Although Lu Zhou had occasionally spoken with scholars studying economics back when he was at Princeton, that did not mean he knew all of them well.
Surely he did not have to remember the name of everyone he had ever spoken to?
Besides, Princeton was enormous. He had only spent a few years there, and he might never even have met this fellow.
Lu Zhou carefully searched his memory but could not find a name that matched. Only after he logged onto an academic search site and entered the name did he discover who this man was.
And what a discovery it was. The man had quite a reputation.
Krugman!
The 2008 winner of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences!
An expert in international trade, exchange rates, and macroeconomics!
The crowning achievement of his academic career was his successful prediction, in 1994, of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. After the crisis broke out, that prediction sent his standing in economics soaring and directly contributed to his eventual Nobel Prize in 2008.
What puzzled Lu Zhou, however, was why he had contacted him.
The email essentially asked when he would be available for a video call to discuss academic matters.
Although economics did not particularly interest him, after a moment's consideration, Lu Zhou composed a reply and sent it.
[Eight this evening, Shangjing time. If you're free, we can talk.]
After all, as a fellow Nobel laureate, he ought to extend him some courtesy.
Besides, he was on vacation. It was not as though he had anything else to do...
Eight that evening.
At the agreed time, Krugman appeared on the video call.
The professor, whom he was meeting for the first time, even skipped the introductions and pleasantries. Almost as soon as the call connected, he spoke