Chapter 103

When young, you compete in academics; when old, you start competing in students.

Jiao Mingwu had no other pursuits now, just wanting to find a perfect successor. Xu Qingzhou already had this level as a freshman; his future prospects were limitless.

Gu Zhizhong said with a smile, "Don't say that, I really do have this intention."

"Old Gu, you already have several proud disciples. I finally encountered such a good seedling; do you have the heart to snatch him?" Jiao Mingwu had no mood to drink tea.

Seeing his old friend was anxious, Gu Zhizhong waved his hand and comforted, "He's only a freshman, graduate school is still early. It's better for the two of us not to keep our eyes on him for now."

"Moreover, Xu Qingzhou's heart can't settle down yet; he needs to be tempered first."

"Frivolous? Young people should be a bit spirited. Otherwise, do you expect them at eighteen or nineteen to be the same as old guys like us in our fifties or sixties?"

Some even claimed that solving the Cramér conjecture would be no less valuable than solving the Riemann hypothesis.

Read! {

"Researching what?" Jiao Mingwu was stunned for a moment, doubting if he was getting old and had misheard.

At 5:20 PM, Xu Qingzhou and Song Yao went to the Agricultural Garden Restaurant to eat.

"Both," Xu Qingzhou still looked at her and admitted frankly.

Consequently, this conjecture faded from people's sight.

The fifth echelon consisted of some slightly difficult mathematical problems, and the quantity was very large.

Xu Qingzhou clicked his tongue; although he could see it often, he still felt amazed.

The third echelon, such as the abc conjecture, the Collatz conjecture, and the Artin conjecture, also made mathematicians flock to them.

On the 3rd floor, like him, countless boys began to have their hearts broken.

Opposite, the girl was lowering her head to write something, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, her collarbone exquisite, with a few fine hairs beside her forehead, occasionally hooked behind her ear with her hand.

Song Yao glanced at him and spat out two words: "No."

It was indeed very good-looking.

The Cramér conjecture was a bit awkward; according to his algorithm, it was probably between the fourth and third echelons.

!.

However, Jiao Mingwu always had a good mindset, drinking tea and saying slowly, "It'll be fine once you pass this age. We were the same back then... I remember when you were in your twenties, didn't you also want to solve the Collatz conjecture?"

Gu Zhizhong laughed at himself, added a cup of tea for his old friend, and then sighed, "However, there's no harm in venturing more when young. Let's not be so anxious..."

Xu Qingzhou was not polite, took it, and poured a small half-cup into his own cup.

He was just about to get up when a fair, tender hand handed over his own cup.

The Cramér conjecture... if you were to grade mathematical problems.

Originally, he still held a glimmer of hope that these two were just friends, but now they were even drinking water from the same cup, damn it.

Gu Zhizhong shook his head with a smile. If he were a bit more spirited, why would he be so worried? Sighing, he asked, "Do you know what he's researching recently? The Cramér conjecture."

This kind of despair was something many people couldn't accept. It was also very easy to strike a blow to confidence.

In the distance, the tall boy sighed, his hanging heart finally dead. Although this conjecture wasn't in the front echelon of mathematical problems, and there was a gap between it and research hotspots like the Poincaré conjecture and the Riemann hypothesis, it was still a mountain that plagued many mathematicians.

This time, it was Jiao Mingwu's turn to be silent. After taking a sip of tea, he nodded and smiled bitterly, "That's indeed a bit young and spirited."

The second echelon was definitely the three major modern mathematical problems of the world, namely Fermat's Last Theorem, the Goldbach conjecture, and the Four Color Theorem.

"The water heater on the 3rd floor is broken; need to go to other floors to get water," Song Yao said softly, lifting her chin to signal Xu Qingzhou that he could pour it into his own cup.

Walking out of the library, Song Yao glanced at the message and said, "Another roommate of mine wants to come over. You've seen her before, Zhang Qiong, you should remember... She's at the Student Union this afternoon."

In this process, truth sometimes seemed within reach, but after crossing through hardships and dangers, just as it was about to be revealed, one realized they had already walked into a dead end.

The fourth echelon, such as the honeycomb conjecture, the perfect number conjecture, etc., the proof process was slightly "simpler."

Being stared at for so long like this, Song Yao couldn't help it. She looked up and asked angrily, "Are you here to read or to look at me?"

For nearly a hundred years, no one had solved it. Countless researchers had followed one after another, trying to prove or disprove it, but there were no results, and no hope in sight.

"Spit out what you just drank before saying those two words."

After resting for a while, Xu Qingzhou planned to drink some water and continue. Taking the water cup out of his bag, he realized the water in the cup was gone.

Library, 3rd floor.

Song Yao ignored him, thinking to herself when this guy's face became so thick.

Mathematicians were like a group of treasure hunters. They were deeply attracted by this mathematical puzzle, constantly analyzing, reasoning, and trying, attempting to unlock the secrets behind it.

The pink cup was soaked with some wolfberry and red dates, unlike Xu Qingzhou who just poured cold boiled water. It was quite exquisite, with a trace of sweetness, refreshing and brain-awakening.

Research on the difference between adjacent prime numbers had always been a problem that number theorists were very concerned about, and the Cramér conjecture was about researching the difference between adjacent prime numbers, so its importance was self-evident.

The first echelon, the Hodge conjecture, the Poincaré conjecture, the Riemann hypothesis, the Yang-Mills existence and mass gap, etc. —these seven world-class problems were known as the "Seven Millennium Prize Problems." The solver of each problem could receive a $1 million prize, and they were also the current hotspots of research in the mathematical world.

Xu Qingzhou sat for about half an hour, put down his pen, and rubbed his wrists to rest.

Jiao Mingwu and Gu Zhizhong's views were different.

Gu Zhizhong nodded helplessly: "That's right, this little guy is currently working on the Cramér conjecture."

"It's been decades, why still mention this." Gu Zhizhong coughed dryly and looked out the window, seemingly recalling the past, muttering: "It's because I've been stuck in a dead end before that I know such pain."

"Stingy."

Xu Qingzhou nodded and said in a low voice, "The tea is not bad, share some with me."

The discovery of every clue, the overcoming of every difficulty, was like a victory on the road to treasure hunting, making mathematicians closer to that hidden treasure—the truth of mathematics.

Remember, how could he not remember.

Xu Qingzhou narrowed his eyes. This girl had scolded him "bloody" this morning. This time she was clamoring to come over and eat with them, probably still afraid that he would "deceive" Song Yao and came to monitor him.

The two soon arrived at the entrance of the Agricultural Garden Canteen.

After a while, Zhang Qiong, carrying a white schoolbag, rushed over aggressively. When she arrived, she gave Xu Qingzhou a fierce glare, carrying a warning meaning.

(End of chapter)