Genius Club.

Chapter 515 Hitchhiker's Guide
The blue stardust floating in the wind disappeared in an instant, as if it had never existed.

But the black top hat and woolen coat that fluttered down proved that the tall man was standing here and disappeared into thin air.

"Douglas..."

The image of the black hand on the moon was still in Einstein's mind. He walked forward step by step to the place where Douglas had just disappeared and picked up the top hat that had fallen on the ground.

He touched the inside with the back of his hand and could still faintly feel the body temperature that had not yet left.

Einstein stood there in a daze for a moment.

As a physicist, he had no idea how Douglas disappeared;

But what he couldn't understand even more was -

Douglas, why did you leave so decisively?
Not even a goodbye.

He just waved and left, catching me off guard.

"why?"

Einstein was once again filled with grief.

He didn't understand.

Why did Douglas suddenly appear in her life, giving her hope and strength, but in the end... he ruthlessly left her alone to face it all.

"Since Douglas' eyes are the same crystal blue as mine, he should be able to see the future like me and be immortal like me."

"He can even disappear from the world out of thin air, but I can't. This means that Douglas's ability is far superior to mine... It seems that his understanding of time and space and this strange power is much deeper than mine."

"But...even so...Douglas, why do you still want to leave me? If we work together, we can give this world a better and more perfect future."

He placed the black top hat that Douglas had left behind on his head.

then.

He looked down at the white square gift box in his hand.

That was the last thing Douglas left him, and he asked him to keep it safe.

Without opening it, Einstein already knew what was inside.

but.

As a habit he had for a long time, he opened the lid of the gift box and looked inside...

A silver watch.

It's not very high-end, even a bit rough, and it's not a well-known brand.

The second hand on the dial is ticking, telling of the passage of time and the irreversibility of past history.

Under the watch, there was a small folded note.

Out of respect for Douglas's privacy, Einstein did not take out the note and open it; but...it didn't make any difference, he knew what was written on the note.

It was a line of beautiful English, probably written by a lady.

But Einstein didn't know who wrote it.

He woke up in the afternoon of November 11th. He could see the future at any moment thereafter, but he could not know any history before that.

He gently closed the white gift box and sighed.

He still missed Douglas.

For others, the word goodbye is a blessing and expectation, indicating that we will meet again in the future.

But for him and Douglas...

Goodbye.

Just means.

Never again.

The moment Douglas said he was leaving, Einstein frantically searched for Douglas in the time and space line in his mind.

Be it the past, the future, or the trajectory.

but.

But I couldn't find anything.

He didn't know Douglas's past, nor could he see Douglas's future; the other party waved his sleeves, leaving him only a back view and a word of advice. From then on, he disappeared forever in time and space.

In the future that Einstein could see, there was no Douglas anymore.

and so……

He didn't believe that Douglas would come to him again.

"Douglas, did you lie to me?"

Einstein looked at the white square gift box in his hand:
"[You, or the future I saw... one of them has deceived me.]"

"But I still believe in you, my good friend."

Einstein carefully put away the gift box and put it in his coat pocket.

Since Douglas said that he would come to me one day to get the watch back, I just have to wait patiently.

Anyway, he is immortal, anyway, he has plenty of time, anyway, he has told Douglas...he will wait for him in the underground shelter of this farm.

"But, how long do you want me to wait?"

Einstein looked up at the full moon gradually rising into the night sky:
"What kind of opportunity are you waiting for?"

He can see everything in the world and the future in every corner.

But I couldn't see through Douglas's thoughts at all.

suddenly.

A young man exclaimed from behind:
"Oh my God! Einstein! It's Mr. Einstein! I didn't expect to meet you in such a remote place!"

Einstein turned his head.

I saw a blond and blue-eyed young man jumping off his bicycle and running towards me quickly.

The young man was so excited that he didn't care that his bicycle had fallen over. He rushed to Einstein and bowed respectfully:

"Mr. Einstein! What an honor to meet you here! I... I feel extremely honored! I, I, I admire you very much! I grew up reading your stories, I admire you very much!"

The young man was thin, with a straight hooked nose, and was so excited that he was a little incoherent:

"My name is Christopher Adams. I came here from England for further studies. I'm going to the dock to catch a ship now... I really didn't expect to meet you here!"

Einstein shook his head:
"Well, Adams, it's nice to meet you, and I wish you a safe trip."

After saying that, he turned around and prepared to pick up the clothes that Douglas had dropped on the ground.

"Mr. Einstein."

Adams pinched his fingers and stood timidly behind Einstein:
"Well, meeting you here, and also meeting you on my last night in the United States, I think it must be a gift from fate."

