Chapter 260 - 197: Waiting in Line for You

Chapter 260: Chapter 197: Waiting in Line for You

「Seven P.M.」

Chen Lin pushed open the door to his rented apartment in Liuzhuang Xinyuan, feeling a bit drained.

He had spent the entire afternoon persuading two tech gurus to accept the "dual-track parallel" plan.

To be honest, managing a team like this wasn’t any less draining than using [Little Mathematician] to solve math problems.

Especially when it came to managing top tech talents who had their own strong convictions. It was really...

Chen Lin thought to himself as he took off his jacket and tossed it onto the sofa.

He walked to the fridge, pulled open the door, and grabbed a bottle of ice-cold Coke from inside. He twisted off the cap and chugged several big gulps.

The cold liquid slid down his throat, instantly washing away the day’s fatigue.

"Ahhh!"

Chen Lin let out a long sigh, wiped the corner of his mouth, and was about to flop onto the sofa to relax.

However, just then, his phone started vibrating inopportunely.

"BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ—"

Chen Lin glanced down. The caller ID on the screen instantly made him snap to attention.

Liang Tianshi.

’Academician Liang?’

Chen Lin immediately pressed the answer button, his voice tinged with respect.

"Academician Liang, hello!"

From the other end of the line came Liang Tianshi’s familiar voice—slightly aged, but still full of vigor.

"Chen Lin, you’re not resting yet, are you?"

"No, no, Academician Liang. I just got home," Chen Lin said quickly.

"Good." Liang Tianshi’s tone held a note of unconcealable excitement. "I have some good news for you."

Hearing this, Chen Lin’s interest was piqued.

"Regarding Academician Xiang, not only did he agree to endorse you, but he also did something I never expected."

Liang Tianshi paused, his tone growing more solemn.

"He used some special channels to report your situation directly to the higher-ups."

"’The higher-ups?’" Chen Lin was slightly taken aback. "Academician Liang, when you say ’the higher-ups,’ are you referring to..."

"The very same ’higher-ups’ you’re thinking of." Liang Tianshi’s voice carried a hint of emotion. "Academician Xiang may not be in good health, but in certain respects, his influence is far greater than mine."

When Chen Lin heard this, his mind was thrown into turmoil.

However, Liang Tianshi’s next words filled Chen Lin with even more pleasant surprise.

"According to the information I’ve received through my own channels," Liang Tianshi’s tone became incredibly serious, "the relevant departments in charge of the ’Ten Thousand Talents Program’ review have already been briefed on your situation."

"The fact that you started a company won’t be used as a reason to block your review."

"As soon as you officially become a professor at Yannan University, you can submit your application materials immediately."

Chen Lin was truly surprised to hear this.

He had been worried that starting his own company would become an issue during the review process.

After all, national-level talent programs have always been extremely strict when it comes to vetting a candidate’s position and background.

But now, Academician Liang was actually saying it wouldn’t be a problem?

Chen Lin took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

"Thank you, Academician Liang."

His voice was filled with sincere gratitude.

"If it weren’t for your help and Elder Xiang’s, there’s no way this would have gone so smoothly for me."

"Don’t be so formal." Liang Tianshi chuckled. "You have the ability. By helping you, we’re also helping the country."

He paused, then changed the subject.

"However, I didn’t just call you today to talk about this."

’More important news?’ Chen Lin’s interest stirred.

"Yes." Liang Tianshi’s tone grew more solemn. "Chen Lin, I need to tell you something in advance."

"After your situation was reported to the higher-ups, it attracted a great deal of attention."

"Right now, there are two national-level classified project teams already lined up waiting for you."

"What?!"

Chen Lin was completely stunned.

’National-level classified projects?’

’Two of them?’

’And they’re lined up waiting for me?’

Liang Tianshi seemed to have heard the shock in Chen Lin’s voice and explained with a laugh:

"Don’t be so surprised. Your abilities in mathematics are hardly a secret anymore."

"Many major national-level projects run into all sorts of mathematical bottlenecks."

"And you happen to be the perfect person to solve these problems."

Chen Lin was silent for a moment, his mind racing.

’National-level classified projects...’

’This is no joke.’

’Once I get involved, it means I’ll have to bear the responsibility of confidentiality. There will be many things I can’t just talk about freely.’

’Besides, the workload for this kind of project definitely won’t be light.’

Thinking of this, Chen Lin began to speak, somewhat hesitantly:

"Academician Liang, I..."

Liang Tianshi cut him off. "I’m calling you today just to give you a heads-up, so you can be mentally prepared."

"These two projects won’t be coming to you right away."

"They won’t formally contact you until after your application for the Ten Thousand Talents Program is approved, at the very least."

Upon hearing this, Chen Lin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Liang Tianshi continued:

"However, my personal advice is that you could take one on first to test the waters."

"You can contribute to the country and quickly build up your network and resources."

"Moreover, participating in a national-level project will be a great help to the future development of both you and your company in this country."

Chen Lin listened to Liang Tianshi’s words, weighing the pros and cons for a moment.

To be honest, he was actually interested in participating in a national-level project.

After all, being able to use his mathematical abilities to make a tangible contribution to the country was a very meaningful thing in itself.

And, just as Academician Liang had said, it would also be a great help to his and Yanhai Company’s future development.

But the problem was...

Chen Lin thought for a moment, then frankly voiced his concerns:

"Academician Liang, I am willing to participate in a national project."

"However, the situation at my company right now is quite unique."

"The AI project has just started, and as the head of the company, I need to be the one to make many of the key decisions."

"So, I was hoping..."

Chen Lin paused and said cautiously:

"If possible, I hope I can participate in the project remotely or through focused, intensive work sessions."

"It would be best if the work could be done here in Jinmen, so I wouldn’t have to be away from the company for long periods."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.

Chen Lin felt a little uneasy, wondering if Academician Liang would think his request was too much to ask.

’After all, national-level projects don’t just bend the rules for one person, do they?’

However, to Chen Lin’s surprise, Liang Tianshi replied quickly.

"I will help coordinate this matter for you."

His tone was calm, as if he were talking about a perfectly ordinary matter.

"Your situation is rather special. The higher-ups should be understanding."

"And frankly, with information technology being so advanced now, a lot of work can indeed be done through remote collaboration."

"The part of the work you need to do will likely be something you complete independently anyway. Where you do it isn’t actually that important. Just make sure to handle the confidentiality properly. There will be specialists to guide you on that when the time comes."

Hearing this, Chen Lin instantly felt a sense of relief.

"Thank you, Academician Liang!"

"Don’t mention it." Liang Tianshi chuckled. "Oh, right. There’s one more thing."

"Tomorrow, go find Principal Chang Kai and have him give you an application form for the Ten Thousand Talents Program."

"Even though the formal application can only be submitted after you become a professor, you can go ahead and fill out the form."

"If there’s anything you’re not clear on, feel free to contact me anytime."

"Okay, Academician Liang, I understand," Chen Lin quickly replied.

"Alright, that’s all for now." Liang Tianshi’s voice held a hint of fatigue. "I should get some rest too."

"You rest well, Academician Liang."