Chapter 1029 Sixty Minutes Is Enough
The mathematics community was going crazy over Riemann’s hypothesis. At the Corinthia Hotel, where the ICM conference was held, everyone was talking about this matter.
The ICM conference took a huge blow over what happened in lecture hall 7, but it seemed like Riemann’s hypothesis had completely overshadowed everything…
“Did you hear? Riemann’s hypothesis was proven!”
“Really? This isn’t another impostor, right? How many times have people claimed to have proven Riemann’s hypothesis?”
“At least a couple dozen people, or even hundreds… But this time is different! Professor Lu is the one that wrote the paper! Apparently, he was inspired by Vera Pulyuy’s 45-minute report, so he completed the last step of the proof! He uploaded the thesis to arXiv yesterday… The entire mathematics world is talking about this, you haven’t heard?”
“This is incredible! Riemann’s hypothesis… If he is correct, do you think the International Mathematical Union will give him another Fields Medal?”
“There’s no doubt that Riemann’s hypothesis deserves this honor… But what’s the point? If he really proved Riemann’s hypothesis, why not just set up an award in his name?”
“I heard his hour-long report is happening this afternoon… No wonder he asked for his report to be scheduled as the last report of the ICM conference.”
“Do you think he’s going to talk about the proof in his report?”
“I don’t know! But I definitely won’t miss the report, this is an opportunity of a lifetime!”
There were a lot of discussions in the hotel.
Whether it was the cafes, restaurants, or executive lounge, everyone was talking about this proof.
So far, none of the scholars had expressed their opinions on the thesis. Most people hadn’t even finished reading the paper.
Therefore, for those who were concerned about the progress of the matter but were unable to comprehend the thesis, their only option was to attend the 60-minute report in the afternoon.
Even though Lu Zhou might not talk about his thesis in the report, one thing for certain was that he would at least mention it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have uploaded the thesis one day before the report…
Inside the hotel cafe.
Academician w.a.n.g s.h.i.+cheng had to jump through numerous loops just to reach Lu Zhou’s ex-student Qin Yue, who was a lecturer at Princeton. w.a.n.g s.h.i.+cheng met up with him at the cafe. w.a.n.g s.h.i.+cheng spoke anxiously.
“Have you seen Professor Lu? I can’t find him, he’s not in his room, do you know where he is?”
If it weren’t for the special circ.u.mstance, he would hate to see Lu Zhou in person.
But he was doing this for the future of the Chinese mathematics community.
Qin Yue looked at Academician w.a.n.g s.h.i.+cheng and hesitated for a second.
“No… But I think he might be at the hospital.”
w.a.n.g s.h.i.+cheng obviously didn’t expect this answer.
“Hospital?”
Qin Yue nodded and said, “Yeah, Miss Vera Pulyuy is his favorite student.”
“Why is he in the hospital at a time like this…” w.a.n.g s.h.i.+cheng paced back and forth and sighed. He shook his head and said, “Forget about it, it’s too late, the afternoon report is about to begin.”
Qin Yue looked at the fl.u.s.tered old man and pushed the gla.s.ses up the bridge of his nose.
“Do you need anything from him?”
Academician w.a.n.g s.h.i.+cheng’s eyes widened, and he said, “This concerns the future of China’s mathematics community. The entire world is paying attention to this, I should at least check up on him, see if he’s prepared for the report.”
Qin Yue said, “If that’s what you’re worried about… I think there’s no need to worry.”
w.a.n.g s.h.i.+cheng paused for a second and said, “… What do you mean?”
Qin Yue spoke in a serious tone, “Professor Lu would never release a thesis unless he’s 100% certain.
“So, he is more than prepared.
“That’s why he uploaded the thesis to arXiv.”
…
Discussions were also happening outside the hotel.
Rows of media vehicles were parked outside the Corinthia hotel entrance.
Even though most of the public were laymen in the field of mathematics, Riemann’s hypothesis was different.
The legends surrounding the conjecture, as well as the million-dollar prize money, meant it had been popularized even among the general public.
This was the reason Professor Wiles was able to appear in the Times Magazine.
If someone really had proven Riemann’s hypothesis, there was no doubt their photo would be on the front cover of Times Magazine, They would become the most successful mathematician of the century.
Even though they were only a quarter of the way through the 21st century.
The reporters wanted to go into the hotel with their giant cameras, but they were blocked by the security guards.
“I’m a reporter from the BBC, here are my credentials, please let me in!”
“I’m from the Federal Security Service, we cannot let anyone inside without a conference invitation letter. If you want to enter, please contact the conference organizing committee and obtain an admission ticket.”
“We will contact them later. Actually, our a.s.sistant is already doing that. Please let us in first, the entire world is waiting to hear about the Riemann’s hypothesis proof.”
This statement obviously didn’t impress the security guard. The tall Russian man spoke bluntly.
“I don’t care.”
In addition to the reporters, there were also scholars that flew from all over the world.
Actually, the ICM conference was about to end since tomorrow was the closing ceremony. These scholars were a bit late to the ICM conference.
