St. Petersburg hospital.
A poor girl lay on a white hospital bed; her beautiful blonde hair had lost its color.
However, she slept peacefully.
Lu Zhou was sitting next to the hospital bed. He held a thick book in his hand, reading it quietly.
“Although that eight-page thesis from the Prussian Academy of Sciences in the town of Breslenz completely changed the face of mathematics for the next century and a half, the god of his religion did not grant him immortality.
“The late great mathematician Abel only lived a short life of 39 years and 10 minutes. Passing away in a lakeside town in Italy on July 20, 1866.
“According to his dear friend Dedekin, he was sitting under a tree exploring the world of mathematics the day before he died. He wrote in his memoir—
“When the moment came, he did not show any trace of struggle before his death. Instead, it seemed like he was enjoying the feeling of his soul and body separating. His wife brought bread and wine for him, and he told her: Kiss our child. Recite prayers for him. But he could no longer speak. When he could no longer speak, he looked up at the sky and his wife felt his hand getting colder, until his heart finally stopped…
“For those eccentric geniuses that see the world in unusual ways, the universe is often cruel.
“Weil spent the second half of his life suffering. In 1959, Nash’s speech at Columbia University regarding his proof of Riemann’s hypothesis was the beginning of his schizophrenia. In the seventies, Riemann’s hypothesis was the direct cause for Grothendieck running away from his home…
“… However, precisely because of these sacrifices, we are able to see the universe in unique ways.
“Regardless of whether the person that finally proves it will become immortal, one thing for sure is that history will remember all of the people that passed along the touch. The glory of taking the final crown may only belong to one person, but the glory of the human mind belongs to everyone…”
Suddenly, the girl’s eyelashes twitched.
Lu Zhou noticed this tiny movement. He closed his book and looked at her pale face.
The room suddenly became silent.
The sapphire-like eyes gradually opened, making eye contact with Lu Zhou.
Her cheeks began to blush, and she quickly looked away.
Lu Zhou chuckled and put the book on the bedside table.
He asked, “When did you wake up?”
Vera blushed and said, “You noticed?”
Lu Zhou: “I noticed when I was reading Professor Riemann’s story.”
“Sorry…”
Lu Zhou looked at Vera and spoke.
“There’s no need to apologize.”
Vera looked at him and spoke.
“No, I want to apologize for… my report.”
Lu Zhou smiled at the sincere girl and spoke in a comforting tone.
“You did nothing wrong, you did a great job. None of the scholars there would have done a better job if they were in your position, even myself.”
Genius was a gift to a few people, but courage and perseverance only came from hard work.
Very few people had both.
She should be proud of herself.
The room suddenly became silent.
The only noise was the clock ticking quietly on the wall.
The gentle ticking seemed like a second countdown of a young woman’s life.
However, for some reason, Lu Zhou didn’t look sad or hurt.
Vera was glad to see this.
Emotions were contagious.
What she was really afraid of wasn’t the grim reaper, but the people that cared about her suffering in her final days.
There was no reason to be sad about something that couldn’t be changed.
Everyone’s life must come to an end, it was just that, for her, that day came earlier than most.
She was grateful for mathematics changing her life. The IMO gold medal gave her an offer from Berkeley, allowing her to escape from her horrible family, giving her the opportunity to meet so many good people…
Including Lu Zhou.
It all started with mathematics, now it was going to end with mathematics.
Everything was coming full circle.
At least she could enjoy some warmth in her last days.
As for the Fields Medal promise, that didn’t matter.
“Um…”
Lu Zhou: “Do you need anything?”
Vera took a deep breath and spoke in an apologetic tone.
“… I’m sorry for hiding it from you. When I first got diagnosed, I felt like… my world was collapsing.”
Lu Zhou nodded and spoke.
“I understand, but there are some things you shouldn’t bear alone.”
Vera wanted to say that she didn’t want to hurt the people around her.
However, Lu Zhou didn’t give her the opportunity to speak.
Because Lu Zhou already knew why she hid this from everyone.
“Okay, that’s enough of that. Also, you don’t have to apologize, let’s talk about something uplifting.”
“… Uplifting?”
“Yeah.” Lu Zhou nodded. He pulled out a stack of papers like a magic trick and said, “The story isn’t done yet. Thanks to a beautiful young lady, all of the dots were connected.
“Finally, this endless exploration came to an end. In fact, everyone crosses the finish line at the same time; the only difference is, everyone experiences unique things.”
Lu Zhou smiled and spoke in a relaxed tone.
“I digress…
“Basically, I proved Riemann’s hypothesis.”
Even though the academic community hadn’t evaluated his thesis, the system had acknowledged his proof, so there shouldn’t be any problems.
The second the words left his mouth, the atmosphere in the medical ward froze.
Her pupils expanded and began to tear up.
Her tiny hands tightly clenched the sheets. She wanted to stand up but was too weak. Her lips trembled as she spoke.
“Really?”
The nurse who was standing nearby glared at Lu Zhou and said, “Sir, please refrain from saying anything that will trigger the patient, otherwise we have to ask you to leave—”
However, Vera didn’t care about the nurse at all. She looked at Lu Zhou with excitement and spoke.
“No, it’s fine, tell me! How did you prove that the curve Re(s)=1-c/ln[|Im(s)|+2] converges to 1 as S approaches infinity! I tried everything I could, but—”
Lu Zhou knew Vera would say this. He raised a hand, gesturing to her to calm down.
“I’ll tell you, but only if you calm down. Otherwise, this kind lady will kick me out of here.”
The nurse smirked proudly and nodded.
Vera calmed down and lay still on her hospital bed. Her eyes were filled with curiosity and excitement.
Lu Zhou cleared his throat and glanced at the thesis in his hand.
“Thanks to your help, I finally figured some things out. The answer to your questions can be found in this paper.”
Vera whispered, “Can you read it to me?”
Lu Zhou: “No.”
Her sapphire-like eyes began to tear up, and she spoke even quieter.
“Then… can I read it?”
Lu Zhou: “No.”
Vera’s eyes widened, and she looked at Lu Zhou in disbelief.
“Why?”
Lu Zhou spoke in a serious tone.
“You have to promise me something first. Then you can read it as much as you want.”
Vera was confused, and she said, “What…?”
Lu Zhou restrained the urge to share his proof and put away his paper.
“Go to Beijing with me.
“I’ll tell you everything there.”
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