Chapter 359 - 244: A Tale of Two Cities

Chapter 359: Chapter 244: A Tale of Two Cities

The Provincial Health Department.

A cold December rain drizzled down, washing away the city’s fatigue. It also made anyone who had just washed their car want to cry.

Lin Zhenhua stood by the window.

He had already hung up the phone, but his hand lingered, refusing to drop.

The message had been simple, containing only two points.

First, the matter of intellectual property.

Second, the leadership had made it clear: Jiang He’s trip to the United States for the Baltimore symposium was not just an academic exchange. It had to be taken seriously. Extremely seriously.

Lin Zhenhua lit a cigarette and took a deep drag, his heart heavy.

There were many things that Jiang He, being young, might not sense, but he could.

To maintain its global technological supremacy, the United States had imposed strict export controls on China.

Jiang He’s future plans to develop targeted drugs would inevitably require molecular dynamics simulations, which in turn demanded immense computational power.

But the reality was that the West’s computational barriers stood tall, with no intention of opening their core resources to China.

What Lin Zhenhua didn’t know was...

Thousands of miles from Yangcheng, at the National University of Defense Technology, a classified project codenamed Tianhe-1 was arduously moving forward, thanks to the tireless, round-the-clock efforts of countless researchers.

This supercomputer, shouldering the monumental task of breaking through the nation’s computational bottleneck, would be officially declared a success next September.

And after an upgrade the following year, it would directly claim the number one spot on the TOP500 list of the world’s supercomputers.

But that was a story for another time.

On this winter day in ’08, all Lin Zhenhua could see was the daunting predicament before him.

DING—

The phone on his desk vibrated.

It was a short text message from Su Zhi, a specialist from the provincial foreign affairs office:

[Minister Lin, the flight has taken off safely.]

Lin Zhenhua stared at the message, his gaze fixed on it for a long time.

In the past, Minister Lin would have often thought of his own interests, of getting ahead, always getting ahead.

But this time, he genuinely hoped from the bottom of his heart that Jiang He would win.

Jiang He’s trip to the United States was like a microcosm of the great-power rivalry playing out on a chessboard.

Though this was just one small piece, it was a crucial one, especially in the field of medicine—a domain long dominated by the West...

Lin Zhenhua muttered to himself, "Jiang He, you’ve got this."

...

...

Washington Dulles International Airport.

’This damn weather is a lot colder than Yangcheng.’

Jiang He walked ahead, holding Shen Yu’s hand. He leaned in and asked softly, "Are you cold?"

Shen Yu was bundled up, but she still shrank her neck back from the cold wind. "A little, a little."

Jiang He’s heart immediately ached for her. He then mentally scolded himself. ’Why didn’t I make my wife wear more clothes? I should have wrapped her up like a cocoon. A scarf, a hat—I should have had them all ready!’

He hurried to get their luggage and pulled out the scarf and other things.

Only after bundling Teacher Shen up into a ball did Jiang He feel at ease.

After that, they followed Su Zhi, their passage smooth and unimpeded.

She had booked cars in advance—a few SUVs were waiting outside.

Everyone loaded their luggage and got into the vehicles.

Jiang He and Shen Yu sat in the back row.

Shen Yu gazed out the window, her eyes full of curiosity, like a wide-eyed child.

This was Teacher Shen’s first time abroad, so everything felt new and exciting.

However, the road from the airport to Baltimore didn’t quite match what Teacher Shen had imagined...

In her imagination, the United States was supposed to be glamorous and dazzling, just like in the movies.

But in reality, under the gloomy sky, the streets looked exceptionally dilapidated.

The road surface was riddled with potholes, and more than half of the houses on either side were dark.

Many even had their doors and windows nailed shut with wooden boards, which were then covered in graffiti.

Jiang He said, "Do you know what those symbols are?"

Shen Yu said, "No, I don’t."

Jiang He said, "Gang signs. The kind that abduct girls. Are you scared?"

Shen Yu exclaimed, "I am!"

After saying that, she didn’t dare to look anymore and burrowed into Jiang He’s arms, seeking a cuddle~

You had to admit, this kid Jiang He was clever. Scare his wife a little, and he gets to hold her tight for the whole ride.

At a traffic light, Jiang He saw several homeless people lying haphazardly in front of a corner convenience store.

They were wrapped in tattered blankets, shivering in the freezing rain.

A weak flame flickered inside a nearby metal barrel, and a few pairs of numb eyes met Jiang He’s through the car window.

Professor Zhou Deming couldn’t bear to look. "These past few months, the economy here in the United States has completely gone to rot."

Professor Fu Yunshu said, "I saw on the news a couple of days ago that the Baltimore City government just sued Wells Fargo Bank. They’ve become the first city in the nation to sue a major bank under the Fair Housing Act."

"Suing a bank? That’s certainly unusual."

"How could they not sue? The banks engaged in predatory lending, specifically targeting the lower-class Black population and the poor here. Now that the crisis has hit, the banks are foreclosing on a massive scale. In just a few months, tens of thousands of foreclosed homes have appeared in Baltimore. The city’s public safety and finances are on the brink of collapse. Look at these—they’re all empty houses repossessed by the banks that couldn’t be sold and just had to be boarded up."

Jiang He listened quietly to the older professors’ conversation.

This was indeed the city’s history.

Baltimore was once a proud hub of industry and shipbuilding on the East Coast of the United States. It even experienced its most glorious era after World War II, with its population peaking in the 1950s.

