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Chapter 23: 23

Chen Chen walked briskly through the forest trail on campus .

1

This was the beginning of spring . A soft, silky rain was falling and the scent of the earth suffused the air .

In the moving crowd of people, Chen Chen always managed to attract a lot of attention .

His appearance was not outstanding but he had a presence that extended outward, making him the most eye-catching of the bunch .

Anyone could see that he was dressed in an ordinary t-shirt and jeans . Even so, every gesture of his seemed like that of a celebrity’s .

Chen Chen quietly closed the webpage on Xia Yin’s tutor and placed his phone down with a thoughtful expression .

“A schemer through and through…”

This was the first thing Chen Chen said about this guy .

Based on the information Chen Chen had obtained from the college, the tutor’s name was Zheng Jian . He was an associate professor who was 38 years old this year . He graduated from North American Salia University with a double Ph . D . in biochemistry and pharmacy .

He must have had a certain level of capability and finesse to be able to become an associate professor at such a young age .

Although Zheng Jian’s status in academia was far behind Wang Xi, he was still a mammoth obstacle to Chen Chen .

Once a conflict erupted, Chen Chen would have no chance of winning .

Of course, that was a thing of the past .

Chen Chen looked up Zheng Jian’s information online, which only mentioned that his spouse had died of medulloblastoma a few years ago and the two had no offspring .

However, just six months later, Zheng Jian had married a new lover, who was the daughter of a high-ranking official .

There was an accompanying photo which showed a man sitting behind an office desk .

The man’s cheeks were sunken and he wore gold-rimmed glasses . There was a hard glint in his eyes .

In addition, there was a neat bookshelf behind the man . On the desk before him were a computer, a pen holder, a thermos mug, and a framed photo .

The photo was blurred . One could just about make out a woman in a white dress .

Chen Chen could dig up all of this thanks to the highly developed internet .

Of course, it was limited to this .

It was impossible to obtain further information about Zheng Jian online . After all, he was not a star in the entertainment industry .

Soon, Chen Chen had reached the ground floor of Block Office Three .

“Chen Chen!”

Xia Yin waved and jogged over from a short distance away . She apologized profusely the moment she saw Chen Chen, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry . I truly didn’t expect this to happen!”

10

“It’s fine . Tell me what your tutor wants . ”

Chen Chen waved his hand . Both of them headed up the stairs .

“My tutor hopes that you and I can grant him the positions of lead and corresponding author . In exchange, he could directly recommend us for the postgraduate program . ”

Xia Yin said, “Of course, it’s okay if you have other conditions, but…”

“And what do you want?” Chen Chen turned to look at Xia Yin .

“My tutor has already prepared a letter to the school that would guarantee entry into the postgraduate program…”

Xia Yin sounded rather uncertain . “I think that’s pretty good . Didn’t we do this experiment to get into postgraduate research? Now that we’ve reached our goal, we can give up on those two papers, right?”

6

Chen Chen shook his head but said nothing .

There was a pitfall in thinking here .

If the two papers were successfully published, Xia Yin and Chen Chen would be qualified for postgraduate research regardless . Not only that but the two papers would also be hugely advantageous to both their futures .

Giving up credit as lead and corresponding authors in exchange for an entry into the postgraduate program was akin to putting the cart before the horse .

Nonetheless, Chen Chen did not voice any objections . After all, this experiment was funded by Xia Yin .

If he did not agree to give up his position as a corresponding author, he would undoubtedly offend Xia Yin’s tutor, which would cut off her path to postgraduate research .

Of course, compromising immediately was not Chen Chen’s style either . Sure, the tutor could be a corresponding author but he must pay the right price .

Furthermore, based on what Xia Yin had said, the tutor did not just want Chen Chen’s position as a corresponding author . He also wanted Xia Yin’s position as lead author .

According to international practice, the lead author was typically recognized as the corresponding author .

This was common . Generally, the lead author was the one who contributed most to the paper . Unless the corresponding author was specifically stated, the lead author would be treated as the corresponding author by default .

Professor Zheng wanted an unequivocal position as lead author .

Seeing that Chen Chen did not speak, Xia Yin fell silent as well .

In this silence, they reached the fifth floor and came to the office door of Xia Yin’s tutor .

