The United States, University of California, Berkeley, saw the appearance of an Oriental figure.
This man was Li Yuanzhe, the chemical mogul who had won the Huanghe Prize and the Nobel Prize. The University of California, Berkeley, was also Li Yuanzhe's alma mater, and the research for which he won the Nobel Prize was completed at this school.
It could be said that this school had made Li Yuanzhe, and Li Yuanzhe had also boosted the school's reputation; they had achieved success together.
Therefore, Li Yuanzhe had considerable influence in this school. For instance, he had done everything he could to send his two grandsons, who had not learned very well in Taiwan Province, to his alma mater, intending for them to continue their studies there.
For ordinary people, this would naturally be impossible. However, for Li Yuanzhe, the school still had to give him face. Nevertheless, the necessary procedures and processes were still required.
Although these two grandsons went through the process of applying to study abroad, they still had to take an exam upon arriving at the school. As their grandfather, to prevent any mishaps during this process, Li Yuanzhe personally came to accompany them for the exam. This paternal affection was evident for all to see.
"My dear Li, you don't need to worry too much. Even if your two grandsons don't get a single A, I will still accept them. Rest assured!" Walker Lee, Li Yuanzhe's friend and classmate, and currently one of the school's board members, reassured him with a smile.
However, faced with Walker Lee's comfort, Li Yuanzhe was still somewhat uneasy.
He knew his own grandsons best. When it came to exams, if their performance were measured by American standards, they wouldn't even get a B, let alone an A.
Who knew what scores they would get in the end? If they didn't even get a B, then even Walker Lee, as a board member, would likely lose his smile instantly.
Since the exam was specifically designed for the two of them, the scores were quickly graded and sent to Walker Lee. Li Yuanzhe's eyebrows were beaded with sweat as he closely watched Walker Lee's expression and the report card in his hand.
"Oh, my dear friend, do you Chinese people love modesty so much? Your two grandsons' scores are really excellent. Why did you describe them so unfavorably?" Walker Lee said with a smile. Li Yuanzhe was stunned for a moment, then took the report card from him.
Upon seeing it, he exclaimed, "Wow! All A's, with only one subject being a B+. While these scores might not be much at the University of California, Berkeley, they are more than enough to secure admission."
"Have these two children finally woken up? Have they defied fate?" Li Yuanzhe's face immediately broke into a smile. He then asked Walker Lee for a copy of the test paper to look at. Li Yuanzhe's face then showed an expression of mixed amusement and exasperation.
It turned out that the test paper was extremely simple. Taking the math problems as an example, the most difficult one was calculating the area of a polygon, along with solving simultaneous linear equations. These were problems that even junior high school students in China could solve.
The other exams were also basically English reading comprehension, writing, and so on. It was no wonder these two grandsons could achieve such results.
As for subjects like biology, chemistry, politics, geography, and history, which are tested in China's college entrance examinations, they were completely absent here. None of them were tested. For American students, these were subjects to be studied in university.
Li Yuanzhe's two grandsons had gone astray during their high school years. Before high school, Li Yuanzhe had supervised them, so their foundational knowledge was still quite solid.
Furthermore, they had grown up in America since childhood, so English was something they had learned naturally. Consequently, the exam essentially tested only English and mathematics, and at a junior high school level. It was perfectly normal for these two children to score all A's.
"I've stayed in Taiwan Province for too long, and I forgot that the basic education levels in the two places are different!" Li Yuanzhe mused in his heart. The stone in his heart was finally lifted, and his face broke into a smile. He began to chat with Walker Lee without reservation about the upcoming enrollment issues.
"Li, I have already applied for all the scholarships I can for your two grandsons. However, as you know the situation with American universities, you will still need to pay $40,000 in tuition fees to the school this year, otherwise, admission will not be possible!" Walker Lee said with a shrug.
In American universities, wealthy and influential people can find ways to get their underperforming children admitted, but there is one thing they cannot do: avoid paying tuition fees.
In the United States, even the King of Hell, the President of the United States, or leaders of financial groups must pay tuition fees; not a penny can be saved.
