The next day.
It was dawn in the morning.
The morning sun had just dyed the white curtains yellow when Zhang Ye woke up in his bedroom. He looked at his watch and saw that it was still early. He wanted to go back to sleep, but after tossing and turning a few times, he still could not fall asleep. He sat up in bed, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He wondered how he could be so energetic. Yesterday, it could be said that he had been busy from morning to night. Writing a novel, successfully confessing, solving a mathematical conjecture, appearing on the Central News, flirting with Old Wu, and finally sleeping very late. But in the end? After sleeping for a few hours, Zhang Ye was full and full of energy.
He was really a fighter!
Speaking of which, it was really strange. Usually when there was no work to do, or when he was bored, he would sleep for more than 10 hours. He would always feel sleepy and tired, but once he stirred up something big, or caused a big commotion, this fellow would not feel tired no matter how tired he was. It was like he was on steroids at all times. He was like a man of steel that would never fall. The more he fought, the braver he became, and the more he fought, the brighter his eyes became!
What the hell was going on?
Zhang Ye took out his cell phone and went online.
Eh? Why was Old Wu online on her cell phone? Water Lotus Moon's ID showed that she was online. He did not know if she was still offline, or if she was already awake.
Zhang Ye typed: "Are you awake?"
A few seconds later, Water Lotus Moon replied: "I'm awake for the time being, hur hur. But I'm going to sleep a little longer. There was a quarrel downstairs just now and it woke Big Sis up."
Zhang Ye: "I see."
Water Lotus Moon: "You're not sleeping anymore?"
Zhang Ye: "I'm not sleeping anymore. I'm going to do some writing in a while."
Water Lotus Moon: "OK."
Zhang Ye blinked and sent a message: "While you're still awake, I want a photo. Cough cough, it would be best if it was taken just now." After yesterday's incident, their relationship had taken a step forward. Zhang Ye made this request very naturally and was not as awkward as when he asked for a photo.
Water Lotus Moon: "I'll wait for Big Sis to wake up."
Zhang Ye was having none of it: "Don't, it's urgent!"
There was a long pause before a reply suddenly came back.
A photo immediately popped up on the window. Due to the internet speed, the refresh was a little slow. The first photo that appeared was a pair of white legs with a bedsheet in the background. It was probably taken from top to bottom. Then, the bathrobe on the legs slowly appeared, followed by the upper body. However, perhaps because she had tossed and turned too much in her sleep, it was a little loose. The waistband was almost undone, and the bathrobe was half hanging, revealing the voluptuous body underneath.
The waistband was almost open and the bathrobe was half hanging.
Zhang Ye replied: "Alright, what time should I call you?"
Old Wu said, "I think I'll sleep until noon."
Zhang Ye: "Sure, have a good rest."
Old Wu: "Okay, write your novel well and don't slack off. When Big Sis wakes up, I'll check on your work. Pay attention to typos and be careful."
"I know, I know."
He did not order breakfast and instead made himself a cup of instant coffee for breakfast. Then, he put on a bathrobe and sat in front of the computer. He switched it on and continued writing his book. As he was afraid that he would disturb Old Wu's sleep, he deliberately typed softly on the keyboard. There weren't many words left, but if he didn't count the "External Stories", he felt that if he worked fast enough, he should be able to finish writing by noon.
…
Meanwhile.
The outside world.
Entertainment celebrity Zhang Ye's preliminary solution to the global mathematical conjecture was still being discussed. Following yesterday's Central TV Department 1 News Simulcast and all the major evening newspapers, today was the same as usual. All the major morning newspapers, online media, and even People's Daily published this news. This was already Zhang Ye's second time appearing in People's Daily. Although it wasn't on the front page, it was still published in the most prominent position on the second page.
The news was shocking!
It was as if he had grown wings and was flying all over the country!
For example, when Zhang Ye went around scolding people and stirring up a lot of trouble, it only lasted for half a day before it was over and no one talked about it anymore. Another example would be the poems that Zhang Ye posted in the past. At that time, it had also caused quite a stir and was a hot topic, but after a day or two, it would die down. But this time, it was different. This Dale's Conjecture was different from the past because it was too shocking and unbelievable. There was even a national honor involved in it, which pushed this topic to its peak. Ever since it was published in the newspapers yesterday afternoon, it had not cooled down at all. In addition, there were more and more people joining in on the discussion and the number of people who were shocked by it was also increasing. If this trend continued, the popularity of this piece of news would probably not die down for the next three to four days!
Follow-up reports were also being published.
Chinese Academy of Sciences' Fellow Wan and the other mathematicians had already set up a verification team to verify Zhang Ye's proof of Dale's Conjecture. Some of the internationally renowned mathematicians had also flown to China in the wee hours of the morning to participate in the verification.
Shanghai, at a coffee shop.
"Have you heard? Zhang Ye has solved Dale's Conjecture. "
"Ah? Which Zhang Ye? "
"You don't know? You're way too outdated! "
"I was sick yesterday and didn't watch the news. What's going on?"
"It's that Zhang Ye who did a talk show on our Shanghai WebTV in the past!"
Chengdu, at a gym.
"Old Cheng, you're here so early?"
"Yeah, I'm here for a jog."
"Have you seen the news? It's about Zhang Ye. "
"Look at what you're saying. How could I not know about such an important matter? Just based on that piece of news alone, I've watched it several times. Every time I see it, I feel my blood racing. Our country really has such a capable person! Hur hur, I don't know who Zhang Ye is, but I think I've seen him in advertisements before. When I get back, I'll have to do a proper check on this person! "
Beijing, at a breakfast stall in a small alley.
