They’re all reborn, what’s wrong with being a little more almighty?

Chapter 249 Billionaire
Zhang Wei received a call from Zhuge Xuegeng.

"How come you launched such a big satellite without telling anyone? That's the Fields Medal. For those of us who study mathematics, who wouldn't want to win this award? How come you got it? Tell me the truth, who did you find to help you?"

"Professor Zhuge, you look down on me so much? After all, I have discovered so many Mersenne primes, but I am still not worthy of a Fields Medal?" Zhang Wei asked with a smile.

"Do you think you can win the Fields Medal just by wanting it? To get this kind of award, it still requires some effort. Why didn't you reveal some information earlier? If you had told me earlier, I could have helped you find some connections." Zhuge Xuegeng said.

"If you had told me earlier that you had connections, I wouldn't have bothered to go to the Electronic Frontier Foundation!"

"Electronic Frontier Foundation? The one from the US?" Zhuge Xuegeng paused, then continued, "It's more reliable to find an American than to find me."

"Professor Zhuge, this is the first time I've seen you be so humble!"

Zhuge Xuegeng sighed lightly: "Hey, we have to be modest. Our level of mathematical research is far behind that of European and American countries. We have to admit that there is a gap in strength.

Although we do have some connections with the International Mathematical Union, we are only one of its members. The Electronic Frontier Foundation in the United States provides sponsorship fees. In terms of influence, we are definitely not as good as them. "

"Isn't it said that our Tsinghua University is strong in mathematics? I often see reports that they can win prizes in various mathematics competitions."

"Competitions are competitions, and scientific research is scientific research. They are different." Zhuge Xuegeng went on to explain: "Mathematics competitions are actually about solving problems. People who are good at solving problems can naturally get high scores; mathematical scientific research is a science based on hypothesis, reasoning and proof.

Mathematics is also divided into many categories. If you want to study mathematics, the mathematics learned in high school can only be regarded as laying the foundation. The advanced mathematics learned in college can only be regarded as the beginning of in-depth understanding of this subject. To conduct real mathematical research, you still have to study for a master's degree.

Only at the graduate level will one specialize in a particular category. Our students at Tsinghua University may start earlier, with some students starting to focus on a particular category in their junior year, laying the foundation for future graduate studies.

As far as mathematics competitions are concerned, the content involved is often quite broad, and there is almost no special assessment of a certain category, so those who participate in mathematics competitions are generally high school students or lower-level undergraduate students.

Undergraduate seniors or graduate students do not have an advantage in participating in mathematics competitions. Many of them have already begun studying a certain field of mathematics and rarely involve other categories of content.

So if you let a mathematics PhD participate in an ordinary mathematics competition, his score may not be as high as that of a mathematics Olympiad student, because there are many contents in the competition that the mathematics PhD cannot use in his daily research.

But if you are talking about scientific research capabilities in a certain field, those gold medal winners in mathematics competitions are definitely not as good as the mathematics PhDs who study this field.

Over the years, many of our students at Tsinghua University have won awards in various mathematics competitions, but this only shows that we have a group of smart young people, but it does not mean that our scientific research level is high.

At least these smart young people are still a long way from turning their ideas into scientific research results. And what we really need is not a problem-solving expert, but a scientific research expert who can hypothesize, infer and prove.

But it’s not that easy to do scientific research! If our research was as good as our participation in the competition, we would have won the Fields Medal long ago!"

"I understand, Professor Zhuge. If you hadn't explained it, I really wouldn't have known this." Zhang Wei replied.

Zhuge Xuegeng continued, "The Fields Medal should be awarded at the opening ceremony of the World Congress of Mathematicians, right? I will go there and support you!"

"Besides you, is Principal Gu coming too?" Zhang Wei asked.

"Principal Gu hasn't confirmed it yet, as he's quite busy. But the ministry will definitely send a leader to attend. Awarding prizes is a matter of honor, so of course they have to send someone to witness it on site."

"I can expect this." Zhang Wei replied.

"When the leaders of the ministry arrive, I will take you to meet them first. If you have any requests, please ask as soon as possible and don't be polite. In this kind of occasion, as long as you make a request, the leader will not refuse it for the sake of face."

