Chapter 48: Writing the Manuscript

After finishing breakfast, the two of them headed together to Huake, arriving at the conference room around nine o'clock.

Since the general technical approach had already been determined yesterday, there was not much to discuss within the group today. Each participating unit simply needed to write out the technical roadmap for the specific section they were responsible for.

Writing a proposal was much like writing a paper; both followed a fixed template, requiring one only to fill in the relevant content.

The drafting of these proposals was generally handled by students like Zhou Yun. As for the professors, they were holding a separate meeting in another conference room to discuss matters related to acceptance criteria.

Put simply, the criteria determined what each research group was required to deliver upon the conclusion of the project—whether it was a complete software system or a specific algorithm.

This, in turn, roughly determined how much funding each research group would receive, making it a matter of utmost concern for both the professors and the participating companies.

However, these matters were of no immediate concern to Zhou Yun; for now, his only task was to write the proposal.

Although he had never participated in a project of this scale, he still had some personal insights when it came to drafting proposals.

The most important rule of all was—procrastinate!

First, put together a rough draft, and leave the remaining revisions for a day or two before the deadline. This was by far the most efficient method because, based on his observation, almost all professors shared a common habit:

No matter how well-written your draft was before the deadline, they would always find something to modify. Therefore, there was no need to make it too polished ahead of time, since it was bound to be revised anyway.

Inside the conference room, Zhou Yun mechanically tapped away at his keyboard while his mind wandered to an entirely different matter.

His main tasks for attending this conference were twofold: first, to become familiar with the major figures in the field, and second, to ponder his future research direction.

The first task was essentially accomplished. As for the second task, while he hadn't fully figured it out yet, he was beginning to form some initial ideas.

Zhou Yun had given some thought to the so-called "ultimate goal" Deng Yonghua had mentioned.

In the end, he arrived at a seemingly hollow conclusion—to make the country a better place.

Yet, upon closer reflection, this was not so strange after all, as it was an idea subtly instilled in Chinese people from birth.

Take, for instance, the classic motto: "Study to revitalize China," alongside the numerous scientists who lived in anonymity for the sake of the nation.

These examples constantly reminded people of what they ought to do.

It was simply that many people, limited by their own abilities, eventually buried this aspiration deep at the bottom of their hearts.

To give a simple example.

The country was currently living in a peaceful era with no wars, but many interview videos had once posed a question to contemporary youth:

If war were to break out, what would you choose?

The answer was self-evident. Aside from a handful of exceptions, the vast majority of people would not desert.

Because life was one of the few "abilities" possessed by most ordinary people.

As for Zhou Yun, what he possessed, alongside his life, was a tiny bit of extra talent.

He asked himself the question once more—what should his upcoming research direction be?

Although there was still no explicit answer, at least he had a direction for contemplation. Perhaps he could set his sights on certain social issues and use technology to genuinely solve real-world problems, rather than merely pursuing "technological progress" merely on paper.

Buzz~ Buzz~~

The phone in his trouser pocket suddenly vibrated, interrupting his train of thought.

Zhou Yun picked up his phone, seeing an unfamiliar number on the screen. He quietly excused himself and slipped out of the conference room.

Walking to a relatively secluded corner, he pressed the answer button.

"Hello?"

"Hello, excuse me, is this Mr. Zhou Yun? I'm the one who sent you an email yesterday from Xiaomi Corporation. Do you remember?"

Zhou Yun nodded, recalling the matter. "It's me. You must be here regarding my paper, right?"

"That's right. Our research team has carefully studied your technology and results, and they align very well with the smartphone AI intelligent assistant we are currently developing. Therefore, we hope to purchase the authorization for your technology."

"We can discuss it. However, if it's an outright sale, I will not grant exclusive authorization. Is that acceptable to you?"

The person on the other end paused for a moment before quickly responding. "That's not a problem. We can discuss the specific format in detail. How about we come directly to Hangzhou to meet you?"

"I am currently in Jiangcheng. If you wish to have a face-to-face discussion, you can come to Jiangcheng to meet me."

"No problem! When are you available? Let's set a time."

"How about the day after tomorrow at two in the afternoon? I'll send you the address then."

"Sounds good. See you the day after tomorrow, then?"

"See you the day after tomorrow." Hanging up the phone, Zhou Yun stared blankly out the window for a moment.

Right at that moment, Deng Yonghua walked out of the adjacent conference room and happened to spot Zhou Yun.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the other professors, Deng walked over.

"Professor."

"How is the proposal coming along? Did you run into any issues?"

Zhou Yun shook his head. "Not for now, but I need to take a day off the day after tomorrow." He briefly explained the phone call he had just received.

"This is a good thing. There's no need to rush the proposal; I estimate that this thing will definitely need revisions until the very end. Just write out the bulk of the content, and I'll have Qiu Yan and the others polish the specifics later."

"Huh? Didn't you say internet access isn't allowed here? Aren't Senior Brother Qiu Yan and the others still at the university?"

"I'm heading back to the university in a couple of days and will bring Qiu Yan and the others over then. That way, you'll also free up some time to handle your own affairs."

Zhou Yun's mouth twitched. "Is that a good idea? Don't they still have competition matters to busy themselves with?"

Deng Yonghua waved a hand dismissively. "What's wrong with that? I feel like they've had way too much free time lately; it's about time I gave them something to do. As for that competition, the deadline is still several months away; it won't be delayed."

"Alright."

Zhou Yun wouldn't turn down such an arrangement, seeing as it would lighten his own load, though his two senior brothers were destined to suffer a little.

And since he no longer had to finish it all by himself, there was no need to drag his feet. He would get it done quickly, and the rest would no longer be his concern.

However, he now understood Deng Yonghua's personality to some extent: although the professor talked tough, he would certainly never mistreat his students, and whatever subsidies were due would be paid down to the very last penny.

"By the way, didn't the NeurIPS results come out already? The university should be able to process the reward applications now as well.

Prepare the final supporting materials, and I'll submit them for you when I head back to the university in a couple of days. The group's bonus will also be issued to you along with the next labor fee."

"Understood, thank you, Professor."

What followed was the tedious task of proposal writing, though with the assistance of AI, it wasn't particularly exhausting.

While he couldn't upload large chunks of project content, using it to polish sentences was entirely feasible.

By evening, as the day drew to a close.

Deng Yonghua picked up Zhou Yun's computer and took a look. "I see our section is pretty much wrapped up. You can leave the subsequent revisions to Qiu Yan and the others. Over the next few days, feel free to walk around the neighborhood; consider it a government-funded trip."