993 But I Refuse!
[Just went through customs, about to board the plane.]
[First of all, congratulations to Star Sky Technology for evading the ant.i.trust investigation and patent litigation. We hope that our companies can continue to abide by laws and regulations.]
[Also, in response to the comments, I don’t know what people are angry about. The International Trade Commission rejected the Department of Commerce investigation. Even though you have damaged the interests of our country, as long as you abide by the rules, we will protect your rights, this is the American spirit…]
“… These bunch of dogs, tagging me in any article they can, it’s not like I’m an international relations expert…”
Inside a restaurant, Lu Zhou shook his head and wondered why Mr. Lawrence hadn’t arrived yet. Suddenly, he noticed someone walking toward him.
The other person also noticed him. They walked toward him with a smile.
“Long time no see.”
Lawrence put down his bag and sat across from Lu Zhou. He rested his hands on the table and said, “Time really flies by, it’s been so long since you left Princeton.”
“Oh, yeah.”
Even though there were differences between Western and Asian standards, Lu Zhou could still tell that this guy was a well-dressed person.
David Lawrence.
Lu Zhou finally matched the name with a face.
Lu Zhou finally remembered that when he first arrived in Princeton, this history professor recommended him to join the Ivy food club.
He felt nostalgic thinking about this.
Lawrence had always been obsessed with finance; he only went into history research due to the pressure from his father.
However, it seemed like he was doing quite well for himself since he was now working in finance.
After staring at Lawrence for a while, Lu Zhou spoke.
“You’ve changed.”
Lawrence smiled and replied, “Everyone changes, aren’t you the same? From a pure mathematician to a world-renowned scholar… And me, I never wanted to go into history, but —”
“I mean you’ve gotten older.”
Lawrence nearly choked on the water. He put down the cup and coughed.
He wiped his mouth with a napkin and smiled awkwardly.
“I was still in my late twenties back then… But you haven’t changed a bit at all.”
Lu Zhou smiled and put his phone into his pocket.
“Thanks… but I’m quite surprised, I didn’t expect you to study history.”
“History is just my hobby, finance is my real pa.s.sion.” Lawrence smiled and said, “Of course, reading those books inside Firestone Library did help my career a little bit.”
Lu Zhou: “Like what?”
Lawrence: “Isn’t there a saying? History repeats itself.”
Lu Zhou smiled and said, “Not necessarily, at least not in mathematics. In order to solve new problems, we have to create new ideas, deduce new ideas from old theories, and jump out of the original framework… It would be great if history could provide me with a little help, but that’s often not the case.”
Like Riemann’s hypothesis.
He had read almost every paper on Riemann’s hypothesis over the past century and a half; however, none of them were able to inspire him.
It wasn’t until he introduced differentiable manifold theories into complex a.n.a.lysis did he finally make some amount of progress.
Which was, the hyperelliptic curve a.n.a.lysis method.
However, this was only considered a small progress. He still had a long way to go, and for now, he couldn’t see the finish line.
“Oh, really? No wonder mathematics is so fascinating to you.”
“I guess so…” Lu Zhou smiled at Lawrence and said, “Speaking of which, did you come all the way here to visit me?”
“It wouldn’t be truthful to say I didn’t.” Lawrence smiled and said, “Want to join forces?”
Lu Zhou didn’t know why, but he felt like this guy was a little unusual, and it gave him the chills.
“… Join forces? On what?”
“Whether it’s scientific research or business, money is involved in everything.” Lawrence smiled and said, “For example, you plan on buying EVgo, right?”
The f*ck?
How did you know?
Lu Zhou gave him a surprised look but didn’t say anything, because he didn’t know if Lawrence happened to make a lucky guess, or if Lawrence really knew.
However, it was as if Lawrence saw through Lu Zhou’s mind. Lawrence smiled and spoke.
“Don’t be nervous, I’m not testing you. If you don’t want to admit it, I understand… Then, let’s just say, hypothetically, you plan on acquiring EVgo and use it to penetrate the US market.”
Lawrence cleared his throat and spoke in a calm voice.
“There aren’t many electric vehicles in America, but it is still profitable. Especially after the fusion power station in California, the demand for electric vehicles will surge. It is not difficult to take a part of the market share, you just have to invest wisely. Our a.n.a.lysts have calculated that if you want an 80% coverage of charging stations in the West Coast, you would have to spend at least US$5 billion.
“This is not a small number. I’m sure even a bank would think twice before lending you this amount. But I’m different, we’re… investors. Not only can we provide you the necessary resources, but we can also get you out of trouble and ensure your business runs smoothly.”
Lawrence smiled at Lu Zhou, who was sitting across from him.
“And that goes beyond charging stations.
“The funds of Boston Financial Group can easily help you become the world’s top high-tech company. No one will be able to stop you, you can do whatever you want…”
Lawrence quietly looked at Lu Zhou while waiting for him to reply.
Time slowly pa.s.sed by…
Twenty seconds pa.s.sed by.
Lu Zhou suddenly smiled and spoke.
“Sounds interesting.”
Lawrence smiled as if he had just won the Olympics. He reached out his hand and spoke.
“Then let’s—”
Lu Zhou: “But no, thanks.”
Lawrence: “…???”