Hong Kong, Central, in a business building!

Li Xiansheng sat down in his office seat early in the morning with a cup of coffee.

He is a master's student in the Department of Mathematics of Xiangjiang University, and after graduation, he did not engage in mathematics work, but became the editor of Springer's new progress in mathematics.

The latest advances in mathematics belong to Springer, whose Asian headquarters are in Xiangjiang.

All submissions from the Asian academic community will go to the review department of Springer Xiangjiang Asia Headquarters.

In this era of involution, it is also good to become a review editor, and the work is easy.

Moreover, Springer is a world-renowned scientific journal and book publishing company.

Working here, the pay is very good.

Li Xiansheng opened his work mailbox and read more than a dozen papers.

For some papers that he can understand, or papers that are obviously written blindly and do not make sense of logic, he will not pass directly.

Of course, he is the first review editor, and the paper that he fails will be reviewed by the second review editor, and the second paper will be reviewed by the third editor.

If none of the three passes, the paper will not pass.

As long as one of the reviewing editors does not understand the paper, and finds the paper interesting, it will be reviewed by the company's internal professionals.

Professionals still review one paper by three people for each paper.

If it is reviewed by a professional, the paper will only be sent to the mathematician if none of the three people can read it.

Before sending it to a mathematician for review, the company's professionals will classify the paper into four levels of difficulty.

Level 1 is a heavyweight mathematical conjecture, or problem.

Level 2 is an intermediate mathematical conjecture, or problem.

Level 3 is ordinary mathematical conjecture, or problem.

Springer and Princeton University have a very good relationship.

Level 1 will be shown to internationally renowned mathematicians at Princeton University, such as certain Fields Medal winners.

Level 2 will be shown to a professor of mathematics at Princeton University.

Level 3 will be shown to associate professors.

"Huh?" Li Xiansheng frowned slightly: "Strange cardinality? Ye Fei? ”

"Is that Ye Fei on Arxiv?"

He usually pays attention to Arxiv and Stack Exchange, and also sees Ye Fei.

But he usually pays attention to popular sections, such as number theory, algebra, geometry, topology......

Set theory belongs to mathematical logic, which is a relatively unpopular classification, and set theory is even more unpopular.

Of course, just because you're cold doesn't mean it's not important.

Set theory is the foundation of modern mathematics as a whole, and it is applied to all classifications in mathematics.

It was precisely because of the unpopularity of set theory that Li Xiansheng only glanced at Ye Fei when he saw Ye Fei and knew the name of this person.

As for Ye Fei's details, he is not clear.

"He proves the singular cardinality?" Li Xiansheng was surprised: "This person is so bold that he went to prove the strange cardinality." ”

As he spoke, he opened the paper and read it.

Half an hour later, he shook his head and said, "I don't understand." ”

He is not discouraged, in the past few years as a review editor, he has read too many papers that he can't understand.

It's normal to not understand, but it's not normal to understand.

If he could understand it, he wouldn't have been a review editor, but a mathematician.

He sent the paper to the company's professionals, and half a month later, the company's professionals rated the paper as a heavyweight conjecture and passed it on to Princeton professor, Fields Medal winner Andrei Okunkov.

Half a month later, the review passed!

At this time, Ye Fei was sitting in the library, reading literature.

He is now studying for a Ph.D., and in addition to attending classes, he usually reads the literature given to him by his supervisor.

There is a big difference between doctoral students and undergraduates, as well as master's students, that is, there are very few courses, only three or four classes a week.

Therefore, if doctoral students want to learn well, they must learn to study on their own.

I want to learn something through self-study, so I have to read a lot of literature.

"Ding ......" At this time, an email reminder sound rang on his mobile phone.

He opened it and looked at it, and said in surprise: "The review has passed." ”

He packed his things, picked up his school bag, and walked quickly to the academic office.

"I don't know how much money the school can give me, the new progress in mathematics is the four top journals of mathematics, only weaker than nature and science, at least 200,000 should be given!"

Nature and science are more than half a million.

Soon, he was at the Registrar's Office.

"Ye Fei!" When the director of academic affairs saw Ye Fei, he chuckled in his heart.

The God of Wealth has come to ask for money again.

Every time he sees Ye Fei now, it's like seeing money.

But the school has to laugh and pull it out.

The dean of academic affairs stood up and greeted him, and said with a smile: "Ye Fei, have you sent papers again?" Show me the mail and I'll ask the finance to send you the money tomorrow. ”

"Hey......" The director of academic affairs said helplessly: "Don't come next time, just send me a text message, isn't it just 20,000 yuan, can the school still have less of you?" ”

"Director, I have to come this time, but this time it's not 20,000."

