The camera was installed by Bian Cheng before he left the house.
It required no wiring, no drilling; just sticking the magnetic iron plate to the wall, attaching the base, and then the installation was complete. The camera only recorded when there was movement, and a single charge could last about half a month. The recordings could be viewed directly on a mobile app.
Bian Cheng tested the clarity and was very satisfied.
After the installation was completed, Bian Cheng set off for his appointment. Song Yuchi liked the quietness and empty seats at the staff’s cafeteria and often asked him to take him there for free meals. Every time, it made Bian Cheng so furious, yet he never changed his ways.
Bian Cheng stood at the entrance of the cafeteria for five minutes, thinking about last night’s paper. Song Yuchi’s hand waved through the crowd of lunch-goers, like an old man holding a sign at a train station in the last century, waiting for the return of a wanderer. He called out to him several times, but Bian Cheng didn’t hear.
Song Yuchi knew this behavior of his friend all too well. He reluctantly squeezed through the crowd and patted Bian Cheng on the shoulder. His childhood friend had 5.3 vision, yet often failed to see him. “God E!”
Bian Cheng finally noticed his presence: “Don’t call me that.”
Bian Cheng’s English name is Ethan. After he won the IMO gold medal, Song Yuchi changed his name to ‘God E’. He even put Ethan’s photo in a frame, placing it on the edge of the table before the exam to offer him incense. Every time Song Yuchi called him by that nickname, Bian Cheng felt as if he was in the little wooden box.
“Eyes are in the front to recognize people,” Song Yuchi complained. “I’m standing so close, and you still can’t see me?”
“I’m face-blind.”
“I think you just got promoted to associate professor and now don’t care about us working-class folks,” Song Yuchi sighed. “How can there be such a gap between people?”
Their families were old friends, and their fathers were college classmates who graduated from the Department of Civil Engineering at T University. Song Yuchi was only one year younger than him, and they grew up together, wearing open-crotch pants together, and went to kindergarten one after the other. Unfortunately, after they started elementary school, in the blink of an eye, Bian Cheng had skipped two grades and graduated. Another blink, the gold medal guaranteed his admission. By the time he stepped into the gate of the affiliated high school, Bian Cheng was already studying manifolds at the neighboring university.
By the time he had extended his doctorate and was struggling with the autumn recruitment, Bian Cheng had already been promoted to associate professor and had been recruiting students for several years.
When the two of them ate together, Bian Cheng could still take him to the faculty and staff cafeteria for a buffet. He took five dishes with a heart full of frustration and jealousy.
But Bian Cheng had a knack for poking at his sore spots: “Have you found a job yet?”
The taste of the Beijing-style pork in Song Yuchi’s mouth changed, and the more he chewed, the more sour it became: “No, it’s tough to find a job this year.”
The overall environment was really bad: “Even a T University engineering PhD student is worried about employment? Has the job market really become this bad?”
“It’s mainly because the research direction is biased ah,” Song Yuchi sighed, putting down his chopsticks. “The spectral analysis technology we’re developing now in our group has higher precision than the old methods, but it’s also much more expensive, making commercialization very difficult. The old technology’s precision is already sufficient, so why would people want to replace their entire equipment and processes? Do you know where our technology is absolutely necessary?”
Bian Cheng didn’t respond. In the field of science and engineering, different disciplines are like mountains apart, even within the same major, research directions can vary greatly. He couldn’t guess and didn’t bother to guess.
“Extreme environments,” Song Yuchi said. “Like the deep sea, the moon, and Mars. Those markets are so small, and we still have to compete with other groups for resources. Actually, Tianwen-1 used similar technology to analyze the material composition on Mars through spectroscopy. It would be great if we could use this data, but that project was snatched up by Jiaotong University; their advisor has better connections.”
Talking about his advisor, Song Yuchi’s face grew even more resentful. It’s a high probability event to encounter a difficult supervisor, and like ninety percent of Ph.D. students, he was filled with resentment toward the advisor who held the power of life and death.
