Chapter 315 - 244: One Person Attains the Dao, Chickens and Dogs Ascend to Heaven

Chapter 315: Chapter 244: One Person Attains the Dao, Chickens and Dogs Ascend to Heaven

Chen Lin decided to change the subject, steering the conversation toward more important matters.

"By the way, Principal, besides receiving the award, I got something else out of my trip to the Imperial Capital."

Chen Lin put down his teacup, his expression turning a bit more serious.

At these words, Principal Chang Kai raised an eyebrow. He straightened up on the sofa, adopting a posture that said he was all ears.

"Oh? Tell me about it."

"After the conference, Vice Minister Liao from the Ministry of Science and Technology approached me. He said one of their projects had run into some mathematical difficulties and asked if I could take a look."

Chen Lin said it very casually, as if he were talking about what he ate for lunch.

"What project?" Chang Kai pressed.

"Controllable nuclear fusion."

"..."

Chang Kai’s hand, holding his teacup, froze mid-air.

He thought he had misheard.

"What did you say?"

"Controllable nuclear fusion," Chen Lin repeated.

Chang Kai’s mouth opened, then closed, then opened again.

After several seconds, he finally found his voice. "You... you helped them solve it?"

"Yes, it’s solved."

Chen Lin nodded, his tone still calm.

"..."

Chang Kai felt his heart skip several beats.

’Controllable nuclear fusion?’

’That’s the ultimate holy grail of human energy!’

"I won’t go into the specific technical details, as much of it involves classified information."

Seeing Chang Kai’s expression, Chen Lin quickly added:

"Basically, their engineering reactor design was stuck on the mathematical model. I helped them sort out their line of thinking and provided a new algorithmic framework."

"It’s still in the verification stage, but preliminary results suggest it should be feasible."

Chang Kai took a deep breath, trying to get his heart rate back to normal.

"And then?"

"Then Vice Minister Liao invited me to join their project team as a consultant."

Chen Lin said:

"I accepted."

"However, the consultant role is mostly nominal. I don’t need to report to an office; I can carry on with my usual activities. I’ll just step in to help if the team runs into any more mathematical hurdles."

After listening, Chang Kai silently nodded.

Although he didn’t really understand what a "mathematical model for controllable nuclear fusion" was, he understood one thing: Chen Lin’s influence had grown so immense that even he, as the principal, could no longer fully grasp it.

One moment he was winning the National Science and Technology Award, the next he was involved in a national-level nuclear fusion project.

"There’s one more thing."

Chen Lin’s voice interrupted Chang Kai’s thoughts.

"Vice Minister Liao said he wants Yannan University to join the project as a research institution."

"What?!"

Chang Kai’s reaction was even bigger than before.

He shot up from the sofa, his eyes wide as saucers. "You’re saying... let Yannan University participate in the controllable nuclear fusion project?"

"Yes."

Chen Lin nodded. Seeing Chang Kai’s expression, which looked like he’d just won a five-million-dollar lottery, he couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly.

’As expected, this is what truly shocked Principal Chang Kai the most.’

"Is... is this for real?"

Chang Kai’s voice was even trembling a little.

Having navigated the higher education system for decades, he knew exactly what this meant.

’Controllable nuclear fusion!’

’That’s a project of the highest national strategic level!’

’The ones who could participate in such projects were either top-tier universities like Huaqing and Yanbei, or national teams like the Science Academy and the National Defense Science and Technology University.’

’Yannan University?’

’To be honest, although Yannan’s mathematics department was ranked quite well nationally, compared to those in the "first tier," it was still lacking.’

Normally, getting into a core project like this was a near-impossible feat.

But now, an opportunity had just fallen from the sky.

And it was personally handed to them by Chen Lin.

"Of course it’s real."

Seeing Chang Kai looking so excited he seemed about to take off, Chen Lin said with a smile:

"Vice Minister Liao said the main consideration was that I’m at Yannan. If I mentor students in the future, they could directly participate in the project."

"Besides, Yannan’s mathematics department has a solid foundation, so joining in could help shoulder some of the project’s basic research work."

After hearing this, Chang Kai’s excitement subsided a bit, and his mind began to race.

He quickly began calculating in his head—

’What are the most direct benefits of Yannan University participating in the controllable nuclear fusion project?’

’First, funding.’

’Funding for a major national project like this is calculated in the hundreds of millions. Even if Yannan only got a small piece of the pie, it would still amount to tens of millions in research funding.’

’Second, reputation.’

’Just writing "Participant in the National Controllable Nuclear Fusion Project" on the admissions brochure—how many outstanding students would that attract? How many places would the university’s ranking jump?’

’Third, talent development.’

’Letting students participate in a top-tier project like this would give them real-world experience that money couldn’t buy. Once this batch of students graduated, they would be the "seeds" Yannan University sowed in research institutions across the country.’

At this thought, Chang Kai’s breathing hastened.

However, despite his excitement, he had been a principal for many years and quickly calmed himself, thinking of a potential issue.

"Chen Lin, I have a question."

