I've Seen Right Through You, Shen Qi

"There's a lecture on November 3rd, the speaker is Dr. Lax, an honorary doctorate from the Department of Mathematics. Students who are interested can go and listen." Shen Qi sent a message in the Mathematics Department WeChat group, and then continued chatting with the foreigner.

"Miss Helen, why do you Americans always love to start wars?" Shen Qi asked in English, his conversation partner being his College English teacher.

Helen Margaret Lawrence, from the United States, is an English teacher at Yenching University. She gave herself the Chinese name "Hua Mulan".

"This is a bankers' conspiracy, a tactic by politicians to divert attention from domestic problems. The majority of Americans oppose the war, and my whole family are anti-war activists," Helen said.

"Does America seem chaotic?" Shen Qi asked.

"That's why I came to China." Helen wasn't angry; instead, she smiled. "My current boyfriend is Chinese. He's very handsome and charming, and more importantly, he's very knowledgeable."

"Really? He's a teacher too?" Shen Qi asked.

"No, he's still studying, pursuing his doctorate at Shuimu University." Helen's smile was filled with happiness as she raised her hand, revealing a diamond ring on the middle finger of her left hand. "Actually, he has already proposed to me."

"Congratulations!" Shen Qi said.

Girls from Yenching University and guys from Tsinghua University—it's true, the men from Shuimu University have a knack for seducing people; even the foreign female teachers at Yenching University have been lured away by them.

"We will have a traditional Chinese wedding in his hometown after he graduates with his doctorate. Wow, his hometown is so beautiful. I've been there a few times. The stinky tofu is especially delicious; I think I'll never be able to live without it, and I love China." Helen seemed excited. "Yes, I love China, and I love my doctorate from China."

"Miss Helen, you have quite the unique taste. Perhaps in the near future, should I address you as Mrs. Wang Helen or Mrs. Zhang Helen?"

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do. After I married a Chinese man, I didn't need to change my surname."

Shen Qi and Helen chatted for the entire afternoon.

English +1

In the following days, Shen Qi continued to communicate with his College English teacher. On the one hand, he wanted to get a feel for English listening and speaking skills, and on the other hand, he also learned a lot about American social characteristics and customs from Shen Qi.

"So you're determined to go to Princeton?" Zhou Yu'an asked Shen Qi.

Today is November 3rd. This is a large classroom in the science building, where Mr. Lax's mathematics lecture is about to begin.

"If it weren't for math, I really wouldn't want to go to America. America is too chaotic," Shen Qi said, looking around. Why hadn't Ou Ye arrived yet?

"For mathematics, you're willing to risk your life. But for a girl, you're unmoved," Zhou Yu'an lamented. "You can't have both power and beauty; beautiful women have always had tragic fates."

"Where is the beauty? You?" Shen Qi asked back.

"Don't play dumb!" Zhou Yu'an felt sorry for the girls. "I've seen through you, Shen Qi. There's only one woman you love, and her name is Mathematics."

At that moment, a young man pushed a wheelchair into the classroom, and the entire room fell silent.

Sitting in the wheelchair was an elderly white man, Peter Lax, a leading figure in the field of contemporary applied mathematics.

Lax taught at New York University, the mecca of applied mathematics, for many years. He was very friendly to the Chinese Mathematics Community and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Big Mathematics Department.

There are many formulas, theorems, and theories in the Mathematics Community today that are named after Lax, such as the Lax shock condition and the application of entropy in shock theory, the Lax-Windrov scheme, and the Lax-Milgram theorem.

The 90-year-old Lax is Wolf Prize laureate. This elderly man has lost his mobility and can only give speeches from a wheelchair.

Nian Ruiming was right; Mr. Lax's English accent was very heavy, with a distinct Eastern European pronunciation. Lax was born in Budapest, Hungary, and later immigrated to the United States.

Lax's lecture was intermittent; he would pause after every three sentences before continuing.

But the students listened with great interest, including Shen Qi.

"Nonlinear equations are always annoying... but in the KdV equation, it is precisely these nonlinear effects that make us..."

"No other field relies on computation as much as Chaos theory... With computation, we can explore the mysteries of Chaos theory; this branch of mathematics has the potential to change the world..."

"Children, you must have heard of the Butterfly effect... The Butterfly effect is a theory in Chaos theory..."

"A butterfly flapping its wings can cause a devastating typhoon on the other side of the world..."

The question is, in the vast Amazon rainforest, where trillions of butterflies flutter about, which butterfly is the source of the typhoon...?

"Through mathematics and calculations, we can pinpoint the exact location of this butterfly..."

"And make this butterfly flap its wings at a certain frequency within a specified time..."

"The computational workload is astronomical; humans simply cannot complete this task... Fortunately, we invented the Computer Science..."

"We must never allow mathematics to become a weapon of war... but through unimaginable mathematical calculations, we can solve the drought in the Sahara or the floods in the Amazon at extremely low cost..."

The temple of fundamental mathematics is at Princeton, where scholars are responsible for theoretical research.

The arsenal of applied mathematics is at New York University, where Engineer are responsible for practical applications.

Shen Qi prefers basic mathematics, believing that theory determines the level of application, so his goal is Princeton.

"Come to the Science Building quickly!" Shen Qi sent a WeChat message to Ou Ye. He felt that it was very necessary for Ou Ye to attend Lax's lecture. Ou Ye was the Calculation Ji," and Lax was the Calculation Emperor." If Ou Ye could learn the essence of computing from Lax, she might one day become the new emperor of the computing world, the Calculation Empress.

In fact, Shen Qi had already informed Ou Ye that there would be a mathematics lecture today, but Ou Ye did not appear in the classroom of the science building until Lax finished his lecture.

"Ou Ye, what are you doing!" Shen Qi was furious. Lax was ninety years old, and he only gave one lecture a year at Yenching University. Every lecture he attended was one less he could attend.

After listening to Lax's lecture, Shen Qi rushed towards the mathematics department building. "Ou Ye, you've become a hot commodity! Professors in the mathematics department are scrambling to get you. Are you getting cocky? Inflated with ego?"

Shen Qi arrived at the School of Mathematical Sciences, pushed open the door to the SOS Project Office, and was about to explode when he found Ou Ye asleep on the computer desk, with a small medicine bottle next to the computer monitor.

On Ou Ye's computer screen was a LaTeX document; she was writing the summary section of her SOS research paper.

"Sigh..." Shen Qi sighed, feeling sorry for him; his previous complaints had completely vanished.

Taking off his coat and gently draping it over Ou Ye's slender shoulders, Shen Qi Ou Ye beside her, quietly watching her.