Steady as a Rock

Christmas Eve, Holy Night, and the Christmas holiday lasting more than half a month.

Whether American or European, most Christian teachers and students use the Christmas holidays to go home and reunite with their families.

A strong wind blew, snowflakes fell, and Shen Qi felt lonely, isolated, and a little cold.

Suddenly, the cell phone rang.

Shen Qi answered the phone listlessly, "Hello."

The caller spoke in Chinese: "Hello Shen Qi, this is Liu Maoqing from the Chinese Mathematical Society. Do you remember me?"

"Cadre Liu!" Shen Qi was greatly surprised; Cadre Liu was an old acquaintance.

Cadre Liu's Beijing accent warmed Shen Qi's heart on that cold, lonely American night. "Cadre Liu, you're still working at the Chinese Mathematical Society? And you're still just a staff member? You were a staff member when I was in high school, and now I'm a graduate student, you should be promoted to president by now..."

Once Shen Qi started talking, he couldn't stop. He needed someone to confide in. Life outside was tough and exhausting, and the students who had gone to study far from home were on the verge of collapse, spending cold nights alone.

Ideally, the person Shen Qi confides in should not be his family or closest friends, but they also shouldn't be a stranger.

Cadre Liu is a very suitable person to confide in.

Shen Qi rambled on and on for a long time before Cadre Liu finally couldn't help but interrupt, "Hey, Shen Qi, did you think I made an international call just to listen to your complaints?"

Shen Qi: "Sorry, sorry, so you have something important to discuss with me?"

In a bureaucratic tone, as if reading from a document, Cadre Liu announced, "Mr. Shen Qi, based on the recommendation of your recommender and the selection by the expert panel, you are hereby awarded the Chern Prize in Mathematics in recognition of your outstanding contributions to the field of mathematics. Please arrive at the University of Hong Kong before January 10th to attend the 'Chinese Mathematicians Congress and Chern Prize in Mathematics Award Ceremony'."

"This..." This sudden piece of good news left Shen Qi speechless for two seconds.

After the power was restored, Shen Qi was overjoyed. "That's wonderful! Thank you, Cadre Liu, and thank you to the Chinese Mathematical Society for this award!"

"You're in the US, so the invitation will be sent to you electronically. Please check your email later. I'm just relaying the message, since we know each other. Anyway, congratulations Shen Qi, Merry Christmas Eve, and please stay safe in the US." After giving a few more instructions, Cadre Liu ended the call.

Shen Qi opened his computer to check his emails. Sure enough, the Chinese Mathematical Society had sent an invitation letter. The content was similar to what Cadre Liu had said, and it included the specific agenda, hotel accommodations, and other information for the "Chinese Mathematicians Congress and Chern Prize in Mathematics Ceremony".

To be absolutely certain about such a big matter, Shen Qi made a phone call to Sun Erxiong, "Professor Sun, I heard I've been shortlisted for the Chern Prize in Mathematics?"

"The Chinese Mathematical Society notified you, right? I gave them your contact information in the US. That's right, congratulations Shen Qi, you won the award!" Sun Erxiong's voice sounded quite excited. "Book your flight quickly, arrive in Hong Kong before January 10th, and someone will be there to meet you when you arrive."

"I'll order right away! By the way, what about Ou Ye? Did she get selected too?"

"I heard that Ou Ye was eliminated in the second round of selection. It's okay, it's good that you were selected, that's what she said. I'll also be going to Hong Kong then, see you in Hong Kong."

"Okay, Professor Sun, see you in Hong Kong! Oh, just wondering, will you be taking Ou Ye to Hong Kong?" Shen Qi knew that the Chinese Mathematicians Congress wasn't something just anyone could attend; only Chinese mathematics experts with status and influence were qualified to participate, or could receive an invitation as an expert assistant.

"Do you want me to take her to Hong Kong?" Sun Erxiong asked.

"Certainly!"

"Then you can book the tickets first, bye."

After ending the call, Shen Qi immediately booked a round-trip ticket from New York to Hong Kong online. The earliest available ticket was for January 8th, so he decided to go with it, as it would be perfect.

"The Chern Prize in Mathematics, one of China's three major Math Prize and the highest honor for young Chinese mathematicians, why don't you give me some academic points as a reward?"

After calming down from his initial excitement, Shen Qi questioned the system, but it remained silent and offered no reply.

"Could there be some unforeseen circumstances? Or will the top student receive points only after they've already won the trophy and certificate?"

