A genius? I just love studying.

Chapter 254 The Fields Medal Award Ceremony

"Congratulations!"

"Good job!"

As he walked backstage, people kept congratulating Chen Hui. Chen Hui greeted them one by one, then walked through the crowded people to the lounge.

Bring up the data panel.

[Host: Chen Hui
Insight Level 7: (7.1/8)

Judgment Level 5: (5/6)

Creativity Level 7: (7.5/8)

Memory Level 3: (3.6/4)

After a slight hesitation, Chen Hui had already made his decision.

"Give me some credit for my judgment!"

Next, Chen Hui plans to conduct research related to controlled nuclear fusion, applying the proven Navier-Stokes equations to engineering, establishing a predictive model for plasma flow in a vacuum chamber, and then adjusting the magnet system based on the model to confine the plasma by the magnetic field as much as possible, allowing the dramatic reaction to continue.

Therefore, creativity is not so important in the work ahead. Insight will allow him to find patterns in complex data more easily and build more accurate models, while judgment will allow him to correctly process the data obtained in the experiment.

However, since my insight level is already high enough, I'll focus on improving my judgment first.

Unfortunately, this time Chen Hui's judgment did not earn him any extra reward for his wise decision, but he still felt a sense of reassurance. His intuition told him that his choice was right.

This feeling becomes even stronger, especially after one's judgment improves.

"Hui, congratulations!"

Just then, the door to the lounge opened, and Terence Tao walked in with a smile. "The Clay Institute has announced that it recognizes your credentials. They should have already contacted you to prepare for the next award ceremony."

Upon hearing this, Chen Hui took out his phone and indeed found an email from Clay Research Institute in his inbox, as well as a congratulatory email from Clay Research Institute Chairman Burton in his personal capacity.

The two had been in contact before, but Burton does not use WeChat, and Chen Hui only uses WeChat. They still communicate via email.

"Congratulations!"

Terence Tao smiled meaningfully again, clearly not to congratulate the Clay Institute on its grand prize this time.

Normally, even if Chen Hui's report concludes successfully, the Clay Institute will still let things play out for a while before issuing a statement regarding such significant achievements.

For example, Perelman's paper was only recognized by the Clay Institute four years after it was uploaded to arXiv, and even Chen Hui's Yang-Mills equation took more than half a year to be recognized.

As a mathematical succubus, with his connections, he would naturally receive more information. The reason why the Clay Institute issued a statement so quickly was, of course, because it had also received some information.

Chen Hui seemed to be thinking about something, but simply nodded with a smile.

After discussing the prospects of collaboration between mathematicians and artificial intelligence in proving things with Terence Tao in the lounge, Chen Hui left the lounge and headed to the lecture hall outside. He checked the time; Yuan Xinyi's lecture was about to begin.

Perhaps to give the audience some time to adjust, there was a full two-hour interval between Yuan Xinyi's presentation and Chen Hui's presentation.

In the same hall where Chen Hui had just finished his report, which was packed with people and distinguished guests, the Langlands Program was, in some ways, an even more significant achievement than the two problems that Chen Hui had proven.

Whether in the fields of mathematics or physics, unification is the ultimate goal of scientists, and the Langlands Program is a significant achievement on this path.

Yuan Xinyi stood on the podium, reading from the PPT he knew by heart.

Although he gains new insights each time he presents these topics, and they are not exactly the same, as his understanding of certain issues deepens, he has also made many adjustments to the PPT. The current version is quite different from the original version.

But it was ultimately the Langlands Program.

He has been talking about this topic for almost two years now. In those two years, he has given no fewer than thirty reports on this subject. No matter how much he loves it or how proud he is of it, it no longer seems special.

He can even multitask, giving a presentation while simultaneously observing the audience.

When Yuan Xinyi saw Chen Hui walk into the lecture hall, he paused for a moment before continuing his story based on muscle memory.

"Not everyone can pull out something new every time like that little guy."

Yuan Xinyi sighed inwardly, feeling somewhat envious of his student.

Chen Hui had heard the proof of the Langlands Program many times. The first batch of papers he read was his teacher's proof of the Langlands Program, which he had read at least ten times.

However, during this presentation, Yuan Xinyi still talked about many things that were not in the paper, which still benefited Chen Hui a lot. Chen Hui knew that this was his teacher's new achievement.

The presentation ended quickly, followed by a Q&A session and enthusiastic interviews from reporters.

Half an hour later, Chen Hui finally met his teacher backstage.

The day quickly came to an end, and the organizers held a grand party at the Hilton Hotel, which, as is customary, was the best time for mathematicians to network.