“Doesn’t your advisor have a company?” Bian Cheng asked. “He didn’t provide any job opportunities?”
“Don’t even mention it. His company has been going for five years, but the projects are sporadic. Who knows when it’ll go under,” Song Yuchi said. “As for giving us jobs, I’d be thankful if he didn’t hold us back. I once managed to get an offer from a provincial lab, but the person in charge there had a conflict of interest with him. He subtly hinted that he didn’t want me to go.”
“What about public institutions?” Bian Cheng asked, “Didn’t uncle want you to join the First Academy of Aerospace?”1’航天一院’ is an abbreviation for “中国航天科技集团公司第一研究院” (China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, CALT), often referred to as the First Academy of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). So I’ll be using First Academy of Aerospace.
The First Academy of Aerospace is a research organization focused on carrier rocket technology, influencing the future of manned space exploration, and is one of the best employment options for graduates in the thermal energy field.
“Too much overtime and business trips,” Song Yuchi curled his lip. “A senior colleague went there before, and he spent 200 days a year on airplanes. He had no personal life at all. The salary isn’t even that high. He warned me not to go unless I had a passion for it. Do I look like someone who has the world in his heart?”
Bian Cheng glanced at him and said, “It’s them who don’t want you, right?”
Song Yuchi choked, struggling for a moment before swallowing his food. He said with heartache: “The first thing they asked was why I didn’t even have a National Scholarship. It was such a blow.”
“It’s wise,” Bian Cheng said. “If they hired you, who knows if you’d be contributing to the nation’s aerospace efforts or just holding them back.”
The can in Song Yuchi’s hand deflated inexplicably, making a crisp sound. Every time he talked to Bian Cheng, it was a test of his humanity. He relied on his amazing patience to barely suppress his violent impulse.
“What about other institutes?” Bian Cheng hadn’t noticed the veins popping out on his hand. “Didn’t you mention something about 7062706 Institute: The second research and development institute under the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) before?”
706 specializes in fighter jet research and development and is where the J-20 was born. For a passionate young man like Song Yuchi, it was the epitome of cool and awe-inspiring.
“The HR over there shouldn’t be too awesome. At the job fair, their booth had the longest line. When it was finally my turn, the HR just took one look at my resume and dismissed me because my field wasn’t a good fit. Oh to be honest, in our major, how many people actually find jobs that match their specialization? They’re way too picky.”
Although Bian Cheng hadn’t gone through a formal fall recruitment, he understood the situation. “After all, no organization wants to train someone from scratch; they hire PhDs hoping they can contribute right away.”
“I also applied to the Institute of Engineering Physics, but they made it clear they only wanted students from the Qian class…” After a pause, Song Yuchi explained, “The Qian class is Qian Xuesen’s mechanics class, and all of them were admitted through physics competitions.”
“I know.”
Song Yuchi let out a long sigh: “There is really no chance for PhD students from small, niche groups like us to survive. The big group next door in new energy got offers like it was nothing…”
“My field is the real niche,” Bian Cheng said. “There are very few people in the country studying pure theory in algebraic geometry, and it’s even weaker compared to differential geometry.”
