Chapter 44: The Anonymous Advisor
David paused, making his tone sound more sincere and confidential:
"As a researcher in the field of condensed matter physics, I've just established myself at Caltech with a physics paper, and I'm currently in a critical period of securing resources and building my reputation."
"If my name suddenly appears as a primary contributor on a top chemistry and materials science journal, how will my academic peers interpret that?"
"They'll think I'm opportunistic, unprofessional, and lack focus on my core field. Worse doubts might arise—'Is that David Zhou from physics struggling in his own line of work, so he's jumping into chemistry to try his luck?'"
"This label of 'lack of focus' would seriously damage my academic reputation and affect my future grant applications and collaboration opportunities in physics."
Sarah frowned. Rationally, she was beginning to understand, but emotionally and academically, she still felt uneasy: "But... the cornerstone of science is honesty. The idea you provided is the root of this success—that's a fact. If reviewers or peers ask how I achieved this crucial breakthrough, how am I supposed to answer? I can't exactly lie, can I?"
David smiled knowingly, his tone softening: "Of course, you don't have to lie. You just need to... not mention me. You can say 'through in-depth discussion and inspiration from cross-disciplinary thinking,' or 'noticed previously overlooked details while analyzing characterization data.' These are all facts; you're just presenting them selectively."
Sarah gazed at David, seemingly weighing every word he spoke. Finally, she took a deep breath and spoke with a tone mixed with helplessness and understanding: "Alright, David. I... I respect your decision and understand your concerns. We'll do as you say."
"Wait, I still don't get it." Leonard, who had been silent beside them, finally couldn't help but speak, his face filled with immense confusion, as if he'd just heard the most absurd thing.
"David, co-authoring a Nature-level paper is the pinnacle of many people's academic careers! It would give you a massive advantage in evaluations by all academic committees. This would only boost your reputation—how could it possibly damage it?"
David turned and looked at Leonard very seriously, explaining: "Leonard, you're right—a top-tier journal paper itself is a huge advantage. But the key is 'identity.' If I were an established physicist now, this chemistry paper would be a great story of my 'foresight and cross-disciplinary collaboration.' But I'm not."
He paused, searching for the analogy that would best convince Leonard: "Leonard, imagine if Sheldon—after finally winning his Nobel Prize and being recognized as a brilliant theoretical physicist—suddenly decided that instead of continuing his groundbreaking work in string theory, he'd spend all his time helping Howard design better satellite components, or running simulations for Raj's astrophysics data."
David observed Leonard's serious expression as he began to think, and continued: "People would praise his 'great teamwork' and 'versatility,' but from then on, whenever there's a physics problem, his primary task might shift from 'solving fundamental questions about the universe' to 'go help the engineers with their calculations.' He might never be able to focus on becoming that unique theoretical genius, but instead be pigeonholed as a 'super useful utility player.' I don't want to be that utility player, Leonard, at least not until people fully recognize me as an independent physicist in my own right."
This explanation carried a strategic mindset based on David's clear self-positioning, but was packaged using examples most familiar to Leonard from their own circle, allowing him to instantly grasp the entire logic.
"Oh—!" Leonard understood. He excitedly pointed at David: "It's like if Penny had been so good at waitressing at The Cheesecake Factory that the manager would never let her pursue acting, and just kept promoting her to shift supervisor! I get it! You can't let the Chemistry Department become your Cheesecake Factory!"
After saying this, Leonard tiredly let out a huge yawn, raised his hand to check his watch, and looked out the window at the fully bright sky.
"Alright, the strategy discussion is over. My brain's about to enter sleep mode. The most necessary experiment we need to conduct now is 'REM cycle recovery,' and I propose we immediately adjourn and go home."
David and Sarah both nodded, extreme fatigue washing over them like a tide after their minds relaxed.
"Let's go," Leonard rubbed his eyes and said to Sarah, "I'll give you a ride back."
"No need." Sarah quickly waved her hand, pointing outside the window, "I live in the postdoc apartments not far from here; it's only a five-minute walk. You guys are exhausted too—go home and get some rest."
David and Leonard didn't insist further.
"Keep in touch, Sarah." David said with a smile, "I look forward to your good news."
"Of course!" Sarah nodded, her face regaining its spirit, "Once I get home and crash for a few hours, I'll add you guys—mostly you, David—as friends on Facebook. Fair warning, I might spam you with updates on experimental progress."
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