Chapter 39
After finishing his exams and receiving permission to skip classes this semester, Ji Zhixing was only happy for a few days when he heard some unpleasant news—the old dean was retiring, and the next dean might be Fan Chuanshuo!
Ji Zhixing felt something was wrong. Even though Fan Chuanshuo frequently showed him goodwill during the winter break and the beginning of the new semester, Ji Zhixing always felt that he was a wolf in sheep's clothing and kept his distance cautiously.
Once Fan Chuanshuo becomes the dean of the Physics Department, it would be strange if he didn't use the position to cause trouble. As a student of the Physics Department, I will inevitably have to deal with him and be under his supervision, and I will probably face many obstacles in my studies, exams, and postgraduate studies.
He had heard that one or two professors were also interested in vying for the dean's position, but no matter how bad Fan Chuanshuo's character was, he was indeed the most qualified professor to compete for the dean's position.
In terms of seniority, he has been at Guangling University for decades, rising from a junior faculty member to a professor. In terms of rank, he is already an academician, and no one in the Institute of Physics has a higher rank than him. In terms of ability, he can always use his connections to secure some major national projects. Although he personally benefits from these projects, Guangling University, as the university to which he belongs, also benefits greatly in terms of reputation.
Ji Zhixing once felt it was very troublesome, fearing that after Fan Chuanshuo became the dean, he would target the Zero Gravity Seat Research Society in order to punish him.
Unexpectedly, things took an unexpected turn, and the person who eventually became the dean of the Physics Department was Professor Yan, who had no interest in the position at all. Moreover, it is said that Fan Chuanshuo strongly promoted this.
Have wolves really changed their nature?
Ji Zhixing was completely baffled, but he couldn't very well ask Professor Yan directly, otherwise it would seem as if he were questioning the legitimacy of Professor Yan's appointment as dean.
On the day the announcement was issued, apart from Ji Zhixing who felt like he had survived a disaster, all the other students in the School of Physics were heartbroken and wailing.
Heavens above! Earth below! The King of Hell has been promoted to the Great Emperor of Fengdu! The little devils of the Physics Department are doomed! Everyone felt that dark clouds were gathering overhead, and thunder and lightning were about to strike with a fierce storm.
Unexpectedly, nothing happened. The new dean did not require students to study in the morning or evening as everyone had guessed, nor did he increase the intensity of attendance checks for each subject, or even require teachers to assign more homework...
In short, things are the same as they were when the old dean was in charge, as if the dean of the Physics Department had never changed.
However, there is still a difference. The old dean's plenary meetings were always incredibly long, and it was impossible for them to end without a speech lasting fifty or sixty minutes. The new dean, on the other hand, was extremely concise. He would never split a sentence into two if it could be said in one. The first plenary meeting he organized only lasted 15 minutes, and he adjourned the meeting after explaining the important recent events.
"This...so fast?" Everyone only realized that the meeting was really over after watching Professor Yan leave.
"I think that's a good point."
"We can't let our guard down! 'To shoot a man, shoot his horse first; to capture a thief, capture his king first.' Our biggest weakness is the final exams, and I suspect the King of Hell plans to unleash his fury then!"
"No way, the failure rate in the Physics Department is already high enough!"
"Look how much he admires and values Ji Zhixing! The difficulty of the impromptu final exam he gave him was off the charts!"
"Then we mortals..."
"I'm afraid we'll have to be even more ruthless!"
"I'm finished! I'm finished!"
"Take it easy, if you don't pay attention in class, you're definitely doomed this semester!"
"Who took notes for today's atomic physics? I can borrow them to copy!"
"Anyone want to practice some physics experiments again? Let's go together!"
For a time, the academic atmosphere of the Physics Department was greatly improved, even though Yan Anjin did nothing in fact.
Some people even went to Ji Zhixing to ask for help.
"Wow! You're a genius! You absolutely have to open tutoring classes again for finals! Our lives are in your hands!"
