Not only were Yang Guangye and Yang Li feeling anxious and bewildered,
but even the surrounding experts and professors were now showing a bit of surprise.
A research paper?
A project?!
Could it be... had Yang Guangye discovered something new?
With this thought, the way everyone looked at Yang Guangye changed.
"Dean Yang, you really are a dark horse!"
"Exactly, we must have more exchanges on any future collaborations!"
"Absolutely, Dean Yang, shall we have a chat at lunch?"
…
Yang Guangye looked at the enthusiastic reception from everyone around him and felt a mix of emotions.
He knew his own level and standing.
As for a research paper... he hadn't written anything recently, let alone submitted it to "Chinese Basic Medical Research."
And he was aware of Yang Li's abilities, which didn't add up to such a possibility either!
He couldn't figure out why Xu Tong had called them to his office for a detailed discussion.
The paper was obviously fabricated!
But... if Xu Tong really had taken a liking to his niece, what should he do?
Yang Guangye's heart was filled with complexities.
What he couldn't fathom was what exactly Xu Tong was thinking...
However, he couldn't deny that being praised and courted felt really good.
It had been a long time since Yang Guangye had felt like the center of attention.
Alas...
And so, three people, each with their own thoughts, arrived in the private room.
Xu Tong gestured for his secretary to pour tea for them before looking at Yang Li with a smile, making Yang Guangye's scalp tingle with fear.
"Excellent!"
"A true student reflects the teacher's art."
"Young Yang indeed possesses both beauty and talent, a promising young person!"
"I read this paper several times very carefully, pondering it over and over, and found that the hypothesis's feasibility is extremely high."
"Dean Yang, your expertise in the Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle is impressive. It's like they say, when sincerity is applied, the hardest stone yields."
"This article was submitted a few days ago, and the editorial staff were uncertain, so they asked me to re-evaluate it. Upon reviewing it, I was amazed!"
"Basic Medical Research should serve clinical practice, and opportunities to apply the Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle in clinical settings are not frequent. Yet this time, whether it's the framing of the hypothesis, the grasp of clinical thinking, or the search for indicators, all are very precise!"
"You could say this hypothesis is a microcosm of a project in itself."
"With just a bit of sculpting and careful planning, drafting a proposal would be no problem, and securing funding from the National Natural Science Foundation wouldn't be an issue!"
Caught up in his excitement, Xu Tong patted Yang Guangye's arm and said:
"Yang, I give you my word that if you draft a good proposal for this project and submit it,"
"I guarantee it will get approved!"
"The funding will be no less than 3 million yuan!"
"We'll treat it as a key project!"
"Rest assured!"
"But... I do have a slightly awkward request; I don't know if it's possible for you to agree!"
After finishing, Xu Tong gave a significant smile and Yang Guangye felt his scalp go numb.
Goodness me!
Goodness…
Aren't those terms too generous?
A direct promise of a 3 million yuan National Natural Science Foundation project?
The sincerity is overflowing!
As for precision in intention, great project entry points, unique indicators... all that's nonsense.
I haven't even shown you the damn thing.
And you're saying all this?
And about that unsolicited request—sure enough, the old fox is showing his tail, the plot is revealing itself!
But suddenly, Yang Guangye was at a loss; he glanced at Yang Li, wanting to ask: Lili, what do you think?
However, at that moment, Yang Li was just as lost, having no clue what the other party was talking about.
What is going on here?
Could there be some mistake?!
Unable to help it, Yang Li blurted out: "Professor Xu, I... I haven't published any research papers?"
Seeing this, Yang Guangye sighed; you foolish child, can't you see through it?
Can't you understand the adult world?!
All these are nothing but hints and rhetorical tricks...
However, since his own niece didn't agree, he couldn't exploit her for glory; Yang Guangye wasn't that kind of man...
So, he decided to burst the bubble himself.
"About that, Professor Xu..."
"Although I really would like to apply for a project, I still need to clarify something."
"Recently, neither my team nor I, including Lili, have published any papers, nor have we submitted anything to the journal 'Chinese Basic Medical Research.'"
"So, could there be some misunderstanding?"
Xu Tong too was baffled by this statement.
"Ah?"
"A misunderstanding!"
"No way."
"I have the draft of the paper right here."
As he spoke, Xu Tong immediately turned on his laptop, pulled up a document, and said,
"See, the author is Chen Gong!"
