An Expert Is actually By My Side

Chapter 36: Not a Single One Who Can Fight

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
“The collegiate mathematics competition this year is something else… Who on earth came up with this question?”
In the Dean’s office of the School of Mathematics…
Looking at the formula written on the blackboard, Wang Shuangquan stroked his beard with his right hand as a grave expression appeared in his eyes.
Next to him, Professor Li Xuesong from the Department of Mathematics stood there. He was a top figure in the field of pure mathematics in the country. At the same time, he was also one of the chief examiners of the National Collegiate Mathematics Competition held in early September.
“I think it’s Professor Liu Shoufeng from the Country Xia Mathematical Research Institution.”
“It’s actually a question by that old fool…” Realization dawned on Wang ShuangquanHe nodded and said, “No wonder…”
Mathematics was the foundation of science. As Country Xia built its country on science and technology, it attached great importance to mathematics. Every year, a national competition would be held, such as the National Collegiate Mathematics Competition, which was mainly for college students majoring in mathematics. The winners were expected to be directly admitted into the country’s key research units.
Under normal circumstances, in order to pull apart the scores, the final major question would often be set by a professor from the Country Xia Mathematical Research Institution.
However, to everyone’s surprise, nobody on the entire main examination committee could solve the final major question this year.
This included Professor Liu Shoufeng himself among these people.
As a main examination committee member, Professor Li Xuesong still remembered how that old fool had deceived him by playing innocent and acting dumb when he looked for him.
“I didn’t think this question would be that difficult. At that time, I just came up with it and found it interesting, so I wrote it down on the test paper.”
Now that he thought back on it, this question was set beautifully.
Perhaps it might even become a mathematical conjecture.
The old man Liu Shoufeng was pleased and washed his hand off it, but the ones suffering were the competition’s main examination committee.
Just like that, half a week had passed since the end of the examination, but the answer to this question was still a mystery…
When Dean Wang Shuangquan did not respond for a long time, Professor Li Xuesong hesitantly sounded him out, “What do you… think of this question?”
“I don’t have any train of thought for the time being, but my intuition tells me that the answer shouldn’t be too difficult?” After pondering for a while, Wang Shuangquan shook his head and said, “Let me think about it for another two days… Speaking of which, what about the Peking Mathematical Research Institution?”
The Peking Mathematical Research Institution was another major player in Country Xia. Unlike the Country Xia Mathematical Research Institution, which focused on applied mathematics, the Peking Mathematical Research Institution mainly researched pure mathematics.
Obviously, it was better to leave this kind of number theory questions to the experts.
“The question has just been sent to them. They’re probably holding a seminar right now.”
Dean Wang nodded and stroked the beard on his chin. “Then it should be settled.”
“Hey, I thought my abilities had deteriorated, but I didn’t think that even you sir can’t figure it out. Looks like the problem lies in the question itself.”
Glancing at the smiling Professor Li Xuesong, Dean Wang coughed in embarrassment.
“What do you mean I can’t figure it out…? Isn’t it because you just brought it to me?”
“Haha, I don’t care. Anyway, I feel psychologically balanced now!” Li Xuesong chuckled and waved his hands. “Enough chit-chat. I’m going to class. I still have an advanced mathematics lecture in a while and two classes worth of assignments waiting for me.”
“Assignments? You can’t possibly have set this question as an assignment, right?”
“It’s considered a critical-thinking question. I don’t insist that they solve it. They just need to do as much as they can.”
Looking at this unreasonable old fool, Wang Shuangquan laughed and said, “Isn’t this bullying them?”
If they had such abilities, they would have already been admitted into Peking University with the result of the winner of the National Mathematics Competition. Although River Town University was also ranked amongst the top ten in Country Xia, and even the entire world, its resources fell a little short of Peking University.
“Bullying them? Hur. On the contrary, I feel like I haven’t pushed them enough! These freshmen who have just come to university are like ducks entering the mountains—they have no discipline at all! The mental outlook of the freshmen nowadays is far worse than ours in the past. It’s really getting worse with each generation!”
Li Xuesong shook his head while saying this.
Dean Wang looked at his old friend and coughed. He said, “Each generation has their own way of living. Don’t always use the same old stuff from the old calendar to set expectations for the current students. Ask yourself honestly, would you be happier for your grandson to live in the old era or in the new era?”
