The Alchemist placed the file into the drawer at hand and pushed it shut.
"Then let’s consider this matter closed."
The Alchemist looked up at Chen Zhuo, his tone regaining the formal gravity of a dean.
"If any more emails come in from Princeton, or if other overseas institutions try to communicate outside of the proper channels, Keda will officially take over and handle it."
Chen Zhuo’s eyes lit up.
"The official response will be simple."
The Alchemist folded his hands on the desk.
"The student is young and still in the foundational stages of his undergraduate education. With his heavy academic workload, he is temporarily unsuited for an international academic exchange."
The Alchemist looked at Chen Zhuo.
"They want your discrete model, and that’s no problem. It can remain in academia for them to study at their leisure. But you, the person, must stay at Keda to study. Are you alright with that response?"
"That’s a very good reason." Chen Zhuo nodded. "Thank you, Dean Fang."
Their business was concluded.
The atmosphere in the office relaxed completely.
Fang Yuanming walked over, picked up the empty paper cup in front of Chen Zhuo, and tossed it into the trash can by the door.
"You still need to take your foundational courses seriously."
The Alchemist looked at Chen Zhuo, speaking to him as he would any other undergraduate.
"You have good mathematical intuition, but your intuition for physics needs to be cultivated slowly. Don’t be in a hurry. Take your time."
"I know," Chen Zhuo replied.
"The semester has just begun," the Alchemist asked casually. "Besides studying, do you have any other plans? Or, to put it another way, is there anything the department can do to make things more convenient for you?"
Chen Zhuo sat in his chair and thought for a moment.
’I don’t need access to the major labs for now, and I don’t need any research funding either.’
He thought of the beat-up computer case Wang Dayong had been dismantling before he left.
"Dean Fang, if it’s convenient for the department," Chen Zhuo said, looking at the Alchemist with a very sincere tone, "I was hoping you could have a word with our dorm’s supervisor."
The Alchemist was stunned.
He had been prepared to hear Chen Zhuo ask for some out-of-print foreign reference books, or perhaps a private study room.
"The dorm supervisor?" The Alchemist couldn’t quite process it.
"Mhm." Chen Zhuo nodded.
He rubbed his nose, his expression earnest.
"I built a computer in my dorm. I usually use it to help Chu Ge run some code and process data, and its power supply is a bit on the high side."
Chen Zhuo looked at the Alchemist.
"Before the holiday break, it tripped the circuit breaker in our dorm twice while running at full capacity. When the supervisor came for room inspection, she was not pleased and warned us that if it happened again, she’d confiscate any high-wattage electronics."
Chen Zhuo’s tone was mild, carrying the sort of request one would expect from a typical student.
"That computer of mine goes through a lot of paper too, so I also bought a laser printer."
"I was hoping the department could ask her to be a bit lenient—to turn a blind eye to my computer and printer during inspections. As long as she doesn’t unplug and confiscate them, that’s all I ask."
Silence.
A brief, dead silence fell over the office.
Standing by the trash can, Fang Yuanming stared at the ceiling and took a long, deep breath.
The Alchemist stared at Chen Zhuo, who sat opposite him. His mouth was half-open, and for a moment, he was at a loss for words.
’A genius who could casually shatter a physics Singularity with discrete algebra.’
’A young man who didn’t even blink at an invitation from the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.’
’Now, here he was, sitting in the office of the Associate Dean of the Keda School of Physics, solemnly asking the department leadership to intervene and protect his custom-built PC from being confiscated by the dorm supervisor.’
The Alchemist was overcome by a powerful sense of unreality.
He glanced at Chen Zhuo, then turned to look at Fang Yuanming, who was standing a short distance away.
Fang Yuanming gave him a helpless shrug.
"That’s it?"
The Alchemist looked away, his voice tinged with an odd quality.
"That’s it."
Chen Zhuo nodded, his answer firm.
The Alchemist leaned back in his chair, raising a hand to rub his temples.
’He suddenly felt that the long speech he’d prepared—all about academic prospects and the future of physics—was rather pointless in front of this kid.’
’Chen Zhuo’s world seemed so pure, as if it only had room for two things: logically rigorous mathematical formulas and a dorm computer with an uninterrupted power supply.’
"Fine."
The Alchemist sighed and lowered the hand from his temples.
He looked at Fang Yuanming.
"Yuanming, talk to the logistics department later. Tell the dorm supervisor that Room 215 is to be given its own electricity quota. And tell them not to inspect their room for high-wattage electronics."
"Yes, Dean," Fang Yuanming replied.
"Thank you, Dean Fang. Thank you, Teacher Fang."
Chen Zhuo stood up and pushed his chair back into place.
"You can go."
The Alchemist waved dismissively, picked up the pen on his desk, and reopened the document he had been reading.
"As for this semester’s classes, attend if you want to. If not, feel free to camp out in the library. Manage your own pace. If there’s anything you don’t understand or any problems you run into, you can come directly to me. I’d like to think I have a few humble insights when it comes to physics."
"Alright. Goodbye, Dean Fang."
Chen Zhuo gave a slight bow, then turned and walked toward the office door.
Fang Yuanming went and held the door open for him.
Chen Zhuo stepped out of the office.
The heating in the hallway was still running strong, and there was no draft.
He headed down the stairs, his steps a little lighter than they were on his way up.
’The issue with Professor Delian was solved.’
’The dorm’s power issue was solved, too. Now I won’t have to anxiously watch the hallway’s breaker box whenever I’m processing data.’
’This trip to the old library was totally worth it.’
’Not only did I save twenty cents in late fees, but I also handled two major issues.’
Chen Zhuo walked out through the glass doors of the Physics Building.
A blast of cold wind hit his face, sharp and invigorating.
The sky had grown even more overcast, with a low-hanging ceiling of grayish-white clouds.
Chen Zhuo shoved his hands into the pockets of his down jacket and picked up his pace.
’I need to get back to the dorm.’
’Chu Ge said the final payment for the winter break freelance project was coming in today. Dayong went to get the computer case fixed; I wonder if it’s done yet.’
’The braised beef and smoked fish Mom brought should still be sitting on the desk. On a cold day like this, I can heat them up for a couple of minutes in the cafeteria microwave. They’ll be perfect with a bowl of fresh, hot rice.’
’Later, I’ll go out and buy some skewers. I’ll have Chu Ge order a couple extra kidney skewers for Lu Jia. He must have pulled a lot of all-nighters over the break; his dark circles are awful. He needs to replenish his strength.’
Chen Zhuo followed the path, his figure gradually blending into the cold campus wind.

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