Princeton's Offer

"How much money do you need me to prepare for your studies abroad?" Shen Zhishan asked Shen Qi.

"I don't need money, I just need your and Mom's emotional support," Shen Qi said.

Shen Qi has several hundred thousand RMB in his bank account. This income comes from various sources, including book royalties, scholarships, and paper awards. "Of course, Princeton's tuition is not cheap. I'm trying to get a full scholarship in the United States, including scholarships from Princeton and the US government."

"How much scholarship money do Americans offer?" Shen Zhishan asked.

Shen Qi: "At most, it'll be a few tens of thousands of US dollars, which should be enough for the first academic year. I'll find a way to survive the following years, so don't worry."

"After you went to university, I didn't give you a single penny, except for buying you two plane tickets." Shen Zhishan wanted Shen Qi to have more confidence in relying on his father's wealth as his business grew, but Shen Qi didn't give his father that opportunity.

"The top student with the highest overall grades doesn't need to use his family's money," Shen Qi said with a smile.

During the leisurely Spring Festival holiday, Shen Qi completed the writing of his ninth paper, "On the Proof of Diophantine Equation Wash Conjecture," co-authored with Ou Ye, and submitted it to the manuscript submission email address of the Journal of Mathematics.

Since it was the Lunar New Year holiday and the editors weren't working, Shen Qi pre-recorded the paper on arVix as a precaution.

ArVix is a global academic website that provides a platform for scholars from all over the world to exchange ideas.

The process of a paper being formally accepted by a journal is often quite lengthy. During the paper review process, some authors will upload their papers to arVix for pre-entry to prove their originality.

After the winter break, Shen Qi returned to Yenching University in early March.

Good news arrived: Princeton Mathematics Department passed the initial review of Shen Qi's application, and Shen Qi will participate in an interview. If he passes the interview, he will receive an offer.

The interview took place in the capital city, and the interviewer was an American who was in charge of interviews in the Greater China region.

"Shen, your paper data is excellent, even dazzling." The American interviewer was generous with his praise.

Shen Qi said in English, "Thank you."

"Your qualifications meet Princeton's admission requirements, but you have a lot of competition. This September, only two students from the Greater China region will be enrolling at Princeton, while the number of applicants exceeds 100."

"It's fair to say that all applicants' paper data met Princeton's admission requirements; those who didn't meet the requirements didn't have the courage to submit their application materials to Princeton."

"So, Shen, please tell me about your unique and remarkable experiences," the interviewer said with a smile.

Shen Qi laughed too, "Before my second year of high school, I was a student with very poor grades. Yes, I never passed a math exam."

The interviewer was somewhat surprised. "This is indeed unique. All the applicants I've interviewed before had excellent academic records since elementary school."

Shen Qi continued, "Suddenly one day, I felt that this kind of life was meaningless, so I bought several university math textbooks and started self-studying. From then on, I never got a perfect score in math again until my sophomore year."

"So amazing?" The interviewer was captivated by Shen Qi's story.

"I really love the Oscar-winning film you made, Forrest Gump; I've watched it many times," Shen Qi said.

"Run, Forrest, run!" Shen Qi shouted, mimicking the tone from the movie, completely immersed in the role.

"Forrest Gump, who could barely walk, suddenly started running and became the fastest runner in America."

"I'm probably the same way, just running along the path of mathematics, not knowing where the end is, or where my Jenny is."

"When I got to the IMO venue, I realized I had run this far."

"Then I'll keep going." So I started writing papers, and I wrote eight in total. Oh, right, I should be able to publish two more math papers before September; the number ten means perfection to Chinese people.

"This long-distance race is not over yet, and perhaps Princeton is not the finish line."

"I will keep running until the day I can no longer run."

"That's my whole experience; there's nothing particularly exciting about it," Shen Qi said, shrugging.

"His communication skills are perfect," the interviewer thought to himself.

In fact, Shen Qi's outstanding academic record had already been recognized by the Princeton Mathematics Department. The interviewers mainly tested the applicant's oral expression ability and demeanor.

"Wait for news. Good luck." The interviewer shook hands with Shen Qi, and the interview ended.

Three days later, Shen Qi received an offer from the Princeton Mathematics Department.

The main contents of the offer include the following:

1. You have been admitted to the Princeton Mathematics Department, and your advisor for the combined Master's and Doctoral program will be Professor A. Muller.

2. Please report to Princeton before September 1st of this year.

3. You will receive a full scholarship to Princeton.

"OK, all done!" Shen Qi's major concern was resolved. His only regret was that Edward Witten had not become his mentor.

In his application, Shen Qi expressed his desire to study under Fields Medal winner Edward Witten.

The choice is a two-way street; Witten did not choose Shen Qi as his student.

Mr. Muller?

Shen Qi looked up Muller on the Princeton website; this man would be his advisor in the Princeton Mathematics Department.

Muller is German, and this surname is as common in Germany as the surname Li is in China.

American universities employ foreign professors on a contract basis, and foreign professors can also teach at Princeton.

According to available information, Professor Muller has received several minor awards, but has not yet won any of the three major Mathematics Community awards: F, W, and A.

Of course, those who can teach in the Princeton Mathematics Department are no ordinary people.

The renowned Edward Witten works at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study; becoming his student would be extremely difficult.

Regardless, Shen Qi has already received an offer from Princeton. He'll go there and see what happens; he'll take it one step at a time.

"Shen Qi, you're finally leaving." Zhou Yu'an said reluctantly.

Shen Qi: "I'll be back in a few years."

"There's no way to keep him here, so let him go." Zhou Yu'an wrote this line for Shen Qi, which is a famous line from Liu Rushi, one of the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai.

"Brother, I've let you down these past two years." Shen Qi was also somewhat saddened and remorseful. "You complained that I often acted arrogantly in front of you, but it wasn't my intention. I promise you, I will try my best to restrain myself in the future."

"Go talk to Ou Ye and see if she agrees to your restraint." Zhou Yu'an waved his hand, looking as if he had seen through the illusions of the world.

"She hasn't returned to school yet, but she'll be back soon, in the next day or two," Shen Qi said.

"Be nicer to her," Zhou Yu'an said seriously. "Confess your feelings to Ou Ye before you go abroad and officially confirm your relationship. You're a man, you have to take the initiative. Do you expect Ou Ye to say to you, 'Shen Qi, I like you, will you be my boyfriend?'"