Super God-Level Top Student

Zhang Zhijian didn't answer, and after pondering for a moment, he asked, "By the way, who's in charge of the mathematical and physical sciences department again?"

"Uh... I can't remember, but I do recall that the head of the mathematics group seems to be Gu Jiatao?" Sheng Xuening responded.

"Nonsense, he chaired the compilation of last year's science and technology special project guide. Sigh, I haven't been paying much attention to these matters these past two years. Look at the mess this has caused," Zhang Zhijian sighed.

"It's not something one person can decide on their own, let's talk to Qiao Ze about this later. But I think it would be good to discuss it with the Yanbei International Mathematics Research Institute. Hasn't Yanbei University produced nearly 300 Jieqing talents over the years? That group has a loud voice and what they say carries weight," Sheng Xuening suddenly said.

Zhang Zhijian glanced at Sheng Xuening and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Princeton wants to poach talents, but doesn't Yanbei want to as well? In any case, I think as long as the kid stays in the country, where is he not the same? Right? The Capital may be far away, but when the project officially starts, we can pick a spot in the suburbs of the Capital, or even invite him back again," Sheng Xuening said.

Zhang Zhijian laughed and said, "That'll depend on whether Qiao Ze is willing to go. I know your heart is with your alma mater, but I heard that some people from Yanbei University had come before, and they just couldn't manage to poach him."

"Hey, the less willing he is to go, the better. We're closer to Qiao Ze, after all. Just promise that we'll help them with publicity in the future, even help them build a communication channel. The University of Technology is dying to hide their talents away, but we don't have to deal with that," Sheng Xuening said.

"Haha, alright, you contact Yanbei about it, and I'll see if I can talk to some friends at the Science Academy. Discuss this matter. By the way, if we actually get this done, find an opportunity to talk to Qiao Ze about it. Just like you said, that Xu character isn't very generous. Who knows if he'll try to take all the credit for himself," Zhang Zhijian said with determination.

"For sure, we've got to get the kid more involved in this project. Goodness, I don't know what kids these days are thinking. If this project really succeeds, it could make him famous for generations, and he doesn't even care," Sheng Xuening said with emotion.

Zhang Zhijian shook his head and said, "You got it wrong, old Sheng. You are projecting yourself onto him. On the contrary, I think this shows how smart the kid is. Think about it, he's only eighteen years old. Even if he really leads such a big project, can he coordinate all aspects of it?

And even if the project actually succeeds under his watch, could you restrain yourself from interfering, could you guarantee everyone else would do the same? Money is a trivial matter, but how many can look past the temptation of fame? With Qiao Ze's character, who hardly bothers with communication or compromise... it might well turn into a disaster by then.

Sigh... if we really get it done, keeping the kid's best interests at heart is the real deal. But by that time, whether we can stay true to our initial purpose is another matter altogether."

Clutching his teacup, Sheng Xuening watched the wisps of steam swirling above the tea, plunged into perplexity.

He was genuinely awakened by Zhang Zhijian's words, at a loss as to whether Qiao Ze saw too clearly or really just didn't care.

"Alright, stop daydreaming. Let's leave it at that. I need to go back and check on the overall progress. By the way, you really have to personally oversee the bidding process, keep a tight watch on it," Zhang Zhijian said.

"Don't worry, I understand," Sheng Xuening replied indifferently.

He suddenly felt that he really should talk things through properly with Qiao Ze, as a way of paying back some favors in advance.

...

At Xilin University of Technology,

The commotion on the campus BBS had eventually caught the attention of the school's administration.

There was no helping it. The college years are precisely when youngsters are at the peak of their hormonal surges.

Some minor issues might suddenly heat up among these kids.

Not to mention that this time, nearly a thousand people participated and tens of thousands spectated in the flame war.

If something happened right at the start of the semester, making it onto the hot search in this internet age wouldn't be too good.

So when Zheng Luhua, who was in charge of teaching, learned of the situation, he nearly twisted his mouth in anger.

"How can this even turn into an issue? Are these freshmen too idle?"

