"You're going to give it a shot?" Luo Jiuwen was instantly stunned.
After all, this guy was different from him—he's a born-and-bred Yanbei Faction mber, and in old-fashioned terms, a textbook loyalist. And now, even he was thinking about heading to Xilin?
"Shh, keep your voice down." Xin Zhenyang glared at Luo Jiuwen.
Fortunately, the conference room was noisy, with everyone talking among themselves, and no one paid attention to the two whispering in the corner.
"What's gotten into you?" Luo Jiuwen lowered his voice to ask.
"What's gotten into ? Do you expect to pass on such a golden opportunity?" Xin Zhenyang replied, looking at Luo Jiuwen as if the question was absurd.
"But your ntor is still at Yanbei. And isn't your youth research grant from last year still unfinished?" Luo Jiuwen couldn't resist reminding him.
"Yeah, but Zhang has also advised to at least give it a try. Zhang promised to speak up for regarding the grant as well."
Xin Zhenyang responded matter-of-factly and then explained, "Think about it: when it cos to the Yanbei Faction, isn't Xu the true and legit face of it? Back when he was raising a fuss about going to Xilin, do you rember how big the uproar was? So many people couldn't understand it then. But tell , how many people don't get it now?"
At that mont, Luo Jiuwen felt like splitting apart. A sudden, absurd thought flashed in his mind: is there anyone in this world who doesn't want to head to Xilin?
Wonderful. Now it seed like, aside from the administrative leaders of the academy and the research center, nearly everyone else was dreaming of making a dash to Xilin. How slim were the odds of success if even they wanted a piece of the action?
But then he rembered: Xilin had officially announced 600 spots. Yanbei was the strongest institution in Huaxia apart from their rival university, so their chances actually weren't too bad. Especially since they might be able to get connected with Xu Changshu for support there.
"No, seriously, Xin, are you dead serious about this? You're not like —you've already settled down in Yanbei. What does your wife think about you heading to Xilin?"
"I called and discussed it with her; she's okay with it, and she might even co with . Plus, Xilin's education system is pretty decent. If I actually get into the Xilin Mathematical Research Institute, our kid might have a shot at studying at Xilin's affiliated middle school, right? I've looked into it; Xilin's middle school is pretty strong too. Hey, how did we get so off-topic? Back to business—if the ti cos, I won't ask for leave. Can you cover one of my classes for ? Anyway, if I go to Xilin, wouldn't that relieve so of the pressure on you?"
MMP!
Luo Jiuwen cursed inwardly, looking at Xin Zhenyang and feeling like his head had swelled to the size of a cauldron.
What kind of twisted fate was this, always having to compete with this guy no matter where they went?
"Have you ever considered that I might want to give it a shot too?"
"What? Luo, are you serious? Why would you want to go? You worked so hard to get into Yanbei… Isn't Yanbei great? Besides, your chances of getting promoted this year are so high!" Xin Zhenyang asked in astonishnt.
Clearly, the two shared an unusual consensus—they both thought the other shouldn't want to leave Yanbei…
"You also said it's just 'high hopes.' Last year, my hopes were high too—but did I get promoted? Nope. And anyway, if you want to go, why wouldn't I?" Luo Jiuwen replied irritably.
The two stared at each other.
Xin Zhenyang blinked and asked, "Did you apply and get a written test invitation?"
"Yeah." Luo Jiuwen nodded.
"What's the date?"
"The 10th, 4 PM."
"Phew... Teacher's Day, huh? That's fine. Mine's on the 9th, 10 AM. Perfect—since the 8th is a Sunday, I'll head out on the 8th and co back on the 9th. How about you cover for on the 9th, and I'll cover for you on the 10th?"
Luo Jiuwen gave it so thought and nodded. "Deal."
"Deal. Good luck!"
"Mm." Luo Jiuwen grunted in response, still finding the whole situation utterly absurd.
Just then, the two directors from the School of Mathematics and the research center walked into the conference room.
"Alright, everyone, please take your seats. The eting is starting. I have another important eting at three o'clock, so I'll keep this brief. First, the School of Mathematics has decided that from the 9th until the Mid-Autumn Festival break, which is the 14th, no young lecturers or associate professors under 40 are allowed to take leave.
