Identity Revealed

When Li Qiwei said the three square drawings were his name, everyone present was stunned.

Then the room erupted in laughter.

"Oh my God, is this Oriental guy out of his mind? Why would he write his own name on the test?"

"Exactly! If you don't know the answer, you don't have to write anything. What does writing your name mean? Is your name supposed to count as an answer?"

"Ugh, you got my hopes up for nothing. I thought we were about to see an amazing contest, but it ended so anticlimactically."

Federico clutched his stomach, laughing. All his earlier nerves and worry had vanished, replaced by mockery.

"Hahaha, that's the funniest joke I've heard all year."

"You ridiculous Oriental! Who do you think you are? Your name means nothing! I can't believe you're such a clown."

"Just take off your clothes and apologize to me like a good boy. Stop making a fool of yourself."

Even Professor Stern couldn't understand it, but for the sake of fairness, he had no choice but to give Li Qiwei zero points for the question.

Just as he was about to announce the results, Einstein suddenly stepped out of the crowd. His gaze swept slowly around the room as he said, "Why did Bruce write his name? Because his name is the answer!"

"These three squares spell his Huaxia name, and his English name is Bruce Li—the genius who published the paper Quantum Mechanics as its first author."

"That's why he didn't bother to write out the steps. They're his work to begin with."

"Now, are you still going to mock him? Still going to mock the weight of these three Huaxia characters?"

A collective gasp swept through the classroom.

Then came an eerie silence.

At that moment, everyone's minds had gone blank. They simply couldn't believe who Li Qiwei was.

A minute later.

Boom!

Everyone in the classroom went wild. Most of them were physics students and lecturers.

After all, anyone who wasn't in the physics department wouldn't have been interested in watching the two compete.

"Oh, my God! He's Bruce Li, the super-genius who solved the second Cloud Problem!"

"I heard Bruce Li was from the Qing Dynasty. How did I never put the pieces together? Good heavens, this is unbelievable!"

"Compared to him, Federico's supposedly excellent physics grades are a joke. There's no comparison at all."

"No wonder he finished so quickly. He's the powerhouse who founded Quantum Mechanics!"

"Sunny beaches, here I come again."

Grossman stood like a wooden statue, unable to speak for a long time. Einstein's words kept echoing in his mind: He's the most brilliant physicist I've ever met.

Good heavens, how could he not be a genius?

As a top student in the physics department, Grossman idolized Bruce Li.

Bruce had overturned Newton's classical view of space and time, which had stood for hundreds of years—and he'd done it as an undergraduate.

God, could anything be cooler, or more thrilling?

It was fair to say that the paper Quantum Mechanics had given everyone studying physics a shot in the arm.

The old masters could be wrong. The greats could be wrong. Even Newton, the god of physics, could be wrong!

That was the spirit of the young: their pride, their arrogance. That was what it meant to be truly domineering and invincible.

By comparison, Federico had only gotten good grades on exams, yet acted superior to everyone else. It was like a child playing house.

Childish and laughable.

Grossman had already decided that once this was over, he would drag Li Qiwei off for an all-night conversation.

If a genius like him let even the tiniest idea slip, Grossman might have a chance to make a name for himself, too. Just thinking about it made him excited.

Professor Stern, who had been scoring the contest, was also stunned. He'd never imagined that the author of Quantum Mechanics was standing right in front of him.

Bruce was so young and handsome.

As a professor in the physics department, Stern had read Li Qiwei's paper more than five times, and each time he came away with a different understanding.

He had believed that anyone capable of proposing the concept of the quantum must be free-spirited to the core, bound by nothing.

Now, as he saw Li Qiwei standing out from the crowd like a crane among chickens, Stern was certain.

Some people shone like torches in the dark, born to change the future of physics.

After a long while, under the envious gazes of everyone present, Stern announced that Li Qiwei had answered all three questions correctly and earned a perfect score.

Li Qiwei had won the contest!

The room erupted in cheers. Everyone felt the victory was well deserved—and deeply satisfying.

Only Federico was left utterly hopeless, his face ashen. Even now, he couldn't believe he'd been competing against Bruce Li.

A man who had created Quantum Mechanics all on his own—he was a legend among legends.

Compared with him, Federico was like a firefly trying to outshine the bright moon.

At that moment, Li Qiwei, who had remained perfectly composed, turned to face Federico. His icy gaze seemed to pierce straight into his soul.

"Federico, you lost the contest. Now it's time to keep your promise."

"You kept insulting Einstein and me, and belittling our peoples. Now I want you to apologize!"

The crowd immediately began to egg them on. Federico was so ashamed he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him. He even began to beg. "Can I keep my clothes on and just apologize?"

Li Qiwei flatly refused. "No. A deal is a deal, unless you want to welch."

Federico was close to tears. In the end, he steeled himself and braced for the worst.

He awkwardly took off his clothes and apologized to the two of them in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

Then he hurriedly pulled on his pants and ran out of the classroom without even having time to put his shirt back on.

All that remained was the sound of everyone laughing.

Grossman stepped forward and patted Li Qiwei on the shoulder. "You did great, idol. Let's see if Federico dares mock anyone again after this."

"That lesson will stick with him for the rest of his life."

Li Qiwei smiled faintly, unconcerned. If Federico hadn't needed putting in his place, he wouldn't have bothered with him. But then he asked, "Grossman, when did I become your idol?"

Grossman said fervently, "Anyone who can make Sir Kelvin eat his words, and is as young as I am, is my idol."

At that, Li Qiwei and Einstein both laughed.

Then Li Qiwei turned to Professor Stern. "Professor, thank you for being fair."

Stern shook his head. "I imagine this was all a farce to you."

Li Qiwei smiled. "Even so, you came up with the questions, Professor."

Stern chuckled. He hadn't expected the physics genius before him to be so witty. Sure enough, geniuses excelled at everything.

"Bruce, I hope we'll get a chance to have a proper chat sometime."

"It would be my honor, Professor."

At last, the spectacular contest came to an end.

Everyone soon dispersed, but the story was still hotly discussed and spread farther and farther.

From then on, Federico seemed to have taken a massive blow. He became much more subdued and kept his head down.

Meanwhile, Einstein took Li Qiwei and Grossman to a nearby café, where the three of them planned to talk physics to their hearts' content.