Shen Qi

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Shen Qi (沈奇)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Yanjing University; Shen Qi Mathematical and Physical Research Center; Huahan Gene 391 710
Occupation/Role	Scientist, mathematician, physicist, professor, research-center director, and Chief Executive Scientist of Project Starlight 389 391 592
Status	Alive
First Appearance	Chapter 3

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Physics Level 3	52	Spent 4,000 scholar points to upgrade Physics; still struggled with wave-particle duality and suffered a headache while answering a quantum-physics question.
Physics Level 6	175	Upgraded after choosing Mathematical Physics as his primary research direction.
Physics Level 13 eligibility	389	Completed one year of service as a physics professor, qualifying him to promote Physics to Level 13.
Politics Level 8	503	Reached Level 8 after developing an interest in management, political education, and policy writing.

Background / History

Shen Qi began as a high-school student whose System rewarded study and real-world academic achievements with scholar points. After being caught playing mobile games, he resolved to focus on mathematics, partly out of guilt for worrying his parents. His rapid improvement culminated in perfect mathematics scores and first place in his class. 3 6

He won a gold medal with a perfect score at the National Mathematical Olympiad Final, drawing recruitment interest from major universities. Rather than immediately accept Shuimu University's offer, he carefully considered contract terms and his future options. He ultimately received guaranteed admission to Yanjing University. 37 51

At Yanjing University, Shen Qi became class monitor and formed a productive academic partnership with Ou Ye. He began publishing mathematics papers, while balancing research with student leadership duties and helping classmates. 116 128 148

After admission to Princeton's graduate Mathematics Department, Shen Qi pursued intensive coursework and research. He later earned graduate degrees in both Mathematics and Physics, taught at Princeton, and returned to China with Ou Ye. 203 218 390 430

Yanjing University appointed him Zhengting Professor and Director of the Shen Qi Mathematical and Physical Research Center. He built the center through merit-based recruitment, supervised interdisciplinary projects, and prioritized research quality over publication quantity. 389 391 396 397

His later work expanded beyond mathematics and physics into materials science, pharmacology, chemistry, gene engineering, and national strategic research. He became Chief Executive Scientist of Project Starlight and later directed Huahan Gene. 458 592 696 710

Personality

Shen Qi is highly driven, methodical, and confident in his ability to solve difficult problems. He values organizing knowledge over rote accumulation, treating systematic understanding as the basis of academic strength. 112

Despite his achievements, he can be humble and pragmatic. He described himself as preferring to be ordinary, while acknowledging that mathematics demands constant progress just to keep pace. 203

As a director, Shen Qi is demanding about rigor but willing to trust talent. He advances research funds before formal approval, encourages unconventional approaches, and judges researchers primarily by academic ability rather than connections or appearance. 396 397 417

He is also notably invested in the well-being and personal lives of people around him. He supports friends, mentors students, tries to arrange blind dates for staff, and later recognizes that his intense work culture has made his team emotionally stagnant. 140 410 474

Abilities & Skills

Mathematics

Shen Qi is an elite all-around mathematician whose work spans number theory, functional analysis, algebra, mathematical physics, and topology.

• Earned perfect scores in mathematics examinations and a gold medal with a perfect National Final paper. 6 37
• Published work in core journals, SCI journals, and top international mathematics journals. 148 198 390
• Co-proved the Wash Conjecture with Ou Ye. 227
• Was listed by the IMU among the year's prominent mathematicians following his Riemann Hypothesis report. 279
• Solved advanced problems on the spot and was regarded by researchers as an exceptionally versatile mathematician. 356
• His work Systematization and Hodge Conjecture earned 1,200,122 scholar points. 399

Physics

Shen Qi combines mathematical training with theoretical and experimental physics.

• Chose Mathematical Physics as his principal research direction. 175
• Conducted work in condensed matter physics, quantum physics, materials, and defect topology. 324 401 458
• Supervised quantum-well experiments and reorganized his center's Physics Division into Condensed Matter and Quantum Physics Groups. 417 458
• Received two PhDs in Physics and served as a physics professor. 389 430
• Worked on the Black Hole Information Paradox, M-theory, Yang-Mills equations, and other foundational problems. 452 456

Scientific Research Leadership

As director, Shen Qi leads multidisciplinary teams and manages high-level research programs.