As required by the conference, Shen Qi compiled a conference paper, which was essentially a condensed explanation of the proof of the Wash Conjecture, and it took him several days to complete.

The days dragged on endlessly until January 8th, when Shen Qi finally traveled to New York's Kennedy Airport to board a flight to Hong Kong.

The Chern Prize in Mathematics was initially established with donations from Hong Kong entrepreneurs and has received continuous financial support from them over the decades.

The Chinese Mathematical Society's decision to hold this "Chinese Mathematicians Congress and Chern Prize in Mathematics Award Ceremony" in Hong Kong reflects the harmonious unity among Chinese people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong.

Mainland mathematics has the Yanjing School and the Fudan School, but the Hong Kong School in the Pearl River Delta should not be overlooked.

As a continuation of the Shui Mu School of Mathematics from the 1950s and 60s, Hong Kong has always been strong in mathematics. Later, it combined with the British academic school, giving rise to a unique style of mathematics, namely Hong Kong-style mathematics.

It is most appropriate for the University of Hong Kong, a renowned Asian university, to host this grand event for Chinese mathematics.

The Hong Kong hosts were very hospitable and made thorough arrangements.

As soon as Shen Qi got off the plane, his Hong Kong friend, dressed in a suit and sporting a fashionable perm, invited him into an Alphard MPV.

The Alphard drove towards Hong Kong Island, where the University of Hong Kong campus is located, and Shen Qi's hotel was also on Hong Kong Island.

Through the car window, Shen Qi saw men and women bustling about, busy making a living.

The narrow but orderly streets were lined with shops, one after another, including dim sum restaurants, clay pot rice shops, dessert shops, and fish ball stalls, which made Shen Qi feel very familiar with them.

Shen Qi is very familiar with Hong Kong. He has lost count of how many times he has been there. His home is very close to Hong Kong, and the lifestyle, eating habits, and language of Hong Kong people are similar to those of other cities in the Pearl River Delta.

Shen Qi's hotel is located in Victoria Harbour, offering a sea view.

The "Chinese Mathematicians Congress and Chern Prize in Mathematics Award Ceremony" will be held tomorrow. Most of the attendees have arrived, and most of them are staying at the same hotel as Shen Qi.

Only Sun Erxiong and Ou Ye were absent; their flight was delayed.

Shen Qi met with the president of the Chinese Mathematical Society at the hotel.

The president gave some instructions for tomorrow's conference and congratulated Shen Qi on winning the award.

The president has already said that Shen Qi has won this year's Chern Prize in Mathematics, so there's definitely no problem with that.

Shen Qi Sun Yat-sen University. He enjoyed dinner at the hotel restaurant and began to organize his thoughts for tomorrow's acceptance speech. He also mentally simulated the academic discussion following the award ceremony, imagining himself as a mathematics expert from various schools of thought and research institutions, questioning, examining, and interrogating his "true self."

The professional questions Shen Qi designed for himself were so bizarre that even he couldn't answer them.

In the simulation, "Shen Qi" was stumped by a question posed by the "Director of the Institute of Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences".

The director flicked his finger, tracing a jumble of random mathematical symbols in the air:

2∣fq∣(e^2.37ε2/8)≥1, r0≥1, B^2t+A^2=(t+1)N1^8...

These jumbled mathematical symbols danced between the director's magical fingers, emitting a fluorescent glow that drifted through the air like fireflies.

Shen Qi was dumbfounded. He had never seen such a complex mathematical problem before and didn't know where to start. He couldn't find even the slightest clue.

The system suddenly displayed a message: "New achievement! Congratulations to the host for winning the Chern Prize in Mathematics and becoming the youngest winner in history. The base reward is 300,000 Academic Excellence Points, multiplied by the Mathematics Main Talent 2.0, resulting in a final reward of 600,000 Academic Excellence Points. Remaining Academic Excellence Points: 1,068,749. Please confirm."

"Hehe." Shen Qi revealed a strange smile, returning to reality from the fantasy scene of "expert questioning".

"Heaven rewards the diligent, my hard work paid off!" Shen Qi thought to himself with secret joy, his expression returning to normal. If the system hadn't suddenly appeared and given him benefits, he might have fallen into a personality split.

With over a million academic points remaining, they're rolling in money!

Without hesitation, Shen Qi upgraded his math level to 10.

In the system's level system, levels 8-10 are considered elite, and levels 11-13 are considered master.

So level 10 is considered a high-level elite, not far from becoming a math master.