Win-Win

Xu Kaizhi looked toward Feng Zechun. "Old Feng, have you finished reading the paper?" "Not yet, I was waiting for you," Feng Zechun replied. "I'm getting on in years, and my mind isn't as sharp as it used to be. Afraid I might miss something crucial, I figured I'd read it with you so we can compare notes." Xu Kaizhi smiled amiably. "Huang Tian, you might have to wait for us for a bit..." "No problem at all." "All right then, Old Feng, let's go through it page by page!" Xu Kaizhi and Feng Zechun placed the stack of manuscripts on the glass table, took pens and clean scratch paper from a nearby drawer, and began working through the paper page by page. Reading the article was not overly difficult for the two of them, because the crux of the paper lay in its novel way of thinking and innovative research methodology. The calculations themselves were not exceptionally difficult; any slightly more complex derivations were quickly verified after a bit of scratch work on paper. Whenever they ran into something they couldn't immediately grasp, they asked Huang Tian, who would break it down and explain it in detail. The two easily caught on, nodding continuously. Time slipped by quietly. From high noon to sunset, the magnificent orange glow of the setting sun streamed through the clean glass window, casting an even wash of light over the sofas, tables, chairs, and people. Xu Kaizhi and Feng Zechun took a deep breath, turning their attention to the final step in the manuscript. If this last step held, it meant the entire paper was unquestionably sound. By now, relying on their long-honed mathematical intuition, they already had a powerful premonition that there would be no issue with this final step. "Constructing the approximate solution, perturbation model..." Xu Kaizhi murmured under his breath, burying his head back into the manuscript. A long time passed. Only when the sunset had completely slipped beneath the horizon, leaving only streaks of pink clouds across the sky, did Xu Kaizhi and Feng Zechun finally lay down their pens. They exchanged a glance, then turned together to look at Huang Tian, who had been waiting quietly, smiles breaking out on their faces. An expression of deep admiration shone in Xu Kaizhi's eyes. "Congratulations, young man. You've achieved something truly remarkable." Feng Zechun stepped forward and clapped Huang Tian on the shoulder, laughing heartily. "Who would have thought! Who would have thought that among my students, someone of your caliber would emerge! Hahaha, I'm thrilled! Huang Tian, don't rush off later. Dinner's on me—stay and let's have a proper feast to treat our stomachs!" In academia, rewarding oneself with a good meal after achieving a breakthrough was practically second nature. Huang Tian did not refuse. "Thank you, Professor." "Don't mention it, it's just a meal," Feng Zechun said cheerfully. He then looked over at Xu Kaizhi. "Old Xu, what do you think about Huang Tian's paper?" He wasn't asking whether the paper was correct, but rather which journal to submit it to, and whether the university could cover the publication fees. Xu Kaizhi pulled his phone from his pocket. "We've never had a situation like this before—a graduate producing a masterpiece like this. I need to consult with Vice President Yang." Vice President Yang was a vice president of Changda and a leading authority in computer science and artificial intelligence. "I'll step outside to make a call and be right back." Xu Kaizhi walked to a corner of the hallway outside and dialed the number. Inside the lounge, Feng Zechun said to Huang Tian, "Don't worry. You're a student of our school. Even though you've graduated, you're still one of our own. Old Xu will definitely fight for the best terms for you." Huang Tian smiled and nodded. With his superhuman hearing, he could already clearly hear what Xu Kaizhi was saying on the phone. Xu Kaizhi was indeed very dependable; right off the bat, he made it clear to Vice President Yang that Huang Tian was strictly the first author—a point of utmost importance. First authorship was the single most critical aspect of a paper. Whether for professional titles, securing research grants, or academic presentations, what people cared about most was first authorship. Next, Xu Kaizhi went on to discuss the submission details and publication fees... About twenty minutes later, Xu Kaizhi returned, beaming with smiles. Seeing his expression, Feng Zechun quickly asked, "Old Xu, how did it go?" Xu Kaizhi looked at Huang Tian and said with complete sincerity, "Huang Tian, your paper is undeniably of immense value. Whether in overturning the mathematical community's decades-old mistaken consensus on defocusing nonlinear wave equations, or in its methodology—introducing complex-valued solutions to provide a brand-new approach for studying other similar stabilization equations—it easily qualifies for the Big Four journals. "Personally, I suggest you submit it to Inventiones Mathematicae. The other three journals don't accept many papers in the PDE field, but Inventiones Mathematicae is different. Their editors have broader tastes, making it easier to pass peer review. "Of course, that's just my personal suggestion. If you'd like to submit to other journals, something like Forum of Mathematics, Pi is also an option. Even though it was only founded about a decade ago, it exclusively publishes heavyweight papers and enjoys academic recognition on par with the Big Four." Each journal's editors had distinct preferences. When submitting a paper, it was best to target a fitting journal; otherwise, even if a paper was well within the journal's caliber, the editors might still decline it. Huang Tian had always welcomed advice from professionals in areas where he lacked familiarity. He said decisively, "Let's submit to Inventiones Mathematicae." "Good. Now that the target journal is decided, let's discuss a few other matters," Xu Kaizhi said. "First, you are the first author. We won't allow anyone to contest your authorship or claim credit for your work. Second, the university will cover all your publication fees and related expenses. Once your paper is published, the university will also award you a three-hundred-thousand-yuan research bonus. It might not seem like a huge sum, but I'll try to fight for more when the time comes..." At this point, a slightly sheepish look crossed his face, and he rubbed his hands together—a rare gesture for him. "The thing is... the university has one small request. We hope you can hold a nominal affiliation with the School of Mathematics' research group, and list Changda as your institutional affiliation on the paper..." Changda's mathematics department was neither top-tier nor bottom-ranked in academia; it was generally upper-middle tier. They had published plenty in top journals, but getting a paper into the elite Big Four was still exceptionally rare for them. That was why the university made this request: to share in the prestige. How could Huang Tian refuse such a modest request? If he didn't list the university, he had nothing else to put down anyway. He could hardly write down the name of his former company—that would be ridiculous. Not to mention, the university was willing to give him a substantial research award. Three hundred thousand yuan might not seem monumental in academia, but for an ordinary family, it amounted to several years of total income. "That's a minor detail," Huang Tian said with a smile. Xu Kaizhi immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "Then there are no problems at all!" Feng Zechun let out a hearty, boyish laugh, catching both of them by the arm. "Now that everything's settled, let's head out for that feast!"