Damn it, this guy is standing and talking without any back pain.3a Chinese idiom, which according to baidu, refers to a person who does not understand the actual situation and only talks about it verbally, which is out of touch with reality, and also refers to someone who has high expectations but poor skills“Are you the same as me? You’re an overseas distinguished youth scholar, and in a few years, you might even become a Yangtze…”
To make it in the academic field of science and engineering, you would need a hat on your head. There are several levels of hats, starting with the ‘Four Little Youth’:4actually the author wrote 小四青 instead of 四小青 but while searching for this, I found that both have the same meaning. It’s an abbreviation of the ‘National Excellent Youth Science and Technology Talent Program’ Outstanding Youth,5青拔 (Qing Ba): This is a designation for exceptional young talents who have demonstrated significant achievements in their respective fields. Excellent Youth,6优青 (You Qing): A recognition for young scholars and professionals who have shown excellence in their work and contributions. Youth Changjiang Scholar,7青年长江 (Youth Changjiang Scholar): This is part of the Changjiang Scholars Program, which is aimed at recognizing young scholars who have made significant contributions to their fields. The Changjiang Scholar Program is one of China’s highest honors for academic and research achievements. and Overseas Excellent Youth;8海外优青 (Overseas You Qing): This refers to “Overseas Excellent Youth,” recognizing outstanding young professionals or scholars who have studied or worked abroad and have made significant contributions in their field.; above that are Changjiang Scholar,9author only wrote 长江, which means Changjiang/Yangtze, but I’m pretty sure the author is referring to 长江学者 (Changjiang Scholars Program), which is a part of Four Major Youth. This program recognizes outstanding scholars and researchers in various fields, and is considered one of the highest academic honors in China. The Changjiang Scholar title is awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to their disciplines and have demonstrated outstanding academic achievements. Jieqing10杰青 (Jieqing): This stands for “National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars.” It is a program that provides funding and support to young researchers who have shown exceptional promise and potential in their research fields. It aims to foster the development of future leaders in science and technology. and at the very top is the ultimate honor—an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences or Engineering.
Young professors typically start by aiming for the ‘Four Little Youth’ awards and gradually work their way up, much like leveling up in a video game.
With the hat of Changjiang Scholar, a person would have unimpeded access to universities across the country. Even if they decided to take it easy, their life would be smooth sailing, and they would never have to worry about food and drink.
“It would be great if I had you as my mentor,” Song Yuchi said longingly, “Then I’d definitely suck up to you and curry favor with you to my heart’s content.”
Advancement also depends on mentorship. For example, in the group next to Song Yuchi’s, the big boss got promoted to Changjiang Scholar, and the next year, the junior boss became an Excellent Youth Scholar. Last year, after an academician passed away, the big boss filled the vacancy and became an academician, and the junior boss was promoted to Changjiang Scholar. The students in their group never worried about finding jobs. One senior, despite having mediocre achievements, landed a position at a 211 university11Project 211 is a project which aims to strengthen approximately 100 key universities and colleges for the 21st century initiated in 1995 by China’s Ministry of Education. The figure of 21 and 1 within the name 211 are from the abbreviation of the 21st century and approximately 100 universities respectively., all because the big boss strongly supported him. Song Yuchi was extremely envious.
“Why don’t I transfer to the Department of Mathematics?” Song Yuchi looked at Bian Cheng expectantly, “I’m waiting for you to succeed and everyone will benefit from it.”
“Don’t come,” Bian Cheng said, “Your math level is not even as good as those high school students who were recommended for admission.”
The can in Song Yuchi’s hand was completely crushed. He couldn’t understand how someone could be so heartless, showing no sympathy for a childhood friend who was delayed in finishing his doctorate.
“Would it kill you to say something comforting?” he forced out through gritted teeth.
Bian Cheng quietly looked at him. After a moment, he suddenly took a deep breath and said, “I understand now.”
Since when did this man listen when he spoke? A cold-blooded animal turning warm, Song Yuchi found it hard to believe.
Then Bian Cheng spoke, his voice full of the excitement of sudden realization: “There’s a canonical bijection between the set of nowhere-vanishing sections12According to wiki, A function f is said to be non-vanishing if and only if it has no zeroes in its domain. But, I found out that nowhere-vanishing and non-vanishing are similar but they are used in slightly different contexts and emphasize different aspects of the function’s behavior. To make it easy to understand, imagine you have a toy car that moves
Nowhere-vanishing: The car never stops moving on the track, not even once. It keeps going all the time.
