Chapter 46

The temperature had been rising since early July. A red alert was issued due to the persistent, week-long heat wave, with temperatures reaching 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

After repeated calculations and verifications, Paul finally made progress on his experiment. With great difficulty, he found time to rest. He dragged his tired body to his seventh-floor apartment, hoping to sleep and recharge.

Suddenly, he heard a loud noise from the apartment across the hall. He paused his hand on his doorknob, turning to look at the closed door opposite. He stepped forward and knocked. "Miranda, are you home?"

There was no response. He knocked again, but still nothing.

Paul hesitated, considering calling the police, when he heard a click. The door opened.

Miranda peered out through a crack, her body hidden behind the door. "Is something the matter?"

Her expression was calm; she seemed to have answered only because he knocked. Her tone was even, without distress. Yet, Paul sensed she wasn't in a good mood. She seemed like a rose losing its vitality, about to wither.

Paul was silent a moment as Miranda looked at him, puzzled. Then, he said, "You mentioned last time you're writing a thesis. How's it going?"

Miranda replied, "I finished and submitted it two weeks ago. These past two months, I've been revising my books and waiting for the results."

Paul adjusted his glasses. "I have a half-finished thesis here. Would you be interested in taking a look?"

Miranda was taken aback. "What?"

Twenty minutes later, Miranda was in Paul's apartment, sitting on the couch, reading the thesis with sparkling eyes.

Paul's thesis concerned biological sequences and the change in energy value during initial biological change.

Bonus:

Although the subject matter wasn't novel, his approach was unique, and his proposed verification methods were unprecedented. His thesis had the potential to introduce new conclusions and methods, but innovation required substantial, valid data.

"Is this your thesis?" Miranda asked.

Paul nodded. "I wrote this in my sophomore year."

Miranda felt a mix of emotions. No wonder the professors at the Faculty of Bioinformatics still lamented Paul's decision to switch from biology to physics, even years later. It was as if fate had presented his true calling on a silver platter. A sophomore writing a thesis of this caliber was unheard of.

"Why didn't you submit it?" she asked.

"I thought it could be even better. These two sections lack sufficient experimental data to support the conclusions. After I switched majors, physics became my entire focus. I didn't have time to finish it." A hint of regret flashed in his eyes.

Miranda pondered. "Then why show it to me now?"

"Dr. Young sent me your undergraduate thesis, asking if I could suggest a new research topic. That's when I discovered you'd worked on a similar topic."

Paul pointed to the thesis. "So, I wanted to ask if you're interested in continuing my research."

A feeling stirred within Miranda, as if something deeply buried was about to surface. She hadn't worked in a lab since graduation.

"Do you think I could do it?" Although the procedures were fresh in her mind, she felt apprehensive, unsure if she could adapt to the fast pace.

Paul replied, "There would be no problem as long as you have the will. Next October, the National Science Institute will form a research team. Master's and doctoral students can apply. The research topic is related to genome sequences. If you get into a graduate program, you'll have an opportunity to join the team. The team will be led by leading academics in general biology, and the program has been planned for next year. Bedford College faculty know about this, though the outside world doesn't yet."

The passage has been significantly improved by correcting grammatical errors, improving sentence structure, and refining punctuation. The final paragraph contained some seemingly extraneous phrases ("pean tuon you new put in einge happertunity") which I have removed as they didn't appear to add meaning or clarity.