Chapter 60: Chapter 59: Even Mythology Can't Be Written Like This
Looking at Zhang Chunlei's reply on WeChat, Zhang Hongcai could almost be certain that Zhao from Xilin University of Technology hadn't drunk any alcohol today, at least not enough to be drunk.
This made him itch with curiosity as if scratching his ears and cheeks, wishing that the kid named Qiao Ze could appear before him right now, just so he could test him!
How was this student snatched away by Xilin University of Technology?
Are the recruitment teachers from Yanbei University stationed in Xingcheng just twiddling their thumbs?
Shouldn't such a talent have been closely monitored from middle school and directly poached by the time they reached high school?
Right, it seems that the school on the other end hasn't had any reaction either. How strange!
Moreover, given the level of the Xilin University of Technology School of Mathematics, can they really teach such a student well?
While his heart was filled with a mix of emotions, he still replied on WeChat, "Haha, just a coincidence. We'll talk more when we meet next time. I really appreciate your help today, Chunlei. Next time you come to the Capital, let me know in advance and I'll arrange a gathering."
After sending the message, he exited WeChat and let out a long sigh.
It was actually true.
Zhang Hongcai steadied his spirit, walked out of the study, and decided to continue watching TV with his partner.
But as he sat on the sofa in the living room watching the popular series on TV, he couldn't focus on the plot at all.
The vague image of a young boy lingered in his mind, simply impossible to dismiss.
"Zhang, Zhang..."
"What?"
"What are you thinking about? I called you several times, you've been out of it ever since you took that call."
"Oh, Zhao just told me something interesting. An eighteen-year-old kid who can guide a doctoral thesis in geometry. And a professor from Jiangcheng University who studies Group Theory also knows that kid and even thinks the kid's level in Group Theory might be on par with his."
The woman watching TV was stunned for a moment and looked at Zhang Hongcai incredulously, saying, "You actually believe that? Those local professors really dare to boast!"
Then, subconsciously, she thought of their own child who was a freshman in college and refused to come home even on weekends.
Both she and her husband were highly educated.
But even so, she had been worrying about her child's grades since middle school.
Fortunately, the child finally caught on in the ninth grade...
But to have professor-level skills in geometry and Group Theory at eighteen, around eleventh or twelfth grade?
Not even myths would dare tell such a tale!
It's too preposterous.
"What you're saying... Zhao Guangyao from Xilin University and Zhang Chunlei from Jiangcheng University spent this weekend teasing me with this stuff for what?"
The woman sat up, thought for a moment, and then was at a loss.
Yeah, for what?
"Where is the kid now?"
"They say he has already been taken to the Westwood University of Technology Mathematics Institute."
"That's strange then. Why would Professor Zhao tell you this news?"
The woman's thoughts were always more delicate, and she immediately pointed out the key issue.
Zhang Hongcai paused and said suspiciously, "Yeah, now that I think about it, he seemed to have shown me the annotated paper on purpose. Zhao Guangyao used to work at the Mathematics Research Institute, you know. He moved to Xilin University of Technology ten years ago and has been thinking about finding a chance to move back to the Capital.
Last time we met, he even said to help him look out for opportunities to come back."
The woman was instantly confused, "Huh? He has a favor to ask of you? Then he should be even less likely to joke about such a matter, right? Can it be true that there really is such a child in this world? That can't be right either, where do such students come from? How could our recruitment teachers have not discovered him?"
This made Zhang Hongcai really restless.
The whole matter was shrouded in mystery.
But one thing Zhang Hongcai was sure of, if there really was such a child in this world, and he missed out on it without doing anything, he might regret it for the rest of his life.
Even if he had to take a step back, such a rare occurrence was something he had to witness for himself, right?!
"No, I should give Xiao a call... Forget it, I'll go see him in person and talk to him," Zhang Hongcai finally couldn't sit still anymore.
...
When Qiao Ze's name finally reached the Capital, he received a WeChat message from Su Mucheng while he was in his dormitory.
"Qiao Ze, could you come down for a moment? I'm waiting for you downstairs at the dormitory building!"
"Alright, three minutes."
With that, Qiao Ze stood up, ready to leave.
The roommates, their fighting spirit revived, had set aside their mobile phones and were sitting at their respective desks, working on homework.
After dawdling for two full days, not a single assignment had been touched.
Recalling the significance of regular grades, they ultimately didn't dare to act as wilful as Qiao Ze, treating everyday homework as nothing.
