Reborn in 1977, I will no longer be my brother's blood bag.

All eyes were on that document.

Enlightenment.

Two words, not flashy, yet inexplicably memorable.

No one spoke. But everyone understood that this project was anything but simple.

The old man then opened the documents.

First page, project background.

Page 2, Research Objectives.

Page 3, Task Assignment.

The silence gradually subsided, as the expressions on everyone's faces grew increasingly solemn the further they looked back.

This is no longer an ordinary competition, or even entirely a student project; much of the content clearly comes from research institutes.

"So," Li Mingyuan was the first to look up, "this is an actual project?"

Director Qin smiled: "Count as half."

"What do you mean?"

"Research institutes do have similar needs."

Everyone understood—if done well, the competition is just the beginning, and the real implementation is likely to follow.

Thinking of this, even Zhao Guodong's eyes became serious. This was no longer just an honor, but an opportunity—a real opportunity to enter the field of research.

After the meeting, the three people left with the documents without saying a word, because the pressure had suddenly increased.

Competition for leadership positions is more important than they realize.

As he walked out of the automation building, a gust of autumn wind blew past, and Li Mingyuan finally spoke: "I suddenly feel a little regretful."

"Regret what?" Zhao Guodong asked.

"I regret agreeing to compete for the position of head of the agency."

"Is it too late to quit now?"

They exchanged glances, then all three laughed simultaneously. Of course, backing down was out of the question; no one who had come this far would back down.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the campus, Zhou Zhiyuan had just left the bulletin board with a piece of paper in his hand, which he had just copied down.

It reads: Automation Building, Qiming Project Team.

A few simple pieces of information.

He could have easily gone to Lin Xiuhe, or even just gone to her dormitory to inquire. But he didn't. For some reason, once he stood in Tsinghua University, he suddenly stopped rushing.

Because he suddenly realized that in this life, Lin Xiuhe no longer needed anyone to save her. She was walking her own path, and that was what he wanted to see.

With that thought, Zhou Zhiyuan folded the paper, put it in his pocket, and turned to leave the campus.

On the other side, the library.

Lin Xiuhe had already sat down, a thick stack of documents spread out on the table. She hadn't gone back to her dormitory because there were only six days left in the competition for the position of person in charge, and time was running out.

...I kept flipping through the pages until night fell and the library became less and less crowded.

Suddenly, a voice rang out: "Aren't you leaving yet?"

Lin Xiuhe looked up and saw Li Mingyuan. He was carrying a stack of books and sat down opposite her. "You didn't leave either."

"I'm going to outlive you."

"Then you might be disappointed."

Both of them laughed, and the atmosphere became unusually relaxed.

But the next second, Li Mingyuan suddenly stopped smiling: "Xiuhe, have you noticed a problem?"

Lin Xiuhe looked up: "What's the problem?"

Li Mingyuan opened the document and pointed to a page: "The data provided by the research institute has gaps."

Lin Xiuhe's gaze fell over, and she quickly frowned.

He's right; a set of key parameters is missing. Without this data, many derivations cannot be completed.

A few seconds later, the two spoke almost simultaneously: "They did it on purpose."

Their voices overlapped, the air fell silent, and then they both laughed, because they had the same idea.

The research institute had no intention of giving a direct answer.

Competition for leadership positions is never an exam, but a genuine research process.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiuhe lowered her head and flipped through the documents again.

But at that very moment, a vague memory from my past life suddenly flashed through my mind—mechanical systems, control models, parameter compensation… many fragmented images began to connect.

Her hand holding the pen suddenly stopped. Li Mingyuan, noticing something was wrong, asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Lin Xiuhe slowly raised her head, her eyes gradually brightening. "I think I've thought of a direction."

Li Mingyuan paused for a moment, then smiled wryly: "I knew it. Every time you make that face, you must have a good idea."

The night grew deeper.

Meanwhile, in the training center dormitory, Zhou Zhiyuan was looking through documents.

Suddenly, a list slid out of the folder, with the words "Qiming Project Collaborating Units" written at the top.

His gaze paused slightly, because the list of partners clearly stated: Department of Automation, Tsinghua University.

Zhou Zhiyuan fell silent.

After a long while, he smiled softly.

Some things seemed to happen more coincidentally than he had imagined.

******

The library lights stay on very late.

It was almost ten o'clock when Li Mingyuan left: "Are you really not going back?"

"Let's watch for a while longer."

