Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 288 The Youth Behind Me Is All About You

In the following days, Lu Wei became extremely busy, with tasks such as revising the format of the paper and translating the English version being mandatory, especially the latter.

The professors discovered that after being translated into English, the six pages had become eight pages.

The beauty of mathematics has been compromised!

This is utterly outrageous! How dare someone with such terrible English drag down their math score?!
The professors naturally have experience publishing papers in English, but no matter how much they compress it, it only ends up being seven pages long.

So they gathered an English teacher with a professional English level 8 certificate from the school and asked him to help polish the document.

That poor teacher switched to humanities because he was bad at math, and now, nearing forty, he's being forced by a few old men to start learning math.
There's no other way; you need to understand some basic logic to get involved in this!
Otherwise, simply simplifying the wording may lead to flaws in the logical chain and increase the difficulty of understanding.

So for the next few days, Xiao Mutou focused on this matter, while Zhai Dake fulfilled his family responsibilities, carrying a lunchbox to deliver meals to the mathematics department every day!

It's quite interesting; I didn't know you could play it like this.
On the other hand, "The Story of Dongyang" has also entered the pre-release promotion period.

It is worth mentioning that Lu Siwen had been asking Editor-in-Chief Lou En to tell her father about this matter, hoping that she could say it herself. As a result, it was delayed until the sample book was released before Lu Zetao received the good news.

It is said that Lu Zetao spent two days and two nights reading this 280,000-word novel, after which he opened a bottle of wine, lit a cigarette, and visited a grave.

The three-generation literary tradition of my Lu family has been established from this day forward.

Afterwards, instead of going to Beijing to find his daughter, the handsome Lu Zetao headed to Nanjing and joined Phoenix Media.

The first print run was only 50,000 copies?
If others see this, they'll think we can't afford to print it!
Reprint! Reprint at our own expense!
In the end, Lu Zetao actually managed to get it done. After all, he didn't make money from it; he only recovered the printing costs after the books were sold, which was equivalent to helping the publisher share the risk.

As a result, the initial print run doubled to 100,000 copies, allowing for immediate distribution through more channels and facilitating a snowballing effect of positive word-of-mouth.

Finally, Lu Siwen, who had everything ready, beat Lu Wei to the punch. On March 25, "The Story of Dongyang" was officially released and appeared in many bookstores.

Lu Wei's paper is currently under review, and the Mathematical Yearbook has not yet responded, but Harbin Institute of Technology is already asking people to urge them to do so.

------

In a bookstore in Nanjing.

"Hello, do you have a book called 'The Past of Dongyang'?"

"Tales of Dongyang? Wait a minute, isn't this a new book?"

The clerk rummaged through the "New Book Recommendations" section for a moment: "Strange, I clearly remember it arriving yesterday."

At this moment, another shop assistant said, "The book 'Dongyang Past' is right at the door! It's right inside the door."

"Right at the door?"

The customer and the shop assistant came to the front together and sure enough, they saw the book, right next to the best-selling "How Long Will I Love U".

However, there were dozens of copies of "The Time-Traveling Cohabitation Manual" stacked up like a pagoda, while there were only seven or eight copies of "The Story of Dongyang".

But this is still the best location in the bookstore; it would be difficult to obtain such a good resource without outstanding sales.

Of course, it's also possible that the publisher is pushing it hard. Each large publisher has its own stronghold or shares in bookstores, which can significantly influence the placement of items.

The customer, a woman in her early twenties, said, "Sorry, I didn't see it just now..."

The book cover is dark-colored, depicting the back of a man walking along a silhouette path. On both sides of the path are trees, houses, bicycles, factories, and other things outlined in chalk lines, creating a sense of age. Meanwhile, a pure white "child" figure keeps appearing around all these things, like a ghost playing hide-and-seek.

Judging from the cover design alone, it's not hard to guess that this is a suspenseful work, and its thickness also proves that it is not a fast-paced suspense, but rather a serious style.

This result surprised the customer, who had expected the books recommended by "author Zhai Da" to be lighthearted romance novels.
This made her hesitate, as she was planning to buy it directly, and she finally decided to browse through it first.

Forty-odd yuan, that's not cheap!
Then I looked and it had been an hour...
When I looked up again, my back and waist were aching.

Excellent writing style, with a delicate sense of the times.

The film is rich in emotion and has a perfectly balanced suspenseful atmosphere.

This work is really amazing!
Department of Mathematics, Peking University, Zhihua Building.

In his office, bathed in the bright spring sunshine, Tian Gang, one of the leading figures in mathematics at Peking University, opened his email.

Paper review is inseparable from peer review. You can't expect journal editors to become "mathematicians" just by sending emails. So, once a paper passes the initial review, the power to truly determine whether a paper is acceptable still rests with the experts in the field.

Similarly, this also allows excellent papers to generate a certain response in the industry before they are officially published.

