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

The doors to the banquet hall of the Great Hall of the People slowly opened, revealing an air of grandeur and elegance.

The Chinese-style dome with its carved beams and painted rafters, paired with the dazzling light of crystal chandeliers, the warm and heavy rosewood tables and chairs, and the landscape paintings on the walls with their profound artistic conception.

The antique charm of the East is perfectly blended with the dignified and elegant grandeur of a great nation.

At first glance, it is magnificent yet unconventional.

A group of foreign scholars walked in, their eyes widening in astonishment.

"Oh my God! Look at this carving, this pattern, it's absolutely beautiful!"

William took two steps forward, cautiously looking around, his tone full of amazement.

"I've been to the banquet halls at Versailles and Buckingham Palace, but neither has the grandeur of this place... It's breathtaking."

An American scholar standing nearby nodded repeatedly: "Unbelievable! Every detail in this banquet hall is like a work of art. The cultural heritage of China is truly unfathomable!"

"Now I finally understand why a genius like Mr. Ji could be born."

"A country like this is full of miracles!"

As Charles walked through the crowd, he couldn't help but show a hint of emotion on his face.

He had seen countless top-level occasions, but the unique, profound, and magnificent style of the East before him still deeply impressed him.

No one maintained the airs of Western scholars anymore; everyone slowed down, afraid of disturbing the solemnity and magnificence.

……

Academician Wang, Academician Li, and others surrounded Ji Bai and led him straight to the main table in the center of the banquet hall to take their seats.

Not long after they sat down, Sir Wiles and Terence Tao walked over side by side.

"Mud...mud howl!"

Wiles spoke in broken but earnest Chinese, his intonation distorted, but it was clear he had put in the effort.

Ji Bai couldn't help but laugh, stood up, extended his hand, and replied in fluent English, "Hello, Sir Wiles, your Chinese has improved very quickly."

"Oh my God, your English is so good!"

Wiles' eyes lit up, then he looked puzzled: "I thought... you weren't good at speaking English."

Ji Bai smiled but didn't explain further.

The entire event was conducted in Chinese because I was disgusted by Academician Zhou's obsequious and foreign-worshipping opening remarks, and also because I wanted to establish the rules of the home turf.

But in private, when facing scholars who genuinely respect you and your scholarship, there's no need to put on airs.

Since the conference is the host country's event, we should naturally speak Chinese. For private conversations, we should do whatever is most convenient.

Terence Tao, standing nearby, added with a smile: "Sir Wiles really needs to take Chinese classes when he gets back. This afternoon, when the event ended, he was still asking me how to write 'the one in the thick of it is confused'."

"This is a language full of wisdom."

Wiles said earnestly, "I must learn it so that I can better read Mr. Ji's papers and communicate with you better."

The three chatted for a while about the future directions of the BSD conjecture. Ji Bai casually mentioned two research ideas, which made Wiles and Terence Tao's eyes light up. They nodded repeatedly, wishing they could take out their notebooks and write them down on the spot.

Before long, more and more people gathered around.

Director of the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics, Head of the Department of Mathematics at Princeton University, Tenured Professor at MIT, Dean of a College at Cambridge University...

One by one, the academic giants who were usually aloof and unapproachable all took the initiative to come over and greet Ji Bai with smiles.

After a few pleasantries, the conversation got straight to the point.

"Mr. Ji, on behalf of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, I am formally extending an invitation to you."

The director at Princeton said solemnly, "A tenured professorship, an independent mathematics institute, you can fill in the start-up funding as you like, you can choose the team members yourself, and you don't need to worry about any administrative affairs."

"Mr. Ji, please come to Massachusetts!"

The Massachusetts official retorted, "We can set up a dedicated number theory research center for you, with no annual budget cap, and access to all the resources of Lincoln Laboratory."

"Mr. Ji, the doors of the Max Planck Institute are always open to you."

The German man smiled earnestly: "If you become the director, you will have complete control over all the resources of the institute, and everyone in the institute will be willing to be your assistant."

……

One after another, they were all job offers.

This is not a doctoral program, nor a visiting scholar position; it is a legitimate tenured professorship or institute director position, a position that many scholars cannot reach even after a lifetime of hard work.

The conditions offered were increasingly generous, including funding, teams, titles, and resources—they practically had "please come" written all over their faces.

Ji Bai smiled and nodded throughout, responding to each response, but did not agree to any of them.

He cannot go abroad.

It's not that I'm worried about anything else, it's that I'm worried I won't be able to come back!

Everything was fine before I came, but now I can't go back! That's just awful!

At the same time, I wondered why schools in China were so quiet.

Logically speaking, shouldn't they have been calling him non-stop by now?

Academician Wang, who was standing next to him, saw through Ji Bai's thoughts and patted his arm with a smile:

"The higher-ups specifically told me not to disturb you during the conference so you could focus on the meeting. That's why I've been holding back until now, and only now do I dare to speak up."

Immediately afterward, Academician Wang cleared his throat and began to speak formally: "Ji Bai, I won't say much else. You'll be the director of a national key laboratory at the China Academy of Mathematical Sciences. Funding will be plentiful, and you'll be provided with all the necessary staffing, a team, and facilities. Name your price."

"If you're willing to come, my position as dean will be yours from now on."

These words were like a switch being flipped, instantly causing an uproar among the domestic bigwigs around him.

"Hey, hey, hey, Old Wang, that's not fair! Even if you're in a good position, you can't just steal like that!"

The head of the Tsinghua University Mathematics Department immediately chimed in: "Ji Bai, come to Tsinghua! We'll promote you to professor and doctoral supervisor right away, build you an independent mathematics research institute, and allocate all resources to you!"

Come to Peking University!

The dean of the Peking University School of Mathematics retorted, "You were originally a prospective student at Peking University. You'd be accepted directly for a combined bachelor's and doctoral program—no, we'd appoint you as a specially appointed professor!"

"Don't just talk about academics!"

The director of Nanjing University chuckled and interjected, "Ji Bai, come to Nanjing University! Our university has beautiful scenery, a lovely campus, and lots of girls—it's a wonderful place to study and do research!"

Everyone at the table laughed when he said that.

A group of top university leaders in China openly started vying for people right in front of a group of foreign scholars.

Ji Bai smiled and agreed to each one, saying he would consider them slowly after the conference.

To be honest, he hasn't decided where to go yet.

However, what I redeemed on the system before was an admission letter from Peking University.

If I go to another school, will anything unexpected happen?

Or perhaps some unexpected event occurred during the process, forcing him to go to Peking University?

Ji Bai didn't know.

But thinking about it, it's actually quite interesting.

In the live stream, netizens were having a blast watching this global talent war:

"Wow! They're even live-streaming the banquet? That's making them a fortune!"

"This isn't a banquet, it's a closing ceremony combined with a top talent recruitment fair!"

"This meal is so exquisite... Seriously, can ordinary people even afford to eat at the Great Hall of the People?"

"You definitely can't get a proper state banquet, but there are banquet halls open to the public, which cost around three thousand per person."

"Three thousand per person?"