Awakening Elementary School System in University

Professor Lu didn’t seem to notice Chen Lin’s predicament. He sighed and said, as if to himself, "Sigh, my math skills are admittedly a bit lacking. I can understand the problem well enough to explain it, but when it comes to actually solving it mathematically, I’m completely at a loss."

He paused, then continued, "The project team originally wanted to ask Professor Gongtan from the Science and Technology University to take this on personally. But Professor Gong has too many research projects on his plate and was too busy to get away, so he strongly recommended you to us instead."

As Chen Lin listened, a plan instantly began to form in his mind.

He closed the documents in his hand and said to Professor Lu, "Professor Lu, I’d like to take these materials back with me to study them carefully. How about this: I will definitely give you a clear answer by next Friday."

Chen Lin’s plan was simple.

The first step, and the best option, was to pin his hopes on the academic prodigy by his side.

He’d give Shen Yan a few days to filter out all the material science and Physics-related knowledge, converting it into a problem that could be described in purely mathematical language.

If she could accomplish that, Chen Lin was confident he could use Little Mathematician to steamroll the problem.

Of course, he had also considered a second possibility.

’What if the interdisciplinary knowledge involved is too profound, even for Shen Yan?’

That wouldn’t be a problem, either.

He had a backup plan.

If it came to it, he would just take the materials directly to Dean Zhuang of the School of Mathematics.

After all, he was the draftee Dean Zhuang had personally dragged in. Now that the draftee had run into trouble, the dean, as his leader, couldn’t just sit back and do nothing, could he?

As long as Dean Zhuang could rustle up a professor for him—from the School of Mathematics, or even from another department—who had a solid math background and also understood solid-state batteries, and could explain the problem clearly, then the matter could still be resolved.

Hearing Chen Lin’s words, Professor Lu smiled with understanding and nodded. "No problem, that’s very reasonable. Academic research, after all, requires rigor and meticulousness. It can’t be rushed. Take the materials back and give them a good look. There’s no hurry."

He paused, then added, "When I was communicating with the project lead, Professor Tang Xuebing from the Science and Technology University, we agreed that solving this problem within two weeks would be considered an ideal pace.

After all, solid-state batteries are a complex, interdisciplinary field of study. Not all progress is completely blocked by this single mathematical problem. Of course, if a breakthrough can be made on this problem soon, it would undoubtedly speed up the entire project team’s research progress significantly."

"I understand." Chen Lin nodded, feeling more assured.

With the matter settled, he didn’t stay any longer. He politely said his goodbyes to Professor Lu and the senior student, Yan Lin, who had been sizing him up with a curious gaze from start to finish.

On the way back to the makerspace office, the autumn sun shone through the sparse leaves of the plane trees, casting mottled spots of light on the ground.

Chen Lin turned his head to the side, looking at Shen Yan walking quietly beside him. Her elegant brows were still slightly furrowed; she was clearly still thinking about the difficult problem.

"Let me tell you my plan," Chen Lin began in a relaxed tone, intending to keep Shen Yan from shouldering all the pressure herself. "First, you take a few days to look at this problem. It’d be great if you can convert it into a purely mathematical one.

If that doesn’t work out, I’ll just take the file to Dean Zhuang and call for reinforcements. Let him rustle someone up for me. After all, I’m the guy he drafted; he can’t just leave me high and dry, can he?"

Shen Yan stopped walking and turned around, her clear eyes gazing at him quietly. Under the sunlight, her long eyelashes cast small shadows, making her look exceptionally serious.

"I know you’re afraid I’ll be under too much pressure." Her voice was firm. "But Chen Lin, have you forgotten why I agreed to join your company in the first place?"

Chen Lin was taken aback.

"Just like how you helped me during the modeling competition, I want to be able to use my abilities to truly help you."

There was no trace of hesitation in Shen Yan’s gaze. "For the last few projects, converting the problems was relatively simple, so there wasn’t much I could contribute.

But this time is different. It’s very difficult and very challenging. I want to study it with everything I have and solve this problem for you through my own efforts."

She paused, then added, "Besides, I took a few Physics-related electives in college, and I touched on some continuum mechanics in my applied mathematics class. It’s not like I’m completely in the dark."

Looking into her eyes, which were brimming with earnestness, Chen Lin felt something stir gently within him.

He let his slightly laid-back expression fall away, replaced by a serious nod. His tone was encouraging. "Alright. I’m sure you can do it."

After saying that, he suddenly broke into a laugh, his entire demeanor instantly reverting to its usual relaxed state. "Okay, okay, let’s not make things so heavy.

Don’t be so tense; let’s just do our best. Worst case, if we really miss the deadline set by the project team, I’ll go personally apologize to the professors, and then solve the problem for them for free."

’He wasn’t just saying that to comfort Shen Yan.’

’Chen Lin had already figured it all out.’

Just last night, when Dean Zhuang had come to talk to him, he had seen this joint research project between the Science and Technology University and Yannan as a good opportunity to gild the company’s resume and build its reputation.

After all, solid-state batteries are the absolute hottest topic in the new energy sector right now. The publicity would be incredible.