Chapter 130: Only I Have My Own Method Chapter 130: There Is a Research Project

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Chen Yi

The email itself was nothing new, merely a fundraising message slightly modified by Professor Chester.

Chen Yi glanced at it casually and didn't take it to heart. But Cai Huaqing, not far ahead, attached great importance to this opportunity to show himself, trotting over with small steps to the seat in front of him, placing his book down, and smiling: "Chen Yi, haven't seen you in several days. How about it, do you need help passing?"

"Pass what?"

Cai Huaqing's face stiffened, thinking to himself: Is this what they call a hot face against a cold butt?

But he still had to say it, forcing a smile: "Passing the professor's questions. We have ready-made answers here."

Cai Huaqing took out a thick English edition, Keynes's *The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money*. A corner of the book was somewhat dog-eared, clearly having been read at least once.

For an undergraduate, reading English originals starting from freshman year requires not only courage but also a bit of idealism.

And Cai Huaqing was even more driven by showing off.

Many students are near graduation and can't even understand an English book title. Although Jiang University's students claim to be excellent, only 10%, or even 5%, can read some English originals.

Lin Yuan showed a hint of surprise, which made Cai Huaqing even more proud.

As an Aristocratic Scion, he doesn't fear bloodshed, but cannot lose face—what difference is there between a world without face and a nouveau riche?

Chen Yi waved his hand, not answering Cai Huaqing, and couldn't help thinking: If this guy knew that he had met the same end as Ren Yuan back then, just one step away, would his mood be better or worse?

In his bag, that bottle of Curse Ink was indeed tucked away.

Privately, Chen Yi quickly translated the two questions into English, specifically noting "simple answer," and sent them to Professor Chester.

As for visiting the review items and such, he pretended not to have seen them.

He comforted himself in his heart: I'm doing this to leave a good impression on Professor Lei. Domestic professors, after all, differ from foreign professors. Those liberal types are simply ungrateful wolf cubs, eating only meat and unwilling to part with a single wolf hair. There will surely be a place to rely on them in the future.

About 10 minutes later, Chester indeed replied to the email, a description of some six or seven hundred words. The first few dozen words were similar to a textbook-style rough explanation, followed by extensive speculation about the future and financial analysis. Obviously, he was tailoring his response to Chen Yi's identity as a financial businessman.

His argument contained much rhetoric and little analysis, using words as simply as possible, taking into account Chen Yi's non-English background, and explaining to the utmost of his ability that he could complete any economic analysis of the world market, listing his own honors.

Chen Yi couldn't help but laugh upon reading this.

After receiving the email, Professor Chester obviously thought this emerging financial company was conducting market research.

On Wall Street, scholars are like prophets. Although they cannot know, as described in movies, what will happen on a certain year, month, and day, excellent scholars can always obtain some inevitable results under normal conditions—for example, without major wars and disasters, will the future three-year global silicon supply and demand be balanced, or tilt in which direction?

No matter what conclusions scholars reach, high-paid mathematicians hired by investment banks can design corresponding mathematical models for this, then create a new financial derivative and put it on the market—for example, if silicon supply is tight, then downstream producers needing silicon as raw material will receive a decreasing weight score, upstream silicon producers, and suppliers to upstream suppliers, will receive an increasing weight score...

Thus, through a series of relatively scientific analyses, financial businessmen making money is almost certain—the only possible factor affecting his earnings is uncertainty. Sunspots, nuclear radiation, war, and so on are all like this... Often, a loss caused by one uncertainty factor could wipe out the capital. This is why investment institutions care so much about risk; earning slowly and losing a lot are certainly not compatible.

Bosses have both losses and gains, while the gentlemen working for investment banks often draw high salaries year after year.

World-class professors like Chester often don't want high income, but instead require investment banks, funds, and other institutions to make research investments in them.

Although this money cannot be stuffed into their own pockets, it is hundreds or thousands of times higher than a salary—given US tax policy, the paying institution can treat this money as a charitable payment, thereby obtaining partial tax exemption...

Unfortunately, Chen Yi merely needed to answer one question in a Chinese classroom.

Professor Chester's painstaking efforts were wasted.

Chen Yi used ten minutes to look up the technical terms, then ignored the eagerly waiting Professor Chester, only waiting for Lei Gongpo's explanation to end.

About three or four minutes later, Lei Gongpo waved his hand grandly and said: "Each student has one minute to say your thoughts. First, Chen Yi."

He had a deeper impression of this student.

The prepared Chen Yi, like a full lion, spoke in a loose state without any sign of nervousness: "Regarding China's labor market, I expect it will reach saturation within the next two to three years, and then produce some new sublimations, such as an increase in labor prices, which will affect the operation of the world labor market in China..."

