Chapter 29

The owner of the red brick building for rent is a retired professor from Dongsen University. The old man doesn't talk much and has a serious expression, while the old lady is very kind and always smiles at people.

Bian Xuedao saw the room that was ready for rent. The room was large, furnished, and elegantly clean. A few potted plants decorated the windowsill, and the lighting was excellent. The most remarkable thing was that there was an internet connection in the room.

Bian Xuedao was very satisfied with the environment, but the price was a bit high at 550 yuan per month, which was enough to rent a house outside.

Bian Xuedao negotiated the price down to 500 yuan and said he could pay a year's rent in advance.

The old couple discussed it and agreed, but they set some rules: no overnight stays with men or women, no late-night returns that would disturb their rest, and no music-making in the room.

Bian Xuedao said there was no problem and signed the contract in the afternoon.

Through the conversation, Bian Xuedao learned that both the landlord and his wife were surnamed Shen, which was quite rare.

After signing the contract, Bian Xuedao called Wang Wenkai and said he wanted to meet up with him at the university. If it was convenient, he asked him to bring along Brother Wen. Bian Xuedao knew that the top 20 universities in the country had many talented students in computer science, and since he wanted to make a living on the internet, it would be beneficial to make more friends.

The three of them agreed to meet at McDonald's.

Brother Wen was someone who often dealt with people outside. From the first time he met Bian Xuedao, he felt that this boy was not ordinary. While eating, Bian Xuedao said he wanted to assemble two computers, with top-of-the-line CPUs, memory, and hard drives, and liquid crystal displays.

Actually, Bian Xuedao could assemble the computers himself, but he wanted to use this opportunity to build a relationship with these two people. He wanted to have a meal with them and give them some hard-earned money, so that if he really needed their help in the future, it would be easier to ask.

Brother Wen was very understanding and helped Bian Xuedao get a good deal on the computers by finding acquaintances. He also checked each component to ensure there were no issues before allowing the assembly. When they left, Bian Xuedao gave Wang Wenkai 1000 yuan to help arrange things for Brother Wen.

Wang Wenkai, holding the money, said, "This is too much."

At this moment, Li Yu arrived by car. Bian Xuedao put the computers in the car, waved to Li Yu, and said, "See you later," before getting in the car and leaving.

Brother Wen understood more than Wang Wenkai. Spending over 30,000 yuan on two computers without batting an eye, this person wouldn't care much about whether the meal cost 500 or 1000 yuan.

Brother Wen asked Wang Wenkai several times, "What's the background of this classmate surnamed Bian?"

Wang Wenkai said, "Nothing special, we've been classmates for many years, just an ordinary person."

Ordinary? Hearing Wang Wenkai describe Bian Xuedao as ordinary, Brother Wen found it quite amusing.

When Li Yu returned to the Red Building and assembled the computers, he refused to leave and wanted to stay there.

Bian Xuedao said, "Talking to me won't help, you need to convince the landlord."

From that day on, whenever Li Yu went to Bian Xuedao's place, he would bring fruit or vegetables and often volunteered to help the old couple clean the floor. The old couple, unable to resist this sunny-faced young man, gradually allowed him to stay overnight occasionally.

One day, while Bian Xuedao was at home updating the CS cheat, he received a call from the class monitor. The monitor said that Professor Yan from the current affairs course wanted him to go to his office.

Professor Yan from the current affairs course? What does he want?

Bian Xuedao asked for the location of Professor Yan's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

Bian Xuedao walked in and saw that only Professor Yan was there. He smiled and said, "Professor, you wanted to see me?"

Professor Yan actually stood up: "Oh, Bian Xuedao from the International Trade class? Sit, sit."

Bian Xuedao was a bit flattered; this was not the kind of treatment a professor usually gave a student.

On the way, Bian Xuedao had thought about it and didn't think he had done anything wrong, especially anything that would involve Professor Yan. However, he still maintained a respectful attitude, sitting on the edge of the chair with his upper body slightly leaning forward, ready to listen attentively.

Bian Xuedao didn't speak; he was waiting for Professor Yan to start.

