June 30, Defense Day and Graduation Ceremony.
Lin Chaoxi was already prepared.
She picked up her backpack and checked that her USB drive and power bank were there.
The schedule had already reached the last day. In the morning, she would go to Yongchuan University to defend herself in the modeling competition, in the afternoon she would return to school to attend the graduation ceremony, and in the evening she would go to the airport to see Pei Zhi off.
After the phone call that day, Lin Chaoxi did not confess to Pei Zhi.
Although she really wanted to put down the phone, rush to the top of the mountain, and tell Pei Zhi all her feelings, she did not do so.
Maybe she was thinking too much, or maybe she just heard all of Pei Zhi's past and her admiration for him was greater than her love for him.
So after much thought, she decided that before Pei Zhi left was a very appropriate time.
She opened WeChat. She, Pei Zhi, Lu Zhihao, Shen Mei and Hua Juan had a small group for dinner. In the group, Lu Zhihao was confirming today's schedule with her.
Lu Zhihao - At what point do you end your defense?
Lin Chaoxi - It depends on the schedule. It should be finished before 11 o'clock.
Lu Zhihao - Then I will wait for you downstairs of the Mathematics Department, go with you to your school to attend the graduation ceremony, and then we will send Pei Zhi to the airport together. Is this the arrangement?
Lin Zhaoxi——Yes!
After she replied, she put away her phone and walked to the living room only to find that there was no breakfast today.
Mr. Lao Lin rarely wears anything other than an old man's sweatshirt. He wears a short-sleeved shirt and trousers. Although he is a straight man, he looks quite formal.
Lin Zhaoxi: "Dad, are you going on a blind date today?"
Mr. Lin was taking medicine in the kitchen. He almost choked when he heard this.
"Ahem." Lao Lin rubbed his mouth and said, "Have a good chat."
"Then why are you dressed so nicely today?"
"I have to go to the company today."
Lin Zhaoxi smiled: "Is there a new good-looking aunt in your company?"
Old Lin suddenly said in a serious tone, "Student Lin Chaoxi, does being well-dressed have anything to do with falling in love?"
"Is there still some?"
"Then why are you dressed like a boy today and not going to see Pei Zhi off?"
Lin Zhaoxi: “…”
It is indeed impossible to win an argument with Lao Lin, not in this lifetime.
Lin Chaoxi picked up her schoolbag and started to walk away, but after taking only two steps, she suddenly remembered something, paused, turned around and looked at Lao Lin: "Dad."
"What?"
"Today is my graduation ceremony. Is it for this that you dress so nicely? But..."
But you yourself forgot.
——
On the bus, Lin Chaoxi was holding the hanging ring, and Comrade Lao Lin was sitting on a chair by the window.
It has been very hot these days. Outside the window, there are tall buildings and the glass curtain walls reflect the dazzling sunlight.
Lao Lin used a folding fan to block out the sunlight from the window and looked like he was living a very refined life.
"I'm not interested in your graduation ceremony." Old Lin was still mumbling about the question she had asked before she left the house. "Although your old father has dementia, I know how to use a diary and I haven't forgotten my daughter's graduation ceremony."
Lin Zhaoxi: “…”
"Of course, even if I really forgot, I wouldn't admit it."
Lin Chaoxi looked out the window, pretending not to hear what he was saying.
The bus happened to pass by Hongzhuang New Village, where she and her classmate Bao Xiaomeng once lived. No matter how fast society advances, the area around the university in Yongchuan Old Town seems to have not changed much.
Narrow streets and historic university campuses. The bus moved slowly, passing by several universities, with students occasionally getting on and off the bus.
They were reading, memorizing words, and chatting, which made Lin Chaoxi want to take out the book to study.
Lao Lin's workplace was one stop before the old campus of Sanwei University. He stood up and prepared to get off the bus.
Lin Chaoxi looked into the distance and saw the familiar school gate, the green campus, and the library standing faintly in the distance.