“Chen Chen, in the past three months, I’ve seen what you’re capable of . If this deal isn’t worth it, just turn him down…”

Xia Yin finally blurted out this statement as if she had been plucking up the courage to say it .

“Don’t worry . I know what to do . ”

Chen Chen shook his head . Without warning, he raised his phone and asked Xia Yin, “By the way, who’s the woman on your tutor’s desk?”

“Huh?” Xia Yin tilted her head and looked . “Oh, her . That’s his previous wife who’s passed away . Why?”

“Oh, it’s nothing . ”

Chen Chen nodded, turned around, and knocked on the door .

“Please come in . ”

A gravelly voice called out . Chen Chen pushed open the office door and walked in .

This was a fifteen-square-meter office .

The layout of the office was identical to the one in the picture online . Even the positions of the pen holder and the framed photo on the desk were the same .

“Hello, Professor Zheng . ”

After a quick look, Chen Chen withdrew his gaze and nodded at the middle-aged man before him .

“Oh, you must be Chen Chen . Little Yin has mentioned about you before . Come in, come in, please have a seat!”

Unexpectedly, the middle-aged man stood up at once and shook Chen Chen’s hand enthusiastically .

Seeing that Chen Chen seemed stunned by this friendly display, the man could not help chuckling . “Little Yin, you may go first . I’ll have a good chat with your schoolmate Chen Chen . ”

“Very well . ” Xia Yin nodded . After casting a furtive, meaningful glance at Chen Chen, she left the office .

The middle-aged man waited until Xia Yin had closed the door behind her before he steadied his expression .

“Let me introduce myself . I’m Zheng Jian, Little Yin’s tutor . I heard from her that your team spent only three months to complete a groundbreaking pilot project . That’s impressive . ”

“I guess so . It’s not all to my credit . Xia Yin and a dorm mate of mine helped a great deal . ”

Chen Chen sat on the sofa and replied as he observed the office .

Zheng Jian’s office was not large . Other than the desk and the bookshelf at the back, there was just a mahogany pendulum clock by the door .

This pendulum clock could be classified as a grandfather clock . It was over two meters tall with a low, golden pendulum . Through the transparent glass, Chen Chen could see the pendulum swinging ceaselessly . It looked extremely expensive .

Chen Chen showed an expression of interest and walked up toward the pendulum clock, examining it closely .

“What, you’re interested in my pendulum clock?” Zheng Jian laughed .

“Professor Zheng, this pendulum clock is from Holland, right?” Chen Chen shot back with his question .

“Oh? You’re very knowledgeable about pendulum clocks . ”

Zheng Jian was startled . “That’s right, this pendulum clock is indeed imported from Holland . I thought it looked good, so I placed it here . ”

“Pendulum clocks made in Holland have a sort of classical charm . It’s too bad they’re not precise enough and require frequent adjustments . ”

Chen Chen nodded . “Professor Zheng, do you know what time it is?”

“Now…” Zheng Jian looked at the time on the clock . “Isn’t it 9:35 in the morning?”

“But my phone says it’s 9:40 . ”

After he spoke, Chen Chen immediately opened the protective case of the clock and set the time forward by five minutes .

Zheng Jian frowned but said nothing in the end .

“Now, the time is right . ”

Chen Chen smiled, turned around, and sat back on the sofa .

Zheng Jian shot a glance at the pendulum clock as if sensing that something was wrong . Only then did he say, “Student Chen Chen, let’s get to the point . ”

Chen Chen assumed a listening expression at once .

“You know that Xia Yin is my student . I have every reason to be responsible for this experiment in which she had invested . ”

1

Zheng Jian’s voice dripped with sincerity . “Still, in recognition of the significant work you’ve put in, I won’t treat you unfairly . After all, I’m very pleased with this experiment . Plus, your abilities and ideas are wonderful . I have high hopes for you and I’m willing to invest in you . ”

Chen Chen still did not speak but there seemed to be a hint of a waver in his expression .

“How’s this – when you’re in your junior year, pick me as your tutor . I’ll get you a place in this school’s postgraduate research program and utilize you as much as possible in all future projects and tasks!”

Zheng Jian struck while the iron was hot . “Besides, I’ll help you fight for scholarships and whatnot as much as I can . I only have one condition, which is…

“For the scientific paper on this experiment, you must give up your signature as a corresponding author!”