July 31st, 2018 morning.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mathematicians from all over the world gathered here for the International Congress of Mathematicians.
Even though the opening ceremony of the conference was tomorrow, the parking lot outside the Barra da Tijuca Hotel was already crowded.
There was only one reason.
Professor Lu Zhou from the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study would be giving a report on the "Navier – Stokes equation" theme in the main conference hall.
For many people, this report was even more important than the opening ceremony tomorrow.
This wasn't just about the ownership of a million USD.
It was also the beginning of a new era …
Even though the organizers of the conference provided accommodation for all of the invited scholars and some of the applicants, there was a limited number of rooms. Not everyone could afford to stay here.
Most of the attendees came at their own expense, and they usually chose to stay in a nearby hotel or motel.
Some of these people were university professors or researchers from research institutes, some were PhD students who followed their mentors to attend the conference, and some were students who came as tourists to admire the academic atmosphere.
Many universities that were ranked highly in the mathematics field would occasionally organize similar group participation activities. For example, they would select a few outstanding geniuses based on their GPA or other assessment criteria, and they would set off with the participating professors.
After all, this opportunity only came once every four years. Even if they didn't understand anything, they could use this rare opportunity to broaden their horizons and pave the way for their future academic career.
At seven o 'clock in the morning, a tourist bus stopped in front of the hotel.
Under the guidance of a young professor, a few young Chinese students got off the bus and gathered at the entrance of the hotel.
These students were from Yan University, and they were all genius students in the eyes of their peers.
The professor leading the group was even more extraordinary.
As one of the top young scholars in China, Professor Xu Chenyang was not only one of the leaders in the field of algebraic geometry, but he also won the Ramanujan Gold Award in 2016.
This year's International Congress of Mathematicians had five professors invited to give a 45-minute report.
Professor Xu was one of them.
This time, Xu Chenyang was also entrusted by the dean of Yan University's mathematics department. He and another mathematics department professor were responsible for bringing these students around the conference.
Lu Zhou didn't plan on missing this report, so he brought his students along. Regardless of whether there was a chance to bring them into the lecture hall, for them, waiting for the results outside was more interesting than waiting for the news.
Looking at the crowd coming and going at the hotel entrance, a boy wearing glasses looked at Professor Xu.
"Professor, have you read Professor Lu's thesis?"
Xu Chenyang nodded and said, "A little, but I'm in the field of algebraic geometry. I don't know much about partial differential equations."
Another girl then asked, "Do you think he can succeed?"
"It's hard to say," said Xu Chenyang as he shook his head. He said, "There is no consensus on Professor Lu's thesis. That's because it uses a very novel method, and as long as it's something new, it's bound to be controversial. "
The bespectacled boy continued to ask, "More novel than abstract proofs?"
Xu Chenyang raised his eyebrows and looked at the student in surprise. He said, "You know about abstract proofs?"
The bespectacled boy smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. He said, "I've read some literature in this area."
"Then you're pretty good. Partial differential equations are a very promising field. It's very promising both in terms of application and theory." Professor Xu smiled. Just as he was about to explain the difference between the two methods to the students, a familiar voice came from the side.
"Xu Chenyang, how have you been?"
Xu Chenyang looked in the direction of the voice. When he saw the person, his eyes lit up and he reached out his hand with a smile.
"Brother Zhang, long time no see!"
Looking at the person who was shaking hands with Professor Xu, the student wearing glasses recognized him at a glance and couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice.
"God Wei!"
When the students next to him heard this name, they all looked at the person in surprise.
God Wei!
There was only one God Wei in Yan University, and that was Zhang Wei!
In the mathematics department of Yan University, this was a name that everyone knew.
He won the Ramanujan Gold Award at 29 years old, was hired as a tenured mathematics professor at Columbia University at 34 years old, and won the Morningstar Mathematics Gold Award at 35 years old … This nutty guy was the idol of Yan University's mathematics department students, just like God Yun.
Zhang Wei smiled amicably at the enthusiastic junior brothers and sisters, then turned to look at Senior Brother Xu.
"You're early? There's still two hours before it starts. "
"Aren't you the same?" said Xu Chenyang with a smile.
Just like Xu Chenyang, Zhang Wei was also a 45-minute speaker at the conference.
The students were brought into the conference venue. After they agreed on a time to gather, the two went to the main lecture hall together.
Along the way, the two didn't talk about the Navier – Stokes equation. Instead, they talked about tomorrow's opening ceremony and the highlight of the ceremony — the Fields Award.
Xu Chenyang: "Is there any hope for this year?"
Zhang Wei sighed and said, "There are too many nutty people, it's hard."
One was the youngest W3 professor in Germany, and the other was the youngest full professor at Princeton. There was almost no suspense between these two godlike people.
From the very beginning, there were only two spots left for others to compete for.
Apart from these two, the other competitors were not to be trifled with. If the last Fields Prize selection was a gathering of powerful people, then this year was a battle of the gods. The only people who could stand out were the strongest of the strongest.
Xu Chenyang looked at Zhang Wei and didn't know what to say. He could only try to comfort him, "You're God Wei, why are you so unconfident?"
Zhang Wei stood in front of the lecture hall and looked at the crowd. He smiled and shook his head.
"Let's forget about this title …"
Who wasn't sitting here?
…
Eight o 'clock sharp.
The venue was packed with people, and even the aisles on both sides of the seats were crowded.
Even though there was still an hour before the official start of the report, the venue was already full.
In addition to the scholars participating in the conference, there was also a row of cameras on both sides of the lecture hall.
There were many people who challenged the Navier – Stokes equation, but very few people succeeded.
If this challenger succeeded, then these videos would become valuable historical information. Not only did the media not want to miss this opportunity, but some famous museums also applied to take photos.
Vera sat in the back of the venue and looked at the figure on stage. She took a deep breath and calmed her heart.
Her report was in two days, but at this moment, she was even more nervous than when she was standing on the stage.
"… Good luck."
Vera clenched her fists and prayed for him in her heart.
At this moment, an old man walked over and sat beside her.
"Are you worried about him?"
"…"
Vera subconsciously nodded as she looked at the old man in surprise.
Pierre Deligné!
Her supervisor's supervisor …
She had seen this old man a few times when she was at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.
In her impression, he was probably the kind of person who didn't like to smile and rarely took the initiative to talk to people.
Deligné looked at the front of the lecture hall and spoke calmly.
"There's nothing to worry about, he's my favorite student."
Just as he finished speaking, a discordant voice came from the side without any trace of politeness.
"Aren't you embarrassed to say that? You've only taught him for a few months. "
Deligné didn't even need to look. Just by hearing the arrogant and mean tone, he could guess which old friend it was.
Deligné smirked and looked at the person.
"You're here too?"
"Your question is strange, why wouldn't I be here?" Faltings sat down next to Deligné and said with a blank expression, "If someone is talking nonsense on stage, someone has to point it out."
Vera looked at him with dissatisfaction. She was obviously not happy with what he said.
However, her presence was so weak that no one noticed her at all …
As for Deligné, he only smiled.
"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."
Faltings raised his eyebrows and said, "You're that confident?"
Deligné: "Do you want to bet?"
Faltings stared at his old friend for a while and didn't respond. Instead, he looked at the stage.
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