Song Zhixing, a junior at Peking University School of Mathematical Sciences, is scrolling through his phone next to the radiator in his hometown in Shandong.
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, relatives came to visit, and the living room was noisy and chaotic.
He hid in his bedroom, leaning against the headboard, and glanced at his phone in the class group chat, only to find that there were already hundreds of messages.
He initially thought it was about final grades, but when he clicked in, it was all screenshots.
The official website of Annals of Mathematics has been updated.
The latest issue, featured on the homepage, contains a complete proof of Integer-Coefficient Polynomial Root Distribution Conjectures.
Song Zhixing taken aback.
He was a student in the mathematics department, so of course he knew about this conjecture.
The Schinzel-Zassenhaus Conjecture, proposed in 1965, has remained unproven for sixty years.
He had heard Old Liu Professor Liu mention this conjecture in his class last semester, saying, "Whoever can prove it can come directly to Peking University as a professor."
He sat up straight and clicked on the link.
The paper is very long, over thirty pages.
He started reading from the beginning, slowing down and becoming more and more focused as he read.
The proof begins with p-advanced number theory, proceeds through complex analytic potential theory, and finally converges in algebraic number height theory.
Three paths, three logical lines, ultimately converge into a complete proof.
He watched it for a full three hours.
By the time he finished reading the last page, it was already dark outside.
The relatives in the living room had already left; his parents knew he was busy and didn't bother him.
He sat on the bed, staring at his phone screen, and took a deep breath.
"It's really been proven," he muttered to himself.
Then he switched back to the class group chat and found it was in an uproar.
Have you seen Annals' paper? The Integer-Coefficient Polynomial Root Distribution Conjectures!!!
[I watched it three times and couldn't find any flaws, which proves it's too beautiful.]
[This proof is so innovative; I've never seen the combination of p-entry and potential theory used like this before.]
[ Professor Liu mentioned this conjecture before, saying that whoever proved it would get the professorship. This guy actually proved it.]
[Who is the author? I haven't checked the author's name yet.]
Song Zhixing then realized that he had been so focused on reading the paper that he hadn't paid attention to who the author was.
He scrolled up to the line of authors below the paper's title.
Cheng Che.
He paused for a moment, stunned.
He recognized the name.
Who at Peking University doesn't know Cheng Che? In just six months, he went from being the top scorer in the college entrance Zhuangyuan to a tennis Champion, and then to a variety show star and a TV drama lead actor.
Recently, he was officially announced as an ambassador for four brands: LV, Nike, Rolex, and Gucci, and his advertisements are all over the country.
Song Zhixing had discussed this with his classmates, saying, "How much money must he make?" But they were just envious, since he was on a different path.
Then he saw the corresponding author: Professor Liu.
He switched back to the paper page and clicked on the author's name.
The webpage redirected, and an introductory page popped up.
There are photos in the introduction.
The person in the photo is wearing a white T-shirt and standing at an event. Sunlight is shining from the side, revealing a clean and sharp profile with deep-set eyes and eyebrows.
The following line reads: Cheng Che, a 2023 undergraduate student from the School of Mathematical Sciences, Peking University. 2024 Australian Open Men's Singles Champion, Tokyo Open Champion, Magic City Masters Champion.
Song Zhixing stared at that photo for a long time.
"Is this the same person?" he muttered to himself.
He exited the introduction page, glanced at the paper title, then at the author's name, and then at the corresponding author.
That's right, it's Cheng Che Cheng Che, the tennis player, the TV actor, the one who was sought after by the four top luxury brands.
Song Zhixing placed his phone on his lap and remained silent for a while.
He suddenly remembered that he had been struggling with a mathematical analysis problem last year, and it took him dozens of pages of practice problems to barely pass it.
This Cheng Che, a freshman in college, won a Grand Slam in tennis, acted in dramas and appeared on variety shows, and at the same time proved a 60-year-old mathematical conjecture.
He sat on the bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind blank.
Then he lowered his head, switched back to the class group chat, and typed a line of text.
"Did you... see the author's name?"
The group chat went silent for a moment.
Then messages started flooding in one after another.
