Divorced, But Queen - Chapter 514: Chapter 514

"I was actually planning to take the entrance exam again, but since you were still supervising students, I wanted to give it a try. I thought you'd be guiding me throughout," Mike said.
There was a trace of helplessness in Martin's eyes. "There have been a lot of rumors about Aria lately. She's too young, so many students don't trust her."
Mike shared his thoughts. "Mr. Schmidt, my intended research direction is AI-assisted drug analysis."
Martin put down the document in his hand and looked up at him. "Tell me more specifically."
Mike explained, "I did some work related to organic synthesis during my undergraduate studies, and I also taught myself programming. Right now, my idea is to develop a deep learning model to predict drug degradation products."
Martin thought this kid had some good ideas.
Martin smiled. "So you think Ms. Saxon can't supervise this direction?"
Mike hesitated for a moment. "I've read her papers. She's very capable and excels in traditional medicine. Students working in the pharmaceutical field would be lucky to have her."
He added, "It's just that my direction also requires expertise in machine learning and programming..."
Martin had dabbled in all these fields, which was why Mike chose him in the first place.
Helen and Larry, who had been listening, were inwardly impressed. Mike had already picked his research direction so quickly.
Helen recalled working on experiments with Aria and couldn't help but speak up. "I think Ms. Saxon can guide you."
She continued, "We did some research together. She knows every piece of equipment we've used. Her learning ability is scary. Even if she doesn't know something, she picks it up fast. She knows a bit of programming too. I've seen her guide others before."
Having witnessed it firsthand, Helen felt that "strong" didn't even begin to describe Aria's learning ability.
Larry also nodded in agreement. "Yeah, don't jump to conclusions so quickly. You might end up learning more under Ms. Saxon."
Mike felt they were oversimplifying things and still insisted on his decision.
He said, "I still want to apply to change supervisors. I hope you understand."
Martin thought for a moment and said slowly, "I understand your concerns. But there's no need to rush into changing. I've just stopped recruiting students. I'm not officially retired. If Ms. Saxon can't help, I'll be here to support you."
With that assurance, Mike's concerns eased considerably. "Thank you, Mr. Schmidt."
With those words, he had already regarded himself as Martin's student, not even considering Aria as his real advisor.
Martin smiled. Sometimes, words weren't enough. He'd let the boy find out for himself.
Just then, Elmore returned after dropping off his luggage. He happened to overhear Mike's request to switch supervisors.
After their conversation ended, he knocked and entered the room.
Martin looked at Elmore and introduced him to Mike. "If you run into tough problems, you can also turn to Mr. Balton. He's in the chemistry department."
Mike quickly greeted him, "Mr. Balton, I'll be counting on you as well."
Mr. Balton smiled and replied, "Happy to help."
Martin reminded them, "The semester just started, and there's still your dorm to set up. Go take care of that first. Don't forget tomorrow's opening ceremony."
The three of them nodded and left.
Aria and Sophie shared a spacious, well-lit office with two desks and filing cabinets lining the wall.
Seeing Aria pull out a tall stack of books, Sophie teased with a laugh, "Ms. Saxon, are you trying to outwork me?"
Aria chuckled. "I'm a bit weaker on theory, so I read more."
Sophie glanced at a few titles. She said, "Python Machine Learning, Chemoinformatics, Introduction to Algorithms... So many technical books. Did you pick them out specifically for those three students?"
Aria replied, "It's just the beginning of the term. Let them settle in. I'll talk to them about their graduate study plans later."
Sophie's eyes lit up. "Perfect. I brought a lot of reference books too. We can swap and read each other's."
"That's exactly what I was thinking," Aria said.
At noon, the two planned to invite Martin to lunch to discuss the three students.
The office door was slightly ajar. As they approached, they heard a gruff and unfriendly voice and instinctively stopped walking.
"Martin, you've already stopped taking students. Just retire and give up your research funding to someone else. Stop hogging resources for nothing."
Hearing this, Sophie's expression darkened. "Him again!"
In front of Martin stood a man in his early fifties.
Sophie lowered her voice and explained to Aria, "That's Samuel Chilton. He started working at Mandino University even before Mr. Schmidt."
She continued, "When Mr. Schmidt joined, one of the top students chose him instead of Samuel, and he's held a grudge ever since. Even though that student never planned to follow him in the first place."
She added, "That year, research funds were tight. The school approved Mr. Schmidt's project and cut Samuel's. Ever since, he's been fixated on Mr. Schmidt. Wherever Mr. Schmidt goes, he follows like a barking dog."
Martin's face darkened. "If you really had what it takes, you'd focus on your research instead of causing trouble."
Samuel sneered. "You think I want to come here? I heard you helped Aria take in a chemistry student who transferred. He applied to switch supervisors. I'll take him."
Hearing about Mike's request, Aria and Sophie exchanged a surprised glance.
When Samuel saw Sophie, he said sarcastically, "The prized student of Mr. Schmidt is here."
Then his gaze fell on Aria. He looked her up and down and mocked, "You're Aria?"
Aria replied, "I am."
Samuel scoffed. "You're so young and already trying to take shortcuts. You used your connections to land a job at Mandino University and even take on grad students. Ridiculous."
Martin slammed the table in anger. "Aria is a professor at Kerano Global Health. Her research achievements surpass both of ours combined. If you've got a problem, I'll call the university leadership right now!"
The students might not know, but the school's top leadership was well aware of one thing. Mandino University was in desperate need of major research results.
Aria's number of projects might not be high, but each one was of great significance. Mandino University urgently needed talents like her.
Inviting her to Mandino University was a unanimous decision by the school board.
Samuel snorted and toned down his sarcasm, but remained aggressive. "Bring Mike here. Let's get the transfer formalities done quickly."
Martin stood firm. "He's not transferring."
Samuel snapped, "His father came to talk to me in person! Mr. Schmidt, if you can't guide him properly, don't ruin his future."
Martin wanted to settle the issue once and for all and called Mike directly.
Coincidentally, Mike had something to discuss with Martin and arrived within minutes of the call.
When Samuel saw him, his smile widened. "Mike, your dad already spoke to me. Your research direction is right up my alley. You can come work with me."