Chapter 17, Section 17: He gently patted the butterfly's wings as if to soothe it...
Cohen closed the menu, then suddenly remembered something: "Should we order Ned a non-alcoholic cocktail?"
Liang Siyu hasn't arrived yet. He doesn't consume alcohol regularly, fearing it will affect the stability of his hands, and he only drinks a glass of wine at Christmas.
“No need, he’s even stopped drinking sugary drinks. Lemon sparkling water will do.” Xu Aida smiled.
Cohen shrugged, they exchanged a glance, and sighed together, "Those who study neurosurgery are truly extraordinary."
Xu Aida also felt that Ned's level of tension in this life seemed to have exceeded that of the last time; monkey brain surgery was still very stressful for a fourth-year doctoral student.
"How's your data collection going?" Cohen asked with concern.
She laughed: "It went very smoothly, all thanks to Phoebe, my RA, she did a fantastic job with the electrode placement."
She used a bit of the advantages of being a reborn person to directly contact one of her future collaborators, Phoebe, who was currently a senior undergraduate student working as a research assistant (RA) in a lab.
"Did Ned introduce you to him?" he asked casually. It seemed that the RA had already received his medical school acceptance letter.
“I can handle this little thing myself, there’s no need to bother him.”
She smiled and said, "Cohen, let's make a bet. If my algorithm can improve the accuracy by 20%, will you be my coauthor? My next paper is counting on you."
She needed Cohen to join her in making high-density electrode materials. The 64-channel silver wires printed on the flexible film were very difficult to solder, and neither she nor Ned could do the hardware.
She had already written the algorithm in her past life; as for physiological stimulus mapping and feedback optimization, Ned might have some minor issues, but she believed he could handle it.
The most uncertain thing is the hardware. The hardware in her previous life was made two and a half years later, and she was afraid that some of the materials Cohen used back then might not have been produced yet.
However, as long as this high-density sEMG project can be completed, their PhD defenses should be secured.
"20%? Are you kidding me? If sEMG can improve it by 15%, then I'll be impressed."
Cohen shook his head. Ada is very strong, but scientific research must follow basic principles. No matter how powerful the algorithm is, it still depends on the quality of the basic data. I have never heard of anyone who can achieve this with five surface muscle electrodes.
She raised her glass: "Stop talking nonsense, shall we bet?"
Cohen looked at the petite girl, knowing full well that she was using reverse psychology, but couldn't help but pick up his cup: "Fine, let's see what you've got."
They chatted casually until Cohen saw a tall figure enter through the door: "Ned, over here!"
Liang Siyu strode in and pulled out a chair to sit down.
He always sits upright, leaning slightly forward, but today he suddenly leaned back in his chair, and despite the cold weather, there were even beads of sweat on his forehead.
He picked up the lemon sparkling water from the table, his hand trembling slightly, and he immediately switched to his left hand. But now, everyone could tell something was wrong.
Xu Aida grasped his right hand directly: "Were you too tired from training today?"
Liang Siyu pulled his hand away: "I'm going to the restroom." He got up and left.
She turned to Cohen, who was also staring at Ned's retreating figure: "He's absolutely awful, you've never seen him like this before, have you?"
She smiled bitterly, realizing she had actually seen a worse version. In their previous life, they had been married for ten years and he had encountered many storms.
However, things are not good now. He is obviously exhausted, both physically and mentally, and is barely holding on.
How could this be? In his past life, when he received his first pre-operative training at Brooke's, he was physically exhausted but in high spirits. He said that no criticism was a compliment.
She laughed at the time, which wasn't like him. He said it was Evan who comforted him.
Liang Siyu washed her face in the bathroom and rinsed her right hand with cold water, trying to relax her tired fingers a little.
He looked in the mirror, and the scene from earlier flashed through his mind.
"Is this how you train? Didn't Evan remind you about the coordination between you and the surgeon?"
Brooke looked at him like he was an idiot.
He couldn't remember what he had just replied.
Then there was Evan, whose eyes never left the computer screen, completely inattentive.
“Ned, you have a strong ability to learn on your own. Go back and watch the videos more often; you'll understand them easily.”
He could hardly believe his ears.
Of course, it was his own fault that he didn't realize at first that he should consult Brooke about his surgeon's habits.
But after today, he went to Evan specifically to ask for advice and wanted to invite him to dinner next week, but Evan's attitude made it clear that he was not going to teach him.
Liang Siyu had certainly heard that in many hospitals, the surgeon's operating habits and coordination rhythm are "hidden resources" accumulated by many resident physicians themselves.
