Fate Was Truly Mysterious

Shen Qi sent the author's draft to the editor of the * Mathematical Herald * via email.

The gist is: I'm right, I won't change, you change it if you want.

Editor Xu Weini of the * Mathematical Herald * resumed work at 2 PM after her lunch break.

As an editor of a mathematics journal, Xu Weini certainly understands mathematics. She is also a graduate of the Big Mathematics Department at Yenching University. After graduation, she stayed on at the school and joined the editorial department of the "Mathematical Herald" as an assistant researcher.

Xu Weini is responsible for the initial review of submitted papers, checking for standard formatting and the presence of obvious, basic errors. She is in charge of this level of review.

An even more important task is that once the paper enters the peer review stage, Xu Weini needs to coordinate between the authors and reviewers to ultimately ensure the paper is finalized and accepted for publication.

Bite!

You have a new email.

Xu Weini checked her email for a new message: a draft of the author's comments sent by Shen Qi.

After reading for a while, Xu Weini didn't quite understand the professional explanation, but Shen Qi's meaning was very clear: no changes, no changes, no changes. I'm the boss, I'm the most domineering.

"Shen Qi's argument makes some sense; I need to send it to the experts immediately." Xu Weini wrote a new email, attaching Shen Qi's author's comments. She wanted to close this deal as soon as possible; she had already bought the plane tickets—business class—and was going back to her hometown for the Chinese New Year in a few days.

Of course, Xu Weini slightly modified the wording of Shen Qi's written description.

Shen Qi's original words were too aggressive; he was trying to stir up trouble.

In the mathematical proof section, Xu Weini didn't change a single symbol, which shows respect for the author.

Xu Weini sent the milder version of "Shen Qi's Draft" to the reviewers' email addresses, and then went on to handle other matters.

Meanwhile, at the headquarters building of the Chinese Mathematical Society.

Liu Maoqing is still taking his medication. He has had heart surgery and needs to take his medication on time every day.

Liu Maoqing is a mathematics expert who serves as an officer of the Chinese Mathematical Society. He holds a PhD in mathematics, specializing in algebra. The algebraic paper, "Analysis of Generalized Nonlinear Complementarity Problems with Linear Inequality Constraints," changed hands several times before finally ending up in Cadre Liu's hands, where he served as a reviewer.

To avoid conflicts of interest, Xu Weini chose reviewers from the Chinese Mathematical Society.

The Mathematical Herald is a publication sponsored by the Big Mathematics Department. Shen Qi is a student at the Big Mathematics Department. It is inappropriate to have mathematics experts from Yenching University review Shen Qi's manuscript. At least, it is not convenient to arrange experts from Yenching University as reviewers in the peer review process.

Xu Weini is able to uphold this level of professional ethics. Peer review is not the same as internal review by the Big Mathematics Department. Shen Qi must be reviewed by external experts; otherwise, outsiders will say that our Yenching University mathematics clique is monopolizing the field, which is simply a rumor and doesn't exist.

It is also inappropriate to assign mathematics experts from other universities to serve as reviewers for students in the Big Mathematics Department at Yenching University.

Therefore, the most suitable reviewers are from the Chinese Mathematical Society, a high-level mathematical institution that can stand on equal footing with the School of the Big Mathematics Department.

Xu Weini initially approached an expert surnamed Hu, rather than the Cadre Liu, from the Chinese Mathematical Society.

Expert Hu recently went abroad to attend an international mathematics conference, and Shen Qi's paper manuscript was subsequently handed over to Expert Yu.

Because the expert was going through a divorce with his wife and had no mood to review the manuscript, Shen Qi's paper was resold again and ended up in the hands of Liu Maoqing, an administrative staff member.

Fate is truly wondrous. Cadre Liu knows the author of this paper, Shen Qi. I've graded his CMO national final exam paper and even taught him algebra two years ago when he was in the National Training Team. Back then, Shen Qi was in high school.

Xu Weini had no idea about the relationship between Cadre Liu and Shen Qi. How could she know who graded Shen Qi's CMO exam paper or who was Shen Qi's algebra teacher in the National Training Team? Only a few people within the Chinese Mathematical Society had a general idea of these inside stories.

Following Shen Qi, another CMO national finals were held, Chinese Mathematical Society formed a new Chinese Mathematical Olympiad National Team. Younger contestants shone brightly in the IMO, and new mathematical geniuses slowly emerged, drawing the attention of the Chinese Mathematics Community.

