Awakening Elementary School System in University

However, before they could even digest this news, someone spoke up. "Allow me to add a few words."

Principal Chang Kai, who was standing to the side, cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention. "Given the exceptional mathematical talent Mr. Chen Lin has demonstrated, the university, after careful consideration, made a special exception for him to take the exemption exams for several core courses in the School of Mathematics.

Ultimately, Mr. Chen Lin passed all the exams with a perfect score. At the same time, his undergraduate thesis has already passed the joint review by the School of Mathematics’ academic committee."

With a look of unconcealable pride, Principal Chang Kai looked at the reporters below the stage and announced the final decision.

"Therefore, the university has officially approved Mr. Chen Lin for early graduation at the end of this semester!"

’He’s graduating early before the first semester of his sophomore year is even over?!’

The reporters’ eyes went wide. They had all seen stories about various geniuses online, but for many of them, this was a rare opportunity to see one in the flesh.

The reporters’ pens flew across their notepads as they frantically scribbled down this new development.

Another male reporter snapped out of his shock and quickly raised his hand. "Mr. Chen Lin! May I ask what your career plans are for the future? Are you preparing to enter the corporate world directly, or will you choose to continue your studies, pursue a master’s and a doctorate, and follow the path of academic research?"

This question was also one Chen Lin had prepared for.

He smiled and replied, "The two aren’t mutually exclusive. In terms of my personal development, I’m honored to have received joint support from the university and a third-party investment firm, Tiansheng Investment. With their help, I’ve already established a startup called Yanhai Technology Consulting Co., Ltd. in our university’s innovation space, and it’s currently operating well."

"At the same time, I will not give up my love and pursuit of mathematics. While ensuring the company’s smooth operation, I will use my spare time to continue my academic research."

Principal Chang Kai seamlessly took over the conversation again, beginning to tout the university’s policies.

"Here at Yannan University, we have always actively responded to the nation’s call. For students like Chen Lin, who have both ability and ambition, the university will do everything in its power to provide them with the best platform and resources."

With that, his tone shifted. A mysterious smile appeared on his face as he dropped another bombshell.

"Moreover, I can responsibly tell you all that Mr. Chen Lin’s academic research has already achieved a major breakthrough. He is currently compiling a related academic paper and is preparing to aim for a top-tier journal in the SCI mathematics field!"

The moment he said this, the entire room was stunned.

The reporters felt like their brains couldn’t keep up.

Starting a company and graduating early were already explosive enough. Now he was tackling a top-tier mathematics journal?

’Chen Lin must be a superhuman with master-level time management skills!’

"Mr. Chen Lin! Can you please reveal the specific research direction and content of your paper?"

"Which field is it in? When will it likely be published?"

The reporters instantly erupted, clamoring with questions all at once.

Chen Lin simply smiled calmly at the enthusiastic scene before him.

"Thank you all for your concern. However, the paper is still in its final stages, so it’s not convenient to disclose specific details just yet. I trust that when it is officially published, everyone will naturally find out."

He said this nonchalantly, but with a confidence that was impossible to miss, successfully piquing everyone’s curiosity to its peak.

In the time that followed, the reporters asked a few more questions about his study methods and personal growth, all of which Chen Lin answered according to the responses he had prepared in advance.

The entire interview concluded smoothly in a lively and harmonious atmosphere.

As soon as the interview ended, however, a small doubt surfaced in Chen Lin’s mind.

He found it a bit strange. ’How did Principal Chang Kai know I was preparing to submit to a top journal?’

But after a moment’s thought, he was relieved.

’The principal probably asked Director Guo or Professor Gu Ming about me to prepare for this interview. Given how highly they think of me, it’s only natural they would have told him.’

Having figured this out, Chen Lin didn’t dwell on it. His answers during the interview had been fine, so he briefly said his goodbyes to Principal Chang Kai, turned around, and headed back to the innovation space.

...

...

「Two days after the interview, on Saturday, September 27th.」

The weather in Jinmen City had finally cooled down a bit from the dog days of summer.

Huddled in his rented room, Chen Lin typed the final punctuation mark.

"Done."

He let out a long sigh and leaned back in his chair, savoring the sense of accomplishment that welled up from deep inside.

Compared to the slightly clumsy, learn-as-you-go state he was in while writing his thesis, he was far more composed this time.

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. The process of converting forty pages of complex mathematical derivations into a logically rigorous and clearly structured English academic paper went quite smoothly.

He carefully checked the formatting and citations one last time. After confirming there were no errors, he emailed the paper, titled "On the Manifold Boundary and Hallucination Control in Generative Models," to Professor Gu Ming.

He had thought it would take Professor Gu at least a day or two to provide feedback. After all, a paper of this caliber required scrutinizing every detail.

But to Chen Lin’s surprise, he sent the email in the morning, and by just after nine o’clock that same night, Professor Gu Ming’s reply was already sitting in his inbox.

The efficiency was almost absurdly fast.

With a hint of curiosity, Chen Lin opened the email. Professor Gu Ming’s reply was concise, but every line was filled with undisguised admiration.

[To Chen Lin: I have reviewed the paper. Compared to your undergraduate thesis, your progress this time is immense! There has been a quantum leap in both the fluency of your writing and the professionalism of your academic language. As for the mathematical proofs and calculations, the framework is logically tight, and the methods and perspectives are novel. My own expertise is insufficient to find any flaws.]

[I’ve only made a few annotations on some minor details, which you can use as a reference for revisions. I wish you a successful submission!]

Chen Lin immediately downloaded the attachment and opened the annotated document.

Just as Professor Gu Ming had said, the vast majority of the suggested changes were focused on professional terms that Chen Lin himself had been unsure about and had resorted to AI translation for.

The rest were minor, harmless adjustments to the wording that gave the paper a more academic flavor.

Chen Lin felt a surge of gratitude for the professor.

Without delay, he immediately began polishing the paper again, word by word, following the annotations.

After completing the final draft, he expertly navigated to the official JAMS website. Following the submission guidelines, he created an account, filled in his information, and finally, solemnly uploaded the PDF document that carried his latest research findings into the submission system.

When the "Submission Successful" notification popped up on the screen, Chen Lin’s heart grew calm.

Everything was in place; all that was left was to wait for the results.

He picked up his glass and took a sip of water. As his gaze swept idly across his desk, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

He remembered something.

Back when Academician Liang Tianshi had spoken to him privately after the mathematical modeling competition, he had promised the old academician that he would pursue some real academic research when he had the energy.

Now, this paper could be considered a respectable progress report.

With this in mind, Chen Lin no longer hesitated. He opened WeChat and, in his long list of contacts, found the profile picture of the contact he had never spoken to—Liang Tianshi.