CHAPTER 286: CHAPTER 118: INSPIRATION AS WONDERFUL AS A VOLCANO_4

The existence of this kind of person would make many people misunderstand that math is something really simple.

But there was nothing he could do, even though he knew that kid was nitpicking the paper to which he also contributed, he still had to figure out how to deal with his endless questions...

Seriously, what the hell!

...

Huaxia, Beijing, Yanbei University.

Qiao Yu had just walked into the math research center when he ran into Old Xue hurrying outside.

"Mr. Xue."

"Oh, you’re back?"

"Yeah, just arrived." As he spoke, Qiao Yu lifted his hand to show off the light suitcase that Qiao Xi had ordered online for him—a Golden Eagle, a branded item!

Anyway, Qiao Yu thought it was a good brand—stylish, lightweight, and eye-catching.

But obviously, Old Xue wasn’t one to recognize quality items. Instead of saying, "Oh, a new suitcase," he directly asked, "So, any breakthroughs on your idea?"

Gosh, he has no idea how to mentor, doesn’t think like a student at all.

"Not yet. But I didn’t waste my time at the boot camp; I’ve already read all five papers on the Geometric Langlands Conjecture, so I gained a lot from this boot camp." Qiao Yu reported.

Xue Song thought for a moment and then squeezed out a "Hmm... pretty good!"

Actually, once you expect this guy not to talk like a normal person, you won’t feel that his offhanded Versailles comments are that hurtful.

"By the way, is Director Tian in the office?" Qiao Yu asked proactively.

Xue Song nodded and replied, "Just got back too. Why? Do you have something for Director Tian?"

Qiao Yu said, "Yeah, I was going to thank Director Tian. I just found out on the train that Director Tian collaborated with Huaqing to organize a series of seminars to help me solve my doubts."

When Qiao Yu mentioned this, Xue Song’s expression became strange again.

It reminded him of that email he sent to Tian Yanzhen the other night.

Never would he have thought that what started as a spur-of-the-moment idea might indirectly lead to a historic reconciliation between the two mathematical schools of Huaxia.

Although there aren’t any public statements from either side to corroborate this yet, the collaboration to hold the seminar series indicated that such a trend had started, at least both sides weren’t in a deadlock anymore.

Of course, to be fair, the conflict between Yuan Zhengxin and Tian Yanzhen didn’t significantly affect student training. From what Xue Song learned after coming to Yanbei, there were quite a few professors in Huaqing’s math department who had a good relationship with Tian Yanzhen.

Occasionally, Elder Yuan’s students would come to Yanbei to give talks in seminars, and even young professors from the math centers of both sides would collaborate on papers. Not everyone cared about these disputes.

But if the barrier were gone, further interactions between the two sides would certainly be better.

After all, both sides held a lot of resources, not necessarily capital, but a significant network built up over time.

If they could reconcile, the research centers on both sides could truly merge their strengths, and who knows, there might be significant breakthroughs in geometric analysis, an area both are adept in. Moreover, for the Huaxia mathematical community as a whole, it could serve as a solid boost.

Most importantly, if in the future Qiao Yu could inherit the academic resources from both sides, his status... no matter how much trouble he might stir, at least domestically, no one would dare to openly mess with him, right?

After all, what both sides were vying for was discourse power...

Thinking about it this way, Xue Song felt a twinge of envy.

"Yeah, you should go thank him. Drop off your luggage and go quickly. Otherwise, by the time you get there, Professor Tian might be heading out for something again."

"Will do." Qiao Yu replied, grabbed his brand-new suitcase, and headed enthusiastically into the research center.

Xue Song stood there, watching Qiao Yu’s departing figure, feeling how great it was to be young for a good while before snapping out of it... he shook his head and continued walking towards the outside of the research center, wait, what was he planning to do again?

...

"Director Tian, I’m back!"

"Oh, you just got here."

"Yes, Director Tian, I specifically came to thank you, you are absolutely the best and most perfect mentor in the world, and there’s no other."

Tian Yanzhen put down the pen, lifted his head to look at this increasingly cheeky sixteen-year-old who didn’t even knock before coming into his office...

Hmm, though it was a rainbow fart, he decided to accept it.

But seeing Qiao Yu’s smug expression, Tian Yanzhen couldn’t help but throw in a word of advice: "Just saying won’t suffice. I can only help you this much. How much you can gain ultimately depends on yourself. Check the list of professors attending this conference on the website, same as always. To learn from others, you need to have at least a basic respect for their research achievements first."

Qiao Yu immediately responded seriously, "Don’t worry about that! Don’t you know my attitude towards learning? And to tell you the truth, during the boot camp, I finished reading those five papers and most of the referenced literature. I’m practically too familiar with this topic now."

Tian Yanzhen nodded and said, "That’s good. Just as you’re here, I wanted to ask you something. Didn’t you say you were interested in research on prime numbers last time? I even helped you choose a topic for constructing a prime number model and planned for you to attend several conferences on prime number research. Why are you suddenly interested in the Geometric Langlands Conjecture?"

A student who walks into your office, well, no reprimanding would be a waste.

Even though he entered with flattery, Tian Yanzhen still disapproved of this scattershot approach.