"I don't seem to have any requirements." Zhang Wei said, shaking his head.

"I have! Oh, no, what I mean is, I have already thought of it for you!" Zhuge Xuegeng's voice was extremely cunning.

"You want to take this opportunity to benefit your mathematics department, right?" Zhang Wei directly exposed Zhuge Xuegeng.

"You don't have any requests anyway, so don't waste such a good opportunity. That's the Fields Medal, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If you don't make a request now, you'll miss it."

"Okay then, what are your requirements? I'll take notes and report them to the leader." Zhang Wei said as he went to get paper and pen.

"I think Germany should be able to access the Internet. I'll send it to your email later."

"I have to send an email, it seems like a lot of requirements." Zhang Wei complained.

Zhuge Xuegeng continued, "Oh, there's one more thing. The World Cup final is coming up soon, right? You're in Germany right now, so buy me 200 yuan for France to beat Italy!"

"200 euros?" Zhang Wei asked subconsciously.

"Of course it's 200 RMB. I don't have 200 Euros to show off!"

"200 RMB is only 20 Euros. How can you be so stingy as a professor?"

"You know my family's situation. This 200 RMB is my hard-earned private savings!"

"Since this is your hard-earned private money, you should keep it. Gambling is risky, and if you lose, you will definitely feel bad."

"Don't worry, you won't lose!" Zhuge Xuegeng's tone was full of confidence. He continued, "Buy it for me first. When we return to China, you can keep the 200 yuan principal and give me the bonus."

"What if Italy wins? Wouldn't your two hundred dollars be wasted then?" Zhang Wei asked.

"The French team will definitely win. I have made this professional judgment!" Zhuge Xuegeng said confidently.

"I didn't realize you're such a senior football fan. You know a lot about European leagues?"

"I haven't done any research! I haven't even watched a single European football league game."

"Didn't you say you had professional judgment?"

"The professional judgment I'm talking about is mathematics." Zhuge Xuegeng paused and asked in a mysterious tone, "Do you know the Kelly formula?"

"Kelly's formula? I seem to have heard of it, but I can't remember the details."

"The Kelly Criterion is a formula proposed by physicist John Larry Kelly. This company is an investment strategy that maximizes the long-term growth of principal in independent repeated bets with positive expected net returns."

"Professor Zhuge, can we speak human language?"

"To put it simply, this formula can help gamblers win money, such as those who bet on horses and blackjack in casinos. Many of them study this company. I conducted a more in-depth study based on this company, and then carried out a series of precise calculations based on the odds offered by the bookmakers. Finally, I concluded that the French team will win!"

"It doesn't sound that reliable! Professor Zhuge, are you kidding me?"

"What? You don't believe me? Fine. I'll send you my calculation formulas in a little while. You can apply them to the odds of the past few games and see if my formulas are accurate!"

"I don't know whether it was accurate in the past, but in the next World Cup final, your calculation formula will definitely not be accurate!" Zhang Wei complained silently in his heart.

Not long after he finished talking to Zhuge Xuegeng, Zhang Wei received two emails on his laptop.

One email was about the benefits that Zhuge Xuegeng wanted to seek for the Department of Mathematics, and the other email contained an attachment. When I downloaded the attachment, it contained a bunch of calculation formulas.

"Brother, what is this? It looks so complicated." Lu Yunxiang came over.

"The formula given by Professor Zhuge from the Department of Mathematics says that it can calculate which team will win based on the odds of the bookmakers." Zhang Wei replied.

"Damn, so amazing? Doesn't that mean Professor Zhuge will become rich?"

"The premise is that the calculation results of these formulas must be correct. If they are wrong, you will not get rich, but lose money!" Zhang Wei said, closing the file with disdain.

"Brother, are you not going to study it anymore?" Lu Yunxiang asked curiously.

"What are you studying? Professor Zhuge said that according to this formula, France can beat Italy! Just based on this point, the formula is not accurate. He even asked me to help him buy 200 yuan of bets on France winning!"

"Then will you buy it for him?" Lu Yunxiang asked again.

Zhang Wei thought of the sturdy wife in Professor Zhuge's family photo and shook his head: "Forget it. It's not easy for Professor Zhuge to save some private money!"