Sometimes, they even deliberately withhold this information to avoid being overtaken by their peers.
However, he had always thought that Evan was not that kind of person.
As the most trusted postdoc in Professor Brooke's group, Evan has solid technical skills, a stable personality, and a regular schedule. He is also happy to help explain key points and has always had a good reputation.
He had a slight headache, washed his face, and slowly walked out.
“Brother, tell me, what happened? Even if Professor Brooke gave you a good scolding, it’s not a big deal. Which student hasn’t been scolded when they go on the operating table?” Cohen patted him on the shoulder.
This isn't a big deal in medical school. Normally kind and approachable instructors can become coldly critical during surgical simulations.
Moreover, Professor Brooke is known for his high standards and strict requirements.
"I was criticized, but it's nothing. Let's eat first."
He tried his best to smile; they had come here to relax and have a small get-together.
“Ned, you don’t have to smile in front of us if you don’t want to.” Ada grasped his cold right hand.
She wasn't good at comforting people; she learned that from him. He once said that if you didn't want to talk, you didn't have to.
Liang Siyu's shoulders slumped. Where should we even begin to talk about what happened today?
He didn't want to speak ill of Evan, lest he appear unrefined.
He sighed, gulped down most of the sparkling water, moved his lips, and continued to sigh.
Ada took a cheese sandwich, broke off a small piece, and brought it to his mouth.
"If you don't want to talk, eat something first. If you're in a bad mood, you can eat some cheese."
His eyes welled up with tears as he ate a small piece from her hand. The rich, steaming aroma of cheese did bring some comfort.
"How about adding a cream of mushroom soup?" she quickly added, "You can also have half a banana."
Cohen frowned: "What kind of combination is this?"
Liang Siyu laughed: "Let's add some soup, but we don't need the bananas."
He turned to Cohen and explained, "To reduce sodium intake."
Cohen's eyes widened: "You've gotten this far? Isn't that a bit much? Ned, can you relax a bit? You're just a surgical assistant, not someone who's defusing bombs."
"It wasn't something I deliberately controlled; I was just used to it," he explained.
"No wonder Ada's getting thinner and thinner. I feel guilty eating even one more unhealthy food when I'm with you. Ada, shouldn't you thank me today? You can eat fried chicken so easily."
Everyone knew he was trying to lighten the mood, so they couldn't help but smile.
Exactly five minutes later, the fried chicken wings arrived, and Ada quickly grabbed one: "These have to be eaten while they're hot."
Liang Siyu also reached out and took a piece: "Tonight is an all-you-can-eat dinner."
Cohen shook his head at him: "Brother, I didn't charge you when I ordered. You can have the salad later."
Liang Siyu lowered her eyes: "I just want to stuff all the vegetable leaves into Professor Brooke's hands, maybe that will shut him up from saying a few unpleasant things."
But actually, the professor's criticism today wasn't the hardest to accept. To some extent, his criticism was correct, only his tone was a bit harsh.
He was always very polite and respectful to his teachers, and rarely made such sarcastic remarks. As soon as he said this, Ada and Cohen both laughed.
Ada added insult to injury: "I suggest you add a layer of medical adhesive."
Cohen, who was about to drink, laughed so hard he bumped his head on the table: "Oh, Ada, when you get sarcastic, you really don't leave anyone else any chance to survive."
Everyone chatted and laughed, but they dispersed after finishing their meal and didn't continue the conversation. They all knew that Ned hadn't been able to completely relax.
Cohen walked home; he lived next to the main campus. On the way, he gossiped with Professor Brooke's administrative secretary, Jenna, asking her if she knew what had happened that day.
Professor Brooke is certainly strict, but why was Ned criticized so harshly? His actions didn't warrant such a harsh criticism, did they?
Liang Siyu drove back to his apartment in Mount Vernon.
Xu Aida regretted drinking; she should have been the one driving, allowing him to rest for an extra fifteen minutes.
Liang Siyu didn't say a word. When he got home, he went straight into the bathroom for a bath, which was his way of relieving stress.
If she followed her habits from her previous life, she would greatly respect his time alone when he was feeling down, allowing him to heal on his own.
When she's unhappy, she prefers to be alone and doesn't like having others around.
However, she now suspects that she was the one who caused the accident.
She proposed the direction of non-invasive electrodes earlier, but his mentor, Professor Brooke, worried that he would go astray, so he gave him the opportunity to assist in the first half of the monkey brain experiment more than six months in advance, which caused Ned to be under great pressure.
She hesitated for a few minutes, then decided for the first time to go in and take a look, after all, this time she might be the one causing him some trouble.
