PCJ – Chapter 618 I Want to Return to the Countryside

Zhang Jiaohua quickly arrived at the laboratory. The lab with the open glass window was just an ordinary one. During the day, visitors had entered that room, but now, no one could recall who had opened the window. It was even possible that someone from the lab had opened it for ventilation and was noticed by a visitor—who could say for sure?

The man in black appeared to be Asian, but had nothing on him to reveal his identity. No one knew who he was.

“They were probably targeting your active substance. That stuff can’t be left lying around. If it leaks out, things could get ugly,” Huang Zhongfang said worriedly.

“Don’t worry. There’s not much of that substance to begin with. I usually carry it with me,” Zhang Jiaohua replied.

Huang Zhongfang shook his head. “That makes me even more worried. If the substance gets stolen, that’s bad enough. But don’t you know, in the lab, you are even more valuable than the active substance? This won’t do. Until the danger is over, don’t go wandering off. You need the best protection at all times. These forces even dared to reach into our school’s lab.”

Zhang Jiaohua said helplessly, “I can’t just lock myself away and go nowhere. What about my experiments? They’re nearly finished, and I still have a lot of work to do.”

Because of the incident, the plan to let foreign scholars participate in replication experiments had to be canceled. The visiting scholars were quite displeased.

Huang Zhongfang was also frustrated. He was certain that the person who tried to sneak into the lab had ties to some of the foreign scholars, but he had no evidence. The man in black had no known connections. Their operation was flawless—clearly professional spies.

For safety, two guards were now assigned to Zhang Jiaohua, following him closely. Zhang Jiaohua didn’t really need protection—he was more than capable of protecting himself.

“You don’t have to follow me around like this,” Zhang Jiaohua said, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

“Dr. Zhang, please don’t make it difficult for us. If I don’t stick close, I’ll be reprimanded,” said the older guard, Lu Changqing, trying to keep things pleasant. This task frustrated them too—this ‘target’ clearly wasn’t cooperative.

The younger guard, Qin Zhian, said irritably, “You think we want to do this? But when something goes wrong, you people all blame us. When nothing’s wrong, you don’t listen to us.”

“Qin!” Lu Changqing gave him a stern look.

Zhang Jiaohua smiled, “Alright, alright, follow me if you want. Today I’m going out, and you two can be bait to lure the enemy out. Then maybe you won’t have to follow me everywhere anymore, and I’ll get some freedom back.”

“Dr. Zhang, this is serious business. That man in black last night was no amateur—definitely a trained spy. If not for a lucky break, the lab could’ve suffered serious losses. Some of our guards on duty last night will probably be punished. Honestly, just two people can’t properly secure a lab like that,” Lu Changqing explained.

“Lu, don’t bother talking to him. These golden boys never take us seriously. If he wants to be bait, let him. Worst case, we get reprimanded again,” Qin Zhian said, unusually agitated—maybe he was close to those facing punishment.

Lu Changqing sighed, “Qin, enough!”

Zhang Jiaohua just smiled and ignored Qin Zhian. He led the two guards out the school gate, swaggering into the secluded Guluba Hutong. He had his reasons. The area was quiet and mostly locals. Any outsider would be easy to spot. In busier areas, spies could blend in easily.

“Dr. Zhang, why are we going somewhere this secluded?” Lu Changqing asked.

“I used to live here. I know this area well. If someone tries to act against me, I’ll spot them instantly. I know everyone in this alley,” Zhang Jiaohua replied in a low voice.

Lu Changqing knew he couldn’t stop Zhang Jiaohua and followed silently, exchanging a look with Qin Zhian, both becoming alert.

“Zhang Jiaohua, haven’t seen you in a while! What brings you here today?” a neighborhood auntie greeted.

“Auntie, I missed you and Uncle,” Zhang Jiaohua replied with a smile.

He brought the two guards to a courtyard house owned by a man nicknamed “Fatty.”

“Dr. Zhang, this place is too secluded. We should leave soon,” Lu Changqing said, wary of the maze-like alleys that made for easy ambushes.

“You still want to leave? Too late. They’ve already followed us. Look at the alley entrances—they’re blocked. Didn’t you notice?” Zhang Jiaohua calmly closed the door.

Qin Zhian scowled. “Don’t act so high and mighty. Just because we’re not scientists doesn’t mean we’re clueless. No one’s following us, okay? Stop pretending.”

“Oh, really?” Zhang Jiaohua raised an eyebrow. “Fine. I was giving you guys a chance to catch them all. Since you don’t believe me, forget it. I’ll call someone else.”

He took out his phone and dialed: “Director Zeng, I’m at Fatty’s place. I’ve been followed. Come handle it. Yeah, I know about last night too. Be careful—these guys are pros. Don’t let them slip.”

“You’re serious? We were actually followed?” Lu Changqing asked urgently.

“Did you notice, just before we entered the alley, a middle-aged man was sitting in that store? He didn’t watch us directly, but he wasn’t local. Didn’t talk to anyone. The locals looked at him like he was some country bumpkin. You didn’t pick up on that?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

Qin Zhian jumped up, ready to rush out.

