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

The list of responsible persons has not yet been announced, but the news has already spread throughout the Department of Automation.

"It's basically settled."

"Who?"

"Who else could it be?"

"Lin Xiuhe".

People were discussing it everywhere—in the cafeteria, downstairs in the dormitory, and in the library.

Because that presentation was so shocking—the research data was missing, and everyone was filling in the gaps, but she was the only one researching the person who set the questions.

This line of thinking goes beyond simply achieving good grades; it's on a different level altogether.

Meanwhile, in dormitory 403, Gu Xiaolan was extremely excited:

"Xiuhe! Do you know what people are saying about you now?"

Lin Xiuhe didn't even look up, continuing to look at the documents: "I don't know."

"They say you look like Professor Chen when he was young."

Gu Xiaolan didn't think anything of it, but Liu Xue realized what was going on:

"Wait...you said she looks like Professor Chen when he was young? That Professor Chen?"

"yes."

Liu Xue took a breath and didn't say anything more.

Even Su Qing raised her head.

Because this evaluation is too high.

Who is Professor Chen? He's the face of the Automation Department, someone even research institutes hire specifically. Comparing a freshman to him isn't just a compliment; it's the beginning of a legend.

Liu Xue immediately added, "Some people also said that there was no suspense about who would be in charge this time, and Zhao Guodong was furious."

Gu Xiaolan burst into laughter.

But the next second, Su Qing suddenly spoke up: "If I were Zhao Guodong, I wouldn't accept this either."

The dormitory fell silent because she was right.

Zhao Guodong lost, but he was unwilling to accept it—not because Lin Xiuhe was better than him, but because he felt that he still had a chance.

At this time, Zhao Guodong was indeed still in the Automation Building.

He was the only one left in the office, with three proposals on his desk, which he was reviewing repeatedly.

He grew increasingly silent as he looked, and finally leaned back in his chair, admitting for the first time that he hadn't actually seen what Lin Xiuhe had seen.

Thinking of this, he suddenly smiled bitterly. There are some people you may disagree with, but you can't deny.

Meanwhile, in the library, Lin Xiuhe was still looking at materials, because she knew that the person in charge was only the beginning, and the truly difficult part of the Qiming Project had not yet begun.

Just then, a figure sat down opposite.

Li Mingyuan.

"Congratulations."

"The list is out?"

"not yet."

"So, what's the congratulations for?"

Li Mingyuan smiled: "Congratulations in advance!"

They both laughed, because the answer was already quite obvious.

Just then, a figure suddenly appeared at the library entrance—wearing work clothes, carrying a file bag, standing there for a few seconds, as if looking for someone.

Then, he asked the administrator something and turned to leave.

The whole process took only a few dozen seconds, and no one noticed except Lin Xiuhe.

For some reason, she felt that the figure from behind looked somewhat familiar.

But when I looked up again, the person was gone.

"What are you looking at?" Li Mingyuan asked.

"It's nothing." Lin Xiuhe shook her head and looked away, but the strange feeling in her heart did not disappear.

Evening, Automation Building.

The list of responsible persons was finally released, and the bulletin board was surrounded by students.

Li Mingyuan stood at the front of the crowd, Zhao Guodong also arrived, and Gu Xiaolan and Liu Xue tried their best to squeeze forward.

"Make way!"

"let me see!"

The list was posted the next second.

At the top: Project name "Enlightenment".

Person in charge: Lin Xiuhe.

There was a moment of silence, then applause suddenly erupted—not from one person, but from many.

This time, no one was surprised; in fact, no one took it for granted.

At the back of the crowd, Zhao Guodong stood there, silent for a few seconds, then reached out and clapped softly.

The applause wasn't loud, but it carried more weight than any words.

Because at this moment, he finally admitted: this position belongs to her.

Just then, the crowd parted and Professor Chen slowly walked over.

The old man looked at the notice board, then at Lin Xiuhe, and after a long while, he only said one sentence:

"Starting tomorrow, the true dawn."

Nobody knows what that sentence means.

Only Director Qin stood to the side, his gaze shifting slightly, because he knew that the real assessment of the research institute was only just beginning.

Meanwhile, outside the campus.

Zhou Zhiyuan had just come out of the training center with a new notice in his hand, which read at the top: "Qiming Project Collaboration Arrangement".

The first line below: Collaborating Unit – Department of Automation, Tsinghua University.

He looked down at it for a long time, then smiled.

Because fate had taken a roundabout route, it finally brought them together on the same path.

******

With the official launch of the Qiming Project, the entire automation building was bustling with activity.

Documents, meetings, plans, experiments—people are constantly coming and going with files in hand.

