Chapter 119 (The First Slow Bird to Fly)
The assistant relayed Deputy Director Liu's words to Ma Si and the others. Ma Si said with a disdainful look, "We are Deputy Director Liu's men. How could we betray Deputy Director Liu and go to Lin Yuanshu's project team? Deputy Director Liu doesn't need to test us. Our loyalty to him is as clear as day."
The assistant was stunned for a moment, then said speechlessly, "Deputy Director Liu wasn't testing you. This is his true thought. If we don't apply to join such an important project, wouldn't that be letting Director Huang benefit?"
The others nodded thoughtfully, but Mas remained disdainful, saying confidently, "Giving such an important project to Lin Yuanshu is bound to ruin it."
He turned to the others and questioned, "You guys aren't going to apply to join, are you? Don't forget you're part of the anti-Lin Yuanshu group."
"Of course we haven't forgotten, but I would never apply to join," an intern said with an air of righteous indignation.
Others also expressed their determination not to bow down to Lin Yuanshu.
Mas left the place satisfied, realizing that he had been farsighted enough to establish an anti-Lin Yuanshu group within Deputy Director Liu's team, which had garnered widespread support.
After Maas left, one of the interns asked the one next to him, "Are you really not going to apply to join?"
The intern remained silent.
The intern who was questioning them immediately understood. So what they had just said was just to fool Mas, so that Mas wouldn't use it as an excuse to accuse them of betraying Deputy Director Liu. But in reality, they would still write the application.
Mas returned to the lab in high spirits, only to hear his colleagues discussing Lin Yuanshu's project group.
"I don't know if my application will be selected. I only know a little about the basic properties and application logic of penicillin. As for research related to penicillin production, I know absolutely nothing," the chubby colleague sighed.
Another tall colleague couldn't help but sigh, "Sigh! I'm in the same boat as you. I feel like our chances aren't very high, but if we don't apply, then there's no hope at all. We can only bite the bullet and go for it."
Mas held back for a while, but finally couldn't help but interject, "Are you all crazy? The project we're working on now is a major national project, far more important than Lin Yuanshu's project. How can you throw away the big picture for a small gain!"
The chubby colleague retorted confidently, "You're wrong. Improving penicillin is just as urgent, no less important than the project we're working on right now. Besides, who knows when this project team will produce research results? It's better to go to Comrade Lin Yuanshu's project team. At least there, I can produce results sooner."
Mas pursed his lips and said in a serious tone, "If you leave this project team, it won't be so easy for you to come back. Once the project is completed, as team members, we will not only receive commendation from the research institute, but also have the opportunity for promotion. You should think about this carefully. After all, you have been researching for so many years and are just one step away from success. It would be a real pity to leave like this."
The two colleagues fell into deep thought, feeling that what Maas said made a lot of sense. After all, they had put so much effort into this project, and if the project were to be completed as soon as they left, wouldn't they be left with nothing to show for it?
Mas revealed a triumphant smile; he was not about to stand by and watch these capable people rush towards Lin Yuanshu.
However, on the other hand, if he hadn't had a conflict with Lin Yuanshu, he would most likely have submitted the application anyway, since Lin Yuanshu was indeed reliable as the person in charge.
Her previous research achievements are evident to all. Even he couldn't lie and say that Lin Yuanshu got the position through connections.
He couldn't join himself, and of course he couldn't stand seeing others join.
In the end, the two colleagues decided to write applications, since they weren't sure if they would be selected. If they were selected, they would join; if not, they would stay in the project team. They would leave it all to fate.
Whether the outcome is good or bad, it's all predetermined by fate.
Two days later, the deadline for submitting applications arrived. Director Huang invited Lin Yuanshu to his office, handed him a stack of applications on the table, and joked with a smile, "You're really popular. There are many comrades applying to join, mostly interns and assistant researchers. If you were a little older, even the group leaders might have submitted applications!"
As Lin Yuanshu accepted the application, he said modestly, "Director Huang, you're exaggerating. They submitted the application not because of me, but because the project itself is very important and they are more interested in it. If those team leaders were willing to submit applications, I would probably be laughing in my dreams."
The leader can praise her, but she cannot be unhumble, or she will be seen as arrogant.
Director Huang laughed heartily and said, "That's good too. At least you can get a full night's sleep without worrying about waking up laughing from your dreams. Take a look at these applications. Do you think any of them are suitable? Ultimately, they want to cooperate with you, so it's better for you to choose them yourself."
Lin Yuanshu did not refuse much and immediately picked up the application form to look through it. The application form was very comprehensive, requiring applicants to fill in their understanding of the project, explain the necessity of their participation, inquire about their relevant research experience, and clarify the specific work they could undertake after joining, taking into account all aspects.
She first selected the promising talents and set them aside, focusing on whether they had practical experience and a basic understanding of penicillin. She didn't care much about "titles" and paid more attention to whether the person could work in a down-to-earth manner. She didn't want team members who were overly ambitious.
She had already screened out quite a few applications, but unexpectedly, she still kept more than a dozen in the end, and she couldn't bear to give up any of them.
Seeing Lin Yuanshu's dilemma, Director Huang suggested, "Since you can't make a decision, why don't you meet with them and talk to them face-to-face? Then you'll know which group members you should choose."