The director of academic affairs who had to report the situation in the middle of the night was also frustrated but still had to patiently explain: "Actually, you can't blame the kids from the School of Mathematics, it's really quite unfair."

There was no way around it. It wasn't about taking the School of Mathematics' side. It's just that recently, the School of Mathematics had indeed been very impressive.

"I won't say anything else. Who maintains the BBS? If the website is slow, couldn't we let things cool down? They're not usually so proactive in its maintenance!" Zheng Luhua criticized again.

"It's maintained by the students themselves, so of course, you can't blame them. It's manageable if they quarrel on the campus channels, but if they take it to online forums, it might be even more troublesome," the response came.

The School of Computer Science is also a strong department of the university; it too needed to be supported.

"Then what do you think we should do to alleviate the situation?" Zheng Luhua asked.

"Well, isn't military training officially starting the day after tomorrow? How about tomorrow afternoon each college holds a basic placement test for the new students according to their own situations? Anyway, every college has a stockpile of test papers. This way, everyone would be treated fairly and there wouldn't be anything more to say," came the suggestion.

"Hmm... That might work," Zheng Luhua admitted.

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"Yeah, it's a good idea to shore up the basic knowledge for some of the new students who are a bit behind, so they don't embarrass themselves spouting nonsense or bragging that doesn't even adhere to basic scientific principles."

"Let's do that, then. Oh, and how about we add a Principles of Marxism exam? It doesn't have to count towards the screening score, just to make them think a bit."

"Okay, I'll notify everyone verbally right away, starting with our School of Mathematics. We'll get them to start preparing immediately. I'll send out a formal notice tomorrow."

"Alright, that's settled then."

...

At Xilin University of Technology, in Cloud Sky Building E, the men's dormitory of the Materials Science College.

If anyone felt more anxious than Chen Yiwen when this whole affair blew up on the BBS, it was without a doubt Xu Xiaotian from Room 207.

Seriously, the kid felt like he was cursed.

No one had ever told him that bullshitting could be a crime!

Wasn't he just bored in line, naturally a bit of a braggart, and casually shared some stuff he saw online with the people nearby?

At most, he concocted a cousin who was pursuing a Ph.D. at MIT.

How did it all blow up like this?

What's more, last night in the dorm, none of the four guys could sleep, and after talking for most of the night, he'd repeated the same grandiose stories there too.

Now, he had no idea how to interact with the three new acquaintances in his dorm room.

Although the three guys in the room were all decent and had tacitly avoided bringing up the night's events, there's a unique embarrassment that can only be felt by those whose BS had made it onto the BBS and been exposed to nearly ten thousand people.

Alright, now he just hoped this mess would soon pass.

But then...

"Shit, you guys, quick, look at the chat group, the counselor says the college just got a notice that we're having a proficiency test tomorrow?"

"What? This..."

"Yeah, for real, the counselor explained that it's not just our Materials Science College, but all colleges have to take this basic comprehensive test... Aren't we also having a politics exam?"

Xu Xiaotian, who was sitting at his own place, absent-mindedly fiddling with his laptop, hurriedly pulled out his phone and opened WeChat to check.

And sure enough...

He subconsciously shifted in his seat and scanned his dear roommates, only to find their gaze settled on him.

Before he could respond, the dorm leader suddenly stood up, closed the half-open door, and locked it.

"Ahem..."

"Look, no need to talk about it, 'Young Three,' you're covering our meals for this week, and we'll keep your secret. How about that?"

"No way, I think he should also do our laundry."

"Number Two, that's a bit harsh, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I think it's too much, but we can't make him wash the underwear, right?"

"Let's change it to heating water; 'Young Three' has no loyalty, but we can't be unrighteous."

"One more thing, 'Young Three' can never call himself 'Dad' in this dorm. If he breaks this rule, we'll expose him."

"Second that. He was the one most into calling himself 'Dad' yesterday."

...

Xu Xiaotian watched with teary eyes as the three guys hotly debated, while deep inside, he was secretly seething...

"In this life, I will have nothing more to do with glorious BS!" Explore more at empire

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