Chen Chen walked briskly on the forest path of the campus.
It was early spring. A light drizzle was falling from the sky and the scent of soil was everywhere.
Amidst the crowd, Chen Chen always attracted a lot of attention.
Chen Chen's appearance was not outstanding, but the aura he exuded from within made him the most eye-catching in the crowd.
It was just an ordinary T-shirt and jeans, but Chen Chen's every movement gave off the vibe of a superstar.
Chen Chen silently exited the webpage about Xia Yin's mentor, put down his phone, and fell into deep thought.
"A very scheming person..."
This was Chen Chen's first impression of him.
According to the information in the academy, his name was Zheng Jian, an associate professor. He was 38 years old this year and graduated from the University of Salia in North America with a double doctorate in biochemistry and pharmacy.
To be able to obtain the title of associate professor at such a young age, his ability and skill were both indispensable.
Although this person's status in the academic world was far from Wang Xi's, he was still a mountain to Chen Chen.
If a conflict broke out, Chen Chen had no chance of winning.
Of course, that was in the past.
Chen Chen looked up Zheng Jian's information online. At most, it mentioned that his spouse had passed away due to medulloblastoma a few years ago and they had no children.
However, after only half a year, Zheng Jian had found a new lover. She was the daughter of a high-ranking official.
There was also an attached picture of a man sitting in front of an office desk.
The man had thin cheeks and wore gold-rimmed glasses. There was a harsh look in his eyes.
Apart from that, there was a neat bookshelf behind the man. On the desk in front of him, there was a computer, a pen holder, a thermos cup, and a photo frame.
The photo frame was blurry. One could just barely make out the figure of a woman in a white dress.
The reason he was able to find all this was thanks to the highly developed Internet.
Of course, that was all there was to it.
It was impossible to find more detailed information about this person online. After all, he was not a celebrity in the entertainment industry.
Soon, Chen Chen arrived at the ground floor of Office Building Three.
"Chen Chen!"
Not far away, Xia Yin ran over, waving her hand. She kept apologizing as soon as they met. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't expect things to turn out like this!"
"It's fine. Tell me what your mentor wants."
Chen Chen waved his hand and the two of them walked upstairs together.
"My tutor hopes that you and I can give him the position of corresponding author and first author. In exchange, he can help us get recommended postgraduate studies."
Xia Yin said, "Of course, it's fine if you have other conditions, but …"
"What do you think?" Chen Chen turned to look at Xia Yin.
"Tutor is already preparing to apply to the school for me to make an exception and recommend me for postgraduate studies …"
Xia Yin was a little vexed. "I think it's pretty good. Didn't we conduct this experiment to guarantee postgraduate research? Now that we've achieved our goal, two theses shouldn't be a big deal, right?"
Chen Chen shook his head and said nothing.
There was a thought trap in this.
If these two theses were successfully published, Xia Yin and Chen Chen would qualify for postgraduate recommendation. Not only that, but these two theses would also bring huge dividends to their futures.
Using the position of first author and corresponding author in exchange for a postgraduate recommendation was putting the cart before the horse.
Even so, Chen Chen did not voice any objections. After all, this experiment was funded by Xia Yin.
If he did not agree to transfer the position of corresponding author, it would be tantamount to offending Xia Yin's tutor and cutting off Xia Yin's path to postgraduate study.
Of course, it was not Chen Chen's style to directly compromise. It was possible to be the corresponding author, but the other party had to pay the right price.
Moreover, based on Xia Yin's tone, the other party not only wanted Chen Chen as the corresponding author but also Xia Yin as the first author.
According to international practice, the first author was the corresponding author by default.
This situation was very common. Generally, the first author was the one who contributed the most to the thesis. Unless the corresponding author was specifically indicated, the first author was the corresponding author by default.
This Professor Zheng was the one who wanted the position of the absolute first author.
Seeing that Chen Chen did not speak, Xia Yin also fell silent.
Just like that, the two of them went all the way to the fifth floor and came to the door of Xia Yin's tutor's office.
