Chapter 24 Why is it so fragrant
The whole morning passed quickly. Liu Shang stayed at his workstation the entire time, only getting up to go to the bathroom or stretch his legs.
He was very quiet and rarely spoke to others.
Mr. Zhong, who was relatively outgoing, went to Xu Tiande's office to smoke and chat as he usually did.
"Old Xu, what do you think of this Liu Shang kid?"
"Just look at him at his desk. Who would guess he's only a freshman?"
Xu Tiande also smiled. "You know, Liu Shang has really surprised me."
"At times, like when he was discussing technology in the conference room yesterday, he came across as arrogant, conceited, even a bit cocky."
"But look at him now. He has a composure that other kids his age lack."
"It's really interesting."
Mr. Zhong smiled. "I doubt you need him for your work that much. How about you let him study with me for a while this afternoon or tomorrow?"
"That ground dispensing technique he mentioned in the conference room yesterday... he might be onto something."
"It's a perfect opportunity for me to test him and see if this kid is just bragging!"
At that moment, the QQ icon on Xu Tiande's computer flickered.
Xu Tiande saw it was a document sent by Liu Shang, titled "Profile Control Project Design and Construction Report."
The message explained that he had recreated these two plans based on the actual on-site information and data, and he was asking Xu Tiande to check them and provide guidance.
After seeing this message, Xu Tiande's brow furrowed.
"Well now, this Liu Shang. Just when I finish praising him, he starts getting ahead of himself again."
"It's been less than three hours since I sent him the information and various technical documents. I also specifically told him not to rush, that he should focus on familiarizing himself and learning at this stage."
"But look at him. He's already sent over an engineering plan and construction report that he drafted."
"Tell me, in such a short amount of time, what could he possibly produce of any real quality?"
Mr. Zhong also nodded with a smile, taking a drag from his cigarette. "He's young, after all. He lacks real-world experience and the trials of the working world. He's impatient and eager to succeed."
"He probably thinks he knows a little something about the technology and is starting to get cocky and out of touch with reality."
"So, it seems the four years of university are still a necessary and complete process. It helps these kids mature, especially in terms of character."
At the beginning of Mr. Zhong's speech, Xu Tiande was able to chat with him while glancing over the plan Liu Shang had sent.
But as they talked, Xu Tiande's side of the conversation grew quieter and quieter, until he stopped responding altogether, his eyes fixed on his computer screen.
This time, Mr. Zhong was not happy.
"I say, Professor Xu, are you trying to grow flowers on that screen? Why aren't you talking?"
"And look at the cigarette in your hand, what a waste. Just holding it there and letting it burn?"
Only then did Xu Tiande take a deep breath, raise his head, and look at Mr. Zhong. "Old Zhong, come here and take a look at this first!"
As he spoke, Xu Tiande turned the laptop in front of him directly toward Mr. Zhong.
Seeing his serious expression, Mr. Zhong sat down in the chair opposite Xu Tiande's desk and looked at the computer screen intently.
The moment he looked at it, however, Mr. Zhong's brow furrowed. He then grew interested, taking the mouse to scroll through the technical solution.
After a few minutes, Mr. Zhong also took a deep breath and then nodded at Xu Tiande.
"Professor Xu, isn't this the design plan for the profile control well?"
"To be honest, this is impeccably done!"
"I remember when we first started in the oil fields decades ago, those engineers and experts had strict requirements. Their plans had to look something like this."
"Back then, I remember the curves and various icons we drafted were truly beautiful, like works of art."
"But later, with the development of technology and as people grew more rushed, many of those excellent old traditions disappeared."
"I haven't seen a plan this well-formatted in years. Where did you dig this up?"
Xu Tiande shook his head and gave a wry smile, his expression a mixture of shock and surprise. "Where else would I get it? This is the plan Liu Shang just sent me to check!"
"And this plan isn't just neat and beautiful. Look at the formatting, the titles, even the punctuation in the Word document—it's all perfectly standardized."
"This is exactly the high-level specification we use when preparing technical tenders for a bid!"
Hearing Xu Tiande's words, Mr. Zhong's eyes widened.
"What? Liu Shang did this?"
"How can that be!"
"He's a freshman! How could he produce a design of this level? Couldn't he have just found a template somewhere?"
Xu Tiande smiled and waved his hands. "How is that possible?"
"Look at the data and all the technical information in this design. I just sent it to him."
"And like you just said, it's hard to find examples this well-done nowadays. Even if he wanted to cheat, where would he find it?"
"Also, take a look at the various curves in the construction report he made. They're absolutely beautiful!"
"As far as his skill with the Office suite is concerned, no one in our entire company can match him!"
"Old Zhong, if I'm not mistaken, when the two of us have to go out to give reports or prepare technical materials in the future... he's a real treasure!"
How could Mr. Zhong not understand what Xu Tiande meant?
Although both of them had outstanding skills and experience in the oil industry, when it came to making PowerPoints and various technical graphs, they were getting old and found it a struggle.
Meanwhile, the meticulousness, rigor, and seriousness of the work done by people like Chen Xu and Ma Yuan really didn't meet their standards, and they had just been making do all this time.
For perfectionists like Mr. Zhong and Xu Tiande, wasn't this a form of torture?
And so, a delighted Mr. Zhong pushed open the transparent glass door of the office and called out in a loud voice, "Liu Shang, come in here!"
His voice startled many people in the office and drew even more attention their way.
As Liu Shang was welcomed into the office by a laughing Mr. Zhong, Chen Xu, Ma Yuan, and others glanced over, their expressions unreadable.
"Liu Shang, that plan you sent to Professor Xu just now, and those technical construction curves... did you make all of them yourself?"
Liu Shang nodded with a smile. "Yes. Professor Xu sent over the actual construction data for several wells, so I just put it all together."
Even though Liu Shang had personally admitted it, Mr. Zhong and Xu Tiande still found it hard to believe.
"Liu Shang, your skill with this office software, making the technical curves, and using the most standard format from technical tenders... was this all self-taught?"
"To be honest, Liu Shang, you really impressed me and Mr. Zhong!"
Liu Shang smiled. "It's no big deal, Professor Xu. You don't have to praise me like that."
"It's a new era. Being able to operate office software proficiently is one of the necessary basic skills for the future."
"As for the standard format from the bidding document, the formatting guidelines are easy to find online. You just have to follow them when you're making the plan. It's quite simple."
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