As the person in charge, Lin Xiuhe became the busiest person—

I attend classes in the morning, work on projects in the afternoon, and go to the library in the evening. Sometimes when I get back to the dorm, even Gu Xiaolan and the others are already asleep.

That noon, the project team was having a meeting when Director Qin suddenly pushed the door open and walked in:

"A partner organization will be coming this afternoon."

Li Mingyuan looked up: "Research institute?"

"Sort of." Director Qin nodded. "The Mechanical Systems Training Center needs to coordinate some materials."

Lin Xiuhe didn't pay much attention and continued taking notes with her head down.

Because there have been quite a few of these kinds of incidents lately.

But for some reason, my heart suddenly skipped a beat.

2 PM, conference room in the Automation Building.

The project team members gradually arrived, the documents filled the table, and the sunlight streaming through the window was perfect. Professor Chen was talking to people from the research institute.

The door was suddenly pushed open:

"Sorry, I was delayed a little on the way."

A familiar voice rang out.

Lin Xiuhe paused in her pen-holding motion and slowly raised her head.

At the entrance, a man dressed in dark blue overalls stood tall, holding a folder in his hand, with a calm demeanor—almost exactly as he remembered.

Zhou Zhiyuan.

At that moment, time seemed to stretch out.

The sounds in the conference room gradually faded away, leaving only their gazes, silently looking at each other across half the conference room.

Zhou Zhiyuan was also stunned.

Although I already knew she was here, and I had seen her from behind once outside the school gate, my heart still skipped a beat when I actually saw her.

Because the person in front of me was even more dazzling than I remembered—white shirt, black hair, sitting among a group of college students, with composure and confidence in his eyes.

She is no longer the girl standing behind the counter at the supply and marketing cooperative.

She really made it this far.

Thinking of this, Zhou Zhiyuan suddenly smiled.

"What's wrong?" The staff member next to him asked, puzzled, because he had suddenly stopped.

Zhou Zhiyuan snapped out of his daze, shook his head, and said, "It's nothing." He then stepped into the conference room.

Li Mingyuan was flipping through the documents, and Zhao Guodong was frowning as he looked at the data. No one noticed anything unusual.

Professor Chen's gaze lingered between the two for a second, as if deep in thought.

"Let me introduce you," Director Qin began. "Comrade Zhou Zhiyuan from the Mechanical Systems Training Center."

Applause broke out sporadically.

Zhou Zhiyuan nodded in acknowledgment and then sat down. Coincidentally, his seat was right opposite Lin Xiuhe.

The atmosphere was somewhat awkward, but the meeting had already begun, and no one paid attention to it.

Over the next hour, the two sides began exchanging information, marking the first formal joint effort to advance the Qiming Project.

The discussion became increasingly heated, with Li Mingyuan raising questions, Zhao Guodong adding his own opinions, and the institute staff providing technical explanations.

At that moment, a key parameter became a point of contention, and the meeting room suddenly fell silent because neither side could convince the other.

Director Qin frowned, and Professor Chen remained silent.

Just then, a voice rang out: "What if we try a different approach?"

Everyone looked up at the same time.

Zhou Zhiyuan.

He picked up the materials and drew a new derivation route on the paper. It was short, but exceptionally clear.

Because a few minutes later, everyone realized that he was right.

The problem is solved.

Many people in the conference room looked surprised. After all, in their eyes, Zhou Zhiyuan was just a person from the training center, but this move was clearly not simple.

Lin Xiuhe looked at the paper and her heart suddenly skipped a beat.

This approach is unlike the common practice nowadays.

It's more like the "new technology directions" she saw when she was reading the newspaper in her hospital room in her previous life.

She couldn't explain the complete principle.

But she knew that this kind of thinking shouldn't exist in an ordinary training academy.

Thinking of this, she suddenly looked up at Zhou Zhiyuan. And coincidentally, Zhou Zhiyuan also looked over.

Their eyes met, and in that brief moment, it felt as if countless things were flowing between them.

No one else noticed anything, but the same thought simultaneously popped into their minds—

Something is wrong!

By the time the meeting ended, it was already evening. People gradually left, and the setting sun streamed in through the windows, leaving only a few people in the meeting room.

Lin Xiuhe was organizing documents when she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.

Are you getting used to Beijing?

The voice was familiar. She paused slightly and turned around.

Zhou Zhiyuan was standing there, sunlight falling on his shoulders, just like many years ago.

This time, however, they are no longer the same people they used to be.

Lin Xiuhe looked at him and suddenly smiled: "Not bad."

Zhou Zhiyuan smiled and said, "That's good."

Outside the window, the autumn wind blows, and ginkgo leaves slowly fall.

Their story finally began anew in Beijing.