Chapter 78 - 59: The Interview Begins
Liang Tianshi slowly opened his eyes and saw two figures standing respectfully by his side.
His gaze swept over them, and he recognized the man in the lead. It was Chang Kai, the principal of Yannan University, with whom he had spoken on the phone just a few days prior.
Beside Chang Kai stood a man who looked to be under forty. He wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and a smart shirt, emanating the refined, gentle air of a scholar.
"Ah, Principal Chang," Liang Tianshi said with a kind smile and a nod. "You’ve come as well."
"Yes, we are," Chang Kai hastened to reply, enthusiastically introducing the man beside him. "Let me introduce you. This is Professor Gu Ming, the vice chair of our Yannan University’s mathematics department. He’s also one of the young talents our school has recruited from overseas. The two of us came here specifically today to cheer on our school’s team and show our support."
Gu Ming quickly stepped forward, bowed slightly, and respectfully shook Liang Tianshi’s hand with both of his. His tone was sincere. "Elder Liang, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you."
The moment Liang Tianshi heard that Gu Ming was a talent who had returned from abroad, his eyes lit up, and he couldn’t hide his delight.
He gently patted the back of Gu Ming’s hand and said encouragingly, "Excellent, excellent! Seeing young people like you willing to return and contribute to the nation makes an old man like me truly happy!"
As the three were exchanging pleasantries, a booming voice rang out from nearby.
"Liang, look who’s here!"
The three followed the sound with their eyes and saw two more men walking toward them, their faces beaming.
Gu Ming took a closer look, a hint of surprise on his face. "Huh? Isn’t that Professor Feng Yunhai?"
"Oh? You two know each other?" Liang Tianshi glanced at him, a little surprised.
"I had the pleasure of exchanging a few words with Professor Feng during an academic conference in the Imperial Capital," Gu Ming replied humbly.
In the time it took to speak, the two men had drawn near. Liang Tianshi got a clear look at the portly man beside Feng Yunhai, and a look of surprised delight crossed his face. "Gong? What brings you here?"
The man called "Gong" was all smiles, looking like a Maitreya Buddha. He greeted Liang cheerfully, "Hello, Liang! I heard you were here, so I just had to come and pay you a visit!"
Liang Tianshi smiled and shook his head, then began the introductions for Chang Kai and Gu Ming. "This is Professor Feng Yunhai, whom you’ve met. The other is Gongtan, now a mathematics professor at the Science and Technology University."
He then turned to Feng Yunhai and Gongtan. "This is Principal Chang Kai of Yannan University, and this is Professor Gu Ming."
The men shook hands and exchanged greetings. Chang Kai was a master of social situations. Seeing that the others looked like they wanted to catch up, he immediately read the room and said to Liang Tianshi with a smile, "Elder Liang, please, you and the two professors chat. We won’t disturb you."
With that, he led Gu Ming away, heading toward the audience seating area at the back of the hall.
After they had gone, Liang Tianshi looked at Gongtan and asked, "How did you find the time to come all the way here from Anhui Province?"
Gongtan chuckled. "I was in a meeting over at the Science Academy. It had just ended when I stepped out and ran into Old Feng. The moment he told me you were here, my legs started moving on their own. I couldn’t have stopped them if I tried!"
Feng Yunhai, who was standing to the side, couldn’t help but tease, "You see, Liang? It’s been a few years, and our Gong Xiaopang has turned into Gong Dapang."
"What’s wrong with being fat?" Gongtan said nonchalantly, patting his sizable belly. "Because I’m fat, my students all find me kind and approachable. They’re willing to come to me with any questions. Isn’t that a good thing?"
Liang Tianshi studied Gongtan for a few moments, his smile gradually fading into a look of concern. In the earnest, heartfelt tone of an elder, he said, "Gong, you’re not young anymore. Being this overweight is certainly bad for your health. You should really try to keep it in check."
At these words, a sheepish, embarrassed look appeared on Gongtan’s face. His eyes darted, and he quickly changed the subject. "Oh, by the way, Liang, I heard from Old Feng that you asked him to find a problem to test an undergraduate student with later?"
