Zhou Wei's transformation from a "troublemaker" was like a signal, and the atmosphere in the group visibly became more lively.

Liu Li is still the same Liu Li, drawing at her desk when she needs to, and working tirelessly in the workshop when she needs to. But now, she's not alone anymore.

Zhou Wei took out his prized theoretical model and compared it with Liu Li's data for analysis. The two often got together, one saying, "The deformation predicted by the model here is smaller than your actual measurement," while the other pondered, "Is it because my fixture rigidity is still insufficient, or are there differences between batches of materials?" They were no longer talking past each other, but truly integrating their ideas.

Once, Liu Li was struggling with the deformation of a complex curved part. Zhou Wei was looking at the blueprints when he suddenly blurted out, "This thing is a bit like that thing in plate and shell theory... well, you wouldn't understand even if I told you." He swallowed the rest of his words.

Liu Li, however, was not intimidated and said directly, "Just tell me what it's like! I don't care what the theory is called, as long as it can help!"

Zhou Wei was amused by her straightforwardness, so he picked up a pen and drew a few simplified force lines on the draft paper: "Look, the force goes like this, and the easiest places to bend are here and here... You need to pay special attention to these areas for your support point and prestress."

Liu Li looked at it and suddenly understood: "No wonder I always felt the compensation here was inadequate! I get it now!"

Although Sun Mei didn't talk much, she noticed that Liu Li's rudimentary methods for measuring data weren't precise enough. Once, she quietly placed a small lever micrometer that she had brought on Liu Li's desk and said, "Use this; it'll make the readings more accurate."

The other group members gradually let go of their slight airs. One of the older members, who was in charge of materials, took the initiative to help Liu Li analyze the impact of the fluctuations in the properties of the aluminum material she used on the results; another member, who was in charge of drawing, saw that her hand-drawn jig sketch was too messy and offered to help her reorganize it using a drawing board.

Liu Li is open to all suggestions. She listens carefully to any advice given to her, and if she thinks it makes sense, she makes changes. She also generously shares the tips and tricks she has learned from practice, such as how to judge whether the prestressing is appropriate by feel, and how to distinguish the magnitude of vibration by listening to the sound of cutting.

The office is no longer the quiet place it used to be, where everyone was doing their own thing and the only sound was the rustling of pages. Discussions like this are frequently heard:

"Old Zhang, can you help me check if these heat treatment parameters are correct?"

"Liu Li, would you be willing to use that step-by-step pressurization method you used last time on steel components?"

"Mr. Zhou, could you add a temperature variable to your model?"

It was common for everyone to huddle around blueprints, data, and models, arguing heatedly, but after the arguments, they would cooperate and help each other out. The barriers caused by different educational backgrounds and work experiences gradually melted away in the face of common goals and real technical problems.

Team leader Chen Siyuan once passed by, stood at the door and listened to the discussion inside for a while. His face was expressionless, but he didn't frown like before. After watching for a while, he quietly left with his hands behind his back.

Looking at the bustling activity before her, Liu Li felt particularly at ease. She knew that her "traditional method" had come this far thanks to Zhou Wei's theoretical support, Sun Mei's precise measurements, and the direct or indirect help from every colleague in the group.

She was no longer a lone wolf, nor was she the outsider who needed to cautiously prove herself. She became an indispensable part of this gradually coalescing team. The feeling of everyone working together towards a common goal was far superior to struggling alone.