“How can that be the same? My grandson is still so young,” Li Xuesong muttered when he realized he couldn’t outdebate his chief. He then changed the subject. “It’s almost time. I’ll head back first.”
Dean Wang nodded with a smile and said, “Go on, go on.”
It just so happened that this question was quite interesting, so he also wanted to study it alone in silence.
Who knows, maybe I can solve it?
Although it does seem quite challenging…
…
Ding ding ding…
“Sss… Why isn’t Cloud Hao here yet?”
Seeing Old Li step into the classroom just as the bell rang, Zheng Xueqian looked around anxiously. He whispered to Liang Ziyuan, who was sitting next to him, “Did that guy oversleep?”
He wasn’t worried about whether Cloud Hao was missing the class or not. The main reason was that the seat he reserved for him was too up front. The only book on it appeared too awkward. Especially when in this kind of seminar with only two classes around, it was even more of an eyesore.
Liang Ziyuan replied, “Maybe.”
“What the f*ck? He didn’t even inform me that he wasn’t coming.”
Zheng Xueqian grumbled under his breath. Before others could look at him in disdain, he swiftly removed the book on the table.
“Class is starting. Be quiet, everyone.”
Li Xuesong had rapped on the blackboard and walked to the lectern. He threw the advanced mathematics textbook in his hand onto the podium and stood there with his hands behind his back. The expression on Li Xuesong’s face suggested that he was an expert out of this world.
“Can the 1801 study rep collect the assignment?”
When they heard about the assignment, distressed sighs resounded in the classroom. The few star students sitting in the front row looked at each other, but they only saw helpless expressions in each other’s eyes.
“Have you done it?”
“No.”
“This question is too damn difficult…”
“Yeah, yeah, I couldn’t do it at all!”
“We actually have to hand in the assignment. Isn’t it just a thinking question…”
“Oh no, I’m done for.”
Seeing the students’ reaction in the audience, Li Xuesong didn’t have any expression on his face. However, he was gloating in his heart.
Can’t do it?
It’ll be a miracle if you could actually do it!
Seated in the first row, He Ping nibbled on his thumb while staring intently at the three to five pages of draft on his table. His brows were tightly knitted together, and he didn’t utter a single word.
The little fatso, Zhou Xuan, was sitting next to him. He nervously prodded his arm with a pen and whispered, “Expert He, did you manage to solve it?”
“No…”
“What the hell? Even you can’t do it?”
The provincial champion in the National High School Mathematics Competition!
Even he can’t do it?!
The guy who doesn’t play games in the dormitory and spends all day sitting in bed reading books that are hard to understand?
However, when he heard that He Ping couldn’t complete the assignment, Zhou Xuan was actually relieved and not as nervous as before.
What’s that saying again?
The law doesn’t punish the masses!
If it was just one or two people who didn’t do it, it would be the problem of those one or two people. However, if no one could get it done, it wasn’t everyone’s problem anymore. Instead, the question itself had issues.
He Ping wasn’t as optimistic as his roommate and didn’t even bother paying attention to him. He continued to stare at the question on his rough paper, racking his brain as if he were banging his head into a brick wall.
It was no wonder that he was like that…
After all, no matter how he looked at this question, it couldn’t be simpler. However, the strange thing was that he had tried everything but just couldn’t solve it!
When he saw the troubled expressions on the students’ faces, Li Xuesong couldn’t be happier.
Never once did he think that these future programmers would be able to come up with the answer for a question like that.
Hmph!
Who asked you rascals not to take my class seriously!
Do you regret it now?
However, despite being happy, he had to put on the imposing front of a teacher. After taking great efforts to force out a tinge of disappointment, the balding old man pretended to be lenient as he comforted them.
“It doesn’t matter if you can’t solve it. Just submit everything that you’ve written. At least let me take a look at your trains of thought. Study rep, go and collect it. Even if they only wrote the word ‘solution’, collect it as well.”
When they heard their teacher’s words, the students handing in the assignment finally moved. They hesitantly handed in their workbook with only the question they had copied down.
Those who didn’t do the assignment at all were even more relieved. They simply took the assignment from their tablemate and copied down the question. Then, they wrote the word ‘solution’ in the blank space.
When he saw the assignments that had been collected in a short span of time, Professor Li Xuesong chuckled inwardly. However, on the surface, he shook his head and clicked his tongue.
