Chapter 58 The Principal's Office. Yan Anjin, who had been urgently summoned, sat quietly on the sofa, watching Yu Yuan, the dean of the School of Mathematics, argue his case.
"Ji Zhixing should undoubtedly take courses in the Department of Mathematics; his mathematical talent should not be buried in the Department of Physics!"
Yan Anjin remained silent, having no objection to the Dean of the Mathematical Sciences' suggestion. As a student, it would certainly be good for Ji Zhixing to learn more if he had the capacity. Of course, this was on the premise that he himself was willing.
Moreover, it doesn't necessarily have to be at Guangling University. However, no matter how tactless he is, he wouldn't say this in front of the president and all the deans of Guangling University.
It would be more appropriate to discuss this matter privately with Ji Zhixing.
Zhu Ren, however, found Yu Yuan's words somewhat unpleasant to hear: "What do you mean by 'burying' him? Ji Zhixing's achievements in the Navier-Stokes equations were built on the foundation laid by the Dean of the Physics Department."
They're in such a rush to recruit Ji Zhixing into the Department of Mathematics, do they think he doesn't know why? Ha!
"Hey, Lao Zhu, don't nitpick! I was just expressing my appreciation for your talent!" Yu Yuan turned to Yan Anjin and said, "Lao Yan, you know I didn't mean it that way, please don't misunderstand!"
If they want to recruit Ji Zhixing to the Department of Mathematical Sciences, Yan Anjin absolutely cannot afford to offend him.
The teachers at Guangling University all know that when Ji Zhixing won first prize in the CUPT competition, his advisor was Yan Anjin. Earlier this year, he visited Yan Anjin's lab again, and it's said that this paper was written in his office.
It's clear that Ji Zhixing had a close relationship with his physics professor. To persuade Ji Zhixing to take courses in the mathematics department, Yan Anjin couldn't be allowed to interfere.
Several deans from various colleges were also sitting on the sofa; they had all come specifically to confirm the matter with the principal after receiving the message.
Those seven journals are so prestigious that even a full professor would find it difficult to publish a single paper in their regular issues. Now, a third-year student has published seven in one go! How could they not be both delighted and astonished?
The students' understanding of these seven journals is mostly based on objective impressions; they only know that they are top-tier, prestigious journals. But they are the ones who have truly and subjectively experienced the difficulty of getting their manuscripts accepted. Who among them hasn't had their work rejected a few times?
They could understand Yu Yuan's eagerness; as the dean, who didn't need achievements?
In terms of morality, ability, diligence, performance, and integrity, any outstanding performance by any teacher or student in the college can be recorded in the dean's merit book.
Seven SCI papers published in top international journals, including two in CNS journals, is undoubtedly the most brilliant achievement in Yan Anjin's resume as dean! Who wouldn't envy her?
While Yan Anjin certainly possesses strong teaching and research abilities, his success is also partly due to good fortune.
Ji Zhixing, such a promising talent, just happened to fall into his lap. He was unknown when the old dean was in charge, but after Yan Anjin became the dean, he began to shine. Moreover, he is only a junior, and he still has a year and a half to contribute to the college.
Therefore, it is entirely understandable that Yu Yuan was eager to get half of Ji Zhixing from Yan Anjin. If Ji Zhixing hadn't shown no interest in biology, chemistry, or engineering, they wouldn't be able to let Yu Yuan have all the credit now.
Yu Yuan spoke eloquently to the principal for over ten minutes before the principal finally showed any reaction. It wasn't that he was intentionally being negligent; it was just that his heart was slowly calming down. Thankfully, Zhu Ren had insisted he take a few nitroglycerin pills, otherwise he would have been overjoyed at the news and immediately faced a tragic end.
The principal was even a little scared. The most glorious day in the history of Guangling University should not be shrouded in misfortune because of such a blunder!
He raised his hand to stop Yu Yuan from taking the plunge, and slowly said, "Do you think it's necessary for Ji Zhixing to continue his undergraduate studies?"
In fact, which university couldn't Ji Zhixing attend now? Of course, as the principal, he would never remind Ji Zhixing of other options unless Ji Zhixing took the initiative to speak up, and that staying at Guangling University would be the best option!
Yu Yuan was taken aback for a moment, then immediately realized: "Graduate courses are fine too, any master's supervisor in the School of Mathematics would welcome him!"
As long as Ji Zhixing registers his student status in the School of Mathematics, he will be able to add 2 CNS journal articles and 5 SCI articles to his academic record this semester!