In the history of the Chinese Mathematical Olympiad, Shen Qi is already a historical figure. He retired in his second year of high school, standing at the pinnacle of the Olympiad before retiring. No nonsense, no fuss, he won the grand prize and left. That's very much Shen Qi.

The Chinese Mathematical Society found new favorites; no one will bother with outdated math competition veterans anymore.

Aside from Cadre Liu, he was so impressed with Shen Qi he would never forget him, even if he were burned to ashes.

In a single-blind process, reviewers know the basic information of the paper's authors.

Cadre Liu was Shen Qi's reviewer. He knew everything about Shen Qi, and Shen Qi's manuscript from his high school days was still locked in Cadre Liu's drawer.

"However, to be fair, Shen Qi is quite capable. He was admitted to Peking University without taking the entrance exam, and he's already published a paper in a core journal so quickly. He hasn't even finished his first year of university yet, and he's already surpassed most of his peers. But, after all, he's young and lacks experience. Writing a paper isn't like participating in a math competition. Shen Qi, you still need to work harder."

Cadre Liu believed he knew Shen Qi well; part of Shen Qi's algebra foundation was laid by him.

Regarding Shen Qi's algebra paper, Cadre Liu believed he was the most qualified to comment, and that revising it according to his suggestions would be foolproof.

Please check your new email.

At this moment, Liu Maoqing received a new email from the editor of the * Mathematical Herald *: "Dear Teacher Liu, the authors have provided feedback on the paper 'Analysis of Generalized Nonlinear Complementarity Problems with Linear Inequality Constraints.' Please check the attachment."

"Hey, what's with the feedback? Shen Qi, just revise it according to my instructions, that's all. Why make it so complicated?" Liu Maoqing opened the attachment and started reading.

"What? V∈δH(x) is nonsingular!"

"Redefine the affine matrix Dk and the diagonal matrix Ck?"

"Can't the Heisenberg Formation be obtained directly?"

"Did I waste my time studying Mathematics Department at Yenching University?"

"Did I waste my time teaching in the math Olympiad training team back then?"

"Shen Qi, you're talking complete nonsense!"

"Who gave you such strong self-confidence?"

"To prove my point wrong, you actually calculated the probability that {△k} does not tend to 0? You could write a new paper with that kind of time!"

"Is it really necessary, Shen Qi? I was your algebra teacher!"

Cadre Liu's face was flushed, a characteristic of people who have had heart disease. He took out a nitroglycerin pill and pressed it under his tongue, then proceeded to refute Shen Qi's key feedback points one by one on the computer.

Academic struggles are complex and brutal; physical weakness renders everything else meaningless.

A coffee shop outside Yenching University.

Ou Ye took two pills; it was time for her daily medication.

"Can you tell me what illness you have?" Shen Qi asked with concern. Ou Ye was his classmate, the only girl in the Mathematics Department this year, and his academic partner. "Ou Ye, you absolutely can't fall ill!"

Ou Ye: "I don't know either, just take the medicine."

It's impossible that she didn't know; she just didn't want to say. Shen Qi stood up. "I drank too much water; I'm going to the restroom."

In the bathroom, Shen Qi sent a WeChat message to his Mom, a doctor. "There is a patient, female, 19 years old, with pale skin, not like a normal person."

"She is 168cm tall and weighs 44.5kg. Her body proportions are basically normal, with slightly longer legs. Her bust is slightly larger than expected, and she has no scars on her limbs."

"This patient's breathing rhythm is sometimes uneven, and she cannot speak too much in one breath, otherwise it will cause her to have difficulty breathing."

"This patient is physically weak and develops heatstroke symptoms with even slight exertion in high temperatures. She takes medication three times a day, with intervals of 5-6 hours. The medication is in the form of small white pills, and its name is currently unknown. There may be other medications as well, but these are also currently unknown."

"Dr. Fan, what illness does this patient suffer from?"

Shen Qi relayed his observations of the external characteristics of the Ou Ye to his Mom, Fan Yunxia, in the most medically accurate possible way.

My Mom replied instantly, "You have a girlfriend?"

Shen Qi: "No, just a female classmate. I'm the class monitor, so caring about my classmates is a duty."

Mom: "Take a picture of the female patient's medical record and send it to me."

Shen Qi: "If I had her medical records, would I need to consult you, Mom?"

Mom: "Without looking at the medical records and not being able to see the patient in person, no doctor would dare to make a conclusion."