"This child came from a small county in the Central Plains with limited educational resources and a lack of textbooks, yet she has managed to make it this far. I am truly astonished. Out of admiration for her talent, I sent her some of the textbooks and materials she needed. She called me teacher, and if nothing unexpected happens, once she officially enrolls, I might brazenly rush to become one of her instructors.
However, this child's growth rate clearly exceeded all of our expectations! I felt that it would be a waste of her talent and time for her to continue to repeat those basic college entrance examination questions in a small county high school, so I invited her to come to Peking University to study in advance.
This child's desire to learn really makes me, as a teacher, feel ashamed.
She cherished the opportunity, arriving at Kyoto University right after the Lunar New Year holiday. She never wasted a moment, shunting her studies to the dormitory, restaurant, and library. With the resources Kyoto University provides, her progress has been so rapid that I have to admire her.
A while ago, I felt she was wasting time during the IMO national team training, so I didn't let her follow the schedule. She went to the Physics School for a free class, and I was worried she'd strayed off the track. Who would have thought she'd suddenly return to the Mathematics School and, right in my class, begin proving Zhou's conjecture.
Your initial mood mirrors my own, as does this child's preoccupation with everything else, which made me wait and see, and then verify. I was shocked beyond belief. As soon as the paper was finished, I quickly brought it to you for your judgment, fearing that there might be omissions in my verification!
Li Yisheng sighed heartfeltly, "I thought I had high hopes for this kid, but I still haven't seen his potential! Are you sure this kid has truly proven Zhou's conjecture?"
"It has to be proven. I may not be able to produce this proof, but I do have the ability to verify it!" Zhou Wenping exclaimed, "Heroes have always emerged from youth. A strong youth means a strong nation. Our Peking University was able to secure this child's admission. The admissions office should credit this year with a great achievement!"
"You're being modest!" Professor Zhou's achievements were no less impressive than his conjecture. "I suggest this kid submit their paper to ANN MATH (Annals of Mathematics). If you're sure it's okay, please use your connections there to get their paper in line and expedite the review process.
You know how arrogant these top journals are. According to the normal process, it is too slow. This child is too young, and the review editor may reject the manuscript without even reading it!
"Okay, I'll arrange it. Our Peking University students have made such great achievements, we can't let foreigners bully us!" Zhou Wenping immediately nodded in agreement without any ambiguity. With such proud achievements, he was more than happy to help the students. This was his honor!
"Besides, this child comes from an ordinary family. I originally wanted to ask you to make a judgment and arrange a discussion meeting for her with the leaders of our School of Mathematics to help her win some special awards from Peking University!"
"I'll arrange the rewards with the dean, so you don't have to worry about it! The rewards for publishing in a top journal, the rewards for proving a special conjecture... these are all what this child deserves! We at Kyoto University are never stingy with rewards for our students! A discussion meeting? No need for a discussion!"
He concluded that Zhou's conjecture was indeed proven, and he still had the ability! "Just arrange a small academic seminar at the school. This kid deserves this treatment!"
Once the paper is published, it will be a lecture for the whole world! Zhou Yongping was very attracted by such an outstanding young talent and wanted to take her as a student, but he was afraid of delaying the child. The child's achievements in number theory were already comparable to his own, and based on this foundation, he had no more guidance for her.
Zhou Yongping felt that he somewhat understood Li Yishen's mentality. Who wouldn't want a student like this? But he couldn't guide this child. Being a teacher in name only would mean he was just a figurehead, doing nothing and being useless. He would only be there for people to talk about.
If it weren't for the academic qualifications issue, Kyoto University would actually give this child the title of Distinguished Honorary Professor, and he would be worthy of it.
"This child's talent in number theory is dazzling. Will she continue to pursue this field?" Mathematics is now vast and boundless, and researchers generally choose a primary research direction. Wu Tong has already made such a good start in number theory, achieving such outstanding results. It would be a shame not to continue her research.
Li Yisheng laughed, remembering Wu Tong's words at the time. "Do you know what this kid said about proving Zhou's conjecture? She said she was originally curious about the twin prime conjecture, but suddenly got inspired and, without realizing it, she casually spent seven hours proving Zhou's conjecture. She even thought she'd spent a lot of time!"
"Seven hours, hahahaha... Young people are truly full of vigor and vitality, something we older people can't even compare to. Kyoto University and our country have such outstanding children; their future is bright!" Zhou Yongping couldn't stop laughing. They were still children after all. The twin prime conjecture was a promising research direction.
Such a talented student is not blinded by temporary achievements, but continues to have clear goals and does not waste his talents. That’s very good!
"Help this child prepare well. I'll arrange a date with the dean and the president and give you the news. Then, let the faculty and students of Beijing University get to know this outstanding little genius!"
Zhou Wenping saw Li Yishen off with a warm and gentle manner. He estimated the time and thought that the gentleman who loved being a night owl and felt that he had the best inspiration at night should not have gone to bed yet, so he made a long-distance call.
"Mr. Wiles!" Zhou Wenping called out. "Greetings to you in the depths of the night. I'm Zhou Wenping."
Andrew Wiles, the prover of Fermat's Last Theorem, a Nobel Prize winner in mathematics, and a recipient of the Fields Medal, was also the head of Princeton University's mathematics department and a world-leading figure in number theory. He had once visited Kyoto University. In his presence, he was a junior figure.
"Oh, Zhou, you're still stuck in the pitiful morning hours over there. You won't be able to experience the beauty of the night yet," Andrew Wiles said with a playful cadence. "You Chinese have a saying, 'There's nothing you can't do without visiting the three treasures of the palace.' Is there anything I can do?"
"I'm not going to see you for nothing. I'm ashamed of what you said, but I do need to trouble you with something! I also have some good news to share with you: Zhou's conjecture has been proven. It's been verified by me and another professor at Peking University, and it's perfectly rigorous! I need your help in communicating with ANN MATH about this interesting paper. If possible, please get it published as soon as possible!"
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