A genius? I just love studying.

Chapter 148 The Past of Master and Disciple

Yanbei University,

On the shore of Weiming Lake, Xing Jiguang, who had just come out of the farm canteen, unexpectedly saw Tian Yang. This big shot usually did not eat in the canteen, so he did not expect to run into him here.

But since he had run into them, he naturally went up to say hello.

"Congratulations, Mr. Tian!"

"What's there to congratulate about?"

Tian Yang waved his hand, saying it was just an IMO gold medal, which didn't even count as stepping into the world of mathematics.

As for his paper on the cubic Diophantine equation, it certainly had some value, but for him, it was still not a major achievement, and there was really nothing to congratulate him on.

"Hehe, as expected of Professor Tian, ​​if even Fields Medal-level achievements aren't worth congratulating, then what is worth congratulating?"

Xing Jiguang gave a forced smile. If his teacher, Verwettsky, hadn't happened to be the reviewer for Yuan Xinyi's paper and hadn't been asking him about Yuan Xinyi, he wouldn't have known so early.

For mathematicians of their caliber, double-blind peer review is no longer a real thing, especially since Yuan Xinyi had already pre-published the paper on arXiv.

He remembered that Professor Tian Yang didn't seem to be putting on such an act, but he was getting old, so it was understandable.

"A Philippine award-level achievement?"

Tian Yang was filled with questions.

"If this proof of the Langlands program still doesn't win the Phil Prize, then it's a loss for the Phil Prize."

Xing Jiguang said confidently that there are still two years until the next International Congress of Mathematicians. In these two years, Yuan Xinyi's paper must have been verified. With such results, he is probably unbeatable at the Congress of Mathematicians, and winning the award is a sure thing.

"I never expected that just a few days ago the verification failed, and Xiao Yuan found a new solution and even published a paper. He's truly a young hero!"

He was somewhat moved. Of course he knew about Yuan Xinyi's visit to Yanbei University for exchange and verification, but he didn't expect Yuan Xinyi to find a new path in the ruins so quickly and actually succeed.

"Proof of the Langlands Programme?"

Tian Yang frowned, and soon he guessed what was going on, his face immediately turning gloomy.

"Excuse me, I have something to attend to, I'll take my leave now." With that, he quickly walked towards his office.

"what?"

Xing Jiguang was a little puzzled as he watched Tian Yang leave in a hurry.

Logically speaking, Tian Yang should be happy that his students have achieved this level of results. So why does he not seem happy?
"You published your paper?"

Entering the office and closing the door, Tian Yang dialed Yuan Xinyi's number immediately. As soon as the call connected, he bombarded him with questions.

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

Often, not answering is itself an answer.

Tian Yang also fell silent. This feeling of betrayal is always hard to accept, and at his age, it is even more intolerable.

"Yes, teacher."

The truth will eventually come out. Yuan Xinyi knew this day would come, but he didn't expect it to come so soon.

"You speak, and I'm listening."

Tian Yang was furious, but he still decided to give his prized student a chance to explain.

"I'm sorry, teacher, I really made a mistake."

Yuan Xinyi slid to his knees at lightning speed, "Because the inspiration for that key point came from Chen Hui. I wanted to take him as my student at the time, but I was worried that the teacher would develop a fondness for talent, so I kept the news a secret and never had a chance to mention it later."

It was indeed dishonest of him to do that. Tian Yang did consider taking Chen Hui as his student afterward, but after asking Chen Hui's opinion, Tian Yang did not insist on it. Instead, he genuinely treated Chen Hui as his grand-disciple and provided them with a lot of convenience.

"Is it related to Chen Hui?"

Tian Yang frowned. "Tell me about it."

"After the verification results came out that day, I was deriving the formula on the first floor of Zhihua Building when a few kids walked in..."

Yuan Xinyi recounted the events of that day in detail.

"very good!"

After hearing this, Tian Yang said, "From now on, I'll pretend I never had a student like you."

After saying that, he hung up the phone directly.

……

Tsinghua University, Qiu Chengwu Mathematics Research Center

Mr. Qiu Chengwu was leisurely reading a book in his study. It wasn't a math book, but a niche history book about the Jin Dynasty.

At his age, it's unrealistic to expect him to achieve anything significant in mathematics. He's already won the highest award in mathematics, so he can be said to be content and at peace with himself.

Ding Dong!

My phone vibrated, and a WeChat message popped up. It was from a young professor working at a research center.

"Old Qiu, you've already been so tolerant, yet he still dares to cause trouble. That's really going too far!"

Accompanying this message was a screenshot.

The screenshot shows Tian Yang's WeChat Moments post, containing only a brief text: "When the nation selects personnel, virtue should be the foundation, talent secondary; this principle applies universally. Behind the brilliance of the Fields Medal, without consideration of 'virtue,' it will ultimately be like a tree without roots. As the ancients said, 'Virtue is never alone; it always has neighbors.' True academic masters are invariably virtuous and talented, possessing a heart for the common people—'contemporary gentlemen.'"

