Chapter 775: Zhang Ye turns down the award!
Translator: Legge Editor: - -
At Peking University.
Starting from yesterday, Peking University had set up a team to be responsible for communicating with the media and reporters. Because it was the Math Department's Associate Professor Zhang Ye who was going to receive the Abel Prize, it was considered an achievement in the field of mathematics. Naturally then, the team would be led by Dean Pan Yang of the School of Mathematical Sciences. Officially, he was known as the team's deputy chief, while the appointed chief was a vice president of the university.
Today, they were receiving a lot of reporters again.
For the past two days, the television stations, newspaper firms, and many industry insiders from the domestic mathematics field had dropped by wave after wave to pay an official visit. There were even some people who were sent by some foreign mathematics institutions and research facilities to get in contact with Peking University, with some of them expressing their hopes to meet Zhang Ye in person and had called to schedule a meeting. There was also one foreign research facility that flatly mentioned that they would like to work with Peking University on a project, but of course actually meant that they wanted to work with Zhang Ye.
Pan Yang and his team were busy up to their ears.
"Dean Pan, a reporter from Liaodong Television Station has arrived."
"Let him wait a little while, I need to finish this first."
"Hai, there will be several dozen people coming today again and we have to receive all of them."
"Our Peking University is going to be famous this time!"
"Should we call for a press conference instead, Dean Pan? If they keep coming one by one, when will all this end? There's too many people. We can't handle it as we are."
"We have to wait until the award has been accepted before we can do that. Professor Zhang's visa has yet to be approved as there was some issue with the invitation documents sent by the Abel Foundation. How is it at Professor Zhang's side now?"
"I don't know yet, but I'll ask."
"OK, that's the more important issue here, so ask clearly."
But before they could call to check on the latest development, the Peking University administrative team who went with Zhang Ye to the embassy called back to Dean Pan first. The first words they said made him feel like something heavy had struck his heart!
"Dean Pan! Something big has happened!" a person from the school administrative team said in panic.
Dean Pan said, rather taken aback: "What big thing has happened?"
What kind of an institution was Peking University? It was the top educational institution in the country and also ranked in the top 50 globally. All related staff were people who had seen the world before. If anyone mentioned that "something big" had happened, to them, it would just be a small event. They shouldn't be reacting in such a strong manner as they did right now, shouting that "something big" had happened. This clearly put things in perspective. It was definitely not a small incident!
When they heard that, everyone looked over in surprise.
"What's happening?"
"Something big has happened?"
"What's wrong?"
The Peking University people gathered around Pan Yang at once.
Then, the school administrative staff member on the call said something utterly surprising: "The visa application is still not successful. Johannes said that he isn't in Beijing at the moment and would only be back tomorrow or the day after, obviously trying to make trouble for us. We could all hear that there was something fishy going on, but who could have expected it would trigger Professor Zhang!"
Dean Pan said in shock: "What did he do?"
The school administrative staff member didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Professor Zhang…turned down the award!"
A buzz was heard in the silence as the people currently at Peking University were stunned!
Dean Pan nearly fell over and hit his head on the ground. "What? Turned down the award??"
"Yes!" The school administrative staff member said: "What should we do now?"
Dean Pan asked very angrily: "Where is Little Zhang at now?"
"He already left!" the school administrative staff answered.
"Then what are you all doing? Why didn't you guys stop him? Why didn't you discourage him?" Dean Pan said with a shortness of breath.
The school administrative staff member said, feeling wronged: "We tried to discourage him, but that didn't work. Professor Zhang's temper…it's not like you don't know it. When he gets angry, how…how can we possibly stop him!"
Other people might have only heard of Zhang Ye's bad temper, either from the Internet or from hearsay, but had not witnessed his temper for themselves. However, as a staff member of Peking University, these people had not only heard of it, they even saw for themselves Zhang Ye's bad temper on more than one occasion. That ruthless character of Professor Zhang, who in Peking University did not fear it? Even the Peking University head could not handle him! He was someone who dared to point his finger at foreign dignitaries and scold them as "idiots"! With him that fierce, how could they possibly talk him out of his decision!
After ending the call, Dean Pan stood there dumbfounded in silence, clearly stunned by what had happened!
The Peking University people were also causing pandemonium!
"I'm gonna faint!"
"Professor Zhang is…"
"This is going to be a big problem!"
"Not going to receive the Abel Prize??"
No one at Peking University believed this to be false. If it were anyone else who said that, they would surely take it as a joke, or at most think that it was just an empty threat in response to their visa not being approved. No one would take it seriously. After all, this was not some small award but the world famous Abel Prize! However, the person who said those words had been Zhang Ye. As reality had always shown them, even if this course of action was unthinkable for other people, when it came to Zhang Ye…he was the type who would do it for real!
Shit!
This time, it's going to be really messy!
What if Professor Zhang is serious about this!?
...
On main road at second Ring Road.
Zhang Ye was not home yet, but Dean Pan was already frantically calling him.
"Little Zhang! What are you doing!" Dean Pan said.
Zhang Ye laughed: "I'm not doing anything, just driving."
Dean Pan sighed: "Do you really intend to turn down the award?"
Zhang Ye confirmed: "I've already decided. It's just a lousy award, not even one of the top three international math awards, but they're selling themselves so prestigiously. Do they think that this bro would beg them?"
"Stop horsing around!" Dean Pan said toughly: "I will pretend that I didn't hear you say that you'd turn down the award. I will get your visa application done and you won't need to worry about it. I'll definitely get it done for you!"
Zhang Ye said: "Don't bother, Dean Pan. I won't be going to America, so let them give it to whomever they want."
"Little Zhang!"
"You know my temperament, so don't try to discourage me. That's it then."
"Little Zhang, you…"
"I see a traffic police officer up ahead. I can't talk any longer, hanging up now, Dean Pan!"
After ending the call, Zhang Ye put his cell phone aside and continued to drive. Although he claimed to have disdain for this award, but honestly, it was still worth some popularity. If he did not have to miss out on it, of course it would be good. At the beginning, he was not biased against the Abel Prize at all. Since their foundation had chosen him to receive the award, that meant they acknowledged him. That was also the reason why Zhang Ye was very happy at that time. When he first met Johannes, he was very polite with him and spoke courteously. But the issue now was that their Abel Foundation did not respect him to begin with. A simple award like this was made out to be so incredible by them, and they came to him to condescend to him for no apparent reason as well. Now, they even made it very difficult for him to get a visa. That was totally unacceptable to Zhang Ye. Naturally, his impression of this Abel Prize was also tarnished with no trace of any wishful thinking left for it!
If I didn't accept your award, would I die?
Bull fucking shit! Then all the more I won't fucking accept it!
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