Is it really that exaggerated? Ji Zhixing felt that everyone had a huge misunderstanding about Professor Yan. Professor Yan was strict, but not to the point of "treating people's lives like dirt." At most, he just cracked down on cheating. However, more and more students gathered in dormitory 310 asking him to open a tutoring class for the final exams, so Ji Zhixing nodded in agreement.
"However, you all need to stand up for yourselves in normal times, otherwise, when it comes to patching up the gaps, it will be like Nuwa patching up the sky, and you will be the ones who suffer."
"Definitely! Definitely!"
Even now, Ji Zhixing still can't figure out why Fan Chuanshuo would help Professor Yan become the dean of the Physics Department.
Actually, he ran into Fan Chuanshuo in the lab building yesterday. Fan Chuanshuo looked really old. He heard that Fan Chuanshuo had been trying to get Fan Yongjie released, but to no avail. He had also been asking around for help to reduce Fan Yongjie's sentence, but it seemed to have little effect. Lately, every time he saw Fan Chuanshuo, he noticed that there were more gray hairs on his head.
Yesterday, when Fan Chuanshuo saw him, he specifically stopped him to talk.
"Now that I'm middle-aged, although I haven't lost my son, I'm not far off. Only now have I realized how many mistakes I've made in the past, and my son has caused you trouble. I did intend to apply for the position of dean, but I heard that you're quite troubled by it, so I thought it best not to add to your mental burden."
After saying this, Fan Chuanshuo smiled forlornly and left, his departing figure exuding a sense of loneliness and desolation.
Ji Zhixing was a little confused. Had Fan Chuanshuo really reformed? His intuition told him he didn't believe it. Although Fan Chuanshuo seemed very sincere, his wariness of him remained unshaken.
However, he really wanted to figure out why Fan Chuanshuo would instead encourage Professor Yan to become the dean of the Physics Department.
One day, Zhu Ren came to visit the lab when he had nothing to do. While Professor Yan was away, Ji Zhixing asked him about the intricacies of the situation.
Zhu Ren was still very willing to teach Ji Zhixing about interpersonal relationships, not only because this student was exactly the type of student all teachers loved, but also because he saw Ji Zhixing as a younger version of Lao Yan.
Equally intelligent, equally upright, and equally passionate about knowledge. However, Ji Zhixing's temperament is slightly better than Lao Yan's. Lao Yan's temper has remained unchanged for decades—stubborn and unyielding—which is why he's only a second-level professor at his age, while several of his classmates are already academicians.
Back in their school days, everyone could only follow in Lao Yan's footsteps, but now it's the other way around. Lao Yan has ruined so many of his futures over the years because of his lack of social skills, and Zhu Ren doesn't want to see Ji Zhixing repeat his old friend's mistakes.
He's still young and willing to listen to advice. With Old Yan's guidance and insights into the ways of the world, this child's future is limitless. To put it bluntly, it's also about cultivating good karma for oneself.
"Do you think becoming the dean of the Physics Department is a good thing?" Zhu Ren asked.
"Yes." Ji Zhixing was a little surprised. From the director's tone, it seemed that the dean of the Physics Department was not such an easy job? But the dean of a college in a 985 university has the administrative rank of a full-fledged department head and is in charge of the allocation of funds for the entire college. Isn't that a good job?
Zhu Ren shook his head: "Whether it's good or bad depends on the person. Those who want to be leaders are either genuinely committed to getting things done, or they're after money and power."
"First of all, Professor Yan is very willing to teach students, but you know his reputation because he is too strict. This is still considered good now. In the early years, there were even anonymous letters written to the Education Bureau to report him. The fabricated charges against him were simply absurd and caused a great uproar at the time. I tried to persuade him again and again, but he was disheartened and from then on only cared about teaching and stopped demanding that his students be serious enough."
