The voice carried obvious joy and excitement, brimming with enthusiasm.
Teacher Tan frowned slightly. In his impression, Gu Xue Jiao had always been a very composed girl. Why was she so unsettled this time?
Xu Jing, sitting below, had also been watching Teacher Tan with a furrowed brow.
She was a very hardworking girl. It was difficult for undergraduates to stay in the group, so she had put in tremendous effort.
Every day, she worked diligently, striving to complete every task the teacher assigned perfectly.
Xue Jiao's attitude made her very angry.
Such a great opportunity to be in Teacher Tan's office, and she didn't cherish it at all!
What could an undergraduate freshman possibly have to do?
They were all just foundational courses, and she had already studied quite a bit beforehand.
Now she barely came to work on projects—most likely, she had relaxed after entering university. There were too many people like that, and Xue Jiao was so pretty, facing even more temptations.
Xu Jing was furious. If she had slacked off, then she shouldn't hog a spot in Teacher Tan's office anymore!
That spot could go to someone who worked hard.
She didn’t know what Xue Jiao had said on the phone, but she saw Teacher Tan frown.
"What did you prove?" Teacher Tan asked.
"Fermat's Last Theorem."
"What?!" Teacher Tan suddenly stood up, knocking over the books on his desk.
His voice rose sharply, as if he had heard something unbelievable: "Say that again?"
Xue Jiao took a deep breath, a satisfied smile on her lips. "Fermat's Last Theorem, Teacher. I did it. You once told me to come to Tsinghua to test my hypothesis method—I... succeeded."
Teacher Tan's voice grew urgent, his breathing heavy and labored.
"Teacher Tan? What's wrong?!" On the other end of the phone, Xue Jiao suppressed her excitement, her voice now laced with concern.
Teacher Tan seemed as if something had choked him. His face was filled with disbelief, his eyes wide, lips trembling, but no sound came out.
Lao Bai and Zheng Jiakun exchanged glances and hurried forward to support Teacher Tan.
"Teacher! What's wrong?!"
Professor Tan waved them off, struggling to steady his breathing, but in the end, he only managed a few words—
"Bring your work. Come here."
Then, the call ended. Professor Tan sat down, his head lowered, his expression incredibly complex.
Shock, joy, suspicion...
"Teacher Tan? What happened?" Xu Jing asked cautiously. It was just a phone call with Gu Xue Jiao—what could she have said to make Teacher Tan react like this?
Could it be... she had given up on her own?
Was that why Teacher Tan was angry?
But the teacher's expression didn’t seem like anger.
Professor Tan waved his hand but didn’t speak, sitting quietly and waiting for Gu Xue Jiao to arrive.
No one else dared to speak either. They sat in silence, watching Teacher Tan in confusion.
Since Teacher Tan hadn’t dismissed them, they had no choice but to sit there, bored and bewildered.
Before long, Xue Jiao walked in.
Her dorm wasn’t far from this building, so after receiving the call, she had quickly gathered her materials and ridden Mai Jiajia’s electric scooter over.
Xue Jiao’s hair was simply tied into a ponytail, slightly messy from the wind. She wore plain clothes, just a down jacket thrown on haphazardly.
But in her arms was a thick stack of papers, and her steps were light and quick as she approached.
"Bring it here, quickly!!" Professor Tan’s voice was trembling with excitement.Xue Jiao quickly handed over the thick notebook on top, placing the rest on the table.
"Teacher, please take a look. The process is all in here. The others are just some materials I used for verification."
As soon as Xue Jiao finished speaking, Teacher Tan eagerly took the notebook and immediately began reading.
For someone like Professor Tan, who was well-versed in the field, a single glance was enough to gauge the value of the work.
Was it significant?
Was the direction correct?
After reviewing it, he would have a general sense.
He flipped through Xue Jiao's notebook several times in quick succession, then suddenly looked up at her—
"Is this what you've been working so hard on all this time? Is this why you didn’t come to the project?"
Xue Jiao nodded, scratching her head sheepishly. "Well... I felt like I was close to a breakthrough, so I didn’t go anywhere else..."
She spoke with embarrassment—not only had she skipped the project, but today, without even realizing it, she had also missed two classes...
At the thought, Xue Jiao’s face flushed red.
She truly hadn’t noticed the time. She had slept in the dorm last night and started calculating as soon as she woke up in the morning.
Her roommates had asked her to go for breakfast, but she hadn’t gone. Later, they brought her a meal before leaving again.
When they left, Mai Jiajia reminded her about today’s classes. Xue Jiao had acknowledged it, but then she kept writing... until noon, when they returned...
Xue Jiao thought Teacher Tan was scolding her. Her face filled with regret, and she even opened her mouth, ready to apologize—
But Professor Tan stared at her for a long moment before suddenly exclaiming, "Gu Xue Jiao! Well done!!!"
So what if she hadn’t come to the project?
It didn’t matter—she had Fermat.
So what if she had been out of touch?
It didn’t matter—she had Fermat.
What could be more important than verifying Fermat’s Last Theorem?
Professor Tan stood up excitedly. "You’re truly amazing. I didn’t even know you were still working on this. I’m really proud of you. Would you lend me this notebook? I’d like to take it back and study it carefully—to learn from it."
Xue Jiao hurriedly replied, "Teacher, you’re too kind!"
