A genius student? Ha, they're nothing but ants at your feet!

"it's over."

Su Hao seemed to finally feel relieved. He put down the chalk and slumped into a chair.

"I need to rest. Even if the sky were to fall, I wouldn't want to do anything right now."

Theodore, standing to the side, nodded in deep agreement.

"Even if you take a year or two off, no one will say anything."

"One day is enough."

Su Hao scratched his messy hair.

"Taking too long off won't do. School is right in the middle of final exams, and there's a lot to do."

Theodore chuckled to himself.

Final exams?

Why would you send a monster who just brute-forced a world-class hypothesis to take an undergraduate's final exam?

This is as absurd as asking the chief engineer of a high-energy particle collider to participate in an elementary school arithmetic competition.

"No, buddy. Are you the one responsible for setting the questions?"

"Don't joke around. I learned a lot in school."

Every day I deeply realize that the sea of ​​knowledge is boundless, and I absolutely cannot reach the other shore by wading alone.

Theodore shook his head, trying to shake the sense of absurdity out of his mind.

"Stop joking. There's no way you can't solve a problem at an undergraduate level."

Graduating a day earlier allows you to dedicate all your energy to the forefront of real scientific research, which is a good thing for all of humanity.

Su Hao clearly didn't take Theodore's complaints to heart.

He slowly stood up, dusted off his hands, picked up a broom, and began to sweep up the trash that had fallen to the ground.

The trash cans were already overflowing.

The inside was densely packed with wrappers from snacks like chocolates and Snickers.

After finishing cleaning, Su Hao rubbed his stomach and turned to look at Theodore.

Are you hungry?

Glug glug!

Theodore's stomach rumbled very honestly.

He touched his stubble-covered cheeks somewhat awkwardly.

It's more than just hunger!

Since arriving on this east coast, he hasn't had a proper meal.

I've been following this kid around every day, and now I really miss the fish tacos and hot turkey and avocado sandwiches that I used to eat back in my hometown!

"Looks like we'll have to find a restaurant and have a big meal."

Theodore took out his phone, ready to search the nearby map.

"Surely there must be one or two restaurants in this prestigious city of Cambridge that suit my taste?"

"Want to come to my place for dinner?" Su Hao suggested.

"My mom's cooking is absolutely amazing!"

Theodore paused for a moment.

This is the second time this kid has extended an invitation.

As the saying goes, things shouldn't happen more than three times.

If I refuse again this time, he'll definitely feel bad.

Theodore hesitated for a moment.

In the end, he put the phone back in his pocket and nodded decisively.

"Then I'll have to bother you. I've never had any prejudice against Asian food."

"Really?"

Su Hao's face was full of joy.

It was a pure joy. He immediately turned around and quickly gathered up the draft papers and reference materials scattered on the table.

Theodore turned to look out the window and realized that it was already broad daylight outside.

It lasted all night.

His mind was completely absorbed by the incredible proof on the blackboard, and he was so oblivious to the passage of time.

Home...

This unfamiliar and distant word quietly stirred a ripple in Theodore's heart.

Suddenly, the images of his parents and brothers, far away in Denver, flashed uncontrollably through his mind.

They're probably still cursing themselves as traitors behind their backs, aren't they?

Christmas is just around the corner.

The streets and alleys were filled with a festive atmosphere, but at this moment, he really couldn't muster the slightest interest in packing his bags and going home.

"It seems he has a good relationship with his family."

Su Hao was holding his phone to his ear, talking animatedly on the phone.

His radiant appearance was completely different from the cold and meticulous way he was solving the problem just now.

He kept laughing, as if he had encountered something wonderful.

He spoke fluent, rhythmic Chinese in rapid succession.

Although Theodore couldn't understand, the familiarity and intimacy in his tone were unmistakable.

Su Hao suddenly covered the microphone and turned to ask:

Do you have any allergies or dietary restrictions?

"no."

"So, all that excitement was about the menu."

While Su Hao continued his phone call, Theodore turned around and glanced at the blackboard again.

It was no longer just an ordinary teaching tool.

In Theodore's eyes, it was a newly erected, sacred academic monument!

An extremely bold hypothesis!

An impeccable conclusion!

A series of interconnected and meticulous logical deductions!

And its balanced and symmetrical unfolding is like a work of art!

Even if you nitpick with the most demanding magnifying glass, this is a flawless and perfect proof!

It was like a miracle!

However, even after achieving a feat that shocked the entire mathematics community, Su Hao did not show much ecstasy on his face.

His expression was calm, as if he had just finished a long-overdue in-class assignment.

The feeling of loneliness, standing at the edge of human cognition and gazing into the distance, sent chills down Theodore's spine.

Let's go!

Su Hao put his phone back in his pocket and waved to Theodore.

The two walked out of the campus side by side, striding along the streets shrouded in morning mist towards home.

The biting winter wind lashed across the face like a knife, making one shrink back in fear.

Although the snow on the road had been mostly melted by snowplows, some muddy water stains remained along the edges of the sidewalk.

Along the way, Su Hao kept talking about what dishes might be served today, but he didn't mention the earth-shattering Smail question at all!

Theodore was so frustrated he almost exploded on the spot.

His impoverished, mortal mind simply couldn't comprehend this eerie nonchalance.

He finally couldn't contain his curiosity and asked:

"Dude, you've just solved a world-class problem!"

Aren't you even a little bit happy? Aren't you even a little bit excited?!

"Well……"

Seemingly taken aback by Theodore's sudden question, Su Hao's expression faltered for a moment, revealing a rare look of surprise.

He stroked his chin and suddenly posed an extremely abrupt question:

"Speaking of which, Theodore, how many unsolved problems like this do you think still exist in the field of mathematics today?"

Theodore froze on the spot, pondered for a moment, and his mind raced.

"Conservatively speaking, there are definitely two or three thousand."

"So many?"

The unsolved problems are precisely the area that Theodore has been working on for many years.

Seeing Su Hao's expression, he calmly explained:

"Of course, this is just a conservative estimate."

I'm sure no one has ever done a precise count.

Algebra, Analysis, Topology, Mathematical Logic, Combinatorics, Number Theory...

Each subfield has its own unsolved problems.

These problems piled up year after year, growing bigger and bigger like a snowball.

Even if the number were much larger, I wouldn't be surprised at all.

After hearing these words...

Su Hao nodded seriously, looking thoughtful.

"I don't think the problem I solved was meaningless."

Ultimately, however, this only seems significant within the mathematician community.

"Hmm...that's certainly hard to refute."

This is an extremely cold reality.

Even if the problem is solved and the perfect equation is written, the real world will not immediately undergo earth-shattering changes.

No car will suddenly be able to fly, nor will any new energy source be created out of thin air.

Mathematics has always been a lone force, leading applied sciences by decades, or even centuries.