Chapter 106: Sunrise
Wen Yan was woken by the morning sun peeking through the gaps in the curtains. When he opened his eyes, his phone screen lit up—it was a morning greeting from Pei Zhouye, accompanied by a photo of the sunrise he had taken from his office window. Back home, the sky was just beginning to turn pale, with faint orange dyeing the edges of the clouds, gradually merging with the seaside sunrise in Wen Yan’s memory.
His fingers tapped out a reply: “The sunrise in Switzerland is also beautiful, it’s just missing you”. The moment it sent, Pei Zhouye’s video call came through. On the screen, Pei Zhouye had just finished his morning run, with thin sweat on his temples; hearing Wen Yan’s words, he couldn’t hide the smile in his eyes. “When you’re free this weekend, should I fly over to watch it with you?”.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Didn’t you say you had to inspect a branch office after the board meeting?” Wen Yan retorted with a smile, yet he still sat up and propped his phone against the headboard so Pei Zhouye could see the view outside. “Look, there’s a small garden behind the hotel; you can hear the birds chirping in the morning”.
The two of them chatted idly until Wen Yan had to head to the lab, only then hanging up reluctantly. While packing his things, he specifically fastened the watch Pei Zhouye had given him. The pale blue dial shimmered in the sunlight, looking as if a piece of the clear sky had been fastened to his wrist.
Tom was already waiting at the hotel entrance; seeing Wen Yan come out, he handed him a cup of hot coffee. “Mr. Wen, Professor Marc just messaged saying he’ll introduce you to the lab’s core team today”.
“Alright, thanks for the trouble.” Wen Yan took the coffee; the warmth of the cup against his palm made him feel more grounded.
On the drive to ETH Zurich, Wen Yan scrolled through the team profiles Professor Marc had sent the night before. The team consisted of scholars from five different countries, each focusing on research related to cell differentiation. One of them, a Chinese professor named Li Wei, specialized in clinical applications of stem cells—which happened to perfectly align with the project Wen Yan was advancing.
“Professor Li was also a student of Professor Zhang,” Tom suddenly spoke up. “Yesterday, President Pei specifically had me look into it; she takes great care of scholars coming from China, so you don’t need to be too nervous”.
Wen Yan was stunned for a moment before realizing that Pei Zhouye, worried he wouldn’t adapt to a strange environment, had specifically done his homework. A wave of warmth rose in his heart; it seemed no matter how far he went, Pei Zhouye would always keep his every insecurity in mind.
When they arrived at the lab, Professor Marc was already waiting at the door. He gave Wen Yan’s hand a warm shake. “Wen, let me introduce you. This is our core team: Professor Li Wei, Dr. Hansen…”.
When introduced to Li Wei, she reached out with a smile. “I’ve heard Professor Zhang mention you long ago, saying you’re very talented in the field of cell differentiation. I finally get to meet you today”.
“Hello, Professor Li. I’ll be asking for your guidance in the future.” Wen Yan was a bit overwhelmed by the attention.
During the team meeting, Wen Yan gave a detailed presentation on his research findings. When he displayed his experimental data charts, Li Wei’s eyes suddenly lit up. “This control group design is very clever; it happens to solve a bottleneck we’re currently facing. We’ve been unable to precisely control the cell apoptosis rate during stem cell-induced differentiation; your method might be just what we need”.
Wen Yan was delighted and immediately pulled out his notebook to discuss it with Li Wei. The two hit it off, moving from experimental design to data processing and planning out subsequent cooperation. Watching the two of them in their heated discussion, Professor Marc smiled and said to Hansen beside him, “I told you Wen was a good sprout. It seems he can bring many new ideas to our team”.
After the meeting, Li Wei invited Wen Yan to her office for tea. “Professor Zhang specifically told me to take care of you. If there’s anything you’re not used to in Switzerland, or if you need help, tell me anytime”.
“Thank you, Professor Li.” Wen Yan held the warm tea cup, his heart full of emotion. “There’s nothing I’m not used to so far; Pei Zhouye arranged everything perfectly”.
At the mention of Pei Zhouye, Li Wei smiled and raised an eyebrow. “I know President Pei; he’s very famous in the domestic business world. You’re the only one who could make him this devoted.” She paused, then added, “Professor Zhang told me that in order to support your attendance at the symposium, President Pei specifically postponed a board meeting and arranged security—this kind of devotion is extraordinary”.
Wen Yan’s cheeks felt a bit hot, yet he couldn’t help but say with pride, “He’s always supported my research”.