"Corresponding author: Yang Li, Contact information: 186..."
"Affiliated institution: Shanhe Medical University."
"Isn't this Chen Gong a member of your team?"
At these words, Yang Guangye and Yang Li exchanged a look, a flash of light simultaneously appearing in their eyes.
Chen Gong!
They were all too familiar with this name.
Just that, hearing this name from the mouth of Xu Tong was too shocking!
Yang Li quickly said, "This, Professor Xu, Chen Gong did not inform us in advance about publishing the paper."
"So, I don't know much about this matter."
"Could we... take a look at the paper?" she asked.
Xu Tong, upon hearing this, also looked at them with some surprise.
"Aren't you the mentor?"
Yang Li let out a bitter laugh, "It's a long story, there were some complications."
Upon hearing this, Xu Tong did not respond but turned the computer around, thinking to himself... could it be that Chen Gong was not valued there?!
Or is it possible that there is some conflict with Yang Guangye that led to Yang Li being listed as the mentor?
It's well known that there are no shortages of disputes between mentors and students in the academic circle...
This really piques one's curiosity!
Meanwhile, Yang Guangye and Yang Li hurriedly began to read the paper on the computer closely.
Time flew by quickly!
And the shock in Yang Guangye's heart grew greater and greater with time.
Amazement!
Bewilderment!
Shock!
Astonishingly talented!
"Genius!" was the only thought in Yang Guangye's heart after reading the paper: "An absolute genius!"
He now fully believed in Chen Gong's abilities.
It was laughable that just a few days ago he couldn't believe it was the work of a student.
Yet even so, the progress was too fast; just days ago, he reviewed Chen Gong's notes and saw only a vague outline without a clear idea of the subject.
But just a few days had passed.
And such a brilliant point of entry had been conceived.
Arteriosclerosis!
Tsk tsk tsk... Ingenuity.
Impressive!
Why hadn't he thought of this himself?
Compared to Yang Guangye, Yang Li wasn't faring much better. She had originally wanted to take Chen Gong to explain things to her uncle.
But who could have imagined that in just a few days, Chen Gong would come up with such a hypothesis!
No wonder there had been no news from Chen Gong these past few days...
He was truly amazing!
Even those so-called young talents are nothing in comparison, right?
Too impressive!
So impressive that it almost seemed abnormal.
After all, her uncle had been researching this subject for a long time and still had no definite direction, while Chen Gong was only in his second year of college, and just a few days had passed?
Yet he could come up with such a viable hypothesis.
With a bit more refinement, it would be a key project for the National Natural Science Foundation.
After finishing his reading, Yang Guangye took a deep breath, "Professor Xu."
"I have only seen the initial version of this paper; I haven't seen this current version."
"However, I will definitely design a good study for this subject when I return."
"Yang Li and Chen Gong will both be members of our research team!"
Xu Tong smiled slightly and, looking at Yang Guangye's serious expression, said,
"Oh? Members!"
"Chen Gong is the proponent of this research hypothesis, are you just going to give him an ordinary member role?"
"To tell you the truth, Dean Yang, do you have some conflicts with Chen Gong?"
"If it weren't for the fact that I am not familiar with Chen Gong, I would even want him to take charge of this subject!"
"Seeing as you have spent so many years on the Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle and both Chen Gong and Yang Li are members of your team, you're best suited to take on this subject."
"So, here's my request: Chen Gong must be one of the top three leaders in the research team!"
"This is non-negotiable, because I also need to communicate with the review panel."
"Besides that, I hope I can join your research team, rest assured, I'm not after any false honors."
"I just think that this subject will be very meaningful and must be accomplished!"
"It is too important for the study of arteriosclerosis!"
"When I have time, I will have a detailed talk with Chen Gong about this matter."
At these words, Yang Guangye stood there stunned.
One of the top three leaders?
At that moment, Xu Tong suddenly looked at Yang Guangye and asked,
"By the way, Dean Yang, if it's convenient, could you tell me about Professor Chen's situation?"
Yang Guangye and Yang Li immediately tensed up.
"Professor Chen???"
...
ps: Hehe, thanks to the generous 10,000 reward from "Wang Yihan", thank you.
Thanks to "军刄" for the 1,500 reward, you've followed two books now, but... I really don't recognize the second character, haha.
Thank you everyone for your support!