Upon seeing these words, Qiu Chengwu's anger flared up instantly.

Fields Medal winner, who else in China could it be but him? Isn't this a clear dig at him?
The two had indeed broken off their relationship back then, causing quite a stir. But nearly twenty years had passed, and he was too lazy to dwell on what had happened back then. Who was right and who was wrong was no longer important to him, an old man enjoying his retirement. He didn't intend to cause any trouble. Unexpectedly, Tian Yang took the initiative to provoke him. Could he tolerate this?

His fingers trembled slightly as Qiu Chengwu mentally considered how to respond.

Twenty years ago, he failed to kill his opponent in one fell swoop. He never expected that he would end up being mocked by his opponent. This time, if he makes a move, it will be a fight to the death!

At this moment, Yun Wei walked into the office.

"Old Qiu, are you alright?"

Anyone with eyes can see that Qiu Chengwu is in very bad condition. He is pale and, at his age, to suddenly suffer such a thing, he must be extremely angry and upset. How could he possibly be in good condition?

"I'm very good!"

Qiu Chengwu already had a general idea for a counterattack in his mind. As he said, he was in good shape now and was more full of fighting spirit than ever before!

"I just saw a post on WeChat Moments, I don't know if you saw it?"

Yunwei pretended not to know anything, took out his phone, found Tian Yang's post on WeChat Moments, and handed it to Qiu Chengwu.

"I saw it, of course I saw it! That's exactly what he wanted to show me!"

Qiu Chengwu said in a low voice, "You saw it yourself, he started it first, so you can't blame me!"

"Stirring up trouble?"

Yun Wei said with a look of astonishment, "We can't blame Old Tian for this. It's true that Xin Yi did something wrong."

When Qiu Chengwu heard the first half of the sentence, "It's not Tian Lao's fault," he almost punched him on the spot. But after hearing the second half, he froze on the spot. Of course, he knew who Xin Yi was referring to when Yun Wei mentioned him.

But what does this have to do with Yuan Xinyi?
"You don't know yet?"

Yun Wei seemed to see a look of doubt on Qiu Chengwu's face. "Yuan Xinyi has broken through the Langlands conjecture. From now on, the geometric Langlands conjecture will be called the geometric Langlands theorem!"

"What?! He actually got the proof?!" Qiu Chengwu's gaze sharpened, then he exclaimed, "Truly, the younger generation is formidable!"

"After so many years, China's first winner of the Philippine Prize has finally appeared!"

"But what does this have to do with Tian Yang's circle of friends?"

"That's a long story."

Yun Wei recounted, "Xin Yi met a talented young man at Yanbei University. This breakthrough in the geometric Langlands theorem is also related to that young man, so he wanted to take him on as a student. He was worried that Professor Tian would compete for him, so he concealed the news of the breakthrough. Now that the truth has come out, Professor Tian wants to sever his mentor-student relationship with him, which is why he posted this on his WeChat Moments."

Qiu Chengwu suddenly realized,
It turns out that the winner of the Philippine Philharmonic Award mentioned in this WeChat Moments post was not him.

This is understandable, as he was the only Philippine Philharmonic Award winner in all of China before, which inevitably led to misunderstandings.

But things will be different from now on. With such a significant breakthrough, it goes without saying that Yuan Xinyi will definitely secure a Philippine Prize nomination two years from now.

After figuring this out, Qiu Chengwu revealed a contemptuous smile. "That old guy is just like that, he has no tolerance for others at all, he actually wants to steal students' students, it's really laughable!"

"I could never do such a thing."

With this in mind, he picked up his phone and posted a message on his WeChat Moments: "Oranges grown south of the Huai River are sweet oranges, while those grown north of the Huai River are bitter oranges. Don't blame others when problems arise; always look for the cause within yourself."

When Yunwei saw Qiu Chengwu's post on WeChat Moments, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Sure enough, even a Philharmonic Award winner is still human. This guy is over seventy years old and he's hitting people. This strange competitive spirit is really both laughable and pathetic.

"The proof of the Langlands conjecture is related to a high school student?"

After posting on his WeChat Moments, Qiu Chengwu asked with some curiosity.

"Professor Qiu, you can take a look at this paper first."

As he spoke, Yunwei sent Qiu Chengwu a link.

He came prepared today, of course.

Upon seeing Tian Yang's post on WeChat Moments, Yuan Xinyi knew something was terribly wrong, so he quickly called Yun Wei to explain the whole situation. Yun Wei, true to his word, arrived promptly.

Otherwise, if those two were to actually go to war, it would affect more than just the two universities; the entire mathematics community in China would be impacted, with unimaginable consequences.

Twenty years ago, neither of them had the status they have now, yet they still caused such a stir, drawing in most of China's mathematics community. If they were to start making trouble again now, it would be really hard to handle.

"interesting!"

"What a bright little guy!"

