Chapter 108: Time Management Master (Requesting Subscription)

January 7th, Fang Ziye found free time, put on a thick face, brought fruit, and brought his laptop and the thesis inside it to Yuan Weihong's home a day early.

After getting off work, the master's wife was cooking, and Yuan Weihong was still in surgery and had not yet returned home.

Xiao Qi had no one to play with at the moment, so she sat cross-legged on the sofa watching TV.

Seeing Fang Ziye, the active girl finally moved her short legs, pulling Fang Ziye to play building blocks with her.

Fang Ziye could only be a playmate and had no way to help the master's wife make dinner.

At five fifty-nine in the afternoon, the sound of fingerprint unlocking came from the doorway, and Fang Ziye, hearing it, timely suffered defeat in the "Building Blocks Competition."

Little Xiao Qi jumped up happily, then moved her short legs to hang onto Yuan Weihong's foot: "Daddy, I won, I won, Big Brother."

Xiao Qi was Yuan Weihong's daughter, and Fang Ziye was Yuan Weihong's student; although by age she could call Fang Ziye Uncle, she only called him Big Brother.

"Xiao Fang, when did you arrive? How did you get here before me?" Yuan Weihong changed his shoes, picked up Xiao Qi with one hand, and asked while doing so.

"Daddy, I won." Seeing that she was actually being ignored, Xiao Qi scratched Yuan Weihong's ear and deliberately raised her tone.

"If you shout any louder, your daddy will go deaf later."

"Our Xiao Qi won?" Yuan Weihong knew that before his wife could find free time, he would never have a chance to discuss professional matters with Fang Ziye.

However, Yuan Weihong looked up and asked: "Xiao Lan, where's Mom?"

"Today Ziye came to see me about something rather important."

"Mom said she went out to buy something, she should be back soon," the master's wife replied from the kitchen.

Then she pushed open the kitchen door and added: "Why don't you call Mom? Your matter is quite important."

He Xiaolan knew that the topic Fang Ziye and Yuan Weihong were discussing today was Fang Ziye's graduation thesis and the submission issue of the provincial project proposal.

No one dislikes having too much project funding.

The graduation thesis concerned Fang Ziye's entire future and was absolutely impossible to skip.

Because, if the master's graduation thesis is not prepared and contains flaws or errors, perhaps when you are a small fry, no one will care about you, but once you reach a certain position.

You will wait to become the most obvious flaw, be ruthlessly stabbed into others, pierce into your heart, and make you regret for a lifetime.

The person taking care of Yuan Weihong's child was his mother, so Yuan Weihong made a phone call first, then waited for the old lady—whom Fang Ziye didn't know whether to call Auntie or Grandma—to return before leading Fang Ziye into the study.

"Ziye, how did I hear in the department that recently someone calls you Time Management Master?"

"What are you doing?" Yuan Weihong had Fang Ziye open the computer and enter the password, while he started boiling water to make tea, closed the study door, skillfully turned on the exhaust fan leading outside, and lit a cigarette.

This study was one Yuan Weihong had taken a liking to at first sight; it protruded outward a bit, was not large in area, so Yuan Weihong simply occupied and remodeled it into a small semi-closed single room serving as a study and the home's smoking area.

Nowadays, many project proposals, lecture PPTs, and various other things for people his age were all made by him in here.

"Who said that?" After Fang Ziye opened the computer, three large folders on the right-hand side were especially eye-catching.

1. Provincial project proposal and preliminary research images.

2. Graduation thesis revision version 1.0716: 45.

Representing that this version of the manuscript was modified at 4:45 PM on January 7th; every version has a record so one can look back and compare why they modified it at the time and which parts were modified.

Analyze the final draft and submission materials.

Fang Ziye first opened his own graduation thesis, then after opening the folder, Fang Ziye did not rush to directly open the Word document inside, but instead helped Yuan Weihong find a disposable paper cup.

Finally found in a small compartment in the study, it had been crushed flat.

Looking at the cup's shabby appearance, Yuan Weihong still said: "Why don't you go get a glass cup from the disinfection cabinet?"

"Okay, Master." Fang Ziye knew that even if he thought the shabbiness didn't matter, Yuan Weihong felt that using such a shabby cup at his master's home would lose face.

