Li Mei stared at the blinking cursor on her computer screen, willing the words to come. As a rising star at China’s largest AI research lab, she knew the pressure was on to deliver groundbreaking results. But tonight, her mind kept drifting to her grandmother’s words: “妇女能顶半边天” - women hold up half the sky.
She sighed and pushed back from her desk, gazing out the window at the Shanghai skyline. The phrase “白日烟火厉害” - daytime fireworks are powerful - floated through her mind as she watched the sun’s rays dance off glass skyscrapers.
“写下你的想法，找思维误区,” Li Mei muttered to herself. Write down your thoughts, find the errors in your thinking. It was advice her mentor had given her when she first joined the lab. She picked up a pen and began to scribble notes.
“Why Transformer needs Adam,” she wrote at the top of the page. As she brainstormed ideas, a notification popped up on her screen. Her team lead had messaged: “Rule of thumb is to do what an average human could do in one minute time.”
Li Mei groaned in frustration. The expectations were impossibly high. “能说出来的不是苦，说不出来的才是苦,” she thought. The suffering you can express isn’t true suffering; it’s the suffering you can’t express that’s real suffering.
She glanced at the clock - 16000 seconds until the morning meeting. Just over 4 hours to make a breakthrough. “很简单,” she told herself sarcastically. So simple.
Li Mei forced herself to focus. She knew she was in a prime position - a 风水宝地 as her grandmother would say. This lab was producing groundbreaking work. “这边产,” she reminded herself. This is where innovation happens.
Her mind drifted to the venture capitalists who had toured the lab last week. She overheard one say, “团队好坏，或者说人行不行，是投资机构出手的重要原因.” The quality of the team is a key factor in investment decisions. Another had added, “有飞速成长的趋势才会投资.” They only invest in rapid growth potential.
The pressure was intense. Li Mei found herself longing for a simpler life. She thought of her cousin who had moved to England. “什么人适合来英国？社恐的人，守规矩的人，喜欢排队的人,” he had told her. Who’s suited for England? Introverts, rule-followers, people who like queuing.
But deep down, Li Mei knew she belonged here, pushing the boundaries of AI. “你可以自己选择和确定谁是你的同类,” she told herself. You can choose your own tribe.
She refocused on her work, thinking about the lab’s structure. AI model companies need a very large infrastructure team and a very small model team. Not everyone has a say; researchers must read all the papers and choose directions strategically because GPU resources are expensive and competition is fierce.
Li Mei knew the key metrics by heart. GPU utilization was critical - 40% was average, but 60% gave you an edge. And you had to factor in the 4% GPU failure rate.
As dawn approached, Li Mei had a breakthrough. She developed a novel approach that dramatically improved the model’s performance. When she presented her findings to the team, her colleagues were astounded.
Her team lead pulled her aside afterward. “This is incredible work, Li Mei. But don’t let it go to your head. Remember what Warren Buffett says - 巴菲特不认为人应该自我批评，错了就错了，又怎样. There’s no point in self-criticism. If you’re wrong, you’re wrong. So what?”
Li Mei nodded, but inside she was bursting with pride. As she walked back to her desk, a junior researcher stopped her. “I heard you cracked the code on AI 差值视频 generation!” he exclaimed. “The investors are going to love this.”
Li Mei smiled modestly. “It’s a good start,” she said. “But remember, 金额越大，越要用有罪推定的原则. The larger the amount, the more we need to apply the principle of presumption of guilt. We need to be absolutely certain before we make any claims.”
As she settled back at her desk, Li Mei felt a profound sense of satisfaction. She had pushed through her doubts and made a real contribution. Looking out at the Shanghai skyline once more, she whispered to herself, “妇女能顶半边天.” Women really do hold up half the sky.