But it still depends on the ability to adapt to situations.
"Alright, Chen, let's pause here. The thing is, we did our homework before coming here. We've reviewed some reports left by the Qunzhi Project Team; take a look at these," Lu Bei directly interrupted Chen Yiwen's endless exposition, too lazy to say much more, and handed over a document from the folder beside him.
Then he began to observe Chen Yiwen's reaction across the table.
Being unfazed when things are going smoothly isn't much, true psychological quality shows during adversity.
Fortunately, this young man surely doesn't understand the details of the National Science and Technology Progress Award evaluation, so Lu Bei naturally isn't worried about being exposed.
When he first took the folder, Chen Yiwen indeed hesitated for a moment.
Was the work on Group Wisdom always this standardized?
He only remembered that daily and weekly reports were handled by Tan Jingrong and he hadn't paid much attention. Anyway, the records should only be about the results of model tests, not who did what.
Therefore, his mindset was still quite at ease.
But after glancing over the documents for a bit, he realized things were not so straightforward.
Is an investigation into each team member's contributions in the project necessary for an award evaluation?
Are national awards this rigorous?
Isn't it just about submitting and then receiving the award?
Why make it so complicated? It's a waste of national resources!
Fortunately, focusing on various perplexing matters recently had indeed strengthened Chen Yiwen's psychological fortitude quite a bit.
Add God Qiao to the equation, shielding in front...
After all, Chen Yiwen had been part of the Qunzhi Project Team and had a good relationship with Su Mucheng, his access to information was far more extensive compared to other students.
So he really did manage to remain calm.
He even had the courage to directly counter with a question, "Hmm... what are you implying by showing me these documents?"
Witnessing this scene, Lu Bei almost wanted to applaud the guy.
Even before he could speak, a young member by his side couldn't resist and said with a hint of mockery, "Isn't it obvious? Do you really think a national award is a joke? We certainly can't let some people muddle through and receive awards."
"Hmm, this fellow... hmm, sir, hearing your words, it seems you haven't been engaged in scientific research for a while, or taken a good look at books, right?" Chen Yiwen replied leisurely.
Lu Bei turned and glared at the young team member, then asked, "Oh? Do you have a problem with this report?"
Chen Yiwen smiled and said, "It's mainly that I can't explain some issues with the data models to you. Do you think tuning doesn't require mathematical skills? But that's normal; there's a description in psychology that human cognition is strongly related to the information received. By the way, I have been studying and researching Gestalt Psychology recently; I can share a bit about it with you..."
Chen Yiwen felt his thinking was sharper than ever.
While spouting various terms from his mouth as though he was bluffing classmates, his mind was busy contemplating how to seek help from Qiao Ze or Su Mucheng later on.
Being embarrassed was a small matter, but really losing the chance for the National Science and Technology Progress Award would be a major issue.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity isn't something anyone would want to miss.
His performance thoroughly impressed Lu Bei.
He had seen and recognized a wide array of responses; some became hysterical when caught red-handed, others like Chen Yiwen talked their way out of situations, and some discussed things confidently without batting an eye. Yet those were people who had lived for decades, spending their lives outwitting clever individuals.
A student who was barely in his twenties possessing such ability was really unexpected for Lu Bei. Although still somewhat green, he was already proving to be stronger than the head of the School of Mathematics.
Sure enough, those who associated with Qiao Ze were all oddities; not one of them was normal.
"Enough, enough, no need to continue acting. We're not here to verify your contribution to the research group. The National Science and Technology Progress Award doesn't require an investigation into individual contributions," Lu Bei didn't want to beat around the bush with Chen Yiwen anymore and once again cut off his spiel.
"What?" Chen Yiwen was taken aback.
Were these two people just messing with him without anything better to do?
That doesn't sound right.
Strangers might be idle, but their own instructor shouldn't have time for such nonsense.
And from the whole journey, Liu Hao's excited demeanor didn't seem like he was just teasing.
"The situation is as follows: someone recommended you for a task. While you aren't the only candidate and it's not certain you'll succeed, we need to first conduct some evaluation. Please understand," Lu Bei plainly stated.
Without waiting for a bewildered Chen Yiwen to ask questions, he continued, "It's true that you've been nominated for this year's National Science and Technology Progress Award. If you accept this task, the school will heavily promote your significant contributions to the Group Wisdom research group as well. Understand?"
Chen Yiwen shook his head, curiously asking, "Honestly, I don't quite get it. What exactly do you want me to do? Also, who recommended me?"
"The one who recommended you is..., well, everyone calls it Dou Dou."
"What? My Dou Brother?"
"Cough cough..." Lu Bei abruptly coughed. He was reminded of the scene when Dou Dou called Qiao Ze 'Daddy'...
He had seen shameless people, but to be so naturally shameless was indeed a talent.
"Hmm... Considering this task involves some rather confidential content, if you're willing to accept it, you'll need to sign a few documents. I suggest you think it over carefully. You can also refuse the task, it won't affect the Group Wisdom project's nomination for the National Science and Technology Progress Award. It just means there will be no promotion for the time being," Lu Bei spoke earnestly.