Following Shen Zhui and Yu Fan's removal from their positions, several deanships suddenly became vacant.
According to tradition, the deanship would be filled by promoting an acting vice-dean. The Mathematics Faculty currently had three vice-deans: Xu Kong, Yang Shen, and Luo Song.
Xu Kong had parachuted into Star University and had outright refused the deanship initially. In this upcoming election, his inaction was tantamount to abstaining. Thus, the competition boiled down to Yang Shen and Luo Song.
Predicting the outcome of this election was far from straightforward.
In recent years, Yang Shen had focused more on mentoring students, resulting in fewer research papers and projects. Luo Song, on the other hand, had a more prolific record of academic achievements, but he taught courses in two faculties simultaneously: Mathematics and Chemistry. Chemistry was his primary focus, and with both faculties evenly matched, it was difficult to determine who would ultimately ascend to the deanship.
In the astrophysics community at Star University, an unspoken understanding prevailed: the current dean's election, though seemingly a contest between two individuals, was in reality a proxy war between two academic factions.
The scandal of Yu Fan's academic fraud and subsequent dismissal remained a highly debated topic. People continually delved into the scholarly disputes underlying the incident in the mathematics department, with various factions involved.
A doctoral advisor from another college spoke openly: "While the Old European Branch Faction has produced some academic reprobates, there are still numerous outstanding academic leaders among them. We may lean towards theory, but we are by no means an antiquarian sect content to live in the shadow of bygone eras. The Xing University School of Mathematics cannot afford to be bereft of theoretical underpinnings. For if everyone were to devote themselves solely to researching front-end tools for financial gain, it would be in those centuries hence, when technological progress comes to a standstill, that we would truly face our doomsday."
Theoreticians were disheartened, while many others turned their attention to the gossip lurking behind the scenes.
A few days ago, an avid insider within the community published a highly incendiary paper that delved deeply into certain affairs within the academic sphere. It laid out, in meticulous detail, the lineage of factions, claiming that the rift between the Tool-oriented School and the Theory-oriented School could be traced back to the Oppenheimer era. The paper further divulged a trove of salacious gossip across all alliance universities. For instance, the bitter enmity between University X and University Y was rooted in their fierce competition for a top-tier research talent. This individual, after having worked under countless supervisors, eventually became their own boss, wielding a cache of classified data and novel research directions. They proceeded to pursue their own projects, inadvertently causing hidden losses amounting to hundreds of billions. These losses directly contributed to the stagnation of certain national defense initiatives within the alliance, ultimately leading to their complete ostracization by the academic community.
...
These exposés were credible, but they were quickly suppressed by various factions. Although the surface seemed calm, tensions were running high behind the scenes.
In the North American branch, in the Xia family residence.
"Sweetheart, your mom and dad have already contacted someone from Star University. But this time, it's a bit tricky, you know? If you study here, we can arrange for you to go wherever you want. But in Star City, we don't really know anyone anymore. Mom and Dad will do our best to pull some strings. That Yu Fan we knew... he ruined himself. Now there's only Luo Song left to see if he can help, but it depends on next month's election results," Xia Ran's mother said earnestly while sitting on the sofa.
She was no longer young, but she took good care of herself and looked refined and elegant.
Xia Ran was kneeling on the floor of the study, searching through his study materials and tools. He remained silent, focusing on his search, pulling out a few books and boxes of old paints.
Half of his high school art supplies were still intact. After so long, when he took them out of the box, they were as good as new. The paint brushes were cleaned and properly stored, and the tubes of paint were neatly arranged. These were the best paints they had back in high school, and even now, they were still highly regarded brands.
"I say, why... sigh, why do you insist on attending Star University?" Xia Ran's mother wore a worried expression. "It's so far away, and nobody can take care of you... We can't find any connections there. Have you thought about..."
"Mom, can't I just get in on my own merit?" Xia Ran's voice sounded gloomy.
His mother froze for a moment before laughing. "You silly kid, Mom knows you have the capability. But if there are connections available, use them. Don't be so stubborn."
