181: Chapter 181 On the Eve of the Report Meeting

With only twenty-four hours left until the official start of the Navier-Stokes Equation report meeting, the Z University International Exchange Center had already become the focal point of the global mathematics community.

Inside and outside the building, many foreign faces had already appeared in the area.

As soon as Chen Youhua walked into Dean Tang Mingyuan's temporary office, he was startled by the mountain of documents piled on the desk.

"Dean Tang, what are these…?"

Tang Mingyuan raised his head from the pile of documents, dark circles clearly visible under his eyes.

"Youhua, you've come just in time. These are letters and requests sent from various parties. Our team has screened them several times, and these are the ones with the highest priority that must be reviewed or responded to by you personally."

He picked up the gold-stamped folder on the very top.

"This is a meeting request from Richardson, the editor-in-chief of 'Nature'. He flew over from London personally, hoping to secure the first publication rights for your paper. The editorial board chair of 'Science', the executive editor of 'Annals of Mathematics'… all have expressed similar strong desires."

He paused and added, "Of course, where it is ultimately published is entirely up to your academic judgment."

Chen Youhua frowned slightly.

"Can these meetings be arranged after the report meeting? Or grouped into a single time slot? Meeting them individually is too energy-consuming."

"I have compressed and coordinated them as much as possible." Dean Tang nodded understandingly and turned to the next page of the schedule.

"After the report meeting, there is a short media session, and then that evening, there is a small academic dinner. Representatives from these journals will all be in attendance, and you can have initial exchanges with them then. Additionally, President Müller of the International Mathematical Union and several core executive committee members will be at the venue tomorrow; they hope to have a more private, informal discussion with you after the dinner."

At this moment, Chen Youhua's phone rang. Chen Youhua picked up his phone and saw it was Academician Zheng. Chen Youhua gestured to Dean Tang and then walked out of the office.

Chen Youhua answered the phone: "Old Zheng?"

From the other end of the line came Academician Zheng's voice, as steady as ever, but speaking slightly faster than usual.

"Youhua, how is the preparation for the report meeting going?"

"Everything is going smoothly, please rest assured."

"Good. There is a situation I need to tell you about." Academician Zheng's tone sounded very relaxed, but the content was unusual.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to be at the venue for tomorrow's report meeting."

Chen Youhua was stunned: "Do you have an emergency?"

"Not an emergency, but it is very important." Academician Zheng said nonchalantly.

"Some old friends from abroad have been a bit active lately, and we need to strengthen some necessary security coordination and public opinion monitoring. I have to go preside over a few meetings, but rest assured, I will be watching the live stream from the command center the whole time."

Chen Youhua immediately understood the deeper meaning behind Academician Zheng's words.

The attention triggered by the report meeting was far beyond imagination; certain overseas forces might try to take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble or steal relevant information, and the pressure on security and counter-measures was immense.

His heart tightened, and he said, "I understand. Please take care, and I will handle things on this end."

"I have absolute confidence in you." Academician Zheng laughed.

"Just focus wholeheartedly and display the demeanor of our Rabbit Country mathematicians! Tomorrow, you are the absolute protagonist!"

Just after hanging up Academician Zheng's call, Chen Youhua's phone rang again; it was Li Wei calling.

"Youhua!" Li Wei's voice was filled with excitement that could be felt through the receiver.

"Tomorrow our entire laboratory is heading out to attend your report meeting. Wang Zhe even bought a bunch of cheering sticks and small trumpets; we're planning to sit in the first three rows to wave flags and cheer for you!"

Chen Youhua couldn't help but laugh and cry. "Please don't do that. This is a serious academic report meeting, not a sports field. Just sit quietly and listen; don't pull any of that stuff."

"Oh, I know, I know, I'm just kidding!" Li Wei said with a giggle.

"We will definitely maintain the glorious image of the laboratory and you! Oh, by the way," she lowered her voice and said mysteriously.

"enlightenment is also making a fuss about wanting to be there in person, so we've discussed it and will bring a tablet computer inside to open a live stream window for it, letting it watch in real-time."

Chen Youhua shook his head helplessly and said, "It certainly knows how to join in the fun. Fine, do as you see fit, as long as it doesn't disturb others."

Meanwhile, the internet world had long been completely boiling over for tomorrow's report meeting.

On the Zhihu platform, a question titled "The upcoming Professor Chen Youhua Navier-Stokes Equation report meeting, what are your expectations or predictions?" instantly shot to the top of the hot list.

A highly upvoted answer read, "Thanks for the invite. I'm at Z University, just stepped out of the lab. I can only say, I am fortunate to live in the same era as a giant. I look forward to God Chen using the most elegant mathematical language tomorrow to uncover the mystery that has plagued humanity for over a hundred years. Prediction: the servers for tomorrow's national live stream will be crashed."

Another highly upvoted answer was more emotional. "I'm a mathematics major. My advisor, an old professor who is usually extremely serious, gave us the day off today for the first time ever, with just one sentence: 'Everyone go back, prepare well, and watch the live stream carefully tomorrow! This is a mathematical grand event that you may never encounter again in your lifetime!' Tears, sob, sob, sob."

