Chapter 329
Chapter 329
Ethan said wherever Mom is, that's where home is.
Gary said wherever you go, we follow.
Those two invitations representing national and world-class standards still lay quietly on the study desk.
Their weight was heavy, heavy enough to influence the future global biomedical landscape.
But now, the heaviest stone weighing on Calista's heart had been lifted by the most important people in her life.
The choice suddenly became simple.
...
The taut string at home completely relaxed.
Dahlia no longer sighed but enthusiastically studied Eldorian crash courses and recipes, saying in her words, "Know yourself and your enemy"—if they ever visited Eldoria, she couldn't not even know how to order food.
Gary also resumed his usual rhythm, though time spent at home noticeably increased.
They'd given her the most precious gift—the right to choose completely for herself, without pressure.
The first thing Calista did was make a transoceanic video call.
On screen was the laboratory where she'd worked for years.
Several former colleagues crowded before the camera, expressing congratulations in a cacophony.
"Dr. Softhart! You're absolutely our legend!"
"Max Planck Institute! God, we're insanely jealous! You must go!"
"I heard they're building an independent center for you? Can you recruit us too?"
Well-meaning jokes and sincere blessings came through the current.
Calista looked at those familiar faces, the familiar lab benches and instruments behind them, feeling something indescribable.
Everything there was ready-made, top-tier, perfect. She'd only need to walk in to immediately begin work, avoiding all preliminary preparation hassles.
A white-haired old professor pushed aside the young people, leaned toward the camera, adjusted his glasses. "We're all proud of you. But we hope more that you'll make the choice most beneficial to science itself. Come to Eldoria. Everything you need is here."
Calista closed the video. The room returned to quiet.
She leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes. The professor's words still echoed, each striking what a researcher cared about most.
The choice most beneficial to science.
Yes, from a purely research perspective, the answer was almost singular.
That afternoon, Leo connected another video conference for her.
The screen no longer showed a pristine top laboratory but a bustling construction site.
Hard hats, bulldozers, flying dust, and deafening roar.
Project Spark Institute's temporary director, a young PhD who'd graduated less than two years ago, held a tablet excitedly navigating the site, struggling to project his voice through the noise gaps.
"Dr. Softhart! Look! The main building's foundation will be completely poured today! This is the city's best construction team, working 24-hour shifts—progress is astonishing!"
The camera shook, sweeping across young, unpretentious faces.
Many were students Calista had personally recruited from universities. Now, instead of waiting in comfortable air-conditioned rooms, they wore hard hats under the sun, excitedly watching this land.
"Ms. Softhart! We optimized your design again—look at this ventilation duct design. We referenced the latest precision lab standards. Energy consumption can drop fifteen percent!"
"And this wastewater treatment system—we added a biodegradation process. Absolutely the most environmentally friendly domestically!"
They weren't discussing Nobel Prizes or top journal papers but ventilation ducts and drainage systems.
Yet their eyes held a light Calista had never seen in her Eldorian colleagues' eyes.
Not desire to climb peaks, but fervent passion for building temples with their own hands.
At video's end, the young director scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, saying to the camera, "Ms. Softhart, we all know Eldoria's trying to recruit you. Here... everything's still very basic, can't compare with them. But we're all hoping you'll return. This place—it's our own place."
"Our own place."
This sentence, light as air, yet heavy as mountains.
Night deepened.
Ethan and Dahlia had both gone to sleep.
Calista came alone to the artificial lake behind the villa.
The lake water rippled with moonlight like a shattered galaxy. The evening breeze carried moisture, slightly cool.
She sat on the ground, using her phone screen's faint light to draw a clear dividing line on the white page.
On the left, she wrote [Eldoria.]
On the right, she wrote [Seaside City.]
Under the "Eldoria" column, her handwriting flowed quickly:
[Immediate entry to Max Planck Institute, seamlessly joining existing top team.]
[Launch "Targeted Cellular Aging Reversal" Phase II research, expected breakthrough within 18 months.]
[Leverage European Science Academy resources, integrate global top scholars, goal: Nobel within five years.]
[Challenges: Cultural integration, language barriers, and... distance from home.]
Writing the last line, her pen tip paused.
Then Calista turned to the right, the "Seaside City" column.
Her writing slowed, each word seemingly deeply considered.
[Lab construction: estimated 12-18 months for Phase I, equipment procurement and testing 6 months.]
[Team building: core backbone in place, need large-scale recruitment and training of junior researchers, lengthy cycle.]
[Project launch: heavy preliminary preparation, estimated core research phase entry after two years.]
[Challenges: technological blockade, talent gap, supply chain risks, everything from zero.]
[Advantages: ...]
Writing "Advantages," she stopped her pen.
What were the advantages?
Unlimited budget? Academy membership title?
Max Planck Institute could offer these too, even more.
Calista looked at that blank space on the paper, not writing for a long time.
She suddenly remembered the young faces at Seaside City's construction site in the video, their eyes lighting up discussing ventilation ducts.
Remembered Dahlia clumsily looking up Eldorian words, muttering "hometown food tastes best."
Remembered Ethan's sleep-talk: "Wherever Mom is, that's where home is."
Calista's pen tip finally returned to the paper.
After "Advantages," she didn't write any analysis about funding, status, or resources.
She wrote just one word.
Home.
Having written it, Calista closed her notebook and looked up at the bright moon over the lake.
Clear radiance for thousands of miles—wherever you were, you saw the same moon.
Only the land beneath your feet could let your heart settle peacefully.