The Final Choice

Shen Qi shook hands with the Russian contestant Peter. This handsome blond guy was amazing; he had achieved a perfect score for three consecutive sessions, tying the IMO historical record.

The two couldn't communicate in a language they both mastered. They gestured, hugged, and then went their separate ways.

Finally, Wiles, the head of the judging panel, gave a concise closing speech, and this year's IMO concluded successfully.

"Hello, Shen Qi. I'm a reporter stationed in the UK for QQ News. Could I interview you for a few minutes?" a Chinese reporter found Shen Qi, wanting to conduct a simple interview.

"It's not a live broadcast, is it?" Shen Qi noticed it was just the reporter, a young lady, and no cameraman.

"We usually don't broadcast the IMO live; our reports are mainly text and images," the female reporter explained. Then, she turned on her voice recorder and asked, "First of all, congratulations on winning three awards in a single IMO session, setting a new record for Chinese contestants. What's the story behind your total score of 42+1?"

"Let me explain that," Shen Qi said. "Actually, there were four people tied for first place in the gold medal, including myself, all with a perfect score of 42. Professor Wiles, the head of the judging panel, gave me 42+1 instead of 43 because the '+1' doesn't count towards my individual valid score. The innovation award I received was an unexpected bonus."

Shen Qi showed his extra rewards: a certificate and a book.

The certificate was for the innovation award. Strangely, the book had no author's name or publisher information on its cover, only the title, Beautiful-Language.

Flipping to the book's title page, Shen Qi pointed to a signature, "Andrew-Wiles," and said, "This book title should be translated as Beautiful Language in Chinese. You can't buy it in stores because it was never published. Professor Wiles printed it at his own expense and gave it to me as a reward for the innovation award. I like this gift and will study it carefully when I get home."

The female reporter, with a camera around her neck, took photos of Shen Qi and then asked, "Last question, do you have any universities in mind?"

"Miss, can you guess?"

"Huh?"

"Actually, I've been thinking about it for a long time, and now I finally have a general direction. I've decided to pursue my undergraduate studies in China. If I have the opportunity in the future, I can continue my studies at a foreign university."

"Then I wish you all the best."

The interview ended. Shen Qi returned to the hotel with the team to pack his luggage and prepare for his return home.

System Notification: "Congratulations to the host for obtaining a new achievement, First Place in the International Mathematical Olympiad Individual Ranking! Reward: 15,000 scholar points, multiplied by the Math Primary Talent coefficient of 2, for an actual reward of 30,000 scholar points. Remaining scholar points: 89,873. Please confirm, host."

Whether in reality or in the system, Shen Qi gained a lot from this IMO, including a gold medal, honor, and scholar points.

He met some special people and broadened his horizons. In short, the trip was worthwhile.

On the last day of July, the Chinese Math Olympiad team boarded a plane and left London for home.

On the plane, Shen Qi used 50,000 scholar points to upgrade his Math.

System: "Congratulations to the host, Math has been upgraded to Level 6. The host's observation, memory, imagination, judgment, and deduction abilities in the field of Math have significantly improved compared to the previous level."

Host: Shen Qi Age: 17 Math Level 6 (0/150,000) Physics Level 1 (0/1,000) Chemistry Level 1 (0/1,000) Biology Level 1 (0/1,000) Chinese Level 1 (0/1,000) English Level 1 (0/1,000) History Level 1 (0/1,000) Politics Level 1 (0/1,000) Geography Level 1 (0/1,000) Sports Level 1 (0/1,000) Remaining Scholar Points: 39,873

Upgrading from Level 6 to Level 7 requires 150,000 scholar points. The further the upgrade, the more scholar points are needed, showing a non-linear growth trend.

Shen Qi's Level 6 Math proficiency was more than enough for high school mathematics. University students would likely struggle to match him.

Actually, while in the United Kingdom, Shen Qi had been pondering one issue: language.

He realized how important mastering a foreign language was after going abroad.

Only knowing how to say "Hello, I'm good, thank you, big brother" made him feel like an idiot.

If he happened to meet a beautiful foreign girl, he wouldn't be able to have a deep conversation.

Also, the book written by Professor Wiles was entirely in English, which he couldn't even understand.