Liang Tianshi gave Feng Yunhai a strange look. "Didn’t we discuss this in my office the other day? How does Gong know about it too?"
Gongtan burst out laughing and mercilessly sold Feng Yunhai out. "He didn’t come up with it himself! The slacker just posted your request in our student-brothers’ WeChat group and asked everyone to brainstorm. In the end, it was Xiong Jia who gave him the idea."
"Xiong Jia?"
Hearing this name, Liang Tianshi’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he pressed, "You’re still in contact with Xiong Jia? How... How has he been lately?"
Feng Yunhai sighed and picked up the thread. "A few years ago, he was doing great. He got tenure at Berkeley. Then, a couple of years back when the AI boom hit, he was hired by a Silicon Valley tech giant as a consultant for evaluating the mathematical capabilities of large models. He was flying high."
At this point, his tone grew heavy. "But over the last couple of years, things in the USA have started to tighten for people from over here. The tech giant couldn’t handle the pressure and ended its contract with him a while ago. The university is also using budget shortages as an excuse to cut his lab’s research funding. Times are tough for him."
After listening, Liang Tianshi fell silent for several moments. The quiet air in the hall seemed to grow heavy as well.
After a long moment, he finally spoke, his voice tinged with a barely perceptible hoarseness. "Has he said... whether he wants to come back?"
Feng Yunhai and Gongtan exchanged a glance. Finally, in unison, they both gave a slight shake of their heads.
Liang Tianshi took a deep breath and said nothing more. But his weathered eyes revealed an indescribably complex mix of emotions: memory, helplessness, and a trace of deep-seated longing.
"Right, Liang," Feng Yunhai said, as if trying to break the somber mood. He quickly pulled out his phone, opened an image, and held it out to Liang Tianshi. "This is the problem from Xiong Jia. Take a look. He also told me the general approach to solving it. I think it’s quite interesting..."
...
At 8:00 AM sharp, it was time. Guided by the staff, contestants from the various teams lined up at the entrance and began to file into the hall.
Chen Lin, standing in line, clearly overheard two boys in front of him discussing something in low voices.
"Holy shit, did you hear? This year’s judging panel is stacked. Even Academician Liang Tianshi is here!"
"For real? I heard the organizing committee tried to get him to come out of the woodwork for the past two years and failed. What’s different this year...?"
Chen Lin’s interest was piqued. After sitting down in his assigned seat, he took out his phone and typed the name "Liang Tianshi" into the search box.
The moment the search results appeared, even though he had braced himself, he was still floored by the long, dazzling list of titles.
[Academician of the National Academy of Sciences, former Vice Principal of Huaqing University, former Director of the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Mathematics and Systems Science, recipient of the National Highest Science and Technology Award...]
’Holy cow!’
Chen Lin clicked his tongue. ’Now that’s what you call a true titan of the academic world!’
It was just a passing thought, however. ’Someone of that caliber will probably never cross paths with me.’ He casually closed the search page.
Just then, stirring background music began to play throughout the hall. When it ended, a poised and professional female host walked onto the stage and announced with a smile, "Good morning, teachers and students! The final presentation session of the National College Student Mathematical Modeling Competition now officially begins!"
The presentation session was officially underway.
The procedure was actually quite simple. It was less of a presentation session and more of a final defense. Following an order determined by a draw, each team would send a representative to the stage to give a PowerPoint presentation on their paper. Then, the expert judges would ask a question or two, and that was it.
According to Shen Yan, the procedure wasn’t much different from the defense in the regional competition. The only difference was the addition of a "contestant Q&A" segment. If any of the other competing teams in the audience had questions about the presenter’s paper, they could raise their hands and ask on the spot.
However, this segment was more of a formality. Everyone was there to win an award; no one wanted to make things difficult for others on such an occasion. Several teams had already presented, and the atmosphere below the stage remained completely amicable. Not a single hand had been raised.
"Next up, we have the representative from the Yannan University team!"
As the host made the announcement, Shen Yan took a deep breath and, holding a USB drive, walked steadily to the podium.