Translator:Henyee TranslationsEditor:Henyee Translations

Nine oclock at night, Beijing time.

Sheraton hotel, presidential suite.

Lu Zhou stood next to the floor-to-ceiling windows. He was on a call with someone from the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

I dropped your sister off at her apartment.

Oh, okay, thanks.

No worries. Qin Yue smiled and said, Oh yeah, shes living in a student apartment right now Should I just let her move into your house? I can rent a smaller apartment near campus anyway.

When Lu Zhou left Princeton, he gave Qin Yue the keys to his house and his Ford Mustang. All Qin Yue had to do was pay the property tax every year.

After all, he needed someone to take care of the house. Because Princeton was in the state of New Jersey, if there wasnt someone looking after the house during winter, it was very likely for a frozen pipe to burst, thus damaging the house.

Lu Zhou had quite fond memories of the fireplace in his own Princeton home.

Lu Zhou shook his head and said, Its fine, I asked her about this during New Year, and she refused without even thinking about it. But then again, I wont feel safe letting a girl live in a suburban house by herself. If you dont want to live there, just ask Vera or the other professors.

Lu Zhou knew why Xiao Tong refused his offer.

On one hand, she was grateful toward her brother for taking care of her, but she also had a similar personality trait to Lu Zhou, which was that she never liked to receive favors from other people. She wanted to be independent and didnt want to cause any trouble for other people. She didnt want to be a burden to others

Lu Zhou wanted to tell her that she wasnt a burden.

After all, she was family.

And families were supposed to help one another

Qin Yue smiled and said, I didnt say I dont want to live here anymore. With only US$3,000 a year for such a big house, this is probably the cheapest rent in America. Im just saying, if your sister needs it, I can move out. But youre right. Its not safe for a girl to live off-campus alone.

Even though the student apartments in Princeton were expensive, it was close to campus and had good security. Qin Yue remembered that Xiao Tongs apartment was a two-bedroom. Having a roommate would help her integrate into campus life easier.

After asking some questions about his sister, Lu Zhou changed the subject and casually chatted with his former student.

How are you doing?

Qin Yue smiled and said, Im doing good, and Im quite accustomed to life here. All I need is a quiet place to research. The only downside is that youre not here anymore, so I cant ask you for help now.

Lu Zhou: Youre a professor now, you should be the one helping others. Speaking of which, what are you researching these days?

Warings conjecture in additive number theory Qin Yue sighed and said, I hate this problem! I finally realize why there are so few people researching number theory. Most of the time, you think a problem is a number theory problem, then you dive deep into it, and it turns out to be an algebraic geometry problem. Then, you realize that algebraic geometry methods cant solve the problem, so you try to use representation theory, p-adic theory and of course, your Group Structure Method.

Thats a good thing. Lu Zhou smiled and said, Thats how mathematics progresses. By connecting fields together.

Qin Yue said, Youre right, but as a researcher, this is not fun at all. Sometimes, I wish there was a tool that could tell us what method to use.

Lu Zhou: I dont think thats possible.

Qin Yue: Probably.

The conversation suddenly stopped.

Qin Yue felt like Lu Zhou had something to say. However, Lu Zhou was beating around the bush.

Lu Zhou suddenly spoke.

Is Vera doing okay?

Qin Yue sighed and spoke.

I asked around for you, but I didnt find anything useful. She doesnt want to talk about her condition. She tries to hide from me. I asked Molina, but she didnt want to tell me anything either.

Lu Zhou went silent for a second.

Okay, thanks

He paused for a second and continued, If she doesnt want to talk, dont force her.

Qin Yue: Ill talk to you later then?

Yeah Lu Zhou looked at the clock on the wall and said, Its getting late here.

Qin Yue hesitated for a bit and said, Can I ask you a question, Ive always wanted to ask this before, its

Lu Zhou: If its an academic problem, go ahead

Qin Yue sighed and said, Nevermind then

Wang Peng was in the room next door, and he had just finished shaving his beard. He sat on the edge of his bed while inspecting his equipment in his suitcase.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps outside his door.

He could tell who it was from the footsteps, so he stood up and opened the door.

Whats up?

Lu Zhou spoke.

Want to drink? Its on me.

Wang Peng went silent for a few seconds and said, I cant drink or smoke on the job, but if you want to drink, I can accompany you.

What do you mean by that?

Wang Peng said, Ill sit on the side and carry you back when youre wasted.

Lu Zhou smiled and shook his head.

Me? Wasted? Forget about it

Lu Zhou turned around and walked toward the elevator. Wang Peng closed the door and followed him. When they got in the elevator, Wang Peng pressed the floor the bar was on.

Lu Zhou looked at him and didnt say anything.

He then walked up to the bar and sat on a stool. He looked at the bartender and spoke.

Whiskey on the rocks.

Coming right up.

Wang Peng looked at the bartender preparing the drink and had a feeling Lu Zhou was going to drink a lot tonight.

The unveiling ceremony is tomorrow, I suggest you take it easy tonight.

Lu Zhou, who normally listened to Wang Pengs advice, gave a surprising answer.

Cool.

Lu Zhou took the glass from the bartender and began drinking one glass after another

Lu Zhou didnt remember when he stopped drinking.

When he came back to life, it was already the next morning