Making a small investment, Shen Qi spent 1,000 scholar points on English, upgrading it to Level 2.

System: "Congratulations to the host, English has been upgraded to Level 2. The host's perception of English has significantly improved compared to the previous level."

Shen Qi: "Math enhanced so many ability indicators for me, but English only enhances perception?"

System: "Yes."

Shen Qi: "No."

System: "Science and linguistics are different categories. Please do not confuse them. I already reminded you when English was upgraded from Level 0 to Level 1."

He seemed to have been reminded, but Shen Qi hadn't paid attention. Months ago, his entire focus had been on mathematics.

Now that the IMO was over, Shen Qi had freed up his energy to focus on other subjects.

The plane flew east all the way, arriving at the Capital Airport in the United Kingdom.

Without leaving the Capital Airport, he transferred to a domestic flight, and Shen Qi arrived in Nangang City on the morning of August 1st.

Shen Zhishan and Fan Yunxia, a couple, drove to the airport to pick up their son.

Shen Qi went to the provincial team for intensive training at the end of June, then went to the Capital to participate in the national competition, was selected for the national training team, and went to the United Kingdom to compete internationally. During this period, father and son met once in the Capital. Shen Qi had not seen his mother for over a month.

"Mom, I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, son!"

Mother and son hugged, and Shen Zhishan carried Shen Qi's luggage to the parking lot.

Not long after, the family of three was on their way home by car.

"Shen Qi, you're famous now, an international Olympic Math champion. Do you know my phone has been ringing off the hook these past few days? I had to add 1,000 yuan to my phone plan." Shen Zhishan complained about the expensive phone bill, but his face was filled with pride and joy.

"It's true, Shen Qi, you're on the news. There's an interview with you on QQ News. All the top 10 universities in China have contacted your dad," Fan Yunxia said, also beaming with pride.

"Shen Qi, which university do you want to go to?" Shen Zhishan and Fan Yunxia asked simultaneously.

"Give me a month. I'll tell you the answer in a month." Shen Qi didn't give an immediate answer, but his tone was firm.

Fan Yunxia asked, "Oh? What are you planning to do this month?"

"Practice?"

"Practice what?"

"Divine skill."

"Don't mess around, Shen Qi. You've finally achieved something. Behave yourself, okay?"

After returning home, Shen Zhishan found his worries were unnecessary.

What Shen Qi called practicing divine skill was actually learning English.

He kept an English dictionary on hand, listened to Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" through his earphones, and switched from listening to Pu Shu and Xu Wei to Maroon 5 and Norah Jones. He rewatched Game of Thrones, this time with English subtitles only, no Chinese ones... Supported by his Level 2 English Perception, Shen Qi's practical English skills improved dramatically. He began reading Wiles' book, The Beautiful Language.

To be honest, Wiles' writing style wasn't great; it was merely at a level where he could express himself clearly.

But the book was packed with substance, essentially a combination of Wiles' autobiography and mathematical papers.

Wiles said he was born into an academic family, with his father being a university professor.

He started researching Fermat's Last Theorem at the age of 10 and finally completed the proof after 30 years of study.

He said that mathematics relies on genius, but a genius is always accompanied by good teachers and friends, and great achievements arise from the collision of ideas.

In his academic career, he was most grateful to his mentor, Coates, a learned scholar who guided him in proving the elliptic curve of complex number multiplication, giving him the courage to launch the final assault on Fermat's Last Theorem, ultimately earning him the Fields Medal... Therefore, mathematics is the most beautiful language. (The End)

After reading Wiles' journey and his profound insights into mathematics, Shen Qi made his decision the day before school started, on September 1st.

He would attend Yanjing University for his undergraduate studies and decide about graduate school later.

Yanjing University's name wasn't as catchy as Shuimu's, but their mathematics department was ranked first in the country. The collision of ideas produces great achievements.

"Yanjing University is fine. This isn't a joke, it's the reality. Don't laugh, Dad, be serious, okay? I've decided to sign with Yanjing University."

I recommend a book, The Basketball Godfather of the Sports World. It's a sports novel, and a good read. I started my writing career with sports novels, so you can trust my professional judgment.