“When some of you didn’t listen attentively in class and some arrived late and left early, I thought all of you had already understood what was taught. I didn’t expect that for such a simple question, there isn’t even a single person who can do it.
“This batch of students… I really don’t know what you learned in high school!”
All the students in the class felt ashamed.
To be honest, the students who could attend lessons in this classroom couldn’t truly be lousy. Putting aside thrashing overseas students recruited into the international class, at the very least, in the area of mathematics, physics, and chemistry, none of them had low scores.
Therefore, this kind of soul grilling was undoubtedly piercing their hearts.
Especially for a star student who had won the provincial first prize and nearly got admitted into Tsinghua and Peking University, it was even more upsetting, so much so that he was itching to chew off his thumb.
Why can’t I solve it???
This is f*cking impossible!
He Ping noticed Old Li at the lectern flip open the cover of the advanced mathematics textbook. The professor clearly didn’t plan to discuss this question that he could not figure out even after grinding his brain for half a week. He knew that he could not wait any longer, so He Ping sprang up from his chair and said, “Teacher, I want to know the answer to that question!”
Zhou Xuan, who was sitting next to him, was taken aback by his roommate’s actions. He hurriedly stuffed his handphone into the drawer.
The same went for Wang Ziyi and Yuan Gaofei. They were both staring at He Ping dumbfoundedly, not knowing what the hell he was doing.
Coincidentally, Li Xuesong, standing at the lectern, shared the same feelings.
When he heard this question, the expression on his face suddenly froze.
“Ans-answer? Haha, you can’t even solve such a simple question but still have the cheek to ask me for the answer?” After all, the older, the wiser. Despite being caught off guard and a little nervous, Li Xuesong quickly covered it up with a serious expression, even launching a counterattack. “I’ll give you the answer after some time. All of you should think about it again.”
When he heard that he still had to wait for a few days, He Ping’s initially expressionless face suddenly twisted in agony. “Teacher! I beg you! Talk to us about it.”
“Uh, I will talk about it… in two days. I’m giving you guys some more time to think about it. Actually, this question is meant for you to get into the right frame of mind. It’s not the focus of our advanced math class, so even if you don’t know the answer—”
“I beg you! I haven’t slept well in half a week…”
When he saw He Ping suddenly hugging his head in pain, Zhou Xuan, sitting next to him, was stupefied.
What the f*ck?
Has he gone crazy from studying?
There was an uproar in the classroom, and many stunned students began discussing among themselves.
“Who is that?”
“I think it’s the star student from Class One who won the provincial championship in the mathematics competition!”
“The heck! Why is the provincial champion of the mathematics competition studying software engineering?”
“Who knows. But no matter what he’s studying, don’t you think it’s ridiculous to throw us a question that even the provincial champion can’t solve?”
“Looks like people can really be driven crazy by mathematics…”
Not only were the few people from Room 402 dumbstruck but Li Xuesong, who was standing at the lectern, was also the same.
This guy…
Did he suffer some blow?
As it was this balding old man’s first time coming across such a situation, he was also feeling a little scared. He changed the topic in a flurry.
“This student, I understand that your desire for knowledge is very strong, but take a seat first. We’re going to start the lesson soon. If you have any questions, we can talk about them after class. By the way, I forgot to mark attendance. I’ll take it now…”
Although He Ping looked unwell, he still sat back down.
This guy had obviously suffered a blow. Not only was he going against him at the moment, but he was also going up against the entire lesson.
Just as Li Xuesong opened up the name list, the sound of hasty footsteps came from the corridor outside.
Immediately after that, the back door was cracked open. A figure carrying a shoulder bag could be seen furtively trying to sneak in from the outside.
Of course, Li Xuesong caught sight of such a huge black mouse.
Usually, he would turn a blind eye to it. After all, university mainly depended on the student’s own initiative. Which teacher would possibly be like their parents and watch them like a hawk?
Too bad, it just so happened that Cloud Hao was unlucky today.
He was at the wrong place at the wrong time!
Li Xuesong, who was worried about not finding a way out of this embarrassing situation, immediately put on an imposing manner different from before. With a deadpan expression, he roared, as if he were chopping meat and vegetables, “The person at the back who’s late.
“Stop right there!”
His voice sounded like he was shouting through a megaphone.
Cloud Hao had just managed to catch his breath. As he pulled out the chair and was about to sit down, he nearly stopped breathing and was stupefied…