Zhang Jiaohua grabbed him. “Believe me now? If you rush out, they’ll just hide. You’ll be alerting them. My friend is on the way—they won’t get away.”

“They’re not ordinary people! Don’t get your friend hurt!” Qin Zhian protested. But Zhang Jiaohua held his arm firmly—he couldn’t break free. Lu Changqing was stunned. Qin Zhian was one of their best fighters—yet Zhang Jiaohua subdued him effortlessly.

“Let go!” Qin Zhian snapped.

Zhang Jiaohua smiled. “My friend’s not an ordinary person either. Just wait. You’ll see.”

Before long, Zeng Lei arrived with a few young men.

“Zhang Jiaohua, we’ve got them. They really dared to follow you into Guluba Hutong. Suicidal! The old folks here are sharp-eyed. They were already watching them.”

“Turn them over to the authorities. Now I can finally relax a bit,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

Lu Changqing said awkwardly, “Dr. Zhang, if you can ensure your own safety, I’ll report it up the chain and we won’t bother your movements anymore.”

He now understood that Zhang Jiaohua wasn’t an ordinary person. Neither he nor Qin Zhian had spotted the spies, but Zhang Jiaohua had caught it all in a glance.

“You really saw someone following us?” Qin Zhian asked, finally realizing.

“Yes. Five of them. They started in a car, swapped vehicles several times. No idea how they even found this alley. I haven’t been here in ages,” Zhang Jiaohua said, puzzled.

“Just ask them,” Zeng Lei said.

The men brought in five suspects—ordinary-looking guys tossed into the courtyard.

“What are you doing? We’re tourists here to see traditional courtyard houses! You have no right to detain us!” one man protested with an odd accent.

“Japanese,” Zeng Lei laughed.

“You’re with Kobayashi Shigefumi, aren’t you?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“We don’t know any Kobayashi. Let us go! We came from Japan legally on tourist visas. We’re just interested in Beijing’s siheyuan culture! Your actions are illegal. We demand to see our embassy!”

Zhang Jiaohua smiled. “You followed me all the way here. What’s your real goal?”

“We didn’t follow you! We’re just sightseeing!”

“Tell it to them. Comrade Lu, I’m leaving these guys with you. Also, tell them not to assign people to follow me anymore. I can take care of myself,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

Lu Changqing nodded. “Didn’t expect you to be both a scholar and a warrior, Dr. Zhang.”

After Lu and Qin left, Zeng Lei asked, “What kind of experiment are you doing this time? This is major—professional spies?”

“I did something unusual. It turned into this mess,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

“You always stir up big trouble. You got your doctorate in just half a year. Now that the experiment’s over, what’s next? Really gonna be a scientist?” Zeng Lei asked.

“I don’t know. I can’t sit still in one place too long,” Zhang Jiaohua replied.

He didn’t follow up on what Lu or Qin did afterward. Some foreign scholars stayed on in the lab, helping complete the experiments, which weren’t fully done until long after Chinese New Year. Once again, Zhang Jiaohua didn’t go back to Meizi’ao for the holiday.

With the experiment complete, it was time for Zhang Jiaohua to decide his next move.

As the internship period for seniors approached, banners went up on campus.

“Go to the grassroots! Serve the people! Grow through practice!”

“Serving as village officials is a strategic project to train reliable successors for the Party and nation!”

In the lab, his dorm mates like Xia Hui were deep in discussion.

“Tsinghua grads going off to be village officials? Must be crazy! That’s such a waste!” Xia Hui said.

Ma Zhenyuan laughed. “You don’t get it. They’re answering the Party’s call. You think they’ll stay village chiefs forever? Watch—they’ll spend a year or two in the countryside, then come back with a golden résumé.”

“Don’t be so cynical. Maybe they really want to make a difference,” Luo Huaping said.

“What are you guys talking about?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“We’re talking about a senior who just went off to be a village official. The whole school is buzzing,” Xia Hui explained.

Turns out, a student from the current graduating class had taken a post in a poor mountain village, causing quite a stir. For a graduate of the country’s top university to do this—it shocked everyone.

“Village official?” Zhang Jiaohua was surprised. It already felt like overkill for any college grad to go into that role, let alone someone from the top university. Four years of specialized study—just wasted?

“Exactly. A top student taking a rural post where his degree is useless. If he wanted to do that, why study this field at all? Our grads are in high demand—even before graduating, big companies are lining up!” Ma Zhenyuan said.

“True,” Luo Huaping nodded. Getting into this school was no easy feat, and after four hard years, to walk away from it all for a rural post—it was hard to understand.

But Zhang Jiaohua saw it differently. Suddenly, it felt like the perfect fit for him. He didn’t know where he belonged anymore. The lab bored him. He didn’t belong in the city either. It was the peaceful, pastoral life in the mountains that called to him most.

“How do I sign up for that? Can I apply too?” he asked.

The lab fell into stunned silence, as if time itself had frozen. Everyone looked like statues.

After a long pause, Xia Hui finally asked, “Zhang Jiaohua… you’re not joking, are you?”

“I’m serious. I’m sick of city life. I want to go back to the countryside,” Zhang Jiaohua said.