Courtyard House: I'm an engineer, and a fairy godmother transferred me to a different position.

"Hello, comrade! We are here to interview Comrade Liu Guangqi. You should have been notified in advance."

The sentry captain took the credentials and examined them carefully. He did not let them pass immediately, but instead signaled to the soldier next to him to go inside and confirm whether Director Liu was on duty and available.

There is no need to be surprised—the guards at this time all came from the ranks, had been tempered by war, and discipline and rigor were ingrained in their very bones.

"We've received the notification. Please wait a moment while we confirm with them again," the captain nodded.

This was the rule. The visitors waited quietly, and no one urged them on.

The female reporter clutched a worn-out notebook in her hand, the cover bearing a title she had written herself:

Outline of an interview with Comrade Liu Guangqi of the First Ministry of Machine Building.

Her fingertips unconsciously traced the pages, but her mind was in turmoil.

The notebook was filled with information prepared before the trip—from family background to educational trajectory, primary school, middle school, university... each entry was so clear it was almost sharp.

When her gaze fell on the "Age: Twenty-four" column, she still felt a little dazed.

Twenty-four years old, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

These nine characters, when put together, seem to carry a weight that transcends reality.

She herself was a student who had crossed the single-plank bridge of the college entrance examination back then, but when faced with Liu Guangqi's resume, she couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.

Who could have imagined that he would be at the forefront of the trial implementation of the "5-2-2" school system—

The old "4-2 system" of five years of primary school, two years of junior high school, and two years of senior high school has been completely reformed.

This means that while others are still climbing the ladder of high school at the age of sixteen, he has already secured his place in the college entrance examination at the age of fifteen.

He graduated from Tsinghua University at the age of nineteen.

Now at the age of twenty-four, he has already established himself in the heart of the nation's industrial development.

She turned the page gently.

The subsequent record of her achievements made her unconsciously slow her breathing.

Each of those achievements, any one of them alone, is enough to illuminate a researcher's entire life's path;

Now all of these have come together on the shoulders of a young man.

The book is as thick and substantial as a biography of an engineer who has dedicated his life to his craft.

Before she left, the editor-in-chief called her to the table and gave her only one piece of advice:

"Write down the true weight."

The editor-in-chief had previously given specific instructions: "Comrade Liu Guangqi, whom we're interviewing today, is a role model the ministry is preparing to promote. Just report the facts truthfully; there's no need to add any embellishments." At the time, Li Xuemei thought the editor-in-chief was being overly cautious, but now she realized her own limited perspective. What embellishment was needed? Simply publishing his resume verbatim was enough to amaze everyone. It would be a real pity if such a person weren't used as a role model.

Old Zhang, the photojournalist standing nearby, carrying his heavy camera, leaned to the side and chuckled in a low voice, "Little Li, you look like you're going to the front lines. I heard that Chief Engineer Liu is even younger than the two of us, it's really strange—all those tangible achievements, did he do them all by himself?"

Just as Li Xuemei was about to respond, she saw the security guard walking towards them with a phone in hand: "The leader has confirmed it. Please wait a moment, Director Liu will be here soon."

Within minutes, a figure emerged from the ministry's office building.

The figure was nothing like the bespectacled, mature scholar Li Xuemei had imagined. The man was tall and upright, wearing only a plain white shirt with two buttons undone at the collar and sleeves rolled up to his forearms. There were also several clear ink stains on his shirt, indicating that he had just been temporarily pulled away from his heavy work on blueprints and hadn't even had time to tidy his clothes.

Yet it was precisely this casualness and unpretentiousness that did not diminish his demeanor; instead, it revealed the focused quality unique to a researcher. He was about 1.8 meters tall, with straight shoulders and a steady gait. Beneath his thick eyebrows, his eyes were exceptionally bright, his gaze naturally focused when he looked at someone, as if he could instantly perceive the smallest details.

