After the semiconductor giants visited the leading integrated circuit production line in Country H, they returned home feeling significantly disheartened.

They quickly reported back to the government and began applying for more policy support.

When Cen Huai’an received the notification from Professor Liu, the national secret project had already commenced.

Upon receiving the project announcement, Professor Liu began preparations to apply for inclusion in this initiative.

Not everyone qualified for participation; national-supported projects often came with substantial funding and preferential policies.

Thus, securing a spot in the project meant that future research would not be jeopardized by a lack of funds.

In semiconductor research, real financial investment is crucial; without it, even purchasing experimental materials could become impossible, let alone conducting research.

In the field of semiconductor research in Jinghua, Professor Liu was a leading figure, and the school supported much of his work, prioritizing funding for him.

However, he still faced financial constraints at times and had sought external investments and collaborations with semiconductor companies.

The new national project represented another opportunity.

Cen Huai’an and his senior, Zhao Xuebing, were assigned important tasks by Professor Liu, specifically to draft the project application document, which would be presented at the application conference.

If their capabilities were inadequate or if the application document fell short, their application for the project could be outright rejected.

As the main responsible persons, Professor Liu told them, “You can use anyone from the lab. I’ll provide you with templates and highlight our lab’s strengths. Your main responsibility is to integrate everything and present the best parts first.”

Professor Liu handed over a large collection of materials containing his lifetime achievements, awards, and projects to Cen Huai’an and Zhao Xuebing.

Cen Huai’an looked at the stacks of files filling an entire room and sensed that he would be busier than ever.

Zhao Xuebing held the application template, which outlined the various sections that needed organization.

She pointed to the table of contents and directly asked Cen Huai’an, “Let’s each take half. Which sections do you want to handle?”

Having recognized Cen Huai’an’s abilities, Zhao Xuebing knew that he could successfully complete any task he undertook.

Cen Huai’an glanced over the sections; the workload seemed evenly distributed, and he didn’t mind which parts he took on. “I can do anything; you choose first.”

Zhao Xuebing replied, “Alright, I’ll handle the first half, and you take the second half. If you have any objections, bring them up now. I won’t accept any changes once we start working.” Her straightforwardness was well-known; changing tasks mid-project would complicate things for her.

“I have no objections; that sounds good,” Cen Huai’an agreed.

After dividing the work, the two got to it. With the professor’s permission to use lab personnel, Zhao Xuebing directly recruited juniors for assistance.

Cen Huai’an understood the lab members’ attitudes toward him.

Although he was younger and less experienced, he was favored by the professor, which sparked resentment among some lab members.

Wang Lihui was a typical example of this discontent.

If Cen Huai’an asked for help, most would refuse, and some might agree but subtly sabotage his work.

Consequently, Cen Huai’an chose to take on the project himself, preferring to work harder rather than risk the application’s success.

Though this meant sacrificing his personal time, the workload remained manageable for him.

After classes each day, Cen Huai’an would head to the lab’s resource room to review various materials and organize his assigned sections.

He consistently stayed late, returning to his dormitory only to find the lights out.

Each morning, he was the first to rise.

Professor Liu was equally busy preparing for the project application.

He moved in and out of the lab so quickly that he hardly noticed the minor disputes among the students below.

Cen Huai’an was not one to complain either.

That evening, he finally completed his planned work for the day.

He glanced at his watch; it was nearly one a.m., and the dormitory doors were already closed.

The lab was empty; Professor Liu had been busy with classes and other responsibilities and hadn’t come to the lab that night.

Cen Huai’an had brought a set of bedding from home and kept it in the lab, prepared for nights when he would work too late to return.

Having set up a makeshift bed on a desk, he planned to spend the night in the lab.

Just as he finished arranging his bedding, he heard knocking at the door, causing him to frown.

With the hallway lights dimmed, the only sound was the knocking, and nothing else reached his ears.

“Who is it?” Cen Huai’an asked cautiously, his tone a bit cold.

“Junior, it’s me. Did you lock the door?”

Cen Huai’an recognized the voice as Zhao Shiyi’s, and he relaxed his furrowed brow. “The door isn’t locked; come in.”

“You’re really smart for thinking ahead and bringing a set of bedding to the lab,” Zhao Shiyi said as he entered.

By this time, the weather had turned chilly. With most of the semester already behind them, everyone wore jackets to fend off the cold.

Zhao Shi looked at Cen Huai’an’s bedding and then thought about his current situation, feeling suddenly very low.

“Junior, do you think I’m useless like they do?”

Cen Huai’an adjusted his pillow, braced his hands on the table, and sat on the made-up bedding.

“No. Why would you think that about yourself?”

