"First, I’ll get my parents a new apartment in downtown Zeyang City."
Chen Zhuo’s mind had gradually calmed. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and began to plan in earnest.
"I want to get them one with good heating and a nice orientation, so my mom won’t have to haggle over a few cents for green onions and ginger at the market anymore. And so my dad will finally stop complaining about his rickety old bicycle."
Chen Zhuo smiled, a look of satisfaction on his face, the kind that comes from finally being able to help his family stand tall.
"I’ll save the rest. Then when I go to the cafeteria, I can get two servings of sweet and sour pork ribs every day without having to worry about how much money is left on my meal card."
There was no talk of buying a sports car, no desire to squander his money in a metropolis, no outlandish fantasies.
Buy a house, buy a computer, eat pork ribs.
The Alchemist burst out laughing at this. He pointed at Chen Zhuo and said "Good" several times in a row.
"You kid, you’re just a practical and honest man. Alright. If you run into any bureaucratic hassles buying a house for your family back in Zeyang, or if you have any trouble here at the university, just let me know. I’ll help you sort it out."
"Thank you, Teacher."
Chen Zhuo thanked him warmly.
The money was secured, and his worries about home were completely resolved.
Chen Zhuo set down his teacup and leaned back slightly, shifting into a more relaxed posture.
He watched the Alchemist quietly, his face once again bearing that calm, gentle smile.
"Teacher."
Chen Zhuo spoke, his voice still even, but his pace had slowed by a fraction.
"Since the settlement fee from the government is so generous, I can be completely at ease. In this project, I’ll be blind and deaf. Aside from taking the money, I won’t know a thing."
The Alchemist nodded and took a sip of his tea.
"It’s best if you think that way."
Chen Zhuo cradled the teacup in both hands, his thumbs gently rubbing the rim.
"However..."
Chen Zhuo’s tone shifted.
"The agreement just now stipulated that the project background, physical parameters, and applications of fluid dynamics are all top secret and off-limits, right?"
"Right."
The Alchemist put down his cup and looked at Chen Zhuo, wondering what the kid was about to say.
Chen Zhuo smiled at the Alchemist.
"What if... and this is just a hypothetical."
Chen Zhuo’s tone was sincere, like a good student humbly seeking advice.
"What if I strip this fluid dynamics model bare? I won’t mention a single word of physics—not transonic speeds, not drag coefficients, not the shape of the locomotive’s head. I’ll wipe all of that away."
Chen Zhuo paused for a moment.
"I’ll package it purely as a divergence problem of a polynomial approximating a manifold boundary. Just a dry, algebraic equation, abstracted to its absolute limit."
Chen Zhuo pointed out the window in the direction of the Mathematics Building.
"And then I take this mathematical problem over to the School of Mathematics and consult Teacher Li about a pure mathematical proof of homology mapping..."
Chen Zhuo tilted his head slightly, looking at the Alchemist.
"That... shouldn’t count as violating the confidentiality agreement, right?"
The Alchemist sat on the sofa, looking into Chen Zhuo’s clear and open gaze.
He didn’t laugh, nor did he think Chen Zhuo was just looking for a loophole.
Instead, he stood up, walked over to his desk, and locked the file copy of the confidentiality agreement in his safe with the dull THUD of a metal lock.
"Science has always been interconnected."
The Alchemist turned back to Chen Zhuo, his tone filled with the understanding and support of a veteran researcher.
"Physics and mathematics are two sides of the same coin. The fact that you can take a crude method born from an engineering problem and abstract it into pure theory for a deeper dive—that’s a skill."
The Alchemist walked back to the sofa and clapped Chen Zhuo on the shoulder.
"Go on, then. As long as you strip away the physics, it’s just a pile of mathematical symbols with no physical meaning. Never mind Simen Zi’s engineers—even if you pasted the equations on the school’s main gate, no one would be able to tell it’s a train."
The Alchemist waved his hand, tacitly approving of Chen Zhuo’s blatant exploitation of the loophole.
"Just promise me you won’t bring a single physical unit over there. After that, you can do whatever you want with that matrix."
At this point, the Alchemist seemed to remember something and added another comment.
"But go easy. Professor Li Jianming is getting on in years, and he’s a treasure of the Keda School of Mathematics. Don’t you go tormenting him with some nonsensical, half-finished equation. If you wear the old man out, Principal Zhou will have my head."
Chen Zhuo immediately nodded in agreement.
"Don’t worry, Teacher. I’m just going to be solving a few homework problems. Professor Li is brilliant; a few words of guidance from him will be more than enough."
Chen Zhuo stood up and smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes from sitting.
The bank card in his pocket, holding two million, rested quietly against his chest.
"Well, I’ll let you get back to work, Teacher. I won’t disturb you any longer."
"Go on."
The Alchemist picked up his teacup and watched Chen Zhuo walk toward the door, but couldn’t help but add a word of advice.
"Don’t flash your wealth. Keep that card hidden."
"I know."
Chen Zhuo placed his hand on the doorknob, turned back to flash the Alchemist a smile, then twisted the handle and pushed the door open.
The air in the hallway was a little cooler than in the office.
Chen Zhuo pulled the door shut behind him.
He stood in the hallway and took a deep breath of the crisp autumn air.
His hand unconsciously strayed to the pocket close to his chest.
It felt heavy.
Chen Zhuo’s steps were much lighter than when he had arrived.

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