Chapter 86: Grace and Splendor

In the conference room of the mathematics department at Capital University, where several of the university’s top professors were gathered, a flurry of intense verification and calculations finally yielded a flawless result.

Pan Wenhua couldn’t help but let out a hearty laugh. “It’s true what they say—the waves of the Yangtze River push forward, each generation surpassing the last. As one of the old guard, I’ll be off to see the president to reserve the prize money, pack my bags, and fulfill my promise!”

A chorus of laughter erupted among the assembled professors. If they hadn’t confirmed it themselves, who would have thought that, in just three short months—while their own words from before still echoed clearly in their minds—the Twin Primes Conjecture would be proved in the blink of an eye by Wu Tong, that young student!

They felt a pang of embarrassment. Back then, many had brimmed with self-confidence and ambition, yet several still hadn’t even finalized their research topics to this day. It seemed their worst premonition had come to pass.

Truly, this was a student who defied all conventional expectations.

“By the way, Dean Pan, once this student enrolls, let’s expedite her graduation process! Otherwise, how are we, as teachers, supposed to lecture with confidence, knowing someone even more formidable than ourselves is sitting in the audience?” The pressure on the professors was immense, with such a prodigy among their students.

This comment clearly came from someone specializing in number theory. After all, proving two major number theory conjectures back-to-back, this student had already outstripped the teachers themselves. What could they possibly teach her? Their own outdated, rigid methods? It hardly seemed appropriate.

“I understand, I understand—but no matter what, we should at least let her experience a year of university life! And everyone needs to keep a close eye—don’t let the jewel of our mathematics department get poached!” With the physics department eyeing their bright star hungrily, Pan Wenhua couldn’t help but issue this reminder.

Back at Xincheng No. 1 High School, yet another celebratory banner was unfurled. No one there had expected that, even after the college entrance exams, they would continue to bask in the benefits of Wu Tong’s achievements. A perfect-score gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad—this was an honor the city had never dared dream of, yet now it had become a reality for their school.

This year, Xincheng was awash with Wu Tong’s name, glowing with pride because of her.

Both the Wu and Jin families were inundated with congratulations; the child’s successes brought continuous honor.

Unaware of all the buzz outside, Wu Tong and her team, already on their return journey and with their phones switched off, were oblivious to the news. At three-thirty in the afternoon, after more than eight hours en route, the Chinese IMO national team landed smoothly at Beijing International Airport. As they disembarked and breathed the familiar air, a surge of exhilaration ran through the group.

Indeed, no matter how wonderful things were abroad, nothing compared to being home.

At the airport arrivals hall, representatives from the Chinese Mathematical Society and Capital University awaited them with bouquets and small red flags. A banner celebrating the national team’s six gold medals was stretched wide, and the media had assembled in force.

The moment the team entered the arrivals hall and saw the spectacle, they couldn’t help but be startled.

“Wow, this is quite the reception this year!” Guo Jiachen wore a sheepish grin, though his delight was plain to see.

Chu Xiaosheng and the others nodded in agreement. “We’re being treated like VIPs!”

“If I end up on the news tomorrow, my family will be over the moon!” Zhang Beibei’s eyes sparkled with laughter.

“I bet we’ve already been on the news once!” Su Zhikang mused, thinking of the awards ceremony—there was no way the domestic media would let such a major story slip by.

“This is the honor you’ve earned for yourselves. Keep it up, young men and women!” Professors Li Yisheng and Cheng beamed at the energetic group. Now that they were back on home soil, they, too, relaxed.

Youthful classmates, brimming with talent—if ever there was a phrase to capture their essence, this was it.

“Welcome, welcome home, our outstanding youths with honors!” The president of the Mathematical Society warmly shook hands with each of them in turn, bestowing bouquets. “You’ve all worked hard!”

Especially Wu Tong—considering the news they had just received that day, that alongside achieving a perfect score and first place at the IMO, she had also conquered the Twin Primes Conjecture, yet another world-class feat—their awe had not abated since they first heard.

Wu Tong, however, smiled quietly, choosing not to speak. She preferred to remain among her teammates, avoiding any special treatment. This was a stage for collective glory, not a solo showcase.

She did not wish for too much attention to be focused on her at this moment, lest it overshadow the others’ enjoyment of their achievements.

There were greetings and kind inquiries, the constant flash of cameras, and the intoxicating rush of honor—it was enough to make anyone lose themselves.

The Mathematical Society hosted a welcoming banquet for the group at a nearby hotel. Most attendees were council members, along with a few guests from the education sector. The children were the guests of honor, and after a meal, they were quickly sent to rest in their hotel rooms.

The next morning, everyone was kept busy with commendations and interviews.

The awards ceremony was held in the Society’s assembly hall. Each gold medalist received a twenty-thousand yuan scholarship. Wu Tong, as the perfect-score winner and first place, was also awarded the IMO Special Prize, with an additional thirty thousand yuan, totaling fifty thousand in all. Yet the true value was the honor, not the money.

Though the world outside buzzed with the news, for the six members of the national team, the IMO had truly come to an end.

“God Wu, everyone—see you in September!” Guo Jiachen, a Beijing local, was the first to leave, his family coming to pick him up after the ceremony.

“God Wu, see you soon!” Chu Xiaosheng was the next to depart. He had applied to an international school and, after the IMO, received his dream math department’s invitation. He needed to rush back to Shanghai to handle the paperwork.

The other three soon left as well.

“Mr. Li, Professor Cheng, let’s head back!” With the Twin Primes Conjecture still a hot topic, the mathematics department at Capital University was eagerly awaiting her, and she could not yet return home.

“Let’s go back to Capital University. Everyone there is eagerly awaiting your arrival. If you’d been free any sooner, Dean Pan would have come to poach you himself!” Professor Li joked as they boarded the Mathematical Society’s car back to campus.

The buzz over Wu Tong’s proof of the Twin Primes Conjecture continued to ferment both at home and abroad. On the way to Capital University, she finally had a moment to check her email.

The paper she had submitted the night before had already been accepted at lightning speed.

The chief editor’s reply thanked her for her trust and apologized that this month’s journal had already gone to press, so her work could not appear in the current issue. However, given the significance of proving the Twin Primes Conjecture, and to avoid any loss to the global mathematical community, the Annals of Mathematics would publish a special issue dedicated to her proof for the world to see.

The rest was standard procedure.

At the end, there was an invitation for Wu Tong to serve as a reviewer for the journal. Was being a reviewer what she thought it was? Perhaps it would be an interesting experience.

Wu Tong replied with her thanks to the Annals of Mathematics.

Unbeknownst to her, during the time she had submitted her paper, the editorial office at Princeton had been working around the clock.

The third update is delivered.

(End of this chapter)