Chapter 471

This time, the host said a few simple words and then yielded the podium. The President of the International Mathematical Union (IMU), Shigefumi Mori, walked up to the lectern.

According to custom, the President would read the winners one by one.

"Ladies and gentlemen, colleagues in mathematics from around the world. At this moment, our gaze is crossing time and space—from the Library of Alexandria of Euclid, to the 23 problems proposed by Hilbert in Paris, to the starry sky of Rio today—the sacred flame of mathematics has always burned at the pinnacle of human civilization."

"Here, Grothendieck once rewrote geometry using the language of schemes, and Thurston wove the fibers of the universe using low-dimensional topology..."

As time passed, everyone pricked up their ears, suppressing their own breathing, quietly waiting for the moment the name would be announced.

"In this sacred hall, today, we will announce the name of the sole winner of the 28th Fields Medal. Yes, you heard that correctly, the sole winner. His unparalleled achievements in mathematics are sufficient to earn this honor."

At the scene, the expressions of countless people turned to astonishment.

Even Xu Qingzhou was a bit surprised; the sole winner of this year's Fields Medal...

When the 1932 International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) passed a resolution to establish the Fields Medal, it stipulated that 2 medals would be awarded each session. Later, due to the rapid development of the field of mathematics, it was allowed to award up to 4 medals per session.

Since then, at least 2 people had won each session.

The committee was playing a bit of a bold game.

He now understood a bit of what Professor Gerrit Boyer meant just a moment ago.

Well, it seemed there wouldn't be any lost medals at this International Congress of Mathematicians.

One of the hot candidates, Caucher Birkar, let out a long breath. Besides regret, there was more of a sense of relief, and he muttered to himself: "Phew~ in that case, I have no regrets."

Jonathan Birmingham, Akshay Venkatesh, and others showed the same expression.

Who the sole winner was, went without saying.

This Xia Nation person was simply a monster.

The Riemann Hypothesis had always been the pearl on the crown of mathematics, and its brilliance would be enough to overshadow everyone else's light. Without a doubt, this was one of the most dazzling achievements of the 21st century.

At this moment, the cameras broadcasting from various places were also very clever, pointing toward Xu Qingzhou's direction.

Rongcheng.

"Qingzhou is out! And Xiao Yao too!"

Wang Xiaping was anxiously waiting while cracking melon seeds when she suddenly spotted the two young people in the lens, and immediately grabbed Xu Shouyun's arm in excitement.

"I see, I see," Xu Shouyun rolled his eyes.

He sighed again at how women were just so ignorant; they were nothing like men, who could remain as calm as ever.

He placed his teacup on the table, then took a deep breath, hiding his hand that was trembling from excitement.

Don't say it, really don't say it.

Seeing this scene, when his own kid appeared on camera, it was truly damn exciting!

On the television, the old man on stage was still speaking.

"Since Euclid proved that there are infinitely many primes, humanity's exploration of the mystery of prime numbers has spanned two thousand years. The distribution laws Gauss pondered while gazing at 'Disquisitiones Arithmeticae', the zero trajectories danced by the zeta function in Riemann's notes, the eternal bond of twin primes in Polignac's prophecy—these once considered 'insurmountable holy grails' have been thoroughly conquered tonight by a mathematician using a unified framework."

"This will be the most glorious awards moment in the history of the Fields Medal—because he not only solved a difficult problem but also redefined the possibilities of mathematics. Ladies and gentlemen, we are standing at a turning point in the history of mathematics. Well, looking at everyone, you already know who the winner is. Now, let us welcome the Fields Medalist—Xu Qingzhou—with warm applause!"

The atmosphere at the scene was ignited, and deafening applause erupted.

The two middle-aged people didn't speak; Wang Xiaping excitedly pinched Xu Shouyun's arm, "Qingzhou's name is on the screen!"

Xu Shouyun's eyebrows twitched. He wanted to reach out and pick up his teacup to do something to maintain his image of being unruffled, but when he reached out, he realized his hand was shaking even more violently than before.

He could only cough dryly and place it on his lap.

On the screen, Xu Qingzhou was wearing a suit, walking steadily with a calm expression, walking onto the podium amidst the warm applause, shaking hands with the chairman, and receiving the medal and certificate.

"He's very practiced at this."

Xu Shouyun looked at his son on the television and muttered to himself. In such a large occasion with thousands of people, he didn't show any stage fright at all. Not bad, he had quite the demeanor of the Old Xu family.

Watching his son walk up so calmly, he also felt that sudden sense of realization.

His son had really grown up.

He could now spread his wings and fly, and it seemed he didn't need them to worry about him at all.

"Not bad, not bad."

Wang Xiaping nodded with satisfaction and said with a chuckle: "Looking at him like this, this kid finally looks like a real person."

Wearing this little suit, his temperament shot up, completely different from how he looked when he was slacking off at home.

Huge changes in just four short years...

Oh, it must be because of Xiao Yao.

Not to mention his personality, the brat used to wear all black, and if he got a buzz cut, he would look exactly like a convict.

Look at him now... his life is full and complete; what do you call this? Prosperity for his partner!

Wang Xiaping attributed all the credit for her son's transformation to her daughter-in-law.

Elsewhere in Rongcheng.

Song Shisong looked at the young man on the podium and nodded slightly: "This kid, he's got some promise..."

Zhang Junli rolled her eyes. She had long been used to her husband's sour tone. The cabbage she had nurtured for ten years had been arched just like that; who wouldn't be depressed?

"These two, the more I look at them, the more they fit."

Zhang Junli said happily.

In the past, she was worried that her daughter's personality was too cold, but now it was fine; there was someone to take care of and tolerate her.

Brazil, Rio de Janeiro.

Xu Qingzhou was holding the medal and was already standing at the lectern.

"First of all, I need to thank the International Mathematical Union for bestowing this honor. I am starting in Chinese because my mathematical roots are in the Xia Nation; from the counting rods of 'The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art' to Mr. Chen Jingrun's '1+2', this land has always flowed with the genes of number theory."

"I want to dedicate this honor to the Chengnan High School that nurtured me, to Kyoto University, and to every teacher and friend in the country who has helped me. Finally, of course, to my parents and my lover who support me..."

Off-stage, Song Yao blinked. This seemed to be the first time he had made it public on a very formal occasion.

It was a strange feeling.

Yes, they had already registered their marriage.

This guy wearing a suit and talking eloquently... was quite nice.

She could actually understand why so many fangirls on the internet were chasing after Xu Qingzhou calling him "husband."

Hmph, no matter how amazing he was, he still had to be suppressed by her, Song Yao.

"Of course." Here, Xu Qingzhou switched to English and then expressed his gratitude to MIT, his teachers at the school, and the friends he had exchanged ideas with.

At the same time, he briefly elaborated on his research achievements over the years and looked forward to the future.

(End of chapter)