Professor Tan’s expression was full of pride. "After I’ve gone through it thoroughly and checked for any issues, if everything’s correct, Gu Xue Jiao, you can start writing your paper this winter break! Well done!"
Xue Jiao scratched her head bashfully but still bowed. "Teacher, thank you."
"I’m truly happy, Gu Xue Jiao," Professor Tan said, holding the notebook and looking at the other students seated below, his voice still trembling with excitement. "Let’s all congratulate Gu Xue Jiao for proving Fermat’s Last Theorem with a new approach!"
What?
For a moment, the students below thought they had misheard.
They had only seen Xue Jiao arrive, followed by Teacher Tan’s unusual excitement and praise.
Old Bai had even leaned over to whisper to Zheng Jiakun— Little junior must have achieved something.
And then...
Fermat’s Last Theorem?!
Was this just something ?!
This was something absolutely monumental!!!
In that instant, Xue Jiao’s image in their eyes suddenly grew towering.
Xu Jing was dumbstruck, her face burning as if she had been slapped.
She had thought Xue Jiao’s absence meant she had given up, but in reality, she had been secluded, honing her ultimate skill!
Zheng Jiakun had already stood up, his face alight with excitement. "Teacher, teacher, let me take a look!"
But Professor Tan tightened his grip on the notebook and pushed the draft papers beside him forward. "You can look at these for now. The specifics will have to wait until the paper is published."Although he had full confidence in his students, this was something bearing honor—unpublished, hardcore content.
Professor Tan wasn’t about to show it to anyone just yet. Once the paper was out, everyone could see it.
Even he himself was the same. The reason he kept these students sitting here was simply to provide some assurance.
After all, he was taking this notebook with him.
Proving Fermat’s Last Theorem using another method—if the content was truly solid, even if published by a professor, it would carry significant weight.
Xue Jiao trusted him, so he had to offer some guarantee in return.
Unable to suppress the upward curve of his lips, he added, “Gu Xue Jiao, well done.”
He was genuinely happy. The greatest joy in this world was—
Growing old, yet seeing the field he loved flourish with talented students, brilliant young minds emerging one after another.
These kids might very well become the backbone of the mathematical world in the future.
In the past, Old Bai and his peers were. Then the highly gifted Zheng Jiakun was. And now…
Gu Xue Jiao was too.
Xue Jiao, continuously praised by Professor Tan, felt rather embarrassed, her cheeks tinged pink.
“Thank you, Professor…”
She had never considered herself a genius. She had simply found something she loved deeply and was walking steadfastly in that direction.
In the past, when Xue Jiao heard others talk about “finding oneself,” she had been confused, lost, and bewildered.
What was there to find? What part of herself was she supposed to find?
But during this time walking the path of mathematics, she had been utterly happy. And in a daze, she realized—she seemed to have truly discovered a different version of herself.
Finding oneself was, in essence, persisting in what one loved most and what one could excel in.
The greatest joy in this world was being able to follow what one loved and keep moving forward.
Mathematics was what she loved, what she could embrace wholeheartedly.
She wasn’t the smartest in this field, but she could be the most stubborn.
Xue Jiao had proven Fermat’s Last Theorem, but it had taken her the entire semester to do so.
She thought about it during the day, dreamed about it at night. Sometimes, struck by an idea, she would jolt awake from her dreams, get up, and continue working—often at three or four in the morning.
She had a bit more talent in mathematics than many others, and she worked harder than those with talent.
Doing what she loved made all the hardship feel like nothing at all.
Dark circles shadowed Xue Jiao’s eyes, but the smile on her lips was unmistakable. Achieving results in a field she adored was the greatest encouragement.
“Alright, I’ll take this back with me to review. Gu Xue Jiao, get some proper rest, then focus on preparing for your final exams. You have a few subjects coming up in the next few days. I know you probably haven’t studied much—I don’t expect outstanding grades, but don’t fail. Once exams are over, you don’t need to come to the office. Come straight to me, and we’ll discuss the paper.”
Professor Tan paused, a smile playing on his lips. “If it’s correct… perhaps we can try for Annals of Mathematics .”
Xue Jiao froze, then her eyes lit up.
Professor Tan left happily with her notebook, while Senior Sister Niu threw herself at Xue Jiao, clinging to her—
“Gu Xue Jiao!! How are you this amazing, ahhhh, junior!!”
Senior Brother Old Bai also gave a thumbs-up. “Junior, brilliant!”Zheng Jiakun's lips twitched slightly: "Gu Xue Jiao, once the paper is published, we should have a chance to exchange ideas."
Their praises were all sincere.
Xue Jiao smiled and nodded: "Sure."
After chatting a while longer with her senior classmates, Xue Jiao gathered her things and left.
It was getting late, and she had been quite exhausted recently. She wanted to return early to get a good night's sleep, after which she would need to start reviewing immediately.
As she reached the third-floor landing, a voice called from behind—
"Gu Xue Jiao."
Xue Jiao paused and turned around: "Senior Xu Jing?"
Xu Jing walked up to her, frowning as she studied Xue Jiao intently.
"Hmm?" Xue Jiao was puzzled.
Then, Xu Jing suddenly bowed deeply—
"Gu Xue Jiao, I'm sorry. I apologize for my misunderstanding and looking down on you!"
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