Chapter 386

After graduating with his master's degree, Xu Qingzhou began to consider the matter of government-sponsored study abroad. By the end of April, he had received over a dozen emails from abroad.

There was Professor Maynard from Oxford University, a former peer-review editor, Professor Stevens from Princeton, and Professor Baker from the University of California, Berkeley, whom he had met at the Hadron Collider laboratory.

As well as professors from the École Normale Supérieure in Paris with whom he had had little contact.

All were inviting him to come over for his doctorate.

Xu Qingzhou politely declined them one by one. In mathematics, MIT was actually on par with the aforementioned schools; it was just that it had relatively fewer alumni who had won the Fields Medal.

Of course, there was also that Mia Ryan who had been coveting his genes all along.

Talking about how good the scenery at Berkeley was, how good the cultural environment was, and how sufficient the funding was.

In Xu Qingzhou's view, all those words could be summed up in one sentence: I crave your body.

Xu Qingzhou himself was also looking at mathematics professors at MIT, and so far, he had confirmed three.

All were world-class mathematicians: Professor Alessio Figalli, who mainly engaged in research in number theory and related mathematical fields.

Professor Peter Roberts, who excelled in number theory, Fano varieties, and algebraic geometry; and the last one was Professor Aksa Carter, who specialized in analytic number theory, hyperbolic geometry, and Teichmüller theory.

In early May, Kyoto welcomed a gentle, drizzling rain.

At noon on the 5th, after finishing his meal, Xu Qingzhou left the Jiayuan Canteen and strolled leisurely to the School of Mathematics to find Academician Chu Jiangfeng.

The rain was light, and he didn't even bother to open an umbrella. As the fine rain drifted, the whole world seemed to have been washed clean, and the air carried the refreshing scent of damp earth.

On Jingyuan Road, two young people sped by on bicycles, their figures quickly disappearing to one side of the road.

On the road, there were nothing but young faces, with everyone clustered together in twos and threes.

Xu Qingzhou took a deep breath to moisten his lungs, looked at the energetic boys, and couldn't help but sigh: "It's so good to be young."

"What are you muttering about?" A familiar, cold voice came from behind.

Xu Qingzhou turned his head and saw Song Yao and Han Shiyi standing behind him.

"Just feeling sentimental." Xu Qingzhou spread his hands.

Song Yao watched Xu Qingzhou hanging his umbrella on his wrist while getting rained on himself, and teased: "Is it against the law to use an umbrella?"

Xu Qingzhou sighed with a world-weary air and said: "Walking in the light rain—don't you think it's very romantic?"

"You're crazy."

Song Yao commented, then lifted her foot and walked past Xu Qingzhou.

Han Shiyi didn't say much, still enjoying the pleasure of "shipping" the couple in person. Through their interactions, she found that the way these two got along was very interesting.

Song Yao wasn't cold at all; occasionally, she would reveal a bit of a young girl's emotions, and Xu Qingzhou wasn't the rigid science nerd she had imagined.

Xu Qingzhou followed along, muttering: "Junior Sister Song, you should have more romantic cells."

Song Yao curled her lips. Compared to romance, she felt this guy was probably just lazy and thought closing the umbrella was a hassle. Then, she saw the person who had been chattering away speed up his pace and squeeze under her umbrella.

Xu Qingzhou took the umbrella handle from Song Yao's hand. "Aren't you two going to the Yannan Canteen? How did you end up over here at the Xueyi Canteen?"

"I had a sudden whim to eat noodles here, and Junior Sister Song is keeping me company," Han Shiyi said with a smile.

"The noodles at Window 3 are delicious."

"."

They chatted the whole way and parted ways in front of the School of Mathematics. Xu Qingzhou went straight into the School of Mathematics, while Song Yao and Han Shiyi walked north along Wusi Road toward the School of Economics.

Han Shiyi pursed her lips and smiled: "I never noticed before, but Xu Xu Shidi Xu is quite a 'chuunibyou'."

"He's always been like this." Song Yao sighed in her heart, feeling a bit distressed. She felt there was no "chuu" (middle), only "byou" (crazy), and he was quite a pervert to boot.

Han Shiyi: "Only boys like that are interesting."

Hmm, the personas of these two had changed a bit.

And then... it was even more shippable, as if she had caught a glimpse of the couple's private intimacy.

School of Mathematics.

In the office, Chu Jiangfeng was discussing a differential geometry problem with Yang Yongze. Seeing Xu Qingzhou enter, the two stopped, then sat down to drink tea and chat, which counted as a mid-session break.

Chu Jiangfeng sipped his tea and asked with a smile: "Have you decided which advisor to choose?"

"I want to choose Professor Peter Roberts as my advisor."

Xu Qingzhou and Professor Peter Roberts had exchanged two emails, discussing the future development of the field of number theory.