[I saw it!!! It's Cheng Che!!!]
[Holy crap, I was reading the paper the whole time and didn't even notice the author!]
[Is that really Cheng Che??? The Cheng Che who plays tennis???]
[I searched, and it's him. He's a 2023 undergraduate student from the Peking University School of Mathematical Sciences. His photo is even out; it's him.]
My goodness, how can one person do so many things at the same time?
The last time I saw his name was in an LV advertisement.
[I'm a little confused right now. Is he a mathematician or a celebrity?]
[He's not a celebrity, he's a Grand Slam Champion, thank you.]
[So, a 19-year-old college graduate who won the Australian Open Champion, signed four top luxury brand endorsements, and starred in a hit TV series casually proved a century-old problem?]
I suspect this world is fake.
Song Zhixing stared at the messages in the group chat and suddenly felt a little ridiculous.
He used to feel a sense of superiority when discussing Cheng Che with his classmates.
He pursued a research career, which, although arduous, brought him high status.
No matter how popular someone is in the entertainment industry, in his eyes they are still just "actors."
He also told his classmates, " Cheng Che is quite capable, but doing scientific research is different from doing entertainment."
Now he realizes he was wrong.
The fact that someone can achieve this level of success in two fields simultaneously goes beyond simply being "impressive".
He was about to leave the group chat when someone suddenly posted a screenshot.
It's an announcement from Peking University's official website.
[Announcement Regarding the Integer-Coefficient Polynomial Root Distribution Conjectures by Cheng Che, a 2023 Undergraduate Student from the School of Mathematical Sciences of our University]
The announcement stated: Cheng Che independently completed the proof of the conjecture, and the paper has been published in the Annals of Mathematics. This is the first time since the establishment of the Peking University School of Mathematical Sciences that an undergraduate student has published a paper in this journal as the first author. The university has decided to hold an academic conference at Peking University at the end of February, and colleagues from the domestic and international mathematics community are welcome to attend.
The announcement included the time and location of the report meeting.
Song Zhixing stared at the screenshot several times. The group chat exploded again.
[Official Announcement!!! Confirmed!!!]
[My goodness, a current student got into a top mathematics journal!]
[Isn't he just a freshman??? A freshman!!!]
I'm a junior in college, and I still can't write a decent paper.
[Forget about academic papers, I can't even understand what he's thinking.]
I'm convinced, truly convinced.
[Should I call Cheng Che "Professor" if I see him at Peking University in the future?]
[The professor is no good; he's still an undergraduate.]
[A top mathematician with an undergraduate degree?]
While Song Zhixing was still processing this information, the screenshot had already begun circulating on the internet.
It first spread from a group chat in the School of Peking University School of Mathematical Sciences, then it was posted on Weibo, then Douyin, and then Xiaohongshu.
Half an hour later, # Cheng Che # became the number one trending Integer-Coefficient Polynomial Root Distribution Conjectures.
At first, some people asked "What is this?" in the comments section under the trending topic, but it was quickly flooded with explanations.
Some people posted the background of the conjecture, some explained the prestige of the Annals of Mathematics, and some combined screenshots of Cheng Che's paper with the announcement on Peking University's official website.
Meanwhile, in his rented apartment in Capital City, Qin Lie was leaning back on the sofa looking at his phone.
He glanced at the trending topics list, then jumped up from the sofa.
#Cheng Che proved the Integer-Coefficient Polynomial Root Distribution Conjectures #
He stared at the trending topic for three seconds, then immediately dialed his studio's number.
"Plan A, activated."
The person on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, then excitedly exclaimed, " Brother Che's paper has been successfully published?"
"Yes," Qin Lie said quickly. "Now we need to quickly popularize the value of 'Annals of Mathematics' on major platforms, contact Peking University to confirm the time of the lecture, and then arrange interviews with several top media outlets. We need to be fast; the hype won't wait."
"Clear."
Qin Lie hung up the phone with trembling hands, stood by the window, and looked at the city outside.
He knew this day would come.
I just didn't expect it to come so quickly.
And at this moment, the internet began to explode! And with an unprecedented level of fervor!