Professor Yan took a sip of tea and said, "I read the paper you submitted. The ten-year outlook, it's very well written."

Bian Xuedao remembered the paper. He thought it was about that paper. He was impressed that Professor Yan had actually read it carefully, thinking he would just skim it and give a grade.

"Thank you, Professor," Bian Xuedao said.

Professor Yan pondered for a moment and said, "I want to know, did you write the entire paper yourself? I mean, did you reference anything from the internet or elsewhere? Of course, I'm not scolding you; it's indeed difficult for students to write such a large paper. It's reasonable to look up some viewpoints and materials online."

"I wrote it all myself," Bian Xuedao said.

Professor Yan touched his teacup and said, "All the viewpoints and predictions in the paper are your own? You didn't reference anyone else's work?"

"No, I didn't," Bian Xuedao answered firmly.

Professor Yan subconsciously stroked his hair: "At your age, how can you grasp such deep economic theories? Tell me."

Bian Xuedao said, "I love reading newspapers. I've loved reading them since junior high school, and I still read them every day."

Bian Xuedao vaguely guessed where the problem lay, but he didn't care much. He just wanted to dodge it for now. He had read fewer than 10 newspapers in junior high, but who would check if he said he read them every day?

Professor Yan remembered this. This boy often read newspapers in class, and if he had a cup of tea, he would look just like his classmates who worked in government offices.

In fact, over the past few days, Professor Yan had carefully checked each viewpoint in Bian Xuedao's paper. There were no similar papers, and no such systematic discussions. With a few clearly amateurish statements, it was almost certain that this was an original paper.

Professor Yan didn't believe that a student could find someone to write such a high-level paper for them. If the paper was indeed written by the student, he would take the next step. He would replace some overly absolute statements, express some ideas in professional terms, and polish some parts. With his name added, he believed it could be published in a prestigious journal.

After all, the world was just beginning, and some people were jubilant while others were worried. Everyone was discussing it enthusiastically, and the media was eager to express their concerns at this time.

Professor Yan made a decision and said calmly, "This is how it is. Your paper is very well written, of course, some parts are still a bit immature, but that's fine. I can help you with the final review."

At this point, the professor got up from his chair behind the desk and sat down next to Bian Xuedao, continuing, "A classmate of mine is the deputy editor of a prestigious journal in the country. He told me that if there are good papers written by students, he would like me to recommend them. He can publish them, which would also help me as a teacher to pave the way for you. I think very highly of your paper, and I mentioned it to my classmate. He also thinks very highly of it and asked me to send the paper to him for publication."

To be published? Bian Xuedao had not expected such a turn of events.

Professor Yan continued, "My classmate suggested that for a paper like this, only your name would seem a bit thin and lack weight. I thought, when I send it, I could add my name at the end. What do you think?"

Bian Xuedao understood why Professor Yan had this attitude.

But it wasn't necessary! Even if Professor Yan added his name and published the paper, what could a student do? One was a professor, and the other was a student. For an economics paper, not a scientific research paper, anyone would believe the professor was involved in the writing.

There were some things he couldn't figure out immediately, but Bian Xuedao knew he still needed to respond: "Professor Yan!" Bian Xuedao consciously changed the title from "Professor" to "Teacher," feeling it was more intimate. "Actually, many of the viewpoints in my paper are derived from the viewpoints you discussed in class. I just added some of my own thoughts. If it's to be published, you should be the first author. If you don't agree, I won't sign my name."

Professor Yan was very pleased. This Bian Xuedao was very understanding, not only giving him the first authorship but also implying that the core viewpoints came from him, reducing many concerns.

The subsequent conversation became more harmonious. Professor Yan asked about Bian Xuedao's daily life and politely said, "If you have any difficulties, come to me."

Bian Xuedao politely thanked the teacher for his concern and care. When he left, Professor Yan even stood up to see him off a few steps.

Bian Xuedao's mind was a bit chaotic. He walked to the sports field, sat on the stands, and quietly thought about the possible impact of this on him. After thinking for a long time, he smiled to himself. It was just a paper, and there were so many of them. What could it do? Besides, Professor Yan was in front of him.

Forget it, he should go back and think about making money!