Admittedly, the moment Liu Guangqi appeared, Li Xuemei of the *Minzhong Daily* was genuinely stunned for a moment. Among the materials she had reviewed before her trip was an old photo of Liu Guangqi from his student days; he was handsome and radiated a sunny disposition. Who would have thought that the real Liu was even more striking than the photo—this hardly looked like a researcher engrossed in their work! One could easily believe he was a leading performer borrowed from a performing arts troupe.

"Click—"

Old Zhang, standing nearby, instinctively raised his camera and pressed the shutter. He leaned close to Li Xuemei's ear and whispered, "Is this really that engineer who does R&D? He's so handsome, he looks like he stepped out of a magazine, he could be in a movie."

Li Xuemei snapped out of her daze, her ears burning slightly. She gave Old Zhang a light glare: "Don't talk nonsense. Be mindful of the occasion."

At this moment, Liu Guangqi had already approached. His gaze lingered for a moment on the daily newspaper employee badges hanging around their necks, then he extended his hand. His voice was clear and gentle, without any condescension: "You must be comrades from the *Minzhong Daily*? Hello, I'm Liu Guangqi."

Li Xuemei quickly reached out and shook hands. The hand was large and strong, with calluses on the fingertips and palm, clearly the marks of years of drawing. A reassuring sense of security emanated from the handshake.

"Hello, Comrade Guangqi! I'm Li Xuemei from the *Minzhong Daily*, and I'll be conducting this exclusive interview with you today." She composed herself and turned to introduce her team, "This is our photographer, Comrade Zhang Jian, and his assistant..."

After the introduction, she couldn't help but add softly, "You... look younger and more energetic than we expected."

Liu Guangqi was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. He glanced down at the ink stain on his cuff and assumed it was related to this. He couldn't help but laugh and say, "Please excuse me. I was struggling with a drawing in the office just now and accidentally got ink on my skin. I apologize for that."

"No—" Li Xuemei realized the other party had misunderstood and immediately replied, "How could this be impolite?"

Her professional instincts kicked in, and she quickly found a point: "This precisely demonstrates Comrade Guangqi's complete dedication to his work!"

Old Zhang, standing nearby, chuckled and chimed in, camera in hand, "But Comrade Guangqi, you're surprisingly young. Before we came, everyone at the newspaper guessed you'd be a seasoned middle-aged man, but we never expected this..."

Liu Guangqi smiled, his bright eyes revealing a maturity beyond his years: "There's no age limit to R&D; as long as you can solve problems, that's what matters."

"Let's talk inside."

He gestured and led the group toward his office.

"This way, please. It's more convenient to talk while sitting in the office."

As they walked and chatted, the initial awkwardness between Li Xuemei and Lao Zhang vanished in just a few words.

Liu Guangqi showed none of the arrogance often seen in scientific researchers, nor did he have the slightest air of a leader.

His gentle demeanor and composed speech made one feel as if they were bathed in the warm spring sunshine.

Pushing open the office door, the newspaper staff were stunned once again.

In the small room, there was hardly any room to step—the walls were piled high with books and documents, and an unfinished, complex structural diagram lay open on the table.

They couldn't understand those lines and symbols.

The blackboard next to it was densely covered with calculation formulas, some of which had been half-erased.

A faint scent of ink floated in the air, crisp and serene.

Looking at all this, Li Xuemei suddenly understood: what exactly was this young man, who was only in his twenties and served as both a department head and chief engineer in a ministry, relying on?

Beneath that extraordinary talent lies a level of focus and dedication that is difficult for others to match.

Liu Guangqi didn't mind the mess in front of him. He simply tidied up a corner of the table to make room for him.

"The room is a bit messy, please bear with me."

After everyone was seated, Li Xuemei solemnly opened her notebook and gripped the pen tightly with her fingertips.

She looked up and asked a seemingly minor but crucial question:

"Comrade Guangqi, during the interview, would you prefer us to call you Director Liu or Chief Engineer Liu?"

This is both a sign of respect and a form of inquiry.

Liu Guangqi smiled calmly:

"Just call him Chief Engineer Liu. That's what everyone calls him at work, we're used to it."

