Lin Wei and Gao Wen didn’t stay in the seminar room for long.
Both Lin Wei and Gao Wen were very busy. They had just settled on the general direction for the future of the domestic semiconductor industry chain in the conference room.
Next, they had many more things to discuss. The collaboration between Huaxuan and Yan University, the allocation of computing power, and the non-disclosure agreements for personnel—all these matters needed to be pushed forward quickly.
After the two left, only Li Dong and Liu Ruochuan, the dean of Yan University’s School of Mathematics, remained in Seminar Room No. 2.
Liu Ruochuan picked up the teacup from the table, gently blew on the floating tea leaves, and sized up Li Dong with great interest.
"What’s wrong? Still need to think about it?"
"Five million a year, plus a bonus of ’one small goal.’ You’re not even tempted by that?"
Hearing this, Li Dong gave a bitter smile.
"Dean Liu, the way you put it... It’s not that I’m not tempted."
"I just have some reservations."
"Oh?" Liu Ruochuan set down his teacup and looked at him gently.
"Tell me, what are your reservations? Your teacher can help you analyze them."
Looking at Liu Ruochuan’s gaze, Li Dong was momentarily lost in thought.
’This feeling is so familiar.’
It was just like the look Old Yang from Jiangcheng Seventh Middle School used to give him back then, when he would call Li Dong into his office to earnestly help him plan his future and teach him the proper format for a thesis.
This gave Li Dong an inexplicable feeling of closeness.
"Dean Liu, I actually think..."
Li Dong had just started speaking when Liu Ruochuan interrupted him.
"Hey, don’t call me Dean. Just call me Teacher."
Gao Wen: ???
Li Dong didn’t mind the change in address and spoke his mind.
"Teacher, I’m honestly salivating over this money."
"But, I’m not confident..."
Li Dong grew serious.
"I’m afraid if I take this money, I’ll feel I haven’t earned it."
These were absolutely Li Dong’s heartfelt words.
The previous solution for the photolithography machine was a physics concept he had grasped by lurking in the "Cyan Dragon Study Group," combined with the inspiration from discussions with Newton and the others, and amplified by his [Light and Shadow Insight] and [Physical Perception].
And this current dimensionality reduction algorithm was derived directly from the *Fragment of the Calculation of Non-trivial Zero Points of the Riemann Zeta Function*!
If Li Dong had to research this on his own, forget just one of him—even ten Li Dongs, working until their brains were fried, could never have come up with a god-tier algorithm like this, one that could deal a crushing blow to the entire field of computational mathematics.
He knew very well that he was just a lucky person standing on the shoulders of scientific giants.
What’s worse, Li Dong felt he hadn’t fully grasped the essence of Riemann’s manuscript yet.
Relying on his [Code Intuition] and superior Basic Attributes, he had only managed to convert it into C++ code. He had only seen the "form" of the algorithm on the surface; as for the deeper mathematical "spirit" within, he still needed a great deal of time to absorb and deduce it.
If he really accepted this position of Specially Appointed Chief Algorithm Architect.
What if, at a critical moment during the actual engineering implementation, the entire photolithography flow control project got stuck because he didn’t have a thorough enough understanding of the underlying algorithm, delaying the nation’s progress in solving its semiconductor bottleneck...
Then he, Li Dong, would truly become a sinner for the ages.
This sense of responsibility made him very hesitant.
Liu Ruochuan listened quietly until Li Dong finished, a flash of admiration in his eyes.
An eighteen-year-old freshman, faced with the temptation of millions, even hundreds of millions, could actually resist?
And he wasn’t arrogant because of his momentary success, but still maintained such a clear self-awareness.
In Liu Ruochuan’s eyes, this disposition was even more precious than his mathematical talent.
Looking at Li Dong, Liu Ruochuan couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
"Ah, Li Dong, are you putting too much pressure on yourself?"
"You, you shouldn’t think of yourself as so important."
"Huh?" Li Dong was stunned speechless by this remark.
’I was just baring my soul to you, and you’re telling me not to take myself so seriously?’
Liu Ruochuan ignored Li Dong’s speechlessness and continued.
