The Heart of Genius Episode 31 Recap
> The Heart of Genius Recap
Ji Jiang was about to leave the competition through the window when he encountered some difficulty getting unstuck, enduring pain to make his exit. Lin Zhaoxi, concerned, asked if he was alright, to which Ji Jiang claimed he was fine and would rest there while awaiting his ride. Before leaving, he implored Lin Zhaoxi and Pei Zhi to win, stating he was counting on them for the rest of the contest.
As Lin Zhaoxi and Pei Zhi made their way to their room, they were intercepted by Zhang Liang, who had been waiting. Zhang Liang revealed he knew Pei Zhi had secretly replaced Ji Jiang after seeing Ji Jiang sneak out. Lin Zhaoxi, wary, asked Zhang Liang what he intended, but Pei Zhi calmly assured her that Zhang Liang was simply showing his support in his own way.
Lin Zhaosheng was sound asleep on the sofa, while Lin Zhaoxi and Pei Zhi worked tirelessly through the night. Lin Zhaoxi had already completed half of the problem's structure and asked Pei Zhi to review it. The following morning, Lin Zhaosheng woke up, immediately noticing a subtle difference in Pei Zhi. A staff member arrived to deliver notices and also detected a change in Pei Zhi's appearance compared to the previous day's registration.
Lin Zhaoxi quickly intervened, confirming Pei Zhi's identity. However, when the staff member insisted Pei Zhi stand up for further verification, Lin Zhaosheng quickly feigned a sudden illness and collapsed, successfully diverting attention. The staff member, concerned, arranged for Lin Zhaosheng to be taken to the hospital. En route, Lin Zhaosheng declared he felt better and insisted on being taken home, claiming his legs were too weak to take public transport.
Lin Zhaoxi and Pei Zhi continued their diligent work, with Pei Zhi catching a typo on page six, line three, as they raced against the clock. With only 25 minutes left, the staff member checked on Lin Zhaosheng's condition and cautioned Lin Zhaoxi against discussing the questions with withdrawn contestants. Finally, they submitted their solution and celebrated with a high-five. An announcement declared the end of the answering phase, with the defense scheduled for 5 PM, allowing for a break.
Mr. Wang approached Lin Zhaoxi, expressing regret for his earlier actions that had made her a competitor and offered a handshake of reconciliation. Lin Zhaoxi, however, simply walked away. Afterward, Ah Guang challenged Pei Zhi to a one-on-one basketball game, but Pei Zhi declined, claiming he hadn't played in a long time. Ah Guang scoffed, pointing out that Pei Zhi had been playing right before the competition. Zhang Liang then pulled Ah Guang away, telling him to rest.
The defense session officially commenced, with Lin Zhaoxi and Pei Zhi presenting their work. Lin Zhaosheng, watching the live broadcast from home, sent messages to Lin Zhaoxi, expressing his pride. Lin Zhaoxi introduced her team, Group 6, and their chosen topic, "Suspect Tracking," outlining the five parts of her thesis defense.
Zhang Laoshi, a judge, immediately questioned Lin Zhaosheng's absence and Lin Zhaoxi's competence, specifically asking her to elaborate on the modeling algorithm for the second question, despite Pei Zhi's offer to answer. Zhang Laoshi continued her skeptical line of questioning, highlighting Lin Zhaoxi's background in philosophy. Another judge interjected, reminding Zhang Laoshi that individual contributions were not a criterion. Lin Zhaoxi then accepted the challenge, providing a detailed explanation that earned applause.
Undeterred, Zhang Laoshi continued to probe, asking Lin Zhaoxi about her personal contribution given the strong abilities of Pei Zhi and Lin Zhaosheng, implying she might be "taking the award by doing nothing." Pei Zhi quickly defended Lin Zhaoxi, asserting she was the team's core. Lin Zhaoxi also defended herself, pointing out that Zhang Laoshi's persistent questioning contradicted the rules. Zhang Laoshi, maintaining her "personal doubts," assured Lin Zhaoxi that her team's first-place ranking would not be affected.
Just as Zhang Laoshi was about to conclude the defense, Zhang Liang stepped forward to accuse Lin Zhaoxi's team of violating competition rules. He claimed Pei Zhi had used an actor to impersonate him on the first day, only arriving himself in the early hours of the second day, and stated he had witnessed it all. Pei Zhi immediately confessed, admitting he arrived the previous night due to personal reasons and had indeed used an actor.
He clarified that Lin Zhaoxi had completed all the modeling herself and that he was merely an assistant. He also revealed that Lin Zhaosheng, his master, suffered from Alzheimer's disease and was physically incapable of participating, having been brought in solely to fulfill the three-person team requirement. A staff member corroborated that Lin Zhaosheng had indeed fallen sick and withdrawn. Mr. Wang then stepped up, calling for Lin Zhaoxi's team's disqualification and declaring his own team the rightful first place.
