MNIST is not enough."
"MNIST is the standard for a reason," I say, but I know he's right. "I'll get to it."
He closes the folder and looks at me. "So. You really think you can do this?"
He means, do I think I can change the field. Do I think I can build a company on this. Do I think I can survive another semester without getting kicked out or breaking apart. "I know I can," I say, and it's true for once. Jian just nods. "Do you need money?"
I laugh. "Always."
He pulls out a folded check from his pocket, like it's nothing. Two grand, written out to 'Inferthermic LLC'. I gape at him. "My father says to invest early," Jian says, deadpan. "Before the Americans steal all the value."
I pocket the check, half expecting it to burst into flames. We work for the next three hours. Jian pokes at my code and tells me where it's trash. I poke at his math and tell him where it's incomprehensible. By the end of it, the model is running and the first draft of the paper is almost readable. I'm not sure if this is what teamwork is supposed to feel like, but it's better than doing it alone. We get dumplings at the place on College Avenue. Jian orders for both of us, and I don't argue.