They're already in university, and the primary school system is only just starting out?

Gu Ming took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and began to organize his thoughts.

"Principal," he began slowly, his voice slightly hoarse with excitement, "our initial judgment was wrong from the very beginning. Now it seems we underestimated Elder Liang."

"He must have obtained some information about Chen Lin in advance through some channel we don't know about. My guess is that he probably didn't know Chen Lin's name or identity before, but through this channel, he gained a much deeper understanding of Chen Lin's mathematical talent than we do!"

Gu Ming's speech quickened, and his logic became increasingly clear: "Do you think today's question is a coincidence? Absolutely not! This question was specially prepared by Professor Liang for Chen Lin! Look at the characteristics of this question; it doesn't test any complex knowledge accumulation, nor does it require any profound theoretical reserves. What does it test? It tests the purest mathematical thinking, that ineffable, elusive mathematical intuition and talent!"

Chang Kai was startled by what he heard. He wasn't a scholar, but he understood what Gu Ming was saying.

Gu Ming continued, his voice now tinged with fervor: "And you saw Chen Lin's performance just now—it can't be described as merely excellent, it was terrifying!"

He held up two fingers and gestured his name in front of Chang Kai.

"Principal, that modeling paper that was approved by the expert judges uses core algorithms that comprehensively utilize knowledge typically found only at the graduate or even doctoral level. What does this represent? It represents the depth and breadth of Chen Lin's mathematical knowledge!"

"And today, without any preparation, in front of the nation's top students and academic giants, he fluently wrote out a complete and flawless solution within ten minutes. What does this represent? It represents his flexibility in mathematical thinking and that unparalleled intuition!"

At this point, Gu Ming stood up excitedly. He looked at Chang Kai and said, word by word, "Principal! A student has simultaneously displayed almost monstrous talent in both of these dimensions! Do you understand what this means?!"

Chang Kai was also affected by his emotions, and suddenly stood up, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

Gu Ming stared intently at him and continued, "Previously, you were willing to let Shen Yan go because, given her talent, if things had continued smoothly, her future ceiling would most likely have been an excellent university professor, perhaps even receiving the 'Outstanding Young Scientist' award, but it would have been very difficult for her to go beyond that. Although it was a pity for Yannan University, we could still handle such a student."

"But Chen Lin is different!" Gu Ming's voice suddenly rose. "His future is unimaginable! Nobody knows where his potential lies!"

He took a step forward, took a deep breath, and asked the last question.

"Principal, I only have one question for you."

"If Yannan University were fortunate enough to encounter Euler or Gauss of this era..."

"Will you let him go?"

Euler, or Gauss...

When those words came out of Gu Ming's mouth, Kai Fang felt his heart skip a beat.

As a non-academic principal, Chang Kai may not be able to fully understand those profound mathematical theories, but he is also very clear about the weight of these two names in the history of human civilization.

That's enough to define an era and create new disciplines!

In an instant, all the noise in the hall seemed to be sucked away, and a storm raged in Chang Kai's mind. His shrewd and calculating mind began to work at high speed.

If... if Chen Lin really is a genius of this caliber, what would that mean for Yannan University?

First and foremost, the most direct factor is money! And resources!

A series of heavyweight terms flashed through Chang Kai's mind in an instant—major projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, key research and development programs of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and even the "Basic Research Everest Program" specifically established for top-notch basic research!

Which of these national-level scientific research projects doesn't receive huge funding support of tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of yuan?

In the past, most of these resources were divided up by the giant universities like Tsinghua and Yanbei, and Yannan University was lucky to get even a small share.

But if a "contemporary Euler" or a "contemporary Gauss" were in charge, the situation would be completely different!

Top talent is the most valuable asset and the strongest asset in the fight for national strategic resources!

And then there are those fintech giants and AI unicorn companies waving their cash! These companies, which rely heavily on top-notch algorithms and models, usually have to wait in line to hire a top scholar as an advisor.

If Yannan University can cultivate a god-like figure, then why worry about companies coming to its door with money to seek cooperation?

The "industry-academia-research integration" strategy that the school has been vigorously promoting will be able to reach a new level at an unprecedented speed!

