Liang Juejun was born and raised in C City. Both of her parents were researchers in the field of microbiology, and after her birth, the family of three lived in blissful harmony. However, when she was ten, her mother died in a tragic car accident, casting a long shadow over their once-warm home. Her father, Liang Guodong, already a stoic and introverted man, fell into a deep depression for a long time, burying himself in nothing but work. He could not bring himself to accept the reality of his wife’s departure, yet he could not help but feel a profound sense of guilt whenever he looked at Juejun. His daughter looked remarkably like her mother—clever and well-behaved—which brought him both solace and heartache. Juejun had not grown up pampered and carefree; instead, she had to share the burden of housework and her father’s worries. By the time Liang Guodong finally emerged from the shadows a few years later, Liang Juejun had already grown into a calm, independent, and precocious young woman. After she finished primary school in C City, an opportunity for an overseas transfer arose for her father. Together, the father and daughter crossed the ocean to America to begin a brand-new life.
Young Juejun’s academic performance was naturally outstanding among her peers, and it took her only six months to overcome the language barrier. Their neighbors, the Ye family, were second-generation immigrants. Mrs. Ye worked in Chinese language education, and Juejun studied under her, maintaining her Chinese literacy until she went to university. When Juejun was seventeen, her father remarried a kind and elegant French woman who lived in the same community. As for Juejun’s life and career, Liang Guodong did not interfere much.
Three years ago, Liang Juejun graduated from the Stanford School of Medicine with a degree in Microbiology and Immunology. The California sunshine, the beaches, and the openness and integration of San Francisco were undoubtedly ideal for studying, working, and living. She had decided to return to China upon completing her doctorate, but the move was delayed time and again because her mentor insisted she stay. Consequently, she continued at the research institute for a two-year postdoctoral fellowship. Of course, it was also because the project was incredibly compelling; for a researcher, there is no rest until the answers to the unknown are found. Juejun never referred to herself as a "scientist." Firstly, she felt she had not reached that level—in her mind, the definition of a scientist was something lofty and venerable. Secondly, she preferred to identify simply as a "research worker," someone who explored and discovered when faced with an interesting problem, rather than someone driven by a grand spirit of lifelong sacrifice for the progress of humanity.
Life in the United States offered many excellent conditions, but at times, there was a sense of drifting without roots—a feeling that became even more pronounced after she started working. Outside of work, her time was filled with fitness, bars, reading, and travel; on the surface, she seemed to handle everything with ease. The reason she chose to take a position at C University was that her mentor at Stanford and Academician Cheng of the C University School of Medicine had an ongoing project exchange. Their cooperation was fruitful, and joining the laboratory of Academician Cheng, a leader in the domestic field of oncology, was the best possible move. Undeniably, Juejun had her own selfish reasons as well: to settle her drifting heart, to grant herself a period of exile, and to untangle certain emotions that had lingered for years. She held a special affection for her mother’s hometown and the city of her own childhood. This was not a departure; it was a return. The process of coming back had met with a few complications, but she successfully secured a position as a Specially Appointed Researcher in Academician Cheng’s lab, holding an Associate Senior rank for a three-year term. As for where she would go after those three years, Juejun neither worried nor planned. Due to the university's limited enrollment quotas, it was difficult for newly appointed researchers to recruit suitable graduate students, so the college arranged for students to assist her with daily tasks. The academic exchange in June had served both as a report on the collaborative results between the Chinese and American teams and as her personal debut at C University. After returning to the U.S. to finalize her handover, she arrived back in July. One day, after completing all her onboarding formalities, Juejun stood in the faculty housing area adjacent to C University, key in hand. Looking up at the somewhat aged building, she couldn't help but smile.
*C City, I’m back!*
