Chapter 20

Xu Kong might have guessed something from Lin Shuicheng's expression and didn't pursue the topic further. He switched to discussing data-related matters with Lin Shuicheng before preparing to leave.

After Lin Shuicheng settled the bill, he accompanied Xu Kong to the mathematics department office.

Halfway there, Xu Kong received a call. Lin Shuicheng, walking alongside him with his hands in his coat pockets, couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

"Why would you ask our department to authenticate famous paintings? Are you suggesting the Chief of Police is insane?"

At first, Lin Shuicheng didn't catch the words clearly. But as Xu Kong's tone transitioned from polite to agitated, particularly when he mentioned "authenticating famous paintings," Lin Shuicheng inadvertently focused more, slowing his pace slightly.

"This is utter nonsense! This is even more outrageous than dealing with circuit breaker codes. They should consult professionals. If there are technical issues, it's the Computer Science department's problem. What do they think they're doing? Trying to authenticate at a quantum level? Even if they scrutinize artworks down to the quantum level, do they know what the genuine state is supposed to be?"

The person on the other end of the call sounded close to despair. "I heard it's a request from higher-ups. If they can't solve it, they'll hold the lower levels accountable. The police department might put the blame on us, and now they want our institute to provide a solution within seven days."

"That's unacceptable. I won't agree to this. The faculty and students in our institute shouldn't waste their time on such matters!"

"Professor Xu, you know that when it comes to administrative issues like these, they go straight to the principal. He's already given his approval, so there's not much we can do now..."

Xu Kong hung up in a fit of anger.

Lin Shuicheng heard everything but didn't inquire further.

As they approached the lab, he bid Xu Kong farewell and expressed his gratitude for Xu Kong's support and trust in him.

Arriving late in the afternoon, he found that many people in the lab had started discussing the matter. He asked Xu Mengmeng what was going on.

Xu Mengmeng lowered her voice and confided, "Junior Brother Little Lin, it's such a coincidence. The famous painting authentication project you were considering trying out has been closed, but it's now assigned to our department! Rumor has it that a prominent figure's cherished collection was stolen, and upon retrieval, they couldn't distinguish the genuine from the replica due to AI identification issues. Since the administrative department couldn't resolve this problem, they've passed the buck to us..."

At this point, her eyes gleamed with intrigue as she leaned closer, asking, "Junior Brother Little Lin, did you say something like..."

"I had a fifty percent chance, but that confidence was limited to knowing the problem they faced. As for the rest, I couldn't make any guarantees," Lin Shuicheng replied. "Senior Sister, please continue."

Xu Mengmeng whispered, "This seems pretty serious. If we can't solve it within the deadline, it might become an issue for our department. You know Professor Xu Kong, right? I just read some gossip on the forum saying that his straightforwardness and rigidity actually turn off quite a few people, even though his capabilities are up to par but might hinder others' paths."

Recalling the defense session when Xu Kong had stayed in the room with the three professors, Lin Shuicheng couldn't help but smile softly. In academia, there were always those vying for advancement, and as long as you were ahead, some would feel their path obstructed. Some could ascend unobtrusively, while others would draw resentment with each step – Xu Kong's personality fell into the latter category.

Lin Shuicheng asked softly, "So someone wants to shift the blame onto Professor Xu, right?"

Xu Mengmeng whispered, "That's what they're speculating on the forum, but the posts were quickly deleted. Professor Xu was parachuted in as the vice dean, and I heard he displaced quite a few candidates... There must be some shady dealings involved. Whoever gets assigned this task will be the unlucky one. The higher-ups just need to give an order, while the lower-downs have to run around doing all the work. If it succeeds, the credit goes to them; if not, our department takes the blame. Plus, they specifically pointed out that our quantum analysis team should handle it – that's a clear attempt to pass the buck. Little Lin, don't get yourself entangled in this mess. Everyone's worried that the project will land on their heads, and whoever gets it will be doomed. Do you understand?"

Lin Shuicheng nodded and replied, "I'll consider it carefully."

True to his word, Lin Shuicheng spent a long time considering his options. He skipped his afternoon classes – Wang Pinyuan was away on a trip, so another professor from the same department took over, but Lin Shuicheng didn't attend. Instead, he went to the library to research.

After an entire afternoon of searching, from dusk till dark, he still found nothing.

Rubbing his temples, Lin Shuicheng stepped out of the library and noticed that it was already dark. He instinctively turned on his phone, planning to tell Fu Luoyin that he would be home late today.

Normally, if Fu Luoyin was going to return home at night, he would inform Lin Shuicheng in advance about what he wanted for dinner. However, Fu Luoyin was unusually silent today.

Lin Shuicheng sent him a message: "I'll be back later," then switched off his phone.

In the library, he had filled in the detailed information that Xu Kong had requested, and now planned to visit Xu Kong's office again.

As night fell upon Star City University, Lin Shuicheng entered the administrative building and made his way to the vice dean's office. However, he found Ye Zi, the teaching assistant from the neighboring class, standing outside. Ye Zi knew him and gestured for him not to enter just yet. Then, he approached Lin Shuicheng and whispered, "Lin Shuicheng, what brings you here? Should you leave first? If it's something like submitting forms, I can do it for you. I can't leave – there has been a commotion inside all day, but my application documents must be approved today. I've been waiting here for two hours and have no idea how much longer it will take."

