Chapter 313 - 242: Cooperation

Chapter 313: Chapter 242: Cooperation

"Of course, we will also allocate the corresponding consultant stipend and research funding according to the highest standards."

To put it bluntly, it was just a nominal position. He’d just have to help solve any difficult problems that came up.

There was no reason for Chen Lin to refuse such a great offer.

"Minister Liao, it is my honor to contribute to a major national project."

Chen Lin nodded, his tone sincere. "As long as the project team needs me, I’ll be there at a moment’s notice."

"Good! Straightforward!"

Liao Yixin clapped his hands together firmly, the smile on his face growing even brighter.

Immediately after, he threw out another proposal that took everyone present by surprise:

"Oh, by the way, Professor Chen."

Liao Yixin looked at Chen Lin, a glint of cunning unique to a "wily old fox" flashing in his eyes:

"This invitation... I don’t intend for it to be just for you personally."

"What I mean is, I want Yannan University to join our project team as a whole, as a research institution."

The moment he said this, a wave of soft gasps rippled through the conference room.

’Let Yannan University join?’

’What did that mean?’

It meant Yannan University would be directly linked to a national-level nuclear fusion project.

It meant that when Yannan University applied for research funding or key laboratory status in the future, it could add the glittering achievement of "Participation in the CFETR engineering reactor construction" to its resume.

More importantly—

It meant that Chen Lin’s doctoral and master’s students could justifiably participate in this project, gaining exposure to the most cutting-edge research topics.

The few elderly academicians present exchanged glances, their eyes holding a complicated mix of emotions.

They could, of course, see that Liao Yixin was using this opportunity to pave the way and raise the stakes for Chen Lin.

’But then again, does Chen Lin deserve this kind of treatment?’

’He does!’

’He absolutely does!’

"Minister Liao, this..."

Chen Lin was rather surprised.

He had come today thinking it would just be a formality, a chance to meet some people. He never expected to gain so much.

"I don’t even have any doctoral students under me yet." Chen Lin scratched his head, a little embarrassed.

Although he was already a Special Professor at Yannan University, he had only just started the position.

"That’s no problem!"

Liao Yixin waved his hand with magnanimous flair.

"You may not have any now, but that doesn’t mean you won’t in the future!"

"You’re so young; you have a long road ahead of you. Once you have your own team, you can bring your students directly into the project."

At this, Chen Lin couldn’t help but think of Principal Chang Kai and chuckled to himself.

’Indeed, if Principal Chang knew his university had landed the golden signboard of "controllable nuclear fusion," he’d probably wake up laughing in his sleep.’

"Well... alright then."

Chen Lin didn’t refuse again and nodded in agreement.

"I’ll report this to Principal Chang when I get back."

"Excellent! It’s settled then!"

Liao Yixin stood up with a smile and announced to the experts present:

"Today’s meeting is now concluded. Academician Liu will take the lead on the specific verification work. Please produce results as soon as possible."

"Furthermore, the office will be responsible for liaising and finalizing the procedures for Professor Chen and Yannan University to join the project team."

After speaking, Liao Yixin turned to Chen Lin, his tone tinged with concern:

"Professor Chen, that hour must have taken a lot out of you. Let’s call it a day. Get some rest."

"If you need anything later, feel free to contact me anytime."

Chen Lin nodded, stood up, and spoke to the leaders and experts present:

"Everyone, I’ll be taking my leave then. My apologies for taking up so much of your time."

"Not at all, Professor Chen!"

"Take care, Professor Chen!"

"Professor Chen, come visit Science Island when you have time! I’ll treat you to a meal at the cafeteria!"

Everyone stood up to see him off, their attitudes overwhelmingly enthusiastic.

Academician Liu, in particular, personally walked Chen Lin to the door. He gripped his hand, his eyes a little red.

"Professor Chen, I’ve worked in physics my whole life. I never thought that at the end of it all, I’d get to see such hope..."

"Thank you. I truly thank you."

Chen Lin felt a bit embarrassed by the old man’s sincere emotions. He quickly uttered a few polite phrases like "You’re too kind" and "It’s what I ought to do" before managing to pull away.

Stepping out of the heavy gates of the Science Academy, the afternoon winter sun bathed Chen Lin in its warmth.

He took a deep breath of the unique, slightly dry air of the Imperial Capital and felt himself relax considerably.

"Professor Chen! Over here!"

A familiar voice called out from ahead and to the side.

Chen Lin looked up and saw Qin Feng’s stern, square-jawed face.

The low-profile black sedan was parked not far from the Science Academy’s entrance.

"Captain Qin, thank you for your trouble."

Chen Lin walked over quickly and pulled open the car door, ready to get in.

But as soon as he opened the door, he froze for a second.

Because he found Qin Feng was already sitting in the back seat.

And in the front passenger seat was a stranger.

The man looked to be in his mid-thirties, with a lean, wiry build, dark skin, and features so sharp they seemed carved from stone.

He was wearing an ordinary dark jacket and at first glance looked like a typical office worker, but his eyes—

—were sharp and calm, like those of a panther lying in wait.

Chen Lin’s intuition told him this man was no ordinary person.

"Get in the car, Professor Chen."

Qin Feng leaned out from inside the car and gestured to Chen Lin.

Chen Lin nodded, bent down, and slid into the back seat, sitting down next to Qin Feng.

The moment the door closed, the man in the passenger seat turned halfway around and proactively extended a hand to Chen Lin.

"Hello, Professor Chen. My name is Fu Yangqing."

His voice wasn’t loud, but it was steady, carrying a reassuring strength.