"You always say that." Li Mingyuan stood up, holding his books, and shook his head helplessly. "Don't die suddenly tomorrow." After saying that, he turned and left.

Soon, only a few people remained in the huge reading area, so quiet that the only sound was the turning of pages.

Lin Xiuhe did not look up; her gaze remained fixed on the documents.

The deliberately omitted data from the research institute acts like a door, blocking everyone from view.

But she became increasingly certain that the breakthrough lay not in the data itself, but in the logic.

If this were a real-world project, what would the research institute be most concerned with? Cost? Efficiency? Stability?

A thought suddenly flashed through my mind.

She sat up abruptly, then quickly picked up her pen and began to re-derive the formula.

...More and more draft papers were drawn up, and time passed little by little.

She finally stopped in the early hours of the morning, her gaze falling on the last line of formula.

Because she discovered that the missing data was actually not important at all.

The research institute deliberately removed that part to see who would jump out and look for the answer. The real answer, however, is hidden in the preceding structure.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiuhe slowly exhaled and finally smiled.

She knew she had found her direction.

The next day, in the automation building.

The atmosphere at the competition group discussion was noticeably more tense than before, as there were only three days left before the submission deadline.

Professor Chen sat at the front without saying a word, but asked the three people to report on their progress.

Zhao Guodong was the first.

His plan was the most reliable, with a large number of parameters added and complete logic. Even Director Qin nodded in approval: "Not bad."

Next, Li Mingyuan went on stage.

Unlike Zhao Guodong, he didn't supplement the data; instead, he tried to build a new model. Although there were still flaws, his approach was very bold, and many teachers in the meeting room showed their admiration.

Finally, it was Lin Xiuhe's turn.

Everyone looked at her.

Because everyone knows that she is the most favored one, but also the most controversial one.

Lin Xiuhe walked up to the podium, put down the materials, and instead of starting immediately, looked at everyone and said, "I'd like to ask a question first."

Director Qin raised an eyebrow: "What's the problem?"

Why is everyone looking for missing data?

Zhao Guodong frowned, while Li Mingyuan seemed to be deep in thought.

Lin Xiuhe continued, "What if we can never get this data?"

The meeting room fell silent, because no one had considered this question. Everyone assumed the data existed, just incomplete. But what if it didn't exist at all?

The next second, Lin Xiuhe drew a curve on the blackboard and then wrote four words: "[Reverse Verification]".

Professor Chen's eyes lit up slightly, while Director Qin sat up straight, because no one even within the research institute had mentioned this direction.

For the next ten minutes, the meeting room grew quieter and quieter as everyone listened as she deduced and dissected the problem step by step.

Finally, Zhao Guodong lowered his head, because he realized that he had been studying the questions, while Lin Xiuhe had begun to study the question setter.

The gap is clearer than ever before.

After the presentation, the meeting room remained silent for a long time.

Finally, Professor Chen clapped lightly, once, then twice.

Then, applause filled the entire conference room—not enthusiastic, but exceptionally sincere.

Because everyone knows that what they saw in those ten minutes wasn't a solution, but a way of thinking.

After the meeting ended, Zhao Guodong did not leave immediately, but stood in the corridor in silence for a long time.

Li Mingyuan came out, glanced at him, and asked, "Given up?"

"No," Zhao Guodong answered quickly, but a few seconds later, he added, "But I know where we went wrong."

Li Mingyuan suddenly smiled, because those words were enough to convince him.

Meanwhile, at the training center.

Zhou Zhiyuan was organizing materials, while several trainees were chatting together in the office.

"Have you heard?"

"What?"

"There's a really impressive freshman at Tsinghua University."

Which department?

"automation."

Zhou Zhiyuan paused slightly, without looking up, but his ears fell silent.

"Everyone from the research institute went."

"Really?"

"I heard the project manager is about to decide on her."

"A freshman?"

"Who knows?"

The discussion continued.

Zhou Zhiyuan looked down at the documents, a slow smile creeping onto his lips. He knew these people probably hadn't seen the real Lin Xiuhe yet—if they had, they wouldn't be surprised.

Sunlight streamed in through the window and fell onto the table.

Meanwhile, in the automation building office, Director Qin was reviewing three proposals. After a long while, he suddenly spoke up: "Old Chen, the person in charge has already come out, right?"

Professor Chen took a sip of tea, did not answer, but just smiled.

But that smile says it all.