The principal turned his head to the other side: "Dean Yan, what's your opinion?"
"I personally have no objection, and I will convey Dean Yu's thoughts to Ji Zhixing later."
Yan Anjin remained expressionless as always, but Yu Yuan could see the opposition in his face.
"Why can't we have him come to the principal's office now? I can talk to him in person and save Old Yan the trouble of making an extra trip." Who knows what Yan Anjin might say in private!
Yan Anjin glanced at Yu Yuan and thought that it was better to say it to his face than for Yu Yuan to go to Ji Zhixing in private.
When facing the dean of the college privately, Ji Zhixing, as a student, would be at a natural disadvantage and might not be able to truly express his thoughts.
It wasn't that he had any issues with Yu Yuan—of course, he did look down on this kind of opportunistic approach—but the main reason was that the faculty and resources of the School of Mathematics at Guangling University were not outstanding. Ji Zhixing was now completely at Yenching University or Tsinghua University, where Gao Xiao could still look after him.
It's not impossible for Ji Zhixing to pursue further studies abroad if he's willing; there's really no need for him to continue wasting his time in the shallow pool of Guangling University.
Of course, this was just his idea; everything still depended on Ji Zhixing's wishes. Although Ji Zhixing was young, he was very principled. He couldn't make decisions for him under the guise of doing what was best for him.
Seeing that Yan Anjin did not object, Zhu Ren took out his phone and called Ji Zhixing, asking him to come to the principal's office as soon as possible—in fact, he had just left the principal's office an hour earlier.
Ji Zhixing returned, and as soon as he entered the door, he saw Dean Yu of the School of Mathematical Sciences staring intently at him. Several professors sitting on the sofa also looked over.
"Uh... Hello, teachers." Ji Zhixing greeted them politely.
Even though Dean Yu was very enthusiastic, he still had to save face in front of the students. He cleared his throat and gave Zhu Ren a wink, signaling that he should speak first.
Zhu Ren was quite straightforward and asked directly, "Zhixing, Dean Yu believes you have a great talent for mathematics and hopes you will take courses in the mathematics department. What do you think?"
Huh? Ji Zhixing had never thought about this before.
Admittedly, mathematics is an important tool for studying physics, and the physics department's curriculum also includes some mathematics subjects. The reading list and questions provided by the system also contain a lot of pure mathematical content.
He has been working with Navier-Stokes equations for the past year and has also learned a lot of extra math, but he has not yet thought about taking a systematic course in mathematics.
He actually planned to use this opportunity to apply for early graduation and then formally become Professor Yan's student. Although he solved the Navier-Stokes equations, it didn't mean he didn't need to continue learning.
In fact, he felt that there was a large element of luck involved in solving the Navier-Stokes equations. Just like unraveling a nine-linked ring puzzle, those who don't know the trick are helpless, but once they grasp the key, the seemingly complex structure can be solved in an instant.
The same applies to academic problems, especially mathematical problems. He simply had a lucky flash of inspiration and grasped the key to solving the Navier-Stokes equations.
In the halls of knowledge, he has only just begun to explore; there is still so much for him to learn.
However, taking courses in mathematics was not originally on his agenda. After all, his greatest interest lay in theoretical physics.
However, now that I think about it, it's not entirely impossible. But taking courses in mathematics isn't something that can be done overnight; he needs to consider it carefully.
Ji Zhixing said tactfully, "Thank you for your kind offer, Dean Yu, but I haven't thought about taking additional courses yet. Please allow me a few more days to consider it."
In front of Yan Anjin, Yu Yuan couldn't say much. He could only sincerely tell Ji Zhixing that as long as he agreed, he would definitely tailor a talent training plan for him and all the resources of the School of Mathematics would be tilted towards him.
After saying all that, Yan Anjin left with Ji Zhixing.
Seeing that everything was alright, Zhu Ren followed along, casually asking, "Where were you just now? Try not to leave the school for the next while. The thesis will probably get out soon, and then a lot of media outlets will be waiting to arrest you."
"I will definitely stay at school." Ji Zhixing was also afraid of the media's all-pervasive presence. "I was reading in the library just now."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Ren couldn't help but glance at him. This kid really had a good mentality. He threw a bomb and caused chaos at Guangling University, but he himself went back to studying as if nothing had happened.
As Zhu Ren thought about it, he took out his phone and wrote down the detail in his notes, reminding himself to use this detail to highlight Ji Zhixing's excellent qualities such as diligence, humility, and composure when writing summary reports or receiving media interviews.
