Back in the hospital ward, Professor Wang Xi kept holding onto the stack of data like a dragon guarding its hoard. He stubbornly refused to rest in his bed.
“No! Don’t help me up, I can still read…”
Professor Wang Xi cried out loudly, like a child who did not want to go to sleep.
In the end, the nurse had no choice but to let Professor Wang Xi finish reading the information before he would lie down in his bed contentedly and fall into a deep sleep.
Chen Chen silently collected the scattered pages, then turned to leave the ward. However, as soon as he went out the door, a middle-aged woman stood blocking his way.
The woman’s face was similar to Professor Wang Xi’s, but unlike Professor Wang Xi, there was a harsher expression in her brows and her eyes were steely. She looked like a strong, independent woman.
“Hello, Auntie.”
Chen Chen smiled and nodded in greeting.
“Do you know me?” The woman raised an eyebrow and scanned Chen Chen in a scrutinizing manner.
“I don’t but I can guess who you are based on your looks,” Chen Chen replied politely.
The middle-aged woman relaxed slightly. “You have pretty good reflexes. So, what’s your purpose in coming back to China? Are you here just to see my father?”
“Sorry to ask, but you’re working as…” Chen Chen intentionally made a confused face.
“I’m Wang Luo, deputy director of the political department in the Shangdu Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,” the woman said in a powerful voice.
“Ah, Director Wang.”
Chen Chen nodded. “I know you came here because of me. In fact, you don’t have to worry. I’m not here as a representative of any external faction. As for Professor Wang Xi…”
Chen Chen was silent for a moment before he said solemnly, “Because he helped me once, I want to repay him.”
“Repay him? And how will you do that?” A mocking look flashed across Wang Luo’s face. “Based on your paper in Cell? Or your research center in Africa?”
“So, you know about this.” Chen Chen nodded, unsurprised.
“I know you’re not with any foreign organization, but I’ve heard that you’re taking advantage of the underdeveloped medical facilities over there to carry out your clinical trials?” Wang Luo’s face darkened as she questioned, “Do you know what sort of behavior that is?”
“Academic misconduct, right?”
Chen Chen’s lips curled up into a smile as he replied before she could. “Auntie Wang, that’s where you’re mistaken.”
“What’s academic misconduct? Falsification, plagiarism, violating the spirit of science and ethics, those are what we call academic misconduct. So, what’s my misconduct exactly?”
“What, you don’t even know what you did wrong?”
The crow’s feet at the corner of Wang Luo’s eyes trembled slightly and she broke out into a cold, adamant smile. “Science is a people-oriented system, in the service of people. It involves human ethics. If these ethics don’t keep in check the wheels of experimentation and researchers do whatever they want, they would be wiping out lives and trampling on human rights. Isn’t that against human morality?”
“Oh, in that case, Andreas Vesalius committed academic misconduct too when he stole bodies in the middle of the night, right?” When Chen Chen heard this, he immediately noticed the flaw in the argument and retorted with this question.
Wang Luo frowned and countered. “You’re comparing yourself to the founder of anatomy?”
“I’m not.”
Chen Chen shook his head calmly and humbly. “Of course, my achievements can’t be compared to the pioneers, but you might be having some trouble understanding. No matter, I’ll spell it out for you.”
Chen Chen said good-naturedly, “I believe that what you’re talking about is common knowledge. Andreas Vesalius published his book in 1543. At that time, the Catholic Church had commanded repeatedly that no desecration of corpses was allowed. In that case, Vesalius’ act of stealing and even dissecting the bodies — is that a violation of human ethics?”
Wang Luo hesitated. “But he was doing it for human medicine. Moreover, that was just a religious restriction at that time, which doesn’t represent modern human ethics…”
“Aha, that’s the problem!”
Before Wang Luo could finish explaining, Chen Chen instantly cut in. “Since you say that it doesn’t conform to modern human ethics, can I take it that modern human ethics are the final standard in science?”
“…” Wang Luo opened her mouth but no words came out.
“You don’t have to tell me. I already know the answer!”
Without waiting for her response, Chen Chen swiftly said, “Since you also understand that modern human ethics don’t represent the past, then in the context of the 16th century, did Andreas Vesalius also go against the human ethics of that time? Was that academic misconduct?”
“What a quick wit.” Wang Luo growled. “I don’t have time to mince words with you!”
“Auntie, please calm down. I haven’t finished speaking.”
Chen Chen waved his hand and continued. “I know that the pioneer Vesalius can never be described as committing ‘academic misconduct’, but aren’t you a little biased when you use this term on me?
“For instance, say that I’m an Ovambo person born in Namibia. After studying in Mainland China, I return to Namibia and build a research center there, researching biology to better the country. However, because Namibia’s medical system is underdeveloped, I’m able to apply for a large number of clinical trials. Does that count as academic misconduct?”
Wang Luo fell silent after hearing this.
“It doesn’t count, right?”
Chen Chen smiled. “According to your logic, even with the same outcome, if I’m Namibian, it’s not academic misconduct, but if I’m not Namibian, then it’s academic misconduct. Don’t you think there’s a bias in your judgment of me?”
Wang Luo’s face was flushed red when she heard this and she practically spat out through clenched teeth, “Well done…”
Chen Chen grinned, then walked to the water dispenser and poured out a cup of water. “Auntie, how about a cup of tea? So that you can simmer down.”
“That’s enough!”
Wang Luo took a deep breath and looked steadily at Chen Chen. “Fine, you win the argument. But before you ask my father if he’s willing to go to your research center, what’s the point in that? And what’s the information that you showed my father?”
Chen Chen was not surprised that Wang Luo knew about this. After all, Chen Chen had said all that before the two bodyguards back then. He simply handed over the file in his hand. “I’m sure that with your learning, you’ll be able to understand this.”
Wang Luo snorted coldly, took the file, and flipped through the pages.
In the beginning, Wang Luo still maintained a surly expression but as she kept reading, it slowly turned into one of astonishment. In the end, there was nothing left but utter shock. “Is all of this real? These are results from your research center?”
“Their authenticity is guaranteed.”
Chen Chen nodded and pulled out the first page from Wang Luo’s hands. “TOM1 protein gene overexpression, assisting Solanezumab antibody, inducing neural stem cell implantation, activating G2 resting stem cells, and activating microglia. After this set of procedures, isn’t there a chance to cure your father’s illness?”
“But in terms of clinical trials…” Wang Luo’s eyes flashed with hope before becoming clouded by doubt again.
“Clinical trials can begin at any time, but!”
Chen Chen asked, “How long does Professor Wang Xi have left? If Alzheimer’s disease enters the middle stage, it means that more than one-half of the brain is damaged, so even if he recovers in the future, how much memory can he retain now? And once a person has lost his memory, is he still himself?”
These three consecutive questions made Wang Luo turn pale.
“If you or the authorities are worried that I’ll kidnap Professor Wang Xi, then you may be rest assured.”
Chen Chen explained patiently, “My parents are in China too. Surely the authorities must’ve taken note of this too. Since I’ve started to make my fortune, I’ll slowly enter the authorities’ radar. Plus, I’m from Mainland China myself. Even if I’m overseas, I’ve tried my best to work together with Mainland China. The nuclear power plant is one example. Thus, the authorities should already know very well what I’m up to.”
Following this, Chen Chen lowered his voice. “Furthermore, to you, shouldn’t Professor Wang Xi’s personal safety be of greater importance?”
Upon hearing this last line, Wang Luo’s body shuddered violently.