This time, friends from Harbin Institute of Technology urged Tian Gang to speed up the review of this paper and provide feedback to the "Annals of Mathematics". Otherwise, Tian Gang would not open the email as soon as he received it, and usually let it sit in his mailbox for half a month or even several months.

This is one of the reasons why paper review is slow. It is common practice for senior researchers to read but not reply, depending on their busy schedules. However, journals only need to receive enough high-quality feedback and do not require everyone to reply.

Following his long-standing habit, Tian Gang immediately looked at the bottom right corner. There were only six pages.
Did the editor send the wrong thing?

But since he had already opened it, he patiently continued reading.
It is a single-author paper with no first author, second author, or corresponding author.

Nineteen years old?
Zhai Da's top-down strategy was effective; the paper was clean and straightforward. If it had been done from the bottom up, there might have been one or two more names added due to various discussions. Everyone has their own selfish desires.

Tian Gang's interest is growing stronger. The fact that the message was sent to him indicates that it is at least in a related field, or that it is compatible with other fields.

"Sensitivity Conjecture": What is the direction of the Brownian function?
Then I looked and it had been an hour.

When I looked up again, my back and waist were aching.

A brilliant idea, a masterpiece of creativity!

The beauty of mathematics is on full display! This is definitely the best paper he's read this year!

Moreover, this "matrix tracing tool" seems to have considerable applications in the field of algebra.

Although most mathematicians achieve their major accomplishments before the age of 30, 19 is still an amazing and remarkable age!
"This is truly a prodigy."

"But how did such a promising math student end up at Harbin Institute of Technology? He's only a freshman, right? Did he take the college entrance exam last year? What were the admissions officers doing?!"

On the other side, in Dongyang County.

Because its name includes the local name, "The Story of Dongyang" received even greater preferential treatment here, with its quantity of content maximized and it was placed right next to "The Time-Traveling Cohabitation Manual".

Many customers would pick it up, browse through it, and then buy it, after all, the name alone had sold dozens of copies in just one morning.

Two shop assistants were chatting idly in a corner: "I was curious and flipped through 'The Story of Dongyang' yesterday. It turns out it's based on a real case from our area?"

"How is it? Does it look good?"

"It's very good. I got engrossed in it without even realizing it. Many place names and events in it are traceable. It is said that they were researched through the 'Dongyang County Annals'."

"Do county annals still exist these days? What stories do they tell? This is so thick, it's all cases!"

"To be less precise, it feels a bit like a period drama. The main storyline revolves around a mystery, but the depiction of that era is also excellent. It's reminiscent of the old TV series 'Ordinary World,' which portrays the period from the 70s to the 90s in a very realistic, touching, and profound way."

"That can't be right. I heard from someone that it was written by a young girl."

"What's wrong with this young girl? Doesn't this just prove she's talented?"

In the corner, a tall, imposing figure dressed in expensive clothes was eavesdropping.

I felt as refreshed as if I had eaten two pounds of honey. But then I looked at my copy of "The Gun Barrel and the Sheath," which had been gathering dust because no one cared about it, and a sense of melancholy crept into my heart.

The market understands literature to some extent, but it doesn't understand me.
Why.
Harbin Institute of Technology, Student Activity Center.

Lu Wei sat in front of the camera, her beautiful face expressionless. Her porcelain-white skin was illuminated by the fill light, giving it a pearly hue. She did nothing; just sitting there was a beautiful sight to behold.

There is no shortage of "genius girls" in this world, but it is rare to find someone with such stunning looks.

The teacher in charge of filming thought to herself, "Up close, her features are truly exquisite!"
But only Zhai Da, who was standing to the side, knew that Xiao Mutou was very uncomfortable.

Want to run.

Here's the situation: although the paper review is not yet complete, the Department of Mathematics at Harbin Institute of Technology is not incapable of understanding papers. They have already recognized Lu Wei's achievements, and the feedback from within the field has been very positive.

Therefore, the "genius girl from Harbin Institute of Technology" is destined to soar to great heights.

This is a huge boost to the declining mathematics department of Harbin Institute of Technology!
It was inevitable that the TV station would come to interview them; the entire three-minute news broadcast wasn't just empty talk.

However, the school will also take the initiative to expand its achievements in academia, so it needs some information. Lu Wei was too well-behaved at school before, and there wasn't a single official photo of her. Now, by interviewing her in advance and introducing this young genius, the school will have something to use for her in the future.

Interviewer: "Lu, what made you choose Harbin Institute of Technology?"

Lu Wei didn't hesitate at all: "Because I want to go to the same university as Zhai Da."

"Ahem. Let's cut this part out for now and go over it again."

A few minutes later, Lu Wei said, "Because Harbin Institute of Technology is an excellent university with a rich historical heritage."

Interviewer: "What do you like to do in your spare time?"

Lu Wei hesitated for a moment. Although she was a bit slow-witted, she wasn't stupid. After mentally eliminating the unspeakable parts, she said, "Studying mathematics is my greatest interest."

As time went on, the interview drew to a close. The entire interview had an ethereal quality, as if the interviewers were spirits descended to earth.