If you have special circumstances, please list your reasons explicitly. Let be direct: unless it's the death of an imdiate family mber, a marriage, or the birth of a child—don't even think about it; leave will certainly not be approved. Second, any young lecturers or professors with unfinished projects in hand—forget it. Until your projects are completed, you're not going anywhere!
That's the stance of the School of Mathematics. If you have any objections, co talk to privately. I'll go attend my other eting now, and I'll leave further details to Director Chen."
With that, the dean couldn't care less about the reactions of the stunned young academics in the room and strode off without looking back.
Leaving behind a roomful of dumbfounded faces...
Seriously?! Yanbei University's lost its sense of decency?!
...
Yanbei University was rely a microcosm of countless other institutions at this ti.
In truth, the more prestigious the university, the more the managent was left pulling their hair out. Everyone knew that joining Dou Dou's research system ant there was no room for slackers.
A research contribution tric that couldn't be tampered with was indeed enticing for young talents who believed in their own abilities.
As for those who thought they were hotshots but were, in reality, diocre, the rigorous written and interview processes of the Xilin Mathematical Research Institute would eliminate them. The fact had been proven ti and ti again: Xilin's influence in foundational mathematics research was unmatched.
But this didn't an that lesser universities could escape unscathed.
They already had a talent shortage. Now their top-tier researchers were trying to jump ship. If they actually succeeded, how could the institutions survive?
What could they do—abandon foundational disciplines like mathematics and physics altogether?
Nationally, siphoning off 600 lecturers and professors under the age of 40—who the hell could take that kind of blow?
The pressure ultimately landed on the powers in the Capital.
Being confrontational didn't seem to work too well, but soone still had to diate.
At this mont, the bigwigs in the Capital were staring at the applications for Xilin's 600 salary-funded positions, scratching their heads...
Against the backdrop of austerity asures and shrinking budgets, a single research institute demanding 600 positions felt a bit excessive.
But then again, while a governnt-funded position ca with subsidies, it was a re drop in the ocean compared to the contributions of the person requesting those roles. Take, for example, a materials science model—it alone opened up markets in the trillions.
More importantly, it bolstered investor confidence in the country's infrastructure developnt. From a macro perspective, during Huaxia's crucial economic transition, it was like injecting a supercharged dose of confidence.
In fact, one could argue that in the global competition ahead, this single achievent had already guaranteed an unassailable edge.
It wasn't just about foreign trade; it was about seamlessly integrating the entire dostic economic cycle.
This was even evident in a recent luxury villa advertisent by a certain developer.
A crane fitted with a heavy-duty demolition hamr arrived in front of a villa and, within half an hour, reduced the structure to rubble.
anwhile, the sa machinery, with the sa demolition hamr, pounded against another villa built with new materials for two hours, yet the structure remained intact...
The final tagline was simple: "A true century-long legacy, guaranteed for a hundred years. Who could refuse?"
For now, products marketed towards the civilian sector were just the beginning, dependent on market trends.
The real focus was the gigantic list of public infrastructure projects submitted from across the country: dams, bridges, railways, highways, subway stations, schools, civil defense facilities, earthquake zone reconstruction plans... and more.
Most importantly, these proposals were ones that investors, both dostic and international, could get behind.
In essence, Qiao Ze had solved one of the nation's most pressing issues.
With that calculation, 600 positions seed both justified and conservative.
"Approve it. Why not approve it? The whole nation's watching Xilin; this is the prototype for the future. If Xilin sets the example, the rest of the country won't lag behind. Once the central region takes off, it can even bring the western regions along. I think it's a great plan."
"But what about the complaints?"
"If you can't keep your own talent, stop whining. Figure it out yourselves! The contracts are contractual—just follow them. What's there to discuss?"
"That..."
"Alright, if it's truly impossible to manage, tell them this is a one-ti exception, never to be repeated. Maybe after Xilin fills their slots, we can issue an announcent: no more young scholars gallivanting off with unfinished projects. Any better ideas? First, go appease Professor Qiao—otherwise, if he stirs up more trouble, who's heading to Xilin to clean up the ss?"
"..."
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