Chapter Eighteen: Quite a Coincidence

Wang Guang kept apologizing profusely.

Sensing his nervousness, Lin Yang couldn't help but laugh. "There’s no need to be so tense. If I’m not mistaken, you were the one who answered my call last time. We’re quite fated, it seems."

"Ah? The big shot remembers me? I’m truly honored!"

Upon hearing that Lin Yang recognized him, Wang Guang was instantly overcome with excitement.

"...What an easily excited young man," Lin Yang mused. To ease Wang Guang’s tension, he chatted about a few trivial matters.

Meanwhile, after receiving the late-night notification from Wang Guang, Zhao Zizhen, the Dean of the Academy of Sciences, felt his face flush with excitement. Without a word, he immediately got up, dressed, and headed straight for the duty room. He hadn't expected to receive another call from this prominent figure so soon.

However, halfway there, Zhao Zizhen suddenly paused. A look of gravity clouded his face as he muttered to himself:

"If someone with his immense capabilities is asking to borrow money, he must have encountered a colossal problem. Otherwise, he wouldn't easily ask. People with such extraordinary talents usually have their own pride. Since he has spoken up, it must be a significant sum."

"If it were a small amount, I could cover it myself, or even use the Academy's funds for a slightly larger one. But if the figure is astronomical, it requires approval. No one is available for approval in the middle of the night, and the bureaucratic process would take too long, potentially delaying his important business."

"It seems I must notify Old Ye immediately."

At the thought of this, a trace of reluctance appeared on Zhao Zizhen’s face. He had hoped to chat with Lin Yang first; if he involved Ye Guhong, the call would be monitored, making certain things inconvenient to say. Although Ye Guhong had previously instructed them to report any incoming calls from this person immediately, Zhao Zizhen, as the Dean, held enough prestige to delay it slightly without consequence.

But then, he realized that if Lin Yang was calling in the middle of the night to borrow money, it had to be an emergency. He was terrified that a moment’s delay on his part might ruin something important for Lin Yang.

"Forget it, his matters take precedence!"

After a few seconds of hesitation, Zhao Zizhen resumed his pace toward the duty room while dialing Ye Guhong’s number. He might have a chance to talk to Lin Yang alone in the future, but a request for funds could not be delayed. Given Lin Yang’s abilities, if he needed money while abroad, it must be an urgent crisis. With it being the middle of the night in the country, only Ye Guhong had the authority to authorize a massive transfer of funds instantly.

As for whether it was impolite for Lin Yang to suddenly ask for money, that didn't even cross Zhao Zizhen’s mind. Given the contributions this person had made, let alone asking for money, even more demanding requests would be perfectly acceptable. Just for the lithography machine blueprints alone, any amount of money lent would be justified.

Furthermore, the fact that Lin Yang contacted the Academy of Sciences first instead of calling the emergency dispatch center made Zhao Zizhen feel inexplicably pleased. What did this mean? It meant that when trouble arose, the Academy was the first place he thought of. He felt a sense of triumph, a small, bubbly excitement as he hurried toward the duty room.

...

At the Extraordinary Management Bureau, Ye Guhong arrived at the command center immediately. Tang Wensheng and Han Zhaoyu, the two other leaders, followed shortly after. They hadn't been home for days, living in the dorms specially prepared next to the command center, all for the sake of being able to gather the moment Lin Yang called back. Now, that precaution had proven essential.

At this moment, excitement and anticipation were written all over their faces.

"Old Ye, is it true that he called again? And he wants to borrow money?" Tang and Han exchanged glances and couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, Old Zhao told me himself. He’s on his way to the duty room now," Ye Guhong nodded.

"That old guy, how does he get all the luck? They got the lithography blueprints first, and now, instead of calling the emergency center, he calls the Academy again. He must be feeling very smug right now, isn't he?" Tang Wensheng remarked, his tone laced with envy.

"Haha, you guessed right. The old man sounded incredibly smug," Ye Guhong chuckled, then turned serious. "Alright, enough talk. The monitoring is ready. I hope he hasn't run into a major threat to his personal safety. Notify the finance department to be ready to wire the funds the moment he states the amount."

"Understood!"

...

In the duty room at the Academy of Sciences, Zhao Zizhen had covered the distance from the dorms in half—no, a third—of his usual time. Under Wang Guang's gesture, he took the phone, cleared his throat, and said with a hint of excitement, "Hello, this is Zhao Zizhen, the Dean of the Academy of Sciences. It is a great honor to speak with you!"

"Hello, Dean Zhao. There’s no need for such formalities. I apologize for disturbing your rest in the middle of the night," Lin Yang responded politely.

"Haha, you are too kind. At my age, I don't sleep much anyway, so it’s no disturbance at all."

Hearing Lin Yang’s polite tone, Zhao Zizhen felt himself relax significantly. Before picking up the phone, he had imagined countless scenarios—perhaps Lin Yang would be cold or impatient. Only now did he believe what Wang Guang had said: Lin Yang was truly easy to talk to.

He had questioned Wang Guang extensively about the previous call. Wang Guang had said the voice sounded young, perhaps even like a high school student. Zhao Zizhen had been skeptical, but hearing it now, he realized Wang Guang wasn't lying. Unless Lin Yang was using some unknown high-tech voice modulation, he was indeed very young.

This made it even more unbelievable. At such a young age, to be able to obtain lithography blueprints from the Netherlands and recover artifacts from an American museum—it was simply miraculous!

Despite realizing his youth, Zhao Zizhen did not harbor a shred of condescension. As soon as the pleasantries ended, he asked directly, "I heard you need funds. May I ask how much exactly? Just tell me the amount and a bank account number, and the money will be transferred immediately!"

He kept the priority of the money at the forefront of his mind, suppressing the urge to chat further, fearing that a single second of delay would hinder Lin Yang’s affairs.

However, after hearing Lin Yang's reply, Zhao Zizhen was left stunned. Not only him, but Ye Guhong and the others monitoring the call were also struck dumb.

Because the amount Lin Yang mentioned was, quite simply...