He abandoned textbook-style explanations even more thoroughly than Professor Chester, and added his own understanding—Chester only dared to propose things he was certain of, such as the saturation of China's labor market, but Chen Yi dared to say its labor price would definitely increase. Because his perspective differed from that of foreign professors; the latter had seen many changes in the world labor market and believed labor transfer was very easy to happen, while in Chen Yi's view, China's labor market was more stubborn than other countries... The power of the proletariat will be quite powerful.

Professor Lei couldn't help but listen.

It wasn't that Chen Yi's theory was very novel, but as an undergraduate, a freshman, being able to keep up with the understanding of world political economy was already quite difficult.

Most rare was his bold prediction.

What economics is saying, at bottom, is predicting the future direction of the economy; only economic policies built on this foundation are meaningful.

He couldn't help but draw a large five-pointed star on the notebook in front of him.

Cai Huaqing flipped hard through the two books in front of him, one Chinese and one English, but couldn't find what Chen Yi said.

He wanted to despise Chen Yi as "talking nonsense," but after all he was a person who had read books and couldn't be so shameless. Besides, the professor was right there on the podium; openly slandering had unpredictable results.

This delay caused "Cai Huaqing" to be called upon.

He stood up hesitantly, said half, and just as his nervousness was disappearing, Professor Lei impatiently said: "Next."

Whether Chinese or foreign, professors are quite discriminatory toward undergraduates. It's like generals discriminating against new recruits; those with potential can still be developed, those without may not necessarily survive, and matters of politeness are simply a waste of one's own time.

Academia is no easier than the battlefield.

Luo Xiaoshan was from another class and had no connection with Cai Huaqing at all; he impolitely laughed: "It seems the English edition is more halting, not easy to read."

Han Jie burst out laughing, then quickly covered her mouth.

Chen Yi coughed twice and also felt it was quite satisfying.

At this point, everyone had finished saying their thoughts. Professor Lei did not comment, but said: "Student Chen Yi, regarding future trends of the labor market, do you have any specific ideas and research directions?"

Chen Yi was stunned for a moment, then said: "Considering from a financial angle, if the price of China's labor rises, then capital will naturally show a tendency, for example, transferring originally cheap outsourcing work to countries like Vietnam, Thailand..."

These were all things Professor Chester had discussed.

Chen Yi thought for a moment, then added his own ideas: "If labor quality improves, we might be able to undertake some of the current work from South America and Eastern European countries at relatively cheap prices. But considering the difficulty of relocating large factories and the slow improvement of labor quality, I believe the result might be a temporary contraction of China's labor market."

Simple struggles in the financial market might not increase his knowledge reserves, but they taught him how to better apply knowledge.

Professor Lei nodded quite satisfied, likewise not commenting on right or wrong, but said: "Do you have any research projects now?"

"Ah? No."

"Are you interested in doing a research project, namely examining China's labor market, a provincial key project of Jiangning?" Professor Lei asked in class, regardless of other students' surprise, envy, jealousy, and hatred.

His time was limited; were it not for the school's forced requirement, plus some vague, unclear grand ambition of his own to fill the world with peach and plum, he would never teach two classes a week to undergraduates, and if he lectured the same thing every time, it would purely be a waste of life.

Chen Yi was still hesitating, but Lin Yuan grew anxious and said, "What are you still thinking about? This kind of good thing, even PhD Students can't snatch it—a provincial key project."

She had actually obtained quite a bit of information from the Student Union. The so-called provincial key was not limited to the province, nor did it mean the written paper was provincial—in fact, most papers published in national core journals from beginning to end never bore a key title, not even those from this school's departments.

Provincial merely meant the project had passed the evaluation of a certain expert committee of that province and received investment from the province.

Papers written like this were often the treasures of second-tier schools' departments.

Jiangning's academic status ranked among the front ranks nationwide, so the value of its projects was naturally higher. Were it not at Jiang University, a provincial project could make a group of professors and associate professors squeeze their heads breaking.

Under the gaze and expectation of all eyes, how could Chen Yi say he didn't have enough time or that he didn't care to do it.

Considering his grandfather had doted on him from childhood, with the sole requirement merely being that he achieve academic success... Chen Yi said without hesitation, "Okay, thank you, Professor."

Professor Lei nodded in satisfaction.

Han Jie laughed and said, "Now that's like a normal student."

Cai Huaqing trembled at the mouth wanting to say something, but not a single word came out in the end.

Professor Lei laughed heartily and began to lecture the content downstairs; those familiar with him knew this was his state of being in a good mood.

Not only classmates, but Liu Xinyu, Luo Xiaoshan, Han Jie, and Lin Yuan all looked at Chen Yi with new eyes. Only those within the school knew how hard it was to snatch a project.

... (Unfinished, if you want to know what happens after this, please log in www. qidian. com, more chapters, support author, support genuine reading!)