Chapter 314 - 243: Aren’t There Too Many Banners?

Chapter 314: Chapter 243: Aren’t There Too Many Banners?

After Qin Feng got out of the car, Chen Lin first had the driver detour back to the Imperial City Restaurant.

The checkout process was quick. After all, he was a client receiving special attention from the government, so the receptionist was incredibly efficient.

Carrying his suitcase out of the hotel’s main entrance, Chen Lin glanced at the time on his phone.

It was just past one in the afternoon.

"Old Fu, let’s head straight back to Jinmen," Chen Lin said as he pulled open the car door and tossed his suitcase into the trunk. "Just drop me off at Yannan University."

Sitting in the passenger seat, Fu Yangqing gave a slight nod. "Okay."

Just one word.

And that was it.

Chen Lin froze for a second, then mentally slapped a label on this newly-acquainted national security chief: ’The strong, silent type.’

The car smoothly entered the highway. Fu Yangqing was like a statue, sitting bolt upright in the passenger seat, his gaze fixed on the road ahead.

No looking at his phone, no listening to music, no idle chatter. He barely even shifted his position.

His focused state inexplicably reminded Chen Lin of the bodyguards from spy movies he watched as a kid.

"..."

Chen Lin sat in silence in the back seat for about three seconds.

Then, he very naturally pulled out his phone.

’Since the big shot doesn’t want to talk, I don’t have to force any awkward small talk. Perfect time to browse the forums.’

He opened the Enki Love forum.

He really wasn’t interested in trending social news.

He started browsing through posts from netizens about the trivialities of daily life.

[Help! My colleague damaged my new car, what do I do?]

[I bought a Maple Country Goose jacket for over 10,000, but it’s too hot to wear it in Modu!]

[Is drinking two iced Americanos a day bad for you?]

Looking at these posts, Chen Lin couldn’t help but let the corners of his mouth lift into a slight smile.

’Now this is what the internet is supposed to be like.’

Compared to grand narratives that constantly escalated into life philosophies and societal problems, he much preferred reading about these trivial little things.

It was relaxing, a good way to de-stress, and every now and then he’d see a brilliant reply. It was practically a mental massage.

While scrolling through posts, Chen Lin would occasionally glance at Fu Yangqing in the front seat.

The man’s posture was still as straight as a pine, his gaze as sharp as a hawk’s. It was as if he might leap out the window to pursue a suspicious vehicle at any second.

"..."

Chen Lin averted his gaze and went back to scrolling.

’Alright, looks like there won’t be much conversation on this trip.’

’That’s fine. Saves me the trouble of making awkward small talk.’

And so, time slipped by quietly amidst Fu Yangqing’s silence and Chen Lin’s browsing.

Outside the window, the scenery shifted from the bustling metropolis of the Imperial Capital to the monotonous greenbelts along the highway, and then, slowly, the skyline of Jinmen began to appear.

3:40 PM.

The car came to a steady stop at the main entrance of Yannan University.

"We’re here," Fu Yangqing finally spoke again.

Chen Lin opened the car door, grabbed his suitcase from the trunk, and turned to thank Fu Yangqing.

"Old Fu, thanks for all your hard work these past few days."

Fu Yangqing gave a slight nod. "Contact me anytime if you need anything."

Chen Lin waved, watching as the black sedan slowly drove away.

Then, he turned to face the magnificent main gate of Yannan University—

"?!"

Chen Lin’s pupils suddenly contracted.

Directly above the main gate, a bright red banner was fluttering valiantly in the cold wind.

The large, golden characters on the banner shimmered in the winter afternoon sun:

[Warmly Congratulating Our University’s 2025 Graduate and Professor, "Chen Lin," on Winning the National Science and Technology Progress Award!]

"..."

Chen Lin’s mouth twitched.

’That was fast.’

’I just received the award yesterday, and the banner is already up today.’

’But I guess that’s normal. It is a major national award, after all. The university was probably watching the live broadcast, and they likely had the banner made in advance.’

Chen Lin shook his head, picked up his suitcase, and walked through the campus gate.

But then—

He hadn’t gone three hundred meters before he saw another banner.

[Warmly Congratulating Our University’s 2025 Graduate and Professor, "Chen Lin," on Winning the National Science and Technology Progress Award!]

The exact same content.

The exact same color.

The exact same font.

Even the exclamation point was identical.

"..."

Chen Lin’s steps faltered.

’This... isn’t this a bit much?’

He continued walking, mulling over this question.

Five hundred meters later, another banner.

Eight hundred meters later, yet another one.

One kilometer later... still more banners.

Chen Lin felt like he had walked into an endlessly looping game level, where an identical banner NPC would respawn every few feet.

What made him feel even more awkward were the looks he was getting from passing students and faculty.

A girl in a down jacket walked past him, then suddenly stopped. Her eyes went wide. She looked down at her phone, then back up at Chen Lin, then quickly started typing, and—

"Holy shit! It’s him in the flesh!"

A sudden cry of surprise.

Chen Lin: "..."

A few guys nearby also turned around. The moment they saw Chen Lin, their expressions were as if they’d just seen a rare animal escape from its cage.

"It’s really Professor Chen Lin!"

"Damn, a living one!"

"Guys, get over here! Professor Chen is back on campus!"

Chen Lin felt a faint throbbing in his temples.

He quickened his pace.

However, a new banner seemed to pop up every few hundred meters.

In front of the academic building, there was one.

In front of the cafeteria, there was one.

In front of the library, there was still one.

