The night before the college entrance exam results were released, I redeemed my Peking University ad

IMU headquarters, conference room.

Laughter erupted, and the previous frustration vanished.

Charles leaned back in his leather chair, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, his face beaming with undisguised smugness.

"I was still racking my brains about how to get back at them, but I didn't expect this Chinese boy to lose his temper first. Military training? What a joke."

"At the end of the day, he's still just an eighteen-year-old kid who hasn't seen much of the world. He gets cocky after achieving a little success."

The blond-haired board member, sipping his coffee, scoffed, "Does he really think that proving three conjectures gives him the right to challenge the entire international academic community?"

The bald-headed director waved his hand, feigning magnanimity:

"You can't say that. Young people are impetuous and it's normal for them to like to joke around."

"How about this, as long as he is willing to publicly admit that what he said was a joke and apologize for his lack of rigor, we adults are magnanimous, and we can discuss the verification conference again."

"After all, we don't want to bury a genius, right?"

"Hahahaha, that's right."

Charles smiled and nodded, his tone full of condescending arrogance.

"As long as he admits his mistake, we will let bygones be bygones, and the verification team can still go to China."

"If he stubbornly refuses to apologize... there's nothing we can do; it's his own fault for not appreciating the opportunity."

"We can't expect the world's top scholars to revolve around a willful child, can we?"

Everyone in the room exchanged smiles, all agreeing that this move was brilliant.

They not only made up for all the frustration they had felt from bowing their heads, but also put the ball back in China's court.

An apology means you admit defeat and we save face.

If you don't apologize, it means you're arrogant and rude, and if the verification conference fails, it's your fault too.

By any measure, they are guaranteed to win.

……

When the news reached China, netizens were still in the midst of the hilarious frenzy surrounding "Ji Bai is going to military training".

Then someone translated and posted the IMU statement back in China, and once the screenshot was posted, everyone stopped laughing.

It's just a joke, isn't it? Why are foreigners making such a big deal out of it?

As the criticism on foreign websites intensified, and even the IMU withdrew its verification proposal, many people couldn't sit still and spontaneously bypassed internet restrictions to go to the comment sections of foreign websites to explain:

"This is Chinese internet humor! Ji Bai is joking! He couldn't possibly have missed the verification conference because of military training!"

"Military training is a traditional procedure at Chinese universities; it's just a joke. Nobody would actually joke about an academic conference!"

"You've misunderstood. He was just joking; he didn't mean any disrespect!"

As comments scrolled by, some people repeatedly explained cultural differences, while others patiently explained the cause and effect, fearing that things would escalate and ruin the hard-won verification conference.

However, these explanations not only failed to gain understanding, but also intensified the ridicule on the internet.

"Oh my God, look! The Chinese are panicking! They've started explaining everywhere!"

"Hahaha, that's hilarious! Weren't you so tough before? Didn't you say you could just not come? Now why are you chasing after us to explain?"

"A joke? I don't think it's a joke. They really don't respect the international academic community, do they? Now that they see we're angry, they're panicking?"

"Is this all the class he has? A genius boy, huh? He doesn't even know the most basic respect."

……

Among foreign netizens, those from the United States were the most vocal.

Ji Bai's sudden emergence and his confirmation of three major conjectures in three days have drawn the world's attention to China.

They stole the spotlight from the upcoming grand event in New York, a multi-million dollar event that should have garnered worldwide attention from the mathematics community!

American netizens have been holding back their anger for a long time.

But what they proved was a real, world-class problem, and you can't even find a angle to question it.

But things are different now.

Ji Bai is in the wrong.

He himself posted that arrogant remark to the entire internet.

American netizens certainly wouldn't let this opportunity pass them by.

"We demand that Ji Bai issue a public apology! An apology to mathematicians worldwide for his arrogance and lack of rigor!"

"Yes! He must apologize! Make him apologize publicly in front of the whole world! Make him admit that his 'military training' was just a stupid, arrogant, and immature joke!"

"Otherwise, let China's verification conference go to hell!"

"People who disrespect academia don't deserve official IMU certification!"

"To be honest, we've been more than generous!"

……

Chinese netizens were stunned.

Who would have thought that a joke would be taken seriously by foreigners, who would even turn around and accuse them?

At first, many people went to foreign websites to explain, but they were scolded and returned feeling embarrassed and angry.

"I'm speechless! Do these foreigners have no sense of humor?!"

"I've explained it eight hundred times that it was a joke, a meme, but they won't listen. They just keep harping on the apology. They're doing it on purpose!"

"What a blatant double standard! When they were mocking the rumors before, why didn't they talk about respect? Now they're nitpicking over just one sentence and won't let it go?"

"I'm so angry! They're the ones who are so sensitive, but they're acting like we're in the wrong!"

More and more people are leaving comments under Ji Bai's Weibo posts, their tone full of anxiety:

"Ji Bai, why don't you post a clarification on Weibo and say it was a joke?"

"Yeah, don't get angry with the foreigners, the verification conference is the important thing!"

"Apologizing is nothing; the most important thing is to hold the verification conference and give them a good slap in the face!"

"Don't try to tough it out! The bigger picture is at stake! We can't let a joke ruin the verification of three hypotheses!"

Those who advocate for rationality seized the opportunity to jump out and escalate the issue, slapping one label after another on the ground:

"This is outrageous! They're treating the nation's academic reputation like a joke!"

"A joke? Now the whole world is laughing at us, saying that Chinese scholars are arrogant, rude, and don't know the rules!"

"It's good that young people are talented, but they shouldn't be arrogant. Is something this important something to joke about?"

"I think she's gotten too big for her britches and doesn't know her own limitations. Now she's made such a huge mess, how is she going to clean it up?"

"I strongly urge Ji Bai to issue a public apology to salvage the nation's image. We cannot allow one person's willfulness to ruin the efforts of the entire Chinese mathematics community!"

"I used to think he was a pillar of the nation, but now it seems that his vision is too narrow, he lacks composure, and he will never achieve great things."

The internet is in complete chaos.

Some felt sorry for Ji Bai and thought the foreigner was deliberately causing trouble; some were eager to persuade Ji Bai to apologize and consider the bigger picture; and others went too far and made baseless accusations.

All eyes were on Ji Bai, waiting for his response.

……

City Guesthouse.

Dean Lin and the others also became anxious.

Anyone with eyes can see that this is just foreigners deliberately picking a fight.

They want to get back what they lost.

But there's nothing I can do!

To put it mildly, Ji Bai's words were just a harmless joke.

But if we really take it too seriously, the accusations can be so severe they could crush a person!

"Old Wang, please say something! Why aren't you in a hurry at all?"

Lin Boqian was almost frantic with worry, but Academician Wang remained calm and composed.

"What's the rush? Can't you find the pattern?"