Ji Zhixing only then learned about this past event and couldn't help but sigh for Professor Yan.
University is different from high school. In high school, many teachers constantly urge and supervise students, pushing them to learn. But in university, learning relies more on students' own initiative. Most professors have part-time jobs, so it's rare to find a professor willing to spend time encouraging students to improve.
Zhu Ren recalled the past, sighed for a moment, and continued: "In terms of money, the dean's salary is not much higher than that of a professor, and he also has to perform management functions. Professors with research capabilities can make money by simply launching a project. For them, being a dean is a pure waste of time and hard labor. Generally, only those who cannot do research are particularly willing to do this job."
The former dean was a theoretical physicist who had never seriously worked on any projects since he was young. He relied entirely on his seniority and excellent character to become the dean of the physics department for more than ten years.
Zhu Ren continued, "In terms of power, for example, do you think the old dean can command your Professor Yan?"
Ji Zhixing thought for a moment: "Probably... that won't work." He remembered that after the final exams last semester, the dean specifically came to the lab and asked Professor Yan to be lenient when grading the papers, so that the failure rate wouldn't be too bad. But Professor Yan graded them the same way he always had. He had heard of three students who got 59 points, and he really didn't give them a single extra point.
"So," Zhu Ren concluded, "for capable professors, the position of dean isn't really a coveted one. Don't underestimate Professor Yan just because he's only a second-level professor; his actual abilities are definitely superior to Fan Chuanshuo's."
Fan Chuanshuo is incredibly adept at securing projects and making money; it's just unfortunate that his family has such a good-for-nothing son, otherwise he could be said to be living a very glamorous life. And if Lao Yan were willing to change his bad temper, Fan Chuanshuo would be no match for him.
"I know that." The more he interacted with Professor Yan, the more he realized how capable Professor Yan was. Moreover, although the director talked about how easy it was to become a second-level professor, in reality, less than 10% of all professors could reach that level before retirement.
Zhu Ren, recalling Fan Chuanshuo's recent hypocritical behavior, worried that Ji Zhixing might be fooled, and reminded him, "Don't think that Fan Chuanshuo is doing this out of kindness."
In fact, Yan Anjin was initially completely uninterested in the position. However, after seeing Fan Chuanshuo frequently interacting with the former dean and even publicly expressing his desire for the dean's position, and considering that a villain like Fan Chuanshuo becoming dean would be extremely detrimental to the atmosphere of the Physics Department and to Ji Zhixing, he decided to compete for it.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he expressed this intention, Fan Chuanshuo publicly and strongly supported him, saying he was willing to step down. Only then did he realize that Fan Chuanshuo had set him up. Although he didn't know what Fan Chuanshuo was really up to, at this stage, he would inevitably be tied up in this position for a lot of time and would not be able to concentrate his energy on project research as before.
Moreover, being a dean inevitably involves social engagements, which is a tough job for Yan Anjin.
Previously, Yan Anjin was unable to apply for school funding because his points were blocked. In fact, if he had been willing to take his project proposal to contact companies, he could have secured sponsorships. However, he preferred to waste several years rather than engage in such social activities.
However, even though he knew it was a trap set by Fan Chuanshuo, he still had no choice but to jump in.
A poor soldier is just one bad soldier, but a poor general leads to a poor army. The actions of the head of a department have a direct and far-reaching impact on the entire department. Allowing Fan Chuanshuo to remain in the position of head of the department would not be beneficial to the healthy development of the Department of Physics.
To protect the students of the Physics Department, especially Ji Zhixing, from being harmed by Fan Chuanshuo, Yan Anjin had to reluctantly accept this favor in front of outsiders. After all, in the eyes of outsiders, this position was practically given to him by Fan Chuanshuo.
The conclusion is that Fan Chuanshuo is cunning! Stay as far away from him as possible!
After hearing so many schemes and plots, Ji Zhixing's understanding was somewhat overturned. The adult world is so complicated; he just wanted to study in peace and quiet!