Lao Lin patted her shoulder and said, "Thank you, kind female classmate, for giving me your seat. You can sit down now."
He really likes to act in this kind of drama. Lin Zhaoxi looked at his father's face, his eyes retracted from the distant Sanwei University Library, and the question came out of his mouth: "Dad, which university did you graduate from?"
Lao Lin was holding the railing and preparing to get off the bus, when he suddenly blinked: "Have you heard of 'dropping out'?
"Is there such a university called 'Yi Ye'?"
Old Lin suddenly despaired: "Student Lin Chaoxi, I hope that while you study mathematics, you can also improve your Chinese level."
Lin Chaoxi finally realized what word Lao Lin had said, and she was stunned again. Although it was incredible, it seemed to explain the fact that Lao Lin's name was not on the Sanwei University graduation booklet.
"But you have to graduate from a specific school..."
"I don't remember, but I'm suffering from Alzheimer's disease." Lao Lin said righteously.
The bus stopped, the back door opened, and Lao Lin got off with his hands behind his back.
Lin Chaoxi fell silent and didn't ask any more questions.
Alzheimer's patients like Lao Lin will forget recent events, but their long-term memory should be very clear.
Do you really not remember?
She doesn't know either.
——
It is still a few bus stops from the old campus of Sanwei University to the old campus of Yongchuan University.
Along the way, the roadside was very clean.
As modern university towns were built in the suburbs, the number of students in the old city area has decreased. However, the old university district, led by Sammi University and Yongchuan University, is still a nationally renowned research center.
There are numerous national research institutes here, and many older professors are reluctant to leave.
The bus stopped at Yongchuan University Station.
Lin Chaoxi got off the bus and walked under the iconic white marble archway of Yongchuan University.
Yongchuan University is bigger than Sanmi University, and there is a big lake on campus. To be honest, she only had the opportunity to attend a lecture near here once when she was taking a math intensive course at Cheese World, and she has never been here since.
So when she walked into the campus with full confidence, she started to get lost. As a last resort, she turned on a navigation and finally found the defense location on the notice.
It was a red brick building covered with vines. It looked quite old and should belong to the Department of Mathematics.
Lao Wang and A Guang arrived early, and when they saw her, they were very nervous.
"Disciple, did you bring the USB drive?"
"I brought it." Lin Zhaoxi was very surprised.
"That's good, A Guang forgot!" Lao Wang said, "So it's useless for you to ask us to bring a spare USB drive, because we are unreliable!"
"Yes, we are all relying on you to lead the defense this time!"
Lin Zhaoxi thought of Pei Zhi's warning, looked up at the cold red brick building in front of him, and felt uncertain about the future.
——
The preparation room is on the 3rd floor and the defense venue is on the 4th floor.
Each group had a corresponding number, and students had already entered the hall to answer questions in advance. There were people inside and outside the corridor, but it was unusually quiet.
Several groups of students from Sanwei University who participated in the modeling competition and were nominated for the national first prize also arrived early. Lin Zhaoxi and Lao Wang Aguang walked over to say hello to those groups of students.
But when they met each other and looked at each other's clothes, they both stood there in a daze.
The student opposite me was wearing a suit and tie, as if he was going to a formal company interview. The girl even wore black high heels, looking very formal and professional.
On the other hand, they were all wearing T-shirts and beach pants. Compared with the slippers on Lin Chaoxi and Wangzhe A Guang's feet, the three of them looked like they were going to the beach to sell fish.
"Why are you dressed like this?" asked the classmate opposite me.
"Why are you dressed like this?"
"Damn it, the Mathematics Department of Yongchuan University is our sworn enemy. Shouldn't we dress nicely when we come here to bring honor to our school?"
Lao Wang was also stunned. After a while, he said, "You have a point. I was negligent."
