I have a question

The lecture hall at the University of Oxford.

The audience was packed shoulder to shoulder, with not a single empty seat.

The scholars seated in the hall either talked quietly among themselves or leafed through the papers and lecture notes in their hands...

To Professor Brian Caro, the jumble of voices sounded as sweet as a beautiful piece of music. In another half hour, he would become one of the greatest mathematical physicists of the century, lay the final brick in the edifice of the Yang–Mills equations Millennium Problem, and share in a million-dollar prize... at least a third of it.

For a scholar working in theoretical research, that was a substantial sum.

Of course, prize money was not his motivation for solving the problem. At least in his eyes, money and prestige were merely side benefits.

How should he put it?

Pushing civilization forward with his own hands was a pleasure in itself.

With fifteen minutes left before the lecture, almost all the scholars attending had arrived. Those who had yet to appear probably would not be coming. The security guards at the lecture hall entrance opened the barrier and began selectively admitting master's students, doctoral students, and postdoctoral researchers waiting outside without invitations to sit in on the lecture.

Standing in the corridor beside the hall, Professor Brian, dressed in a black suit, checked his watch before looking toward the auditorium. A trace of disappointment crept into his eyes.

Just then, an attendant in a black suit and bow tie approached.

A thought struck Professor Brian, and he immediately turned toward the attendant and asked,

"Has Professor Lu arrived?"

The attendant paused briefly, then shook his head. "No."

Hearing that Lu Zhou had not come, Professor Brian's disappointment deepened.

But that was all.

Although Professor Lu's absence was