Top Student at Their Peak-Chapter 166 - 97: Those Who Care About Face and Those Who Don’t

Xiao Zhou, Yujiang University.

Xue Song had just finished eating at the school’s faculty cafeteria and was on his way back to the office when his phone suddenly rang.

To his surprise, the call was from Tian Yanzhen. Since their last email exchange about Qiao Yu, they hadn’t been in touch.

"Hello, Professor Tian, how are you?"

"Hello, Xiao Xue, it’s been a while. How have you been lately?"

The address from the other side made Xue Song’s heart skip a beat.

The last time, this Academician Tian had formally addressed him as Professor Xue, but now he was directly calling him Xiao Xue.

For someone in mathematics, being sensitive to such details is almost instinctual.

"Not bad, mostly just progressing with daily work." While thinking about why Tian Yanzhen would address him this way, he habitually gave this response.

"Yes, it’s the same for everyone. By the way, I went to Ningshui a while ago."

Xue Song immediately replied, "I heard about it from Qiao Yu. He even called me specifically that day to mention that you attended this year’s CMO opening ceremony."

"Hm, did he tell you that after that day, I invited him to Yanbei University and decided to take him as my student?"

Xue Song was slightly stunned but roughly understood why Tian Yanzhen was calling him today. He quickly said, "Oh? Congratulations to you, and to Qiao Yu as well. I believe that taking on a student like Qiao Yu, you definitely won’t regret it."

"That’s what I believe too. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have spontaneously made this decision. The reason I’m calling today is also to see if you’re interested in coming to Yanbei University."

"Ah?" Xue Song was stunned.

To be honest, he had thought of many possibilities, but he hadn’t expected Tian Yanzhen to say such a thing. Instantly, waves surged in his heart.

It’s without a doubt that ninety percent of professors outside of Huaqing and Yanbei would not have a calm heart when faced with this choice. Xue Song was no exception.

"I know it’s a difficult decision, why don’t you listen to my thoughts first?"

Xue Song instinctively swallowed, and in as steady a voice as possible, he said, "Alright, please go ahead."

After saying that, Xue Song stopped walking, standing there seriously at the edge of the sidewalk in the sunlight. The warm sun of early winter not only warmed his body but also his heart.

"What made me decide to invite Qiao Yu to Yanbei University, and even take him as my student, is because he has been persistently recording some things. These include his insights into mathematics as well as his views on some people and events.

Undoubtedly, this child is very defensive. He has complained to you a lot before, but at this stage, he truly trusts you. Considering that once he comes to Yanbei, there will be an adaptation period, and I won’t have much time to teach him.

He now needs a teacher with a solid foundation who can help him with algebra, geometry, and number theory, someone he trusts enough to help him build a big framework. So I thought of you.

However, there’s one thing; I know you were selected for Yu University’s Hundred Talents Program and enjoyed senior-level treatment within Yu University. If you come to Yanbei University, there might not be any good way around this, and you may have to start as an associate professor first.

But as you said, if you have confidence in Qiao Yu, help me nurture him, and I believe that within a few years, you’d surely achieve a senior title at Yanbei University. How about it? Do you have confidence?"

Tian Yanzhen didn’t speak quickly, but what he said was enough for Xue Song to understand his intentions. freewebnoveℓ.com

Speaking of which, this was also killing two birds with one stone.

He not only found a close-to-a-nanny mentor for Qiao Yu at Yanbei University but also repaid the favor of being introduced to such a good student ahead of time.

But for Xue Song, it was indeed a rare opportunity. To put it bluntly, there are over a dozen universities in the top three of Huaxia’s rankings, but only two top universities.

Whether as a professor or a student, the resources available at a top university are naturally different from those at other universities.

Not to mention, it was a personal invitation from someone like Tian Yanzhen, a giant in Huaxia’s mathematics community.

A senior title at Yujiang University really isn’t that significant.

Xue Song took a deep breath, quickly made a decision, and said, "Of course, Professor Tian, I would be willing to go to Yanbei University. However, I need at least a six-month transition period, at least to settle my students before I leave."

"Qiao Yu will be coming next semester, and I thought you could come with him. As for the students, it’s actually easy to arrange. For PhD students, as long as they consent, we can collaborate with Yu University to organize a joint training program, allowing your PhD students to continue pursuing their degrees at Yanbei.

However, when it comes to their dissertation defense, they would return to Yu University and still receive their degrees there. If there are any PhD students unwilling to come, along with your master’s students, I can give you a hand in finding suitable supervisors within the school for them, and they will certainly be accepted."

Tian Yanzhen directly promised.

Xue Song did not doubt at all that Tian Yanzhen had such capability.

In fact, compared to transferring him to Yanbei University, helping arrange a few students was indeed not a big deal at all. After all, this big shot’s influence was quite significant even at Yujiang University.

Not to mention, Yu University’s Mathematics Academy already had two doctoral advisors who were once students of Tian Yanzhen, both having obtained their doctorates from Yanbei University’s International Mathematics Research Center. One of them received a professorship two years ago.