……

After the tea was ready, the two no longer discussed that topic; instead, Fang Ziye, in front of Yuan Weihong, once again elaborated on his graduation thesis from beginning to end.

Yuan Weihong reviewed it item by item against the PPT.

Yuan Weihong's requirement for Fang Ziye's thesis defense was that he must go completely off-script and must be thoroughly familiar with the content of his own article—for example, even if he memorized the whole thing, he must be able to recite any detailed content off the top of his head.

The reason needs no further explanation; those who understand, understand—

The graduation thesis and the published SCI paper have a large amount of data redundancy, and it must be data produced by Fang Ziye himself; therefore, even the punctuation marks in the data must be firmly imprinted in Fang Ziye's mind.

Half an hour passed, and Yuan Weihong nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad. There were six places where pauses occurred during the off-script conversion, still not proficient enough, but during the defense there will be a script and references, so no problems will arise."

"But you must remember: your master's graduation thesis is absolutely not something you'll only use for this graduation." Yuan Weihong admonished.

"Knock knock knock!" At this moment, Xiao Qi came to knock on the door.

A soft, childish voice came from outside: "Daddy, it's time to eat! ~"

"Okay, coming right away." Yuan Weihong hesitated not at all and went out directly.

The meal was not just for Fang Ziye and Yuan Weihong; everyone had to eat, including his own mother. If he were alone at home, he could say he'd eat later, but Fang Ziye was there, counting as half a guest in the house.

Neither his wife nor his mother would eat early; little Xiao Qi could eat first, though.

But there was no need for that; the tightness of time had not yet reached the point of having no time to eat.

At the meal, Yuan Weihong introduced Fang Ziye to his mother many times.

The auntie said: "It's just that the hometown is far away; otherwise I would definitely introduce a few well-behaved (good-looking) girls to this young man."

The master's wife He Xiaolan then asked: "How did that thing I told you about last time turn out?"

"The other party hasn't agreed yet! Naturally, I haven't told Ziye about it on my end."

Then she explained to the somewhat bewildered Fang Ziye: "Your master's wife once, at a meeting, took a liking to someone and felt the conditions were quite good. After inquiring, she found out she was a relative of a teacher at our hospital, felt the conditions were acceptable in all aspects, and wanted to act as a matchmaker for you two."

"However, regarding this matter, I mentioned a word to that Internal Medicine teacher, and there's been no follow-up yet." Yuan Weihong said to Fang Ziye with a serious expression.

Seeing this, Fang Ziye immediately understood.

Yuan Weihong either had forgotten this matter or simply never mentioned it at all.

"Master, perhaps there is no fate; the other party isn't interested, so let it be. I've been busy lately, and when I study for my doctorate, I'll also go overseas. Even if it were settled, I probably couldn't arrange the time." Fang Ziye was exceptionally cunning.

After hearing this, He Xiaolan said: "That's also true; I hadn't considered the issue of Ziye going overseas."

The old lady, hearing this, said somewhat proudly: "Nowadays, anyone working inside the hospital is expected to go abroad."

"Weihong, when will you take Xiaolan and Xiao Qi abroad for a trip?" Halfway through speaking, the clever old lady interjected.

Fang Ziye then noticed that his shumu He Xiaolan began to decline verbally, but actually very much had such an idea.

Fang Ziye found it a bit interesting, but did not speculate too much.

It was just that Yuan Weihong's mother was very wise.

Immediately afterward, Fang Ziye did not waste any more time with Yuan Weihong; what followed was four long hours of discussion, revision, submission, format correction, and so on.

Ten fifty-four in the evening.

Only after Yuan Weihong finished filling in all the submission data for this meta-analysis did he say: "When you do your pre-defense tomorrow, remember to perform well, don't be too distracted."

"Before your defense, your most important task is the thesis and the defense, not the grant application and this little meta-analysis."

"Of course it would be better, and I'd be very happy. But if there isn't one, it doesn't matter. I'm just afraid you won't have that much time!"

Yuan Weihong's words paused here.

Fang Ziye continued to ask: "Master, who exactly in the department put this label on me?"

"Yan Zhiming, Gu Yi, Wang Yuanqi."

"Just those three, you still want to go cause them trouble?" Yuan Weihong could not deny.

Fang Ziye hurriedly shook his head.