Ji Zhixing has solved the Navier-Stokes equations, and he anticipates that Guangling University will be bombarded with interview requests from the media for a long time to come. As the office director, he certainly can't miss this great opportunity to promote the school, and he needs to start gathering interview material now.
In fact, the media, with their extremely keen sense of smell, had already released a wave of press releases.
"The most brilliant math genius publishes 8 SCI papers in one month"
Seven SCI papers published simultaneously: A look at the hellish difficulty level of seven journals.
Why Undergraduates Can Publish in Top Eight Journals: Secrets Most People Don't Know
Which CNS (Cell, Nature, Science) journals are the best? This 985 university is a surprise.
Shocking! A junior student's publication of 9 SCI papers raises questions; the top student responds: "Check it freely, I didn't rely on my parents' connections."
For writers with a humanities background, understanding what the Navier-Stokes equations are is not an easy task, but that doesn't stop them from bypassing this brain-teasing element and focusing on the quantity of their papers and the prestige of the journals they publish.
With the help of numerous media outlets, the related terms quickly became trending topics.
"Is this some kind of 'Onion News'? Publishing an SCI paper is so difficult. Even the top researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences wouldn't dare to say they can publish eight in one go."
"Is it seven, eight, or nine articles? Can't these unscrupulous media outlets at least agree on a single story?"
"There's a divide between humanities and sciences. Reporters probably think that publishing SCI papers in science and engineering is as easy as publishing news."
"It seems that The Paper was the first to publish it. Doesn't everyone know what kind of media outlet this is? They have no journalistic ethics and only chase traffic."
"I still remember Ji Zhixing. He published a paper in Science in half a year. This time, the media is just putting old wine in new bottles and misusing the material!"
"Let's wait for the news to take a turn for the better and let it circulate for a while."
"Reversal my foot! Is it that hard to bypass the Great Firewall? Several major journals have posted about it on their official websites. I've even posted screenshots on my homepage. Go see for yourself."
"The state media just released the news, so the information should be accurate! There really is such an amazing person!"
Compared to new media outlets that hastily absorb news elements in pursuit of trending topics, state media outlets only published their news after carefully studying the connotation and significance of the NS equation.
Although it didn't catch the initial wave of popularity, its more complete news elements and authoritative nature still quickly attracted clicks and discussions from a large number of netizens.
"I don't understand it, but I'm deeply shocked. Ji Zhixing is a junior, and so am I. How can there be such a huge gap between people!"
"So Ji Zhixing published one SCI paper half a year ago, and then recently published eight more in one go? Do his papers grow in the ground?"
"What's the purpose of his published paper? It seems to be quite a sensation."
"In short, it solves the problems of calculating the construction quantities at the boundaries of the subsonic and sonic regions, as well as some classic problems in flow stability, stochastic matrices, and wave equations."
"If the Navier-Stokes equations have solutions, then a series of problems such as the transition threshold guessing of the three-dimensional Couette flow, the pseudospectral boundary guessing of the Oseen vortex operator, and the linear stability of the pipe Poiseuille flow in the case of large Reynolds numbers can be easily solved."
"Couldn't you have explained it in a simpler, more understandable way? I don't even know how to enjoy the gossip."
"To put it simply, the Navier-Stokes equations are to fluid dynamics what Newton's second law is to classical mechanics, and are also equivalent to the sophon barrier mentioned in The Three-Body Problem."
"All you need to know is that the Clay Mathematics Institute has offered a $1 million reward for the Navier-Stokes equations."
"Damn! One million dollars for each question!"
"In fact, it has no impact on our real world. Fluids will still flow as they always do, airplanes will still fly as they always do, and everyone will continue to eat and drink as usual."
“Superficial! Knowing the general solution of the Navier-Stokes equations means that we can use fluids as freely as we use electric currents. This will greatly simplify the design of ships and airplanes, and even the research on rockets and the movement of galaxies.”
"For example, in the past, designing a new submarine required extensive simulations to consider the pressure, drag, and turbulence effects on different parts of the submarine due to different speeds and water depths. Now, through the precise application of the Navier-Stokes equations, these data can be calculated directly, and then the optimal structure can be adjusted accordingly."
"That's right, this is a major boon for our country. Objectively speaking, we still lag behind the United States in terms of military equipment. However, applying the general solution of the Navier-Stokes equations can help us quickly shorten the research time, while the United States, limited by current technological development, is unlikely to make any major breakthroughs in the short term. The gap between the two countries will soon be narrowed rapidly!"
