Chapter One Hundred: Extending Benefits

Just thinking about it was enough to drive the leaders of Jing University mad. Anyone who dared reach out a hand to interfere would have his claws broken—that was the grinding, unanimous conviction of everyone at the top of Jing University now. Wu Tong belonged to Jing University. Wu Tong belonged to Jing University. Important things must be said three times: no one was to sabotage this.

After finishing the matters Wu Tong needed to know, and confirming the time she would set off for the capital, Li Yisheng finally hung up. Even then, he was still marveling inwardly. Back then, he had taken a liking to her talent on a whim, but he had never imagined that once Wu Tong had sufficient knowledge and resources to support her, she would rise with such astonishing speed.

What Wu Tong had accomplished could no longer be described merely as the emergence of a new star in mathematics. She was like a blazing sun, hung high in a radiant sky, brilliant beyond measure. She was the true backbone, the pillar holding up the university.

What they had once hoped for as a distant future had, in just a short span of time, become reality.

Old Zhou from the admissions office was beyond proud; even a peacock spreading its tail could not compare to his satisfaction. Having taken part in Wu Tong’s special recruitment back then and successfully brought her into Jing University was already the proudest achievement of his entire life.

That he had managed to seize the opportunity and secure for himself the post of Wu Tong’s campus advisor first was the source of envy, jealousy, and resentment from countless colleagues. As for the remaining two advisor slots for Wu Tong, many people had long been watching with eager eyes, waiting for her to arrive on campus so they could make contact and try their luck.

Even though the meaning of an advisor like this had already shifted from academic guidance to that of a grand caretaker for daily life and miscellaneous affairs, there were still plenty of people willing to scramble for the position.

As for being Wu Tong’s true academic mentor, well...

Among the university’s current teachers, only a few top-tier experts could even dare to try. The rest did not dare mention it at all. With academic achievements inferior to those of the student herself, what right did they have to call themselves her real teachers?

No matter how turbulent the outside world became, no matter how Wu Tong’s name spread and dazzled, within her home she was still only the cherished darling held in her family’s palms, enjoying their boundless affection.

On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, on the eve of the International Congress of Mathematicians, Wu Tong set out once more, flying to the capital.

All participants in this congress were departing from the capital, so she would first fly there, rest briefly, and then meet up with Jing University and the other professors and students attending the event.

The congress was to open on August nineteenth, and they would all leave together on the seventeenth.

Because the journey from the Chinese capital to Borahdra required a connecting flight, the entire trip would take nearly twenty-four hours, so they needed to leave with ample time to spare.

Jing University had already handled her visa and related formalities. As for her report, the organizing committee had already sent word on the fifth that it had passed review.

Li Yisheng waited at the airport early and received Wu Tong. This time, he did not take her straight to the Jing University campus, but instead brought her to Yanyuan. This was the faculty housing area of Jing University. Under the pressure of the capital’s increasingly eye-watering housing prices, the university’s faculty housing benefits were also carefully managed; many lecturers mostly accepted housing subsidies from the school and lived off campus.

For an ordinary full professor, a two-bedroom apartment in Yanyuan was already standard. But for Wu Tong, Jing University had truly spared no expense. The faculty housing planned by the university itself was designed by a professional architectural master, with comfort and practicality as the fundamental requirements.

Li Yisheng took Wu Tong up to the sixth floor of Building Seven in the center of the complex. It was a one-unit-per-floor layout, with three bedrooms and two living rooms, and very little wasted shared area. With the balcony included as an extra, the total of one hundred sixty square meters was genuine indoor space. The decor was clean and elegant, much like a hotel: the dining room and living room flowed together into a large balcony, giving the whole place an especially open view.

“This is the faculty apartment closest to the university. There’s a direct bus right outside that goes to campus—probably only two or three stops, about ten minutes. The place is already furnished and equipped with all the basics, so you can move in immediately. Considering your needs, I helped set up the study for you,” he said, first explaining the transportation arrangements, since Wu Tong was still too young to drive. He opened the room opposite the master bedroom and gave her a thorough introduction.

As Wu Tong would be doing research, she would certainly need a comfortable and fully equipped study.

The study, like the master bedroom and the living room, faced the sun. It contained light, cheerful wooden bookshelves, desks, and chairs, along with computers, printers, and every sort of office supply. The shelves had already been arranged with a good number of books, mostly in the field of mathematics.

Wu Tong’s gaze fell on a single sofa set beside the window, paired with a small tea table. When she needed to change her train of thought, sitting there to rest and relax would surely be pleasant.

“Do you like it? My wife, Teacher Chen, helped with the suggestions. She said you’d probably like this arrangement,” Li Yisheng said, rubbing his nose. He had not been this meticulous by nature. It was his wife who, with a look of contempt, had helped him add some softer details to the plan. After all, one could hardly expect a child to bury herself in books all day long.

“It’s very good. Thank you both for taking such trouble for me,” Wu Tong said gratefully. It was already beyond what she had imagined.

She had originally thought it would just be an empty apartment, something to leave somewhere and only deal with the renovation and furnishing when she or her family happened to have time.

Now everything was in place at once. Whether for her or for her family, they could move in whenever they liked. It was far more convenient.

“Teacher Li, how much did all this cost in total? I’ll transfer it to you. Don’t let you and the others run around helping me and end up paying out of your own pockets,” she said after a quick look around. She had at least a basic sense of these things, and from what she could tell, even one hundred thousand yuan would probably not be enough.

“Don’t worry, it didn’t cost me anything. The renovation, appliances, and so on were all part of the apartment’s basic setup. I only helped arrange the study. The main expense was that computer—I got one with a higher-end configuration, so it cost a bit more. As for the rest, Teacher Chen helped make a list and we just bought some daily necessities. The money was enough, and there’s still forty or fifty thousand left. Anything else you need, you can add later when you have time.”

“That’s already very good,” Wu Tong said. She did not have much pursuit of luxury in her domestic life. “Thank you, Teacher Li.”

It had all been Teacher Li who handled things for her, running around on her behalf, while she herself had not worried over anything and simply reaped the benefits.

“What’s there to thank me for? The school isn’t letting the teachers work for nothing. Besides, there’ll be times when I need your help too. I’ve been working on the optimal solution for linear operators lately and hit a bottleneck. I’ll need you to enlighten me a bit, and your teacher can also pad out his résumé with a paper in a top-tier SCI journal.”

A master can be learned from one’s student. Li Yisheng did not feel embarrassed at all about asking a student for advice.

With such convenience available, if he did not cherish it properly and instead put on false airs of superiority, who knew how many people would laugh at him for being foolish?

“Thanks to you, Teacher Li, I’m also counted among the university-funded travelers for this International Congress of Mathematicians,” he said. Wu Tong had already benefited him greatly without even knowing it, so what did helping her with these small chores amount to? There were plenty of people who wanted to do it and never had the chance.

“No problem, Teacher Li. Let’s discuss it together,” Wu Tong agreed readily. She did not focus on the name of mentor or advisor, only on discussion. Learning was, after all, an ongoing process of exchange; working in isolation was the very thing to avoid.

End of chapter.