Lin Yuanshu had originally had this idea as well, but she didn't want to bring it up herself, so she pretended to hesitate and said, "This...is this really okay?"
Director Huang said confidently, "There's nothing wrong with it. The project you have is a key project of the institute. It's just letting them meet with you. It's not a big deal. Don't worry about Deputy Director Liu making a fuss over it. I'll handle Deputy Director Liu."
"Okay, then I can meet with them without worry tomorrow," Lin Yuanshu said with a smile.
After discussing the next steps with Director Huang, Lin Yuanshu left his office.
As soon as she stepped out the door, she saw a shrewd-looking middle-aged man. She guessed that he was there to see Director Huang, so she smiled at him, didn't say anything, and prepared to leave.
Seeing Lin Yuanshu leave, the middle-aged man quickly caught up with him and introduced himself: "You must be Comrade Lin Yuanshu, right? I'm Zhang Xin. It's a pleasure to work with you. I never expected to join such an important project team. I will do my best to assist you."
After hearing that he had been assigned to work under Comrade Lin Yuanshu at the Dongfanghong Research Institute, he made a special trip to inquire about Comrade Lin Yuanshu. He found that Lin Yuanshu was a completely different person from him, and he dreamed of being as capable as Comrade Lin Yuanshu.
The two chatted as they walked.
Lin Yuanshu turned to look at Zhang Xin and asked in confusion, "Why are you at the research institute? The project team isn't fully established yet! You're a little early; it'll probably take another two days. Did the research institute forget to notify you?"
Zhang Xin smiled sheepishly and explained, "I've already notified him. My grandfather's condition is stable now, and I've been sitting at home with nothing to do, so I thought I might as well go back to work early. Since you're also at the research institute, I can work with you and help you out."
Lin Yuanshu's expression was complicated. She hadn't expected that Zhang Xin, who seemed quite shrewd, was actually quite open-minded and didn't act superior just because of his grandfather's connections.
"I heard that your research group in Shanghai was in charge of antibiotic research, so it's a good fit for my project group now. What are your main responsibilities?"
Zhang Xin said somewhat embarrassedly, "I just help the researchers with simple tasks, such as washing glassware, cleaning, collecting and organizing data, etc."
Lin Yuanshu raised an eyebrow. It seemed that Zhang Xin was being treated like royalty in Shanghai. Even though he was part of the project team, he didn't feel involved. It was fortunate that Zhang Xin wasn't in charge of the project, otherwise such an important project would have become a mess.
She tentatively asked, "I remember you're also an assistant researcher. Haven't you ever thought about leading your own project?"
She wanted to see if Zhang Xin had any ambitions.
Zhang Xin coughed lightly and said awkwardly, "I was in charge of a project before, but the results weren't ideal, and the project was eventually canceled. That was a huge blow to me, and I don't think I'm capable of leading a project yet."
After all, he had never led a project independently since then, and could only work as an assistant. If he led it well, that would be fine, but if he didn't, he probably wouldn't even be qualified to enter the lab. So it was better to maintain the status quo.
Lin Yuanshu nodded thoughtfully. In this era, there was no such thing as cancellation. The word "shut down" was similar to cancellation, both meaning that the project was stopped and would no longer be carried out.
Although Zhang Xin's work ability is not very good, at least he is self-aware and knows that he is not capable of leading projects. He probably won't try to stand out in projects, so it won't be too difficult to get along with him.
She pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "You can first learn about the biosynthesis principle of penicillin and the key process parameters of the existing production process with me. As the saying goes, 'The early bird catches the worm.' As long as you can thoroughly understand this knowledge and answer questions fluently, you will definitely be able to keep up with everyone."
Zhang Xin's eyes lit up as he said, "I will definitely study this knowledge carefully and strive to be able to assist you as soon as possible."
Lin Yuanshu nodded and smiled encouragingly, "I believe you can do it."
It's better for Zhang Xin to be able to help than not to help at all. Anyway, saying a few words of encouragement won't hurt her. On the contrary, it will make her relationship with Zhang Xin more harmonious and make Zhang Xin trust her more. Why not do it!
Meanwhile, in the director's office of the First Research Institute, Director Yu was chatting with Team Leader Lü with a serious expression.
"You must have heard about what happened recently with the Ministry of Health and the Dongfanghong Research Institute!"
Upon hearing this, Team Leader Lü awkwardly touched his nose, but said with a forced sense of justice, "I will work on the research results as soon as possible, and I will not let Comrade Lin Yuanshu surpass our research institute again. I am not as useless as Team Leader Bai."
Director Yu pursed his lips. He had complete faith in Team Leader Lü's words, not because he believed in Team Leader Lü's work ability, but because he felt that even if Team Leader Lü was not up to par, he should not be overtaken by Lin Yuanshu, since he had been researching penicillin for several years earlier than Lin Yuanshu.
"That's not what I wanted to talk to you about. The Ministry of Health asked me to arrange for someone to go to the Dongfanghong Research Institute to work with Comrade Lin Yuanshu. After thinking it over, I still think that people from your research group are more suitable, as they are more familiar with penicillin."
Team Leader Lü said reluctantly, "Every member of my research team is an outstanding talent. Sending any of them would be a loss for me and would definitely slow down my project."
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