Genius club

The blue stardust floating in the wind disappeared in an instant, as if it had never existed.

But the black top hat and woolen coat that fell along with it confirmed that the tall man just stood here and disappeared into thin air.

"Douglas..."

With the black hand shadow on the moon still reflected in his mind, Einstein stepped forward step by step to where Douglas had just disappeared, and picked up the top hat that fell on the ground.

He touched the inside with the back of his hand and could still feel the body temperature that had not yet left.

Einstein stood at a loss for a moment.

As a physicist, he had no idea how Douglass had disappeared;

But what he doesn’t understand even more is——

Douglas, why did you leave so decisively?

Not even a goodbye.

Just waved and left, caught off guard.

"Why?"

Einstein felt sad again.

He couldn't understand.

Why did Douglas suddenly appear in his life, giving him hope and strength, but in the end... he ruthlessly left him to face it all alone.

"Since Douglas's eyes are crystal blue like mine, he should be able to see the future like me and be immortal like me."

"In fact, he can disappear into the world out of thin air, but I can't. This means that Douglas's ability is far superior to mine... It seems that his understanding of time and space and this strange power is better than mine. Much more profound.”

"But...even so...Douglas, why do you still want to leave me? It is obvious that if we work together, we can give this world a better and more perfect future."

He put the black hat that Douglas had left behind on his head.

Then.

He looked down at the white square gift box in his hand.

That was the last thing Douglas left for him, and he asked him to keep it safe.

Without opening it, Einstein already knew what was inside.

but.

His long-standing habit still made him pinch open the top cover of the gift box and look inside with his eyes...

A silver watch.

It's not very high-end, even a little rough, and it's not a well-known brand.

The second hand on the dial is ticking, telling the passage of time and the irreversibility of past history.

watch

Out of respect for Douglas's privacy, Einstein did not take out the note and open it; but... it made no difference, he knew what was written on the note early on.

It was a line of beautiful English, probably written by a certain lady.

Lovely Einstein has no idea who wrote it.

He woke up on the afternoon of November 5th and could see the future at any moment after that, but could not know any history before it.

He gently closed the white gift box and sighed.

He still missed Douglas.

The word goodbye, for others, is a blessing and expectation, indicating that we will meet again in the future.

But for him and Douglas...

goodbye.

It means.

Never again.

The moment Douglas said he was leaving, Einstein frantically searched for traces of Douglas in the time and space lines in his mind.

Be it the past, the future, or the trajectory.

but.

But nothing was found.

He didn't know Douglas's past, nor could he see Douglas's future; the other party waved his sleeves, leaving only a silhouette of his back and a word of advice. Since then, it has disappeared into time and space forever.

In the future that Einstein could see, Douglass was no longer around.

so……

He didn't believe that Douglas would come to him again.

"Douglas, did you lie to me?"

Einstein looked at the white square gift box in his hand:

"[You, or the future I saw... there is always one of them that deceives me.]"

"However, I still believe in you, my good friend."

Einstein carefully put the gift box away and put it in his coat pocket.

Since Douglas said that one day he would come to him and ask for the watch back, then he could just wait patiently.

Anyway, he is immortal, anyway, he has plenty of time, and anyway, he has told Douglas... that he will wait for him in the underground shelter of this farm.

"Just, how long are you going to make me wait?"

Einstein raised his head and looked at the full moon gradually climbing into the night:

"What kind of opportunity are you waiting for?"

He can see everything in the world and the future in every corner.

But he couldn't see through Douglas's thoughts at all.

suddenly.

A young man exclaimed from behind:

"Oh! Oh my God! Einstein! It's actually Mr. Einstein! I never expected to meet you in such a wilderness!"

Einstein turned his head.

I found a young man with blond hair and blue eyes jumping off his bicycle and running towards this side quickly.

The young man was so excited that he didn't even care when his bicycle fell to the ground. He rushed straight to Einstein and bowed to him respectfully:

"Mr. Einstein! It's such an honor to see you here! I...I feel extremely honored! I, I, I admire you very much! I grew up reading your stories and I admire you very much!"

The young man was slender and had a straight, aquiline nose. He was so excited that he spoke incoherently:

"My name is Christopher Adams. I came here from England to study. I'm going to the dock to catch the ship... I really didn't expect to meet you here!"

Einstein shook his head:

"Well, Adams, nice to meet you and wish you a safe journey."

After saying that, he turned around and prepared to pick up the clothes Douglas dropped on the ground.

"Your Excellency Einstein."

Adams pinched his fingers and stood timidly behind Einstein:

"Well, meeting you here, and meeting you on my last night in the United States, I think it must be a gift from fate."

"Can I...please ask you something?"

