Super God-Level Top Student
Chapter 959 - 365: A Christmas Without Gifts

Edward Witten had no intention of correcting someone like Qiao Ze, who seemed clueless.

After all, this was a man who only spent three months in his PhD program, and his doctoral thesis directly solved a global mathematical challenge. In this light, taking three months to construct this paper wasn't exactly an exaggeration—though his efficiency could still be debated.

You could only say that the goddess of mathematics truly favors the gifted. If you're brilliant enough, then whatever you do is considered right.

In truth, Witten hadn't come here today for this matter.

The last time he visited, he had promised Lothar Dugan something, and now he intended to deliver on that promise.

Some people don't take promises seriously, but Edward Witten clearly wasn't one of them. At a certain level of status, one needs to remember what they've said before.

Yes, he was here to talk to Qiao Ze about the publication of this paper.

High-caliber mathematical journals require equally high-caliber mathematical papers.

Furthermore, in some sense, Edward Witten also hoped that the English version of this paper would be published in the Mathematics Annual.

...

"Qiao Ze, I've read this paper thoroughly. It's excellent. So, where are you planning to publish it?" Edward Witten asked.

"New Discoveries in Mathematics and Physics."

Qiao Ze's answer didn't surprise Edward Witten.

There was no doubt that Qiao Ze was serious about establishing a world-class flagship journal. And at this point, he was largely succeeding.

Nowadays, for mathematicians, no matter their nationality, anyone researching Qiao's Algebraic Geometry has to refer to New Discoveries in Mathematics and Physics, which is published by West Forest University of Technology Press.

Considering that some papers published by the Xilin Mathematical Research Institute didn't even have English versions and were only available under Chinese ISSN numbers—leading to the proliferation of scholars specializing in translating such papers—New Discoveries in Mathematics and Physics, while not yet a top-tier journal, had at least become a highly reputable one in its category.

What this journal still lacked, essentially, was time. With the backing of someone like Qiao Ze, it was inevitable that it would become a leading journal in the future.

"Alright, that is indeed a good choice. However, I have a request... Hmm, you see, for certain security-related reasons before coming here, I didn't formally submit my letter of resignation to the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. So, I asked for Lothar's help on several occasions.

I promised him that the first paper I worked on after coming to Xilin would be submitted to the Mathematics Annual as a way of repaying his selfless assistance. So, would it be possible to...?"

Edward Witten hadn't even finished speaking when Qiao Ze nodded, sparing him from completing the request: "Understood. In that case, let's submit the English version of the paper to the Mathematics Annual. I am also deeply grateful to Professor Dugan for his continued support."

Who said Qiao Ze was difficult to talk to? Edward Witten now had a different opinion.

Clearly, he was a very considerate person.

Honestly, for a mathematician as capable as Qiao Ze to still take others' perspectives into account, Edward Witten was already quite impressed.

Throughout his life, he had encountered countless geniuses. Many of them had achieved far less than Qiao Ze at a young age, yet were considerably more arrogant—young individuals who couldn't tolerate the slightest criticism. Edward Witten had seen plenty of those as well.

In comparison, Qiao Ze truly came across as approachable...

"That's fantastic. I'm sure Lothar Dugan will be thrilled—though he probably won't be jumping up and down much, considering his age!" Edward Witten said with a smile.

Qiao Ze nodded, thought for a moment, and then said, "However, I'd like to designate a reviewer."

"Haha, I understand. I'll suggest to Lothar Dugan that Peter Schultz be invited as one of the reviewers for this paper. And I'm certain Professor Schultz will agree," Edward Witten immediately replied.

That's the benefit of talking to a smart person—two sentences are enough to convey everyone's thoughts thoroughly, while also maximizing mutual interests under an already established decision.

"Alright, let's do that." Qiao Ze nodded and finalized the matter.

"Great, then I'll take my leave. Oh, by the way, Christmas is almost here. Any plans?"

"You'll have to adapt—Christmas isn't a legal holiday in Huaxia. Even during legal holidays here, we don't necessarily celebrate. Personally, I find celebrations a waste of time," Qiao Ze replied, shaking his head.

"That's not good!" Edward Witten shrugged. "People need balance in life, Professor Qiao. But if that's the case, may I suggest that in the future, if Xilin ever organizes an important, large-scale conference, you could hold it on Christmas Day."

"Hmm?"

"That way, I won't be able to celebrate Christmas, and neither will my old friends."

A sharp suggestion...

...

United States, Princeton Mathematics Institute.

When Lothar Dugan received Qiao Ze's paper again, he was indeed excited. Along with the paper came an email from Edward Witten.

The contents of the email left Lothar Dugan both attentive and indifferent.

For example, he didn't pay much attention to the small talk sections. He didn't particularly care if Edward Witten was adapting well to life in Huaxia. At their age, you live with the consequences of your decisions, no matter how things unfold.

Not to mention that Edward Witten's departure had been so resolute that he left himself practically no fallback options.

What he did care about was that, with this paper's submission, their debt of gratitude would be settled...

Listen—does that even sound human?

When did favors owed by grand mathematicians like him become so trivial that they could be "repayed" with just one paper? He had practically groveled for several days before the director of the Institute for Advanced Study.