Bab 21: Chapter 21 This Time I Kept the "Idiot" to Myself
Yu Chenggong directly bought three tickets, so three people boarded the high-speed train together.
The reason they were heading back together was that Yu Chenggong wanted to wrap up the matter he had promised to Lu Xiuxiu.
Some things just don't feel settled unless you handle them personally; there's always the fear that a problem might arise.
It's not that he didn't trust Director Zhuo, but Yu Chenggong was very clear that the director would definitely not handle the procedures himself, delegating them to his subordinates instead.
How could others possibly care about it as much as he did?
If there were any mistakes, it would be a major loss.
Of course, this wasn't to say that Yu Chenggong was particularly reliable or kept his word.
In fact, many of Yu Chenggong's promises were forgotten as soon as they were made, depending on the person.
This is also why, although Yu Chenggong was just a recruitment officer, he had already paid in full for three properties in Xilin City and lived an even more leisurely life than many professors.
What made people even more envious was that every cent he earned was clean.
Not a single yuan came from illicit gains earned through his position as a recruiting officer.
This was where Yu Chenggong's success truly lay.
He had been in the higher education circles for over ten years and had never taken a single illegal yuan. Yet, he managed to receive every cent he was entitled to without any shortfall.
Sadly, in the broader context, this was considered a remarkable skill.
...
Yu Chenggong booked second class seats, with the three people in the same row.
After boarding the train, he tilted his head and quickly fell asleep in the seat next to the aisle.
It was a special skill honed from frequent business trips.
Even if there was a group of three lively young people, one male and two females, sitting opposite him, chattering away as soon as they boarded, it didn't affect Yu's ability to fall asleep instantly.
Qiao Ze sat by the window, quietly looking outside.
Li Jiangao sat in the middle, ruminating over the peculiar experiences of the conference he had just attended.
Until his phone suddenly rang.
After he answered the call and chatted for a few minutes, Li Jiangao turned to Qiao Ze beside him and said in a low voice, "Liu wrote a letter to the author of the paper, Professor Ronier, asking if you want to add your name to it."
Qiao Ze turned around, glanced at Li Jiangao, and his eyes showed a hint of confusion.
Li Jiangao thought for a moment and replied, "Pointing out mistakes to the paper's corresponding author is also a kind of goodwill gesture, right? Once confirmed, the paper's author can contact the journal editor to retract the paper or revise and republish it. Liu has always wanted to go abroad for an exchange and probably wants to make more international friends."
Qiao Ze pursed his lips and asked, "Does that help you?"
Li Jiangao was taken aback and then shook his head, saying, "I don't have such plans right now."
Qiao Ze said, "I need it even less. If you need it, just let me know. I've read many papers, both in Chinese and English, not just on Group Theory, but other fields as well, like geometry, many of which have obvious errors."
Li Jiangao blushed with embarrassment and simply replied, "Then I'll just tell him that on WeChat."
He doubted the "obvious" errors Qiao Ze spoke of were truly that obvious, but he couldn't argue.
However, although the two spoke in low voices, the gap between the seats in the second-class carriage was only so wide, and the dialogue between the two was still captured by the three young people sitting opposite them.
The trio looked clearly taken aback, and the young man even sneered and covertly pointed at Qiao Ze with his left hand, then covered his mouth with the other and whispered something into the ear of the girl sitting to his right, making her burst out laughing.
Li Jian Gao hadn't noticed these details, but when he saw Qiao Ze's gaze toward the opposite side suddenly carrying a hint of disgust and disdain, he followed Qiao Ze's gaze and just happened to catch the boy's sneaky actions.
A nameless fury inexplicably rose from his chest.
In that moment, he seemed to experience the helplessness and sorrow that Qiao Ze had endured in the first half of his life.
Clearly a genius who could see the essence of things at a glance, but when he tried to express it, what he got in return was misunderstanding and even mockery from a crowd of mediocrities. Plus, with an already incomplete family situation, how could he socialize like a normal person?
If it were him, he'd find even calling the others fools insufficiently relieving!
So, after frowning, Li Jian Gao spoke to the three people opposite him in an unfriendly tone, "I just heard you talking about work, right? You're all university students who haven't graduated yet, correct? At this time of year, you must be seniors who've come back after job interviews to prepare for your thesis defense, right? May I ask, which school's brilliant students are you?"
It must be said that when an associate professor puts on a stern face, especially in front of a few students, he commands quite an authority.
At this moment, Yu Chenggong, who had been sleeping, also opened his eyes.
He glanced at Li Jian Gao in surprise.
He could certainly detect anger in the associate professor's tone.
But he was genuinely asleep just now and didn't know what had happened, he only glanced at Qiao Ze and vaguely guessed a bit.
As for the three young people on the opposite side, after exchanging looks, the only male among them replied, "Yeah, we are seniors, from Xilin University of Technology, what about it? Is there a problem?"
Li Jian Gao said coldly, "Oh, from our own university, huh? The main campus or the Dongyue Road branch? Never mind, just tell me which department you're from, and I will call your counselor right now to ask how they usually manage you. After studying for four years at Xilin University of Technology, haven't you even learned the most basic respect?"
The three of them were suddenly taken aback.
For a while, they were quite unsure about Li Jian Gao's approach, but seeing his age, he obviously couldn't be a student, could he be a teacher?
It was just too coincidental, making one wish to cry out, "My family, who knows? Taking a train, and you still run into a teacher from your school?!"
Thus, the male student didn't dare to reply, and the smiles at the corners of the female students' mouths also disappeared.
After all, it was only May, and they hadn't received their graduation and degree certificates yet.
"Why so quiet now? Then let me say a few words. He—that's the person you were just pointing at and talking about; his name is Qiao Ze. He's a mathematical genius and the future hope of our Xilin University of Technology School of Mathematics!"
"I can't guarantee that he will earn more than you in the future, but I, Li Jian Gao, can assure you, his future achievements are something you couldn't reach even if you stood on the top floor of a skyscraper and jumped!"
"I hope after today, when you encounter something you don't understand, you will have the integrity to question it boldly rather than sneakily do little tricks, trying to show off how clever you are! Understand?"
The male student opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately kept quiet.
In his view, being able to find a multitude of errors in a paper just by glancing at it was nothing short of a fairy tale, especially since Qiao Ze looked so young.
However, the two female students beside him had already quietly taken out their phones.
And they quickly found Li Jian Gao's name, photo, and profile on the official website of the Xilin University of Technology School of Mathematics...
The girl on the right gently handed her phone to the boy, after taking a look.
Yu Chenggong watched the small actions of these students across from him, grinned, and lay down to sleep again.
Qiao Ze, on the other hand, turned to give Li Jian Gao a glance.
He didn't quite understand why Uncle Li bothered saying so much to these fools; they wouldn't understand anyway. But it still made him feel warm inside, and as he turned his head back to look out the window, his gaze softened as well... The scenery outside was truly beautiful!
He even heard a constrained "I'm sorry" and without turning his head, responded softly, "It's okay."
The words "complete idiot" were gently tucked away in Qiao Ze's heart this time.
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