Non-vanishing: This could mean the car is mostly moving, but it might stop in a few places. But it doesn’t stay stopped everywhere; it keeps moving most of the time. over a general toroidal Deligne-Mumford stack Y13A toroidal Deligne-Mumford stack Y is a very special kind of space in math that has some properties like a torus and is studied using advanced tools from algebraic geometry. It’s a very technical concept that mathematicians use to explore complex shapes and spaces. and the set of isomorphism classes of log structures compatible with the GTC structure.”14GTC structure: General Theory of Complex Structures. I tried to simplify this as simple as I can. Basically, in layman terms we can say we’re looking at all the different ways to arrange toy blocks(log structure) that still follow the rules, but we’re grouping together any that end up looking the same. I’ll put the whole explanation to this in the T/N if anyone interested hahahaha
Song Yuchi was stunned for a moment, and almost jumped up: “Fuck! Are you fucking listening to me!”
“Then this provides a new method to handle the logarithmic structure of the Deligne-Mumford stack,” Bian Cheng said excitedly. “This way, the construction process of the logarithmic structure is simplified, and there are new tools for studying related singularity problems.”
Song Yuchi was grinding his teeth almost to pieces. “I shouldn’t have poured water,”15Referring to Chapter 9 when he threw water on him at the Japanese restaurant he said. “I should have poured hot oil on your skull. You uncultured bastard!”
Bian Cheng, immersed in the satisfaction of having his thoughts sorted out, completely ignored him. Song Yuchi pressed his temples, “Am I a masochist? Why do I even talk to you?”
“Because I’m the only one who supports you to be an actor.” Bian Cheng said.
This person always abruptly disconnected from the conversation, then abruptly came back. Song Yuchi stared at him indifferently with dead fish eyes. Yes, everyone wanted him to do academic research, but only this person was willing to listen to his unrealistic dreams, although he didn’t know if he actually listened seriously.
“Why do you support me?” Song Yuchi asked, “I’m already twenty-eight. If I haven’t made my debut at this age, in the acting world it’s equivalent to being half buried in the ground,16半截入土 (bàn jié rù tǔ) literally translates to ‘half-buried in the ground’. This idiom means someone is close to death, or i think in this context, it means being too old to start a career ba.”
“You aren’t suited for academia; even if you try, you won’t achieve anything significant. You might as well rely on your looks.”
That urge to pour hot oil came back. “I’m your only friend,” Song Yuchi said. “Do you know why that is?”
He wanted the other person to reflect on himself, but then Bian Cheng said, “Why would I need so many friends?”
Ah??! Song Yuchi thought, should I just leave then??!
“I have to mentor students, apply for projects, write papers, and deal with a bunch of administrative crap that I have no idea why it even exists,” Bian Cheng said. “Even if I had twice the time, it wouldn’t be enough. And making friends? Friends need communication, maintenance, and from time to time, you even have to go out to eat with them to strengthen the relationship. It’s such a waste of energy.”
“You should just become a plant,” Song Yuchi said. “You don’t even need to eat, all you need to do is photosynthesis.”
Bian Cheng didn’t think this was sarcasm at all. “If everyone became a plant, this society would be much quieter.”
“Fuck,” Song Yuchi said. “Aren’t you pretty good to your students? That postdoctoral student you recruited before who was promoted to assistant researcher, you even went around asking for favors. I couldn’t even imagine you would ask for favors!”
“That wasn’t asking for favors,” Bian Cheng said. “That was called an exchange of interests.”
“What did you get in exchange? Co-authorship on papers?” Song Yuchi said. “Am I not a student? Why can’t you treat me equally?”
“How could that be the same?” Bian Cheng said. “They are the future of mathematics, the new sprouts breaking through the ground in this great field.”
“What about me? What am I?”
Bian Cheng glanced at him. “The shed exoskeleton of a cicada, slowly drying out on a sycamore tree in autumn ba.”
“You’ll die alone,” Song Yuchi said. “Ten days after you’re dead, your neighbors will smell the stench of your rotting body, call the police, and when they break down the door, they’ll find your half-eaten corpse, chewed up by a cat.”
Bian Cheng thought about it. “Sounds like an ideal way to die.”
