Awakening Elementary School System in University
Chapter 23 - 22: Probably Not Him

Chapter 23: Chapter 22: Probably Not Him

"President," Gu Ming pushed up his glasses and said tentatively, "if we’re talking about the most outstanding student among the freshmen and sophomores in the Math Department, the first person who comes to my mind is Shen Yan."

"Shen Yan?" Chang Kai didn’t recognize the name.

"Yes, a sophomore in the Math Department. Her grades in her major are consistently number one," Gu Ming explained. "This young woman is not just smart; she has a certain stubbornness when it comes to math. A while ago, I even tossed her a research topic originally meant for a graduate student, telling her to study it on her own ahead of time. Not only did she not back down, but she dove into it with incredible enthusiasm."

Chang Kai’s eyes lit up.

"Oh? Is that so?" He was immediately interested. "Then do you think the person Elder Liang is looking for could be this Shen Yan?"

"It’s highly likely," Gu Ming nodded. "But how would Elder Liang know about her?"

"That’s easy to solve." Chang Kai made a snap decision and pointed at Gu Ming’s phone. "Call her right now. Put it on speaker so I can listen. Don’t be too direct; beat around the bush a little."

"Alright."

Gu Ming opened WeChat, found Shen Yan’s profile picture, and initiated a voice call.

After a few rings, the call connected. Shen Yan’s cool, detached voice came through.

"Hello, Professor Gu. You were looking for me?"

"Haha, Shen Yan. I’m not interrupting your studies, am I?" Gu Ming asked in a light, conversational tone.

"No, Professor. If you need something, just say so."

"Well," Gu Ming gathered his thoughts before asking, "I’m just asking casually, but have you recently encountered any interesting people or events in your math studies? For example, have you met anyone from outside the university through mathematics?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.

Shen Yan found the question bizarre.

Her life was a straight line between her dorm, the cafeteria, and the library or a study hall. ’How would I have any opportunity to meet people from outside the university?’

Just as she was about to blurt out "no," an image flashed through her mind: Chen Lin’s ad on the online marketplace, featuring a Yannan University acceptance letter and transcript.

’Oh, does that count?’

So, she answered with some uncertainty, "I don’t really have any friends from outside the university. But in my spare time, I sometimes take on small math tutoring jobs on an online marketplace. It’s a way to relax, I guess."

As soon as she finished speaking, a bizarre silence fell over the office.

Chang Kai and Gu Ming looked at each other, and in the other’s eyes, they saw a mix of exasperation and amusement, along with a sudden, dawning realization of "so that’s how it is."

’A way to relax?’

’Relaxing by doing math problems?’

"AHEM," Gu Ming cleared his throat, forcing the conversation back on track. "That’s great, that’s great. A good work-life balance is important. Anyway, I was just asking casually. You can get back to what you were doing."

After hanging up, Gu Ming looked at Chang Kai with a complicated expression. "President, what do you think..."

"It has to be her!" Chang Kai slapped his thigh, a confident smile spreading across his face. "The person Elder Liang is looking for is definitely this Shen Yan!"

The process was a little bizarre and convoluted, but the result was a perfect match!

"Then how should we introduce Student Shen Yan to Elder Liang?" Gu Ming asked. "We can’t just tell Elder Liang, ’We found her, come and meet her,’ can we?"

"Of course not. That would be far too deliberate," Chang Kai said, waving his hand. He pondered for a moment, a sharp glint in his eyes. "We need to find a natural stage, one where she can fully display her talent. Gu, do you have any good ideas?"

Gu Ming thought for a moment and quickly had an idea. "President, Shen Yan is currently participating in the National Collegiate Mathematical Contest in Modeling, and she’s the absolute core of her team. Judging by the quality of the paper they submitted, winning a National First Prize is practically a sure thing. After the results are announced, there’s usually a regional conference for sharing and discussion. At that time, we could..."

"Excellent!" Chang Kai clapped his hands in approval. "This is an excellent plan! It provides a legitimate reason to showcase her mathematical genius and also reflects our university’s dedication to nurturing talent. We can then formally invite Elder Liang as a special guest to attend the conference in the university’s name. Everything will fall into place perfectly!"

He looked at Gu Ming with satisfaction. "Gu, I’m leaving this in your hands. Keep a close eye on the modeling competition. The moment the results are out, notify me immediately, and I’ll contact Elder Liang!"

"Yes, President." Gu Ming nodded in agreement.

Watching Gu Ming’s departing figure, Chang Kai leaned back in his chair, picked up his already lukewarm tea, and took a leisurely sip.

.....

「May 20th. Friday, 2:00 PM.」

At the entrance of Yannan University, the flow of people was gradually increasing.

Many students with no afternoon classes were already leaving campus in groups of two and three, backpacks on, their faces filled with the relaxed anticipation of the coming weekend.

However, a thin, travel-worn figure moved against this cheerful tide, approaching the campus with a slight awkwardness.

Sun Yu stood under the memorial archway of the school gate, which bore the two large, gilded words "Yannan University." He let out a long breath, trying to expel the fatigue and anxiety he’d carried all the way from Modu.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning and again on Wednesday morning, he had anxiously sent several messages to the math god "CL" on the online marketplace.