"Brother Wang, are you going to work? Why are you here so early today? "
"Haha, didn't we solve Dale's Conjecture? A professor from our university's Math Department has also been transferred over to do the verification. I'm working as the professor's assistant, so I'll have to work early and return late for the next few days. If I'm busy, I might not even be able to come back at night. I'll have to spend the night there."
"Aiyo, then you're really working hard."
"In the past, I always felt that working overtime was tiring and tough, but this time, it's really not like that. I just feel that it's a boost to my morale. I don't care how many days of overtime I have to work. Did you hear? Those top mathematicians from overseas who have always looked down on our Chinese mathematics standards have all flown over. Many of those world-class mathematicians even brought along their disciples and students. Do you know why they're here? Firstly, it's to help with the verification. They don't believe that a problem that has troubled the mathematics world for decades could be solved by someone from China, so they want to verify the truth. Secondly, if it's really verified, then they're here to learn how to prove Dale's Conjecture. "
"That Zhang Ye is really amazing!"
"Of course, why don't you see where he's from?"
"Where is he from?"
"You don't know? He's from Beijing! He was born and raised here! "
"Whoa, really?"
"Hur hur, how could it be fake!"
This kind of heated discussion was happening all over the country.
As the heated discussion continued, as Zhang Ye gained more attention, many of the past deeds of this "math hero" were brought up one by one. The most eye-catching one was of course the SARFT decree # 43 that was issued a while ago. It was a list of banned artists who had been banned from broadcasting!
There was a constant outcry online.
"I really don't know what the higher-ups are thinking!"
"They're actually banning a math hero like him?"
"Let's see how they clean up this mess! I think the SARFT is definitely in a tough spot now! Banned? Even People's Daily and Central TV News Simulcast are reporting news about Zhang Ye! With what Teacher Zhang has done this time, there's no way we can keep him from getting banned! I suggest that we immediately lift the ban on Teacher Zhang! "
"Right, Zhang Ye's name should not have been on the banned list in the first place. When he beat up someone, it was only to seek justice for the people. Using that as an excuse to ban Zhang Ye is a little far-fetched. Now that Teacher Zhang has won such a great honor for the country and might even receive an international mathematics award in the future, if he's still banned, then that's not giving him any face at all. That's too unethical!"
"It's a little tricky. Mathematics is an academic field, while the SARFT is in charge of publishing and entertainment. There's no overlap between them to begin with. If the SARFT doesn't lift the ban on Teacher Zhang Ye, no one else can do anything about it."
"Although there's no overlap, we're all part of the government, so there's definitely room for coordination. Zhang Ye's achievements are so illustrious, so we can't disappoint those who have done so much for him. For example, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the scientific world, and the mathematics world. I think there should be someone who will communicate with the SARFT about this."
"You're right."
"I also hope that the ban will be lifted. I like Zhang Ye so much!"
"Awesome, hahaha, I also love Zhang Ye a lot now! He's so cool! "
"Quickly get Teacher Zhang back! The entertainment circle cannot do without him! Without Teacher Zhang Ye, can it still be called an entertainment circle? Only with him around can it be lively! "
"Pfft! I'm looking forward to Zhang Ye's heroic return! "
"Lift the ban!"
"Lift the ban!"
"Lift the ban!"
The netizens were all calling for him to be lifted. It was as if everyone was looking forward to it!
… …
Later that morning.
At the SARFT.
In a department's conference room.
"Director, will the deputy bureau chief who oversees our department arrive today?"
"Yes, he should be arriving in the afternoon."
"About the matter of the banned artists list, should we handle it in advance? Or should we wait for the deputy bureau chief to arrive before reporting to the higher-ups? This matter is getting more and more out of hand. Today, our Petitions Department has already received over a hundred letters of protest, all of them protesting the inclusion of Zhang Ye on the banned artists list. There's also a lot of questioning and scolding online. I heard that there were even some leaders from other government departments who called to ask about this matter? "
"Someone did ask about it, but this matter is still under our department's jurisdiction. Zhang Ye's unexpected proof of Dale's Conjecture has caused such a huge uproar. I already expected this to happen yesterday, so why don't you all tell us how we should handle this matter?"
"Lift the ban?"
"Are we really going to lift the ban for him?"
"That won't do. We've only just released the documents and it's only been a few days. If we put him on the banned artists list, then our department's reputation …"
"The new deputy bureau chief seems to have been parachuted in from the Central Publicity Department. He's always been involved in ideological issues and has a bad temper. Uh, his work style is also very tough. If we were to lift the ban for Zhang Ye, wouldn't that be tantamount to admitting defeat to Zhang Ye? Those poems and essays that Zhang Ye wrote back then were mocking us for a long time. Let the winds blow in the east, west, and north? How can we lower our heads to serve the powerful and make us unhappy? I remember every single one of those words very clearly. If we lift the ban for him, the new deputy bureau chief won't be happy either, right? We haven't even gotten rid of the three fires, but we've already lost a head? The administrative department can't even handle a banned artist? Even the ban that was placed on him was lifted? To put it bluntly, aren't we just slapping our own faces? The new deputy bureau chief better not get angry, or else he might even burn our department! "
"Then what can we do?"
"Yeah, Zhang Ye's contributions are very big now. It's even been published in People's Daily. If we ignore it, the people won't agree, and the higher-ups might …"
"I have an idea."
"Oh? Little Li, tell us about it. "
"We can't just kick the ball to the new deputy bureau chief, but we also have to take into account the new deputy bureau chief's opinion when handling this matter. Then let's do it this way. We'll use another method to lift the ban on Zhang Ye, but there are conditions …"
Everyone in the department came up with a plan!
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