She gently pushed the door open, unsure if she would disturb him.
In the misty air, he closed his eyes and covered his forehead.
“Ned.” She didn’t know what to say.
After thinking for a moment, I tried to remove his hand and gently massage his temples.
He took her hand in his own, telling her to stop massaging, but he didn't open his eyes.
Does this mean they want her to stay?
A few minutes later, he sighed and said, "It's alright, I'll be right out. Could you make me a cup of black tea first?"
She became even more worried, because according to the previous plan, he would not consume caffeine in the evening.
She hesitated before agreeing, and before leaving, she paused for a moment and gently kissed him on the cheek.
She brewed some black tea, but divided it into two half cups. She then filled the cups with a pot of cranberry rose tea, took a sip, and said, "Hmm, the taste is balanced."
This was a method that Claudia had shared with her in her previous life; she herself didn't have such leisure and interest.
Sure enough, Liang Siyu came out shortly after, took a sip, and raised an eyebrow slightly.
She was afraid he would need black tea to stay awake, but also worried he would break his caffeine control plan, so she actually mixed two kinds of tea together.
He leaned back on the sofa, resting slightly on her shoulder, and spoke after a slight indirection.
"Ada, what would you do if someone deliberately refused to teach you advanced knowledge?"
She blurted out, "Why don't you check it out on GitHub?"
But as soon as she finished speaking, she stopped.
The world is flat, but not all fields, not every discipline, are like computers, with a spirit of sharing and open source.
Clinical medical knowledge cannot all be written into a document and easily found through a search. It involves many operational details and tacit knowledge.
She immediately understood.
“Is it Evan?” She slammed down her teacup and grabbed his hand tightly.
He hesitated for a moment, his lips moved, but he ultimately remained silent. However, that was enough.
Anger surged from her lungs, and she felt a deep sense of surprise and injustice.
She had always felt that MIRA Lab had a good atmosphere—pragmatic, open, and collaborative. Although it was more serious than Berkeley, the East and West Coast cultures were slightly different, which was understandable.
In her past life, she spent four and a half years in MIRA, but she had never seen anything like this before; it was simply too low-class.
She was furious: "He can't do that! That's wrong!"
Instead, he patted her shoulder reassuringly: "Ada, don't be in such a hurry."
A chill ran through her.
Wasn't Evan perfectly fine in his past life? He received serious guidance and comforted her. Why has he suddenly changed? Why is there such a deviation this time around?
"Ada, don't worry, I'm not so angry anymore."
He held her, rested his chin on her head, and softened his voice: "I'm just not sure if I can do it without direct guidance."
Xu Aida thought of the experimental surgery in his previous life and blurted out, "Of course you can, you're so good at it."
However, she thought about it and realized that she was coming back with experience from the future, so why should Ned tolerate this outdated system?
Even if she can't be the lead assistant this time, it's okay. She might as well come and work with her on non-invasive procedures. As long as the hardware on Cohen's side can be advanced, she is confident that she can produce graduation-level results within a year and a half.
She was about to advise him to stop obsessing over Tense's animal experiments, and if things really got too bad, to quit and work on a new project with her, where the pressure would be less and things would thankfully yield results.
In large projects like Tense, each participant may not necessarily obtain more data and papers than if they were working on their own independent small projects.
He had already rallied: "You're right, I'm not lacking in skill. I'll figure something out."
Looking into his determined eyes, she suddenly felt a pang of pain in her heart and swallowed back the words, "If it doesn't work out, then forget it, we'll do our own project."
She can certainly ensure that non-invasive projects go more smoothly, and she can also give him a hand to move faster.
But she knew that Ned's professional identity extended beyond scientific research. At least for now, being a neurosurgeon was still his dream, and this monkey brain surgery was an important clinical opportunity for him, which he wouldn't easily give up.
The person she loves is someone who loves his dreams and constantly strives for challenges. She can't easily "tempt" him into taking an "easier" path. That would be ruining him prematurely.
However, a chilling fear rose in my heart again, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.
If he lacks sufficient guidance and fails to become the first assistant in the competition for monkey brain surgery, will he face a lot of criticism and ridicule?
For someone as proud as him, this kind of blow might hurt his pride. Will he be able to accept it? Will he want to leave?
She originally thought there was still plenty of time, and she could observe things slowly.
However, a slight change caused the butterfly's wings to create a hurricane, pushing her towards the edge of the cliff.
She felt as if she were walking on an invisible tightrope.
Is encouraging him to keep trying respectful or permissive? Is advising him to change tracks protective or tempting?
She had no idea.
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