Seriously, sir? You can even pursue a professor?

As soon as the curtains were drawn, the light in the room suddenly dimmed.

Tang Zheng lay down on the bed, covered himself with the blanket, and prepared to take a nap.

He didn't get a good night's rest last night. After all, it was his first time experiencing something like being reborn, so it's normal to have some wild thoughts.

Time slips away silently in my sleep...

Tang Zheng suddenly opened his eyes, composed himself, and there was still some lingering fear in his eyes.

terrible!

He dreamt of Aunt Ruan, and she even whipped him with a pointer!

It's terrible!

After a moment of contemplation, Tang Zheng sat up and stretched.

The sky outside the window was nearing dusk, and the orange-red afterglow shone through the gaps in the curtains onto the floor, cutting out a warm area of ​​light.

He glanced at the time; it was a little past five in the afternoon. He had slept for more than three hours.

Tang Zheng pushed open the bedroom door. The living room was quiet, with only the faint sound of turning pages.

Ruan Hongzhuang leaned lazily against a corner of the sofa, wearing a light gray loungewear set. Her long hair was loosely tied back, revealing her fair and slender neck. The golden light of the setting sun fell on her profile, outlining her delicate jawline and high nose bridge.

She was holding a thick book in her hands, which looked like an academic monograph judging from the cover.

Ruan Hongzhuang looked up at the sound, "Awake?" She picked up her water glass and took a sip.

"Yeah, I had a nightmare," Tang Zheng said, sitting down on the sofa.

Ruan Hongzhuang put the water glass back on the coffee table and continued reading her book.

"Aunt Ruan, you should ask me what nightmare I had."

This person clearly doesn't know how to chat.

"I won't ask."

Tang Zheng: "..."

Not only are they bad at chatting, they're practically conversation killers.

"Your sister just called and said she'll be back later. Let me know if you get hungry."

"Aunt Ruan, are you going to cook yourself?"

"I can make you some instant noodles to tide you over."

Tang Zheng: "..."

"Thank you, Aunt Ruan, but I'm not hungry yet."

"Aunt Ruan, are you reading a math book?" Tang Zheng changed the subject, looking at the book in Ruan Hongzhuang's hand and asking.

He refused to believe it and insisted on continuing the conversation today.

"Yes, partial differential equations, some cutting-edge applications," Ruan Hongzhuang replied, looking down at her book.

"Oh..." Tang Zheng pretended to think, "Is it related to fluid mechanics or quantum mechanics?" He recalled some popular science articles he had read in his previous life.

Ruan Hongzhuang stopped turning the pages of her book, looked up, and her gaze lingered on his face for a moment, a hint of surprise in her eyes. "You know these things?"

"I read a lot of random books in my spare time and have heard a bit about it. Apparently, the Navier-Stokes equations are quite powerful in describing fluids, but I've never been able to solve them."

Ruan Hongzhuang's surprise deepened, and her gaze towards Tang Zheng took on a scrutinizing quality.

"It is indeed the equation of motion describing the conservation of momentum in viscous incompressible fluids." She continued the conversation, her tone becoming more professional and calm. "The existence and smoothness of the solution are among the seven Millennium Problems offered by the Clay Mathematics Institute."

"Oh, I see. It's that impressive." Tang Zheng nodded, then asked casually, "Is the part you're looking at related to the Schrödinger equation? The one in quantum mechanics?" He remembered that the Schrödinger equation was also a partial differential equation.

This time, Ruan Hongzhuang put down her book, sat up slightly, and looked at Tang Zheng seriously: "You also know the Schrödinger equation?"

"Uh... I've only heard the name. It's said to describe the state of microscopic particles, but I don't understand the specifics. It's too profound."

Ruan Hongzhuang was silent for a moment, her fingertips gently stroking the smooth book cover. The light of the setting sun outlined the clear lines of her profile, and her long eyelashes cast a small shadow under her eyelids.

She seemed to be judging whether Tang Zheng's involvement was truly accidental or if he had some hidden background.

"The Schrödinger equation is indeed a fundamental equation in quantum mechanics, and also a type of partial differential equation." Her tone returned to its usual calm, narrative quality. "However, the part I've been looking at involves more nonlinear wave equations, such as the application of soliton solutions to the sine-Gordon equation in condensed matter physics."

She spoke slowly and used simple vocabulary, but the terms "non-linear" and "solid component analysis" were still a bit beyond Tang Zheng's level.

Tang Zheng was indeed getting a headache. Sine-Gordon equation? The name was strange. Soliton solution... it seemed to be a special kind of wave that does not change shape during propagation? He vaguely remembered seeing it in some popular science article in his previous life.

Based on his vague memory and logical deduction, he thought, "Is an orphan... somewhat like a single, undeformed wave packet on the surface of water? It plays by itself and doesn't affect other waves?"

But Ruan Hongzhuang's eyes lit up slightly. Her gaze toward Tang Zheng was no longer one of simple scrutiny, but rather one of surprise and inquiry.

"The analogy is quite... vivid." She carefully considered her words. "Although not entirely accurate, it captures some key characteristics of soliton solutions: locality, stability, and the property of maintaining shape after a collision."

She paused, as if considering how to explain it more clearly to a high school student who had only read miscellaneous books: "You can think of it as a kind of particle wave, which has the characteristics of a wave but also behaves like a particle in some aspects. This solution is very useful when studying certain one-dimensional magnetic systems or superconducting Josephson junctions."

Tang Zheng was confused, but he grasped the key words "magnetic system" and "superconductivity." He recalled some science and technology news he had read in his previous life and tentatively asked, "Then... is it related to... faster computer or communication technologies that might be used in the future?" He remembered that solitons seemed to have potential applications in some new electronic devices or optical communications.

Where did you see these connections?

"I was just... guessing. That's how it's written in science fiction novels, like new materials and new theories bring about technological revolutions..." Tang Zheng made up an excuse.

"Science fiction... is also based on scientific imagination," she said slowly. "To be able to think of this shows that you have a very quick mind. Have you read 'From One to Infinity,' written by Gamow?"

"I've heard of it, but I've never read it." It's a very famous popular science book, but he hadn't read it in his previous life.

"The one on the left side of the second shelf, the one with the blue cover, you can take a look if you're interested in this kind of thing."

Tang Zheng looked in the direction she indicated towards the bookshelf in the corner of the living room.

The bookshelf was large and filled with all kinds of books, mostly from Tang's parents' collection, and some from Tang Rui and his own. He had never really noticed this book before.

"Okay, let me take a look." Tang Zheng stood up and walked towards the bookshelf.

See, the conversation just continues, it doesn't seem that difficult, right?