An hour later, the interviewer asked the last question.

"Who do you feel most grateful to for achieving such results this time?"

Lu Wei looked out of the camera's view, her gaze filled with doting affection for Zhai Da.

Many images flashed through my mind: the lights of thousands of homes on the rooftop, late-night conversations just a wall away, countless songs that rang out. I had come all the way to this ice city, only to be greeted by my own spring.

Lu Wei rarely, and only once during this interview, showed a warm smile.

The kind of feeling that comes from the heart, that doesn't need a finger to push it, it just creeps onto the corners of your mouth:
"It's Zhai Da."

I've lost count of how much time has passed.

But there has always been a pair of invisible wings behind him.
The youth behind me is all about you.

------

On the other side, Kyoto University is also a center for student activities.

Lu Siwen sat in front of the camera with a friendly smile on her face.

But anyone who knows her well would know that Xiao Lu is a little nervous.

Her ebony hair fell down, covering half of her delicate pink ear, and her large, jewel-like eyes reflected the bright spots of the fill light.

She placed her delicate hand on her chest to calm her racing heart, thinking to herself, "The book has only just been released, why are we already being interviewed?"

After confirming the publication plan, Lu Siwen hesitated for a few days before deciding to talk to the department teachers, because there might be many things outside of academics to take up her energy, and she needed to inform the school in advance.

It will be easier to take leave in the future, right?
So, carrying sample copies, I knocked on the doors of several teachers with whom I had a good relationship.

Then came the constant shock and its spread.
After a preliminary reading of "The Past of Dongyang," confirming its exceptionally high quality, the publisher's strong support, and the fact that the initial print run far exceeds expectations and it will soon be available across the country, I was deeply impressed.

The teachers realized that the Chinese Department of Peking University, which had not produced a "noteworthy writer" for more than ten years, was about to receive a significant boost.

They have the most accolades, but they haven't achieved anything significant in a long time.

The Chinese literature department isn't about doing research; it's about looking at works and authors!
In recent years, when you ask around, you hear about a gathering of famous people, but when you check, they are all born in the 50s and 60s. There is a gap of ten years or even longer, and some of them have already passed away.
The graduates all became editors, reporters, and even advertising professionals.

Now that a writer has emerged while still a student, this honor must be widely publicized!

Therefore, the department attached great importance to it. Peking University's reputation was quite strong. Before the book's popularity had fully taken hold, "Beijing TV Station" had already invited the school.

Therefore, the interviews here are much more formal.

In fact, Lu Siwen's initial sales figures were not particularly impressive, with only a little over three thousand copies sold on the first day. It was far from enough to warrant such a large-scale effort, which shows how much of a boost the "label" of Peking University brought.

They can even make the news by choosing a school beauty.

The reporter asked, "Student Lu, what was the reason that led you to come to Peking University?"

This is basically a standard question; every Kyoto University student will say, "Because it's a prestigious school, my childhood dream has been to do this and that."

But Lu Siwen thought for a moment and said, "At first, I didn't think I would have a chance to apply to Peking University with my score. It was because a classmate tutored me before the college entrance examination and then gave me some advice and planning that I had the opportunity to come here."

The reporter immediately thought of the online interactions, and the person who seemed to be a fellow townsman and friend of the well-known writer immediately asked, "Are you Professor Zhai Da? It seems that you two are from the same school."

Yes, we all graduated from Maofang Middle School.

Dongyang is only so big, there's no point in hiding this matter. It's just that "writer Zhai Da" is too popular, and soon reporters followed their media instincts and kept asking Zhai Da questions.

We've gone a bit off-topic; even the Peking University professors off-camera coughed a few times.
You should pay attention to how amazing the training is in the Chinese Department of Kyoto University!
Instead of asking us such nonsense questions as whether our "Peking University Goddess" and Zhai Da dated in high school!
The interview was interrupted at one point, but was later brought back on track, and the focus gradually shifted to Lu Siwen's work.

Lu Siwen became increasingly fluent, and her expressions became more and more vivid. She truthfully introduced the source of her inspiration and her love for literature since childhood.

If I had to describe the entire interview in one word, it would be "bright and cheerful".

Finally, the reporter asked, "Student Lu, at only nineteen years old, you have already written a novel of 28 words. Who would you like to thank the most?"

Lu Siwen smiled warmly, causing the photographer behind the camera to be slightly lost in thought.

A girl nurtured by literature is different from one nurtured by the entertainment industry.

"There are many people I want to thank: my grandfather, my parents, and my high school Chinese teacher."

Lu Siwen pondered for a moment, as if recalling some important memory.

Many images flashed through her mind: the orange sunset over the overpass, the countless nights of remote writing tutoring, the high-five that held the sun in her hands, and the unwavering support that allowed her to stay in her motherland.

Lu Siwen looked at the camera, as if she were making a tender gaze at someone:

"But the person I want to thank the most is Zhai Da."

We didn't spend much time together.

But... all the youth behind me is you.

(End of this chapter)