Classmate Bonds
The big boss is back; graduation dinner is underway.
Shen Qi inquired about the recent situation and lofty aspirations of each student.
To Shen Qi's relief, although the only girl in the class was far away in the United States, nine other girls were present at the dinner table.
The nine girls are family members of male students Mathematics Department. Their attendance at the dinner as family members indicates that their relationships with their boyfriends are very stable.
More than a quarter of the male Mathematics Department have publicly identified their relationships, and the rate of finding a partner is higher than in previous years.
"They're all beauties!" Shen Qi raised his glass, particularly pleased. "Come on, as the former class monitor of the Mathematics Department, I'd like to toast these nine beauties. What I want to say is, choosing a science guy, choosing a math guy, was the best decision you ever made! I'll drink this, beauties, feel free to do as you please."
Shen Qi tilted his head back and downed a glass of baijiu, genuinely happy.
"Dr. Shen, I salute you! Seeing is believing, you truly are a real man!" Luo Ji's girlfriend is from Northeast China, and Northeastern girls are known for their toughness. She downed two ounces of baijiu in one gulp without batting an eye.
"Hey girl, what's your major?" Shen Qi asked.
Luo Ji's girlfriend poured Shen Qi a drink. "I'm a law student, come on, have another one."
Luo Ji quickly stepped forward, blocking Shen Qi: "Lingling, I'll drink this glass for our class monitor; he has a speech to give tomorrow."
"Luo Ji, get out of the way!" Lingling shoved Luo Ji several meters away. She raised her glass. "This society is indeed very materialistic, but we girls all admire talented men. Shen Qi, you are very talented, I toast you."
"Shen Qi, a toast to you!"
"My idol, I'll drink first as a sign of respect!"
"Dr. Shen, I'm not very good at talking. I'll drink this one, you can help yourself to the rest."
The other girls raised their glasses; some drank baijiu (Chinese liquor), some drank red wine, and some drank juice.
No matter what they drank, the girls all downed it.
Snap!
Shen Qi slammed his hand on the table and said to Luo Ji and the other guys who had found girlfriends, "See? I didn't lie to you. There are beauties in books. Read more, study hard, and you'll be able to marry a wife who is both beautiful and intelligent. All you guys with girlfriends, raise a glass! May all lovers be united in marriage! Cheers!"
"Let's do it!"
"Dry!"
"Let's drink to the single folks!"
"I'm having a son, and he'll be learning math!"
"My daughter is no longer learning math?"
"My daughter married a mathematician!"
Cheers to mathematics!
The atmosphere at the dinner was incredibly touching. Towards the end, students who were about to leave Yenching University to start their careers cried, couples who were about to part ways and go to different places cried, single people cried, everyone cried.
It's extremely rare to see college classmates crying so hard; it's a truly genuine expression of affection.
Shen Qi cherishes the friendship he formed with his classmates in the Mathematics Department. Mathematics gave him everything: achievements, honors, friendships, and even a girlfriend.
We've cried, laughed, and gone crazy; all good things must come to an end.
After daybreak, everyone went about their business; a new chapter of life awaited them.
Shen Qi's first speech after returning to China was scheduled to be held in the Yanjing University Auditorium.
The venue was packed; Mathematics Department and non- Mathematics Department, men and women—everyone who could come was there.
This is Shen Qi's sixth speech in a short period, and his first speech in Chinese.
"I know that many of you here are not mathematics majors, and the Riemann Hypothesis is a very specialized mathematical problem."
"What exactly is the Riemann Hypothesis? Why do I need to prove it? What role would proving the Riemann Hypothesis play in the progress of human civilization?"
"First, we need to talk about prime numbers. Natural numbers like 2, 3, 5, and 7, which are divisible only by themselves and 1, are called prime numbers."
"Prime numbers play an important role in both pure and applied mathematics."
"Ever since prime numbers were discovered, people have believed that the distribution of prime numbers does not follow any pattern."
"It wasn't until the German mathematician Riemann observed that the distribution of prime numbers is closely related to a complex function, and that all prime numbers can be represented as a function, namely the Riemann zeta function."
"This is where the Riemann Hypothesis comes from, which is the first question I just mentioned."
"The second question is, why should I prove the Riemann Hypothesis?"
"Because this is my mission."
Wow!
Crash! Crash!
Applause erupted.
This is, after all, Yenching University.
Shen Qi has too many die-hard fans at Peking University; whatever he says is always right.
If it's a lecture at Shuimu University, then it's hard to say what the situation would be.
Shen Qi continued his speech, "The third question is, what role will proving the Riemann Hypothesis play in the progress of human civilization?"
"Regarding the third question, I once had a very mischievous idea. In fact, I used to desperately want to overturn the Riemann Hypothesis." At this point, Shen Qi laughed, "I only dare to say this today; this is the first time I've said it in public."
The audience was puzzled. Why?
Shen Qi explained, "Since the Riemann Hypothesis was proposed in 1859, it has been assumed to be true by the Mathematics Community, and has given rise to countless propositions and inferences."
"If I were to overturn the Riemann Hypothesis, I might become even more famous. This would mean that millions of mathematical documents written from 1859 to the present day would become invalid, as they were all based on the premise that the Riemann Hypothesis is true."
This idea is very bold!
Pipiqi!
The audience suddenly realized, "Yes, if Shen Qi were to refute and disprove the Riemann Hypothesis, wouldn't the Mathematics Community be thrown into chaos?"
"Unfortunately, after a long period of research, I have proven that the Riemann Hypothesis is a correct proposition. I cannot refute it. Riemann was right, and his argument is irrefutable," Shen Qi said, spreading his hands, looking quite regretful.
Why...
The entire audience sighed. According to Shen Qi's logic, overturning Lê Conjecture more exciting than proving it!
However, overthrowing Lê Conjecture is no longer possible, which is a pity, truly a pity.
"Returning to the topic of the Riemann Theorem, yes, the Riemann Hypothesis is now renamed the Riemann Theorem. So what practical contribution has the Riemann Theorem made to humanity?"
"The application scenario I can think of is that the Riemann Theorem might lead to a completely new method of deciphering... I can't say whether this is a contribution to humanity or a harm? Only time will tell."
"I'll reiterate my point: everyone has their own area of expertise. I'm only responsible for theoretical research, providing theoretical support, or refuting certain false propositions. As for the application aspects, let's leave that to applied scientists. Thank you, that concludes my presentation!"
Shen Qi bowed in gratitude, completing his first speech since returning to China, which received an extremely enthusiastic response.
After the lecture, Shen Qi returned to the School of the Big Mathematics Department at Yenching University, which he had been thinking about day and night.
The speech, addressed to all teachers and students, had a popular science component.
The symposium, aimed at all renowned mathematicians in the School of Mathematical Sciences at Yenching Big Mathematics Department, is a highly specialized event, and Shen Qi is eager to discuss professional mathematical issues with mathematics experts from Yenching University.
(If you vote with your guaranteed monthly tickets, there will be extra chapters on weekends!)