Chapter 220 - 167: Set in Stone
Just as Chen Lin was about to turn and signal the staff to change the board, several volunteers had already wheeled a few brand-new spare whiteboards up behind him.
At the same time, the large screens on either side of the conference hall also changed.
The left screen switched to a static, panoramic image stitched together from the contents of the three filled whiteboards.
Meanwhile, the right screen continued to show a live feed of the fourth, blank whiteboard where Chen Lin was about to resume writing.
This thoughtful change, however, was a bit frustrating for the small portion of the audience seated on the left side of the hall.
A few who reacted quickly had already left their seats. Clutching their laptops, they tiptoed over to the corridor on the right side of the hall, found an empty spot, and sat on the floor, their focus unbroken as they watched Chen Lin continue his work.
Chen Lin took advantage of the brief pause as the volunteers came on stage to change the whiteboards to relax his intense focus for a moment.
His gaze swept over the audience.
After half an hour of intense calculation, the audience had naturally split into distinct groups.
The novices who couldn’t keep up and were utterly lost had either already slipped out of the hall or were slumped in their seats, bored, playing on their phones while they waited for the final result.
The people still intently studying the contents of the two large screens could be divided into two main groups.
The first group consisted of the mathematical heavyweights who had great confidence in Chen Lin’s abilities.
This included people like Academician Liang, Professor Qiu Chengtong, and Schultz, who had already experienced Chen Lin’s capabilities firsthand. It also included others, like Professor Moitra and Professor Figali, who had developed complete trust in him through his previous papers and lectures.
These individuals were now struggling to keep up with Chen Lin’s train of thought, hoping to draw inspiration from his calculations for their own research.
The second group were those who were simply there for the drama, hoping for a spectacle.
To them, it didn’t matter whether Chen Lin successfully completed the proof, failed, or was publicly stumped by an error he couldn’t fix. Any outcome would be major news, enough to shake the entire academic world.
Witnessing such a potentially historic moment firsthand, regardless of the outcome, made the trip worthwhile.
Chen Lin retracted his gaze. The volunteers had already set up three new whiteboards, arranged neatly behind him.
He took a deep breath, turned, and stood before the fourth blank whiteboard.
Once again, he focused his mind and blocked out all distractions.
In his mind, the [Little Mathematician] title activated at full power. Lines of complex formulas and deductions appeared with perfect clarity, as if they had long been etched into his memory.
SCRATCH, SCRATCH, SCRATCH—
The marker’s tip once again flew across the whiteboard, creating a series of rhythmic scratching sounds.
Not long after Chen Lin had plunged back into his calculations, a young woman in a volunteer’s vest hurried to the hall entrance. She peered inside for a moment, then trotted over to Director Feng Yunhai in the front row.
She leaned down, brought her mouth to Director Feng’s ear, and whispered something quickly.
A flicker of surprise crossed Feng Yunhai’s face. He nodded immediately, rose silently, and followed the volunteer out of the hall.
Less than a minute later, the back door of the hall was gently pushed open again.
Feng Yunhai walked in, followed closely by a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his fifties.
The man was of average build, dressed in a well-tailored, dark suit jacket. His steps were steady, and his refined demeanor held the natural authority of someone in a high position.
Upon entering, he instinctively glanced toward the stage. His eyes rested for a moment on the young figure engrossed in calculations at the whiteboard, then, led by Feng Yunhai, he proceeded down the aisle toward the front row.
They moved quietly, attracting little attention.
Upon reaching the front row, the man didn’t immediately take a seat. Instead, he approached Professor Qiu Chengtong, who was seated near the aisle. Leaning down slightly with a sincere and respectful smile, he extended his hand.
"Professor Qiu, it’s an honor. I’m Xie Mingyuan from the Ministry of Education."
Qiu Chengtong evidently recognized him as well. He immediately stood, shook the man’s hand, and said politely, "Vice Minister Xie, you’re too kind."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Vice Minister Xie didn’t linger, turning instead toward Academician Liang Tianshi.
Feng Yunhai tactfully gave up his own seat, gesturing for Vice Minister Xie to sit, and took an adjacent seat for himself.
After taking a seat beside Academician Liang, Vice Minister Xie’s expression softened noticeably. His tone adopted the warm respect of a junior addressing a senior.
"Elder Liang, it’s been a few years. I trust you’ve been well?" he said, keeping his voice low. "Director Feng mentioned you would be attending today, so I made a point of coming over a bit early to pay my respects."
Academician Liang Tianshi turned his head, and a warm smile spread across his face when he saw it was Vice Minister Xie.
"Ah, Vice Minister Xie," Academician Liang said with a smile, waving his hand dismissively. "There’s no need for this. You’ve just been promoted to Vice Minister; you must be incredibly busy. You shouldn’t have come early just for an old man like me, long retired from the front lines of research."
Hearing this, the smile on Vice Minister Xie’s face broadened. He waved his hands in protest. "Elder Liang, please don’t say that. When I was a student at Huaqing, I took one of your mathematics courses. You are one of my teachers. It’s only right for a junior to pay his respects to a senior."
They exchanged a few more pleasantries before Vice Minister Xie deftly shifted the conversation to the young man on stage, who was still absorbed in his calculations.
He turned his head, his gaze traveling over the heads in front of him to the tall figure on the stage. There was a note of wonder in his voice.
"This young man on stage, Chen Lin... he’s been in the news a few times recently. I’ve certainly heard of him."
Academician Liang Tianshi chuckled. "Is that so?"
His tone was level, betraying no emotion, but an almost imperceptible glint of amusement flashed in his eyes.
Vice Minister Xie nodded and continued, "When his paper was first published in that top international journal, I heard that Jask over in the USA was planning to offer Chen Lin a one-million-USD invitation to work there."
He paused, a hint of relief in his voice. "I was quite concerned at the time, so I specifically looked into Chen Lin’s situation.
"And I learned that Principal Chang Kai of Yannan University had acted fast. He had just finished processing his early graduation, and the report was already at the Ministry of Education."
Academician Liang raised an eyebrow at that and asked casually, "And was it approved?"
Vice Minister Xie nodded at once. "It was. I wasn’t the one to sign off on it, though. It fell under Vice Minister Xing’s purview. It was signed off on quickly—approved the very next day."
He added, "I also heard Yannan University will be submitting another report to appoint Chen Lin as a Special Professor of mathematics. That’s also not my department; Vice Minister Wang is in charge of university personnel.
"But I imagine, given Chen Lin’s current achievements, it’ll be a mere formality. Shouldn’t be a problem."
At this, the smile on Academician Liang Tianshi’s face deepened, and he gave a slight nod.
He knew that Vice Minister Xie’s primary responsibilities were in educational foreign exchange and cooperation, as well as educational matters concerning the Bay Area.
Although the Vice Minister was the nominal head of this mathematics conference, the actual work was primarily handled by Director Feng Yunhai and the staff from Yanbei and Huaqing universities.
The Ministry of Education’s role in the conference was mainly to handle external communications and provide an official endorsement.
Principal Chang Kai had already mentioned Chen Lin’s early graduation and pending special professorship in a previous interview. However, hearing it confirmed by Vice Minister Xie himself—especially that the graduation was approved and the professorship was all but set in stone—put Academician Liang’s mind more at ease.