Lin Shuicheng glanced at the closed door and whispered, "…What's the commotion about?"

The soundproofing in the faculty office was excellent, so from his distance, he could only discern faint murmurs of disagreement inside but not a single word clearly.

Ye Zi whispered, "The central administration has assigned a task to the mathematics department. It seems Vice Dean Xu thinks it's unreasonable and doesn't agree. Today, the dispute has escalated all the way from the math department's administration to the chancellor's office, and they still haven't reached a conclusion. The assignment has already been given, making this matter rather difficult to handle."

Lin Shuicheng asked softly, "Is Vice Dean Xu the only one who disagrees?"

Lowering his voice even more, Ye Zi replied, "Seems like it. He hasn't been here long, so you might not be familiar with him. When he was at the old North American branch, he had this temperament – he disliked intertwining administrative affairs with academic circles. But you know, Star City is different from other branches in some… ways."

Her sentence was interrupted as the main door suddenly swung open, revealing an enraged figure – Xu Kong.

He stormed out, his face flushed red with anger. Clearly, he was beyond furious and hadn't even noticed the two students standing at the entrance, seeking him out.

Inside the office, someone pursued the argument, "If you disagree, that's fine, but someone has to take on this task. Who else has the capability to approach the security department? You're thinking of your students, but why not consider the entire mathematics faculty? Are you going to let this issue persist?"

The others remained tight-lipped, neither voicing support nor opposition.

Xu Kong unleashed a torrent of profanity, "Then damn it, go do it yourself! What kind of ridiculous rule is this from above? Can't handle the job and then dump it on the students? Cases from the administrative department unresolved, blaming students, trying to ruin their lives forever?!"

Ye Zi and Lin Shuicheng exchanged glances.

Both were students and had never encountered such an administrative dispute head-on before. For a moment, their worldview seemed shattered.

The academic atmosphere varied across the different branches of the Alliance. While under Yang Zhiwei's wing, Lin Shuicheng had enjoyed carte blanche. He had vaguely known about factions and rivalries within academia, but Yang Zhiwei had protected them well in both the Jiangnan Branch and the Old North American Summit.

Those four years in the Jiangnan Branch under Yang Zhiwei had been the smoothest of Lin Shuicheng's life. Thus, even for him, the reality of factional disputes remained largely superficial.

Though he was aware of the fierce competition and strife within academic factions, actually facing it was another matter altogether.

Ye Zi hesitated for a moment but, seeing Xu Kong walking away, she mustered her courage and chased after him, whispering, "Professor, this is our class project report. You said you'd sign it today..."

Xu Kong stopped and turned to take the report from her. Perhaps due to the dim light outside, Ye Zi noticed him blink hard as if searching for something, only to suddenly collapse backward.

Xu Kong flailed his arms desperately, managing to fall onto his back on the ground. Then, he clutched his chest, his face contorted in pain. Within just a few seconds, Ye Zi could see cold sweat drenching Xu Kong's entire body!

Lin Shuicheng immediately instructed, "Help him lie down! Professor Xu has high blood pressure; call the school hospital to bring an oxygen tank!"

Ye Zi promptly followed his lead. Lin Shuicheng rushed into the office and went straight for Xu Kong's desk. Under everyone's watchful gaze, he squatted down and started rifling through drawers. After checking a few, he found one locked cabinet remaining. Without hesitation, Lin Shuicheng smashed it open with a ashtray from the desk!

His actions were swift and decisive, without any hesitation. None of the professors and officials in the office had reacted yet; they could only watch him in stunned silence.

After breaking open the case, Lin Shuicheng found a box of nitroglycerin tablets. He immediately poured out a pill and rushed out to feed it to Xu Kong.

Only then did the people inside come to their senses and start whispering to each other, "Deputy Director Xu's high blood pressure has acted up..."

"What should we do now?" The man who had just been arguing with Xu Kong was named Yu Fan, another deputy director. Everyone turned to look at him, tacitly acknowledging that he was the one who had provoked Xu Kong's condition, causing him some embarrassment.

Clearing his throat, Yu Fan said solemnly, "But someone needs to deal with this. When Old Xu wakes up and recovers, we still need to explain the situation to him."

"No need," Lin Shuicheng replied, supporting Xu Kong. "I'll take care of the project. Don't put more pressure on Teacher Xu."

He raised his voice slightly, so that although he was attending to Xu Kong outside, those inside could still hear him clearly.

Xu Kong seemed to be alright. He was still conscious but temporarily unable to speak, so he could only lie down and rest where he was.

"Who are you?" Yu Fan looked at Lin Shuicheng with suspicion and disdain. He was almost amused by the student's overconfidence—"You? Really?"

The young man appeared quite inexperienced, probably an undergraduate or a graduate student.

The reason why that project in the General Affairs Department has become a hot potato for everyone to pass around is unimaginably challenging. For an undergraduate to claim ignorance yet still dare to take on this project? Even the most advanced AI recognition systems have failed; he had never encountered something so amusing.

Lin Shuicheng stood up, neither overbearing nor humble. "My name is Lin Shuicheng."

Beneath the lights, his cheeks were fair and attractive, with a bright and resolute glint in his eyes, as if they held a galaxy within.

He emphasized his words slightly, "Just because of me."