Of course, for these people, they would not skimp on tuition fees, so this problem did not exist.
However, for Li Yuanzhe, his expression became somewhat distressed. He truly had no money left.
The tuition fees for the two children were $40,000 per year, totaling $160,000 over four years. Coupled with their living expenses for four years, Li Yuanzhe would need around $500,000 to manage it all.
But the problem was that Li Yuanzhe was currently struggling to even come up with $40,000. Nevertheless, tuition fees had to be paid. So, Li Yuanzhe, mustering his courage, paid his meager $40,000.
"Li, you don't look well. I heard that your financial situation seems to be having problems. Is that true?" Walker Lee asked curiously.
"Alas, misfortune strikes within the family!" Li Yuanzhe sighed deeply.
"But I heard that you recently struck it rich. A major entrepreneur in China is going to award you a bonus of over a million US dollars. Is this news false, and you haven't received this money?" Walker Lee asked curiously.
"You Americans already know about this?" Li Yuanzhe asked in shock. This was a national embarrassment that had spread abroad.
"Yes, although there was no reaction among ordinary Americans, the emergence of a science award with a bonus comparable to the Nobel Prize in China caused quite a stir in our circles.
However, the founder of this award is too stingy. Doesn't he understand that science and technology belong to the world, and awards should also be global? All awards should be judged among scientists worldwide, just like the great Nobel Prize. How can he only give them to people in his own country?
Their country is so poor that it doesn't even have a university ranked in the global top 10, nor any world-renowned scientific research achievements. I heard that a farmer there received a prize of 10 million, which is simply unbelievable. Fortunately, they awarded the chemistry prize to you, which is considered fair and just, as you have won a Nobel Prize before!" Walker Lee said with a smile. "But my dear Li, where did this prize money go?"
"I am from Taiwan Province, not China. Therefore, I will not accept his award!" Li Yuanzhe declared righteously.
"But he said you are his compatriot and also awarded it to you!"
"That is his wishful thinking. I have never acknowledged that, nor have I accepted his award!" Li Yuanzhe replied.
"Alright, I really don't understand the relationships among you Chinese people. But there is one thing I am very curious about: do you know the research achievement and the recipient of their physics prize?"
"Yes, it's a allotrope of silicon, and it seems to have a multi-dimensional spatial structure. It sounds very mysterious. Even more mysterious is that this discovery was made by a university student, who directly received an award upon discovery, which is simply a joke!" Li Yuanzhe said with a sneer.
Li Yuanzhe was very unhappy about this aspect of the Huanghe Prize, which was that he was placed in the same category as a university student. This completely devalued his own prestige; it was too embarrassing.
He would rather not have this award.
"But we read their award citation. They say this polysilicon possesses properties and capabilities tens of times greater than single-crystal silicon. If this is true, then this polysilicon is indeed worthy of an achievement at the level of the Nobel Prize in Physics. More importantly, this could bring about earth-shattering changes to the entire computer industry, perhaps even forcing Intel to change its entire production line." Walker Lee said.
"Did you manage to produce that kind of polysilicon?" Li Yuanzhe asked curiously.
"No!" Walker Lee shook his head with a wry smile. A professor from our physics department learned about this and attempted some research, but found nothing.
He experimented with hundreds of types of polysilicon, but the results showed that the properties of polysilicon were far inferior to those of single-crystal silicon. This also contradicted the laws of physics, so we quickly abandoned it. xxs
"But I heard that the CIA investigated. Tong He was directly confined in a highly guarded laboratory, and one of Tong He's teachers also disappeared. This teacher was responsible for Tong He's physics."
"At the same time, the CIA also investigated and found that this teacher had once revealed while drinking that a student named Tong He had created something extremely outlandish during an experiment. He also said that if this thing were true, even 10 Nobel Prizes would not be enough to match this research achievement.
Unfortunately, they only found out this much. Later, this teacher disappeared, along with his family. Tong He's family also disappeared. Everyone who had a clue disappeared.
The CIA stated that these people should have been placed under strict protection to prevent the leakage of that special polysilicon."