Chapter 90
"Yes, but not entirely."
"What is a quasicrystal?"
"A quasicrystal is a unique structure. Its atomic arrangement lacks periodic symmetry, existing between crystals and non-crystals. It was discovered by Daniel Shechtman, who won the 2011 Nobel Prize for this work."
"Wait... Nobel Prize in what?"
"Chemistry."
"Aren't we interviewing for the biology graduate program today?"
Why the sudden shift to physical chemistry?
"Professor Laurent mentioned the questions wouldn't be limited to biology."
"This is too difficult for an undergraduate."
"She was doing well earlier. Pity Professor Laurent singled her out…"
"Difficult?" Alexander Laurent spoke calmly. "You may choose to forfeit."
Sophia looked up. "Do you have a whiteboard and a marker?"
The key to this question was data support.
It tested interdisciplinary ability.
"Yes." Alexander signaled a staff member to prepare one.
A whiteboard was quickly brought in.
A marker was handed to her.
Sophia turned and wrote chemical formulas.
She started from the formulas, analyzing the atomic structure of quasicrystals.
It involved the icosahedron principle and the golden mean principle.
These two principles could explain the simplest quasicrystal structure model.
The model perfectly matched the high-resolution image details of the Al-Mn quasicrystal.
This fell under chemistry.
Then she moved into fractal geometry.
She derived pattern sequences.
Calculated correlation measures and correlation dimensions.
She discussed second-order, third-order, and k-th order sequences in detail.
This fell under mathematics.
The first whiteboard was filled with English and numbers.
She moved to the second one.
Now she entered the physics domain.
It was divided into theoretical physics and applied physics.
The theoretical part included three major theorems.
Seven core formulas.
Sixteen derived sub-theories.
She wrote them all out.
She created scenarios to validate with numbers.
Those that couldn't be validated were proven directly.
It was simple and brutal, but effective.
The applied physics section was more extensive.
The effect of deformation heat treatment on stainless steel properties.
Quasicrystal-enhanced alloy organizational properties.
Diffraction properties of one-dimensional quasicrystals.
Deep undercooling of alloys and quasicrystal solidification behavior.
She listed them one by one.
The second whiteboard was quickly filled.
Alexander signaled for a third one to be prepared.
She concluded with three derivation formulas.
Leaving a numerical model for verification.
A perfect finish.
She put down the marker. "That is my answer."
A slight smile appeared on Alexander's serious face. "Thank you. You may leave."
Sophia unclenched her tightly held fist.
She bowed and turned to leave.
Another examiner laughed. "Laurent, you were too harsh on that student. Few third-year graduates could answer that correctly."
Alexander said coolly, "Only outstanding students make you want to probe their limits."
She had more potential than he had imagined.
…
Sophia walked out of the examination room.
She received a text from Olivia.
They had agreed a week ago to celebrate after the interview.
The location was their usual French restaurant.
She opened a map app to call a car.
A familiar voice came from behind.
"Sophia Sullivan? It really is you."
Amelia Roscente had her afternoon interview.
She came early to familiarize herself with the environment.
She didn't expect to run into Sophia.
"What are you…" Amelia looked her over.
Sophia said calmly, "Interview."
"You passed the written exam?" Her voice nearly cracked.
"Yes."
"What was your score?"
"412."
"First in the major?"
Sophia was slightly surprised. "I didn't check the ranking…"
"Stop pretending. Is it fun?" Amelia's lips curled in mockery.
She only scored 392, barely making the interview cut.
Sophia actually did so well.
Sophia genuinely hadn't checked the ranking.
She confirmed the time after receiving the interview text and didn't bother with the rest.
The official list was sorted by score.
But she never logged in to check.
"Believe what you want. I have to go." She couldn't be bothered to explain.
Amelia's opinion didn't matter.
She had left Ethan.
There was no need to please his family.
You love the crow for the sake of its nest.
Without that love, it's all bullshit.
"Wait—" Amelia called out to her.
Sophia turned back. "Is there something else?"
"Your interview is over?"
"Yes."
Amelia's eyes flickered. "Were the questions difficult? What did they ask? Were there many professional questions?"
Sophia raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking me to leak the questions?"
"Don't put it so harshly. Just sharing experiences. The questions they ask me might be different anyway."
"True," Sophia nodded. "Since the questions are different, sharing is unnecessary."
"Moreover," she looked at Amelia and said slowly, "we are competitors. Why should I help you?"
"You—" Amelia was speechless.
Subconsciously, she still saw Sophia as the woman who tried to please everyone around her brother.
The reality was that Sophia had long started a new life.
She let go cleanly and walked away decisively.
But what about her brother?
He was hospitalized with a bleeding stomach, hoping she would visit.
He called out for her in his delirium.
For the past few months, he had been silent and depressed.
Sophia was too heartless!
Amelia coldly assessed her.
Ordinary formal wear looked spirited on her.
Her eyes were bright and clever.