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

The huge auditorium was deathly silent.

Thousands of gazes, as if guided by the same hand, all turned in unison, finally fixing on the central position in the first row.

That was the pinnacle of power and authority in the entire venue.

Charles, the Secretary General of IMU, and several other titans of mathematics who could shake the world with a stomp of their feet beside him, became the sole focus of the entire event.

Charles, who had maintained a standard diplomatic smile throughout, suddenly froze for half a second.

He never expected the situation to turn out this way.

The original script was flawless. Let the young scholars go up and test the waters, pick a few questions to warm up the audience, and temper Ji Bai's sharpness.

When the second half gets to a stalemate, they then pose the final question as "summarizers," which is both logical and authoritative, making them look dignified and impressive.

But reality slapped him hard in the face.

Of the thousands of top scholars present, not a single one dared to be the first to speak up.

Everyone tacitly turned their gazes towards them, their eyes clearly conveying one message:

You IMU spearheaded this whole thing, so you should all get involved.

This put him right in the spotlight.

Charles tapped his knee lightly with his fingertips, his face looking rather grim.

If they don't go, it's tantamount to IMU admitting defeat in front of a global live broadcast, bowing down to mathematicians worldwide, and losing its century-old authority overnight.

To do so would be tantamount to using one's status as an international official organization to blockade a nineteen-year-old boy.

Winning would be an unfair victory, while losing would be a disgrace to the entire Western academic community.

dilemma.

Just when the atmosphere in the entire venue was so tense it seemed to freeze, the boy on the podium suddenly smiled.

He followed the gaze of the crowd, looked directly at Charles in the first row, picked up the microphone, and his clear, bright voice resonated throughout every corner of the auditorium:

"Secretary Charles, are your questions...ready?"

boom--!

These words struck the deathly silent meeting room like a thunderbolt, sending chills down everyone's spines!

A collective gasp filled the room.

No one expected that Ji Bai would actually call out names!

Those in the know understand the intricacies of this matter perfectly well.

What is the identity of IMU?

If Ji Bai doesn't take the initiative to challenge, and no one else steps up to challenge him, IMU will likely not ask any questions in the end.

After all, they represent the International Mathematical Union!

Mathematicians all over the world are watching. If they are the first to stand up and challenge, it would be too much of a challenge!

This is like a martial arts tournament, with IMU being the champion of the mathematics world.

What kind of alliance leader personally intervenes right at the start of the event?

You have to let others have a match, and then say: "Kid, your skills are not bad, you've caught my eye, let me give you a few pointers."

That's more like it!

It shows status while leaving room for maneuver.

Otherwise, if the martial arts alliance leader were to be the first to step down right at the start, even if he won, it would be seen as a sign of pettiness.

Losing would be even more shameful!

In other words, unless Ji Bai takes the initiative to break the ice, today's Q&A session will most likely end hastily in a "you're good, I'm good, everyone's good" atmosphere.

Charles made a few polite remarks, and the conference came to a successful close, with everyone maintaining their dignity.

But Ji Bai did ask!

In front of the whole world, in front of thousands of scholars, and in front of all the live broadcast cameras, he took the initiative to challenge them!

Charles's face darkened visibly.

He has been involved in academic diplomacy for decades; what kind of situation hasn't he seen?

Questions from young scholars and challenges from peers are nothing new to me.

But no one has ever dared to ask him, in such a nonchalant tone and with such a condescending attitude, in front of the whole world, "Are you ready?"

That's not asking for advice, that's provoking.

It's like a hunter looking at its prey and asking it if it's ready to be hunted.

He instinctively wanted to stand up and respond, but stopped after leaning forward a little.

Then, without making a sound, he turned his head and glanced at William beside him.

William snorted and stood up.

The old Frenchman was wearing a dark gray suit today, his eyes were sharp behind his gold-rimmed glasses, and a faint smile played at the corners of his mouth.

Since Ji Bai has taken the initiative to attack, they have no choice but to fight back.

"Ji Bai,"

William spoke, his English carrying a strong French accent, his pace slow but each word pronounced clearly.

"On behalf of myself, not IMU, not the French Academy of Mathematical Sciences, not any institution, but only an old man with a curiosity about mathematics."

This is layering armor.

First, distance yourself from official institutions, implying that the following issues are purely personal matters and should not be escalated to the level of academic diplomacy.

"There's a question that's been bothering me for over ten years. In those ten years, I've consulted countless documents and tried countless methods, but I still can't find the answer."

The second layer of armor.

Let me make it clear first, this wasn't prepared specifically for you, but rather it's a problem that has been bothering me for many years.

"Originally, I didn't plan to take it out, but after seeing Ji Bai's proof these past few days, I was amazed and couldn't suppress my curiosity."

The third layer of armor.

The implication is that I didn't want to ask, but you're so amazing that I couldn't control myself.

"I wonder if Ji Bai would be willing to give it a try? Of course, if you find it difficult, that's perfectly fine. This is a recognized unsolved problem in the field of number theory today."

The fourth layer, A.

They ostensibly offer a way out, but in reality, they're setting a trap.

No one will blame you for not being able to answer, but the golden body of the "omnipotent Pope of Mathematics" is thus easily punctured.

Four sentences, four layers of armor; spoken politely and gently, yet every word conceals a sharp edge.

They had the ability to attack or defend, leaving themselves all avenues for retreat, and also placing all the pressure on Ji Bai.

The live stream chat exploded with comments, and the tension was palpable.

"Holy crap! This old man's wind-up animation is way too long! He's stacked four layers of armor!"

"That old fox! He speaks more politely than anyone else, but his knife is sharper than anyone else's!"

"A problem that's been troubling me for over a decade... I'm suddenly starting to panic! Is Ji Shen really stumped?"

"Nonsense! A problem that can stump a master like William for over a decade, how could it be easy? It's definitely at the pinnacle of difficulty!"

"Oh no! Academician Zhou just finished praising them to death, and now the foreigners have pulled out the real deal. This is a pincer attack from both inside and outside!"

"Hold on, Season God! Don't fall into their trap!"

"What's there to be afraid of! In the past four days, every time it looked like the sky was falling, Ji Shen just effortlessly resolved it. Trust Ji Shen!"

"My palms are sweating! What kind of question is this?! I'm so anxious!"

……

On the podium, Ji Bai listened quietly, a faint smile always on his face.

Without hesitation, without testing, and without even frowning.

He picked up the microphone, leaned forward slightly, and uttered only three words, crisp, clear, and resounding:

Please advise!