Chapter 56 - 45: The Son Has Grown Up
That evening, the atmosphere at the dinner table was warm.
The brand-new air conditioner in the living room quietly circulated cool air.
A smile never left Lin Xiaoqi’s face. She kept putting more food on her son’s plate, her muttering having changed to, "My son is so promising."
Chen Xian didn’t say much, but the unconcealable relief and pride in his eyes were more genuine than any words could be.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, and the complex storm of shock, relief, and pride had begun to subside, Chen Xian’s usual cautiousness started to take over.
He put down his chopsticks, pushed up his glasses, and looked at Chen Lin with a calm gaze. "About that math consulting gig of yours," he began, "what’s the real story? I still don’t quite get it."
Hearing this, Lin Xiaoqi was immediately displeased. She nudged her husband with her elbow. "Oh, you. Why are you getting so serious? Our son already explained it. A big company approved of his work, which means he really has the skill for it!"
Chen Xian ignored his wife’s interruption and kept his eyes on Chen Lin. "It’s not that I don’t believe you; Dad’s just worried. You’re a liberal arts student. It’s one thing if your math skills are good enough to tutor middle schoolers, but a place like an engineering design firm handles huge projects worth tens or even hundreds of millions. How could they possibly come to a Chinese Language and Literature major to solve their math problems?"
’Here it comes.’
Chen Lin had been expecting this. His emotional mother wouldn’t overthink it, but his knowledgeable and cautious old man wasn’t so easily fooled.
He quickly ran through his prepared explanation, omitting the part about borrowing an acceptance letter and transcripts from Shen Yan to post on a second-hand e-commerce site to boost his credibility.
"Dad, it was actually quite a coincidence. Last semester, I don’t know what came over me, but I suddenly got really interested in math. I started spending all my free time in the library, reading through the entire undergraduate math curriculum and even some more advanced academic books."
"The more I read, the more I realized I might actually have a knack for it. A lot of things that used to look like complete gibberish gradually started to make sense, and I could even extrapolate from them."
He spread his hands, a perfectly crafted ’I don’t get it either’ look on his face. "As for the design firm, I just posted a consulting service on an e-commerce site to try my luck. They were the ones who reached out to me. The two consultations I did for them were very effective, otherwise they wouldn’t want to establish a long-term partnership."
This half-true explanation made Lin Xiaoqi ecstatic. She joyfully slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "I knew it! My son is a genius!"
Chen Xian, however, wasn’t as emotional as his wife. He gave his son a deep, thoughtful look and nodded, not pressing the issue any further.
In his view, while the process was important, the results spoke for themselves. Regardless of how his son had managed it, earning the recognition of a professional engineering design firm was proof enough of his ability.
"Alright, as long as you know what you’re doing." Chen Xian paused thoughtfully for a moment, then changed the subject. "But this consulting work can only ever be a side gig. You’ll be a junior next year, so it’s time to seriously consider your future career path. A degree in Chinese Language and Literature doesn’t exactly open a lot of doors."
’Right on cue!’
That was the exact opening Chen Lin had been waiting for. He immediately put down his bowl and chopsticks, sat up straight, and his expression turned serious.
"Dad, Mom, I was just about to talk to you about that."
"I’ve decided. Next semester, I’m going to apply to transfer to the mathematics department."
The smile on Lin Xiaoqi’s face froze instantly, replaced by sheer shock and worry.
"Transfer? To the math department? Son, are you serious?" Her words came out in a rapid-fire burst. "Switching from liberal arts to a science track, would the university even allow that? Besides, math is so hard! You haven’t taken a single one of their classes; it’s all self-study. What if you can’t keep up?"
"Sit down first!" Chen Xian barked, gesturing for his wife to calm down. He then turned his sharp gaze back to his son.
"Do you have a clear assessment of your current math abilities?"
"Have you considered what you’ll do if you can’t keep up with your studies after transferring? No matter what you major in, graduating successfully should always be your top priority."
"How confident are you? What’s your specific plan?"
"Dad, you don’t need to worry about my skill level," Chen Lin said, his tone calm and confident. "I’d dare say I’m much better than the vast majority of undergraduate math majors."
He took out his phone, found his previous chat history with Shen Yan, and showed it to his parents.
Shen Yan had informed him about the trip to the Imperial Capital via a voice call, but her initial message from a month ago, thanking him for his help with the modeling, had been a text.
"A while ago, I helped a team from our university’s math department optimize an algorithm for a modeling competition. Thanks to that solution, they’ve already won first prize in the regionals, and a national first prize is pretty much in the bag. Next month, they’ll represent the university at an in-person event in the Imperial Capital, where they’ll compete for the national championship. They’ve already submitted my name to the school, and I’m set to go to the Imperial Capital with them in the middle of next month."
"They promised to split the prize money with me, fifty-fifty. If they win the championship, I’ll get six thousand."
Most of the doubt in Chen Xian’s eyes dissipated. Chen Lin had no reason to lie to them; if worst came to worst, they could just go to the Imperial Capital with him to verify it.
"As for the rules about switching from liberal arts to a science track," Chen Lin continued, "rules are rigid, but people are flexible. At a top-tier domestic institution like Yannan University, there’s always room for favors and special exceptions. As long as I can demonstrate sufficient value—for example, by helping the university win honors in a national competition—I can probably convince the school’s leadership to make an exception for me."