Chapter 19: We are the tiny sparks that will build China!

Seeing that it was getting late, the two of them discussed the matter with Su Dingping and decided to resume their work at the research institute in two days.

Immediately after, Zhang Gongnong spoke up again.

"By the way, Dingping, what about the first prize for the graduation project I promised earlier?"

Back then, Zhang Gongnong had promised that whoever took first place in their graduation project would be taken to see the 956E to witness what a modern warship looked like.

Now, with so many design drawings laid out here and even a model of the 956E completed, that reward had suddenly become somewhat hollow.

Although the 956E was already featured in the military industrial forging manual, Su Dingping still wanted to see if the two actual vessels had truly had certain technologies scaled back.

Thinking of this, he said, "If there's time, we should go take a look."

"Alright, I'll arrange it," Sun Yongguo said immediately.

As Su Dingping walked out of the laboratory, his stomach suddenly began to growl.

Only then did he realize he hadn't eaten lunch yet. Just as he was heading toward the cafeteria, someone called out from behind him.

"Junior Su!"

Turning around, he saw Guo Xueyun waving at him.

"Senior Sister came to find me for lunch just now, so I knew you two would be coming out, so I came to check on you. You haven't eaten yet, right? Let's go together."

Seeing Su Dingping hesitate slightly, Guo Xueyun added, "I ran into some difficulties during my experiment that Senior Sister couldn't solve, and my supervisor isn't around, so I might need to ask for your help."

"That's fine. Let's go to the cafeteria; I have some things to attend to in a bit."

The two chatted all the way. Guo Xueyun was tactful, knowing exactly what to ask and what not to ask, never mentioning anything regarding the laboratory.

This allowed Su Dingping to relax.

The two of them chatted and laughed as they went to the cafeteria to get their food.

Just after a few bites, someone called out from the side.

"Guo Xueyun! Su Dingping?"

The two turned to look. Guo Xueyun recognized the person instantly, while Su Dingping felt a sense of familiarity but couldn't place him immediately.

"It's Chen Kai."

Su Dingping remembered now; he had seen him two months ago while borrowing equipment from various laboratories.

This person's grades were excellent, significantly better than even Zhao Haikuo and Wang Xin.

"Senior Brother Chen," Su Dingping said, shifting his position slightly.

He felt he had nothing to do with Chen Kai, and the man was clearly coming over to find Guo Xueyun.

With someone as beautiful as Guo Xueyun, it was hard to believe no one was pursuing her.

To his surprise, Guo Xueyun also moved to the side, continuing to sit facing Su Dingping.

Chen Kai didn't mind and sat down in the middle with his tray.

After nodding to Guo Xueyun, Chen Kai looked at Su Dingping and said, "Junior Su, we haven't been in touch since we last met. I didn't expect us to run into each other in the cafeteria today. What fate!"

"To be honest, before I met you, I certainly wasn't convinced! Among our peers at this school, there wasn't anyone I looked up to! But after our detailed chat two months ago, I feel humbled! Only then did I realize that there is always someone better out there!"

Despite this barrage of flattery, Su Dingping remained unmoved.

"It is because Professor Zhang teaches well."

"I heard you've only been following Professor Zhang for a little over a year?"

"That only proves Professor Zhang teaches even better."

Sitting to the side, Guo Xueyun was filled with confusion: *Is this how guys talk to each other?*

After chatting aimlessly for a while, sensing the atmosphere was right, Chen Kai suddenly shifted the topic.

"The list for the direct PhD program came out this year. I'm on it."

"That's great news. Congratulations, Senior Brother."

"But I haven't decided yet whether I want to pursue my doctorate at this school or go to another university."

"Sister Xueyun, our HIT isn't exactly bad, is it?"

Guo Xueyun replied, "If you go higher, there are only a few schools like Tsinghua and Peking."

As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Kai shook his head. "I want to change locations."

*If you want to change, then change. Why are you telling me? This is only our second time meeting! Are you crazy?*

Su Dingping thought this to himself, though his expression remained unchanged.

"For example?"

"I plan to apply to several prestigious universities in the United States. I've heard those schools possess the world's top scientific research equipment and the most cutting-edge research teams..."

Chen Kai's eyes gradually brightened.

"I know a senior who is studying abroad there; his scholarship is over ten thousand USD every year! He told me it is a beautiful country—free, open, and wonderful. There, every person's value can be realized to the greatest extent!"

"I wish you the best in achieving your desires in advance."

"What about you? With your grades, if you applied to study abroad, those prestigious foreign universities certainly wouldn't reject you."

*Me?*

Su Dingping shook his head.

"I have no such plans at the moment."

"What about in the future?"

Staring at Chen Kai, Su Dingping suddenly smiled.

"Chen Kai, we've only met twice. Do you want to continue being alumni with me that badly?"

Chen Kai smiled as well.

"Excellent people always recognize each other! If you apply to the same university as me, perhaps we really could continue to be alumni."

At this point, Su Dingping completely understood the man's intention.

He shrugged and did not respond.

"Actually, it wouldn't be bad to continue being alumni with you! After all, we graduated from the same school, our fields of study overlap, and we could look out for one another," Chen Kai said to himself.

"If I were you, I would definitely give it a try instead of continuing to waste time here."

"I wish you success in your studies! I'm full; please, carry on."

Su Dingping knew that further conversation was meaningless, so he stood up to leave.

"Junior Su, wait for me!" Guo Xueyun hurriedly chased after him.

As they walked through the campus, Guo Xueyun's face lit up with a smile.

"You didn't see it, but after you said that, Chen Kai's face turned green."

Previously, she had only admired Su Dingping's knowledge far exceeding his peers; today, she realized he was quite interesting as well.

"The moment I heard him, I knew something was off. If he wants to leave, he should just leave. Why try to drag me along? He's quite something!"

"It can't be helped. In recent years, the trend of studying abroad and the 'American Dream' have become increasingly popular. Many people dream of going out to see the world."

Hearing this, Su Dingping fell silent.

From the 1990s to the early 21st century, it was precisely the period when the trend of studying abroad and the "American Dream" were at their peak. Many people took pride in saying, "So-and-so is studying abroad," or "So-and-so is working abroad."

"Have you really never thought about going out? Many people say how wonderful foreign countries are."

Su Dingping did not answer her directly, but instead spoke to himself.

"Sister Xueyun, if one day, what is popular worldwide is no longer the American Dream, but the China Dream, what would that look like?"

Guo Xueyun was instantly stunned.

She truly had never thought about this.

"The China Dream?"

"Yes, the China Dream!"

"That path must be very difficult, right?"

Su Dingping gazed into the distance, as if he could see the future.

"Every generation has its own Long March, and every generation has its own mission. When the baton of the era is passed into our hands, we are the sparks that will build China!"

Guo Xueyun stood frozen in place, her hair swaying in the wind, her heart surging with emotion.

Su Dingping's words echoed continuously in her mind. She watched him as he gazed into the distance, her mind drifting in a trance.

In that moment, Su Dingping's image in her heart rose to an infinite height.