She glanced at Xia Ran and, after a moment, whispered, "Honey, are you still thinking about... Little Fu? I heard from Aunt Bai that he's back in Star City for work, juggling responsibilities between the Seventh Bureau and Fu's Military Industry. He hasn't had a serious relationship in a while. Would you like to...?"
"Mum, he has a boyfriend," Xia Ran interrupted her.
He stood up, holding his painting supplies, and placed them back on the desk. "It has nothing to do with him. I just want to go back to school."
Xia Mum felt embarrassed. "Going to school is good, definitely good. You're overreacting. It's fortunate that the Ous have sent their daughter there. You'll have someone to look out for you now."
Xia Ran had completed his university studies in the former North American branch. In between, he had dabbled in rock music and even learned to be a tattoo artist. At the prime age of twenty-four or twenty-five, while his peers had entered the workforce, he could afford—being the most pampered child of the Xia family—not to put in too much effort.
In reality, he only needed to exert half the effort to outshine everyone else. Xia Ran was gifted in painting. Even during the challenging and uncertain period of his senior year in high school, he could pass the professional exams for the top three art schools in Star University, Star Arts Academy, and Design College without studying. However, he fell short in his cultural studies scores.
After repeating a year, and with the Xia family developing new influence in the North American branch, he used special admissions connections to gain entry into the Art College of the North American branch, where he studied design.
Sitting by the desk with the lamp on, the sky outside transitioned from a smoky blue to a deep black, but not a single page of the book in front of him had been turned.
He was lost in thought for a long time before he picked up his phone and saw the latest message in the group chat.
Fu Xue: "Ran Ran, are you coming back?"
Others popped up in the chat, exclaiming, "What? What happened? Ranran's coming back!"
Xia Ran replied, "[Yeah, I'm studying for the entrance exam at Star University of Fine Arts.]"
Fu Xue responded, "You don't need to take the exam! Just come back and prepare. I'll make some connections for you. We can probably arrange for some inside information. Don't worry at all! When do you plan on returning?"
The rest of the group also started flooding the chat, and within five minutes, they had already planned where to welcome Xia Ran back.
After reading for a while, Xia Ran exited the group chat and tapped on an individual profile picture.
Fu Luoyin's profile picture was the default gray avatar – a simple choice that suited his personality. Back when they were a couple, it was always Xia Ran who suggested changing their matching avatars.
In the messaging box, he typed, "I'll be back in a few days," but moments later, he deleted it, buried his face in his hands, and took a deep breath.
The day after Lin Shuicheng joined the review team, He Muya's bodyguard Xu Hang contacted him again, "Is this Student Lin?"
Lin Shuicheng answered, "Yes, what's up?"
"Oh, right, I just wanted to remind you to compile your report and submit it through the proper channels to General He. Don't forget, there's a three million yuan project bonus at stake."
Lin Shuicheng pondered for a moment. "Isn't this usually the procedure for the academy or... the Seventh Bureau? I don't think it's something I should personally report, right?"
Xu Hang replied, "It's indeed you personally. The Seventh Bureau stated that they only provided equipment, so the credit goes to you. The academy has no objections for now. After submitting this and going through the process, not only will the project funding be secured, but this can also be recorded as a first-class individual achievement in the Alliance." He continued, "You might not fully understand the significance of random-related investigations, but you just need to know that pursuing this criminal group is a high priority. Given their methods—just from a technological standpoint—you should have an idea of their capabilities."
Lin Shuicheng acknowledged, "I understand."
The ability to replicate at the atomic level indicated that the opposing party would pose a significant challenge to the Alliance government, revealing their possession of highly advanced technology. It had already been mentioned that this case was Star University's mineral water project, not the same one handled by the First Bureau of Public Security Affairs; its scale could only be more substantial, not less.
"That's why, despite the attractiveness of your research findings, we hope you won't publish or submit them. This is to avoid attracting attention from random and its members. Additionally, the restriction on publicizing your research results is for the sake of your personal safety."
Lin Shuicheng replied, "I understand, thank you. It's just that I have some matters to attend to recently, so I might only be free to work on this in about two weeks. Would that be acceptable?"
