Lin Xian shook his head.
"I'm not sure, Professor Xu."
"You mentioned at the banquet before... that as a scientist, your dignity doesn't allow you to sell this kind of failed product. But I wonder, could there be deeper reasons behind it?"
After listening, Professor Xu remained silent.
He took off his glasses and used the corner of his shirt to wipe the lenses back and forth.
"My daughter, when she was four years old, fell from a slide and became paralyzed from the neck down. All the experts in the world said there was no chance of her waking up."
"So, why did I research hibernation chambers? As a scientist, I know better than anyone how absurd and impractical it is to research this thing. But... "
Professor Xu put his glasses back on and looked at Lin Xian.
"Every endeavor needs a pioneer."
"If I don't research hibernation chambers, it might be decades, even centuries, before someone starts researching this project. But my daughter can't wait... She's been lying in a hospital bed for ten years already, how many more years can she afford?"
At this point, Professor Xu chuckled self-deprecatingly.
"For the ten years before I developed that failed product, no one paid attention to the progress of hibernation chamber research, and no one came to the hospital to visit my daughter."
"But now, as you can see, there's a constant stream of people coming to see my daughter every day, these cosmetic companies are eager to give me money for research. But are they interested in hibernation chambers? No... They don't care about hibernation chambers at all, all they care about is how much money that chemical can make for them."
"But, Professor Xu, I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing for you."
Lin Xian felt a strange closeness to Professor Xu, so he expressed his doubts frankly:
"If you sell that chemical, you'll have enough funds for research, and you'll have more advanced equipment and laboratories, wouldn't that be more helpful for your research topic?"
However...
Professor Xu shook his head solemnly.
"You're thinking too simplistically."
"I'm a very self-aware person. Something like hibernation chambers, which could change the world, is not a project that one person, or even one research institute, or even one country can handle alone."
"I never expected to succeed in developing hibernation chambers... That's simply a pipe dream. What I hoped for was just to ignite the spark, to let everyone see the possibility of conquering the hibernation problem."
"Just like... the first step, if I can solve the problem of hibernation chamber filling liquid, there will inevitably be more and more scientists and research institutes starting to invest in hibernation chamber research. Only then... is there hope to manufacture hibernation chambers in a few years, or even a dozen years."
"And what I can do is just ignite that spark."
Professor Xu bent down.
He gently pulled the blanket for his sleeping daughter and tucked her in carefully:
"But do you know what consequences would arise if I sold that failed product?"
Lin Xian shook his head.
He really couldn't guess.
He wasn't a science major, to be honest, he didn't quite understand the logic behind it.
Could Professor Xu selling this failed product really extinguish the spark of hibernation chambers?
"In fact, I used to have a few students who worked with me in research."
Recalling the past, Professor Xu seemed a bit melancholy:
"They were very talented and intelligent kids. Although we hadn't achieved any results all along, I was still grateful to have them. At least, with them around, I wasn't the only one exploring the field of hibernation."
"But later, it was the same as it is now... During the research process, some valuable by-products inevitably appeared. At that time, I didn't think much of it. But since companies started approaching us, there was unrest in the lab."
"Those students each had their own opinions, but their general goal was the same: they wanted to change the direction of research to something that could yield short-term results and profits. For example, patents for drugs or beauty products. At that time, many cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies offered them high salaries."
"The result is self-evident, they all left, not one of them stayed."
"Of course, everyone has their own aspirations, and I can't say they were wrong. After all, everyone is pursuing a better life. Pursuing scientific research for profit may sound repulsive, but in reality, more and more young people are choosing research directions that lead to profit."
...
Lin Xian began to understand.
To put it bluntly.
It was because Professor Xu was heartbroken by these students in the past.
Although Lin Xian wasn't in academia, he had heard about some of the unhealthy trends in the academic world. From this perspective, scientists like Professor Xu, who dedicated themselves to researching unknown fields year after year, facing failure after failure, were truly admirable and rare.
"I understand, Professor Xu."
Lin Xian said:
"You're worried that selling this chemical will lead to unethical practices in academia, right? Even if more young people are attracted to research on hibernation chambers due to the potential profits, the problem is that they may have ulterior motives."
"Perhaps what I said was not entirely correct, Professor."
Lin Xian still wanted to persuade him:
"But I think your self-restraint may not change the current social trend of pursuing fame and fortune in academia."
"I think you might as well sell this chemical, let everyone see that there is still profit in researching hibernation chamber filling liquid, and that it can be profitable. Maybe many young people will be attracted by this interest and join the research on hibernation chambers."
However.
Professor Xu didn't listen.
He patted Lin Xian on the shoulder and said meaningfully:
"You may think I'm stubborn or obstinate. But I can't afford to gamble on that scenario."
"Besides, in scientific research, if you start with the goal of making money, how long can you persevere without any progress for several years or decades?"
"The hibernation chamber project is not something that can be achieved in a short time. I've been working on it alone for ten years now, and I haven't made any theoretical breakthroughs at all. I understand better than anyone how difficult this road is..."
"So, if it's not absolutely necessary, I won't consider selling this thing. If there are indeed young people willing to join the development of hibernation chambers, I hope their intentions are pure."
"Lin Xian, I need to save my daughter, it's the only way. We need more and more forces, especially passionate young people who are not after fame and fortune, to get involved in the development of hibernation chambers, so there's a chance to solve this problem sooner. My self-restraint may not change anything, but I can't let this unethical trend start from me."
"Someday, you'll be a father too, and then you'll understand. So go back, young man, go back and tell your manager Zhao what we talked about today, tell her not to bother me anymore, I think she'll understand." "I hope... this is the last time we meet."