Next comes reputation, and then the future!

Although Yennan University's mathematics department ranks among the top ten in the country and even has a special "self-study class" to cultivate top mathematical talents, it still falls short compared to the unshakeable mountain that is Yenbei University.

But what if we had Chen Lin, this shining living signboard?

In this era of rapid information dissemination, the influence of a super mathematical genius will be magnified hundreds or thousands of times compared to the era of Euler and Gauss!

Chang Kai could almost foresee that in the future college entrance examination season, when those genius teenagers who won gold and silver medals in the Mathematical Olympiad were filling out their college applications, Yannan University would become an equally indispensable choice for them, in addition to Yanbei University and Huaqing University!

At that time, even if Yannan University's School of Mathematics cannot directly compete with Yanbei University, it will definitely be able to firmly hold the top three positions in the country!

This creates a virtuous cycle where "geniuses attract geniuses"! The magnetic effect of a top genius is enough to elevate the quality of students and the academic atmosphere of the entire department to a considerable level in just a few years.

However, none of these are the most important things.

Chang Kai's gaze pierced through the throng of people, finally settling on Chen Lin's tall, upright figure as he walked back to his seat from the stage. His breathing quickened unconsciously.

He thought about something deeper and further ahead.

Mathematics is the foundation of all natural sciences and engineering technologies!

Within Yannan University, the mathematics department already has numerous interdisciplinary collaborative projects with other science and engineering departments. If Chen Lin's mathematical talent is truly as extraordinary as Gu Ming described, then the beneficiaries will extend far beyond just the mathematics department!

Which of those "bottleneck" technologies that have long plagued the country—the core algorithms of high-end industrial software, the underlying logic of chip design EDA software, the encryption system for national information security—does not require the support of cutting-edge mathematical theories?

With the help of Chen Lin's formidable mathematical abilities, Yennan University will be able to undertake more major national-level research projects, truly transforming its academic advantages into practical capabilities to serve the country's major strategic needs!

By then, in the next national university discipline evaluation, Yannan University will have the potential to help some of its other science and engineering disciplines, which were originally only B+ or even B-level, to break into the A-level category, in addition to its mathematics department!

This is the greatest value of keeping Chen Lin!

Thinking of this, Chang Kai felt his heart surge with excitement, and he was so excited that he almost trembled.

However, Chang Kai quickly calmed himself down.

Chang Kai's excited expression quickly faded, replaced by a deep, bitter smile. He turned to look at Gu Ming, his voice full of helplessness: "Little Gu, your analysis makes a lot of sense. But... what can we use to keep him here?"

He sighed and continued, "Even if we show the utmost sincerity and give Chen Lin all the resources and promises we can, if he really wants to pursue an academic career, what Yannan University can offer is simply not enough compared to the behemoth that is Yanbei Mathematical Sciences."

Chang Kai's eyes dimmed slightly: "Not to mention, there's Liang Tianshi behind him. With Liang Lao's connections and influence in academia, if he's determined to snatch someone, let alone Yanbei, he could go straight to Tsinghua University and bring over another academician to do some kind of 'joint training program between the two universities,' and I wouldn't be surprised at all. Our chances... are too slim."

Gu Ming listened quietly, without a trace of frustration on his face.

He looked at Chang Kai and suddenly asked, "Principal, do you remember what you said to me in your office a few days ago?"

Chang Kai was slightly taken aback.

Gu Ming continued, "You said that many times, we do a hundred things, but in the end, only one or two things may pay off. However, in order to seize those one or two rewarding things, we cannot skip any of the hundred things."

These words struck Chang Kai's heart like a resounding bell.

He was stunned, and took a deep look at his capable assistant, who was academically pure but had enlightened him at this crucial moment.

Chang Kai's eyes, in just a few seconds, went from confusion to struggle, and finally to determination.

The shrewdness and decisiveness that belonged to those in positions of power returned to him.

He nodded slowly, straightened his back, as if he had made up his mind.

"Good!" Chang Kai's voice wasn't loud, but it was firm and resolute. "You're right!"

"This time, even if it means offending Elder Liang, I will give it my all!"