"That's wonderful! God bless China!"
"Hehe, these are all too far removed from most people's real lives."
"Wouldn't disaster prevention and weather forecasting along the river and sea be considered close by?"
"Yes! Putting aside everything else, the weather forecast will be more accurate."
"That's great. I always felt that the weather this year was particularly strange, with spring droughts and autumn floods, and sudden changes in temperature. The weather forecast was inaccurate many times."
"Exactly, my closet is crammed with clothes for all four seasons, and I don't know what to do with them."
"For students, the most direct impact is that fluid-related textbooks can be at least half the size."
"Waaaaah, why do good things always happen after I graduate?!"
While releasing a series of press releases, the media outlets contacted Guangling University and Ji Zhixing through various channels.
The university president and the director of the office, representing Guangling University, were the first to be interviewed, praising the university and Ji Zhixing to the media.
Meanwhile, some media outlets that were not allowed to enter the school waited outside and caught some students from Guangling University.
The students were very generous in their interviews and then showed the reporters the most popular items at Guangling University.
Looking at the handsome photos of Ji Zhixing tucked into the students' textbooks, the reporter asked, "Do you all idolize Ji Zhixing and therefore make your own merchandise?"
He felt the news report could mention the impact of the entertainment industry's atmosphere on schools.
"No," the student shook his head. "This is a blessing plaque for passing exams! Look, the front is a picture of a top student, and the back is a miniature version of the top student's perfect answer sheet. Nowadays, almost everyone in the school has one!"
He estimated that once Ji Zhixing's paper was published, researchers would have to replace the perfect answer sheet on the back with a nine-point paper.
The reporter looked at it for a long time before finally saying, "Ah... I see."
Although it's not quite what he expected, it's still a good source of material!
Reporters used every trick in the book to try and get firsthand information. But none of them were able to interview Ji Zhixing, because he had already been taken away by people from the Military Equipment Research Institute.
Ji Zhixing sat in the jeep, feeling slightly nervous, but not unnecessarily worried.
In fact, before he got on the bus, Director Qi had already made it clear to him that he was only invited to the research institute to explain the derivation details of the Navier-Stokes equations to everyone.
After all, those eight papers were all too brief.
While the top researchers at the institute could certainly deduce the results from the paper themselves, given the gravity of the matter, everyone felt it was safer to have the paper's author, Ji Zhixing, explain it to them in person.
Several tens of minutes later, Ji Zhixing was taken to the airport and flown to a research institute in the northwest on a private plane.
The research institute looked unremarkable on the outside, but inside there were countless obstacles, just like scenes from a science fiction movie, making Ji Zhixing both nervous and excited.
In front of a door, Ji Zhixing met someone he had met once before.
The man smiled kindly at Ji Zhixing: "It's been a year, do you still remember me?"
"Of course I remember, Professor Wen!" Seeing the familiar face, Ji Zhixing's mood eased a little—this was Professor Wen Zhengyang, the chairman of the CUPT competition's judging committee.
"The younger generation is truly formidable!" Wen Zhengyang gently patted Ji Zhixing on the shoulder.
He had previously seen Ji Zhixing apply the Navier-Stokes equations flexibly to the zero-gravity seat project, and heard that he had also solved the application of the Navier-Stokes equations in earthquake prediction software. At that time, he thought that this young man had unlimited potential.
But they really didn't expect that Ji Zhixing could make such a big breakthrough in just one year, which made them old guys both embarrassed and happy!
Wen Zhengyang led Ji Zhixing inside, saying, "You must be tired from your journey. I should have come to ask for your advice, but it would have been too much trouble for us old folks to go out together, so I had to trouble you to make the trip."
"No, no! It's my duty." As a junior, Ji Zhixing waved his hands repeatedly.
He found that learned scholars were usually very kind and approachable, while so-called experts who were only half-baked were always arrogant and haughty.
Wen Zhengyang came to pick up Ji Zhixing specifically to make sure the young man wasn't too nervous in this serious place, and led him to the room arranged for him.
"You should rest first. Tomorrow, we'll ask you to explain the derivation of the Navier-Stokes equations to everyone."
Ji Zhixing stopped in front of the door. If the matter was urgent, he didn't need to rest.
He asked cautiously, "Professor, may I ask what applications of the Navier-Stokes equations you are currently researching?"
"Weather weapon!" Wen Zhengyang exclaimed.
A note from the author:
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