"I’m the person in charge of state security in Jinmen. From now on, I’ll be responsible for your security detail in the Jinmen area."

Chen Lin was stunned for a moment, then quickly recovered and shook his hand.

"Cap... Captain Fu? Hello, hello. A pleasure to meet you."

Fu Yangqing’s handshake was firm, and there was a thick callus on the webbing between his thumb and forefinger.

"Just call me Old Fu, or Yang Qing is fine too."

The corners of Fu Yangqing’s mouth lifted slightly, revealing a barely perceptible smile.

"Actually, I’ve been in charge of protecting you covertly for some time now."

"We just haven’t had the chance to meet formally until now."

Hearing this, a strange feeling arose in Chen Lin.

He couldn’t tell if it was reassuring or just plain weird.

’It was probably... the feeling of being under someone’s protection?’

"By the way, you’ve met Ma Jian, right?" Fu Yangqing continued. "He was the one who provided information security for your video conference."

"Oh, Ma Jian! Yes, I have!"

Chen Lin remembered him—the taciturn, serious-faced middle-aged man he had met in Principal Chang Kai’s office.

"He’s one of my subordinates, specializing in information security. If you have any network-related issues in the future, you can also look for him."

"Alright, then I’ll be troubling Cap... troubling Old Fu from now on."

Chen Lin said sincerely.

Although he had the protection of [Little Champion], he wasn’t really concerned about ordinary dangers.

But having the power of the state backing him was, after all, more reassuring.

Especially when he thought about the previous probing from "Amy Howard," and whatever schemes those Wall Street tycoons were plotting...

Having professionals keeping an eye on things was better than worrying about it all by himself.

"It’s what we should do."

Fu Yangqing nodded, turned back around, and signaled for the driver to go.

The car started slowly, pulling away from the Science Academy.

Once the car was on the main road, the previously silent Qin Feng finally spoke:

"Professor Chen, there are some matters I need to formally explain to you."

Chen Lin turned to look at Qin Feng, his expression growing serious.

He knew that whatever came out of this man’s mouth would be no small matter.

"The projects you’re involved with now are getting higher and higher in classification."

Qin Feng’s tone was calm, but every word carried weight:

"Whether it’s the thermal protection for the hypersonic aircraft from before, or today’s controllable nuclear fusion, these are all extremely important core projects."

"Therefore, your personal security level has been raised accordingly."

Chen Lin nodded, showing his understanding.

This was within his expectations.

Since he had taken on these jobs, receiving stricter protection was a matter of course.

"Specifically..."

Qin Feng paused, as if carefully choosing his words:

"Starting today, your phone calls, emails, and major online communications will be brought under security monitoring."

"Of course, this isn’t about listening in on your private life. We will only be screening for and alerting you to potentially risky foreign contacts and unusual access."

"We hope for your cooperation."

At these words, Chen Lin’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

To be honest, the feeling was indeed a bit strange.

After all, no one likes having their privacy watched.

But on second thought, Chen Lin felt at ease.

He didn’t have anything to hide.

At most, it was just chatting with Shen Yan and Yunqing, or shooting the breeze with his colleagues from the company.

Even if someone saw those things, it wouldn’t be a problem.

As for his web history and the "study materials" on his computer’s hard drive, Chen Lin figured they probably wouldn’t be checked for now. And even if they were, he felt that men could come to a tacit understanding about such things.

’Totally fine.’

’So, if I have to cooperate, I’ll cooperate.’

"No problem, Captain Qin."

Chen Lin nodded, his attitude frank.

"I understand."

"If I need to sign any agreements or cooperate in any other way, just let me know."

Seeing Chen Lin’s completely open and honest demeanor, a flash of admiration crossed Qin Feng’s eyes.

’This young man isn’t just brilliant, his attitude is spot-on too.’

If it were anyone else, they would surely have some resistance to being told they were under surveillance.

But Chen Lin accepted it so readily. That level of understanding was truly uncommon.

"Good, then we’ll be troubling you."

Qin Feng gave a slight nod.

"Old Fu will find time to go over the specific agreement with you."

After saying this, Qin Feng’s tone relaxed slightly.

"Also, there’s one more thing."

"It’s about your travel arrangements from now on."

Chen Lin pricked up his ears and listened intently.

"From now on, for any trips outside of Jinmen, whether for business or personal reasons, try to inform Old Fu in advance," Qin Feng said. "Just give a general time, place, and purpose. Old Fu will arrange the appropriate security measures based on the situation."

"Especially in a place like the Imperial Capital, it’s crowded with a lot of prying eyes, so the security pressure is greater."

"In the future, we’ll try to arrange flights or a private car for your travel and avoid public transportation like high-speed rail as much as possible."

Chen Lin paused. "No high-speed rail?"

"Correct."

Fu Yangqing, sitting in the front, took over the explanation:

"High-speed rail stations have too much foot traffic, and the routes are fixed, making them difficult to secure."

"In comparison, airport security is stricter, and a private car is more flexible and controllable."

After listening, Chen Lin nodded thoughtfully.

"Alright, I understand," Chen Lin said. "From now on, I’ll report to Old Fu in advance whenever I travel far."

"Then we’ll be troubling you, Professor Chen." Fu Yangqing glanced at Chen Lin in the rearview mirror. "Captain Qin should have given you my WeChat, right? Contact me anytime if you need anything."

"Roger that."

Chen Lin took out his phone and glanced at it. Sure enough, Qin Feng had pushed a contact named "Fu Yangqing" to him. The profile picture was a blank slate.