As Zhu Ren was leaving, he patted Ji Zhixing on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Cao Cao was right, 'Understanding the ways of the world is true learning, and being adept at human relationships is true literature!' In this respect, don't be like your Professor Yan!"
Ji Zhixing sighed. Although he just wanted to study quietly, he was caught up in the ways of the world and couldn't always control his own destiny. In modern society, blindly burying himself in his work would eventually lead to failure. Especially since he was now leading a club, he had to consider things more carefully.
After the club's fifth activity, the three members of room 310 returned to their dormitory.
Lin Lang sighed and pulled out the physics experiment report to write, sighing as he wrote each sentence.
"Sigh, I wish I could skip classes! Sigh, I wish I could graduate as soon as possible!"
Ji Zhixing hesitated slightly before speaking: "Um... I'd like to discuss the matter of graduating early with you."
Lin Lang and Xu Dongyang had already decided during the winter break that they would not take the postgraduate entrance exam and would devote themselves to starting their own business. Therefore, as long as they completed their credits, they would be able to graduate and gain free time.
"Do you have any... way to help us graduate early?" Lin Lang asked expectantly. These past few days, without Ji Zhixing leading the class, the physics experiments alone were enough to give him a headache. Graduating early would certainly be ideal.
“Uh…” Ji Zhixing hesitated to continue, actually meaning the exact opposite.
Xu Dongyang noticed Ji Zhixing's predicament and asked, "Do you think it's better not to graduate too early?"
Ji Zhixing nodded slowly.
He'd been thinking a lot these past few days. Graduating early would certainly give him more time to dedicate to entrepreneurship and research, but graduation meant leaving the university. At school, the principal and department heads had been very supportive. Leaving the protection of the university would likely mean facing the harsh realities of society head-on.
There are still many people outside eyeing this promising project, but they are all too young and lack social experience. They may be tricked without even realizing it.
Furthermore, even if a student stays at the university to pursue a master's degree after graduating with a bachelor's degree, they are generally not allowed to organize clubs. Therefore, they cannot rightfully use the club activity rooms provided by the university, nor can they legitimately allow students from Guangling University to participate in unpaid research.
Even if they brazenly did this, they would inevitably face criticism. However, without doing so, their current funds are insufficient to rent a professional research lab or hire professional researchers. And to seek angel investment, they need to first establish a general direction before they can set a better price.
Ji Zhixing had been thinking about this matter for the past two days. Now that he had brought it up, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed by his "cunning and calculating" approach. This was the first time he had so realistically weighed the pros and cons and measured the gains and losses.
"So this is what you've been thinking about these past two days?" Xu Dongyang said with a sigh of relief. "You scared me to death. I thought you wanted to break up with us but were too embarrassed to say it."
Although the project was developed by the three of them together, to be honest, it was basically Ji Zhixing who led the other two. If Ji Zhixing felt too tired and wanted to leave the project, Xu Dongyang would inevitably be disappointed, but he could understand. Fortunately, that wasn't the case.
Ji Zhixing had never considered this idea. Putting aside their friendship, it wasn't easy to find a partner to whom one could entrust their trust. They might still be inexperienced, but people always grow, including himself.
Lin Lang hadn't noticed Ji Zhixing's thoughtful expression for the past two days. When he heard Ji Zhixing analyze the pros and cons of graduating early, he exaggeratedly exclaimed, "Big brother, do you have some misunderstanding about me? Even if I wanted to earn enough credits early, I wouldn't have the ability!"
Without any shortcuts, graduating early requires accumulating enough credits, which in turn requires applying to the college to take courses in higher grades.
He was already exhausted from working on his sophomore year courses, so how could he possibly have time to take courses in higher grades?
The three of them reached a consensus to continue working step by step for the time being.