The knowledge section of Bilibili was almost flooded with related content.

A well-known science popularization content creator, "Teacher Li Loves Science", released an urgently produced video. "Ultimate Interpretation: Chen Youhua and the Past and Present of the Navier-Stokes Equation", used vivid animations and accessible language to sort out the history and significance of the problem. At the end of the video, he excitedly said.

"Friends, this is not a drill! We are about to witness history with our own eyes! Tomorrow at nine o'clock, lock onto the live stream room, and let us cheer for science together!"

The barrage comments were dense. "Triple-liked! Thumbs up for Teacher Li's speed!" "Gaokao student says I've already thought of the reason to ask for leave from tomorrow's evening self-study: participating in a major process of human science!" "Math failure says although I don't understand it, the atmosphere must be on point!" "God Chen! You've brought honor to Chinese scientific research!"

On Weibo, topics such as #Chen Youhua Navier-Stokes Equation Report Meeting#, #Witness History#, and #See You Tomorrow at Z University# firmly occupied the top five of the trending searches.

A tech news blogger with many followers posted, "Got wind that the world's top mathematical physicists are air-dropping into Z University! It's said that tickets for the report meeting are hard to come by! It's basically all by invitation, and even so, there aren't enough seats. Is this the appeal of a top academic star?"

The comment section was even more lively. "This is what I didn't expect…" "I'm at Z University, and the gate is already set up with cameras, all international media!" "Sob, sob, envy those who can go to the scene; I can only camp in the live stream room." "@Z University, strongly suggest releasing official merchandise! I want to buy a commemorative T-shirt!"

Even some usually serious official media outlets joined in. The official Weibo of 'Science and Technology Daily' released a preview. "[Live Stream Preview] Tomorrow at 09:00, our newspaper will live stream the entire academic report meeting by Professor Chen Youhua on the proof of the existence and smoothness of the Navier-Stokes Equation solutions. Explore scientific truth, pay tribute to Chinese wisdom." #ScientificPowerNation#

Tens of thousands of comments saying "Will definitely be waiting on time!" flooded under this Weibo post instantly.

On the morning of the report meeting, Chen Youhua arrived early at the conference center to make final preparations.

In a quiet lounge, a professional stylist was doing some simple grooming for him before he took the stage.

"Professor Chen, the stage lighting is quite strong, so we will apply a very light base makeup for you. It's mainly to even out your skin tone and prevent you from looking too pale or oily under high-definition cameras, ensuring you face the global audience in your best state."

The stylist was an experienced lady with gentle movements and a professional tone.

Although Chen Youhua felt a bit uncomfortable, he still cooperated and closed his eyes. "Thank you, just keep it as natural as possible."

"Rest assured, it will definitely be a 'no-makeup' makeup look." The stylist said with a smile while working skillfully.

"Professor Chen, to tell you the truth, I have served many large-scale events and important figures, but serving a scientist like you feels especially different. My son is in his first year of high school this year; when he found out yesterday that I would meet you, he was incredibly excited and said I must get your autograph."

Chen Youhua smiled upon hearing this. "Thank you. When it's time for his college entrance exam, if needed, I can give him some suggestions on his studies."

"That would be so kind of you!" The stylist said in surprise.

After simple makeup and hair styling, Chen Youhua looked at himself in the mirror. He looked much more energetic, yet there were no traces of makeup, and he couldn't help but admire the professional's technique.

Everything was ready, and there was one hour left until the report meeting began.

Chen Youhua chose to sit quietly in the lounge for a moment alone. He closed his eyes, not out of nervousness, but to calm his mind and run through the entire logical framework of the report, key turning points, and details that might be questioned in his mind like a movie.

What he pursued was not rote memorization, but a fluency and confidence that comes from having a well-thought-out plan.

A light knock on the door sounded, and Dean Tang pushed the door open and entered, looking a little moved and also a bit excited.

"Youhua, the main venue is packed, and the data from the online live streaming platforms… Half an hour before the start, the number of real-time viewers waiting has already exceeded three million! There are over fifty institutions broadcasting simultaneously worldwide!"

Chen Youhua opened his eyes and nodded calmly. "Everyone has a passion for science, which is a good thing."

"It's more than just passion!" Dean Tang rubbed his hands together. "Just now, the organizing committee received emails from many top overseas mathematics departments; they are all organizing faculty and students to watch the live stream together!"

At this moment, an assistant hurried in with a tablet computer. "Dean, Professor Chen, this is the final confirmed list of opening congratulatory videos. In addition to Professor Terence Tao and Professor Wells, there are also Fields Medalist Professor Sergio, and the Chair of the Maryam Mirzakhani Foundation. A total of seventeen top international scholars and institutional heads have sent videos."

Chen Youhua browsed through this weighty list; these were the most sincere congratulations and expectations from the global scientific community.

"Time is almost up." Dean Tang took a deep breath and looked at Chen Youhua. "Are you ready?"

Chen Youhua stood up and calmly straightened the hem of his suit. "I am ready."

He pushed open the door of the lounge, and at the end of the hallway outside, the world's gaze was already focused.