Chapter 334 - 258: Participating in an Event

Chapter 334: Chapter 258: Participating in an Event

Besides computer science, he was also simultaneously studying [Sociology] and [Ancient Chinese History].

In sociology, he read two classic textbooks—

Introduction to Sociology and Social Research Methods.

The former gave him a holistic understanding of the discipline, while the latter taught him how sociologists conduct empirical research.

To be honest, after reading these two books, Chen Lin had some new ideas about the research topic the old gentleman had proposed.

Sociology, in essence, is the study of the principles governing human society.

And principles can often be described with mathematics.

For example, social network analysis is really just an application of graph theory.

Public opinion propagation models are just variations of dynamic equations.

And population forecasting models are just time-series analyses...

There was a lot of overlap between these things and mathematics and AI.

Of course, Chen Lin hadn’t yet figured out the specifics of how to do it.

But at least he now had a general direction.

He was no longer completely in the dark like before.

In history, he read three books—

all three volumes of Ancient Chinese History: upper, middle, and lower.

This series was an undergraduate textbook from the history department of a well-known university, covering the period from the pre-Qin era to the Ming and Qing dynasties.

It encompassed the entire sweep of several thousand years of Chinese history.

Chen Lin had daringly used the [Automatic Learning] function twice in the library to find these three history textbooks and the two sociology textbooks from before. The system had taken control of his body to locate them, and luckily, nothing went wrong.

To be honest, although Chen Lin wasn’t as interested in history as he was in computer science, he still gained a great deal from reading these three books.

Especially the patterns and logic behind certain historical events—

For instance, why do dynastic changes always follow similar cycles?

Why do certain systems that are effective in their early stages become bloated and corrupt later on?

How does technological advancement affect changes in social structure?

These questions, too, could actually be analyzed using mathematical models.

Chen Lin even had a bold idea—

’Could I create a "historical dynamics model" that uses mathematical equations to describe the patterns of historical evolution?’

Of course, this was just a superficial idea.

Whether it was feasible, and how to do it, would require further research.

But in any case, his studies during this period had certainly broadened his intellectual horizons.

Before, aside from mathematics, he was a virtual blank slate in other fields.

But now...

While he couldn’t be called "erudite," he at least had a basic grasp of some fields he previously knew nothing about.

* * *

Aside from his self-improvement, work at Yanhai Company was also progressing steadily.

The joint solid-state battery research team from the Science and Technology University and Yannan University had already started writing the paper they planned to submit to Nature Energy.

The title was "Precision Screening of Solid-State Battery Electrolyte Additives Guided by a Mathematical Model."

They had been preparing experimental data and running various verifications.

Now that the data was finally complete, they could start writing.

Professor Tang Xuebing insisted that Chen Lin be the first author of the paper.

Chen Lin had wanted to decline, since he had only provided the mathematical model, while Professor Tang’s team had conducted all the actual experiments and verifications.

But Tang Xuebing was firm. "Professor Chen, your model is the core innovation of this paper. Without it, it would have been impossible for us to screen tens of thousands of compounds to find the optimal solution. The first author position can only be yours."

It was hard to refuse such a kind offer, so Chen Lin accepted.

However, he didn’t personally participate in writing the paper, as he simply couldn’t spare the energy right now.

Professor Tang Xuebing thoughtfully arranged for two PhD students to handle the writing.

The two students, Zang Ming and Ding Chen, were both highly capable members of Professor Tang’s team.

They contacted Chen Lin from time to time over the next few days to ask about parts of the mathematical section they didn’t understand.

Chen Lin patiently answered all their questions.

After all, his name was on the paper, so he had to ensure its quality.

As for the controllable nuclear fusion project team, there hadn’t been any major issues recently.

Chen Lin contacted Vice Minister Liao once, and his tone was relaxed.

"Professor Chen, thanks to the algorithm framework you gave us last time, our engineering reactor design is progressing even faster than expected."

Chen Lin was happy to hear that.

The sense of accomplishment from contributing to a major national project was something that no amount of money could buy.

Regarding Yanhai’s 30B large model—

The training data pipeline, led by Pan Si, was progressing smoothly and should be completed on time.

Once that "automated data factory" was established, it would be able to continuously crawl the internet for data, clean it, and generate training corpora.

Although it still lacked sufficient coverage of professional data in some vertical domains (like medicine, law, and finance), at least there were no concerns about "quantity."

Chen Lin himself would also write a little Python code in his spare time and commit it to the code repository.

While his programming skills couldn’t compare to professional-level programmers like Bai Qian and Pan Si, he was at least capable of completing simple scripting tasks on his own now.

’It’s just some minor work, but I guess it’s still doing my part for the company’s AI efforts.’

Once the pipeline development was complete, Bai Qian would take the lead in starting the formal model training.

...

Time passed, day by day.

In the blink of an eye, it was January 10th.

A Friday.

Yannan University’s ’26 Outstanding Person of the Year selection event was being held today.

Early that morning, Chen Lin made a point of putting on a formal suit.

It was the same one he had worn to the National Science and Technology Awards Conference in the Imperial Capital.

The deep blue fabric was perfectly tailored, complementing his physique just right.

Paired with a silver-gray tie, he looked both sharp and dignified.

