Chapter 70 - 51: Still Just Earning Money for You
"No rush," President Peng said with a smile and a wave of his hand. "Come to my office for a chat. Have some tea and relax for a bit. If Engineer Pan and his team run into any small issues while they’re studying your work, they can ask you right away. Afterward, I’ll personally drive you to the high-speed rail station."
Chen Lin thought for a moment and agreed. He nodded and followed President Peng out of the conference room.
Behind them, Engineer Pan was leading a group of engineers, who were cautiously gathered around the few sheets of scratch paper covered in formulas. They were examining the papers and launching into a heated discussion.
The moment he stepped into President Peng’s office, Chen Lin was struck by an air of luxury.
The office was spacious, with a decor style that was both stately and grand. An entire wall was a massive floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the bustling cityscape.
The furniture was made of heavy, solid wood, and on the walls hung a couple of modern paintings that he couldn’t understand but felt were impressive. A faint, pleasant scent of incense drifted through the air.
Chen Lin thought about the luxury sports car President Peng had used to pick him up and muttered to himself. ’This design firm seems pretty average in scale, so how does the boss seem so loaded?’
"Sit anywhere you like." President Peng gestured toward the leather sofa in the reception area. He then walked over to an exquisite tea cabinet, pinched some leaves from a rustic-looking tea caddy, and began to boil water to prepare the tea. "Try my Da Hong Pao."
Chen Lin sat down on the sofa, took out his phone, and sent a WeChat message to his mom, Lin Xiaoqi: [I won’t be home for dinner tonight.]
He did a quick calculation. Getting home from Modu now, including the bus ride, would take until after seven. He decided he’d just grab something to eat at the FamilyMart convenience store near his house.
A little while later, as Chen Lin was browsing the Enki Love forums, a post caught his eye: "If your best friend suddenly won 5 million, would you be happy for them or jealous?"
His interest piqued, he clicked on it. The replies were all over the place.
There were the saints who said, "Of course I’d be happy, I might even get a free meal out of it." There were the brutally honest ones who admitted, "Happy on the outside, but bubbling with sourness on the inside." And there were the conspiracy theorists who analyzed, "That money would destroy our friendship, eighty percent chance."
Chen Lin pursed his lips. His fingers flew across the screen as he added a reply below.
"I’d just be amazed. People actually win that thing?"
Just as he hit send, a rich, mellow aroma of tea drifted over and filled his nostrils.
President Peng came over holding an exquisite Zisha teapot set. He placed a small, delicate aroma cup steadily on the coffee table in front of Chen Lin. The tea itself was a clear, bright orange-red—clearly of exceptional quality.
"Thank you, President Peng." Chen Lin immediately locked his phone screen and sat up straight.
President Peng sat down on the sofa across from him, poured himself a cup, and then raised it, looking at Chen Lin with an expression of amazement that hadn’t quite faded.
"Chen, if I can be frank," he said with emotion, "when I first heard Sun’s report about how skilled you were, I’ll admit I had my reservations. But seeing it for myself today, I finally understand what ’seeing is believing’ means. Truly, I’m blown away."
President Peng’s gaze was full of admiration, without a trace of false pleasantry. "From my layman’s perspective, the way you solved those problems can’t be described as simply ’impressive.’ You’re a true genius."
But Chen Lin just smiled, picked up his teacup, and slowly replied with a joke.
"You’re too kind, President Peng," he said with a shrug, his tone light. "No matter how much of a genius I am, I’m still just working to make money for you, aren’t I?"
"Haha!"
President Peng was taken aback for a second, then burst into hearty laughter, the admiration in his eyes deepening.
He liked dealing with intelligent people, especially young people like this one—smart, capable, neither arrogant nor servile, and with a relaxed attitude.
President Peng shook his head with a smile and followed up on Chen Lin’s comment. "Speaking of which, that reminds me of the suggestion I mentioned to you last time."
The smile on his face faded slightly, and his expression turned serious. He leaned forward a little, looked Chen Lin in the eye, and asked:
"Have you given it any more thought? The matter of transferring to the mathematics department."