However, the person had only sent a single, cold reply on Wednesday morning: [Sorry, I only provide online services.]

And after that... nothing.

Sun Yu wasn’t actually surprised by this result.

In his mind, a genius of this caliber was bound to be a bit aloof and detached, above worldly affairs. Ignoring a mere mortal like him who came knocking on their door seeking a partnership was just part of their character.

But understanding was one thing; the task President Peng had given him weighed on his mind like a great mountain.

"As long as you can convince this ’CL’ and get the design institute into a long-term partnership with him..."

The sharp, gleaming eyes of his boss still seemed to be right in front of him.

Sun Yu didn’t dare bother the person again with messages on the online marketplace.

If he really managed to tick off this master and get himself blocked, he could forget about the fat year-end bonus; his brand-new job itself might be toast.

After thinking it over and over, he gritted his teeth, requested a few days off for a business trip from his team leader, and bought a ticket for the earliest high-speed train to Jinmen. He had decided to show up in person, to demonstrate his sincerity through action.

Although it was no different from searching for a needle in a haystack, he had no other choice.

He stood at the school gate, watching the energetic university students come and go, feeling lost for a moment.

’Where should I even start?’

He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and started to analyze the situation.

In the item description the master had provided, there was a photo of a Yannan University acceptance letter. Judging from the style of the letter and the enrollment year, the person should be a sophomore.

Second, their mathematical ability was terrifyingly good.

Finally, they were openly offering their services for a price on the online marketplace, which meant they either really needed the money, or, to put it another way, they were highly motivated when it came to making money.

Sun Yu felt he now had a clear set of criteria, and he calmed down slightly.

His gaze swept over the crowd, finally landing on three girls who were laughing and chatting as they prepared to leave campus.

The three girls seemed lively, not the aloof type who would immediately shut down a stranger’s question.

Sun Yu mustered his courage, walked up quickly, and plastered what he hoped was his kindest, most harmless smile on his face.

"Excuse me, sorry to bother you three."

The three girls stopped and looked him over curiously.

The man before them wore a slightly ill-fitting casual suit. His hair was a bit messy and his eyes were sunken, giving him the look of someone who’d been beaten down by society. He seemed completely out of place.

"Can I help you?" asked the girl on the left, who was wearing a stylish dress and exquisite makeup. Her tone was polite enough.

Sun Yu quickly waved his hands and explained, "It’s like this—I’m trying to find someone. My company is looking for a technical consultant, and we heard your university has an incredible math genius. And, I also heard this person—a guy—really likes to make money using his skills."

Hearing the two words "math genius," the stylish girl blurted out almost instinctively, "A genius in the Math Department? That has to be Shen Yan! She’s our university’s acknowledged ’study goddess.’ I heard she’s already been noticed by Professor Gu Ming and is studying graduate-level material with him. She’s super amazing!"

Sun Yu’s eyes instantly lit up!

’It’s a match! It has to be a match!’

The excitement in his heart was almost bursting out. Just as he was about to ask for more information about Shen Yan, the quiet-looking girl in the middle, who wore black-rimmed glasses, frowned and retorted:

"It’s probably not her, right? First, he asked for a guy, and Shen Yan is a girl. Besides, I heard her family is really well-off. She doesn’t seem like someone who would need to go out and earn money."

The spark of hope that had just ignited in Sun Yu was instantly extinguished.

’That’s right, the person I’m looking for is a guy.’

"Th-Then it’s probably not her."

The cheerful-looking girl on the right with the neat short hair thought for a moment, then suddenly clapped her hands. "Then could it be Chen Lin?"

Sun Yu’s eyes instantly lit up again!

The short-haired girl continued, "If you’re talking about the person at our school who’s best at making money and loves making money the most, it’s definitely him! I heard he’s been working part-time jobs nonstop since he started as a freshman—delivering food, picking up packages, running campus errands... he does everything!"

Sun Yu was ecstatic!

’This is him! This is definitely him!’

However, he didn’t even have three seconds to be happy before the girl with the glasses in the middle once again ruthlessly crushed his fantasy.

"No, no," she pushed up her glasses, giving her friend a look like she was staring at an idiot. "The man asked for a *math genius*. Chen Lin is in the Chinese Language and Literature Department. He has nothing to do with math. Besides, I’ve never heard that his math is any good. I only heard that he was so focused on making money that he almost failed his general education math course."

Sun Yu: "..."

His mood had gone through two major roller coaster dips in the span of a single minute, and now it had hit rock bottom.

"Then I guess it’s not him either," he sighed, completely deflated.

Seeing him like this, the three girls looked at each other, at a loss for words.

The atmosphere suddenly became a bit awkward.

"Um... sorry, it seems we couldn’t be of much help," the stylish girl said with an apologetic smile.

"It’s fine, it’s fine. Thanks anyway," Sun Yu waved his hand listlessly.

The three girls exchanged a look, seeming to find the man before them both a little pitiful and a little funny. They didn’t linger, silently turning and walking away.