Ye Fei said and took out his mobile phone and opened the email.

The director of academic affairs took Ye Fei's mobile phone and asked with a smile, "Not 20,000?" How much more could that be? ”

As he spoke, he looked down, and then he said suspiciously: "New progress in mathematics? Didn't you all vote for international mathematical analysis before, and what journal is this new progress in mathematics? ”

He is not in the math circle, so he doesn't know the top four journals of mathematics.

Maybe I've heard it before, but forgot it.

"Director, you're right, this is the top magazine." Ye Feidao.

"Top magazine?" The director's hand trembled, and he almost threw the phone out, looking at Ye Fei in surprise: "You said the top magazine?" ”

He knows the meaning of the top journal, whether it is the top journal of mathematics, or the top journal of physics, or the top journal of medicine.

As long as there are top journals, they are the top journals in all fields of scientific research, only one level worse than nature and science.

"Wait!"

After the director finished speaking, he called Lu Yishan, the dean of the School of Mathematics and Ye Fei's tutor, and called the two of them.

He is not from the mathematics circle, and it is difficult to determine how much money is given for the paper to enter the new progress in mathematics.

And this matter is too significant, he must let the dean of the School of Mathematics and Professor Lu Yishan know about it.

Ten minutes later, the two arrived, listened to what the director said, and read the email on Ye Fei's mobile phone.

The two looked at Ye Fei in surprise.

Lu Yishan said: "Your paper is the one that proves the singular cardinality?" ”

"Yes!" Ye Fei nodded.

"Oh my God!"

Lu Yishan's head was in a mess, and he felt that everything was unreal, as if he was in a dream.

At that time, he thought that Ye Fei would not succeed, but he didn't expect to succeed.

He went to comfort Ye Fei at that time, it was nothing if he didn't succeed, and now he was a little panicked when he thought about it.

The dean said excitedly: "Haha...... A new advance in mathematics that proves the singular cardinality. ”

"Hahaha......"

He was so excited, Ye Fei is now a Ph.D. student in mathematics at the school, the higher Ye Fei's achievements, the more benefits the college will get, and he, as the dean of the college, will also get benefits.

The key is that now Ye Fei is studying for a doctorate, and he has obtained these benefits while he is in school, so the college has gained more benefits, and he has obtained more benefits.

The dean grabbed Ye Fei's hand excitedly and said, "Ye Fei, you are a genius, a genius in mathematics, the academy is very lucky to have you!" ”

"This matter should be well publicized, and the whole school should know about it, no, let all 985 universities know about it."

The dean of academic affairs watched the two of them excitedly from the sidelines, and he could understand it very well.

A genius like Ye Fei in the School of Mathematics will gain a lot of benefits.

Whether it is the school, the province, or the country, there is a lot of support.

If you train a heavyweight mathematician, the benefits will be very great, and maybe even the School of Mathematics will soar to the sky, and even the school will get a lot of benefits.

Ye Fei said: "That...... How much money can I get for this paper? ”

The dean smiled: "You can report a number yourself, as long as it is within 500,000, you can give as much as you say." ”

Lu Yishan said with a smile: "Ye Fei, you can't report low, your dissertation school will give at least more than 400,000 yuan." ”

He was afraid that Ye Fei would say that the number was low, so he directly gave a number that seemed reasonable to him.

"Four hundred thousand?" Ye Fei's eyes widened in surprise, he thought that he could only give 200,000, it seemed that poverty limited his imagination.

"This old boy!" The director on the side cried and laughed in his heart: "If I let the finance know about this, I will scold you to death." ”

The price of 400,000 yuan is already very high, and the general paper entering the top journal is 300,000 yuan.

Lu Yishan said: "You have proved the strange cardinality, 149 years of unsolved problems, and you have proved it, which is of great significance, and 400,000 is very reasonable." ”

The dean smiled: "Ye Fei, you can say it yourself, you can give as much as you want, I will personally go and talk to the principal, and I will definitely let him give it." ”

400,000 is not a small amount, and the director of academic affairs cannot make the decision, and the president must make the decision.

"Then 400,000!" Ye Feidao.

He himself was apprehensive when he said this number.

It's not 40,000, it's 400,000, and in Dune City, you can make a down payment on a house in the city.

After that, things went well, and the dean went to talk to the principal in person.

When the principal found out about this, he consulted with several mathematics professors in the School of Mathematics.

He didn't know what it meant to get into the new advances in mathematics and prove the singular cardinality.

After half a day of negotiations, he finally figured out the meaning, and then passed the reward of 400,000 yuan.