Chang Kai sat back down, looked at Chen Lin, and his tone became serious:

"This project mainly involves physics and engineering, right? Our Yannan’s Physics Department..."

He paused, then said with some embarrassment:

"To be honest, compared to the mathematics department, it’s still quite a ways behind."

It was the truth.

Yannan University’s mathematics department could rank in the top ten nationally and had a certain degree of influence globally.

But the physics department... one could only say it was run-of-the-mill, neither here nor there.

It would be great to participate, of course, but it would be a bit awkward if they were just going to be a drag on the project.

"I expect it will mainly be the mathematics department participating in the initial stages."

Chen Lin didn’t beat around the bush, saying directly:

"After all, they only thought of bringing Yannan in because I was the one who solved their mathematical problem."

As for the physics department, opportunities could be pursued later on. That was Chen Lin’s guess; he figured Principal Chang Kai understood the nuances of such things better than he did.

Chang Kai nodded slightly at his words.

’That makes sense.’

’If it were based on merit alone, it would be a pipe dream for Yannan University’s physics department to squeeze into a top-tier project like controllable nuclear fusion.’

’But with Chen Lin as their "ace," the situation was completely different.’

’As long as Chen Lin could continue to contribute to the project team, Yannan University’s influence within the project would grow.’

’At that point, the Physics Department, the Materials Science Department, and even other related departments could all piggyback on this opportunity.’

’This was the modern version of "when one man attains the Dao, his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven"!’

Thinking of this, the way Chang Kai looked at Chen Lin became even more affectionate than how he would look at his own son.

"Chen Lin, this matter... On behalf of the university, I formally accept."

Chang Kai stood up and solemnly extended his hand to Chen Lin:

"Thank you for securing this opportunity for your alma mater."

Chen Lin also stood and shook Chang Kai’s hand. "Principal, you’re too kind. I’m a Yannan man, after all."

"Good! Good!"

Chang Kai gave his hand two firm shakes before letting go.

His mind was already racing, calculating how to arrange things next.

First, he’d have to call a meeting. He’d gather the relevant deans and key faculty from the mathematics department to get everyone on the same page and prepare them.

Second, he needed to liaise with the Ministry of Science and Technology to finalize the details of Yannan University’s participation—the specific charter, division of labor, funding, and so on.

Third...

Chang Kai’s thoughts spun for a few more moments before a question suddenly occurred to him.

"Oh, right, Chen Lin."

He looked at Chen Lin, his gaze holding a hint of concern:

"I looked into your situation before. It seems you’re... juggling several things at once, aren’t you?"

Chen Lin was taken aback for a moment. "What are you referring to, Principal?"

"Your own company, Yanhai Technology. I heard it’s developing a large AI model."

Chang Kai began counting on his fingers:

"Then there’s the joint solid-state battery project between the Science and Technology University and our Yannan, which you’re also involved in."

"And now you’ve added this controllable nuclear fusion project..."

Chang Kai’s tone grew worried:

"With so many things piled up, can you handle it all?"

Chen Lin couldn’t help but laugh after hearing this.

He knew Chang Kai meant well.

For any normal person, the mere thought of juggling all that, let alone actually doing it, would be overwhelming.

But Chen Lin wasn’t a normal person.

As long as he could abstract a problem into a purely mathematical one, he could provide an answer in an extremely short amount of time.

The remaining grunt work, like engineering implementation and experimental verification, wasn’t something he needed to do.

"Principal, you don’t have to worry about that," Chen Lin said with a smile.

"I know my own limits. Although these projects are all ongoing, I’m mainly responsible for resolving bottlenecks on a mathematical level. I’m not really involved in the other parts."

"Besides, these projects aren’t completely independent. Some mathematical tools and lines of thinking can be reused."

He paused, then added:

"You can just think of me as... a ’roving mathematical consultant.’ Whichever project gets stuck, I go and give it a poke, then I get back to my own business."

Chang Kai nodded thoughtfully.

Chen Lin wasn’t exhausting himself with hands-on work; he was using his super-brain to solve problems with masterful ease.

’So this is the difference between a genius and an ordinary person.’

Thinking of this, most of Chang Kai’s worries dissipated.

But he still couldn’t help but add a word of caution:

"The projects and all that aren’t the most important thing."

Chang Kai’s tone softened, like an elder caring for a junior:

"Don’t pack your schedule too tightly. You have a long road ahead of you."

"Your health is your most important asset. Don’t burn yourself out."

A wave of warmth washed over Chen Lin’s heart when he heard this.

He knew that Chang Kai’s words were sincere.

Although this principal was a shrewd calculator, well-versed in the ways of running a university, his concern and high regard for Chen Lin were genuine.

It wasn’t just because Chen Lin could bring honor and resources to the university, but because he was a student who had come from Yannan.

In Chang Kai’s view, as long as Chen Lin still recognized Yannan University as his alma mater, the university would continue to benefit endlessly in the years to come.

’As for research achievements and whatnot, he’s only twenty-one! Even if he only produces one every ten years, that will still be an incredible number in his lifetime.’

’Why the rush?’