By the time he finished talking with Li Wei, it was already noon. Tom suggested they go to a nearby Chinese restaurant for lunch; Wen Yan happened to be missing home-cooked food and agreed. The owner of the restaurant was from Sichuan; seeing Wen Yan, he enthusiastically recommended the water-boiled fish and mapo tofu. “Young man, our food is authentic. I guarantee it’ll make you miss home!”.
Once the food arrived, Wen Yan took a bite of the fish; the familiar spicy flavor spread across his tongue, and his eyes suddenly felt a bit hot. He pulled out his phone and took a photo to send to Pei Zhouye: “The water-boiled fish here is delicious. When you come, I’ll take you here”.
Pei Zhouye replied almost instantly: “Alright, once I’ve finished this busy stretch, I’ll fly over and eat with you. By the way, I’ve handled the situation with Lin Seran; he’s been transferred to a closed nursing home in Switzerland and won’t disturb you again”.
Seeing the name “Lin Seran,” Wen Yan’s heart still skipped a beat, but he quickly calmed down. He knew Pei Zhouye had already handled everything; he didn’t need to worry anymore.
In the afternoon, Wen Yan followed Professor Marc on a tour of the lab’s cell culture room. The equipment was much more advanced than that at University A; incubator after incubator of petri dishes were arranged neatly, each labeled in detail. Professor Marc picked up a dish and handed it to Wen Yan. “These are the stem cells we just cultured; look, the morphology is perfect”.
Wen Yan took the dish and observed it under the microscope. The morphology of the stem cells was clearly displayed on the screen—the nuclei were plump and the cytoplasm was uniform; it was indeed much better quality than the cells he had cultured before. “Professor, how do you control the direction of cell differentiation?” Wen Yan asked curiously.
Professor Marc smiled and explained, “We use a new inducing factor that precisely regulates the differentiation pathway. But there are still problems—for example, the induction efficiency isn’t high enough, and we’re looking for ways to improve it”.
Wen Yan listened intently, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind: “Professor, I think we could try combining the inducing factor with nano-carriers. Nano-carriers can improve the targeting of the inducing factor, which might increase induction efficiency”.
Professor Marc’s eyes lit up. “That’s a great idea! We’ve considered nano-carriers before, but we never found a suitable way to combine them. You could try; we have a specialized nanomaterials research group in the lab, and you can collaborate with them”.
Wen Yan was thrilled; he hadn’t expected his sudden inspiration to be recognized by Professor Marc. He immediately pulled out his notebook and recorded the idea, intending to refine it tonight.
Upon returning to the hotel in the evening, Wen Yan didn’t even stop to rest before he began researching data to refine the plan for combining nano-carriers with the inducing factor. He sat at his desk, researching literature while drawing up experimental designs, and before he knew it, it was late at night.
His phone suddenly vibrated—it was a video call from Pei Zhouye. Wen Yan answered and saw Pei Zhouye in his pajamas, his hair a bit messy. “Not asleep yet? What are you busy with?”.
“I’m refining an experimental plan. While talking with Professor Marc earlier, I suddenly had a new idea.” Wen Yan turned his laptop screen toward the camera. “Look, I want to try combining nano-carriers with the inducing factor to improve the induction efficiency of stem cells”.
Pei Zhouye leaned in close to the camera, looking seriously at the experimental design on the screen; though he didn’t understand the professional terminology, he still nodded. “It looks very impressive. But don’t tire yourself out; rest early, you have to go to the lab tomorrow”.
“I know. I’ll sleep after I finish a bit more,” Wen Yan said with a smile.
After hanging up, Wen Yan worked for over an hour more until the experimental plan was refined. He stretched and leaned back against the chair, looking out at the night view with a sense of accomplishment. He knew he was one step closer to realizing his dream.
Over the next few days, Wen Yan devoted himself entirely to advancing the experimental plan. He worked with the members of the nanomaterials group, repeatedly adjusting the nano-carrier formula and testing the concentration of the inducing factor; though he encountered many difficulties, every time he solved a problem, it filled him with motivation.
Over the weekend, Pei Zhouye actually flew to Switzerland. When Wen Yan went to pick him up at the airport, he saw Pei Zhouye from a distance, standing in the crowd in a black coat, looking exceptionally prominent. He ran over and threw himself into Pei Zhouye’s arms. “Why did you really come? Didn’t you say you were busy with the branch office?”.
Pei Zhouye held him tight, his chin resting against the crown of his head. “Nothing is as important as you. I’ve already arranged things at the branch office; I’ll stay with you for two days before heading back”.