This answer instantly dissolved all distance.

The title "Chief Engineer" implies technical expertise and practical skills, while "Director" carries the connotation of administrative rank.

He chose the former without hesitation.

This opening set a pragmatic and sincere tone for the entire interview.

The interview proceeded exceptionally smoothly.

Faced with Li Xuemei's carefully prepared questions, Liu Guangqi always manages to give the most profound and concise responses.

Occasionally quoting a familiar collective saying or two would stir the hearts of everyone present.

More than an hour later, the interview was nearing its end.

Li Xuemei closed her notebook and sighed sincerely:

"Chief Engineer Liu, I have benefited greatly from today's discussion."

She then obtained permission to take some photos in several areas that were open to visitors before officially concluding the visit.

The following morning.

Following the Minzhong Daily, a reporter from the Sijiu City Daily also visited the Ministry of Machine Building to conduct an exclusive interview with Liu Guangqi.

The questions were generally similar, mostly focusing on practical work and results.

The reporter leading the team was named Wang Lei, in his early thirties, wearing black-rimmed glasses, and his gaze behind the lenses revealed a calm and studious spirit.

Unlike Li Xuemei's style yesterday, after completing the basic Q&A, he didn't rush to finish. Instead, he took out an old book with frayed edges from his bag and solemnly placed it on the table.

It was Liu Guangqi who personally compiled "Computer Fundamentals and Future Applications" at the invitation of the Institute of Computing Technology last year.

After more than half a year of dissemination, this book has now become a designated textbook for computer science majors in various universities, and countless students are studying it diligently.

The book that Wang Lei brought had a note on the cover covered with tiny, neatly written characters, clearly indicating that it had been carefully studied.

"Chief Engineer Liu, this book was specially borrowed by our editor from his child who is in college."

Wang Lei adjusted his glasses, his tone respectful:

"The annotations above are my child's notes from his studies. He said your book gave him a completely new understanding of computers."

It's clear that this interview was well-prepared.

Wang Lei then steered the conversation to a deeper level:

"Chief Engineer Liu, besides the achievements we've already made, we'd like to ask on behalf of the people of Beijing: What will the future of computers look like?"

As he spoke, he flipped open the textbook, his fingertips landing on a page that had been repeatedly folded and was almost torn:

You wrote this sentence in your book—

"The future of computers will shift from high-efficiency computing to convenient applications, gradually integrating into every corner of production and daily life, evolving from a single, large-scale device."

Wang Lei's eyes suddenly lit up as he stared intently at Liu Guangqi's face: "The second-generation machine has been born. In your opinion, how long will it take before it enters practical application?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Guangqi chuckled softly. His gaze swept over the line of familiar words on the page beside him, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips.

"It has actually already entered the field." Liu Guangqi said in a calm tone, each word clear. "Take the CNC machine tool I was in charge of before, for example. From three-axis to five-axis, and then to more complex technical systems—its core CNC system and parameter calibration rely on the computing power of computers."

"It is because of computers that machine tools have a 'brain' that machining accuracy and efficiency have made a leap forward."

"Isn't this the most vivid example of its integration into production?"

There are no lengthy arguments or vague prospects; instead, solid examples are presented from the outset.

Wang Lei exchanged a glance with the photographer beside him. Their eyes met, and both were visibly shaken.

Wang Lei almost instinctively bent down, his pen flying across the interview notebook as if trying to imprint every word Liu Guangqi said onto the paper.

"And what about in the realm of daily life?" Wang Lei pressed on, his voice tinged with urgency.

"Life?" Liu Guangqi smiled again. "I'm sure that in the coming decades, many of the work patterns we take for granted today will be reshaped by it."

"Because the information industry, which stems from computers, will inevitably become the pillar of the future."

"And computers are the cornerstone that supports all of this. So, advancing the research and development of higher-level computers now is not about catching up, but about getting a head start for the future."

His words stirred a surge of emotion in the hearts of those present.

It was as if a heavy door leading to the computer age was slowly being opened before their eyes.