klisemfg Chapter 176: A Limitless Future
Chapter 176: A Limitless Future
This elderly gentleman held an extremely high position in academia and had overseen multiple key national research projects.
His visit was ostensibly to see relatives, but in reality, he had heard about Shanshan’s accomplishments and came specifically to meet the reputedly gifted child.
Seeing them come in, Ling Zhenkang immediately greeted them with a smile.
"Shanshan, come over. Say hello to Grandpa Xu."
With such a capable person emerging in the Ling family, the elders naturally felt immensely proud.
Shanshan obediently went forward and greeted him.
Mr. Xu sized her up for a moment, giving a slight nod.
He knew that despite her youth, she had already won national awards in mathematics and physics competitions, so his interest was already piqued.
When he asked a few casual questions, her answers were fluent and logical.
Fortunately, Shanshan had always loved to dabble in new things, willing to give anything a try.
It was this gradual accumulation of experience that allowed her to face a top scholar without the slightest intimidation.
Mr. Xu was quite taken with her, offering on the spot to accept her as his own graduate student.
In academia, those who received his personal guidance were few and far between.
He usually didn’t accept undergraduates, let alone promise a graduate school spot in advance.
But Shanshan’s performance led him to make an exception.
The relatives standing by erupted into a frenzy upon hearing this.
Ling Zhiwei immediately began to ponder which field of physics would be best for his sister’s future.
The pile of sunflower seed shells on the coffee table grew ever higher, and the sofa was crammed with people.
A warmth spread through Shanshan’s heart as she watched the scene. She wanted to laugh, but quickly held up her hands to calm everyone down.
"Please, don’t rush to make plans for me. Even if I can skip grades, it’s still way too early to decide on a career path. There’s plenty of time to think about it."
She understood that her family wanted her to seize this opportunity.
But she also hoped they would understand that life choices shouldn’t be made based solely on the opinions of others.
After calming her family down, Shanshan gave Mr. Xu a proper bow.
"Grandpa Xu, thank you for thinking so highly of me. But I honestly haven’t decided what I want to do yet. If I do decide to pursue physics in the future, I’ll definitely come and ask you to take me as your student. I just hope you won’t find me a nuisance by then."
Mr. Xu smiled at her words and didn’t press the issue, simply saying she was welcome to visit his lab anytime.
After politely seeing her guest out, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The moment the door closed, she leaned against the wall and took two deep breaths.
"What our country needs most right now is top-tier talent in advanced fields. If Shanshan pursues that, her future will be boundless!"
That was her second uncle, who had worked in a state-owned enterprise for years and always championed the idea of building a career on technical expertise.
"A promising career isn’t everything," her youngest aunt countered. "What really matters is whether the child herself likes it. You can’t expect her to spend her life dealing with things she has no interest in, can you?"
The one to object was her youngest aunt, a psychological counselor who was more focused on individual well-being.
The cacophony of opinions made Shanshan’s head buzz.
In the end, it was Ling Anxun who stepped in to restore order.
"This is her life, and she’ll figure it out on her own. If she’s truly confused, she’ll ask us. Let’s not crowd her and add to the chaos. Give her some space to think."
After he spoke, he looked at Shanshan, his gaze gentle and full of trust.
The father and daughter exchanged a look and shared a knowing smile.
Ling Anxun took his daughter’s hand and led her away from the crowd.
The discussion in the living room continued behind them, but they were already gone.
They walked in silence, a comfortable understanding flowing between them.
But just a few days later, someone leaked the news.
One after another, bigwigs from various fields came knocking, all wanting to take Shanshan on as their protégée.
It made sense. No matter what field she chose, she was destined for a future far from obscurity.
At first, Shanshan was able to turn them down one by one, but eventually, she couldn’t stand the constant pestering. Taking advantage of a short school holiday, she fled to Ling Anxun’s military base for some peace and quiet.
"Dad, is it crowded here? I won’t be a bother, will I?"
"What nonsense. You can stay as long as you like. The base is huge; no matter how many people are here, they won’t get in your way."
Ling Anxun said in a relaxed tone, handing the folder he was holding to a nearby aide.
Ling Anxun gently pinched her cheek. ’This kid’s been shooting up like a weed lately.’
She had shot up in just six months, and her baby fat had completely disappeared.
She was no longer the little girl who always hid behind him.
Though only sixteen, she had already blossomed into a delicate and pretty young woman.
She was getting prettier and prettier, which sometimes even made Ling Anxun worry.
’He worried that no boy in the future would ever be good enough for his daughter.’
’He knew that when she was a little older, there would be no shortage of suitors.’
’But as her father, he was instinctively wary of anyone who might try to get close to her.’
The car drove onto the base, passing through several checkpoints before finally stopping.
"We’re here. Hop out. Want me to show you around?"
He opened the car door, patting her on the shoulder as she got out.
Just as Shanshan hopped out of the car, she came face-to-face with a squad of soldiers marching past in formation.
They snapped to attention and saluted Ling Anxun, but when they caught sight of her, they all froze, unable to tear their eyes away.
Their marching had been in perfect sync, their chants loud and clear.
But the moment their eyes fell on Shanshan, the entire formation faltered for a second.
Ling Anxun’s face darkened, and he immediately waved the squad of soldiers away.
"What are you looking at? Get moving!"
Once word spread that the commander had brought his daughter to the base for a holiday, all the off-duty soldiers flocked over to gawk.
Even in the mess hall, soldiers would deliberately switch to a table by the window.
Shanshan felt like a little animal put on display.
She had just wanted to go for a stroll to get some air, but a crowd immediately gathered to stare, scaring her so much that she turned right around and fled to Ling Anxun’s office.
"Dad! Can’t you do something about your soldiers? I’m not a circus act!"
She stormed into the office indignantly, slamming the door with a loud BANG.
"Oh? Can’t take it already? Should I have a car prepared to take you home, then?"
Ling Anxun set down his pen, watching her with a teasing smile.
’He knew she wouldn’t actually leave; she just needed to vent.’
Shanshan pouted.
"Fine, forget it. Compared to being nagged by relatives and having to force a smile at home every day, this is way more peaceful. I’ll just stay inside. Good thing I brought a ton of books."
With that, she sat down on the sofa in the corner and opened the novel at the top of her stack.
Though she’d said she wouldn’t go out much, she ended up holing up in her room all day, either lying around or buried in a book.
Worried she’d get sick from being cooped up, Ling Anxun brought her another pile of books—Chinese and foreign literary classics, and historical novels.
But once she started reading, she couldn’t stop, staying up all night until she’d finished before finally closing her eyes.
She slept straight through until noon, not waking even when the sun was high in the sky.
Ling Anxun came to check on her, unsure whether to laugh or cry as he tidied up the books scattered all over the floor.
Then he went to the mess hall and brought back a hot meal for her.
The food was still steaming, and fine beads of condensation had formed on the lid of the container.
He placed the container on the table and pulled out a chair so she could eat the moment she woke up.
This was routine for the two of them; neither thought anything of it.
Shanshan was never awake at this time of day, and Ling Anxun had long grown accustomed to the rhythm.
But some of the young soldiers were getting restless—especially one who had taken a particular interest in her.