Chen Hui was kept at the party by Schultz and Tao Zhexuan for quite a while before returning to his room.

After closing the door and shutting out the noise of the outside world, Chen Hui sat at his desk, his mind as still as water, and instantly entered a state of studying.

The next day, Chen Hui also attended several lectures, such as the lecture on the Guagu conjecture given by Wang Hong, a fellow Chinese mathematician.

Although it did not yield results as significant as the Langlands Program, it still inspired Chen Hui considerably, and he suddenly understood why his teacher had said that modern mathematical research was no longer an era of individual heroism.

The achievements presented at this conference by mathematicians from around the world would have been difficult for him to complete in five, six, seven, or eight years if he were to do it alone.

Six days passed in the blink of an eye.
In the same hall where Chen Hui gave his presentation, the International Mathematical Union held a grand closing ceremony for this International Congress of Mathematicians.

The hall was packed with attendees, all patiently listening to Kei Nakajima's concluding remarks for the International Mathematical Union. This wasn't because Nakajima was particularly prestigious, but because everyone was eagerly awaiting that moment.

The Fields Medal, awarded every four years, will be presented at the closing ceremony of the International Congress of Mathematicians.

At this moment, the closing remarks by the President of the International Mathematical Union, Kei Nakajima, had already ended, and the hall held its breath in suspense—the moment for the awarding of the Fields Medal, the highest honor in mathematics, held every four years, had finally arrived.

The spotlight swept across the audience, finally settling on the young figure in the center of the first row—Chen Hui.

When his name was pronounced clearly and forcefully, thunderous applause erupted instantly, the sound almost lifting the roof off. Mathematical elites from all over the world—from highly respected masters to ambitious newcomers—unreservedly cheered for this young giant.

Many familiar faces, such as Terence Tao and Schultz, smiled with pride and satisfaction. Chen Hui's receipt of this award is not only an honor for Chen Hui, but also an honor for the Fields Medal. And these previous Fields Medal winners will also feel honored.

Chen Hui stepped onto the main stage, and the spotlight followed him until it reached Nakajima Kei, who was all smiles.

"Now, please let Professor Cedric Villani read the award citation for the laureate," said Kei Nakajima.

Villani also rose from the first row, walked onto the main stage, smiled and nodded to Chen Hui before looking at the audience. He put on his reading glasses, unfolded the parchment in his hand, and his voice trembled slightly with excitement, "Ladies and gentlemen, colleagues..."
Today, we are here to award the Fields Medal to Professor Chen Hui, not only as an affirmation of his amazing talent, but also as a tribute to the epoch-making expansion of the frontiers of mathematics.

Professor Chen Hui solved two millennium problems that built a towering wall, the height and difficulty of which had caused countless heroes to fall.

His proof of Yang-Mills' existence and mass gap equations provided a solid mathematical foundation for the Standard Model of modern particle physics, building an unprecedented and unbreakable bridge between mathematics and physics. His profound insights revealed the most hidden beauty of symmetry in nature.

Meanwhile, his groundbreaking proof of the existence of smooth solutions to the Navier-Stokes equations has just shocked the scientific community.

This achievement not only conquered another theoretical peak, but also demonstrated a clear path to be transformed into a grand engineering project—from deep-sea exploration to aerospace, from weather forecasting to controlled nuclear fusion, the results of the Navier-Stokes equations will be used.

Its creativity and potential to solve real-world engineering problems are astonishing.

But this is far from the whole story. In the field of Diophantine equations, he introduced groundbreaking tools and perspectives, providing a new paradigm for understanding the nature of integer solutions. In the high-dimensional labyrinth of topology, his work also illuminated corners that had never been touched before, contributing remarkable ideas to understanding the complex structure of space.

With unparalleled creativity, insight, and rigor, he continues to push the boundaries of human rational cognition.

Professor Chen Hui's work has not only illuminated the starry sky of pure mathematics, but has also profoundly connected with and influenced our exploration of physical reality.

His outstanding contributions rightfully earned him this honor!

As Villani finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted from the audience. This series of achievements left no doubt that Chen Hui would win the Fields Medal; in fact, everyone felt that only someone like him deserved it!
“Young man, when you receive this medal, its weight comes not only from the gold, but also from all those who have burned for mathematics over the past three hundred years.”

Villani approached Chen Hui with the certificate and medal in hand and handed them to him.