After returning to the hotel, Pei Zhouye opened the suitcase he had brought, which was full of Wen Yan’s favorite snacks and local specialties. “I knew you missed home-cooked food, so I had the ayi prepare some; you can keep them in the hotel fridge and heat them up when you want to eat”.
Watching the familiar snacks and specialties in the suitcase, Wen Yan was deeply moved. He knew Pei Zhouye was always like this—remembering his likes and habits clearly and taking the time out of his busy schedule to do these small things for him.
In the afternoon, Pei Zhouye accompanied Wen Yan to Lake Geneva. The two of them strolled along the lakeside; the sunlight spilled across the water, looking like it had been sprinkled with gold leaf. Pei Zhouye took Wen Yan’s hand, his fingers lightly tracing the watch on his wrist. “Does the watch fit well?”.
“It’s perfect, I wear it every day,” Wen Yan said with a smile. “Looking at it is like looking at you”.
The two of them walked to the cafe Wen Yan had visited before and ordered two hot chocolates. Pei Zhouye looked out the window at the lake and suddenly said, “Once you’ve finished your research here, we’ll go to the sea, find a quiet town, and stay for a while. We’ll watch the sunrise and sunset every day, alright?”.
Wen Yan nodded and leaned against Pei Zhouye’s shoulder. “Alright, I’ll wait for that day”.
That evening, the two of them went to the Chinese restaurant Wen Yan had visited before. Seeing Wen Yan brought someone, the owner greeted them enthusiastically: “Young man, this must be your boyfriend? He’s very handsome!”.
Wen Yan’s cheeks felt a bit hot, but Pei Zhouye nodded with a smile. “Yes, we’ve come to try your water-boiled fish”.
During the meal, Pei Zhouye kept placing food on Wen Yan’s plate, hardly touching his own. “Eat more, you’ve lost a lot of weight lately.” Pei Zhouye looked at Wen Yan, his eyes full of heartache. “Don’t tire yourself out in the lab; remember to rest and eat on time”.
“I know. You eat too.” Wen Yan placed a piece of fish into Pei Zhouye’s bowl. “Don’t just look after me; look after yourself too”.
After dinner, the two of them strolled back along the lakeside. Lake Geneva was very quiet at night, with only the occasional sound of the wind and water. Pei Zhouye took Wen Yan’s hand and suddenly stopped, pulling a small box from his pocket. “Wen Yan, for you”.
Wen Yan took the box curiously and opened it to find a silver ring inside, engraved with a small character: “Ye.” “This is…”.
“I had this custom-made for you.” Pei Zhouye picked up the ring and carefully placed it on Wen Yan’s ring finger. “When you return home, we’ll go get our license. I know you’re focused on your research and don’t want to be disturbed, but I want you to know that I’ll always be waiting for you, whenever you’re ready”.
Wen Yan looked at the ring on his finger, and his eyes suddenly felt a bit hot. He looked up at Pei Zhouye and found his eyes were also a bit red. “Pei Zhouye,” Wen Yan’s voice was a bit raspy. “Thank you. Thank you for always being so tolerant and supportive”.
“Silly, what are you thanking me for?” Pei Zhouye pulled Wen Yan into his arms. “Meeting you is the luckiest thing that’s happened in my life. Whatever you want to do, I’ll support you and walk the path with you”.
The two of them stood by the lake for a long time until the night breeze turned cool, only then walking slowly back to the hotel. Back in the room, Wen Yan leaned in Pei Zhouye’s arms, looking at the ring on his finger, his heart full of happiness. He knew he had found the person who would watch the sunrise and sunset with him and face life’s storms by his side.
The next morning, Pei Zhouye had to return home. Wen Yan went to the airport to see him off, watching as Pei Zhouye walked into the security check; he felt a bit reluctant to let go. “Call me when you get home”.
“I will. Look after yourself here and don’t get too tired.” Pei Zhouye reached out to stroke Wen Yan’s hair. “I’ll finish things up at home as quickly as possible and come see you again”.
As Pei Zhouye’s figure disappeared into the security check, Wen Yan felt a bit empty, but he quickly pulled himself together. He knew he couldn’t let Pei Zhouye down; he had to work hard, finish his research early, and return home to reunite with him.
Upon returning to the lab, Wen Yan devoted all his energy to the experiments. He worked with the members of the nanomaterials group, repeatedly testing the combination plan for the nano-carriers and inducing factor, and finally achieved a breakthrough two weeks later.
They successfully combined the inducing factor with the nano-carriers, and induction efficiency increased by 30%—far exceeding their previous expectations.
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