Chapter 379 - 251: When the Stars Shine (2)

Chapter 379: Chapter 251: When the Stars Shine (2)

Zhou Deming chimed in, "That’s right. I just wonder how Hopkins will deal with Miller once this storm passes."

Jiang He said, "The scandal is set in stone. Hopkins has no choice but to treat him as a disposable pawn. His complete ruin is inevitable."

"Serves him right!" Guo Fengwan snorted, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction.

Just as they were speaking, the doorbell rang.

Shen Yu got up to open the door. Professor Weber from the Charite Medical School, Berlin, was standing outside, with several blond-haired, blue-eyed foreign scholars behind him.

"Dr. Jiang, I hope we’re not disturbing you."

"Of course not. Please, come in."

Over the past few days, with Professor Weber making introductions, Jiang He had met many of Europe’s top medical professors.

These included the surgical director of the Paris Region in France, as well as several immunology experts from Germany.

Professor Weber made the introductions. "Jiang, this is Professor Pierre. He’s extremely interested in the correction coefficient for the inflammatory cytokine storm you mentioned in the SAP early prediction model the other day. He said he has encountered similar data deviations in his clinical practice but could never find the cause."

Jiang He nodded and cut straight to the chase. "Professor Pierre, the key to this problem actually lies in the detection window. You see..."

For the next hour, the hotel suite was transformed into a small international academic symposium.

With no troublemakers to interrupt, the medical exchange was exceptionally smooth.

The European scholars were genuinely impressed by Jiang He’s forward-thinking perspective.

As they were leaving, Jiang He extended a formal invitation to them. "Professors, once the storm has completely passed, I plan to hold a small, independent press conference. I have a new technology for ultra-early targeted screening that I want to announce. If you have the time, I hope you can grace us with your presence."

"Is it the one you mentioned privately before?"

"Yes."

"Excellent. We will definitely be there. We are all looking forward to this miracle from China."

After seeing the foreign guests out, the three senior Chinese professors also returned to their rooms to rest.

The room had barely fallen quiet when there was another knock on the door.

This time, it was Wen Xuyang.

Ever since he had followed Jiang He and put on that major flex, he had become Jiang He’s loyal follower.

His form of address had also changed, from "Dr. Jiang" to "Boss."

The guy was perceptive.

Wen Xuyang was holding two cups of the hotel’s complimentary instant coffee. He handed one to Jiang He and found a chair to sit in.

"Boss, I’m here with another gossip update from Ruijin!"

"Let’s hear it!"

Jiang He still loved a good bit of gossip, and so did Shen Yu.

The young couple sat obediently across from him as if listening to a storyteller, captivated by Wen Xuyang’s endless stream of gossip. ℴ

As they chatted, the topic shifted to Wen Xuyang’s mentor, Li Jianping.

Jiang He nodded slightly. "Professor Li Jianping’s way of thinking is very advanced."

"Boss, you know about my mentor’s research?" Wen Xuyang asked, pleasantly surprised.

"I’ve followed some of it."

"Actually, it’s really thanks to Elder Zhi. Elder Zhi is just incredible. The last time I had dinner with my mentor, he even joked that he’s become a little dependent on Elder Zhi for his academic ideas now."

"Is that so."

"Yeah! Anyway, when Elder Zhi’s friends come to Ruijin for the exchange, I’ll be really looking forward to it!"

"Uh, that’s great. Something to look forward to."

...

By the evening of the fourth day, the city’s emergency repair work had finally made substantial progress.

The snow on the main roads had been cleared by snowplows, and the power supply was gradually stabilizing.

Most importantly, the communication base stations were repaired.

The village finally had internet access again. They could surf the web once more.

Su Zhi knocked and came in, holding a laptop.

"Dr. Jiang! Quick, look at this!"

The front page of the Baltimore Sun. The headline read:

"Johns Hopkins University Professor Suspected of Serious Academic Fraud, Suspended Pending Investigation."

The accompanying image was a candid photo.

In the dead of night, a blizzard was raging.

Professor Miller was soaked to the bone, his tie askew, standing in the street with his head thrown back, laughing maniacally at the storm.

Nearby, two police officers were trying to rush over to offer him some assistance...

Jiang He quickly scanned the article.

The report detailed the scandals of Miller plagiarizing the Chinese scholar’s SAP model, falsifying experimental data for MIF targeted intervention, and his long-term exploitation of the Asian researcher Wang Qian.