• Founded and directed the Shen Qi Mathematical and Physical Research Center at Yanjing University. 389 391
• Recruited researchers including Xiao Junlong and Ma Chaofan, while refusing to poach key personnel from colleagues. 393 396 397
• Emphasizes safety, stability, and research quality in center operations. 399 400
• Led Project Starlight as Chief Executive Scientist. 592
• Directed pharmaceutical, toxicology, and gene-engineering research connected to Ou Ye's illness and broader medical applications. 458 696 717

Athletics

Shen Qi is an accomplished long-distance runner who uses running as both physical training and a source of mathematical inspiration.

• Joined the university track and field team to earn scholar points through competition. 157
• Won two individual long-distance championships, including the 10,000-meter event. 175
• His research-center team later placed second in the Weiming Lake Half Marathon Relay Race. 417

Academic Achievements

• National Mathematical Olympiad gold medalist with a perfect score. 37
• Top scorer in the college entrance examination. 112
• Youngest recipient of the Chern Prize in Mathematics. 235 241
• Fields Medalist. 342
• Nobel Prize recipient. 456
• Published seven papers in the top four mathematics journals, one monograph, two PRL papers, and one Science paper before returning to China. 390
• Invented the XT80 gene-editing equipment. 710

Relationships

• Ou Ye — Classmate, academic partner, girlfriend, and later wife. They collaborated on mathematical research, maintained a long-distance relationship during overseas study, and have a daughter, Shen Nuo Fei. 126 227 241 452
• Shen Nuo Fei — Daughter. Shen Qi takes an active role in her education, particularly in mathematics and natural science. 592 621 713
• Shen Zhishan — Father and private entrepreneur. Initially strict about Shen Qi's major decisions; later handles business matters related to Shen Qi's public profile and discusses succession of the family business. 37 112 621
• Fan Yunxia — Mother and internal-medicine doctor. She is patient with Shen Qi's academic struggles and later advises him about Ou Ye's health concerns. 3 151 154
• Sun Erxiong — Mentor and mathematics professor. He guided Shen Qi's early research and takes pride in Shen Qi and Ou Ye's achievements. 140 227 235
• Lu Guozhen — Professor and mentor who offers Shen Qi emotional support during the secret national project. 175 185 198
• Zhou Yu'an — Longtime friend, classmate, and later colleague. Their friendship persists despite Zhou Yu'an's insecurity about Shen Qi's accomplishments. 148 210 578
• Chen Xiaoting — High-school deskmate and former mathematics student. She later becomes a reporter and interviews Shen Qi after his athletic victory. 6 11 175
• Old Ou — Ou Ye's father. Initially protective and intimidating toward Shen Qi, but later accepts him as family and discusses their future directly. 198 342 643
• Han Meng — Biology talent and mentee at Huahan Gene. Shen Qi invites him into the family's Spring Festival celebration and entrusts him with laboratory leadership. 710 717

Story Role / Major Arcs

High-School Prodigy

Shen Qi transforms from an unfocused student into a mathematics prodigy through System-assisted study. His perfect scores, Olympiad success, and direct admission to Yanjing University establish his reputation. 3 6 37 51

Yanjing University and Early Research

At university, Shen Qi becomes class monitor, publishes papers, develops his partnership with Ou Ye, and begins balancing scholarship with leadership responsibilities. 116 128 148

Princeton and International Recognition

Shen Qi studies at Princeton, researches alongside Ou Ye from afar, wins the Chern Prize, and gains international attention for major mathematical work. 212 235 279

Return to China and Research Center

After returning to China, Shen Qi becomes a professor and establishes his own mathematics and physics research center at Yanjing University. He recruits researchers, manages major projects, and develops a distinctive academic culture. 389 391 397

Family and Medical Research

Shen Qi marries Ou Ye, becomes a father, and increasingly directs his scientific efforts toward materials, drugs, and treatments relevant to her health. 452 458 684

National Projects and Biotechnology

He assumes leadership of Project Starlight while also directing Huahan Gene and overseeing research into gene editing, intelligence-related genes, and disease treatment. 592 605 710 717

Trivia

• Shen Qi dislikes sour tangerines. 39
• He considers running a source of mathematical inspiration. 158 175
• He has an interest in classical music as a means of “cultivating one’s character,” despite the System not unlocking music as a subject. 85
• His favorite item in his Princeton apartment was an empty antique bookcase he hoped to fill with books. 213
• He frequently treats research-center staff to meals and takes an unusually active interest in their relationships. 400 585