He didn’t lose his temper like Li Jianming.
He walked over to the desk, reached out, and nudged the ashtray back from the edge.
"Principal Zhou, calm down. Old Li has a short fuse, so please try to bear with him."
The Alchemist’s voice was calm.
He even took a cigarette from the pack on the desk and offered it to Zhou Qiping.
Zhou Qiping took it instinctively. The Alchemist picked up the lighter from the desk and, with a CLICK, lit it for him.
Zhou Qiping took a deep drag, and his expression softened a bit.
"Old Fang, you’re the reasonable one. You should talk some sense into Old Li. Being an academic doesn’t mean you have to be so stubborn. This is good for Chen Zhuo, too. When he goes abroad for further studies later, this will all be valuable experience."
The Alchemist didn’t take the bait.
He lit a cigarette for himself as well, took a drag, then turned to face Zhou Qiping.
"Principal Zhou, about this interview... let’s put it aside for now."
Zhou Qiping was about to speak, but the Alchemist raised a hand, gesturing for him to wait.
"I went to the confidential records room earlier and took a look at that special project agreement in the security cabinet."
The Alchemist lowered his voice, his tone as casual as if he were making small talk.
"According to the regulations, Chen Zhuo’s current status places him under a non-public research control period."
Zhou Qiping’s hand, holding the cigarette, froze in mid-air.
He was a veteran administrator, extremely sensitive to this kind of terminology.
"What do you mean?" Zhou Qiping asked.
The Alchemist flicked his ash.
"Principal Zhou, you might have forgotten. Chen Zhuo isn’t just Old Li’s student right now. He also holds the title of research assistant in the basic algorithm group for a major national special project at the School of Physics."
The Alchemist’s eyes stared straight at Zhou Qiping through the smoke.
"When he signed the confidentiality agreement, our Science Department reported it to the security office and the higher authorities."
Zhou Qiping’s brow slowly furrowed.
"That’s an internal project. What does it have to do with this letter?"
"It has everything to do with it."
The Alchemist pulled over a chair and sat down.
"According to the non-disclosure period stipulated in that agreement, personnel involved in confidential matters are strictly forbidden from accepting any non-specialized interviews at critical project junctures, let alone an exclusive feature like this, which is basically personal promotion."
With the hand holding his cigarette, the Alchemist pointed to the media list on the desk.
"CCTV comes in, the cameras start rolling, they pan the shot... what if they film something in the background they shouldn’t? Or what if, in pursuit of a dramatic effect, they ask some questions about sensitive pathways?"
The Alchemist looked at Zhou Qiping, his tone still casual.
"Chen Zhuo is only thirteen. The moment the spotlight hits him and the reporter starts fishing for answers, what if he casually lets slip a matrix parameter? That parameter is a core variant that Simen Zi absolutely refuses to sell us."
The ash from Zhou Qiping’s cigarette fell onto the desk.
He didn’t brush it away.
The Alchemist pressed his cigarette butt into the ashtray.
"If an audit deviation occurs and the higher-ups investigate and assign blame for administrative interference in scientific research discipline... Principal Zhou, which one of us is going to be writing the self-criticism report?"
The room fell silent.
Li Jianming stood to the side, silent, just watching Zhou Qiping.
Zhou Qiping’s expression visibly changed.
His earlier fervor, that urge to call a press conference right away, was instantly extinguished as if doused with a bucket of ice water.
He was an extremely shrewd man.
When Li Jianming talked to him about pure mathematics or Pierre’s temper, he could choose not to listen, because those were all within the academic domain.
But the Alchemist’s move had dragged the issue straight to the level of confidentiality discipline and political red lines.
Within the system, in this day and age, anyone who got tangled up with those two concepts had to think twice.
Zhou Qiping forcefully crushed the remaining half of his cigarette.
He paced back and forth a couple of times behind his desk.
"Old Fang, stop trying to intimidate me with these heavy accusations."
Zhou Qiping turned his head, his voice much lower now.
"I know about that project. Chen Zhuo is only responsible for a small part of the algorithm. It’s not as serious as you’re making it out to be."
"You’re right, it’s not that serious."
The Alchemist nodded, going along with what he said.
"But with the release of Pierre’s letter, the eyes of the entire world are on Huizhou. Do you think the only people sitting behind the camera lens will be ordinary domestic viewers?"
The Alchemist stood up.
"Foreign labs, even intelligence agencies, are probably desperate for a chance to observe this kid’s thought processes and daily routines up close."
He walked to the desk and leaned forward, bracing his hands on the surface.
"If we do this special feature now, we’re blatantly pushing him into the spotlight. If there’s any sign of talent drain or a technology leak in the future, who’s going to take responsibility for this initial interview?"
Zhou Qiping was completely silent.
He stared at the Alchemist, unable to say a word for a long time.
Such is the logic of an administrator: it’s the one-in-ten-thousand chance you have to worry about.
As long as there was even a one-in-ten-thousand chance of an audit risk or a security threat, all KPIs had to be pushed aside.
Zhou Qiping slowly sat back down in his chair.
He ran a hand through his hair. His earlier high-spirited demeanor had vanished completely, replaced by a deep sense of frustration.
"So what do you two suggest?"
Zhou Qiping looked at the list on his desk, already covered in red circles.
"Pierre lit a huge fire with this. The higher-ups already know. The deputy editor-in-chief of Guangming Daily just called me personally. I can avoid making a big splash, but if we don’t make any noise at all, the higher-ups will think our Keda is ungrateful and doesn’t even know how to put on a good show."
He sighed.
"Next year, we have to compete for the designations for several key national laboratories. Old Li, Old Fang, you’re putting me in a difficult position."
Seeing that the time was right, Li Jianming’s tone also softened.
"Principal Zhou, we never said he can’t be interviewed."

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