The night before the college entrance exam results were released, I redeemed my Peking University ad

Ji Bai listened to the jumbled, broken Chinese and the tempting offers, and simply smiled.

He didn't stop, didn't say a word, and didn't even give me a second glance.

With his hands in his school uniform pockets, he walked straight to the entrance of the venue, escorted by consulate staff.

He left behind a group of eager conglomerate envoys, along with their billions of dollars in assets.

That's unbelievably cool!

……

In the domestic live broadcast room, the viewers heard these words clearly and were completely stunned!

"Holy crap! 15 billion US dollars? I can't even count the zeros! This offer is outrageous!"

"Morgan! Rockefeller! DuPont! Mitsui! Is this some kind of hodgepodge of the world's top ten richest people?"

"Normally, these names in financial news seem so aloof and unapproachable, but today they're all acting like celebrity worshippers! And the worst part is, they haven't even caught up with them yet!"

"To be honest, I'm really tempted... A private estate, unlimited funding, and generations of trust—who could resist that?"

"The perspective upstairs is too narrow! Room-temperature superconductivity is a technology that could reshape the global energy landscape; this amount of money is merely a stepping stone! If we really open up negotiations, the value would be more than ten times!"

"Oh no, I'm suddenly panicking... Could Ji Shen really have been poached by a foreigner?"

"Don't worry about it! Who is the Emperor? Would he care about such petty gains?"

"The person upstairs is really arrogant. This is considered a pittance?"

"To be honest, I'm really panicking! Could Ji Shen really have been poached?"

"I panicked too!"

"I'm totally panicking!"

……

Meanwhile, many bigwigs in the domestic system and academia only belatedly realized the significance of the spectacle as they watched the live broadcast.

"No wonder there was such a sudden uproar, cracking down on academic cliques, investigating taxes, dismantling online trolls, and even An Li getting involved."

"So the reason this kid went abroad without a word was because the higher-ups were afraid he'd be disheartened, and they were busy standing up for him."

"That was a brilliant move."

Someone sighed, "They said nothing, yet it's as if they said everything!"

"No one dares to gamble on whether he's angry or not, no one dares to gamble on whether he'll stay outside."

"This is not just youthful spirit; it's a stroke of genius that subdues the enemy without a fight."

"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they can turn their hands to create clouds or rain!"

But some people shook their heads repeatedly, their faces full of disagreement:

"Really? He's only eighteen, a kid focused solely on his studies. How could he be so cunning?"

"Maybe they just came to receive the award and didn't think about all the complicated things."

"Exactly, academic talent doesn't mean you can handle these political maneuvers."

"How could a kid who hasn't even grown his first hairs be more cunning than us seasoned veterans who've been through thick and thin for decades?"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Discussions arose one after another, but no one could come to a conclusion.

No one knows whether Ji Bai's quiet trip abroad was unintentional or premeditated.

But everyone has to admit that, whether intentionally or unintentionally, the young man said nothing and did nothing, but quietly went abroad and got all the confidence, the venting, and the prestige he deserved.

"What a lucky boy!"

Someone muttered to themselves.

I hope your luck continues!

……

It is 9:00 AM Philadelphia time.

The quadrennial ICM conference has officially opened, with the Fields Medal award ceremony taking place concurrently.

The Alexandra Auditorium was brightly lit and packed to capacity.

The stained glass windows of the dome filtered the morning light into a gentle golden-blue hue, which fell upon the shoulders of more than 3,000 top mathematicians from 67 countries around the world.

All eyes were focused on the deep blue velvet-covered podium in the center of the stage, where five gleaming Fields Medals lay quietly on the velvet cushions.

Each one is engraved with Archimedes' profile and the Latin inscription "Transire suum pectus mundoque potiri" (Transire the limits of humanity, become the master of the universe).

IMU Secretary General Charles stood at the front of the podium.

The French mathematician, who had once been rendered speechless by Ji Bai at the verification conference, straightened his tie and cleared his throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen, colleagues, and friends."

"Every four years, we gather together to present this honor to young scholars who have made outstanding contributions to the field of mathematics."

"Please allow me to announce,"

"This year's Fields Medal will be awarded to several scholars who have made pioneering contributions to the fields of number theory, topology, and algebraic geometry. They are..."

"Wang Hong, Deng Yu, Ji Bai..."

boom--!

Thunderous applause erupted.

There was no surprise, no controversy, and no whispered doubts.

The entire auditorium rose to their feet, and the applause was uniform, like a long-brewing downpour that had finally come down.

More than 3,000 of the world's top mathematicians, including past Fields Medal winners, members of national academies of sciences, and editors of top journals.

Everyone stood up to applaud these mathematical prodigies.

Next is the awards ceremony.

Ji Bai walked onto the podium, wearing a slightly faded blue and white high school uniform. The loose fit made him stand out a bit among the scholars in tuxedos and tailored suits.

But no one thought he was being informal, and no one thought he was disrespectful to the occasion.

Because the very act of this person standing there is the greatest respect for mathematics.

Secretary General Charles personally handed the gold medal to Ji Bai, and as they shook hands, he couldn't help but lower his voice, expressing his heartfelt admiration:

"Ji, you have made history! Not just in mathematics, but in all of human civilization."

Ji Bai nodded slightly, thanked him softly, accepted the certificate, and turned to face the audience.

The audience, comprised of top mathematicians from around the world, stood up and applauded for a long time.

……

In the domestic live broadcast room, when the camera focused on Ji Bai receiving the medal in his school uniform, the barrage was instantly flooded with tear emojis and exclamation marks.

Although everyone had expected it, countless people still couldn't help but shed tears when Ji Bai, wearing that blue and white school uniform, stood on the podium and received the gold medal from Charles.

"I cried...I really cried!"

"Winning a Fields Medal while wearing a school uniform—that's the romance of Chinese youth!"

"History will remember this day, and the boy in the blue and white school uniform who stood at the pinnacle of global mathematics."

"A triple win! All three laureates are Chinese! And all three are from Peking University!"

"Tsinghua University is unusually quiet tonight; even two of the streetlights are off."

Tsinghua University Mathematics Department: We're turning off lights early tonight, everyone go to bed early!

"Tsinghua University's darkest night!"

"The Emperor has officially ascended the throne! From this day forward, there will only be one Pope in the world of mathematics!"

……

Domestic audiences were absolutely thrilled.

Countless netizens expressed their excitement and pride in the comments section with the most enthusiastic words.

Someone created a nine-grid image of Ji Bai receiving the medal from Charles, accompanied by eight large characters: "The Immortal King's Shroud, Today the Fei Award is Slain."

This picture was forwarded more than a million times in half an hour, and the school name "Fucheng No. 99 Middle School" appeared in the headlines of major media outlets around the world for the first time.

No. 99 Middle School is trending!