Chapter 436: Boys Always Have Stupid Ideas

Xu Xu Qingzhou stayed in the library until 5:30 p. m. and saw Belli's experiments on this topic in the manuscript.

Strictly speaking, Belli's approach was based on another conjecture—the Hilbert-Pólya conjecture—which holds that the Riemann hypothesis is equivalent to the assertion that the nontrivial zeros of the zeta function correspond to the eigenvalues of some Hermitian operator, meaning there exists a quantum system whose energy levels are complex numbers with imaginary parts matching the zeros.

Belli and his friend proposed a possible quantum system whose energy levels correspond to the zeros of the zeta function, with its core formula containing a mathematical characterization of the classical Hamiltonian construction and energy level statistics.

"To achieve further breakthroughs, we may need to integrate deeper operator theory, noncommutative geometry, or quantum field theory tools to further bridge the gap between number theory and physics."

Xu Xu Qingzhou rubbed his temples, saw the time was right, packed up, and headed out to pick up Song Yao at Harvard Business School.

After parking by the roadside and waiting a few minutes, he saw a girl in a trench coat appear at the stairwell—tall, elegant, standing poised.

Song Yao's expression was blank; she calmly shifted her gaze, searching for Xu Xu Qingzhou, her eyes radiating quiet confidence, a cold detachment palpable even from afar.

Xu Xu Qingzhou waved; Song Yao spotted him and walked over with her long legs.

"Tired?" Xu Xu Qingzhou started the car.

Inside the car, Song Yao relaxed in front of Xu Xu Qingzhou, no longer tense as she was in the office; a trace of fatigue showed in her brow. "A bit—I wrote a report all day."

"I just learned a new massage technique. Want to try it tonight?"

Xu Xu Qingzhou asked with a smile.

Song Yao scoffed inwardly: Is that even massage?

She asked: "How's the model coming along?"

"Fine, but one equation isn't clear yet—take a look later."

"You—"

Song Yao turned to look at her boyfriend, too exhausted to complain.

"What about me?"

Xu Xu Qingzhou asked innocently.

"Nothing."

Song Yao took a deep breath—she'd be Song Laoshi again soon.

The drive from Harvard Business School to the apartment took five minutes; they stopped by a supermarket to buy some vegetables.

That evening, a light rain began to fall, droplets dripping from the eaves and pattering against the steps. Er Miao lay on the windowsill, big eyes fixed blankly outside.

In the living room, Xu Xu Qingzhou held a bowl and sipped soup; after eating out for days, cooking for himself felt like a true pleasure.

Song Yao had already finished eating, propping her chin as she watched Xu Xu Qingzhou devour his food. She ate a tiny pinch of rice, then put down her chopsticks—wanting more but afraid to take it.

"That's all you're eating?" Xu Xu Qingzhou patted his belly contentedly.

Song Yao murmured, "Mm. Evening exercise is minimal—sugar and fat accumulate easily. That's how obesity starts. When you're done, I'll clear the bowls."

As she gathered the dishes, she seemed to remember something. "By the way, the pizzeria you ate at with that junior girl is pretty famous. We could go there next time."

"That's it? Just that?" Xu Xu Qingzhou gave her a strange look.

Song Yao pursed her lips. "What else?"

Seeing her lack of reaction, Xu Xu Qingzhou sighed. "Song Laoshi, can't you show even a little jealousy? You don't care about me. Sss~"

"Does this count as caring enough now?"

Song Yao placed her hand on Xu Xu Qingzhou's waist, huffed—she'd seen right through him long ago; he always had such stupid ideas.

"More than enough."

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

Office.

Professor Morton stared at the computer screen, nodding in approval: "Hmm, this section is fine, Song. This model is quite interesting."

"Xu Xu Qingzhou improved the Bellman equation in recursive dynamic programming for multi-stage compound options, using the CUDA architecture to parallelize Monte Carlo path generation and Bayesian updates, enabling real-time simulation of tens of thousands of paths."

Song Yao introduced the model's innovations to Professor Morton.

The model's good—but came at a cost.

She sighed inwardly.

Xu Xu Qingzhou was impressive; he wasn't even an economics major, yet he handled these formulas with ease and understood economic concepts thoroughly.

Of course, he was also genuinely hot.

This past week, he'd found every excuse to take advantage, claiming it was payment for helping his girlfriend.

Total pervert.

Well, she often enjoyed it too, half-heartedly going along.

Thinking of certain scenes made her ears burn; she quickly pushed those thoughts away—again, he'd distracted her.

"Hmm, very good."

Professor Morton nodded slightly, then suggested: "Besides the paper, if you have time, compare the differences between China and the U. S. in this area."

"Just in corporate R&D, American and Chinese firms differ significantly in R&D models, policy environments, market characteristics, and risk management."

"For example, in policy approval and regulatory frameworks, the same mathematical model requires embedding the FDA review delay probability into Monte Carlo simulations for MiracleLife, while China has a 'priority review' policy."

Professor Morton, broad-minded and deeply knowledgeable across East and West, had spent decades in economics. Beyond his scholarly depth, what benefited Song Yao most was his ability to contrast perspectives across systems.

Those studying economics especially need to root themselves in market economies and accumulate practical experience.

Song Yao listened quietly.

Professor Morton spoke for twenty minutes, then stopped, returning the paper to Song Yao. "You finished half a month ahead of schedule. You can start writing the third section. All the data is with Carrie—unless something unexpected happens, she should be back from Princeton today."

"Alright."

Lunchtime, cafeteria.

When Carrie heard Song Yao was already preparing to move to the next phase, she widened her eyes: "You finished the model this fast?"

She'd once built a similar model herself—it took two full months to perfect.

Could the gap between people really be this wide?

"Xu Xu Qingzhou helped me," Song Yao didn't hide it.

"You two are really intimidating."

Carrie sighed, then asked curiously: "How's his Riemann hypothesis coming along?"

"Hard. Full of unknowns."

Song Yao shook her head, thinking of her boyfriend, who was slipping further into obsession.

Xu Xu Qingzhou hadn't gone to the library—he'd stayed home calculating. Three days without stepping out.

It was worrying.

Many girls fretted their boyfriends lacked ambition. She, on the contrary, worried he was overworking himself.

He's so young—constantly burning out. What will happen to him later?

"The Riemann hypothesis… he's already incredible—the strongest contender for the Fields Medal. No, not even a contender—he's already claimed it."

Carrie said admiringly, her expression brightening: "A twenty-two-year-old Fields Medalist—haha, breaking the record for youngest recipient."

Song Yao said nothing.

Like the Nobel Prize in Physics or Chemistry, even before the winners are announced, the top candidates are obvious—everyone can guess who they are.

(End of chapter)