He then argued that Pei Zhi's late arrival proved Lin Zhaoxi was the sole primary contributor, emphasizing her capability, and challenged Zhang Laoshi to apologize to Lin Zhaoxi for her earlier harsh criticism. Lin Zhaoxi then took the stage and openly admitted her team's rule violation, apologizing for her eagerness to win.
She stated that even without Pei Zhi's help, she believed she could have completed the thesis independently, acknowledging that her high score also contained an element of luck, as she and Pei Zhi had encountered similar math models before. She directly addressed Zhang Laoshi, confessing her desire to perform well to help her postgraduate entrance exam chances. She implored Zhang Laoshi not to judge her with the same prejudice that had impacted her father, Lin Zhaosheng.
Lin Zhaoxi passionately described her father as the most mathematics-loving person she knew, recounting how he was expelled from Sanwei University's math department and burdened with accusations of "academic misconduct" for over two decades simply because his thesis resembled that of a renowned professor. She stressed that there was no concrete evidence, only intuition and prejudice, drawing a parallel to Galileo's experiment. She urged influential figures like Zhang Laoshi to demonstrate greater rigor and respect to prevent similar tragedies.
Lin Zhaoxi concluded by publicly apologizing again and stating her readiness to accept any penalties. Lin Zhaoxi's impassioned speech was met with thunderous applause. Watching the live broadcast from home, Lin Zhaosheng was deeply moved, tears welling in his eyes. After the competition, Lin Zhaoxi's team not only lost their first-place ranking but also forfeited any prize money. Ah Guang, still competitive, challenged Pei Zhi to a rematch, and Zhang Liang, surprisingly, agreed to a solo game with Ah Guang.
Pei Zhi and Lin Zhaoxi left together. Lin Zhaoxi expressed satisfaction with her speech but lamented the loss of the prize money. Later, Zheng Bian Dao, a TV show producer, approached Lin Zhaoxi, inviting her and Pei Zhi to participate in a knowledge challenge program. Upon learning there was a 100,000 yuan prize, Lin Zhaoxi readily accepted, promising to call him back. Lin Zhaosheng encouraged Pei Zhi to take Lin Zhaoxi out to celebrate while he rested at home.
Pei Zhi took Lin Zhaoxi to a lounge, where he surprised her by playing the piano and singing a German song, "La Vie en Rose." Pei Zhi elaborated on the connection between mathematics and music, describing both as beautiful and expressed through logical symbols. During his explanation, he suddenly felt dizzy and disoriented, briefly muttering "Cheese. . ." Lin Zhaoxi, alarmed, asked if he was alright. Pei Zhi attributed it to a lack of rest and suggested they go home.
When they arrived, Lin Zhaosheng, who had been working on the world problem, quickly hid his draft papers under a pillow and switched his computer screen to a game. Lin Zhaosheng affirmed that hearing her speak at the competition made him feel great, despite the lost prize money. That night, Pei Zhi retrieved his phone, which contained a recording of Lin Zhaosheng's research process, and sent it to Lin Zhaoxi.
Lin Zhaoxi then confronted Lin Zhaosheng, pulling the draft papers from under his pillow. She scolded him for overexerting his mind, reminding him of their agreement not to do brain-straining activities that could trigger a relapse of his old illness. Lin Zhaosheng admitted his unwillingness to give up, having dedicated twenty years to his research. Lin Zhaoxi insisted that his health was paramount and ordered him to stop, which he reluctantly agreed to.
The next morning, Pei Zhi brought breakfast to Lin Zhaosheng. Lin Zhaoxi had just received a "death call" from Sanwei University's graduate admissions office, informing her that she would likely be transferred to another major due to her initial exam scores. She was disappointed, feeling it was a pity she couldn't enroll with Pei Zhi, though she was prepared to study for another year. Pei Zhi tried to comfort her, but Lin Zhaoxi felt the call confirmed her rejection.
That night, after Lin Zhaosheng was asleep, Pei Zhi resumed working on the world problem. He recalled a memory from "Cheese World" in 2018, where he and Lin Zhaosheng received an award in Chicago for solving the same mathematical problem related to graph isomorphism, the P vs. NP problem. After an all-nighter, Pei Zhi finally completed the problem. The next morning, he showed the proof to Lin Zhaoxi, explaining it was the missing piece of her father's research.
Lin Zhaoxi, eager to share the news with Lin Zhaosheng, rushed to his room, but Pei Zhi stopped her. He explained that he had only completed the final one percent and that it was Lin Zhaosheng's twenty years of foundational work that made it possible. He urged Lin Zhaoxi to let Lin Zhaosheng believe he had completed it independently.
Lin Zhaoxi, remembering her father's hatred for cheating after twenty years of plagiarism accusations, questioned why Pei Zhi would downplay his contribution. Pei Zhi insisted his role was "tiny" and, given Lin Zhaosheng's illness, he wanted his master to experience pure joy, free from the burden of believing it was a collaborative effort or, worse, another instance of "cheating."
