Chapter Fifty-Seven: Attending Classes Uninvited

Teacher? Lu Xiao nodded gently. Very well, an honorary professor could shoulder such a title.

Eager to seize the ripple of inspiration, Wu Tong hurried back to her seat, three steps at a time, and immersed herself in Professor Zilberg’s 1995 treatise published in the Annals of Mathematics—a tool Zilberg intended to gift humanity for conquering the Goldbach conjecture.

Yet at this moment, it became Wu Tong’s blade for striking at the Twin Prime Conjecture, her thoughts sparking and inspiration unfurling in her mind.

Wu Tong pulled the draft paper closer, letting her inspiration crystallize into equations of exquisite mathematical beauty, writing them down. Everything outside faded away from her, and soon, a sheet filled with calculations was moved to the corner of the desk, making way for her continued deductions.

Lu Xiao glanced at Wu Tong, who had entered a state of undistracted focus. A trace of a smile appeared in his eyes. What a remarkable child, he thought. Perhaps taking on a student would yield unexpected rewards.

The surge of inspiration allowed Wu Tong to take a solid step forward on the Twin Prime Conjecture. Though she hadn’t yet solved it completely, she was beginning to sense the direction of the correct path, ready to build a bridge to the solution, step by step.

On the twentieth day of the first lunar month, students from Capital University who had returned home for the New Year were flocking back, and the campus was once again lively. Whether enjoying peace or the bustle, Wu Tong obtained her class schedule from Professor Li and continued her studies and research at her own pace, occasionally attending lectures that piqued her interest.

On the morning of March 14th, the first training and selection session for the 2010 China National Mathematics Team opened at Capital University, gathering mathematical prodigies from every province and city.

Those participating included not only the top thirty from the recent CMO, but also other elites selected from various math competitions, amounting to sixty members in total. During the fifteen-day contest, they would compete for fifteen spots in the next round, with forty-five students eliminated in the first selection.

In addition to these sixty true team members, there were thirty-four auditors. Some were promising middle school contestants, others were outstanding first- or second-year high school students who had won second prize or better in the CMO. The training was divided into three classes, with six lectures and four rounds of exams. Each class had a head teacher, with a fully closed management system.

The team leader for this training was Professor Li Yisheng, who, because of Wu Tong, had not declined the university’s invitation. His partner was a colleague, along with four teachers from other universities.

Accommodation and meals were arranged uniformly, and at the closing ceremony, the final comprehensive scores would determine who advanced to the next round. Professor Li and another teacher from Capital University were responsible for Wu Tong’s class, which mainly consisted of CMO competition students.

Considering Wu Tong had already been living and studying at Capital University for several days and would continue after the training, Professor Li did not require her to move again.

He left it up to Wu Tong whether or not she attended classes, as long as she participated in the selection exams on time and followed the necessary procedures. The training content was of little value to Wu Tong, and he didn’t want her to waste time she could otherwise devote to deeper study.

Based on his understanding of Wu Tong’s progress, the so-called selection was mere drizzle for her.

In the CMO, she could handle graduate-level problems with ease. With her abilities and the resources at Capital University, she was likely to climb even higher. The IMO would not be a challenge for her either.

This year’s IMO would not see any surprises; Wu Tong’s gold medal was virtually assured.

Since she didn’t have to follow the training schedule, her time remained as free as ever.

Today, she attended a class at the School of Physics. While delving deeply into mathematics, she occasionally liked to stretch her mind by studying university-level physics.

After the term began at Capital University, she gained another convenience: she could find suitable classes to attend according to her interests. The university welcomed students who wanted to audit courses, and her schedule was flexible enough that she could attend nearly any class she found interesting.

As an auditor, Wu Tong didn’t sit prominently at the front, but usually took a seat at the back of the classroom.

Today, the professor was lecturing on materials mechanics. She had read his introduction: Professor Mu was well known not only in the School of Physics at Capital University but also in the national physics community. He was just approaching fifty, in his prime, and was a central figure in high-energy physics at Capital University. Teaching a sophomore-level course like materials mechanics was truly using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Professor Mu exemplified the classic university teaching style: his pace was as rapid as a machine-gun barrage, occasionally jumping between topics to connect knowledge points. To these experts, such material was basic enough that it should be understood at a glance.

As a result, only a small fraction of students could barely keep up, while most sat as if carsick. Wu Tong had just finished studying theoretical mechanics, and was familiar with many of the rules, but when these principles were mixed and applied, things often became ambiguous and required powerful comprehension.

Comprehension, however, was precisely Wu Tong’s strength. She listened attentively, learned with great interest, nodded in understanding from time to time, and matched her insights against the professor’s explanations. Guidance from such a renowned teacher was something many could only dream of!

Professor Mu Xuewu stood at the podium, surveying the classroom. Most students, having just learned basic physics and been introduced to materials physics, wore bewildered expressions.

Nevertheless, he had covered all the essential points. If students didn’t grasp these basics in class, they would have to work harder on their own. Learning was inherently the student’s responsibility; university was not like high school, where teachers spoon-fed every detail.

Amid the confusion, Wu Tong’s expression in the back row stood out, clear and enlightened. She occasionally bowed her head to jot notes or sketch ideas, as if a beacon in the fog.

Had she truly understood everything? It was rare. Though some in the classroom could keep up with his pace, most only half-comprehended. Was she genuinely grasping the material, or merely pretending? Judging by her youthful features, she seemed quite young, and he didn’t recall seeing her before.

“You in the last row—yes, you, young lady!”

When called upon, Wu Tong didn’t realize it was her at first, thinking the professor meant someone else. She had audited many classes, and teachers rarely called on students in the back. So, when she was singled out, she assumed it must be someone else—until she met the professor’s gaze and understood it was indeed her. She stood up, a little flustered.