Adams scratched his head and smiled sheepishly:

"My wife was pregnant when I set off from the UK. My child was born in March this year. He is a very healthy little boy."

"Congratulations." Einstein said flatly.

"That's right, Mr. Einstein."

Adams quickly walked around to Einstein and said eagerly:

"I have been looking forward to this child for a long time, but because I am very busy studying in the United States, I have never had time to go back to the UK to visit him... So, I am sorry to say that until now, my son is almost one year old. No official name has been given yet.”

"Now the whole family calls him 'Little Adams'. My family has been waiting for me to go back and give my son a real name."

"This is what I have always hoped for. I hope to give him a name after I see his appearance and smiling face with my own eyes."

"But...as I have said many times just now, meeting you here today is destiny! So, Mr. Einstein——"

"[Could you please give my son a name?]"

Adams clasped his hands together, his eyes filled with admiration.

However……

Einstein shook his head tiredly:

"Sorry, kid, as you can see, I'm not in the mood right now."

"Naming your child is a big deal and affects the child's life. As a father, you should wait until you return to the UK and see your baby with your own eyes before making a decision."

Adams quickly held Einstein's hand:

"Please sir! Any name is fine. I really hope that my son can take you as an example, take you as an idol, and become a great person like you!"

"If he grows up... and knows that you gave him his name, he will definitely feel proud. Maybe he will be able to realize the value of his life under your guidance!"

…

This Adams is eloquent, up to the mark and also adds value.

It seems that if he is not satisfied, he will be stuck here for a long time.

"All right."

Einstein reluctantly agreed.

He took out the pen he always kept in his coat pocket and looked at Adams:

"Do you have paper? When I think, I like to write on paper."

Adams touched all over his body and spread his hands helplessly.

no way.

Einstein dug into other pockets and found a folded piece of white paper.

Take it out.

It's the scratch paper with the number [42] written on it.

Originally, he planned to show it to Douglas, and wanted to discuss with Douglas what 42 was...

He only calculated that the cosmological constant was 42, but he had no idea why it was 42 or what the significance of 42 was.

But I didn't expect it.

Douglas left immediately without giving him a chance to discuss it.

Forget it, just write it on this piece of paper.

Now that Douglas is gone, the piece of paper means nothing.

Einstein did not unfold the scratch paper and wrote the surname Adams directly on the folded surface.

Then, stop writing and start thinking.

What's a good name for a British boy...?

It's better to be more grand and simple; or it's better to be more domineering, a little mysterious and majestic.

After thinking about it, the more he thought about it, the more complicated it became, and the more he thought about it, the less he had any ideas. But at the same time, the unforgettable figure in my mind became clearer...

Douglas.

The mysterious man who disappeared under the moonlight, the passerby who sowed hope in his life.

Almost unconsciously.

Einstein slid his right hand holding the pen and wrote Douglas's name on the left side of the white paper.

Next to him, the long-awaited young Adams opened his eyes wide and read out the name on the piece of paper:

"[Douglas Adams!]"

He laughed:

"Thank you Mr. Einstein! What a great name! Douglas Adams...that's my son's name! Great!"

at this time.

Einstein came back from the thoughts of recalling his old friend and found that Douglas's name had actually been written on it in the hazy place...

Seeing how happy this British guy was, he didn't intend to explain anything, so he just accepted the mistake as it was.

"for you."

Einstein put away the pen and handed Adams the folded white paper with the name of the newborn:

"I wish you a safe journey, Mr. Adams, and I wish the children you have yet to meet health and happiness."

Subsequently.

He bent down to pick up the clothes that had fallen to the ground after Douglas dissipated, and without looking back, he entered the farm warehouse.

In the yard, the excited British boy was breathing heavily, holding the piece of paper named after Einstein in his hand as if holding a dazzling golden Bible:

"What a blessing! My son's name was actually given by Einstein! No one would believe it if I told him this!"

"But what is this piece of paper...? It has been folded so many times, there won't be any important information on it, right?"

Christopher Adams really admired Einstein.

He decided to open it and take a look. If it was really important, he would still give it to Einstein.

Opening the white paper along the creases, Adams found that there was only an inexplicable number written in the middle of the huge piece of paper——

"42?"

He tilted his head.

Don't understand what it means.

But...it doesn't matter, this is just a piece of scratch paper after all, and it really has no value.

After refolding the paper and putting it in his pocket, the young Adams rode his bicycle to the dock, preparing to board the transoceanic ship and start his journey home:

"I'm really looking forward to it, my little baby."

Riding a bicycle, facing the night wind, Adams hummed and smiled happily:

"What kind of person will you be when you grow up?"

…

Ten days later.

A residential building in Cambridge, England.

Bang!

