Genius Club

“Who are you?”

Li Qi Qi, sitting in her wheelchair, blinked at Lin Xian. Her voice was soft, and she looked fragile. The moonlight made her face seem even paler.

“I’m Lin Xian, a friend of Liu Feng,” Lin Xian introduced himself. “Actually, we just met recently.”

Li Qi Qi tilted her head. “I haven’t heard Liu Feng mention you. When did you two meet?”

“Just now,” Lin Xian answered honestly. “About ten minutes ago.”

Li Qi Qi chuckled, her smile making her seem more approachable. “You really are interesting. Not many people want to be friends with Liu Feng. He’s a good guy, but he’s a bit odd.”

“I heard about you from Teacher Qi Yan,” Lin Xian explained. “So…”

Li Qi Qi listened patiently and then smiled at him. “So, you also believe that Liu Feng’s ‘Theory of Universal Constants’ is correct?”

Lin Xian nodded. “We might be the only two who believe that. I’m curious, though. Why does Liu Feng, the creator of the theory, not believe in his own research? When I mentioned it to him earlier, he just calmly admitted it was wrong. That’s not how a scholar should feel about their own work.”

“Because… it really seems to be incorrect,” Li Qi Qi said, looking down. “Proving a theory correct in all situations is very difficult. But proving it wrong is easier—just one incorrect instance is enough.”

Her words surprised Lin Xian. He had thought that since she wrote those words on the card, she must firmly believe in the theory, even irrationally. But hearing her now, she didn’t seem so certain.

“Do you think the theory is wrong?” Lin Xian asked.

“I don’t think it’s wrong,” Li Qi Qi shook her head. “But Liu Feng and Teacher Qi have conducted many experiments, and every time, the results were the same… proving the theory wrong.”

“Even after graduation, Liu Feng researched it for a long time, but no matter how many times he tried, the results were always wrong, never right.”

Lin Xian understood now why Liu Feng had that attitude. He had thought Liu Feng, like Professor Xu Yun, was misunderstood and unsupported. But that wasn’t the case. Both Liu Feng and Teacher Qi had tried countless times to verify the theory, but all results were disappointing, proving it wrong.

Liu Feng’s problem wasn’t about sponsorship, funding, or labs. It was that his theory was fundamentally incorrect. Like waiting for a plane at a dock, Liu Feng’s research direction was wrong and would never yield the right answer.

But if everyone thought the theory was wrong, why did Li Qi Qi still believe it was correct?

“You still believe the theory is correct despite all the evidence?” Lin Xian asked.

“Yes, because the derivation of those Universal Constants is just too beautiful,” Li Qi Qi smiled sweetly. “I can’t understand all of it, but it feels like music.”

“I didn’t major in math, but in astronomy, we use a lot of math and physics. All correct formulas are beautiful—Euler’s formula, the Pythagorean theorem, the mass-energy equivalence… they are all so elegant.”

“Like they’re crafted by someone. Liu Feng’s derivation is just like that.”

Talking about Liu Feng made Li Qi Qi’s face glow with pride and happiness. “Even if experiments say otherwise, maybe it’s not the Universal Constants that are wrong but our current understanding.”

“I’m sorry, it’s hard to explain this intuition,” she added, embarrassed. “I know it’s silly to define correctness by beauty, but nature and the universe are beautiful, so I think it should be like this.”

Lin Xian nodded. Li Qi Qi’s thoughts were indeed interesting. In physics and math, all correct formulas are beautiful. This beauty is hard to describe—maybe it’s the romance of a science student.

Lin Xian didn’t know where the problem lay with the ‘Theory of Universal Constants.’ Everyone thought it was wrong, but it seemed correct. Was it really our understanding that was flawed?

“I’d like to support Liu Feng’s research. Can you help me convince him?” Lin Xian asked. “Since we both believe in the theory, maybe with more funding and a better lab, Liu Feng could achieve something.”

“I mentioned this to him, but he refused. I don’t get it,” Lin Xian said, spreading his hands. “He’s working so hard to make money, so why not accept my support and focus on research?”

