You Always Said Graduation Was a Long Way Off, Then Suddenly We Went Our Separate Ways
Zhang Wanbang took off his wig, revealing a completely bald forehead.
"Since I don't have much hair left anyway, I might as well shave it all off and wear a wig," Zhang Wanbang said, putting his wig back on.
"This really is a curse." Shen Qi touched his hair, which was still quite thick and showed no signs of hair loss.
Zhang Wanbang patted Shen Qi on the shoulder and said, "Yes, that day will come eventually."
Chen Xiaoting chuckled to herself, "Shen Daniu wearing a wig, it gives off such a subtle sense of déjà vu."
"Let's go downstairs and take a look around," Shen Qi suggested.
"Let's go." Zhang Wanbang led Shen Qi and Chen Xiaoting out of the Vice Principal's office.
The most prominent spot on the first floor of the administration building is the bulletin board, which mainly introduces the century-old history of No. 2 Middle School and its famous alumni.
The most famous alumnus is Shen Qi, and there is a special column dedicated to Shen Qi's life and experiences, with high-resolution photos of him.
"Shen Qi is a distinguished contemporary mathematician and physicist, Fields Medal and Nobel Prize in Physics, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yanjing University Zhengting Professor, and Honorary Professor at Princeton University. He studied at the junior and senior High School Department schools of Nangang Second High School Middle School from XX to XX. Shen Qi's major scientific contributions include proving the Riemann Hypothesis and the Hodge conjecture, and establishing a theoretical system for the microstructure of Condensed Matter Physics... Many authoritative research institutions at home and abroad have commented that Shen Qi is the foremost figure in contemporary basic theoretical research."
Shen Qi stopped in front of the bulletin board and commented on his column's introduction. "This is too official."
Zhang Wanbang said, "It's very official, but also very objective. The introduction on the base of your bronze statue is much simpler, just one sentence: Shen Qi, [name omitted], [award omitted], that's all. Actually, I think that at your level, you don't need much introduction; your name is the best summary."
Shen Qi asked, "A bronze statue?"
Zhang Wanbang: "Yes, the school has commissioned a bronze bust of you. Now that you're back on campus, we'd like to ask for your opinion on where would be a suitable place to put the bust."
"Who makes statues of living people?" Shen Qi thought it was unlucky. Erecting statues of Great Scientist is common, but that's something that happens after the Great Scientist have passed away.
Zhang Wanbang had his reasons. "Aren't those celebrity wax figures in the wax museum unlucky? They're all alive and well, aren't they?"
"What do you think?" Shen Qi asked Chen Xiaoting.
"Just accept this small token of appreciation from the school. When I went to Chicago for research, I saw a bronze statue of Michael Jordan standing in front of the Bulls' home arena. The base of the statue was inscribed with the words 'Unprecedented and unparalleled.' The statue was erected in the mid-1990s. Did Jordan say anything?" Chen Xiaoting, who has traveled extensively and is very knowledgeable, believes that Shen Qi is worthy of having a statue erected.
Shen Qi asked, "You've been to the United States? You even went to Chicago, why didn't you contact me?"
Chen Xiaoting: "I arrived in the United States two years ago, by which time you had already returned to China."
Shen Qi said to Zhang Wanbang, "Alright then, I respect the school's decision. Where my portrait is placed will depend on the school's plan."
The three left the administration building and walked across the playground toward the teaching building.
The playground was very quiet at three or four in the afternoon.
You can hear the sound of students reading aloud in the early morning, but you can't hear it in the afternoon.
"I want to visit Class 2 of Grade 11," Shen Qi said.
"Of course." Zhang Wanbang led Shen Qi and Chen Xiaoting upstairs to the back door of Class 2, Grade 11.
The senior high school students have just finished taking the college entrance examination, and Class 2 of Grade 11 is about to be promoted to Class 2 of Grade 12.
Through the glass of the back door, Shen Qi saw a teacher explaining a math problem on the podium.