Excited, Adams pushed open the door and burst into laughter:

"I'm back! Where is my son? Where is my son!"

The young mother on the sofa smiled:

"You still know how to go home! The child is almost one year old and has never seen his father. Little Adams is very smart and can crawl very fast now."

The young mother stood up, pulled her husband into the house, and pointed at the baby rolling around on the bed:

"Look, I've been so excited since the morning when I heard you were coming back."

"Oh! My baby, daddy finally sees you!"

Adams was very excited. He gently picked up the baby, spun it around in circles, and kissed it twice on the cheek. The baby in his arms suddenly started to cry loudly.

"Oh, don't you know dad?"

Adams made a face:

"I'm dad~"

The young mother smiled, took the baby and began to coax her. While doing so, she rolled her eyes at Adams:

"He is only 8 months old, how can he know so much? What's more, it's the first time he meets you. He's just like a stranger, so he will definitely be scared. Really, you have to take your time in coaxing your child."

"By the way, have you decided what to name your son? We've been calling him Little Adams for 8 months. We can't keep calling him that way, right?"

"Hehe~"

Adams smiled mysteriously and proudly:

"Of course I've thought of a name! It's a very nice, very domineering, very manly name——"

"Douglas Adams!"

"How was it? How was it? Isn't it great?"

The young mother looked at the crying baby in her arms and thought for a while:

"So-so, okay, this name is just average."

"Oh, how can it be ordinary!"

Adams spread his hands:

"Do you know who gave this name? Einstein! The greatest physicist in the world, Albert Einstein!"

"cut."

The young mother hummed softly:

"Come on, just brag. How could you possibly meet Einstein? Are you worthy?"

"Really!"

Adams began to rummage through his pockets:

"I was passing by a farm in Brooklyn and happened to find Einstein standing on the farm in a daze. I begged him for a long time before he agreed to name our child!"

"Huh? Why can't I find it? I remember putting it in this pocket..."

As he spoke, the man opened his suitcase and rummaged around:

"How come, why can't I find it? Einstein wrote our son's name on a piece of white paper, Douglas Adams."

"Okay, okay, stop pretending." The young mother didn't believe her husband's lies at all.

"Oh! Why don't you believe me?"

Adams was a little anxious.

But I can't find that piece of paper, and I don't know where the journey has been lost these days.

He scratched his messy hair with a look of regret on his face:

"It's true. I probably took it out often and looked at it, but I don't know where I dropped it. Oh, it's such a pity. I still want to keep it as a souvenir."

"But I really didn't lie! Einstein took that piece of white paper out of his own pocket. I even opened it and looked at it. There was nothing on the white paper except our son's name. Just wrote the number 42.”

The young mother blinked and raised her head:

"42? 42 what?"

"No no no."

Adams waved his hand:

"There's no 42 or anything, there's no unit, it's just a simple number——"

"[42]!"

moment.

The baby in his arms stopped crying and started giggling.

Adams and his wife were stunned.

Looking at the baby whose face suddenly changed:

"Could it be that...he likes this name and number?"

With the attitude of giving it a try, Adams whispered to the baby in his wife’s arms:

"Douglas~42~"

The little baby narrowed his eyes and giggled again.

"Look, look!"

Adams applauded excitedly:

"Let me just say that he likes this name! This is the name given by Einstein! My dear, let's decide on this name for our son!"

The young mother looked at her giggling son with a motherly smile:

"Although I don't believe your bragging, but... since my son likes it, let's call him this name."

"Douglas Adams."

The young mother whispered:

"Do you like the number 42?"

The baby in her arms was like a conditioned reflex, gurgling and dancing again, very happy.

"It seems that 42 is your lucky number."

The young mother smiled, put the baby back to the bed, and watched him crawling around:

"In the future, when Douglas cries again, we will call 42 to coax him. He seems to have some magic to this number."

"That's why I said! This is Einstein's blessing!"

Adams is still trying hard to make his wife believe this:

"Forget it, forget it, if you don't believe it, forget it. When Douglas grows up, I will tell him about it in person! Let him know how legendary his name is!"

"And, the number 42, um... Although I don't know what this number means, I'll leave it to you. Douglas will study it when he grows up. "

"If he becomes a scientist in the future, he may have the honor to study the same topic as Einstein."

"If he becomes a mathematician in the future, he may also be able to study the secret behind this number. I think Einstein would not write this number for no reason, right?"

"Well, if he is not interested in science and science, but likes literature..."

Adams frowned, rubbed his chin and thought about it, then smiled:

"It seems good to be a writer!"

"In this way, he can write 42 into the novel...give this number a more wonderful meaning!"

(Remember to bookmark it after reading it for easy reading next time!)