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, she’s 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 wasn’t 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, “It’s fine, I asked her about this during New Year, and she refused without even thinking about it. But then again, I won’t feel safe letting a girl live in a suburban house by herself. If you don’t 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 didn’t want to cause any trouble for other people. She didn’t want to be a burden to others…
Lu Zhou wanted to tell her that she wasn’t a burden.
After all, she was family.
And families were supposed to help one another…
Qin Yue smiled and said, “I didn’t say I don’t 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. I’m just saying, if your sister needs it, I can move out. But you’re right. It’s 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 Tong’s 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, “I’m doing good, and I’m quite accustomed to life here. All I need is a quiet place to research. The only downside is that you’re not here anymore, so I can’t ask you for help now.”
Lu Zhou: “You’re a professor now, you should be the one helping others. Speaking of which, what are you researching these days?”
“Waring’s 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 can’t solve the problem, so you try to use representation theory, p-adic theory… and of course, your Group Structure Method.”
“That’s a good thing.” Lu Zhou smiled and said, “That’s how mathematics progresses. By connecting fields together.”
Qin Yue said, “You’re 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 don’t think that’s 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 didn’t find anything useful. She doesn’t want to talk about her condition. She tries to hide from me. I asked Molina, but she didn’t want to tell me anything either.”
Lu Zhou went silent for a second.
“Okay, thanks…”
He paused for a second and continued, “If she doesn’t want to talk, don’t force her.”
Qin Yue: “I’ll talk to you later then?”
“Yeah…” Lu Zhou looked at the clock on the wall and said, “It’s getting late here.”
Qin Yue hesitated for a bit and said, “Can I ask you a question, I’ve always wanted to ask this before, it’s—”
Lu Zhou: “If it’s 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.
“What’s up?”
Lu Zhou spoke.
“Want to drink? It’s on me.”
Wang Peng went silent for a few seconds and said, “I can’t 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, “I’ll sit on the side and carry you back when you’re 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 didn’t 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 Peng’s advice, gave a surprising answer.
“Cool.”
Lu Zhou took the glass from the bartender and began drinking one glass after another…
Lu Zhou didn’t remember when he stopped drinking.
When he came back to life, it was already the next morning…