Xu Hang reassured him, "There's no rush at all, it's entirely up to your convenience. If you have any concerns, feel free to contact me anytime. I wish you an enjoyable life."
Lately, Lin Shuicheng had been swamped with work. Ever since Ou Qian was disqualified from the military project, he had taken over as the team leader, overseeing the subsequent investigation and development.
This time, the remaining team members were highly cooperative. He provided the direction and structure, while An Ruyi and Lv Jian dedicated themselves to data collection. Xu Mengmeng diligently cross-checked, assembled, and corrected errors. The team collaboration was unprecedentedly harmonious, with everyone working overtime on their research.
Aside from the military project, Lin Shuicheng also had the recent TFCJO journal review to attend to.
Lin Shuicheng was completely inexperienced in this aspect. Although he had been by Yang Zhiwei's side during his undergraduate years, he never got the chance to access the manuscript review system since those opportunities were reserved for doctoral students. As an undergraduate, he lacked such opportunities due to time constraints.
It was common for doctoral students to be entrusted with reviewing papers by their supervisors. For Yang Zhiwei, he was accustomed to assigning obvious rejections to his doctoral students for their review and requiring their feedback. This way, it reduced his workload while providing training for his students. Serving as a reviewer was an honorary position; if there was no work involved, Yang Zhiwei would even compensate his students as their review salary.
Within the alliance, there was a unified standard to assess the academic level of journals, known as the IF (Impact Factor): the total number of citations in the current year to articles published in the journal during the previous two years, divided by the total number of articles published in that journal during the same two-year period. Generally, an IF over 1 indicated higher citation rates, and the higher the IF, the more influential the academic journal was.
The IF of TFCJO was around 7, whereas the journals that Yang Zhiwei handled back then mostly had IFs above 10.
Without any experience in reviewing manuscripts, this was quite a significant challenge for Lin Shuicheng.
Soon, he was assigned manuscripts for review. TFCJO's reviewing process consisted of three stages: initial, secondary, and final reviews. During the initial stage, three reviewers would individually provide their feedback, deciding whether the manuscript should be retained or discarded. All these review comments would then pass through the lead reviewer for further assessment.
The top-rated reviewer on the TFCJO website goes by the pseudonym Sinemora, which translates to "No More Hesitation." He has been a member of the review board for fourteen years, and intriguingly, his true identity remains unknown to this day. Sinemora's approach to reviewing and editing is enigmatic, yet he is universally acknowledged as the most consistent and knowledgeable critic. His expertise spans across multiple disciplines, including chemistry, physics, and mathematics, allowing him to provide insightful and precise feedback on both theoretical and practical aspects.
Many had speculated that "No More Hesitation" was Yang Zhiwei's work, but Lin Shuicheng knew that it wasn't.
In the evening, when Fu Luoyin returned home, he found Lin Shuicheng nibbling on an electronic pen while reviewing a manuscript.
Lin Shuicheng projected the manuscript onto the television screen, and with the surrounding lights turned off, the pages on the screen became strikingly evident.
Upon entering, Fu Luoyin couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh, you're reviewing the manuscript."
At a single glance, he discerned the watermark emblem of the TFCJO journal—Fu's Military-Grade Technology annually interfaces with countless journals boasting IF scores exceeding 10, scouring through myriad papers in search of the talent and research avenues they require. In recent years, TFCJO has made significant strides in both AI and CV domains, a fact that Fu Luoyin is intimately familiar with.
Lin Shuicheng held a bowl of fried potato chips, munching away while watching attentively. He jotted down some notes from time to time, paying no attention to the other person.
He had spent the day meticulously reviewing two manuscripts, appending copious amounts of revision suggestions that seemed to densely populate the pages. As he delved into the third piece, a message suddenly popped up at the top of his screen: "Your review comments have undergone new adjustments."
Lin Shuicheng clicked in and found that the revisions he had suggested for the two manuscripts during the day were highlighted, crossed out, and significantly altered – his original four hundred or so comments had been pared down to just a sentence or two. Some suggestions were consolidated into new, separate points, while others were simply omitted altogether.
