Yang Shengguo was flipping through a copy of the Annals of Mathematics when he got the call from Li Dong.
They hadn’t been in contact much since Li Dong had gone off to Yan University.
But it would be a lie to say he didn’t think about the boy.
He had been a teacher for over a decade and taught hundreds, if not thousands, of students, but Li Dong was the one who made him feel that this whole life as a teacher had been worth it.
So, when he received the call, Yang Shengguo was quite happy.
The kid still remembered his old teacher.
He was just about to crack a couple of jokes and ask if Li Dong had found a girlfriend at Yan University when a single sentence came from the other end of the line.
"Teacher Yang, want to do some research together?"
Yang Shengguo didn’t know how to react for a moment.
’What the heck?’
’Do research?’
As question marks filled his mind, Li Dong continued.
"Teacher Yang, I’ve recently come across a very interesting research topic that I’d like to work on with you."
Yang Shengguo finally snapped out of it and let out an exasperated laugh.
"What’s this? You published a paper in the Mathematical Annals and now you’ve gotten full of yourself? Planning to carry your old teacher to new heights?"
"Not at all." Li Dong’s tone was completely serious. "I was hoping you could carry me."
His words left Yang Shengguo speechless.
"Li Dong, what kind of joke are you playing?"
"It’s been over a decade since I graduated from Capital University. Whatever I was meant to forget, I’ve forgotten long ago. I’m afraid I can’t be of much help to you."
The other end of the line went silent for a second.
Then Li Dong laughed.
"Forgotten? Then how did you know I’d published a paper, Teacher?"
Yang Shengguo froze.
"Come on, Teacher Yang. Stop pretending."
"Someone who has truly given up on mathematics wouldn’t subscribe to the Mathematical Annals."
Yang Shengguo didn’t say anything.
Li Dong stopped joking around, and his tone grew serious.
"Teacher Yang, the research topic I want to tackle is the equivalence relation between the pair correlation property of zeros and the local structure of automorphic functions—a generalization from GL2 to the general case of GL(n)."
On the other end of the line, Yang Shengguo was stunned.
’From GL2 to GL(n)?’
If this was a topic proposed by someone like Laurent Laforgue, Michael Harris, or Richard Taylor, maybe then people wouldn’t think it was just messing around.
I won’t go into detail about these three, but they have one thing in common: they are all Fields Medal winners.
And Li Dong...
’Maybe he could do it, too...’
After all, at just nineteen years old, he had already proven himself in the Mathematical Annals.
Yang Shengguo was silent for a long time.
If it had been any other topic, he might have refused. But this project... he couldn’t let it go...
"...I’ll think about it."
In the end, he only said those four words.
"Alright. Well, Teacher, give me a call when you’ve decided."
After hanging up, Yang Shengguo sat in his office chair, staring at the open copy of the Annals of Mathematics on his desk, motionless for a long time.
Outside the window, the whistle of the gym teacher and the boisterous laughter of students mingled on the athletic field.
He had heard these sounds for over a decade and had long grown used to them.
But today, those sounds seemed to be fading into the distance.
「The next day」
Li Dong was preparing to leave Zhejiang University.
Cai Tianxin personally saw him to the university gate.
"Li Dong, you’re welcome to come back to Zhejiang University for academic exchanges anytime."
Li Dong smiled and agreed.
"Don’t worry, Professor Cai. I’ll definitely come back when I have the chance."
Cai Tianxin nodded with satisfaction, but he couldn’t hide the look of resentful longing in his eyes.
Under the "poet professor’s" mournful gaze, Li Dong walked toward the high-speed rail station without a single glance back.
「On the high-speed train.」
Li Dong was still wondering how long it would take for Old Yang to call him when he suddenly remembered something... Crap.
He still hadn’t replied to Qi Yu’s message.
’This... is really not good.’
Li Dong felt a pang of guilt.
After all, he had asked her so many questions before, and yet when she asked him just one, he still hadn’t replied.
Of course, it wasn’t intentional.
Although Qi Yu had asked about mathematical modeling, the core scenario involved the phenomenon of "dynamic disorder" in enzyme kinetics, and Li Dong hadn’t fully grasped the chemical concepts involved.
’Of course, there was no way he would admit that!’
Li Dong: The mathematical modeling problem you mentioned is quite complex. I might need some time to research it.
She replied almost instantly.
Qi Yu: Is it really the mathematical modeling that’s complex?
Li Dong: "..."
He shoved his phone into his pocket, his face expressionless.
He pretended he hadn’t seen it.
’Highly educated girls are really hard to fool.’
The high-speed train slowly pulled into Kyoto West Station.
Li Dong transferred to the subway and made his way back to Yan University’s East Gate.
"Yan University, I’m back."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than his phone rang.
It was a call from Liu Ruochuan.
Li Dong quickly answered.
"Professor."
"You’re back?"
"Just got to the university gate."
"Good. Come to Teacher Tian’s office on the fifth floor of Science Building One."
’Teacher Tian?’
’Professor Tian Gang?’
Li Dong had no idea why Tian Gang wanted to see him.
But he still replied verbally.
"Okay, Professor. I’ll be right over."
Professor Tian Gang’s office, fifth floor of Science Building One.
When Li Dong pushed the door open and entered, Tian Gang was sitting behind his desk with Liu Ruochuan beside him.
"Hello, Academician Tian."
Li Dong greeted him respectfully.