"Can I... ask you for a favor?"

Adams scratched his head and smiled embarrassedly:

"My wife was pregnant when I left the UK, and my child was born in March this year. He is a very healthy little boy."

"Congratulations." Einstein said calmly.

"That's right, Mr. Einstein."

Adams walked quickly around to Einstein and said eagerly:

"I have been looking forward to having this child for a long time, but because I am very busy with my further studies in the United States, I have never had time to go back to the UK to visit him... So, I am embarrassed to say that until now, my son is almost one year old and I still haven't given him a formal name."

"Now the whole family calls him 'Little Adams'. My family has been waiting for me to come back and give my son a real name."

"This is what I have always hoped for. I hope to give him a name after I see his appearance and smile with my own eyes."

"But... as I have said many times just now, meeting you here today is fate's arrangement! So, Mr. Einstein——"

"[Can you please give my son a name?]"

Adams clasped his hands together, his eyes full of admiration.

however……

Einstein shook his head wearily:

"Sorry, kid, as you can see, I'm not in the mood right now."

"Naming a child is a big deal. It affects the child's entire life. As a father, you should wait until you return to the UK and see your baby in person before making a decision."

Adams quickly shook Einstein's hand:
"Please, sir! Any name is fine. I really hope that my son can take you as a role model, take you as an idol, and become a great person like you!"

"When he grows up... and knows that his name was given by you, he will definitely feel very proud. Maybe he can really realize his life value under your guidance!"

……

This Adams is eloquent and can talk about the value of things.

It seems that if he is not satisfied, he will have to stay here for a long time.

"Ok."

Einstein had no choice but to agree.

He took out the fountain pen that he always kept in his coat pocket and looked at Adams:
"Is there any paper? When I think, I like to write on paper."

Adams felt his whole body and spread his hands helplessly.

no way.

Einstein searched his other pockets and found a folded piece of white paper.

take it out.

It was the piece of draft paper with the number [42] written on it.

Originally, he was going to show it to Douglas, and by the way, he wanted to discuss with Douglas what 42 was...

He just calculated that the result of the cosmological constant was 42, but he had no idea why it was 42 or what the meaning of 42 was.

But I didn't expect it.

Douglas left without giving him a chance to discuss.

Forget it, just write it on this piece of paper. Since Douglas is gone, this piece of paper is meaningless.

Einstein did not unfold the draft paper, but wrote his last name Adams directly on the folded surface.

Then, stop writing and start thinking.

What's a good name for a little British boy?
It is better to be more grand and simple; or more domineering, with some mystery and majesty.

The more he thought about it, the more complicated it became, and the more confused he became. But at the same time, the figure that he couldn't forget in his mind became clearer and clearer...

Douglas.

The mysterious man who disappeared in the moonlight was a passerby who sowed hope in her life.

Almost unconsciously.

Einstein slid his right hand holding the pen and wrote Douglas' name on the left side of the white paper.

Next to him, the long-awaited young Adams opened his eyes wide and read out the name on the paper:

"【Douglas Adams!】"

He laughed:
"Thank you Mr. Einstein! What a great name! Douglas Adams...that's my son's name! Awesome!"

at this time.

Einstein came back to his senses from his thoughts of recalling his old friend and found that he had actually written Douglas' name on the list...

Seeing that this British guy is so happy, he doesn't intend to explain anything and just lets it go.

"for you."

Einstein put away his pen and handed Adams the folded white paper with the newborn's name on it:
"I wish you a safe journey, Mr. Adams, and I wish the child you have yet to meet, health and happiness."

Subsequently.

He bent down to pick up the clothes that fell on the ground after Douglas disappeared, and without looking back, he entered the farm warehouse.

In the yard, the excited British boy exhaled white air, holding the draft paper named by Einstein in his hand, as if he was holding a golden Bible:

"I'm so lucky! My son's name was actually given by Einstein! No one will believe me when I tell you this!"

"But what is this piece of paper? It has been folded so many times. There shouldn't be any important information on it, right?"

Christopher Adams really admired Einstein.

He decided to open it and take a look. If it was really something important, he would still send it to Einstein.

Adams unfolded the white paper along the fold and found that there was only a strange number written in the middle of the huge paper.

"42?"

He tilted his head.

I don't understand what it means.

But...it doesn't matter. After all, it's just a piece of draft paper and it really has no value.

After refolding the paper and putting it in his pocket, young Adams rode his bicycle to the dock to board the transoceanic ship and begin his journey home:

"I'm really looking forward to it, my little baby."

Riding his bike, facing the night wind, Adams hummed a song and laughed happily:
"What kind of person will you be when you grow up?"

