Just as Qin Siyang was about to leave, the sound of footsteps came from the staircase.
"Tianxiong, about that connection I told you between the Bluewater Glaze Ore and the Crystal Mine Thorn Serpent… eh? It's Little Qin. I heard movement upstairs and thought Tianxiong had come back."
Qin Siyang turned his head to look. It was Professor Chang Tianxiang, wearing black-rimmed glasses.
When Chang Tianxiang saw Qin Siyang, a warm light appeared in his eyes.
"Little Qin, you're back? Did you come looking for Tianxiong for something?"
"Uh… Professor Chang, yes. I came to see Professor Chang Er. Before, he said if I had any extra round plate armor from the Blood Moon Tarantula, I could give him a few pieces for research. I came today to give them to him, but it turns out he's not here."
Qin Siyang quickly hid the trace of gloom in his eyes and returned to his usual easygoing expression.
Chang Tianxiang nodded, "He suddenly decided early this morning to go outside the safe zone to look for a kind of divine material. He'll probably be back soon. Don't worry. Since you're bringing him something, he'll definitely come find you as soon as he returns. After all, this morning we're also supposed to go together to District 134 to prepare for the paper hearing."
"Alright. I understand. Thank you, Professor Chang."
Chang Tianxiang smiled.
"You're really too polite, kid. I only passed along a message. What's there to thank me for? By the way, how's your preparation for the paper hearing going?"
"I haven't really prepared anything yet. Mainly because I don't even know the contents of those papers. Do I need to cram a bit at the last minute?"
"That 'last minute' of yours is a bit too last minute. But it's fine. The contents of the papers aren't the issue."
Chang Tianxiang pushed up his black-rimmed glasses.
"With several of us professors around, we can definitely smooth out the contents of the papers. The main problem isn't in the papers themselves."
He paused, "The most troublesome thing is still their questioning of your contribution to the papers. They insist that you didn't participate in the actual experimental research, so they firmly refuse to let you be listed as an author."
Qin Siyang frowned, "How do they know I didn't participate in the actual research?"
"Mainly because you don't have time to do research, Little Qin."
Chang Tianxiang sighed.
"You're different from others. From the very beginning you've been under the spotlight with everyone watching. Every word you say and every move you make gets attention. Even when you come to Miracle Building, and how long you stay each time, the people from the paper review committee can find out."
"They listed all the times you appeared at Miracle Building, then calculated based on when we published the papers. According to that, you simply didn't have much real research time. How could you possibly publish so many papers all at once?"
After hearing this, Qin Siyang also showed a troubled expression.
He really hadn't thought of this problem before.
If he had known, he would've dropped by Miracle Building more often whether he had business there or not.
"Professor Chang… but I provided materials for those papers. Doesn't that count?"
"According to the conventions of our scientific research circle after the apocalypse, the person who provides materials can indeed be listed as second author or even first author. But strictly speaking, the one providing materials is just a supplier or investor and can't really be counted as an author. If the paper review committee insists on nitpicking the wording, there's nothing you can do."
"Alright then," Qin Siyang sighed.
"Looks like I'll have to approach it from another angle."
Chang Tianxiang froze for a moment.
"Another angle? You mean…"
Qin Siyang left Miracle Building and headed for Zhao Longfei's office to see if Zhao Longfei was still there.
Unexpectedly, even though it was the middle of the night, Zhao Longfei's office lights were still on.
Qin Siyang pushed the door open and walked in.
"Next time for sure… oh, Secretary Lin is here too. Sorry, I should've knocked."
Lin Yaman nodded, "It's fine. President Zhao and I are dealing with matters related to the new students starting school. If you need to talk to him, I can step out for a moment."
Qin Siyang glanced at Zhao Longfei's desk.
It was piled high with various documents. Zhao Longfei was holding a pen and scratching his bald head, staring gloomily at a booklet in front of him, completely ignoring Qin Siyang's arrival.
Qin Siyang tried greeting him again.
"President Zhao—"
Zhao Longfei slammed the desk, "Damn it! Why the hell did the Ministry of Education cut South Glory's funding again? Didn't I just bring in Professor Li Tianming's entire research team? Even if they don't increase the funding, what right do they have to cut it? Xiao Zhigang, that son-of-a—"
"President Zhao, watch your language," Lin Yaman reminded him sharply.
"And there's a student present."
Zhao Longfei glanced at Lin Yaman helplessly before finally raising his head to look at Qin Siyang.
"You're going to District 134 tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah. President Zhao, are you going too?"
Zhao Longfei shook the stack of documents in his hand.
"I was planning to go support you and give you some backing. Now, hmph! I don't have time to serve just you alone. South Glory University is practically going bankrupt!"
"Because of Xiao Zhigang?"
"Not just Xiao Zhigang. There's also Jiang Yuanrui. One's the Minister of Education, the other's the Minister of Economics. The two of them joined forces to block South Glory's funding! Once school starts, South Glory will go bankrupt!"
"President Zhao, can't your family help out?"
"Didn't I tell you? My family also urgently needs money. My older brother's side is already in serious trouble. Those two bastards picked this exact moment to target South Glory on purpose."
Qin Siyang was puzzled.
"What's their reason?"
"They want to deal with you. Do they even need a reason? The high-sounding bullshit excuses those two dogs came up with wouldn't mean anything even if I told you."
Zhao Longfei opened a drawer, took out a folder, and tossed it into Qin Siyang's arms.
"The information you wanted about the people on the paper review committee. Take it and get out of here. I'm busy as hell right now and don't have time to deal with you. When the hearing starts, keep your brain sharp and don't fall into any traps."
Qin Siyang accepted the folder and glanced through it.
Inside was detailed information about every member of the paper review committee. It even listed what they had eaten in the past few days. The level of detail was astonishing.
Although Zhao Longfei didn't say anything, Qin Siyang could tell he had put in tremendous effort to gather all this information.
After giving Qin Siyang the file, Zhao Longfei ignored him again and turned to Lin Yaman.
"Harrison and Lister have already agreed to work with zero salary. How long can that hold us?"
Lin Yaman shook her head, "Still not enough. We thought that after recruiting Professor Li's team, the Ministry of Education would definitely provide more funding, so we purchased a lot of research equipment in advance and offered Professor Li and his team generous relocation packages. At the same time, we upgraded a lot of the school's equipment and added more research salary positions for students. The finance department's funds have already run dry."
Zhao Longfei sighed, "I was overly optimistic about the future. That's my fault. I shouldn't have advanced so many funds."
Lin Yaman didn't respond to that and continued, "Right now, even if the two professors on the board of trustees work with zero salary, and even if Professor Li's entire team works voluntarily, it still won't be enough to cover the deficit. It's manageable during the vacation period, but once school starts it will become extremely troublesome. The students' tuition fees can support operations for at most two months. After two months, South Glory won't be able to pay anyone."
"What a precise calculation."
Zhao Longfei frowned.
"The Zhao Chamber of Commerce is expanding, and the business plans require massive funding to push forward. My Zhao family also happens to be stuck at a critical point where money is needed, and we can't free up any cash flow. This time they really struck our vital point."
Qin Siyang sat on the sofa and thought for five minutes.
Then he said, "President Zhao, I might be able to help South Glory."
"You?"
Zhao Longfei waved his hand.
"That little bit of money in your pocket is better saved for buying yourself candy."
Qin Siyang didn't explain further.
He took out his phone.
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