This 65-year-old gentleman from Germany spoke quite humorously, and in him, Xu Qingzhou could feel that burning love for mathematics.

"Peter Roberts?" Chu Jiangfeng pondered slightly, nodded, and said: "Hmm, I met him at the International Congress of Mathematicians. He has insights in both algebra and number theory; he can be considered one of the rare masters of mathematics today."

"Moreover, with your ability, you should be able to get your graduation certificate within a year."

"We have conversed, and I have benefited greatly," Xu Qingzhou said.

Chu Jiangfeng sighed and said: "Although I am very reluctant, young people should go out and see more, go to better platforms to absorb knowledge and strengthen themselves. Our Xia Nation has developed very quickly in mathematics over these years, but we have to admit that compared to these top-tier institutions, there is still a significant gap."

Xu Qingzhou comforted him: "It will definitely get better and better in the future."

"Yes, compared to a few decades ago, we have already become much stronger."

Chu Jiangfeng nodded, feeling that this statement was correct. Besides, with this kid around, the Xia Nation's mathematical community might become even more prosperous in the future.

"Junior brother, since you've chosen Professor Peter Roberts, do you still intend to engage in research in number theory?" Yang Yongze asked curiously.

Chu Jiangfeng also looked at Xu Qingzhou.

"Analytic number theory. As for the specific field, I want to challenge the Riemann Hypothesis."

"."

The office fell silent, both of them looking bewildered.

Yang Yongze stared, doubting if he had heard correctly.

Chu Jiangfeng had a stronger mindset, but astonishment also appeared on his face. After a long while, he looked at Xu Qingzhou and confirmed once more: "You want to study the Riemann Hypothesis?"

Xu Qingzhou nodded.

"Going straight for the Riemann Hypothesis—isn't that a bit rash?" Yang Yongze said.

The Riemann Hypothesis, a problem that had plagued the mathematical community for over two hundred years—even when he was young and frivolous, he hadn't dared to think about it.

Chu Jiangfeng frowned and also said from the side: "Qingzhou, that old guy Xu Shihui just mentioned it casually last time... don't let him influence you."

"Professor, don't worry, I'm not acting on a whim. I have considered it carefully."

Xu Qingzhou shook his head with a smile.

"Have you definitely made up your mind?" Chu Jiangfeng asked.

"Yes, I want to challenge something high-difficulty."

Yang Yongze's mouth twitched. Where was this high-difficulty? This was basically hell, okay?

Chu Jiangfeng was silent for a while, then finally nodded slightly and said: "Since you have already considered it clearly, I won't try to persuade you otherwise."

"Junior brother, you're amazing," Yang Yongze could only sigh.

"I'm just giving it a try."

Xu Qingzhou said modestly.

Yang Yongze froze. Why did this sentence sound so familiar?

Right, the junior brother had also said this when he was researching the Local Smoothness Conjecture. "He won't really pull it off, will he? No, no, no, this is the Riemann Hypothesis."

Chu Jiangfeng said with a smile: "Thinking about it carefully, we really are old. As we get older, we aren't as driven as you guys."

"You aren't old at all; you have more spirit than any of us," Yang Yongze said with a smile.

Xu Qingzhou nodded with a smile. These old professors' bodies were like they had mutated; some only slept three or four hours a day and were still full of energy the next morning.

He couldn't help but think that he seemed to have been like that too.

The result was death from overwork.

If you survived, you became an old professor; if you didn't...

Fortunately, there was School Beauty Song.

Xu Qingzhou suddenly recalled the image of Song Yao clenching her fists to chase him to sleep.

Having learned the lesson from his previous life, he would definitely cherish his body in this one, but based on his understanding of himself, he might just restrain himself a little and still be a weakling. He would still pull all-nighters if he had to.

Doing research was sometimes like having a brain full of lust.

When the feeling came, you didn't care about anything, but once you were done and satisfied, alone, you would start thinking about the meaning of life and secretly resolve that next time, you definitely wouldn't do it again.

"The Riemann Hypothesis..."

Chu Jiangfeng sighed and said slowly: "In the history of mathematics, there was a top-tier fishing master—Fermat. His statement, 'I have discovered a truly marvelous proof of this, which this margin is too narrow to contain,' has hooked who knows how many 'fish' in the long river of history."

"350 years later, Andrew Wiles successfully solved Fermat's Last Theorem. This mathematician became a new generation of fishing master, participating in the formulation of the seven mathematical conjectures announced by the Clay Mathematics Institute in the United States on May 24, 2000."

"The Riemann Hypothesis is the most widely known mathematical problem."

Chu Jiangfeng looked at Xu Qingzhou and said with a chuckle: "Perhaps you can create another miracle for us."

