I See through Everything

Upon hearing this, Jiang Miao nodded repeatedly. "Dean Zhu, you’ve considered everything so thoroughly. I will do my best to provide the best possible internship conditions to ensure the students have a rewarding experience."

Teacher Li said, gratified, "Then on behalf of the university, allow me to thank you in advance. I’m confident that this collaboration will not only help our students grow but also inject new vitality into your company."

Jiang Miao smiled in response. "It is my honor as well. I’m happy to do something tangible for the university and the students!"

The two parties chatted for over an hour. Sunlight streamed through the window, bathing them in a warm glow that seemed to foretell a bright future for their collaboration.

Li Zixuan took notes on the conversation.

Jiang Miao checked the time and saw it was nearly noon. He spoke up, "Everyone, it’s lunchtime. Please, allow me to play the host. We can continue our discussion over the meal."

"Haha, in that case, we won’t stand on ceremony with a big boss like you," Teacher Li joked.

He Lin, Zhu Longfu, and Zhao Donglai readily agreed.

Half an hour later, the kitchen had the meal ready.

The group from the university numbered eight. On Jiang Miao’s side, besides his secretary Li Zixuan, were Shuya, who had just finished an experiment, and her secretary, Li Wenna. This brought the total to twelve people.

The spread of dishes was quite interesting.

Several of the dishes came in pairs.

Steamed grouper and steamed Egyptian Catfish.

Kabayaki eel and kabayaki Egyptian Catfish.

Spanish mackerel fish balls and Egyptian Catfish fish balls.

Creamy Black Fish soup and creamy Egyptian Catfish soup.

The meal was rounded out with stir-fried Tomato and egg, Kung Pao chicken, White Truffle risotto, oysters braised with ginger shreds, steamed red-heart Xia Gu, a local specialty of vegetable cakes, stir-fried Morchella with shrimp, white-cut chicken, roast goose, blanched choy sum, and cabbage stir-fried with pork cracklings.

Jiang Miao gestured to the steamed fish, which had already been deboned. "Everyone, please try this fish. We’d love for you to help us make a comparison."

"Oh?" Zhu Longfu raised his chopsticks, selected a piece of the grouper, and took a bite. He nodded slightly. "This grouper is exceptionally fresh."

He then tried a piece of the steamed Egyptian Catfish. After a bite, he adjusted his glasses. "Is this really Egyptian Catfish? It’s incredibly sweet and fresh!"

"Yes, it is. This is the result of our company’s efforts over the past six months," Jiang Miao explained, popping a piece of the Egyptian Catfish into his own mouth. "By using a special feed formula and raising them in flowing-water ponds for about fifty days, we’ve managed to eliminate the muddy taste while increasing the protein content and the natural compounds that contribute to its aroma and sweet flavor."

Teacher Li, meanwhile, was full of praise for the stir-fried Tomato and egg before him. "This dish is excellent. The Tomato flavor is so rich. These must be the ’red-heart’ tomatoes your company developed, right?"

"You have a sharp eye, Teacher Li."

"Principal He, please try this Morchella. It’s from a batch Shuya cultivated, though it’s still in the laboratory phase."

He Lin tried a piece. "Oh? So Student Lin is researching Morchella as well?"

"Yes, Principal He. I’m currently researching high-yield cultivation techniques for Morchella," Shuya replied with a smiling nod.

The meal concluded, leaving everyone completely satisfied.

While the dishes might not have been as elaborate as those from a grand restaurant, the ingredients were exceptionally fresh and of high quality. This inherent flavor elevated everyone’s opinion of the meal.

As the saying from the documentary *A Bite of China* goes: The finest ingredients often require only the simplest cooking methods.

After a half-hour rest and a few cups of tea, they moved on to other matters.

Principal He set down his teacup. "Student Jiang Miao, the honorary doctorates the university applied for on your and Student Lin’s behalf have entered the approval stage. We expect it to be finalized in December, and if everything goes smoothly, the official announcement will be in January. When do you and Student Lin plan on visiting the campus?"

Jiang Miao rubbed the stubble on his chin. "How about next March? I have a trip to Monan Province scheduled for next year anyway."

Principal He nodded. "Then just contact Old Li directly when the time comes. There’s another matter. An alumnus would like to meet with you, Student Jiang Miao."

"Oh? Please, tell me more."

Principal He gave him the gist of it. "It’s Yang Hejun, the head of Yangcheng’s Chengyi Group. He’s an alumnus from the class of ’93. He’s expressed interest in collaborating with Hailufeng Company, though I’m not clear on the specifics myself."

"Certainly. Principal He, please give me his contact information later."

"No problem." Principal He breathed a silent sigh of relief and continued, "As for the third matter, I’ll let Old Zhu explain."

Zhu Longfu took a document from an assistant and handed it to Jiang Miao. "Student Jiang Miao, the university would like to appoint you and Student Lin as adjunct distinguished professors. Furthermore, if your honorary doctorates are approved next year, the university intends to appoint you as doctoral supervisors and move forward with establishing a graduate training base at Hailufeng Company."

Jiang Miao was surprised by the university’s move, but he knew that both he and Shuya were certainly qualified.

After all, in the eyes of Zhu Longfu and the others, these were future winners of the State Science and Technology Progress Award, First Class. They believed the probability of the couple’s artificial eel breeding and White Truffle cultivation technologies winning the award was 99.9%.

If these two breakthroughs didn’t win the first-class prize, the selection committee would likely be torn to shreds by public opinion.

Jiang Miao mulled it over for a moment before asking, "Dean Zhu, if I become a distinguished professor and a doctoral supervisor, I’ll still have to manage my company and conduct research. I may not have a significant amount of time to mentor students directly."

Zhu Longfu, clearly prepared for this, smiled. "That’s not a problem. Becoming a distinguished professor and doctoral supervisor doesn’t obligate you to take on students. Student Jiang Miao, Student Lin, you can make arrangements based on your own circumstances. The university will respect your decision."

"In that case, I have no objections," Jiang Miao said, nodding in agreement.

Shuya nodded as well.

This sort of appointment would help increase their influence in the academic world, and it would also lend more legitimacy to their research achievements.

After all, the first impression one gets from a "doctoral supervisor" is completely different from that of an "undergraduate."

As for Lion Mountain Agricultural University, they saw immense potential in the husband-and-wife team of Jiang Miao and Lin Shuya, which was why they decided to invest in them early on.

If the pair were to win other major awards in the future, the university would share in the glory. And even if they didn’t, their company was already a massive, multi-billion-dollar enterprise, which was just as beneficial to the university.