31: Chapter 31: Suspension of Studies, Traveling Salesman Problem

...

"What! What?! You're telling me you want to take a leave of absence to pursue your dreams?!"

Lin Fang's academic advisor was named Hu Dalei, and true to his name, he had a particularly loud voice. Even holding the phone at arm's length, Lin Fang could hear him clearly.

"No way! Get your ass back to school right now! If it weren't for you saying your dad was on his last legs back then, I would never have approved such a long leave. Now that your dad's better, you're talking about taking a leave of absence? None of you kids ever give me a moment's peace!"

"The school can't teach me much more," Lin Fang replied modestly.

"What, did you evolve or something?"

Hu Dalei was practically laughing in exasperation. "Don't give me that nonsense. If I don't see you here tomorrow, I'm coming to your house myself."

"Hey, Brother Hu, don't get worked up," Lin Fang said calmly. "I'm not joking. I've already set up my company. And you can take a look at the attachment I sent—it's my company's second product."

What attachment?

Hu Dalei looked at the leave of absence application submitted on his computer. Sure enough, there was an attachment. The document was titled "Solving the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) Based on a Matrix-Guided Algorithm."

Hu Dalei's first thought was, *Is this kid trying to pull a fast one? Well, I'll just have to see what flashy nonsense he's come up with.*

The Traveling Salesman Problem is very well-known in the fields of computer science and mathematics.

The problem isn't complicated: a traveling salesman needs to visit a series of cities, each exactly once, and return to the starting point. The goal is to plan the route to minimize travel distance or cost.

"Matrix-guided algorithm..."

Looking at the document, which was over a dozen pages long, Hu Dalei thought to himself, *So this is the new algorithm the kid's been cooking up. Not bad. Young and promising.*

As for academic misconduct, he didn't even consider it. He knew Lin Fang, an excellent student, would never do such a thing.

When Hu Dalei opened the document, his eyes lit up. Lin Fang had actually written it in a formal paper format:

Abstract: This paper proposes an innovative dynamic probability-guided search algorithm to solve the Traveling Salesman Problem. Breaking from traditional approaches, the algorithm constructs a city correlation matrix and selects paths based on a dynamically adjusted probability strategy, effectively avoiding local optima and enabling efficient searches for optimal paths.

Simulation results show that the algorithm outperforms several classical algorithms in both solving speed and path quality, providing a new and effective approach to solving the Traveling Salesman Problem.

...

Hu Dalei rubbed his eyes. What followed was the algorithm's proof:

Construct an n×n city correlation matrix Mₓᵧ based on the given number of cities n. The matrix element Mₓᵧ represents the degree of correlation between city x and city y, with its initial value set as: Mₓᵧ = 1/dₓᵧ

Here, dₓᵧ is the distance between city x and city y. The shorter the distance, the higher the degree of correlation.

During the path search process, upon reaching a city x, calculate the selection probability Pₓᵧ for the next city y:

Pₓᵧ = Mₓᵧ × exp(-β × visitedₓᵧ) / Σⁿₙ₋₁ Mₓᵧα × exp(-β × visitedₓᵧ)

Here, α and β are adjustment parameters, and visitedₓᵧ is a dynamic variable p...

Hu Dalei frowned as he looked at the data. He wasn't particularly adept in this area, and the following content was somewhat complex and difficult for him to grasp.

This would require an expert to review.

...

Huang Tao, a senior academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, had his office walls adorned with numerous honors. The printer whirred noisily. The elder wasn't accustomed to digital documents and still preferred paper.

Once the dozen or so A4 pages were printed, Huang Tao unhurriedly organized them. He took out a pair of reading glasses from an old-fashioned glasses case adorned with rice grains and began to read.

Hu Dalei stood to the side like a child.

"Hmm..."

After what felt like a long time, Huang Tao put down his reading glasses and turned his head. His weathered face wore a smile. "Not bad. He's an excellent student. I couldn't compare to him in my youth."

"All thanks to your teachings, sir."

Hu Dalei offered flattery before continuing after a moment. "So, you think his algorithm has potential?"

"There are some hidden depths, but the logic is sound," Huang Tao affirmed.

"After reading this, I'm even tempted to invite him to join my research project."

Hu Dalei's eyelids twitched, startled by the suggestion. A freshman being invited to join a national academician's research project? If word got out, the graduate students at their university would be in tears, lining up on the rooftop.

"Professor Huang, do you know why he sent this algorithm to me?"

Hu Dalei revealed a bitter smile. "That kid wants to take a leave of absence to start a business. He's already submitted the application to me."

"What!" The elder nearly jumped out of his chair. It took him a good while to process the words, his lips drooping as he stared somewhat despondently at the manuscript.

"Sigh..."

Hu Dalei rubbed his hands together. "How about it, Professor Huang? Could you help me talk some sense into him?"

*Heh, with a national academician stepping in, reeling that kid back in should be a piece of cake.*

"Call him now," Huang Tao said without hesitation. He had taken a liking to this talent. A promising seedling shouldn't enter society so soon.

Hu Dalei dialed Lin Fang's number. Once connected, he simply said, "Professor Huang Tao wants to speak with you," and handed the phone to the elder.

Since the call wasn't on speakerphone, Hu Dalei couldn't hear the specifics of their conversation. Only fragments like "disciple," "professor," and "academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences"—each more startling than the last—drifted faintly to his ears.

But it wasn't hard to imagine.

At this point, Hu Dalei himself felt like kneeling and calling Huang Tao his mentor, though he doubted the elder would accept someone his age.

"Preposterous!"

Finally, to Hu Dalei's sharp intake of breath, the usually humorous and witty elder angrily hung up the phone.

*Good heavens, Lin Fang, what did you say to anger Professor Huang Tao? If he gets worked up enough to fall ill, even the president of Binhai University will be in for it.*

"Professor Huang, please don't be angry," Hu Dalei said, his own face darkening with anger. "I'll give him a proper scolding in person!"

"No, it's nothing like that,"

Huang Tao waved his hand dismissively, shaking his head with a smile. "It's good for young people to have their own goals."