Chen Lin adjusted his tie in the mirror and nodded with satisfaction.

...

「9:00 AM sharp.」

「Yannan University’s Grand Auditorium.」

The auditorium was one of the largest indoor venues on campus, capable of seating nearly two thousand people.

Today, for the Outstanding Person of the Year selection event, the auditorium had been given a complete makeover.

A huge banner hung above the stage:

[Yannan University 2026 Outstanding Person of the Year Awards Ceremony]

Flowers and greenery flanked the stage, looking especially vibrant under the lights.

The seats below the stage were already full.

There were undergraduates in school uniforms, graduate students in casual clothes, and some faculty and staff in formal attire.

The atmosphere was lively yet solemn.

After arriving on campus, Chen Lin first greeted a few acquaintances outside the auditorium.

Principal Chang Kai was wearing a crisp suit today, his hair meticulously combed, looking full of vigor.

Upon seeing Chen Lin, his face immediately broke into a wide smile, and he strode over to greet him.

"Professor Chen, good morning!"

Chang Kai shook Chen Lin’s hand warmly, his voice full of intimacy.

"We’re troubling you, asking you to attend this event when you’re so busy."

"Principal Chang, you’re too kind."

Chen Lin replied with a smile, "Of course I have to come and support a school event."

"Good, good, good!"

Chang Kai said repeatedly, his eyes filled with relief and satisfaction.

Dean Zhuang and Director Guo Qizhi, who were standing nearby, also came over to exchange a few pleasantries with Chen Lin.

Professor Gu Ming was also there, representing the mathematics department at the awards ceremony.

Although Gu Ming had not been Chen Lin’s official advisor, he had guided him on his graduation thesis and his first paper submitted to JAMS. Seeing Chen Lin’s current success, Gu Ming felt a sense of shared glory.

"Chen Lin, you’re quite the busy man now."

Gu Ming clapped Chen Lin on the shoulder, speaking half-jokingly, half-seriously.

"If it weren’t for this event today, I don’t know when I would have gotten to see you."

"Professor Gu, you’re exaggerating."

Chen Lin scratched his head, a little embarrassed.

"I have been a bit busy recently. Once things quiet down, I’ll definitely come and visit you."

"Alright, it’s a deal then."

Gu Ming nodded, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes.

The group chatted for a little while longer before following a staff member’s guidance into the auditorium.

As a special guest presenter, Chen Lin was seated in the guest section on the stage.

The moment he walked onto the stage—

a commotion immediately erupted from the audience below.

"Holy shit, it’s Chen Lin!"

"Chen Shen is here!!!"

"He’s even more handsome in person than in his photos!"

"Quick, take a picture!"

Most of the students attending the awards ceremony knew of Chen Lin through the internet.

The "youngest-ever winner of the National Science and Technology Award," the "genius professor worth over a hundred million," the "mathematician who struck fear into the heart of Wall Street"...

They could recite these labels by heart.

But seeing him in person was a completely different experience.

The flashes of phone cameras from below the stage went off in a constant stream, nearly illuminating the entire stage.

A rustle of excited chatter rose and fell, impossible to suppress.

Chen Lin was already used to this.

He smiled, nodded to the students below, and then took his seat.

Seated next to him was Dean Zhuang of the mathematics department.

Watching the enthusiastic reaction from the audience, Dean Zhuang shook his head with a smile.

"Professor Chen, your popularity is really something else."

"You’re much more popular than an old man like me."

Chen Lin smiled humbly. "Dean Zhuang, you flatter me. It’s all thanks to the students’ kindness."

"Haha, don’t be so modest."

Dean Zhuang waved his hand dismissively, his eyes full of admiration.

"Having a top scholar like you is a blessing for our Yannan."

Chen Lin didn’t respond, simply nodding with a smile.

The commotion in the audience continued for quite some time before gradually subsiding under the host’s guidance.

The awards ceremony officially began.

* * *

The Outstanding Person of the Year selection was an important annual event held by most universities.

The selection pool covered three groups: undergraduates, master’s students, and doctoral students.

To be chosen from among tens of thousands of students was, in itself, an extremely high honor.

Just like last year, Yannan University had selected ten individuals for this year’s award.

There was the top student who had ranked first in GPA for three consecutive years.

There was the star entrepreneur who had won a gold medal in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.

There was the rising research star who had published a paper at a top-tier international academic conference.

There was the public service enthusiast with over 500 hours of volunteer work.

There was the star athlete who had led the school team to a national championship.

...

Each award winner had their own brilliant story.

Sitting in the guest presenter’s section, Chen Lin looked at the youthful, vibrant faces in the audience and couldn’t help but feel a wave of emotion.

’Once upon a time, I was one of them, sitting in the audience.’

’Back then, I was just an unknown nobody.’

’I was so busy working part-time jobs to cover my living expenses that I had no mind for chasing honors.’

’Outstanding Person of the Year, scholarships...’

’To me back then, those things felt like they belonged to another world.’

’But now—’

’Here I am.’

’Sitting in the guest presenter’s seat.’

’The person those underclassmen in the audience look up to.’

’It’s strange, really.’

’When I was a student here, I never won this award.’

’Now that I’ve graduated, I’m the one presenting it.’