Since it was a nickname given by a senior brother, he would just ignore it; if it were a junior brother, Fang Ziye must make them know what respecting teachers and valuing the Dao means!

Even if he were a student of Professor Han Yuanxiao, the acting director of Trauma Surgery, Fang Ziye did not like casually giving oneself such an unflattering elegant title.

"Speaking of which, the nickname they gave you really isn't false; tell me, what exactly have you been doing?"

"You think, if I get you a provincial-level project, seventy or eighty thousand, one hundred thousand yuan, I'd be happy? If I add a meta-analysis with me as corresponding author, I'd be happy?" Yuan Weihong admonished seriously, questioning him.

"Master, it's not that; my thesis preparation started relatively early, by now it's been nearly five months, and moreover there are still five months after the manuscript is finished."

"I mainly just don't want to be a senior brother later who doesn't even have the writing skill for a proper SCI paper, let alone, if I go abroad in the future, I will definitely need to contact teachers, and need recommendation letters and such," Fang Ziye explained thus.

At the same time he began organizing his computer and wireless mouse.

"What about the provincial-level project? The money in the group isn't enough for you to use?" Yuan Weihong smiled, naturally not blaming him, just hoping Fang Ziye wouldn't have to struggle so hard.

"Master, the money is certainly enough for now, it just needs to be used more precisely. When funding is not absolutely abundant, one still needs to be frugal."

"Later I still need to go out for a period of time, very likely missing Master's critical period."

"So recently, while there is still time, I should do more work to show some heart." Fang Ziye, while clamping the printed manuscript of the project grant application and the paper version of the SCI paper with two clamps, put them away.

Among them, the revision comments on the project grant application part, Fang Ziye still needs to return to Jie Han, letting Jie Han and Lan Tianluo correct them, and then send them to Yuan Weihong for submission.

As for the submission work in this regard, Fang Ziye will no longer participate; for the remaining time, before the defense ends, Fang Ziye will not divert his attention elsewhere regarding the meta-analysis review and the project grant application writing.

The writing process of the master's graduation thesis cannot be too cautious.

January 8th, through Yuan Weihong's connections, Fang Ziye finally got to see a young attending like Yuan Weihong, and his superb ability in thesis writing, basic experimental data, and finding loopholes.

Just Qin Geluoluo alone found four or five questions that were quite close to reality but difficult for Fang Ziye to answer.

Qin Geluo and Li Nuo, these two young attendings, were younger than Yuan Weihong, had both worked in laboratories before, and basically knew all the tricks of Fang Ziye's experiments.

Loopholes could not be found, but the angles of questioning were extremely tricky.

Fang Ziye then realized that during the defense, if the defense committee really wants to make things difficult for you, it is very hard to answer questions on the spot, but the current defense requirement is to answer questions on the spot.

Go back to check literature, build knowledge reserves, then discuss some text structures and result presentations in the article, and change to a different format.

After this conversion, over the next few days, while doing experiments, Fang Ziye also conducted several pre-defenses with his connections, and then the most formal pre-defense before the actual defense, which Yuan Weihong invited Professor Deng Yong and Associate Professor Hong Zili to conduct.

All were considered to have passed relatively easily.

But after Associate Professor Hong Zili confirmed there were not too many flaws in professionalism, workload, and thesis format, he asked: "Your acknowledgments section, why hasn't it been printed yet? Don't you plan to write it?"

Generally speaking, the defense session of a master's graduation thesis has acknowledgments.

At least the defense committee must be thanked.

Fang Ziye currently has not written it, only a relatively standardized oral draft.

"Haven't thought it over particularly well; originally there was a relatively standardized draft, but after reading it a few times, I found the expression slightly lacking, so I thought of rewriting it," Fang Ziye also answered honestly.

The acknowledgments section is not an absolute requirement in professional defenses; having this session is enough.

Unless you directly write cursing someone's mother, otherwise absolutely no one will fail you for the graduation defense just because your acknowledgments are written poorly, unless everyone on the defense committee has been kicked in the head by a donkey.

Similarly, writing it well won't get special bonus points; at most it adds some impression points.

……

Fang Ziye personally went with Yuan Weihong to see off Professor Deng Yong and Associate Professor Hong Zili from the laboratory; at the elevator entrance, Yuan Weihong called Fang Ziye to hurry in and make some smaller revisions.