“Thank you, Cedric, thank you everyone.” Chen Hui accepted the medal from Villani. The Fields Medal was designed by Canadian mathematician John Charles Fields. The front features the portrait of the ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes, along with the Latin phrase “Transire suum pectus mundoque potiri,” meaning “transcending the limits of the mind, understanding the mysteries of the world.” The back is engraved with the winner’s name and the year of the award.

The medal is made of pure gold, about 6 centimeters in diameter and about 4 millimeters thick. Chen Hui looked at the medal and thought of the medal theft incident in 18.

Below the stage, Qiu Chengwu mechanically clapped his hands, looking at Chen Hui on the stage, slightly lost in thought.

Tian Gang's eyes were already red, and he clapped his hands vigorously, as if he wanted to vent all the anger in his heart.

It wasn't just Tian Gang; many Chinese mathematicians participated in this International Congress of Mathematicians, and many of them were invited to give presentations at the congress, some for 45 minutes and others for an hour. This shows that China's mathematical strength is quite impressive these days.

Unfortunately, before this, they were always some distance away from the Fields Medal, a pain in the hearts of every Chinese mathematician.

Today, this regret has finally been completely made up for.

“My teacher often reminds me that mathematics is not a medal for one person, but a starry sky woven by a group of people with countless ‘tiny connections’.”

Chen Hui took the microphone from Nakajima Kei and said simply, "Today, I want to give this message to all young mathematicians: the answer to mathematics is not in the grandest questions, but in the smallest connections."

A petal, a formula, a flash of inspiration from another field—these seemingly insignificant moments will eventually converge into a galaxy illuminating human understanding.

[Congratulations, host! You have won the Fields Medal. Free attribute points +1]

As soon as Chen Hui finished speaking, a barrage of comments suddenly popped up in front of him, and a smile bloomed on Chen Hui's face.

Under the spotlight, Chen Hui stood tall and composed, with a smile on his face. He bowed slightly to thank the presenters on stage, and then turned to thank the wave of mathematics colleagues in the hall.

Despite the honors he received, his eyes still retained the focus and clarity characteristic of a researcher, because he had set new goals and countless mountains to climb before him, leaving no time for pride.

Chen Hui walked off the stage with his medal, and then Nakajima Kei announced the next Fields Medal winner.

……

At Yanbei University, Xing Jiguang, unusually, didn't look at the papers. Not only him, but all the students in the teaching and research office were staring absentmindedly at the computer screen. In the past, there might not have been any live broadcasts of the closing ceremony of the International Congress of Mathematicians by Chinese media, but this time, it was already expected that a Chinese mathematician would win an award, so the media naturally wouldn't let this opportunity pass.

"Old Xing, stop staring at your crappy screen. I found a meeting room, 301. Let's go, the awards ceremony is about to start."

Cao Bo hurried into the teaching and research office, greeted Xing Jiguang, and then quickly left on his own.

Xing Jiguang hesitated for a moment, then finally got up and walked toward the meeting room Cao Bo had mentioned.

As Xing Jiguang stood up, the students in the teaching and research office also looked over.

"Those who want to go, let's go together."

Xing Jiguang said confidently that Room 301 was a large conference room that could easily accommodate three to five hundred people, and that his dozen or so colleagues from his teaching and research office could also go there without any problem.

It was precisely because it was a large conference room that the projection equipment inside was top-notch, with a large and clear screen that was incomparable to his own computer screen. This was probably why Cao Bo chose room 301.

However, Xing Jiguang was stunned when he entered 301.

Inside, a large group of people were already sitting, including teachers and students. It seemed that most of the professors and students from the School of Mathematics at Yanbei University had come.

"Why is Cao Bo making such a big fuss?"

Xing Jiguang grumbled, then noticed Cao Bo waving at him from ahead.

"Originally, I only invited a few professors I was on good terms with, but who knew everyone would come."

Upon approaching, Cao Bo offered a wry smile and an explanation.

"Stop talking nonsense, the awards ceremony is about to start."

Shi Potian interrupted Cao Bo without any politeness, and Xing Jiguang then realized that not only were there professors from Yanbei University, but also several professors from the neighboring Tsinghua University.

"Ladies and gentlemen, colleagues, today we are gathered here to award the Fields Medal to Professor Chen Hui..."

Professor Villani's voice came through the conference room speakers, and the room immediately fell silent. They recognized the professor; Villani won the Fields Medal in 2010 for proving the convergence of nonlinear Landau damping and the Boltzmann equation.

Everyone held their breath and looked at the big screen.

The honor that the Chinese mathematics community has been eagerly anticipating for decades is finally about to arrive!
(End of this chapter)