Awakening Elementary School System in University

After giving Huang Yiyi her tasks, Chen Lin’s gaze fell on Sun Yu, who had been standing to the side, fidgeting awkwardly.

To be honest, Chen Lin wasn’t quite sure what to do with Sun Yu at first.

The company had neither clients nor business at the moment. Huang Yiyi had clear administrative tasks, but ’what could Sun Yu do?’

’I can’t just have him sit around in this empty office all day, can I?’

The thought even crossed Chen Lin’s mind: ’Why not just let Sun Yu slack off for a few days? His salary is only eight thousand yuan a month, which is a drop in the bucket for me now anyway.’

But he dismissed the thought as soon as it appeared.

’Huang Yiyi is over here diligently planning the company’s infrastructure while Sun Yu is slacking off and watching from the sidelines. What would that look like?’

Just as Chen Lin was racking his brains, wondering if he should invent some temporary "market research" work for Sun Yu, Sun Yu seemed to read his mind. He took a step forward and spoke up, a bit awkwardly.

"Um, President Chen, I have something to report to you as well."

"Oh?" Chen Lin’s interest was piqued. He looked at him curiously. "Go on."

Sun Yu carefully pulled a printed document from his backpack. Handing it to Chen Lin, he explained, "President Chen, President Peng gave this to me when I was processing my resignation from the design institute a few days ago. It’s a client list. All the companies on it have had close partnerships with Tiansheng Group and are very reliable in terms of both reputation and resources. President Peng said that these clients could all become potential sources of business for our Yanhai in the future."

Chen Lin took the list and glanced over it. It listed a good twenty to thirty companies from a wide array of industries, ranging from traditional foreign trade and manufacturing to cutting-edge internet and biopharmaceutical companies—it covered everything.

"So, what I’ve been thinking for the past couple of days is this," Sun Yu’s tone grew much more confident, a clear sign that he already had a plan. "I want to start by thoroughly researching every company on this list. I’ll get a clear understanding of their primary business, industry background, and potential technical pain points."

He paused and scratched his head, a little sheepishly. "After all, my technical expertise is limited, so I can’t possibly understand the needs of every field. I need to first filter this list down to the clients whose requirements I can understand and can accurately translate into mathematical problems for you to solve. That way, we can be precise about the projects we take on and ensure everything goes smoothly."

After hearing Sun Yu’s methodical plan, the curiosity on Chen Lin’s face gradually gave way to open surprise and admiration.

’Not bad at all, Sun Yu!’

’It’s only been a few days, but this guy has already evolved from a corporate drone who just passively follows orders into a proper employee who can think proactively and plan his own work!’

’Looks like I wasn’t wrong about him.’

"Excellent!" Chen Lin patted Sun Yu firmly on the shoulder, his voice full of encouragement. "That’s a great idea. Do exactly as you’ve planned!"

He handed the list back to Sun Yu, thought for a moment, and then added something else.

"Take your time with the research; there’s no rush. When you’re filtering through the businesses you can understand, keep one principle in mind."

Chen Lin looked at Sun Yu, the corners of his lips turning up in a meaningful smile.

"Don’t worry about the technical difficulty. Just pick the one that pays the most."

After giving Huang Yiyi and Sun Yu their work, Chen Lin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Watching one of them rapidly jotting down a procurement list in a notebook while the other pored over the client directory, he felt the tangible reality of "being a boss" for the first time.

’Yeah, not bad. This is what it feels like.’

He nodded in satisfaction and began to plan his own work.

First, of course, was his graduation thesis, which was nearly complete.

Director Guo Qizhi had already told him that as long as he submitted the complete paper and Professor Gu Ming approved it, he’d be officially done—he could even skip the thesis defense.

Principal Chang Kai’s office would handle the rest of the early graduation process; all Chen Lin needed to do was sign a few papers when the time came.

As for the other, more important matter—his research on the major project, "Manifold Boundary and Hallucination Control in Generative Models"—he already had a clear plan for that as well.

Back home, he used to put in a solid three-hour block of high-intensity research in his "Little Mathematician" state every day right before bed.

While that extreme level of focus maximized his efficiency, the fatigue he felt afterward was very real.

It felt as if his entire brain had been hollowed out, making him want to do nothing but collapse into bed.

Now that the company was established, he planned to move his research time to the daytime.

To avoid interfering with his other work, he decided to shorten his daily research time to two and a half hours.

This would ensure the continuity of his research while keeping the mental drain within an acceptable range, so he wouldn’t be completely wiped out and want to do nothing afterward.

...

...

「Tuesday, August 19, 10:00 AM.」

「Yannan University, Innovation Hub, Second Floor.」

Huang Yiyi was astonishingly efficient.

In just one day, a detailed procurement list for office equipment was already sitting neatly in front of Chen Lin.

Chen Lin picked it up and saw that the list was extremely professional. It didn’t just list the name, model, and quantity of each item, but also included detailed specifications, price quotes, and even noted which vendors offered the lowest prices.

The bulk of the procurement cost was, naturally, the computer equipment Chen Lin had specifically requested the day before.

Eight workstations, each one outfitted with top-of-the-line specs.

i9 processor, 5090 graphics card, 64GB of RAM, 2TB solid-state drive... The PC tower alone cost over forty thousand yuan. Add two 32-inch 4K high-refresh-rate curved gaming monitors, plus a top-tier mechanical keyboard and ergonomic mouse, and the total cost for a single workstation came to nearly fifty thousand yuan.

In addition to what Chen Lin had requested, Huang Yiyi had also thoughtfully added two extra items to the list.

One was a high-speed all-in-one laser machine for printing, copying, and scanning, to be placed in a corner of the office for everyone’s convenience.

The other was a cute, anime-style beckoning cat figurine.

"I love this one!" Chen Lin’s eyes lit up as he pointed at the picture of the beckoning cat.

This particular cat subverted the traditional design. It was a chibi-style calico cat wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a small suit, with an "I’ve got this" expression on its face. It looked both professional and surprisingly cute, a perfect fit for the "professional yet lively" company culture Chen Lin envisioned for Yanhai.

Most importantly, it was a good omen!

When it came to these kinds of good-luck charms, Chen Lin’s philosophy was that it was better to believe in them than not.

He flipped to the last page of the list and glanced at the grand total.

[Total: 487,560 Yuan]

Less than five hundred thousand. Completely within an acceptable range.

Chen Lin put down the list and looked up at the poised Huang Yiyi standing beside him, his face showing unconcealed admiration.

’Now *this* is what I call professional!’

’Her thirty-thousand-yuan monthly salary is worth every last penny!’