#ref: michael

01: Art Appreciation and Criticism: Michael, who has been working in the Gaia Research Center, is glad to be out of the building. Back on campus, between his thesis and job applications, there is an elective class to look forward to: Art Appreciation and Criticism. 

Most of the course evaluations make commentary about how handsome the professor is, how nitpicky he is, and how the best way to skip class is to bring a cat “but honestly, who would want to miss this?” 

Michael, who has met Qi Yu before, is amused by all of these comments.

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02: Lesson One: Michael met Qi Yu as a student; he was late to class, but took notes studiously; as a science student, he valued “clarity and communication,” which made his first conversation with Qi Yu all the more interesting. Instead of being “enigmatic and aloof,” Qi Yu helped Michael get his notes in line, and suggested he sit front and center at the next lecture, mostly so he could use Michael’s excellent notes to get himself back on track after losing his thought mid-lecture. “It (happened) when (his) ideas (got) a little too tangled.”

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03: True Colors: Michael considered Qi Yu’s class as a break, but found that he truly enjoyed the world of art when Qi Yu brought in one of his own pieces for students to critique; Michael couldn’t connect with their perspectives. When prompted to share his opinions with the class, Michael says the painting looks messy to him, but the colors are strong, and the piece is calming to look at. Qi Yu tells him that his instinct was spot-on, that the piece is the result of venting about Thomas. Michael is “surprised that Qi Yu even remembered his major.” The experience opened the art world for him, and makes his own world feel very small and grey.

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04: Absurdity & Negative Space: The midterm exams gave Michael a taste of the pressure in the class. The art majors were to get their work critiqued, and the non-art majors were going to learn how to appreciate it. The vibes were decidedly serious and anxious; Qi Yu’s commentary makes them nervous. After class, Michael speaks with one of the art majors about their piece, and the student comments, “No wonder Qi Yu likes you.” Michael is confused, but makes a decision about his final project.

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05: Field Trip: On a class trip to Verona, Qi Yu is down-to-earth and approachable. He catches Qi Yu in a courtyard, and just as he’s about to leave, Qi Yu tells him to “take that away!” “That” is a cat; Qi Yu thanks him by name for removing it. 

“For a long time, it was the only interaction that put Michael at ease. It somehow even lightened the nine-kilo cat in his arms. After all, back in the lab, he was just “that Linkon intern” or S460602, his staff number.” 

At Qi Yu’s final class of the semester, Michael and the other students engage in conversation about the experiences, critiques and other facets of the class. Michael waits until most of the other students have left before giving Qi Yu his final project: an image of LCMECs, “cells from the lab where he spends most of his days and nights.” He explains that they’re a type of immortalized cell, and that they remind him of Qi Yu’s paintings. 

“The splendid microscopic world, teeming with life under high magnification, has become Michael’s sanctuary in the sterile, grey lab. He steps forward, energized, but his next words are stuck in his throat. Qi Yu wasn’t listening to him. His gaze is fixed, almost glued, to the name of that cell.  Confused by the professor’s intense focus, Michael racks his brain to remember the full name of the cells. LCMECs… Cardiac Microvascular Endothelial Cells. As for the first word, it was Lem-something.”

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06: LCMECs: Michael is on his way to EVER HQ, three months in. When he asks a familiar face where LCMECs come from, he’s told to keep his curiosity to himself, and having too much knowledge will just get him in trouble. He has a feeling about it, but it’s a wild guess, at best.

Michael remembers the final art appreciation class; when Qi Yu had held the paper up to the window. 

“The setting sun, just like today’s, cast a soft glow through the paper. A gust of wind tapped the window, and the microscopic universe on the paper seemingly came alive. Ting colored blocks transformed into miniature colorful fish, their tails flickering as they danced from Qi Yu’s fingertips into the dusty air. “Professor?” Michael approached him cautiously, unsure if he should interrupt.  “Question. Do you typically extract cells from living subjects? Or are they…” Michael was surprised by Qi Yu’s unexpected inquiry. “It depends honestly. I’m not privy to that information. I’ll have to check with the lab. Next time I’m there, I’ll put in a request.”  “Ah… Don’t worry, I was just curious. But tell me, what do you think of these cells?” 

Michael explains that Qi Yu’s class has helped him to find his passion again, because the LCMECs are the “perfect blend of biology and art.” Qi Yu agrees that “biology is a fascinating subject… a masterpiece painted by nature itself.”