"This crowd is ridiculous."Heidi stood on her tiptoes, trying to see what was happening, but the mass of people blocked her view.However, Heidi was not one to give up easily. She began pushing the slimmer boys out of her way, dragging Fiona along as she muscled her way to the front. The boys, already wary of her reputation, parted to make room for her without protest."Hey, what’s going on here? What are you all staring at?"Heidi grabbed a boy by the collar, her voice sharp.The boy, upon realizing it was Heidi, immediately wilted, his bravado vanishing."Uh… well, they say a student or a professor came up with a new proof for a world-class math problem. The proof is posted here—it’s all handwritten, and the writing is really beautiful."The boy stammered, his voice trembling with fear."Oh? So, can you even understand it?"Heidi glanced at the handwritten proof on the notice board, then turned her gaze back to the boy."Uh... no, not really. I’m not in the math department. How cou
"Lillian Rogers, the math department prodigy, is here.""Lillian Rogers is stunning, but her personality is so strange.""Do you think this new proof for Stokes’ theorem might be her work? Other than Lillian and the professors, I can’t think of anyone else in the math department who could’ve done it.""Who knows? She’s coming this way, so maybe we’ll find out soon."As the students whispered among themselves, a girl with black-rimmed glasses, clutching a stack of books to her chest, approached the notice board. Despite the glasses, they couldn’t mask the intelligence and sharpness in her eyes.As she neared, the crowd parted instinctively, allowing her a clear path to the board.Lillian Rogers stood motionless in front of the notice board, her eyes fixed on the handwritten proof, as if she were frozen in place.The crowd around her instinctively took a few steps back, creating some distance. Only a few elderly professors remained, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her at the board."
"It’s a good thing we’re early?""Mr. Harris, is something the matter?"Joseph noticed the urgency in Harris’s tone and raised an eyebrow."Here’s the situation. Professor Leonard Sanchez from the medical department was supposed to give a lecture today. It’s a really important one for students in the field, especially for graduate students researching related topics.""But Professor Sanchez just informed us that something urgent came up, and he won’t be able to make it. I’m scrambling to find someone to fill in for him. The lecture is more than two hours long, but if we can get someone to cover the first hour, that would help.""Professor Sanchez will be back after an hour and can take over then."Geoffrey Harris looked visibly troubled."Couldn’t you just delay the lecture by an hour? Or reschedule it?"Joseph frowned slightly."Delaying isn’t an option. The medical students have other classes, and we can’t ask them to disrupt their entire schedule for this one lecture.""And resched
"Alright, don’t concern yourself too much with Mr. Wilson’s background. Just know that having him here is an honor for this university."Geoffrey Harris patted the assistant on the shoulder and then left the office.The assistant stood there, stunned by Harris’s words, unable to process what she had just heard.Nova University, Second Teaching Building, Room 302, Multimedia Classroom.At this moment, the large lecture hall, capable of seating hundreds, was already full."The assistant came by earlier to tell us that Old Mr. Sanchez had a last-minute emergency and won’t be able to make it. The president found a substitute teacher for us.""No way! I came here specifically for Professor Leonard Sanchez. My graduate thesis has hit a roadblock, and I really needed his guidance. What am I supposed to do now?""Why don’t you try asking the substitute?""Didn’t the assistant say the substitute teacher is young? How could he possibly compare to Professor Sanchez?""Is the university seriously
"My name is Joseph Wilson. The papers and research I’ve published are related to cutting-edge academic topics that most of you have yet to encounter.""Of course, if anyone is interested, you can search for my work in the top academic databases. My research spans fields such as biomedicine, nuclear physics, and financial economics, among others.""Now, I understand that words alone aren’t enough to earn your trust. I also realize that without your trust, it would be difficult for any of you to focus on the rest of today’s lecture."Joseph smiled as he spoke, his tone steady."Mr. Wilson, it’s not that we don’t trust you. It’s just that your credentials sound too extraordinary to be true.""Exactly. With Mr. Harris’s endorsement, we know we should trust you, and we will listen. But we’d really like to see if you’re as impressive as he says.""Yeah, Mr. Wilson, why don’t you show us what you’ve got?"The students became increasingly animated, their interest piqued.Seeing this, Fiona sm
"I don’t know, but I can certainly try."Joseph’s smile remained, offering no definitive answer."Mr. Wilson, I never realized you were such a braggart. I hadn’t noticed before."Fiona’s lips curled into a mocking smile.Joseph merely glanced at her, saying nothing."Why don’t you demonstrate for us, teacher? We’d love to see it.""Yes, teacher, you can’t just talk the talk!""Try it now, Mr. Wilson!""..."The students’ enthusiasm only grew."I can try, but please, everyone quiet down."Joseph agreed, and at once the room fell silent."Mr. Wilson, are you sure about this? Piercing a needle three centimeters into wood—that’s a lot of force. I’ve never seen anyone do it before.""Even if a needle has some rigidity, it’s hard to imagine it could be driven that deep into solid wood."Even Geoffrey Harris, who had been supportive of Joseph, now seemed skeptical."Those in the back, move forward a little; it’ll give you a better view.""Now, take a good look. These classroom desks are soli
But the moment he finished speaking, the room plunged into awkward silence. No one moved. After all, they had just witnessed how Joseph’s needles could shatter solid wood...For a long moment, no one stepped forward."What, no volunteers?""In that case, I’ll have to randomly select someone."At those words, the atmosphere in the room grew tense in an instant.What was Mr. Wilson thinking? Was he serious about risking someone’s life?"You there, come be my target. You seemed to be enjoying yourself earlier."Joseph’s gaze swept across the room before settling on a young man with a dark complexion.As soon as Joseph spoke, a wave of snickers rippled through the classroom.The young man’s face darkened even more at Joseph’s words. Already dark-skinned, he now looked as though he might burst into tears."Mr. Wilson, surely you’ve made a mistake! I wasn’t laughing!"The young man’s voice trembled with unease."Are you certain? The needles I’m holding aren’t limited to just three."Joseph
He turned to find a stranger approaching him."Why aren’t you in class? Is there something you need?"Geoffrey asked, puzzled."Mr. Harris, my name is Fiona. I’m a graduate student under Professor Sanchez, and I’m very confused right now."Fiona was slightly out of breath, clearly in a hurry."What’s troubling you? Perhaps I can help."Geoffrey nodded, indicating for her to continue."Mr. Harris, do you truly know who Joseph is?"Fiona’s expression was serious as she spoke."Are you suggesting you know Joseph better than I do?"Geoffrey raised an eyebrow, sensing something unusual in her words."Mr. Harris, I’m certain I know Joseph far better than you do."Fiona’s voice was resolute."Oh? And what makes you say that? If you truly know Joseph, then enlighten me—how well do you know Mr. Wilson?"Geoffrey’s curiosity was piqued. There seemed to be more to this than he had initially thought."Joseph is my husband. I know everything about him. Based on what I know, he has no qualification