Chapter 269 - 206: Good News

Chapter 269: Chapter 206: Good News

At this thought, Chen Lin feigned a look of embarrassment and said,

"Dr. Howard, since I couldn’t help you solve your problem, I’ll have our finance department refund the one million US dollar consulting fee."

"I’m truly sorry."

With that, Chen Lin ended the video call.

The image on the screen vanished.

Chen Lin leaned back in his chair, his expression growing profound.

He picked up the phone on his desk, opened the browser, and typed "Amy Howard Stanford" into the search bar.

The search results appeared quickly.

There was indeed someone named "Amy Howard" in the Computer Science department at Stanford University.

Furthermore, the results showed that this Amy Howard was a teaching assistant for several undergraduate computer science courses at Stanford, so some of her public information was available online.

Chen Lin clicked on a page from the official Stanford University website.

The page had a photo and a short biography of Amy Howard.

The Amy Howard in the photo was a Latina girl with black-framed glasses and short brown hair, looking quiet and demure.

Chen Lin looked at the photo, then thought back to the mixed-race, intelligent, and elegant "Amy" from the video call. The cold smirk on his lips grew more pronounced.

’Unbelievable.’

The person in the photo and the person from the video call were not the same person at all!

Although their names were the same, they looked completely different!

Clearly, the "Amy Howard" from the call was an imposter.

She had stolen the name of a real Stanford doctoral student.

Chen Lin closed the browser and fell into deep thought.

’What was their goal in doing this?’

’To test my mathematical abilities?’

’Or to get some information about me through this video call?’

Chen Lin considered it. He felt both were possibilities.

However, regardless of their objective, one thing was certain—

They were definitely up to no good.

And to pull off this level of deception, there had to be an organization backing them.

At this thought, Chen Lin’s brow furrowed.

He suddenly recalled the message Annie had sent him a few days ago—someone was asking about him.

Connecting that to the email from "Venus Consulting Company" that Sun Yu had forwarded to him...

...

...

「Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean.」

「USA, a private estate.」

In a small room, Elena Caroline was leaning comfortably on a sofa. She wore a bohemian long skirt and a black off-the-shoulder top. With no makeup or jewelry, she was dressed casually for a day at home.

A man and another woman were also in the room. Natasha remained expressionless, while Robert Stone periodically stole burning glances at Elena’s breathtaking face and her tantalizing figure.

A video was playing on the large display screen in the room.

It was a recording of the video conference between Chen Lin and "Amy Howard" from that afternoon.

When the video reached the point where Chen Lin said, "I don’t have a complete solution in mind yet," a meaningful smile graced Elena’s lips.

"Interesting..."

she murmured to herself.

Robert Stone, sitting to her right, asked,

"Elena, do you think Chen Lin really can’t solve that problem, or was he testing Natasha?"

Elena didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she rewound the video and watched it carefully again.

After a moment, she said slowly,

"I believe it’s the latter."

"This Chen Lin is more alert than we imagined."

She paused before continuing,

"He must have sensed something was wrong, so he deliberately claimed to have no ideas to observe Natasha’s reaction."

"And clearly, Natasha’s performance didn’t fool him."

Hearing this, Robert’s expression changed slightly.

"Doesn’t that mean our identities have been exposed?"

Elena shook her head.

"Not to that extent."

"At most, Chen Lin only suspects that Natasha isn’t a real Stanford PhD."

"But it’s impossible for him to know our true identities and objective."

She paused, a cold smirk playing on her lips.

"However, this test wasn’t a complete waste."

"At the very least, we confirmed one thing—Chen Lin’s mathematical prowess is indeed unfathomably deep."

Robert nodded thoughtfully.

"So, what’s our next move?"

Elena pondered for a moment before saying slowly,

"We’ll proceed with the original plan."

She turned her head to look at Natasha, who was standing beside her.

"Natasha, get ready."

"I want you to leave for Huaxia within two weeks at the latest."

Natasha nodded without expression.

"Understood, Lady Caroline."

...

「Yannan University, Principal’s Office.」

Principal Chang Kai sat behind his desk, a newly delivered document laid out before him.

The document’s title was stark: "Decision on the Special Appointment of Chen Lin as Professor in the Department of Mathematics at Yannan University."

Chang Kai read the document’s contents carefully, then picked up the landline on his desk and dialed a number.

"Hello, is this Chen Lin?"

"Yes, Principal Chang," Chen Lin’s voice came from the other end.

"I have some good news for you!" Chang Kai’s voice was full of excitement. "Your appointment as a Special Professor has been officially approved!"

"The procedures with the Ministry of Education have also been completed!"

"Starting today, you are an official professor in the Department of Mathematics at Yannan University!"

Hearing this, Chen Lin was delighted.

"Thank you, Principal Chang!"

"Don’t mention it!" Chang Kai said with a chuckle. "You’ve earned it!"

"By the way, next Monday at ten in the morning, the university will hold a small appointment ceremony to present you with your letter of appointment."

"Some members of the media will be there for interviews, so be prepared."

Chen Lin thought for a moment, then agreed.

"Okay, Principal Chang. I’ll be there on time."

"Alright, that’s all then. See you there!"

After hanging up, Chen Lin leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh of relief.

’Finally, an official professor.’

’This means I can finally submit my application materials for the Ten Thousand Talents Plan.’

At this thought, Chen Lin picked up his phone and sent a WeChat message to Academician Liang Tianshi.

[Academician Liang, my professorship appointment has been officially approved. Does this mean I can submit my application materials for the Ten Thousand Talents Plan?]

Not long after he sent the message, Liang Tianshi replied:

[Good! I will contact Professor Qiu Chengtong and Academician Xiang Wentian to submit our recommendation for you. You can submit your materials at any time. You should get the results shortly after you submit.]

Chen Lin: [Okay]

Chen Lin: [[Thanks]]

...

「November 24th, Monday, 9:30 AM.」

「Yannan University, Comprehensive Teaching Building, Classroom 305.」

This was a lecture hall that could accommodate two hundred people, normally used for large elective courses.

But today, the classroom had been temporarily requisitioned for a special appointment ceremony.

A few dozen people were seated sparsely in the front rows of the classroom.

They included some teachers and student representatives from the Department of Mathematics, as well as reporters from several state-run and independent media outlets specially invited by the university’s publicity department.

At the very front of the classroom, the stage area had been rearranged. A long table, draped with a red tablecloth, was set up, making the scene look exceptionally formal.

Four people were seated behind the table.

From left to right, they were the Chair of the Department of Mathematics, Guo Qizhi; the Vice Chair of the Department of Mathematics, Gu Ming; Dean Zhuang of the School of Mathematics; and the Principal of Yannan University, Chang Kai.

And to one side of the stage stood a young man in a dark suit and tie.

It was Chen Lin.