However, these scholars didn’t come here for the conference.
The real reason they came here was for the hour-long report.
Professor Tao Zhexuan dragged his suitcase to the hotel entrance. He finally escaped the crowd at the hotel entrance and walked into the hotel while adjusting his collar.
Even though he didn’t sign up to attend the ICM conference, for a famous scholar like him, the organizing committee could easily arrange a hotel room and conference ticket for him.
Apparently, when he emailed Professor Holden, there were only two empty rooms left.
Before Lu Zhou’s thesis was uploaded to arXiv, there were dozens of empty hotel rooms…
When Professor Fefferman saw Professor Tao walking through the hotel lobby, Fefferman was shocked.
“You’re here?”
Los Angeles was a long way from St. Petersburg.
Tao Zhexuan smiled and said, “Of course, how could I miss out on such a thing.”
Professor Fefferman looked at Tao Zhexuan’s computer bag and said, “I’m guessing you’ve already read the paper on the plane. You know more about number theory than I do… I’m curious, what do you think about that paper?”
Tao Zhexuan shook his head and said, “I have some questions. I don’t really understand the core argument of the thesis. I didn’t have enough time since the flight was only 16 hours, plus I’m jet-lagged… Screw jet lag, I just want to sleep. Hopefully, I won’t fall asleep at the report.”
Professor Fefferman smiled and said, “You think you can fall asleep to Professor Lu’s talk?”
Tao Zhexuan awkwardly smiled and touched his head.
“You’re right.”
There was no way he could fall asleep at a crucial moment of mathematical history…
In fact, he would be impressed if he could actually fall asleep.
Professor Tao made some small talk with Professor Fefferman. He was about to check in at the front desk when he caught a glimpse of a figure in the lobby.
He saw a middle-aged man with a beard and scruffy hair, and he seemed to be talking to the hotel staff about something. Perhaps because of his appearance, the security guards cautiously looked at the man.
Professor Fefferman noticed Professor Tao and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“… Nothing, I’m just a bit surprised.”
Tao Zhexuan looked at Professor Fefferman and smiled.
“Professor Lu is quite the magnet.
“Can’t believe that person is here.”
…
The report would begin in an hour.
Lu Zhou had returned from the hospital, and he was shutting himself in his room.
There was a sense of aura in the Corinthia Hotel.
Almost all of the top scholars in the world had set their sights on the ICM conference in St. Petersburg. Some people were at the scene, some people were making their way to St. Petersburg.
Not just mathematicians.
Those discussions had already spread from MathOverflow to social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Weibo.
Whether it was serious discussions or a pop-science article, everyone in the world wanted to know whether this age-old proposition had been proven.
Most people would struggle to maintain a normal heart rate in a situation like this. They would even struggle to breathe and speak.
However, this was nothing but another report for Lu Zhou.
His proof of Riemann’s hypothesis was still controversial in the mathematics community, it would take time for the academic community to accept his proof.
But for Lu Zhou himself…
The system had already determined that his proof was adequate, so he wasn’t concerned if other people could understand his proof.
Not to mention he had something else to do.
Lu Zhou stood in front of his floor-to-ceiling windows and glanced at the media vans on the street. He took out his phone and called Chen Yushan.
“h.e.l.lo? What’s up, why are you suddenly calling me?”
Lu Zhou said, “How much do I have in my savings?”
Chen Yushan paused for a second and spoke.
“… How would I know that? But I can probably ask the accountant to find a copy of your company accounts.”
“Is there a hundred million yuan in there?”
“… You have got to be kidding me,” Chen Yushan said. “There’s more than a billion in there… Of course there’s a hundred million. Otherwise, you might as well fire me.”
Lu Zhou said, “… I can’t fire you.”
Lu Zhou didn’t know how to run a business.
If he didn’t have a CEO he could trust, things would become troublesome.
Chen Yushan smirked and leaned back in her office chair.
“Tell me, I’m guessing you are in trouble. What could cost so much money?”
“It’s not like I need to spend it all at once, but it is quite troublesome.”
Lu Zhou spent around five minutes explaining the situation to her.
Chen Yushan took some time to digest the information.
“I get what you mean… That student is very important to you, right?”
Lu Zhou: “Yeah, that sounds a bit crazy, but this is the only way to save her.”
Chen Yushan went silent for a while before saying, “I understand, I’ll do as you say, but whether or not it will work…”
Lu Zhou: “Don’t worry, I’ll handle the technical side.”
After the phone call, Lu Zhou called some people from the 301 Hospital, as well as the Inst.i.tute for Advanced Study.
He briefly explained the situation to everyone. After he hung up the phone, he heard a knock at his door.
He opened the door and saw the a.s.sistant standing there, the one that gave him a key to lecture hall 7.
“Professor Lu, Professor Holden asked me to inform you that your report will begin in 30 minutes. If you are ready, I suggest you arrive 15 minutes in advance.”
Lu Zhou looked at the time and nodded.
“Okay.
“I’ll head over there now.”
The sooner I get this over with, the sooner I can get back to China.
Sixty minutes…
Should be enough time.