But with the outflow of heavy industry, the wave of deindustrialization, and severe racial segregation policies, the city had long been mired in decades of urban decay.

The financial crisis of ’08 was merely the last straw that broke the camel’s back.

After driving through another block, the scene changed abruptly.

One moment, it was graffiti and homeless people.

The next, the streets suddenly became wide and clean.

The trees lining the roads were neatly trimmed, and magnificent buildings rose from the ground.

The crowds walking on the streets had transformed into white professors in suits and ties, and international students hurrying on their way.

They had arrived.

Johns Hopkins University.

This institution, a hallowed hall holding an extremely high status in the history of world medicine, stood incongruously on the dilapidated land of Baltimore.

"Eds and Meds" (Education and Medicine)—this was how American economists summarized this peculiar phenomenon.

After the death of heavy industry, Johns Hopkins University and its medical system became the wealthiest ivory tower in this decaying city, as well as its absolute economic pillar.

The three older professors in the car looked out the window, all falling silent for a moment.

In the 1980s and ’90s, they had come to the United States with a yearning for modern medicine.

Back then, China was poor and underdeveloped. Here, they saw the world’s most advanced equipment and most cutting-edge theories.

The immense gap had left a deep imprint on their hearts.

Even though China was now taking flight, standing once again before this highest temple of world medicine...

...a sprout of inferiority uncontrollably resurfaced.

"No matter how you look at it... America’s medical field is just too advanced," Guo Fengwan sighed softly.

Although Zhou Deming and Fu Yunshu didn’t speak, the expressions on their faces said the same.

Shen Yu turned her head to look at Jiang He.

The expression on Jiang He’s face was unchanged.

He suddenly spoke up. "Is it really that advanced?"

The three older professors’ attention was drawn to him.

Jiang He’s tone was calm.

"In a city that can’t even maintain basic housing and public safety for its poorest citizens, the elites sit in their ivory tower, judging the rest of the world with arrogant eyes. The barriers they’re so proud of are, in fact, just like the world outside them—rotten to the core."

Zhou Deming was stunned.

Fu Yunshu and Guo Fengwan also looked at each other, speechless.

They never would have expected that this would be Jiang He’s assessment of Johns Hopkins University.

Jiang He continued:

"Why did Miller plagiarize our SAP model? It wasn’t just greed. Wasn’t it also fear?"

"They’re afraid of me. They’re afraid of our country’s rise."

"Professors, we’re here today to teach them a lesson. To tell them, ’Hey kid, the times have changed.’"

"Especially people like Miller. They should be treated like a game of whack-a-mole: the second they pop their heads up, you smack them down."

"I’m just helping them get rid of a menace. To be honest, they should be thanking me."

Jiang He’s words were incredibly bold.

Guo Fengwan suddenly gave a wry smile, then let out a long breath, as if expelling decades of pent-up emotion from his chest. ℯℯ𝑙.

"Xiaojiang, you’re right. It’s us old fossils who got spooked. We should be playing whack-a-mole... er, what was it you said? Pop their heads up, smack ’em down? Yes! And ’rotten to the core’... An excellent assessment!"

Zhou Deming: "An excellent assessment!"

Fu Yunshu: "An excellent assessment!"

Shen Yu: "An excellent assessment!"

Jiang He was instantly amused by his wife’s comment.

’Why is it so cute when Teacher Shen says the exact same thing?’

He wrapped his arm around Shen Yu.

’I love you. There’s no reason for it.’

...

The car finally stopped in front of the Baltimore Inner Harbor Hilton Hotel.

The hotel had just opened in August of this year. As the accommodation arranged by the American side, it was high-end and had a great atmosphere.

Su Zhi was the model of efficiency. In less than ten minutes, everyone’s room keys had been distributed.

She said, "Mr. Jiang, we have fifteen hours until tomorrow morning’s symposium. I suggest everyone first return to their rooms, take a hot shower, and adjust to the time difference. At seven p.m., we’ll meet in the hotel’s executive lounge to go over tomorrow’s schedule."

"Thank you for your hard work."

Arriving at the top-floor suite.

It was quite luxurious.

Teacher Shen was like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden, completely blown away.

Jiang He couldn’t resist scooping her up into his arms and giving her a passionate kiss.

In the middle of the kiss, Shen Yu pinched his lips shut and said:

"Dr. Jiang."

"Mmph?"

"That speech you gave in the car just now was so cool~"

"Impressed you, huh?"

"Tch~ Not at all... Okay, fine, you did..."

Shen Yu did a little impression of Lin Yue, then said, "It’s just that... you never seem to be afraid. No matter what the situation, you always look like you have everything under control. It’s amazing."

’Never afraid?’

Jiang He thought for a moment.

’If I had to say, there’s only one thing I’m afraid of...’

Jiang He said, "You must be exhausted after such a long flight. Go take a shower first."

"What about you?"

"I’ll join you."

"No! No way!"

"Haha, you go ahead. I still have a few things to prepare for the short meeting in the executive lounge later."

"Oh, okay then. Should I go with you?"

"You just rest up. Wait for me here in the room."

After Shen Yu went into the bathroom,

Jiang He walked to the desk and pulled a manila envelope from his briefcase.

This was what Cai Zhuqun’s team had dug up recently.

’Good stuff. The contents are quite spectacular. It feels like the most appropriate Christmas present.’

「Seven p.m., U.S. time.」

The hotel’s executive lounge.

Jiang He arrived a little late.

When he entered, however, he found Professor Zhou Deming confronting a white man, his face flushed with anger.