……

July 7th, the day of the World Cup finals. Italy played against France, but judging by the skin color, it was more like a European team against an African team.

Many people in later generations complained that the French team had become an African team. In fact, the French team was already like this in the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Among the 11 starting players, only four were white, and the rest were all black players.

Among the four white people, Zidane is also of African descent. Both his parents are Algerians, but they were born in France. However, the main ethnic group of Algerians is white, so Zidane, who is of African descent, is also white.

For Zidane, this game is the last one in his career. He will retire after the World Cup final, so of course he is extremely eager for the World Cup trophy.

So after the start of the game, the competition between the two sides was very fierce. French star Henry was knocked down one minute into the game and returned to the field after treatment. Only four minutes into the game, the referee showed the first yellow card.

The goal came quickly because of the players' desperate efforts. Six minutes into the game, France was awarded a penalty kick, which Zidane scored, giving France a 1-0 lead.

Inside the stadium, all the French fans were instantly excited. In just six minutes, they had already taken a 1-0 lead, which was a perfect start for the French team.

Moreover, Zidane looked in very good shape and the other French players were also very excited. Although Italy also had some threatening attacks, France still had the upper hand overall.

"Brother, I think the French team has more momentum, and the Italian team is not doing well." Lu Yunxiang said in a low voice.

"Why are you in such a hurry? The game has just begun. Besides, Italy is not made of clay, so how can they not have the power to resist? Calm down and watch the game! The rest of the games will be even more exciting." Zhang Wei said calmly.

In the 19th minute, Italy got a corner kick on the right side, and Materazzi scored the goal, equalizing the score for the Italian team.

"Brother, isn't the guy who scored the goal the one who committed the foul and gave the French team a penalty? He has now made up for his mistake!" Lu Yunxiang was obviously very impressed with Materazzi.

"Remember this man, maybe he is the key to winning this game!" Zhang Wei said with a smile. He knew that Materazzi's contribution was more than just this goal.

In the first half, neither team scored again. After the second half, France's offensive became more fierce, especially Henry's several breakthroughs, which posed a great threat to Italy. Thanks to Buffon, the Italian goalkeeper, if it was a weaker goalkeeper, the goal might have been broken by France again.

In the following games, the two sides continued to attack and defend each other. Generally speaking, the French team took more initiative. Several goals that seemed to be about to be scored ultimately failed to get past Buffon.

Entering the extra time, Henry could no longer run and was substituted. Without Henry, the French team's offense was obviously not as fierce as before, and the Italian team's defense was also much more relaxed.

The game entered the 109th minute and the famous scene of the World Cup finally appeared. Zidane hit Materazzi with his head. Materazzi immediately became possessed by the actor and began to perform while lying on the ground.

Zidane received his last red card in the last game of his career, bidding farewell to his career in a way that no one expected.

Materazzi not only scored a goal, but also forced Zidane to leave the field, which really became the key to winning the game.

"Oh my god! Red card? Zidane was sent off right away? If I remember correctly, Zidane will retire after this game, right? Doesn't that mean his career is over?"

Lu Yunxiang widened his eyes, as if he couldn't accept this result.

Not only Lu Yunxiang, but all the fans at the scene had an incredible expression on their faces. It all happened too suddenly. Not to mention the French fans, even the Italian fans were unable to react for a while.

"What happened?"

"Why did Zidane hit Materazzi?"

"What conflict arose between them?"

Zidane is not a rookie. With his game experience, he actually made such an extraordinary move in such an important game, which really surprised everyone.

The audience was stunned, but the game had to go on. Without Zidane, the French team lost its backbone and was ultimately unable to change the score. They could only hold on for the last few minutes, dragging the game into a penalty shootout.

In the end, Italy defeated France on penalties and won the World Cup.

"Brother, Italy really won! We bought the odds at 1 to 13, we made a lot of money!"

"Do you regret not buying more?" Zhang Wei asked with a smile.

Lu Yunxiang seemed not to hear Zhang Wei's question, but hugged Zhang Wei excitedly.

"1 to 13, brother, you made million euros! Converted into RMB, you are now a billionaire!"

(End of this chapter)