After Ji Zhixing stopped attending classes, he spent most of his daytime in Professor Yan's laboratory. However, Professor Yan, who had to teach math and physics methods to second and third-year students as well as serve as the dean, was unable to come to the laboratory every day as he did during the holidays.
Only then did Ji Zhixing truly understand what the director meant; the position of dean was indeed not a good job for Professor Yan.
In scientific research, a capable leader is extremely important.
Not to mention how clear Professor Yan's project and paper direction is, in the experiments, sometimes when Ji Zhixing couldn't figure out a problem no matter what, Professor Yan would understand the crux of the problem with just a glance and easily resolve it.
However, Professor Yan's pace has been slowed down, forcing him to allocate more research tasks to his four students. No one seems to mind, though; in fact, professors who spend every day in the lab like Professor Yan used to are a minority.
Ji Zhixing had no more objections. The more he interacted with the teacher, the more he realized the gap between them; he had so much to learn. Fortunately, Professor Yan was willing to teach him, and he felt that he had gained more in the past month or two in the lab than in the previous year or two.
Learning from the virtuous, Ji Zhixing followed Professor Yan's example and led the club to begin conducting simulation experiments. They spent over ten thousand yuan to buy six high-spec computers, and the first phase of equipment was ready.
Since their project has been recognized by the competition judges, it should be theoretically sound. To turn theory into practice, the most important thing is to find or synthesize materials that match their project, including the material and shape of the seat, as well as the components for pressure transmission and dissipation.
Ji Zhixing divided the 11 members of the club into 5 groups to conduct experiments. The main task was to use pound to synthesize various seat materials that could work in zero gravity, and to use E-exper to simulate the fit of various components. Basically, it was a trial and error process involving various possible combinations, which was a very time-consuming task.
The club's experiments weren't progressing quickly, but after improving their proficiency, by the eighth club activity, everyone was able to complete 10 sets of data within an hour. While they might not be on par with professional researchers, it wasn't too slow either.
Ji Zhixing was actually somewhat relieved that the researchers they hired in the initial stages were university students. If they had hired professional researchers, and were unlucky enough to encounter some with ulterior motives, they might have been sidelined or even had their research handed over to them.
It's incredibly easy for a capable person to do something malicious or set a trap without anyone noticing. At this stage, he might not even see the problem because of the knowledge gap, which would be a complete loss.
Ji Zhixing spends most of his daytime in Professor Yan's laboratory, balances evenings with club activities, and squeezes in system tasks whenever he can.
In the third stage, tasks involving attention, memory, and integration became his favorite tasks. Previously, when he had to juggle the lab, club activities, classes, and system tasks, he used every minute sparingly and was extremely frugal. However, because the time flow within the system was adjustable, he could enter the virtual space like a nouveau riche without having to worry about time and without much psychological burden.
Moreover, after a whole day of mentally exhausting himself with textbooks, computer screens, and experimental equipment, being in a forest, ocean, grassland, or even desert can help him relax. Working out and sweating while completing various tasks can also relieve the fatigue from excessive mental exertion.
While completing a task requires mental effort to train attention and memory, the experience of making judgments and decisions in the natural environment is different from analyzing data with instruments and materials in a laboratory. It's like how most people, even after a full meal, still have room for snacks.
During this time, Ji Zhixing searched for shipwrecks on the seabed and looked for oases in the desert, and was forced to learn many skills that he would never use in his daily life.
For example, how to locate shipwrecks based on ocean currents and wind direction, or how to find oases in the desert based on the distribution of sand lizards, cacti, and wind-eroded pillars. Although he might never use these skills in his lifetime, Ji Zhixing had a lot of fun. Even though he loved learning and research, having his mind constantly filled with data would actually hinder his divergent thinking. A little inspiration can often play an unexpected role in scientific research, so it's important to relax and give your mind some fresh air from time to time.
Moreover, through these adventurous activities, his attention, memory, and coordination skills were indeed greatly improved, and these abilities soon saved his life.
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