Truly, once one starts to face reality and understands the gap between people, some things no longer seem unfair.
Just like the genius in the dorm.
Already capable of guiding PhD students, what does it matter if he doesn't do homework?
Would the professors have the audacity to deduct points from Qiao's regular score?
No, the question is, would the professors even dare to deduct points from Qiao's regular score?
Believe it or not if they dare deduct points, my man Qiao would specifically criticize the papers written by those professors?!
Putting oneself in Qiao Ze's shoes, there's even a weirdly satisfying feeling.
Indeed, at this moment, the other three lads in the room seemed to have found a way to get along with Qiao Ze.
After Qiao Ze had left, Gu Zhengliang, having just solved a tough problem, stood up triumphantly, cleared his throat, and in Qiao Ze's usual unruffled tone, began his performance: "Ahem, Professor Zhu, I'm here in your class as a favor to you, so you better teach with heart, make it enjoyable for me. Otherwise, don't you ever dream of me attending your class again."
Then, with a playful grin, he turned to his two brothers who were looking at him and asked, "How about that? Did I manage to capture a third of our Qiao's charm just now?"
As expected, he received eye rolls from both...
"Your attempt to show off is too obvious, you've turned into a fool! You don't even have one ten-thousandth of Qiao's charm, okay?"
"Yes! Old Gu, take my advice, you can't grasp the essence of Qiao's disdain for everything. For example, if Qiao said that same line and it reached old Zhu's ears, he would just laugh it off, but if you were the one saying it and it reached old Zhu, trust me, retaking Mathematical Analysis for three continuous years is not a myth."
Dammit... How could my careless words in the dorm get to old Zhu's ears?"
"Because Chen and I could go snitch on you together! How about this, if you pay for the weekend meals, Chen and I won't report you!"
"F*ck off!"
As the two engaged in their heated argument, Gu Zhengliang suddenly noticed Chen Yiwen carelessly tossing his book onto the desk and picking up his phone again.
Puzzled, he asked, "Eh? Old Chen, you're not doing homework anymore?"
Chen Yiwen glanced at Gu Zhengliang and said, "Why the hell would I do homework? I almost got distracted by your nonsense just now. You guys want to take the postgraduate entrance exams to ensure better job prospects in the future. Am I so full to pursue postgraduate studies? My past diligence in learning was so that I could really do math research and become a mathematician!
But having seen Qiao Ze, I've realized that not so many ordinary people are needed in mathematics research."
"So why should I continue studying this stuff? Wouldn't it be better to play happily for four years? Will I need to draw a function graph for my tenants when I'm just collecting rent? Or talk about duality theory when dating a girl? Hell, all I need is to understand the Pythagorean theorem so I won't be cheated when buying a TV, right?"
That made a lot of sense.
But it also cut deep!
Not content, Chen Yiwen continued softly, "Qiao Ze must be off on a date with Su Mucheng. Sigh... I'll just wait until next year. I'll pick a young and beautiful freshman girl and enjoy a pure campus romance. As for you two, keep grinding at those problems!
You don't truly believe that after a few compliments from Qiao Ze, you can get into a good university's graduate program without reading or doing problems like him, do you?"
"You know there's a saying that goes, if a person indulges in pleasures at a young age, enjoying love, wine, and life, then when they get old, they'll find they truly have no regrets about their life! So I plan to live my life without regrets. As for you guys, keep trying!"
The dorm room fell into silence... their hearts ached.
After a while...
"Chen... your ability to hit where it hurts is learned from whom exactly?!"
"Ah, who else could it be? But I'm still not quite like him. Not even a tenth as good!"
Dammit!
...
By now, Qiao Ze was already standing downstairs by the dormitory building.
Unlike the girls' dorm entrance that was brightly lit like daytime, the boys' dorm entrance was dim, but the moon tonight was big, round, and bright.
Under the moonlight, Su Mucheng stood openly outside the dormitory building, her hair casually draped and fluttering in the gentle evening breeze, complemented by a neatly tailored plain dress, resembling the playful and endearing elven girls from video game models.
While many were stealing glances at her, the girl's eyes were only for the figure who walked out of the boys' dorm unhurriedly.
"Qiao Ze, over here..." The girl waved to him.
"Oh!" Qiao Ze walked sluggishly toward the girl and asked, "What's up?"
"Well, it's quite cool tonight. Let's take a walk first, and then I'll tell you all about it slowly, okay?"
"Uh... sure!"