Top Student at Their Peak-Chapter 180 - 100: Those Genius Opponents and the Unpredictable Youth_3

Xue Song, who was walking beside Qiao Yu, saw Qiao Yu point the phone’s front camera at himself. He could only raise his hand and wave at the screen: "Hello, Qiao Yu’s mother."

"Hello, Professor Xue. Please take care of Qiao Yu, this child can be a bit mischievous, so please keep an eye on him."

"Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of him."

After a simple chat between the adults, Qiao Yu turned the camera back to himself: "Alright, Mom, I’m going to catch the train with Professor Xue now. I’ll call you once I’ve settled in."

"Wait, Keke is right here, say a few words to her."

As she spoke, another face came into view.

Well, at least she wasn’t crying anymore, though her eyes were still a bit swollen.

"Um, Keke... classmate..."

"Who’s your classmate, Qiao Yu bro."

Hearing that familiar voice, Qiao Yu relaxed: "Let me tell you, I’m entrusting my mom to you. While I’m in Beijing, you take good care of her for me!"

Xia Keke’s eyes gleamed brighter, and she nodded vigorously: "Hmm, don’t worry."

"Also, I’m waiting for you in Yanbei. You can’t slack off in your studies. I’ll send you some Beijing high school exam practice questions, and I’ll check them when I come back in the summer."

Qiao Yu originally thought Xia Keke would refuse, but to his surprise, the girl earnestly nodded and said: "Alright, it’s a deal! I’ll finish all the questions you send, and wait for you to check them when you come back!"

What is this... a naturally masochistic constitution?

"Okay then, Qiao Yu bro, you’re just arriving, lots to do, go handle your stuff! Talk to you later!"

With that, she even sweetly hung up the video call herself.

Has she been brainwashed by Qiao Xi?

"Was that your little girlfriend just now?" Xue Song asked from the side.

Qiao Yu put the phone back in his pocket and casually changed the subject: "Just a younger sister from home. By the way, Director Tian asked me to attend a lecture, what’s it about?"

This tactic worked, as Xue Song, indeed uninterested in chasing these trivial matters, countered: "Do you know about the Spivak’s problem?"

Qiao Yu shook his head blankly.

Xue Song chuckled: "But you’re familiar with the Mordell Conjecture. You used Faltings’ Theorem in your paper."

Qiao Yu immediately nodded: "I know this. For any smooth projective algebraic curve defined over the field of rational numbers Q with a deficiency of at least 2, the set of its rational points is finite."

Xue Song explained: "You can understand the Spivak’s problem as an extension and deepening of the Mordell Conjecture, focusing primarily on the precise upper bound estimates of the number of rational points on such curves.

Simply put, the Mordell Conjecture is about existence — whether the set of rational points is finite or infinite; while the Spivak’s problem is a specific question about the quantity and estimates of these rational points. It lies at the intersection of Number Theory and Algebraic Geometry."

Qiao Yu nodded, roughly understanding the idea.

"Professor Robert Green is an expert on these issues. Inviting him for a three-part lecture series, the research center has put in a lot of effort. Director Tian and I both feel what you lack most now is breadth of knowledge, so we want you to attend this lecture.

Firstly, to let you experience the atmosphere. Normally, watching videos online doesn’t allow you to ask questions, but face-to-face lectures do, giving you the opportunity to directly ask scholars questions. Secondly, such lecture opportunities are rare; who knows if we’ll be able to invite him again.

Additionally, Director Tian noticed you’ve recently been researching the ζ function. If you’re interested in the Riemann Conjecture, you should also attend the lecture. After all, the problem of rational points on algebraic curves is closely related to L-functions and modular forms.

Learning research methods for these types of problems can help you understand more about the properties of related functions, potentially providing more inspiration in your future study of the ζ function. Oh, and that Professor Green is very knowledgeable and also researches Quantum Field Theory. Be respectful when you attend his lecture.

Lastly, after settling down today, you’ll have one day to acclimatize, and not to life but to the terminology in the relevant field. You need to remember all of them before tomorrow’s lecture, otherwise, you won’t understand what’s being said and will waste a valuable opportunity."

And thus, Xue Song chattered on until they reached the underground parking lot of the high-speed train station. Old Xue took out a key and pressed it, and a Hongqi car flashed its lights.

"Wow? The car looks nice, did you buy it, Mr. Xue?"

"What are you thinking? Even if I had the money to buy a car, I don’t have a license plate! It’s a reception vehicle from the research center, specifically approved by your supervisor to pick you up. Get in."

Xue Song, putting luggage in the trunk, gave Qiao Yu a slightly resentful glare.

When he arrived in Beijing two days ago, he didn’t receive such treatment. He had to line up for a taxi at the exit for half an hour before he could catch one to Yanbei University. No choice, coming to Beijing is rare, and he didn’t even know how to request a ride.

Who would have thought that after getting in the car, just as he calmed down and buckled his seatbelt, Qiao Yu in the back seat idly asked: "Hey, Mr. Xue, how come Director Tian didn’t come to pick me up?"

"Seriously? What are you thinking? Do you think you’re some big shot? Why would Director Tian pick you up? Don’t you know that right after a long vacation, everyone important is the busiest? They hardly have a moment to breathe with all the meetings! Do you have a misunderstanding about Director Tian’s status, your own status, or about the tutor system in Huaxia?"

Honestly, Old Xue was already being very restrained.