The 48 students in the class listened attentively to the question; some pondered deeply, some had a sudden realization, and some took notes.
The desks were arranged in six rows and eight columns, so Shen Qi could tell at a glance that there were 48 students in this year's Grade 11 (2) class, just like his own Grade 11 (2) class.
"The number 48 is quite a coincidence," Shen Qi laughed, recalling that he had once ranked 47th in his class.
"Starting five years ago, all classes in the High School Department have been set at 48 students. This Grade 11 (2) class has 48 students, Grade 12 (2) class which just finished the exam has 48 students, and Grade 10 (2) class also has 48 students." Zhang Wanbang quietly introduced the basic situation of Class 2 to Shen Qi and Chen Xiaoting.
"Legendary Class 2." Chen Xiaoting knew that Southerners were superstitious. Six years ago, Shen Qi won the Fields Medal, and five years ago, the number of students in Class 2 of each grade at No. 2 Middle School was set at a fixed 48. This must be because of Shen Qi.
"Now, junior high school students across the city consider it an honor to enter the High School Department of Nangang Second High School Middle School, and the greatest honor of being assigned to Class 2." Zhang Wanbang is quite proud of the legendary Class 2 he created.
"It's really interesting. Is the number 2 our No. 2 Middle School's lucky number?" Shen Qi felt that No. 2 Middle School was becoming more and more humane and had a rich campus culture. This was the soft power capital that enabled a famous middle school to continue to grow and become stronger.
At this moment, Shen Qi suddenly realized that the math problem that the second-year (2) class was discussing was an Olympiad math problem.
"I came up with this question on the blackboard." What a coincidence today; wherever Shen Qi goes, stories unfold.
Three years ago, Shen Qi was invited to create a problem for the CMO: Let n be a positive integer, and S be a set of (n+1) cubed minus 1 points in a three-dimensional space. What is the minimum number of planes required so that their union contains S but does not contain (0,0,0)?
"Really? So it was you who came up with this question. I heard that in the CMO three years ago, only one contestant in the whole country gave the correct solution and answer to this question." Zhang Wanbang suddenly realized, such a difficult question, it really was your trick.
"Is this how No. 2 Middle School teaches now? Teaching such difficult Olympiad math problems in a large classroom, it's like everyone's doing Olympiad math." Shen Qi realized why the subject competition teams at Nangang Second High School had been so amazing in recent years. In regular classes, teachers were teaching high-difficulty Olympiad math problems. Students trained in this teaching model must be incredibly formidable when they're released into the world.
"Wow, if I were in Class 2 now, I would be really discouraged. What does this question mean? I don't understand it at all." Chen Xiaoting scored 140 points on the college entrance exam in mathematics, but she couldn't understand this advanced math problem on the blackboard.
In the classroom, a boy stood up, his eyes sparkling, and he was answering the math teacher's questions with great enthusiasm.
The boy's deskmate was a girl. She looked up at him, and Shen Qi and the others could only see her profile. Her delicate profile was filled with admiration and affection.
"I sat in this boy's seat back then." Shen Qi felt a deep sense of emotion. In high school, students with good grades could really do whatever they wanted, and eleven years later, this trend hadn't changed.
"Back then..." Chen Xiaoting hesitated, remembering how she sat next to Shen Qi, just like the high school girl in front of her, idolizing boys who excelled in math.
"Back then..." Shen Qi looked at Chen Xiaoting. "Back then, you always said graduation was a long way off, but in the blink of an eye, we've all gone our separate ways."
Ring ring!
The bell rang suddenly, signaling the end of get out of class.
The classroom doors were wide open, and a large number of students poured out to rest and get some fresh air.
"Let's go," Shen Qi said in a low voice.
"We can't leave..." Chen Xiaoting remained unmoved as she noticed the students approaching, gathering, and tightening their encirclement.
After class, the students surrounded Shen Qi and his two companions. One girl shouted excitedly, "It's him, Shen Qi! He looks exactly like the picture on the bulletin board! Boss Shen Qi himself has arrived!"