There was even one hanging in the small grove of trees next to the athletic field...

At the same time, as he became more visible on campus, a crowd of students and faculty started to gather.

Although no one approached to stop him, the way they were "observing from a distance" made Chen Lin feel like a newly arrived panda at the zoo.

"It’s Professor Chen! Professor Chen is back!"

"Oh my god, he just walked back? Doesn’t he have a private car?"

"Are you stupid? He’s a national treasure now. He must be trying to keep a low profile!"

"Low profile? Look at those banners. Is a low profile even possible?"

"..."

Chen Lin pretended not to hear the discussions, and, suitcase in hand, broke into a light jog toward the administration building.

「 」

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Chen Lin knocked on the door of the president’s office.

"Come in."

Chang Kai’s familiar voice came from inside.

Chen Lin pushed the door open and walked in.

Inside the office, Chang Kai was sitting behind his large desk, reading a document.

Hearing the door, he looked up. His eyes instantly lit up when he saw Chen Lin walk in.

"You’re back already?"

Chang Kai’s tone was filled with clear surprise, as if he hadn’t expected Chen Lin to appear before him so soon.

Chen Lin spread his hands and chuckled. "What’s wrong? From your tone, President, it sounds like you’re surprised to see a professor of Yannan University on campus."

Chang Kai paused for a moment, then caught on and burst out laughing.

"Indeed, indeed."

He stood up, took an exquisite tea set out of a drawer, and began to prepare tea for Chen Lin.

"Here, sit, have some tea."

Chen Lin didn’t stand on ceremony and plopped down on the sofa.

Although he was nominally a Special Professor at Yannan University, the truth was that this "professor" title was more of an honorary one.

From his appointment to the present, he hadn’t taught a single class, advised a single student, or even spent much time in the office that had been specially assigned to him.

He spent the vast majority of his time in the Yanhai Company office space on the second floor of the incubation center, busy with AI algorithms, coordinating projects, and leading his team.

In any other proper university, this kind of situation would probably have him criticized for drawing a salary without doing any work.

But the problem was, who would dare say that now?

He had just won the National Science and Technology Progress Award!

"Here, try it."

Chang Kai handed a steaming cup of clear tea to Chen Lin.

Chen Lin took the cup, sipped it gently, then casually brought up the topic that had been making him feel on edge the entire way here.

"By the way, President, I saw the banner at the school gate when I got back."

"Mm, yes," Chang Kai nodded, his face filled with a gratified smile. "You won a major award, of course the university has to promote it properly."

"Promoting it is one thing..."

Chen Lin paused, his expression a little awkward.

"But... having them hang all the way from the school gate to the library, with one every few hundred meters... isn’t that a bit excessive?"

"Excessive?"

Chang Kai picked up his own teacup, blew on the hot liquid, and asked with a look of pure sincerity.

"..."

Chen Lin was silent.

’Excessive?’

He had counted on his way here. Just on the walk from the main gate to the administration building, he had seen at least fifteen banners.

And every single one had the exact same text.

’And that’s not considered excessive?’

"President, what I mean is..." Chen Lin chose his words carefully. "The internet is so advanced now, news travels fast. One banner at the school gate would have been enough. There’s really no need to hang them all over campus, right?"

Chang Kai put down his teacup and looked at Chen Lin, a meaningful smile in his eyes.

"Chen Lin, do you know what this award means?"

Chen Lin: "..."

Of course, he knew.

The National Science and Technology Progress Award was the highest honor in the country’s scientific and technological community.

Countless old professors had worked until their hair turned white and their heads went bald, yet might never even get close to this award.

And he had won it at just twenty-one years old.

"You’ve produced so many major achievements."

Chang Kai’s tone grew serious.

"The AI algorithm, the solid-state battery... either one of those is enough to change the entire industry landscape."

"But the first major domestic award you’ve won isn’t some international prize, but our own country’s highest award for science and technology."

"What does that represent?"

Chang Kai looked at Chen Lin and said, word by word:

"It represents official recognition."

"It represents that your achievements were first seen and affirmed by your own country."

"How meaningful is that!"

At this point, Chang Kai stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the red banner fluttering outside, his voice tinged with emotion.

"Nowadays, many young scholars are scrambling to go abroad. They win some foreign award and think they’re hot stuff."

"But you’re different."

"You’re willing to stay here, to contribute to major national projects, and to dedicate your achievements to your homeland first."

"For that alone, what’s wrong with hanging a few extra banners?"

Chang Kai turned back to Chen Lin, grinning like a sly old fox.

"Besides, you’re the first person in the history of Yannan University to win a national science and technology grand prize at this age."

"Shouldn’t we properly celebrate and promote such a great thing?"

"Let all the students and faculty see what kind of talent Yannan University has produced!"

"Let the people at other universities be jealous of how amazing Yannan University is!"

’But... people from other universities can’t see them if they’re hung on campus,’ Chen Lin grumbled inwardly.

"..."

After hearing all this, Chen Lin’s mouth twitched several times.

He suddenly had a feeling—

that he was being treated like Yannan University’s "mascot."

Or perhaps... a living advertisement?

However...

thinking about it carefully, what Chang Kai said wasn’t without reason.

He was indeed born and raised in the country, and he was genuinely willing to contribute to the nation.

In the current climate, the story of a "homegrown genius serving the country" was indeed more compelling than the script of "going abroad for prestige and then returning."

It was only natural for the university to want to use this for a bit of publicity.

"Alright then..."

Chen Lin sighed. He had been convinced.