Tian Gang sized him up for a few seconds, then smiled.
"It seems this is the first time we’ve met."
"I’ve heard Ruochuan talk about you many times."
"But I’ve been busy with meetings, and I have several projects underway, so we’ve never had the chance to meet."
Li Dong nodded, though he was silently grumbling to himself.
’It’s not like I had time to meet you, either. I’ve barely even attended any of my university classes...’
Tian Gang looked at him and got straight to the point.
"You’re in Yuanpei College. When it’s time to declare your major in your sophomore year, which subject are you planning to choose?"
Li Dong really wanted to ask if he could choose all of them.
But he knew that was impossible.
"I haven’t decided yet."
Tian Gang nodded, then immediately asked another question.
"In that case, have you considered graduating early, then going straight into a master’s and Ph.D. program, focusing on mathematics?"
At these words, even Liu Ruochuan was taken aback for a moment.
He hadn’t expected his professor to have such an idea.
Graduating from an undergraduate program early wasn’t unheard of at Yan University, but it was incredibly difficult...
Not only did you need to complete all the required credits, but you also had to pass a joint review by the department and the academic affairs committee, obtain recommendation letters from at least two professors, and have sufficient academic achievements to back it up.
Most importantly, Li Dong hadn’t even finished the first semester of his freshman year.
"Professor, isn’t that a bit inappropriate?"
Liu Ruochuan couldn’t help but speak up.
Tian Gang smiled and waved his hand dismissively.
"What’s inappropriate about it? Exceptional talent deserves exceptional treatment."
He looked at Li Dong, his tone sincere.
"At your current level, making you sit in a classroom for another four years of undergraduate study would be a complete waste of time."
"It would be better to enter a formal research environment sooner, work on projects systematically, and produce something truly substantial."
He paused, then added another sentence.
"However, this mainly depends on what you want."
If Li Dong were to focus solely on number theory, there would indeed be no need for him to continue his undergraduate studies.
In a normal person’s mind, delving into a single field would already consume an enormous amount of energy.
However, Li Dong was not a normal person.
His ambitions were never limited to a single discipline.
Never mind mathematics; he also had biology, chemistry, and his favorite, physics. He wanted them all.
If he graduated early, his status would change from a student to a scholar. His mission would shift from learning to producing results.
He would have even less time to cross over into other fields and study different subjects.
So, Li Dong shook his head and said very seriously.
"Dean Tian..."
"Just call me Teacher."
Liu Ruochuan: ??
"Teacher Tian," Li Dong paused. "I think I still need some more time to hone my skills."
He tried his best to sound humble.
"Although I do think I’m pretty outstanding... After all, I’ve published a paper in the Mathematical Annals, so I guess that counts as a tiny little achievement."
"But I’m still young, you know? Impetuous and restless. I still need to be properly tempered and tested."
Hearing this, Tian Gang found it a little strange.
If you said he was being humble, why did it sound a bit like a humblebrag?
But if you said he wasn’t being humble, he had, in fact, just turned down the offer to graduate early.
He really couldn’t figure out what young people were thinking these days.
But Liu Ruochuan, sitting beside him, had a faint suspicion.
’This kid... he doesn’t want to learn everything, does he?’
He recalled the phone call from Cai Tianxin in Hang City.
Cai Tianxin had mentioned on the call that when Li Dong gave a lecture at Zhejiang University, he had casually pointed out a brand new path for Guan Yi’s Ricci flow project—a direction that had absolutely nothing to do with his own field of analytic number theory.
Cai Tianxin’s exact words were: "This kid’s talent isn’t limited to number theory. He’s terrifyingly good in other fields as well."
Since Li Dong had refused, Tian Gang wasn’t going to force the issue.
He had only wanted to provide the young man with a better environment for growth. Since he himself felt it was better to continue building his foundation at the undergraduate level, they should respect his choice.
But as his, Tian Gang’s, grand-disciple, someone this outstanding certainly couldn’t be treated like an ordinary student.
So, Tian Gang changed the subject.
"This collaboration with Huaxuan Technology—are you confident about it?"
Li Dong thought for a moment.
He didn’t see any problems.
So he nodded decisively.
"I’m confident."
Tian Gang looked him in the eye and smiled.
"Alright, then. You can head back for now. Your Teacher Liu and I have a few more things to discuss."
Li Dong took the hint, got up, and excused himself.
The door closed.
Only Tian Gang and Liu Ruochuan remained in the office.
Tian Gang spoke directly.
"I’m going to nominate him for the Special Support Program."
Liu Ruochuan was stunned.
The National Special Support Program, officially known as the "National High-Level Talents Special Support Program."
It was what people often called the "Ten Thousand Talents Program." The "Outstanding Talent" tier only accepted about ten people per year.
As for the benefits?
The benefits could be summed up in one phrase: case-by-case consideration and support on an as-needed basis.
You become a truly special case.
"Is he qualified for it now?" Liu Ruochuan asked with a frown.
Tian Gang lifted his teacup and took a sip.
"Once the project with Huaxuan is officially launched, he’ll be qualified."
He looked at Liu Ruochuan.
"So, help him out as much as you can."
"On a small scale, you’d be helping our own Yan University Mathematics Department."
"On a larger scale, he’s the one with the most hope of leading Huaxia’s mathematics in the future."
Liu Ruochuan nodded.
"I understand, Professor."

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