To others, this might just be a barely acceptable core journal paper, but to these true masters, they can see the author's overflowing inspiration in those amazing proofs. This is the unique quality of a genius, which only a fellow genius can glimpse.

"Interesting, really interesting!"

After watching for a while, Qiu Chengwu was still muttering to himself, as if the sound of his voice was lingering in the air.

"Go ask him if he's interested in pursuing a PhD at Tsinghua University?"

Suddenly, he looked at Yun Wei.

"?"

Yunwei was once again at a loss for words, thinking, "Didn't you just say you wouldn't do something like this?"
Of course, he could tell that Old Qiu was just joking, but the sincerity in his words was intriguing.

If Chen Hui were truly willing to come to Tsinghua University and become Professor Qiu's student, would Professor Qiu not be tempted?

……

In Guangzhou, at the School of Mathematics, Sun Yat-sen University, a banner hangs above the stage in the academic conference hall, reading: "Intellectual Collision, Shared Future – Welcome to the National Conference on Geometric Analysis."

Li Jun sat in the middle of the lecture hall. The person on the stage was giving a report on the modular space direction of algebraic geometry. Although they both studied algebraic geometry, it was like crossing a mountain between different fields. As he listened, he began to understand some of what was being said.

The summer heat in Guangzhou was unbearable. Although the air conditioning was on, the air was stuffy and heavy with so many people crammed into the lecture hall, making his eyelids heavy and him feel drowsy.

He simply stopped listening, took out his phone, put it under the table, and started scrolling through his WeChat Moments.

"Oranges grown south of the Huai River are sweet oranges, but those grown north of the Huai River are bitter oranges..."

Upon seeing Professor Qiu Chengwu's post on WeChat Moments, Li Jun immediately perked up. Based on his years of experience in academia, he knew this was the sweet scent of big gossip!
Although he is not a big figure in the Chinese mathematics community, he has made some achievements, published many papers in core journals, and won the Chen Xingshen Mathematics Award. When he went to receive the award, he had a very pleasant conversation with Professor Qiu Chengwu and they also exchanged WeChat contacts.

He didn't find any useful clues in the comments section, and no one dared to make any outrageous remarks in the big shot's WeChat Moments.

He was originally planning to leave his circle of friends and ask them for advice.

But after thinking about it, I realized that even if I asked others, they might not be able to tell me, so I might as well do some research myself first.

He continued scrolling up his WeChat Moments, and before long, he found a clue!

"When the state appoints people, it should prioritize their moral character..."

Seeing this scathing post on WeChat Moments, Li Jun was worried for Grandpa Tian's sharp wit.

Back then, the affair between Grandpa Qiu and Grandpa Tian caused quite a stir. Not only was it known within the entertainment circle, but it was also widely known outside of it. After seeing these two posts on his WeChat Moments, he understood what had happened.

It's unbelievable that nearly twenty years have passed, and the two old men still haven't let it go. It seems they're going to bring up the old story again and restart the war!

Old Master Qiu is so petty!
Ultimately, it was Mr. Qiu Chengwu who first stirred up the whole thing back then.

Although he also added Professor Qiu Chengwu on WeChat, one of his mathematical achievements was solving the problem of the existence of Kaehler-Einstein metric and Kaehler-Ricci soliton on toric Fano manifolds, which solved a problem raised by Professor Tian Yang at the 2002 Congress of Mathematicians.

Later, he also collaborated with Academician Tian Yang on the convergence problem of Kaehler-Ricci flow, and naturally became closer to Academician Tian Yang.

I secretly took a screenshot, exited Moments, opened my WeChat account with a friend in Moments, and sent them two screenshots of Moments directly.

"Did you see it too?"

Chen Binglong suddenly spoke up, startling Li Jun.

Chen Binglong is a professor in the Department of Mathematics at Sun Yat-sen University. The two are close friends and mathematicians who study the same field. During his visit to Sun Yat-sen University, as the host, Chen Binglong showed Li Jun around Guangzhou and they even sat together while listening to reports.

After discovering they were friends, Li Jun breathed a sigh of relief and then asked curiously, "You all knew?"

"When two big shots clash, how can the commotion be small?"

Chen Binglong lowered his voice and said, "Everyone in the industry is talking about this right now."

"Last time it almost got out of hand, I wonder how far these two big shots will fight before they're willing to stop?"

"We can't fight."

Chen Binglong shook his head, "My apprentice is in the wrong this time, so he won't talk back."

"In the wrong?"

"On what grounds does Academician Tian have that he is in the wrong?"

"Who says Academician Tian is in the wrong? It's Academician Tian's student, Yuan Xinyi!"

"What does this have to do with Yuan Xinyi?"

"The person Academician Tian mentioned is Yuan Xinyi. How could it not be related to him?"

"Yuan Xinyi? Not Professor Qiu? Why is Academician Tian arguing with Yuan Xinyi again?"

"It's said that it's because of a student..."

(End of this chapter)