He had one more thing he didn't say: judging by the current research progress, the probability of creating a miracle was nearly zero.

"I'll take your kind words, Professor."

【Error-free content, read it here!】

The three chatted in the office for nearly 40 minutes before Xu Qingzhou stood up to take his leave.

8:00 PM.

Song Yao had already finished her thesis. Because she had to prepare for the defense, Li Daiyue hadn't assigned her much project work, so she returned earlier than Xu Qingzhou today.

When Xu Qingzhou got home, Song Yao was bowing her head, writing her defense draft. Feeling a warmth in his heart, he walked over and hugged her delicate body from behind.

Coming home to a warm hug felt too good.

However, how could this fragrant, soft body erupt with such powerful strength?

"What's wrong with you?"

Song Yao noticed Xu Qingzhou was acting a bit strange.

"Just hugging for a while. It's just that it's so good to have you."

"Cheesy." Song Yao curled her lips, but although she said that, she was very happy inside.

Xu Qingzhou thought for a moment and said: "Sometimes I wonder, what would have happened if I hadn't asked to borrow your meal card back then?"

"Are you emo?" Song Yao seemed to have discovered a new continent. Although this guy was cheeky, he was full of energy and rarely had negative emotions.

"Hmm..." Xu Qingzhou looked at School Beauty Song's bright eyes. "Seeing your boyfriend feeling down, shouldn't you be comforting him? I feel like you seem quite excited."

"Teacher Xu, the fact is that we are already together now, and everything you're thinking isn't true. After all, you're still making me angry all day long."

Xu Qingzhou was speechless and also a bit surprised that he would actually feel sentimental. Could it be that every boy had those few days?

That was rash.

He smiled in his heart and sniffed Song Yao's neck a few times.

Song Yao shrank her head, pushed Xu Qingzhou away, and looked at him with a strange expression: "What conspiracy do you have?"

"."

"You're doubting my character again."

"I've also said before, this is despising your character."

Song Yao corrected him coldly.

"Song Yao, the gap between couples starts from distrust."

Xu Qingzhou looked sad.

This guy was even acting now. Song Yao pursed her lips but still reached out to embrace Xu Qingzhou.

Xu Qingzhou narrowed his eyes, holding School Beauty Song. A faint fragrance drifted over, and he suddenly felt a bit restless.

Time passed second by second.

In the living room,

Song Yao pushed Xu Qingzhou away and stared at him with feigned anger: "I knew it..."

"I couldn't help myself."

Xu Qingzhou coughed dryly. He was indeed in the wrong; he had originally intended to just hug School Beauty Song and convey his love, but it turned into taking advantage of her.

He patted his own hand. "It has a mind of its own."

"I should just chop your claws off."

Song Yao didn't believe Xu Qingzhou's nonsense.

"I'm going to take a shower." Xu Qingzhou shrugged, subconsciously smelling the fragrance that hadn't dissipated from his fingertips. He felt a bit of aftertaste; even though there wasn't "that," there was still a milky scent.

This action made Song Yao almost want to pull this guy back and beat him up again.

Too infuriating.

Soon, the boy wearing only boxers stood at the bathroom door and invited her, "Do you want to join me?"

"I want to beat you up even more right now," Song Yao said through gritted teeth.

"A young girl like you, always talking about beating people..."

Under School Beauty Song's death glare, Xu Qingzhou slipped into the bathroom.

"In the village, there's a girl named Xiao Yao, beautiful and violent, with a pair of beautiful big eyes, braids thick and long, on the night before returning to the city..."

Someone's singing drifted out from the bathroom.

"Xu Qingzhou, you're dead when you come out!"

Song Yao said hatefully.

"If you have the ability, come in."

"."

Song Yao gritted her teeth. Stupid Xu Qingzhou was using stupid excuses again; she wouldn't fall for this guy's moronic trap.

"Hmph, I'll wait for you to come out."

Song Yao raised her eyebrows.

"Thank you for the love you gave me..."

In the bathroom, someone who deserved a beating was still singing loudly.

Happiness was always short-lived. Unsurprisingly, as soon as Xu Qingzhou came out of the bathroom, he was pinned down and beaten up by Song Yao.

Time seemed to have hit the fast-forward button, and in the blink of an eye, it was May 10th.

For the past few days, Xu Qingzhou had been collecting data on the Riemann Hypothesis and organizing it accordingly.

The most important thing was stuff about the zeta function, because to understand the Riemann Hypothesis, the first thing to understand was what the Riemann zeta function was.

This function was initially proposed by Euler when he was studying prime numbers.

In fact, regarding finding zeta, the most famous one at the beginning was the Basel problem—finding the sum of the reciprocals of all square numbers. This result was given by 28-year-old Euler in 1735.

For example, when s=1, it becomes the well-known harmonic series, which does not possess convergence.

When s...