……

Ten days later.

A residential house in Cambridge, England.

boom!
Excited Adams pushed the door open and laughed:
"I'm back! Where's my son? Where is my son!"

The young mother on the sofa smiled:
"You still remember to go home! The child is almost one year old and has never seen his father. Little Adams is very smart and can crawl very fast now."

The young mother stood up, pulled her husband into the house, and pointed at the baby rolling around on the bed:

"Look, I've been so excited since morning when I heard you were coming back."

"Oh! My baby, daddy finally sees you!"

Adams was very excited. He gently picked up the baby, spun around in circles, and kissed the baby twice on the face. The baby in his arms immediately burst into tears.

"Oh, don't you know Dad?"

Adams grimaced:

"I'm Dad~"

The young mother smiled, took the baby and began to coax him, while giving Adams a blank look:
"He's only 8 months old, how can he understand so much? What's more, it's the first time he sees you, just like a stranger, he must be scared. Really, you have to take your time to comfort the child."

"By the way, have you decided on a name for your son? We've been calling him Little Adams for eight months, but we can't keep calling him that forever, can we?"

"Hehe~"

Adams smiled mysteriously and complacently:
"Of course I have thought of a name! It is a very nice, very domineering, and very manly name—"

"Douglas Adams!"

"How was it? How was it? Wasn't it great?"

The young mother looked at the crying baby in her arms and thought for a while:

"It's OK, it's just an average name."

"Oh, how can it be normal?"

Adams spread his hands:

"Do you know who gave this name? Einstein! The greatest physicist in the world, Albert Einstein!"

"cut."

The young mother snorted:
"Come on, you are just bragging. How can you meet Einstein? Are you worthy?"

"Really!"

Adams began to search his pockets:

"I was passing by a farm in Brooklyn and happened to see Einstein standing there in a daze. I begged him for a long time before he agreed to name our child!"

"Huh? Why can't I find it? I clearly put it in this pocket..."

As he spoke, the man opened the suitcase and rummaged through it:
"How could it be? How could it be lost? Einstein wrote our son's name, Douglas Adams, on a piece of white paper."

"Okay, okay, stop pretending." The young mother didn't believe her husband's lies at all.

"Oh! Why don't you believe me?"

Adams was a little anxious.

But I just couldn’t find the piece of paper no matter what, and I didn’t know where it had been lost during these days of travel.

He scratched his messy hair, looking regretful:
"Really? I probably took it out to look at it so often that I don't know where it fell. What a pity! I wanted to keep it as a souvenir."

"But I really didn't lie! Einstein took the blank paper out of his own pocket. I even opened it and took a look. There was nothing on the blank paper except our son's name and the number 42."

The young mother blinked and raised her head:

"42? 42 what?"

"No no no."

Adams waved his hand:

"There's no 42 or anything, no units, it's just a simple number—"

“【42】！”

moment.

The baby in her arms stopped crying and started giggling.

Adams and his wife were stunned.

Looking at the baby whose face suddenly changed:
"Could it be...he likes this name and number?"

With a try-it attitude, Adams whispered to the baby in his wife's arms:

"Douglas~42~"

The baby's eyes narrowed into slits and he giggled again.

"Look, look!"

Adams applauded excitedly:

"I told him he liked this name! This is the name given by Einstein! Honey, let's decide on this name for our son!"

The young mother looked at her giggling son and smiled lovingly:
"Although I don't believe your bragging, but... since my son likes it, let's call him that."

"Douglas Adams."

The young mother called softly:

“Do you like the number 42?”

The baby in her arms started giggling and dancing again, as if by reflex, and was very happy.

"It seems that 42 is your lucky number."

The young mother smiled, put the no longer crying baby back into the bed, and watched him crawl around:
"Next time Douglas cries, we'll just shout 42 to comfort him. He seems to have some magic power over this number."

"That's why I said it! This is Einstein's blessing!"

Adams is still trying hard to convince his wife:
"Forget it, forget it. If you don't want to believe it, forget it. When Douglas grows up, I will tell him about it myself! Let him know how legendary his name is!"

"And the number 42, um... I don't know what this number means, so I'll leave it to Douglas to study when he grows up."

"If he becomes a scientist in the future, he might have the opportunity to study the same subject as Einstein."

"If he becomes a mathematician in the future, maybe he can study the secret behind this number. I don't think Einstein would write down this number for no reason, right?"

"Well, if he's not interested in science and technology, but literature..."

Adams frowned, rubbed his chin and thought for a while, then smiled happily:

"Then being a writer seems like a good idea!"

"So he can write 42 into the novel...give this number a more wonderful meaning!"

(End of this chapter)