Top Student at Their Peak-Chapter 207 - 104 Mathematics is Not That Simple... But It’s Not Hard Either!_6

"Your name is Qiao Yu, right? Okay, I’ll ask."

"Well, Mr. Zhengxin, I’ll head back to the hotel first."

"Go ahead, get some rest."

...

On the other side of the street, Yanbei University, Tian Yanzhen returned to the office.

As soon as he entered, he saw Qiao Yu curled up on the sofa quietly reading a book. Seeing him come in, Qiao Yu quickly jumped up.

Although Tian Yanzhen generally didn’t like students with improper sitting postures, he just smiled and didn’t say anything.

After all, he’s only fifteen, having some small flaws is normal, as they say, no one is perfect.

Well, to put it plainly, people tend to extend kindness to those they like.

It’s human nature. If it were someone he disliked, even a sitting posture could be criticized harshly.

"Director Tian, you’re back." Qiao Yu greeted enthusiastically.

"Yes, what book are you reading?"

"Uh..." Qiao Yu picked up the book again to look at the cover before saying, "It’s Nidham’s ’Visual Differential Geometry and Forms’."

"This book is very good as an introductory material for differential geometry, take it with you later." Tian Yanzhen said with a smile.

"Thank you, Director Tian." Qiao Yu hurriedly thanked him, then looked around before saying, "Do you want some water? I can get you some."

"No, no, just sit down."

"Oh, okay." With that, Qiao Yu sat upright across from Tian Yanzhen.

When someone is around, he doesn’t behave so casually.

"Did what Professor Zhang said at the seminar today discourage you?" Tian Yanzhen asked.

"No, I think Professor Zhang is right. If the result is too complicated, it’s indeed not very useful." Qiao Yu said earnestly.

"Although that’s true, it doesn’t mean it’s completely useless. Like I told you at noon, the thoughts you put into the derivation process are actually valuable assets. In the development of mathematics research up till now, not every proposition is invented like calculus to solve real-world problems.

Some mathematical achievements may not seem useful at first, but perhaps in a few hundred years, it becomes a standard fact, a regular problem. For the mathematician themselves, the result of the proof is like the beautiful box in the story about the pearl in the box, whereas the method of proof is the actual pearl inside.

For others, it’s the exact opposite, which is also the fascinating part of mathematics, so there’s no need to get discouraged, understand?" Tian Yanzhen patiently advised.

"Don’t worry, Director Tian, I’m quite steady in my mindset. After all, I’m just a newcomer in mathematics, what am I afraid of, right? Besides, my goal is that in the future, my achievements will be the pearl—valuable to both myself and others! Mathematics might not be that simple, but I believe it’s not difficult enough to make me feel despair!"

Qiao Yu said with confidence.

A newborn calf should not be afraid of the tiger, compared to the goals hidden in his heart, this is just a small step!

If he can’t even become an influential mathematician, Qiao Yu doesn’t believe he can achieve his dreams in the future.

After all, only by reaching an extreme level in any field can one achieve great wealth and success.

And Qiao Yu’s positive mindset clearly relieved Tian Yanzhen, causing him to smile involuntarily: "It’s great to have such an attitude. Also, today you felt it as well, the basics of all aspects of mathematics are important.

Although Professor Xue and I don’t think you need a fixed curriculum, you still need to catch up on this. Here is a reading list I compiled for you after consulting the catalog at Yanbei University’s library last night. In the future, arrange your study time wisely, you need to read both papers and these books."

He said this while handing two printed reading lists from the table to Qiao Yu.

"Thank you, Director Tian." Qiao Yu glanced at the reading list, wow, it was densely packed and filled two pages, and they were all foreign works, directly written with English names, not translations, so he couldn’t help but mutter, "So many?"

"You don’t need to finish all of them. The book list is split into two phases. The first phase consists of basic books that you must read entirely regardless of your interest. In the second phase, you can choose the fields you’re interested in for in-depth reading.

This way, within a year at most, you should understand which field of mathematics you’re more interested in. You can’t continue hopping here and there. At your age, this is the best time for dedicated study; you can’t waste even half a year."

Saying this, Tian Yanzhen also turned serious.

Qiao Yu, on the other hand, quickly agreed: "Don’t worry, Director Tian, I’ll start reading these books tomorrow. Speaking of saving time, I have a favor to ask you, see if you can think of a way?"

"There’s no need for favors between us teacher and disciple. If it’s beneficial for your studies and you need anything, just tell me." Tian Yanzhen readily replied.

"You see, the special training for the first phase of the IMO will start next month, right? During this time, I want to spend more time thinking about this topic. Can we just hold the special training at Yanbei University instead, so I don’t have to waste time running around?"

Qiao Yu immediately proposed the request he had been thinking about.

To be honest, it’s not too much of a request.

However, Tian Yanzhen thought for a moment and asked, "Do you want to participate in the IMO? Actually, given your current situation, whether or not you participate isn’t that important."

Qiao Yu quickly shook his head and said, "No, Director Tian, you said before that I should participate in the IMO, and our Xingtie First Middle School has never had a gold medal winner from the IMO. I also promised my alma mater to achieve this breakthrough."