Chapter 250 - 150: Let’s See

Chapter 250: Chapter 150: Let’s See

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Qiping didn’t say a word.

He leaned back in his large, black leather chair, holding the thin sheet of fax paper. His gaze remained fixed on it for a long time.

Li Jianming stood on the other side of the desk, his chest rising and falling dramatically.

No one in the room spoke. There was only the ticking of the second hand on the wall clock, each tick striking the silent air.

Zhou Qiping’s gaze drifted from the small, black-and-white photo on the fax paper down to the few lines of text below it.

Youth Class.

Sophomore.

Twelve years old.

As the vice-principal in charge of research and personnel, Zhou Qiping was, naturally, a very sharp man.

Once the initial sense of absurdity and shock subsided, the keen intuition he’d honed over years of administrative work allowed him to instantly grasp the true nature of the situation.

A special acknowledgment from Princeton Delian.

The algebraic matrix method in *Discrete Mathematics* that single-handedly cracked the computational problem.

Any one of these credentials, on its own, would be enough for an adult scholar to establish a firm foothold at Keda.

But now, all these staggering achievements belonged to a twelve-year-old boy.

This wasn’t some smart student who got lucky and solved a single problem.

This was a prodigy of monstrous talent, possessing an exceptionally rare cross-disciplinary intuition.

Zhou Qiping picked up the cup of green tea on his desk, which had already gone lukewarm. He took a sip. The tea was slightly astringent, and as he swallowed, it seemed to clear his mind as never before.

He suddenly understood the Alchemist’s game.

’Why would the Alchemist, that wily old fox of the academic world, hide the boy so completely? Why would he risk offending the entire School of Mathematics, even daring to spin a lie as flimsy as "he’s sick and went home"—a story that would fall apart at the slightest touch?’

Because Chen Zhuo was a sophomore.

The rule for Keda’s Youth Class was two years of general education to build a foundation, with no declared major.

Only in their junior year would students choose their future specialization, based on their interests and their experiences rotating through labs for the past two years.

The Alchemist wasn’t just borrowing a student.

He was staking his claim.

He was poaching him, snatching him up before the folks at the School of Mathematics even realized what was happening.

The Alchemist was using a national-level fluid dynamics wind tunnel project, using the physics department’s top research resources, to aggressively build a platform for this boy.

He was letting a twelve-year-old get a taste of a national key project.

This was how the Alchemist was shackling this genius to the physics department’s chariot.

By the time he had to declare his major next year, Chen Zhuo would, as a matter of course, write "Physics" on his form.

By then, what’s done would be done. The School of Mathematics could raise hell, but they wouldn’t be able to take him back.

Zhou Qiping put down the teacup, a trace of complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

If Li Jianming hadn’t come storming into the administration building today, red-eyed and ready to raise hell over his graph theory project, the Alchemist’s grand deception might have actually worked.

From the hallway outside came the sound of footsteps.

Li Jianming whipped his head around.

The doorknob turned with a soft click.

The Alchemist pushed the door open and walked in.

He was holding a neatly bound blue folder. As he entered, the Alchemist’s expression was composed, his brow slightly unfurrowed, carrying a hint of the relief that comes after successfully concluding a project.

In truth, the moment he saw Li Jianming storming down the hall, the Alchemist already knew what was happening.

He knew Old Li must have come to the administration building to complain.

As the vice dean of the physics department, he certainly couldn’t just sit in his office waiting to be summoned. He had to take the initiative, and he had to come with a bargaining chip.

This bargaining chip was the mid-term review report in his hand, which represented a major breakthrough in a national-level project.

He had already prepared an airtight set of arguments.

If Old Li accused him of monopolizing academic resources, he’d bring up Old Chen’s health. If that failed, he’d play the confidentiality card for the national key project.

As long as he could fend off Old Li’s attempts to borrow the student, then once the storm blew over and Chen Zhuo chose the physics department in his junior year, the matter would be completely settled.

"Principal Zhou, you were looking for me."

The Alchemist closed the door behind him and swept his gaze around the room.

When he saw Li Jianming standing before the desk with red-rimmed eyes, the Alchemist didn’t even pause, as if everything was within his expectations.

"Old Li, you’re here too."

A smile played on the Alchemist’s lips, his tone laced with a feigned concern.

"You move fast. I just went back to my office to grab the review report, and you’re already here having tea with Principal Zhou? What’s wrong, still fuming about that computational problem in your School of Mathematics?"

Li Jianming didn’t say a word.

Seeing that Li Jianming wasn’t responding, the Alchemist didn’t feel awkward. He strode to the desk and presented the blue folder in his hands to Zhou Qiping.

"Principal Zhou, the mid-term report for the wind tunnel model is out. The data is solid, with an error margin far below the engineering red line. Please take a look."

Zhou Qiping remained seated, not reaching out to take the hefty report.

He looked at the Alchemist, his expression as still as stagnant water.

"Old Fang, put the report aside for now."

Zhou Qiping extended his right index finger and tapped the desk twice.

His fingertip was pressing down on the curled-up sheet of thermal fax paper.

"Take a look at this first."

The smile on the Alchemist’s face froze.

He suddenly felt that the atmosphere in the office was a little off.

Zhou Qiping’s attitude was too cold—far too cold for how one should treat a project leader who had just rendered a great service to the university.