Song Yuchi took a deep breath, searching around for some aggressive weapon, wanting to bash the other person’s head in. Every time he finished talking to this person, none of his heart, liver, stomach, lungs, and kidneys were left intact. Who would even want to be around someone like this!
He suddenly thought of a certain unfortunate soul from five years ago, smirked, and asked, “Have you made any progress with that old acquaintance?”
Bian Cheng’s hand, which was picking up food, paused. Song Yuchi was very satisfied with the surprised look17心肌梗塞 (xīn jī gěng sè) literally translates to ‘myocardial infarction’ and is used here metaphorically to describe the look of shock or distress on his face.
“Why?” Song Yuchi asked. “Didn’t he react after I poured water on him?”
“He gave me his phone number.”
“Isn’t this a big progress?” Song Yuchi raised an eyebrow. “And then?”
“Nothing happened.”
“Nothing…” Song Yuchi’s headache started again. “Why?”
“That number is wrong.”
“Didn’t he send you an email before? Just find the email and contact him, asking him to give you the correct number. That should work.”
Bian Cheng was silent for a long while and then said, “Oh.”
It turns out there is such a method.
“Oh my god,” Song Yuchi rolled his eyes, “You can’t even think of such a simple thing, is your IQ really 180?”
Bian Cheng ignored him. He stood up, took his tray, walked to the serving counter, dumped the leftover food, and carefully threw the tissue packet into the non-recyclable trash.
My god, Song Yuchi followed him, shaking his head while dealing with the kitchen waste.
This person didn’t have the concept of ‘active contact’ in his mind.
He had a smart brain but read so many books for nothing and his interpersonal skills amounted to ‘three years of silence, and when he does speak, it makes people angry for another three years.’18三年不说话，一说气三年 (sān nián bù shuō huà, yī shuō qì sān nián): This translates literally to “three years of silence, and when he does speak, it makes people angry for another three years.” It means that someone’s communication is so infrequent or problematic that when they do speak, it causes significant trouble
Which unfortunate soul in the future will have to deal with such emotional idiocy?
Song Yuchi shook his head and sighed. With his hands in his pockets, he followed the rude and uncultured bastard into the campus. Then, a panting young man suddenly rushed in front of him.
He stood in front of them, with an air of righteousness and grievance, and asked, “Professor, why haven’t you come to collect the debt from me?”
The author has something to say:
Wen Di, slowly drying on a sycamore tree in autumn: You can’t even scold, so I have to do it.
T/N:
Okay guys, for this one I keep the original translation as I’m not sure from which work the author quoted this. Usually, when I searched for the quote, most of the time it would appear in douban book (something similar to goodreads) but this one, there is really nothing. I’m pretty sure it’s from King Lear Act 2, Scene 4, but well, I’m not 100% sure. Also, so far, this one has the longest footnote ever. I’m tired! Took two days to finish this because I got annoyed by the long footnote hahahaah
Lear:
You nimble lightnings, dart your blinding flames
Into her scornful eyes! Infect her beauty,
You fen-sucked fogs drawn by the powerful sun
To fall and blister!
Anyway, according to google, in algebraic geometry and related fields, the concept of log structures often arises when discussing moduli problems, deformation theory, or arithmetic geometry. The GTC structure (General Theory of Complex Structures) is a more specific structure that can be related to log structures in certain contexts. To explain it the very simplest way, think of Lego that has unique colors and shapes.
Lego’s unique colors and shapes – Log structures
Now your Lego have a specific pattern need to fit into, and not all designs work with this pattern – GTS structure
Your lego has some that looks similar and can be used interchangeably so they’re grouped together – Isomorphism Classes
So, the set of isomorphism classes of log structures compatible with the GTC structure is like grouping all the toy blocks that fit the special pattern together.
That’s it our Math lesson for today! Thanks Prof. Bian for this. I hope I won’t need to do this again!
Also, there’ll be daily update from 28th Oct – 1st Nov!
![Dissatisfied [e-sports]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/4997572.jpg "Dissatisfied [e-sports]")