In other words, less than 20% of Lin Shuicheng's revisions were adopted, and that was just for one piece.
For another, the manuscript Lin Shuicheng had marked as pending was outright rejected with his suggestions replaced by "Declined."
Looking at the text covered in red strike-throughs, Lin Shuicheng pursed his lips.
Although he appeared unperturbed, Fu Luoyin could already visualize an indignant Lin Shuicheng in his mind – the image amused him, causing him to smile uncontrollably.
Not aware of the reason behind Fu Luoyin's laughter, Lin Shuicheng glanced at him before scrolling down to the bottom of the document. There, he saw the name of the reviser: Sinemora (No Longer Hesitant).
Fu Luoyin sat down beside him and effortlessly pulled Lin Shuicheng into his embrace, stealing a potato chip from the tip of his finger.
The potato chips that Lin Shuicheng had fried were sprinkled with salt and pepper, exuding a pleasant aroma. As Fu Luoyin ate, he glanced at the screen in front of him. "It's him, an area chair or editor-level figure. You're quite lucky to have someone like him guide you."
Lin Shuicheng looked at him.
Fu Luoyin continued to plunder his potato chips. "Don't look at me like that, and don't pout. This person isn't any simpler than Yang Zhiwei. Before I joined the Seventh Bureau, I had a mandatory task to publish an academic paper with an IF above 5. He reviewed my manuscript, not for this journal but another one. He always uses this 'No More Hesitation' as his reviewer ID, and his style is quite consistent. Although he sometimes has personal biases, there's nothing much to criticize about his work otherwise."
Lin Shuicheng reread the revisions suggested by "No More Hesitation." "I know his changes are correct, but how do you know he has personal biases?"
"Did you think the review process was double-blind?" Fu Luoyin asked.
Lin Shuicheng hesitated. "Isn't it double-blind? The reviewers don't know each other, nor do the authors and the reviewers. That way, fairness and impartiality can be ensured."
"You're oversimplifying it. In theory, it's double-blind, but in reality, it's quite easy to tell," Fu Luoyin said, lifting his chin to indicate the third paper on the screen. "Without even asking, I know that your third paper is from an old professor surnamed Du in Star University's Chemistry Department, either him or one of his PhD students. For research like this, papers often come out during the proposal stage, and they can be directly searched by the system. Currently, in the entire Alliance, only he and his students are working on this direction."
Lin Shuicheng was taken aback – Fu Luoyin was indeed right. For instance, in the military project where he served as the team leader, a paper had already been published just for the proposal stage. Anyone who cared to search would immediately know who was conducting the research.
After a moment of contemplation, he lowered his eyes and spoke softly, "That would still be a single-blind selection. The author wouldn't know who we are."
Fu Luoyin said, "What's so difficult about that? Everyone in the academic circle has already guessed. Do you know who 'No More Hesitation' is?"
Lin Shuicheng stared at him for a moment before replying, "I don't."
"He goes by Jin Li. You should have heard of him," Fu Luoyin informed.
Lin Shuicheng pondered and promptly recalled: Jin Li was a mixed-race individual, ten years younger than Yang Zhiwei but had gained fame at a young age as well. Although he hadn't made any groundbreaking discoveries on a global scale, he had broken through stagnant research in multiple fields. His style was sharp and assertive. Lin Shuicheng had met him once at a CVPR conference – one of the top three conferences in academia – where Jin Li's team had consecutively won the Best Paper Award for five years.
Jin Li himself had also contributed many sensational stories within the academic community. Lin Shuicheng didn't delve into them, but vaguely remembered that this person seemed to hold an intense dislike for Yang Zhiwei.
There was an unwritten rule that all his students had to follow: Yang Zhiwei's papers were forbidden to be cited.
This rule was widely known in the academic circle, yet Yang Zhiwei took it with a smile.
If Sinemora turned out to be Jin Li, it would seem fitting. Lin Shuicheng wasn't surprised, but he was curious how Fu Luoyin had reached this conclusion. He looked questioningly at Fu Luoyin.
