Chapter 489: Are you being cheap?

The rain was still falling, and the air carried a hint of dampness.

Inside the office, Carson and Ma Ersi had already left.

"Still not leaving?" Xu Qingzhou raised his eyes to look at Sun Simin, who was sitting beside him as steady as an old dog.

Sun Simin said embarrassedly, "I'll read for a while longer."

Xu Qingzhou nodded, his gaze shifting to the screen: the Nb: Sn atomic ratio deviated by ±17%, resulting in an A15 phase content of only 65%.

These current issues were all minor problems, not insurmountable obstacles.

They were currently in the graphene transfer and defect control stage, requiring constant trial and error to find relatively better precursors, appropriate deposition temperatures, pulse times, and so on.

During this time, he had already completed the static single-objective optimization model. By using EDS/XPS to measure the Nb: Sn atomic ratio under different combinations, he established a database that could predict compositional deviations by confirming the optimal combination of LD pulse times.

Of course, the model was only an initial version; it needed data injection to be constantly iterated and perfected.

Xu Qingzhou pondered for a moment, quickly finding a breakthrough point, and planned to adjust the objective function first.

Time flowed by amidst the rustling sound of writing; long after, the manuscript on the desk was covered in equations.

【Objective function mathematical expression: 【\min, f(t_{ext{nb}}, t_{ext{sn}})=\left|\frac{ntext{sn}}}-3\right|】】

【Iteration formula: 【t_{ext{nb}}^{(k+1)}=t_{ext{nb}}^{(k)}-\alpha\cdot\frac{\partialf}{\partialt_{e【t_{ext{sn}】】

To one side, Sun Simin looked up, secretly glancing at the young man next to her buried in calculations, and let out a small breath.

The professor is so handsome.

It's like he knows everything.

She took a deep breath, not wasting time, and lowered her head to continue reading.

She couldn't hold the research group back.

Code slid across the computer screen.

A smile appeared on Xu Qingzhou's face, "Adjust the precursor pulse ratio: insert 2 Sn pulses after every 3 Nb pulses, optimize Nb: Sn to 3.1:1 ± 0.1, then increase Tc to 17K and Jc to 9×10^5 A/cm²."

Two minor problems of this round of experiments solved.

It was also at this moment that Xu Qingzhou's phone rang.

It was a call from Song Yao.

Xu Qingzhou only then noticed it was already 6 o'clock. He answered, "Oh, busy with calculations, forgot the time. I'll be back right away."

As he spoke, he quickly packed up his things, signaled to Sun Simin that he was leaving first, and walked out with his bag.

Only Sun Simin was left in the office.

"Hoo~"

She stretched, flipped over her phone which had been face down, and the screen showed that the 【CP Committee】 already had 99+ messages.

Yummy: This is a photo I found on the Jingda forum, a double-strong CP!

Lying Flat Little Trash: Goddess Song Yao's temperament is so good, help, what do I do if I've fallen in love.

Yummy: Then I'm afraid you'll have to break up with your boyfriend first.

The professor and Goddess Song Yao are indeed a perfect match!

Sun Simin's mouth curled up, feeling a bit smug, thinking to herself that they could only ship them online, while she got to ship them face-to-face.

She rested her chin on her hand, looking at the light rain outside the window.

That's right, she was now a member of the Xu Qingzhou and Song Yao CP Committee. How did that saying go? Compared to boys, girls sometimes like beauties even more.

Especially if this ethereal beauty had something happen with her own idol.

It was more like an idol drama than an idol drama.

Perfect!

In the apartment.

Xu Qingzhou pushed the door open and entered, standing his umbrella in the small bucket by the doorway.

Er Miao was squatting at the kitchen entrance, blankly staring into the kitchen, eyes filled with longing.

Xu Qingzhou smiled; this little trash was clearly kicked out by Song Yao.

He pushed the door open and went in.

In the kitchen, Song Yao was preparing to stir-fry shredded potatoes.

She was wearing a beige shirt today, with slim-fit jeans on her lower body, and an apron tied around her waist; from the side, her curves were even more obvious.

Curvaceous.

Xu Qingzhou clicked his tongue, unable to resist going over and giving her bottom a pinch.

Song Yao's willow eyebrows rose slightly: "Are you being cheap?"

"Ah?"

"Serve the dishes."

Song Yao pushed him away with her hip; this guy really liked to get handsy in the kitchen.

Xu Qingzhou shrugged, and seeing Song Yao start stir-frying, he also honestly started doing odd jobs, carrying the stir-fried Mapo Tofu and stir-fried meat out.

Carrying them, he could smell the fragrance of the food.

Not to mention, unknowingly, the meals Song Yao made were already better than his.

His stir-frying level probably still remained in high school; in his freshman and sophomore years, Wang Nushi and Old Xu ate at their units, so when they came home at night, he would stir-fry two dishes himself.

Over time, his culinary skills improved, but later, after settling in Kyoto, he was busy with experiments every day and had even less time to study cooking.

However, at least he had received some true teachings from Wang Nushi, so it was still passable.

As for now...

Xu Qingzhou brought out two bowls of rice, and after putting them down, helped Song Yao untie her apron; she was the true closed-door disciple of Wang Nushi, and he took the apron back to the kitchen.

"There are still ribs inside." Song Yao put cat food into a plate for Er Miao, so it wouldn't have to watch them eat with longing eyes.

"Haven't had them in a long time."

Xu Qingzhou brought the ribs out and saw School Beauty Song holding a bowl, scraping half the rice into his bowl. Staring at the half bowl of rice, her little expression was conflicted, and finally, she scraped a few more chopsticks' worth.

Only a small half bowl remained in her bowl.

"Still dieting?"

Xu Qingzhou shoveled a few mouthfuls of rice with the shredded meat and green peppers; not to mention, after visiting their home a few times, the dishes Song Yao made already had Wang Nushi's flavor.

"Gained two pounds during this time..."

Song Yao pinched her stomach in distress; after getting busy, it was very easy to have extra meals, which was too sinful.

Xu Qingzhou glanced at School Beauty Song's chest and said in a low voice, "It might not necessarily be the stomach."

Visibly fuller than in high school.

But catching School Beauty Song's dangerous gaze, he changed the subject, adding, "I mean, with me, I like every version of you; it's the most perfect state, no need to diet."

"Professor Xu, when you want to get beaten up in the future, you don't need to find so many excuses."

Song Yao said in a muffled voice. As she spoke, her eyes darkened, pondering how to teach this annoying person a lesson; she couldn't always be the one being teased.

Xu Qingzhou chuckled and naturally skipped the topic. Song Yao's weight loss was very scientific—she just controlled her diet slightly, unlike some girls on the internet who were exaggerated. He asked, "You came back so early today; did you finish your Mobile Corps Commander algorithm?"

Song Yao held her bowl and drank soup, nodding, and glanced toward the computer, "I've already arranged your tasks, too."

"Alright, I'll take a look in a bit." Xu Qingzhou was impatient, feeling moved that he could finally be of some use.

Actually, he roughly knew what Song Yao was thinking.

Although School Beauty Song was different from before—occasionally acting cute and coquettish—she still had her own pride in certain aspects and wanted to rely on herself to write a good thesis.

Over this past month, she had been busier than him. Besides the project with Professor Morton, she also had to balance her own thesis. As soon as she got home, she would sit in front of the computer writing reports and working on algorithms.

Perhaps, this was also the reason he liked Song Yao.

Resilient, proud, independent, and possessing a bit of her own temper amidst her aloofness—and it was the kind specifically aimed at him.

(End of chapter)