Zhao Shi sat in a chair, leaning back dejectedly. “Today, the tasks assigned by Senior Zhao were completed quickly by everyone else, but I’m still here. After I finally finished everything, I hurried back to the dorm, only to find the doors closed. I thought about asking the dormitory aunt to let me in, but I was afraid of disturbing her at such a late hour.”

He could only return to the laboratory with his head hung low, thinking he would just make do for the night.

However, the laboratory was too cold at night.

He sat there for a while and couldn’t stand the cold anymore, so he got up and walked around the laboratory, hoping to warm up.

That’s when he saw the light still on in the room where Cen Huai’an was.

Upon entering, Zhao Shi felt even more discouraged.

He always thought about things incompletely; clearly, there was a possibility of not being able to return, yet he hadn’t thought of bringing a clean blanket like Cen Huai’an did.

Cen Huai’an sharply said, “Senior, the reason you’re working so late is that you’re doing work that doesn’t belong to you.”

Zhao Shi’s face instantly showed panic as he waved his hands, trying desperately to explain but ended up not saying anything at all.

“Junior, how do you know everything?”

Cen Huai’an was not only smart but also capable.

The professor valued him, and the people in the lab didn’t dare to bully him.

Zhao Shi really wanted to become someone like Cen Huai’an.

Not just because he was smart and favored by the professor, but because he had the courage to refuse others and wasn’t afraid of being sabotaged.

“Because I understand your character. I also understand the characters of the others in the laboratory.”

This wasn’t just the case in this laboratory; it was the same everywhere.

Good people get bullied.

Others wouldn’t see your kindness as a virtue; they would just think you’re easy to push around, and they would relentlessly ask for your help.

Your help wouldn’t earn you gratitude; instead, it would make them feel more entitled to ask for your assistance.

Cen Huai’an had shown from the start that he wasn’t easy to deal with, and those seniors had realized he was not to be trifled with.

With the matter concerning Wang Lifei, those people no longer dared to approach Cen Huai’an.

Zhao Shi knew that what Cen Huai’an said was correct, but his character had always been this way since childhood, and it was hard for him to change suddenly, which made him feel even more despondent.

“Do you want to change your situation?”

Cen Huai’an looked at Zhao Shi and asked. His gaze could pierce through to Zhao Shi’s heart, making him freeze in place.

He quickly lowered his head, feeling as if Cen Huai’an had seen through his innermost thoughts, which made him feel a hint of panic.

“I… I…”

Cen Huai’an didn’t say anything further or try to persuade Zhao Shi.

Because if he didn’t want to change himself, others wouldn’t be able to help him.

Cen Huai’an yawned and said, “If you can’t think it through now, then take a few more days to consider it. I’m going to sleep.”

He had work to do the next day, and Cen Huai’an didn’t have so much time to accompany Zhao Shi in his misery.

Seeing Cen Huai’an about to sleep made Zhao Shi even more anxious. “Junior!”

He grabbed Cen Huai’an’s arm, “I want to change!”

Cen Huai’an stared directly into his eyes. “Are you sure?”

Zhao Shi gritted his teeth, seeming to make a huge decision as he nodded vigorously. “I’m sure. Junior, do you have a way to help me get out of this situation?”

Cen Huai’an replied, “I can offer my help. But the prerequisite is that you have to be able to stand firm and refuse anyone who asks for your help.”

Zhao Shi’s body stiffened again. He couldn’t guarantee he could do that.

“Junior, I…”

“At first, I’ll help you, but in the end, you still have to learn to say no on your own.”

Initially, Zhao Shi had helped Cen Huai’an, and without Zhao Shi guiding him in learning those instruments and familiarizing him with the laboratory, Cen Huai’an would have spent much more time learning.

He was someone who repaid grudges and kindness alike.

Zhao Shi had helped him, so he was willing to help Zhao Shi in return.

The premise was that Zhao Shi had to be able to stand up for himself.

After saying this, Cen Huai’an took off his jacket and crawled into the quilt, preparing to sleep. He told Zhao Shi, “There’s another blanket in the closet; you can use it.”

Early summer had feared that Cen Huai’an would feel cold, and also worried that if too many people slept in the laboratory, there wouldn’t be enough bedding, so he prepared two very thick blankets that could be used directly to get through winter.

Lying in the warm blanket, Zhao Shi couldn’t help but shed tears, feeling that he was incredibly lucky to know Cen Huai’an, who not only didn’t look down on him for being foolish but also helped him.

The next day, Cen Huai’an brought Zhao Shi in front of Zhao Xuebing.

Zhao Shi wore a look of confusion and a sense of dread towards Zhao Xuebing.

In the entire laboratory, Zhao Xuebing was very respected, second only to Professor Liu.

“Senior, I’d like to ask you for someone.”