Fu Luoyin shrugged. "I mentioned his bias. This guy is notorious for favoritism and protecting his own. In his early days, when he provided review comments, eight out of ten suggested references were his own, just to boost his citation rate. But he stopped doing that later, and people gradually forgot. Fourteen years ago, TFCJO journal wasn't as significant as it is now, so few paid attention. But because of my work, I had occasion to investigate."
After hearing Fu Luoyin's explanation, Lin Shuicheng opened his phone to search for information on Jin Li.
He whispered, "He's from the Old European Branch."
And apparently, he was a leader there.
The Old European and Old North American Branch factions had been at odds with each other for years, fiercely competing for resources. The recent controversy surrounding the art authentication case at Star University was a clear example.
Lin Shuicheng was aware of these matters, but he wasn't interested.
Academic circles were filled with disputes and competition over ideas and research perspectives. In his second year of university, Lin Shuicheng had witnessed a professor in his fifties or sixties being bluntly refuted in the face during a summit. The argument was intense and almost got out of hand.
At that time, people around him had discussed how it was an unpleasant scene.
But he didn't find anything wrong with it. Reflecting on it, perhaps when he reached the same age, he wouldn't mind having his research flaws pointed out in public. Likewise, he wouldn't be someone who would choose silence to maintain appearances.
Lin Shuicheng fell silent for a moment before saying, "This journal reviewer position... was recommended to me by Teacher Xu Kong."
After a moment of deliberation, he turned to look at Fu Luoyin, "I'm not sure if I should..."
His voice softened, and his brows knitted together again.
Fu Luoyin once again envisaged in his mind a forlorn Lin Shuicheng—then snatched a potato chip from his fingers mid-air, asking, "Do you think they inserted you here perhaps for future or present factional conflicts?"
Lin Shuicheng remained silent, neither confirming nor denying the suggestion.
He didn't particularly enjoy this sensation, even if the other party was his mentor and stood alongside the teacher he revered the most. Nevertheless, he disliked what was happening.
"The reviewer's principle is to be objective and fair, avoid conflicts of interest, be concise and constructive, and not nitpick. It's a very straightforward task. Your concerns are valid, but it's the environment that creates such circumstances. Perhaps your teachers didn't consider that deeply; they might just see it as an opportunity to hone your skills."
Fu Luoyin began to dangle the potato chip to entice the leader in the corner. "But let's be honest, there aren't many neutral and impartial opportunities in this world. People with differing interests will naturally align themselves on opposite sides, and you'll be categorized into a different camp with others. That's the nature of human society, something you can't escape. If you lack this attribute, it shouldn't affect you; if you possess it, it still shouldn't make a difference."
He looked at Lin Shuicheng with a smile. "I can hardly picture you sneakily adding your own paper title into the review comments, asking for a citation. What do you think?"
Lin Shuicheng pursed his lips. "I wouldn't do something like that."
"Fine then. You don't need to worry about whether Sinemora is Jin Li or Silver Li. Just focus on reviewing the manuscript, and make sure to take breaks." Fu Luoyin placed the chips on a scrap of paper, then leaned forward to push it towards the chief.
The cat circled around the chips, sniffing them, before losing interest and wandering off. Fu Luoyin had no choice but to get up and retrieve the chips and paper, discarding them both.
Thus, Lin Shuicheng continued reading the manuscript. He jotted down Sinemora's revised suggestions and the reference materials provided, endeavoring to improve his own reviewing style by following the example set.
Fu Luoyin, noticing that Lin Shuicheng had let go of his obsession, felt reassured and leaned against him to play the card game "Fight the Landlord."
Lin Shuicheng reached for the chip bowl but found it empty.
Since Fu Luoyin's return, he had been picking on the chips in Lin Shuicheng's hand, leaving not a single one behind.
Lin Shuicheng: "..."
He handed the empty bowl to Fu Luoyin without a word, resuming his reading.
Fu Luoyin glanced at him, and Lin Shuicheng returned the gaze, staring at him unwaveringly.
Fu Luoyin: "..."
He surrendered with a wave of his hand, "Alright, alright, I'll go make you another bowl."