Li Qi Qi sighed. “Liu Feng has been through a lot, and with my illness… he doesn’t believe in his own research anymore, so he can’t accept your help.”

“To be honest, Liu Feng hasn’t done any math research in nearly a year. He works nonstop, like a broken clock. The hands are moving, but the rhythm is wrong.”

“I wish I could help him, but as you can see, I can’t do anything. Maybe the best thing I can do is leave this world soon so I won’t hold him back.”

“No, don’t think like that,” Lin Xian said quickly. “Have faith in current scientific progress. Countries are researching hibernation chambers. Maybe in a year or two, there will be prototypes. You could hibernate and go to the future for treatment.”

Li Qi Qi just smiled softly. “I don’t think that far. My only wish is to see a meteor shower before I die.”

“I’ve always loved meteor showers, but I’ve only seen them on TV, never in real life. I even chose astronomy in college because of my love for meteor showers.”

“But after studying astronomy, I realized real meteor showers aren’t like on TV. Meteors last only a second or two, so meteor showers are more imagination than reality.”

Lin Xian didn’t say anything. He knew she was right. Meteor showers in astronomy aren’t like what people imagine. A meteor burning in the atmosphere lasts a second or less. Even a few seconds is rare. And meteor showers have small volumes. Seeing a few dozen or nearly a hundred in an hour is considered a large shower.

You could watch the sky all night and see nothing, or miss one in the blink of an eye. The ideal is very different from reality.

Li Qi Qi, studying astronomy, knew this. She’d never see the meteor shower she imagined, just like Liu Feng’s ‘Theory of Universal Constants’ would always be seen as worthless and wrong.

Lin Xian thought of the card Li Qi Qi wrote to Liu Feng, mentioning a meteor shower. “If you could see a meteor shower, what would you wish for?” Lin Xian asked.

“I’d wish for the world to recognize the importance of the Universal Constants and see Liu Feng’s correctness,” Li Qi Qi said, smiling at the dark, starless sky.

It matched the card in the book. Lin Xian sighed, looking at the night sky with her. “Has Liu Feng’s ‘Theory of Universal Constants’ ever been published?”

“No,” Li Qi Qi shook her head. “He didn’t even try to send it to a publisher. He thinks it’s wrong, so he wouldn’t do that.”

“Right,” Lin Xian said. “Liu Feng doesn’t believe in himself, so he wouldn’t seek recognition or be interested in my support.”

But if the book wasn’t published, where did the copy from 600 years later come from?

“Sorry, I need to go back inside,” Li Qi Qi said, coughing weakly.

“Take care,” Lin Xian waved. “Goodnight.”

At 2 AM, the sound of a motorcycle approaching filled the yard. Liu Feng entered the house, taking off his delivery helmet.

“You’re back,” Li Qi Qi turned her wheelchair to face him, smiling. On the table were two simple dishes and a bowl of porridge.

“You should rest earlier. You don’t need to prepare food for me. I can eat anything,” Liu Feng said, hanging his helmet on the wall and taking off his delivery vest.

“I slept all day. I can’t sleep all the time,” Li Qi Qi said, inviting him to sit. “The food’s been reheated several times.”

Liu Feng sat down, taking the chopsticks she handed him and started eating. “It’s going to get colder soon. If you go outside, wear more clothes.”

Li Qi Qi nodded, watching him eat. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of myself. By the way, I met an interesting person tonight and had a nice chat.”

“Don’t talk to strangers. It’s not safe,” Liu Feng said, eating a slice of cucumber.

“I’m not a child,” Li Qi Qi said, annoyed. “And he wasn’t a bad person. He was very nice.”

“How do you know he’s nice?”

“He said the ‘Theory of Universal Constants’ is correct,” Li Qi Qi said happily.

Liu Feng’s chopsticks paused mid-air, a piece of potato dangling. After a moment, he resumed eating. “Believing the theory makes him a good person?”

“Yes,” Li Qi Qi nodded. “To me, it does.”

“You…” Liu Feng sighed, smiling weakly. “By that standard, the whole world is bad. Including me.”

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