"Do you think that the engineering implementation of this algorithm depends entirely on you, fighting all alone?"
"Do you have any idea how many top-tier university departments and national-level research institutions get involved once a project of this magnitude is formally established?"
Liu Ruochuan picked up a pen and drew a massive web-like structure on the whiteboard.
"This algorithm you’ve proposed is just a seed. Of course, it’s extremely important—it wouldn’t even be an exaggeration to call it the most important part. But..."
"It’s not enough on its own."
"Our Yan University School of Mathematics, along with the Huaxia Academy of Sciences Chenxing Mathematics Center, will organize the top experts in partial differential equations and computational mathematics to repeatedly verify and patch your algorithm’s stability and estimate its error bounds!"
"On the foundational computing power side, Peng City Laboratory, the Yan University School of Information Science and Technology, and the National Supercomputing Center will assign hundreds of top architects and algorithm engineers like Academician Gao!"
"What are they responsible for? They’re responsible for translating your mathematical logic into the most efficient concurrent code, for solving MPI communication latency, and for squeezing every last bit of computing power out of the GPU clusters!"
Liu Ruochuan didn’t stop there.
"And that’s not all! The construction of the physical model will require support from the optics titans at Shuimu University’s Department of Engineering Thermophysics and the Changchun Institute of Optics and Mechanics!"
"The final process integration and chip test production will require the top process experts from the Microelectronics Institute and SMIC International to oversee the entire operation!"
"Do you think you’re alone?"
Liu Ruochuan said, looking at Li Dong.
"Standing behind you is the most elite scientific research army in all of Huaxia!"
Li Dong listened, dumbfounded, his heart involuntarily starting to race.
"So, Li Dong, you need to recognize your role in this entire project."
Liu Ruochuan walked back to the sofa and sat down.
"You don’t need to know how to write optimal low-level CUDA code, nor do you need to worry about exactly how the optical path should be folded."
"Your task is to step up when those top-tier mathematicians, physicists, and engineers hit a bottleneck in understanding the underlying logic of your algorithm. You need to tell them the original intent of the algorithm and the core of its mathematical deductions!"
"You are a guide, an architectural consultant! The specialized work will naturally be handled by the most specialized people in all of Huaxia!"
After saying all this, Liu Ruochuan looked at Li Dong with a smile.
"So? Do you feel like the weight on your shoulders is a little lighter now?"
Li Dong: ...
’It’s heavier, okay?’
But...
’Why does this feel so damn inspiring...’
He had indeed been trapped in a student’s mindset, thinking that once he took the money, he had to handle everything from start to finish—the theoretical derivations, the coding, the engineering implementation—all by himself, just like a homework assignment.
But if his role was just to be a consultant who provides the core idea and is responsible for "answering questions" at critical moments, then he was more than confident!
"Thank you, Teacher. I understand now."
"In that case, I’ll feel much more at ease taking this money," Li Dong said with a sly grin.
Liu Ruochuan looked at his carefree expression and also shook his head with a smile.
Then it suddenly occurred to him, ’Did I suppress this kid too much just now? I hope I didn’t grind away his ambition.’
He cleared his throat.
"However..."
"Although I just told you not to take yourself too seriously, now, I have to give you a reminder."
"You also shouldn’t think too little of yourself!"
"Huh?" An exasperated look crossed Li Dong’s face as he stared at Liu Ruochuan.
’Seriously, Teacher Liu? You just argued both sides of the point yourself. Which one am I supposed to listen to?’
Seeing Li Dong’s expression, Liu Ruochuan burst out laughing.
"Do you think I’m contradicting myself now?"
"I told you not to think you’re so important so that you could let go of the burden of the engineering implementation."
"But the reason I’m telling you not to think too little of yourself is because..."
Liu Ruochuan walked to the window and looked out at the Yan University campus.
"Right now, the top echelons of the entire international academic world are in an uproar because of your name! The supercomputing centers of every top university are validating and endorsing your algorithm!"
"Li Dong, the real media storm hasn’t even reached the public eye here in the country yet."
Liu Ruochuan turned back and gave Li Dong a deep look.
"When that storm does hit, you’ll find out just how much weight your name truly carries!"

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