It also pointed out that Lancet had officially initiated retraction procedures, and the U.S. Office of Research Integrity (ORI) had also launched an investigation.

In the final paragraph of the report, the journalist wrote:

"According to police sources, Professor Miller became mentally unstable after learning his lab had been sealed. He ran out of his apartment during the height of the ice storm, shouting and flailing his arms in the street. Currently, the police have sent him to the Maryland Mental Health Center for a compulsory psychiatric evaluation. It seems the renowned surgical professor’s academic career has ended not just in moral bankruptcy, but in a mental collapse."

Shen Yu leaned over for a look and asked in surprise, "Has he gone mad?"

Jiang He countered, "Teacher Shen, what’s your analysis?"

Shen Yu frowned slightly, pondering for a moment. "From the perspective of psychological defense mechanisms, it is possible for someone to experience acute psychosis when facing a massive crisis. But... if it’s to evade legal punishment, feigning insanity is also a common tactic in criminal psychology to escape charges."

"Exactly, that’s what I think too. Miller deliberately had a breakdown on a night of freezing rain to steer public opinion toward the idea of mental instability. He’s hoping to gain a final shred of public sympathy and, more importantly, secure an advantage when he later faces charges from the ORI and the courts."

"When in doubt, plead insanity?" Shen Yu blurted out.

This phrase didn’t belong to this era.

It was because Jiang He had said something similar before, and Shen Yu had remembered it. Plugging it in like a formula made for a quick answer.

Jiang He was also amused by his wife. "Yep. When in doubt, plead insanity. That old geezer is really pulling out all the stops. But it doesn’t matter. Whether he’s really insane or just faking it is no longer important."

Once the internet was back online,

It wasn’t just the American media; public opinion back in China was in an uproar.

Jiang He opened his inbox.

The first message was from Director Yang Xu.

Two words: "Our pride!"

Jiang He smiled and replied, "Of course!"

The second was from Director Lin Zhenhua of the provincial department.

"Jiang He, well done! The leadership asked me to tell you that your performance in the United States this time was excellent. We’ll discuss the specific rewards and subsequent policy support in detail after you return to China safely!"

Jiang He replied: "Roger."

Besides these leaders, there were also many messages on his phone’s QQ.

Especially in the project team’s group chat, which had a thread thousands of messages long.

Jiang He started scrolling up through the chat history.

At the beginning, everyone was mostly talking about their worries for Jiang He’s trip.

Then, someone synced the contents of the conference to the chat, and everyone started getting hyped.

Chen Hao: "FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK! Brother Jiang is a badass! River God is a badass! I knew those American bastards were no match for you!"

Zhou Yang: "No! Not just a badass! He’s a fucking badass!"

Lin Yue: "Indeed."

Human nature is to be a parrot.

After Lin Yue posted "Indeed," hundreds of messages followed, all saying "Indeed..."

Jiang He was exhausted just from reading.

He gave up scrolling and went straight to the input box to send a message:

"You’ve all worked hard. Just reporting in: we’re safe here, and everything is going smoothly."

Seeing the man himself appear, the group erupted in cheers again.

Chen Hao immediately asked: "Old Jiang, our SAP prediction model project... it’s completely our achievement now, right? Those sons of bitches can’t steal it anymore, can they?"

Jiang He replied: "Yes. Director Yang has already helped us reorganize the data and supporting materials and resubmitted it to Lancet. It will be published soon."

The chat was once again flooded with "Awesome, awesome, awesome" reaction gifs.

The reaction gifs of that era were the classic Tuzki, Yoci Monkey, and the like...

After everyone had vented their emotions, Chen Hao asked again:

"Old Jiang, what about our miRNA early screening project? That’s a hundred times more significant than the prediction model. When are you going to announce it?"

Seeing this question, Jiang He glanced at the time.

Winter Solstice.

The storm had passed completely. Although the ground was still covered in a blanket of white snow, sunlight was now piercing through the clouds, bright and clear.

Beside him, Su Zhi said:

"Dr. Jiang, the press conference venue is set up. The invited guests, Professor Weber, Professor Pierre, and dozens of other European scholars have all taken their seats. Several of China’s U.S.-based media outlets and reporters from international medical journals have also arrived. Everything is ready."

Jiang He stood up and replied to Chen Hao:

"Don’t go to sleep tonight. Wait for my news. I’m announcing it right now."