While he accompanied Professor Deng Yong downstairs together.

This was Fang Ziye's last pre-defense; afterward there would be no such preparation anymore.

But, after being tempered by five pre-defenses, plus Fang Ziye had started writing relatively early before, Fang Ziye felt there was no problem.

The workload was no problem, the research depth exceeded the master's level, but it was also fine, not a big article; there were academic achievements, he was familiar with the thesis content, and Fang Ziye himself knew how to do the cell experiment methods.

When Fang Ziye returned, Jie Han and Lan Tianluo were clearing the tea residue and snack fruit plate and other miscellaneous items from the meeting room table in the laboratory.

This was Lan Tianluo's first time being brought into the laboratory by Jie Han, temporarily just coming to help.

Although Lan Tianluo was very likely to become Yuan Weihong's student, after all he was not a master's graduate student, so letting him enter the laboratory and contact the basic experiments within the large research group was actually a violation.

It was just that there was something temporary today needing manpower, so it counted as an exception.

After cleaning up, Fang Ziye said: "Jie Han, take Tianluo to eat something. Report the expenses to me later; don't be too extravagant today, the budget can't exceed five hundred."

"After I finish my defense, I'll raise the budget for you."

The two junior brothers have also been working very hard recently; at least for their own matters, they have run quite a few times.

Not to mention making posters and the defense announcement, even during the defense, buying fruit platters, mineral water, etc., were all paid by Fang Ziye himself; although the expense was not much, someone still had to run errands.

How could Fang Ziye alone manage?

"Thank you, Senior Brother," Jie Han said with a smile.

"Tian Luo and I are easy to please; one grilled fish from Han Street, 128 per portion, won't exceed two hundred at most."

Jie Han, at his age, was relatively free; as long as there was a meal invitation, he could be happy for a whole day or even several days.

Fang Ziye said he would treat him to a meal, having mentioned it several times in advance, so Jie Han had been happy for several days.

The two had not invited Fang Ziye, knowing he still had things to do; after all, he faced his thesis defense the day after tomorrow, and there were revision opinions to handle tonight.

……

Ten thirty-seven.

Fang Ziye finalized the final draft of his thesis on this side as Graduation Thesis 1.1810:36 version! (The most most most final draft. Version locked forever.)

Just today alone, Fang Ziye's version had already been revised several times, mainly because the writing kept being refined, always feeling this way was good, that way was good.

However, the version finally decided to present before Teacher Deng and Hong Zili Associate Professor was the one changed and confirmed at 17:35 on the afternoon of January 16.

"Senior Brother, are you done? Once you're done, I'll send you the experimental results images." Luo Tingzhu, at this moment, came from the sink direction, wiping her hands with one hand while walking closer, seeing Fang Ziye stretching lazily, interlocking his fingers and raising them above his head!

"Mm."

"What experiment did you do today?" Fang Ziye nodded, twisted his waist, straightened his body, and began closing the computer and organizing the desktop.

Finally, he glanced at the notebook to see all pending tasks had been handled.

"Collect."

"No, it's flow cytometry counting." Luo Tingzhu almost slipped up, quickly corrected herself, then slung her double shoulder backpack and snack rabbit chest bag onto her back.

This was a bag she had just bought three days ago.

"Oh, so there shouldn't be any intuitive experimental results images, only data processing charts, right?" Fang Ziye felt a bit regretful.

For flow cytometry cell counting, if the data had been processed, one couldn't gain too many knowledge points; if unprocessed, viewing the results wasn't much either. One had to personally participate on-site to do it, belonging to the most troublesome type for knowledge point collection among basic cell experiments.

While waiting for the elevator, Luo Tingzhu held up the straps of her double shoulder backpack with both hands, quickly turned toward Fang Ziye several times, then asked very hesitantly: "Senior Brother, why do people call you Time Management Master?"

"I see you don't either."

Fang Ziye felt he might have just suffered an acute flare of patellofemoral arthritis in his knee joint—his knee buckled, trembling slightly.

"This is a frame-up! ~"

"They're jealous that I do enough things in the same amount of time; it's a joke among the senior brothers, not a real Time Management Master." Fang Ziye explained patiently.

"Oh." Luo Tingzhu seemed to sigh in relief.

(Chapter End)