"Do you really believe it?" The other boy on the other side was speechless. "We have to wear formal clothes to leave a good impression on the teacher during the defense. Besides, the teacher who will host the defense this time is from Yongchuan University, and he is very strict. We will try not to give people any chance to show that we are not serious."
Lin Chaoxi sighed slightly, feeling that Pei Zhi or other classmates must have gotten the gossip from somewhere.
She didn't know where the rumor started, but no matter what, it seemed like they just had to do their best.
She pulled Lao Wang and A Guang over, and found a quiet corner to discuss with them the main points of their defense and the content that each of them would be responsible for presenting.
At this moment, a group of students who had just finished their defense came down from the 4th floor. They happened to be the students from their school who were nominated for the national first prize.
Lin Chaoxi wanted to go over and ask what was going on, but suddenly stopped.
The girl in the defense team was crying on the stairs. Lin Chaoxi knew her name as Li Ran. The other boy also looked red-faced and seemed very angry.
There were curious looks all around.
Lin Chaoxi thought about it, and when the girl came down the stairs, she took her to a corner and handed her a tissue, hoping that the girl would wipe her tears. But the girl hugged her directly, resting her head on her shoulder, and started crying softly, looking very, very sad.
"What's wrong?" After a while, Lin Chaoxi asked in a low voice.
"It felt like the teacher who was conducting the debate was targeting us," said the boy.
"Why, what did the teacher ask?"
"Anyway, they felt that the paper was not ours and asked a lot of questions."
Lin Chaoxi frowned.
In fact, she has also looked up some information. The focus of the national first prize defense and the graduation thesis defense is different. The first point that the teacher checks is whether the thesis is really written by the student himself.
"Li Ran was too nervous. When the teacher asked about the derivation of the model formula, she couldn't answer. I wanted to help answer, but the teacher said she had to speak, and also said it's not that easy to get into junior high school."
Hearing this, Lin Chaoxi patted Li Ran on the shoulder to comfort her.
"It's not like they're targeting you. Don't you have unified paper numbers? The teacher doesn't know you, right?" asked a girl from another group.
"I know her." At this moment, Li Ran stood up, and there was a patch of eye shadow and mascara on Lin Chaoxi's shoulder that she had rubbed on.
Li Ran: "I have worked as an academic secretary, participated in academic exchanges, and met Professor Wang who hosted the debate."
The girl next to him didn't understand: "Just because you are a student of Sanwei University, the professor of Yongchuan University is going to suppress you? Isn't this too petty?"
"Is it because of the graph isomorphism problem?" Guang suddenly interrupted.
"Your idea is very dangerous." Lao Wang stroked the non-existent beard on his chin, "But I think it's possible?"
"What are you talking about?" Lin Chaoxi asked.
“You don’t know, Feng Taidou published a graph isomorphism paper on arxiv half a year ago.” Lao Wang looked like he was talking about gossip.
“arxiv?”
"It's an academic website. The review period for journals where papers are submitted is generally long. Posting on arxiv is mainly to prove that you are ahead of others." Guang replied.
"Brother Guang is too narrow-minded. Its existence is to facilitate in-depth exchanges among our peers on a certain issue..."
Lao Wang was about to speak at length, but Lin Chaoxi interrupted him: "And then?"
"Then our old Zeng is very brave. Recently, he raised some questions about Feng Taidou's thesis." A Guang answered quickly.
“‘Questioning’ is not accurate enough; clear-cut opposition is more appropriate. The response from the academic community has been strong and gratifying.”
Lin Chaoxi fell silent. The 'Old Zeng' they were talking about was of course Pei Zhi's mentor, Professor Zeng Qingran.
After the modeling competition ended that day, she went to find Pei Zhi to get her schoolbag and unexpectedly met Professor Zeng.
The atmosphere in the office was heavy, and Pei Zhi and she went to print the article, and they also mentioned the "academic circle"...
She suddenly became alert. Could it be because of this paper?
And if she remembered correctly, graph isomorphism...seems to have some relationship with the pnp problem?
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