhang Ye went around the entire research institute and showed it off to everyone. As long as he met someone, he would stop them on the spot and start chatting with them.

“Little Liu, this is my daughter!”

“Aiyo.”

“What do you think?”

“She’s so cute!”

“Of course!”

“Old Li, come, come, come, have a look at my daughter!”

“Wow, not bad.”

“Pretty, right?”

“Yes, she’s pretty.”

“Dr. Hu, have you seen my daughter’s picture yet?”

“Not yet.”

“Come quickly and have a look then. Doesn’t she look like me?”

“Uh, no, she doesn’t look like you at all.”

“What? It’s obvious that she looks just like me!”

“In what way? She clearly resembles your wife.”

“Look at this fingernail. Isn’t it exactly like it was made from the same mold as mine?”

“Damn, how can you base resemblance off of something like fingernails?”

He was loving his feeling.

In the afternoon, Zhang Ye even requested a photo frame from Fellow Zhou’s office. He slotted his daughter’s picture in and placed it on the study desk in his room. One moment, he would gaze at it with a smile. The next moment, he would hold it up and give it a kiss. It was as though he were mental.

With newfound motivation, he knew that he needed to get out of this place even sooner. My daughter is still waiting for me!

Thus, Zhang Ye closed his room’s door, pulled up his sleeves, and took a deep breath. He went back to working again in high spirits and full of fight!

An hour.

Three hours.

Five hours.

At 11:30 PM.

A sudden shout came from Zhang Ye’s room. “It’s done!”

Then Zhang Ye knocked on the doors of every room!

“Fellow Zhou, come quickly to my room!”

“What is it at this time of the night?”

“Aiyo, stop sleeping. Hurry up!”

“Sister Chi, get up, get up!”

“What is it?”

“Come over and you’ll find out! Hurry up!”

A lot of people were called up by Zhang Ye.

Everyone got out of bed and put on their clothes before heading to Zhang Ye’s room.

Chi Xue was rather displeased. “It’s the New Year. Just what is the matter?”

Zhang Ye smiled. “I’ve made great strides in my project!”

Fellow Chi said angrily, “What project? What project could you possibly have? Hasn’t the algorithm already been produced?”

“That’s right.” Fellow Zhou was also wondering. “Why would you have any project to work on?”

Zhang Ye rolled his eyes. “Have you all forgotten? About the project you passed to me?”

Fellow Zhou had truly forgotten about it. “Which one? When did I give you a project to handle?”

Chi Xue was stunned. “Y-You’re talking about that new generation fighter engine project?”

An aircraft engine?

That project no one had managed to succeed at for the past few decades?

Everyone was dumbfounded!

Zhang Ye laughed. “That’s the one! Come and have a look.” He pointed inside the room at the walls, the desk, and even the floor and the bed where diagrams and equations were pasted on.

Chi Xue couldn’t be more shocked. “You actually took it seriously?”

Zhang Ye said, “Didn’t I already say? That I’ll take on this project!”

Fellow Chi said, “You’re a mathematician. Why would you be conducting research on an aircraft engine?”

Zhang Ye smiled and said, “Mathematics and physics belong to the same family.”

Fellow Zhou was quite shocked. “Did you really make progress on it?”

“I’ve made major progress!” Zhang Ye corrected him.

Chi Xue quickly looked down.

A group of doctors and professors also went up to have a look.

“What kind of a model is this?”

“It even looks somewhat like the real thing.”

“Professor Zhang even has knowledge about physics and mechanical engineering?”

“Will this model work?”

“This is a little impractical, right?”

“Uh, I don’t understand this.”

“It doesn’t seem like it would work?”

A lot of people were frowning, unable to figure out what was going on.

But if they could understand what Zhang Ye had come up with by just glancing at it, then the nation’s dream for an aircraft engine would not have taken so many years and still not be realized. The details involved in this project were very complicated. If one didn’t specialize in fighter engine research, it would be very difficult to understand anything here.

When Zhang Ye saw everyone’s faces, he knew that there wasn’t much hope. He curled his lips and said, “It’s normal that you guys don’t understand since you haven’t reached the right level yet. Fellow Chi, quickly report this to the higher-ups for me. I’m sure there will be people who can understand this research. I’ll need money, manpower, and equipment. As long as I have all of that, just give me some time and I can guarantee that our nation’s dream of an aircraft engine will be fulfilled. I, Zhang Ye, will keep my word!”

An aircraft engine dream?

Was that really so easy to fulfill?

Everyone rolled their eyes. You’re saying that we do not understand? Then are you saying that you understand? Couldn’t you just messing with us by randomly writing and making up some drawings?

Everyone was very skeptical.

Fellow Chi and Fellow Zhou also felt the same.

But as this matter was deemed too serious and Zhang Ye also seemed to be very sure of himself, they couldn’t help but take it seriously as well. Although they felt that what Zhang Ye had done was still not exactly reliable, the two of them still got someone to organize the documents and send them out on the very same night. It was a layman like Zhang Ye who started this entire matter anyway, so even if the authorities criticized them, Zhang Ye would shoulder the blame. They weren’t going to be held responsible for this debacle.

After that, everyone headed back to their rooms to get some rest.

While lying in bed, they couldn’t help but find this matter a little funny when they thought about it.

Manufacture a fighter engine?

Hai, aren’t you thinking too highly of yourself?