Chapter 51

"Compared to Xiangjiang, New York is a good place to do number theory.

The City University of New York, Columbia University, New York University, and nearby Princeton University have a large number of experts in number theory.

Melvyn Nathanson often holds seminars on number theory, and Harvey Cohn mainly works on algebraic number theory and quadratic forms; he is also an active organizer of number theory seminars.

The research of mathematicians throughout New York in the field of number theory has shifted from classical number theory to modern analytic number theory and algebraic number theory.

If you go, you will be able to do a lot of interesting work in such an environment," Lin Ran said.

The atmosphere in New York in the field of number theory has the reputation of being the New York number theory community, which is thanks to the New York Number Theory Seminar organized by Melvyn Nathanson in 1982.

But it was founded in '82, and it had been active since the 1950s.

Lin Ran was very curious: if he threw Chen Jingrun into an environment like New York and let him follow Harvey Cohn, what kind of work could he produce, and could he truly solve the Goldbach conjecture in a meaningful sense?

"I know what you are worried about; the cost of living in New York is indeed very high. However, I will talk to Professor Harvey and have him arrange a scholarship for you; the scholarship will be enough to cover your expenses in New York.

In addition, if the scholarship is not enough, I can also help you arrange to apply for a Fulbright scholarship," Lin Ran added.

Half a year ago, Professor Horkheimer took care of him in this way, and half a year later, he could also take care of another Chinese genius in a similar way; a sense of déjà vu emerged in Lin Ran's heart.

Chen Jingrun's eyes were slightly red. Based on his time spent with Lin Ran over the past month or so, he did not believe for a second that the other party would just stand by and watch. This care from Lin Ran was just further verification of his conjecture.

After a moment of silence, he said: "Thank you, Professor. I will seriously consider your suggestion."

With Chen Jingrun's status, he naturally could not agree to it himself.

Lin Ran stood up and patted the shoulder of this famous mathematician who had lived in textbooks in the past, then smiled and said: "Dehui, a real man should not act like a little girl. Following me would actually be a troublesome matter.

Also, don't think that me helping you requires paying a high price. Professor Harvey has always been calling for me to participate in his number theory seminars. I go rarely because they hold them too frequently; on average, they can hold one every two weeks.

If I go to participate in his seminars a few more times later, he will guarantee to agree happily.

Even after he sees you in person, he will feel that he owes me a favor, and he might even treat you as his mantle disciple."

Lin Ran had considered recommending Chen Jingrun to Shiing-Shen Chern, but for one thing, he was not familiar with Shiing-Shen Chern, and for another, the other party did differential geometry, while Chen Jingrun did number theory; the two did not overlap at all.

And the reason for choosing Harvey Cohn, besides the fact that he was a big shot in the field of number theory and could provide an occasion like the New York Number Theory Seminar for Chen Jingrun,

was also a very important reason: the other party was at the City University of New York, a university that had always been famous for serving a diverse student body, including workers and ethnic minorities.

Even if he had some accident, the possibility of Chen Jingrun being protected at the City University of New York was also greater.

It can be said that Lin Ran had thought of almost every factor.

"Thank you, Professor, thank you."

"Also, Dehui, I remember you mentioned before that your father is looking for a job? If he hasn't found one yet, I suggest he can consider running shipping, running shipping from Xiangjiang to New York, so that every time he arrives in New York, he can find an opportunity to see you," Lin Ran mentioned as if casually, as if it were just a random suggestion.

Chen Jingrun would not take this as a suggestion; he knew very well that Lin Ran knew his identity and also knew the identity of his so-called father.

Since the other party mentioned it this way, there must be a deep meaning behind it.

However, Chen Jingrun remained calm on the surface: "I will discuss it with him properly."

Lin Ran nodded: "Companies like Shun Cheong Shipping, Orient Overseas (International), and World-Wide Shipping are not bad; remember to mention them."

Finally, Lin Ran handed the envelope in his hand to him: "This is a recommendation letter. If you want to apply for Professor Harvey's PhD, write to me in advance."

When he stood up to leave and walked to Chen Jingrun's side, Lin Ran whispered: "Remember to go to my office at the University of Xiangjiang on the night I leave to pick up a document. I put it in the bottom drawer on the right; it is ten thousand times more important than the mathematical knowledge I taught you."

Chen Jingrun did not look back, silently remembered Lin Ran's words, and then whispered back: "Professor, Professor Hua Luogeng has already been transferred to Yangcheng to work."

Lin Ran stopped his departure, his fist clenched tightly, "Good!"

He knew what information Chen Jingrun wanted to convey to him.

Inside the Peninsula Hotel near Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, at a Japanese restaurant named Tokyo-ken, mathematics professors from Nihon and mathematics professors from India gathered together.

Yasutaka Ihara was very dissatisfied as he smelled the curry filling the room.

Although they didn't have to pay for this meal, as the JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) office in Xiangjiang was picking up the tab, it was originally intended to entertain Professor Lin, but a bunch of "San-ge" (Indians) had come instead.

If Ramanujan were there, that would be one thing, but here, let alone Ramanujan, by Yasutaka Ihara's standards, there wasn't even a second-rate mathematician among them.

"Shimura-kun, I really don't understand why Professor Kodaira wants to treat these Indian scholars to a meal," Yasutaka Ihara complained: "This has no significance for the Nihon mathematical community."

Yasutaka Ihara was only 22 years old at this time, continuing to study for a PhD in mathematics at Tokyo University after graduating with a bachelor's degree. He was about the same age as Goro Shimura, and because he also worked in number theory, he was brought to Xiangjiang.

Goro Shimura was about eight years older than him and had experienced the roller coaster of having his achievements go unnoticed only to be dug up because of citations by big shots, so he was much more mature:

"How can you be sure that there isn't a figure like Langlands among these Indian scholars?"

Germany, Department of Mathematics, University of Göttingen

"Professor, how could you let a mathematician like Langlands slip away!" Max Deuring held the latest issue of *Inventiones Mathematicae* that had traveled across the ocean, his face full of disbelief.

"Do you still want the University of Göttingen to become a mathematical center again?"

This issue of *Inventiones Mathematicae* published in detail Lin Ran's proof of Fermat's Diophantine conjecture, proposed and proved the important tool of the theory of linear forms in logarithms, and further perfected his own Langlands program.

After the paper was published and the journal spread globally, it was considered another achievement capable of winning a Fields Medal.

The original Alan Baker did indeed win the 1970 Fields Medal because of the theory of linear forms in logarithms.

Carl Ludwig Siegel felt nothing but regret after reading Lin Ran's latest paper.

Just because he promised Horkheimer to accept Randolph Lin as a closed-door disciple, it was going to ruin his lifelong reputation.