"Chen Chen, over the past three months, I've seen your capabilities. If you really can't do it, just turn him down..."
As if she had mustered up her courage, Xia Yin suddenly said these words.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Chen Chen shook his head, suddenly picked up his phone, and said to Xia Yin, "Oh right, who's the woman on your tutor's desk?"
"Huh?" Xia Yin tilted her head and looked. "Oh, this is his deceased ex-wife. What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing."
Chen Chen nodded, turned around, and knocked on the office door.
"Come in."
A somewhat hoarse voice called out. Only then did Chen Chen open the office door and walk in.
This was an office about fifteen square meters in size.
Just like the picture he saw on the Internet, the layout of the office was exactly the same. Even the positions of the pen holder and the photo frame on the desk were exactly the same.
"Hello, Professor Zheng."
After a brief look, Chen Chen retracted his gaze and nodded at the middle-aged man in front of him.
"Oh, you must be the Chen Chen that Little Yin mentioned. Come, come, come, sit down!"
To Chen Chen's surprise, the middle-aged man in front of him stood up and shook hands with Chen Chen enthusiastically.
Seeing Chen Chen's somewhat flattered expression, the middle-aged man could not help but chuckle. "Little Yin, you can go back first. I want to have a good chat with Chen Chen."
"Alright." Xia Yin nodded, discreetly shot Chen Chen a look, then turned around and left the office.
It was not until Xia Yin had gone out and closed the office door that the middle-aged man straightened his expression.
"Let me introduce myself first. My name is Zheng Jian, Little Yin's tutor. I heard from Little Yin that you only spent three months to complete a very innovative experimental project. That's not easy at all."
"Fortunately, it's not all my effort. Xia Yin and my other roommate also helped a lot."
Chen Chen sat on the sofa and answered while looking around the office.
Zheng Jian's office was not large. Apart from a desk and a bookshelf at the back, there was only a mahogany pendulum clock at the entrance.
This pendulum clock was a grandfather clock. It was two meters tall and the pendulum below was golden in color. Through the transparent glass, one could see that it was constantly swaying. It looked very luxurious.
Chen Chen showed a look of interest. He stood up and walked to the pendulum clock to carefully examine it.
"What, are you interested in my pendulum clock?" Zheng Jian asked with a smile.
"Professor Zheng, this pendulum clock is from the Netherlands, right?" Chen Chen asked in return.
"Huh, Chen Chen, you're so knowledgeable about pendulum clocks?"
Zheng Jian said in surprise, "That's right, this pendulum clock is indeed imported from the Netherlands. I thought it looked good, so I put it here."
"Pendulum clocks made in the Netherlands have the most classical charm. Unfortunately, they're not accurate enough and often need to be adjusted."
Chen Chen nodded. "Professor Zheng, do you know what time it is now?"
"Now..." Zheng Jian looked at the time on the clock. "Isn't it 9: 35 in the morning?"
"But my phone shows 9: 40."
As Chen Chen said this, he opened the protective case of the clock and set the time back five minutes.
Zheng Jian frowned but said nothing in the end.
"Now, the time is right."
Chen Chen smiled and turned back to sit on the sofa.
As if sensing that the atmosphere was not quite right, Zheng Jian glanced at the pendulum clock before saying, "Chen Chen, let's get straight to the point."
Chen Chen immediately put on an attentive expression.
"You should know that Xia Yin is my student. I have every reason to be responsible for this experiment that she invested in."
Zheng Jian said earnestly, "But considering that you've contributed enough, I won't mistreat you. After all, I'm very satisfied with this experiment. Your abilities and ideas are even more amazing. I have high hopes for you and am willing to invest in you. "
Chen Chen did not say anything but his expression seemed to be wavering.
"How about this, when you're in your third year, choose me as your mentor. I'll directly apply for a postgraduate recommendation in our school and try to use you for future projects and topics!"
Zheng Jian struck while the iron was hot. "In addition, I can also try to help you fight for scholarships and whatnot. I only have one condition, and that is..."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
