The atmosphere was awkward.

Time and space seemed to be frozen, stiff and terrible.

Lawrence's handsome face stiffened, and his smile froze there as if it had been sprinkled with formalin.

But what is admirable is that even so, he still maintains the demeanor of a nobleman, stiffly withdraws his outstretched right hand, and sits back like a robot.

Minutes and seconds passed.

The awkward air lingers on the dining table.

It wasn't until the waiter brought the dish that the stiffness in the air was broken.

Lawrence coughed dryly and continued with a slightly displeased expression.

"Can I know why? I feel like my proposal is perfect. ”

"That's just for you," Lu Zhou said in a calm tone, "I've always believed that there is no such thing as a free lunch in the world. If we accept your investment, that means we have to give up some of our equity, am I right? ”

Lawrence: "Of course...... As you said, there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world, but in addition to a free lunch, there is another word that is win-win! We can create greater wealth through cooperation! ”

Lu Zhou: "Yes, then after our win-win situation, will it be my star technology or your star technology?" Is it a high-tech enterprise in China or a high-tech enterprise in the United States? ”

"This ...... It's up to you to define it," Lawrence opened his mouth after a moment's hesitation, and continued, "Besides, does it really matter who it belongs to?" The Star Technology you have now may only be worth 100 billion US dollars, and I will take out 100 billion to finance you, maybe you may have less equity in your hands, but in fact you have more wealth than the original 100 billion US dollars, and even because of our cooperation, it has doubled several times——"

"I think it's important to say who it belongs to."

Looking at Lawrence, who was full of disapproval, he interrupted his Lu Zhou and continued in a serious tone.

"For me, being able to do what I love is really important, and that's why I founded Star Science and Technology and Jinling Institute for Advanced Study. In contrast, more money and less money are secondary, so you tell me that you can turn 100 billion into 200 billion, or even multiply it several times...... What does it have to do with me? ”

The atmosphere at the table was at a stalemate.

After a long silence, Lawrence's shoulders suddenly loosened and he leaned back in his chair.

"I see...... I thought we could still work together, and with your cleverness, you would have seen the benefits, but now it seems that I was thinking too much unilaterally. ”

Lu Zhou smiled faintly and said: "I always thought that you Americans like to do things according to the rules, normally speaking, shouldn't you go to the CEO of Star Technology to talk about this matter?" ”

Lawrence smiled faintly, "Rules? You think this way because you haven't been in the U.S. long enough to really understand the country. ”

Lu Zhou: "Oh? ”

"Merchant ships traveling to and from the Golden Passage will more or less make a cameo appearance as pirates when necessary, whether in national or private interest. The colonists who set foot on the American continent were for the most part law-abiding 'good citizens', but only if it was more beneficial to them. If it is profitable, they don't mind making a cameo appearance as a robber, looting the nearby natives to make their fortune increase quickly. ”

"There is a manuscript of John Adams in the Flintstone Library, detailing his research on this cultural phenomenon. And it seems to me that it is precisely because he knows so much about the Americans, and is able to see the 'degenerate torrent' hidden behind the colonial culture, that he knows how to restrain those who disobey the discipline, and even become president. ”

"And at the heart of this cultural phenomenon, I call it pirate culture."

Looking at Lawrence with a faint smile on his face, Lu Zhou raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise.

"Amazing."

"Accident what?"

"In the history of Chinese civilization, we usually use derogatory terms such as 'pirates' or 'pirates'...... In our culture, piracy is not a profession to show off, or to be glamorous. ”

"It's just as dishonorable in our culture, and if it's caught being a pirate, it's hanged in the harbor, dried and left to be pecked by crows...... However, if it is discovered," Lawrence continued, shrugging his shoulders, "100 percent profit, the capital is just a boat, and it is enough for people to do a lot of things." ”

Looking at Lu Zhou, who didn't speak, Lawrence propped up the table with his hands and stood up gently.

"Having said all this, I just want to answer your question, pirates are unscrupulous in order to achieve their ends. I don't really want to be your enemy, or even become a chess player, but ...... There is an invisible trend in this world, which is influenced by many factors. ”

"It's like the gravitational pull that pulls us back to the ground, continuing the inertia of the classic movement, and returning history to its original position, and this is something that a certain person or a certain company, or even a country cannot stop, but if you follow the trend, you can survive, and even be rewarded by history, do you understand what I mean by this?"

Lu Zhou: "I don't understand, I believe in science, not metaphysics." ”

Except for the time of the draw.

Lawrence: "Okay, just as I'm talking nonsense...... Do you really stop thinking about it? ”

"No need."

"That's a shame," Lawrence sighed softly, "maybe next time, you'll have to face not just minor characters like ExxonMobil and Tesla, but a force that even I would feel nerve-wracking." ”

"Really?"

Lu Zhou smiled faintly.

"Then we'll see."

……

Eventually, Lawrence left without even finishing his meal.

Although he said that he had eaten enough, according to Lu Zhou's observations, he did not move the dishes a few times at all.

But let's be honest, the restaurant tastes really good, and he'll probably come back a few more times if nothing else.

After finishing the meal unhurriedly, just half an hour after Lawrence left, Lu Zhou also left the restaurant and walked to the car parked at the door.

Just as he pulled the car door and got into the car, Wang Peng, who was sitting in the driver's seat, had just finished making a call and stuffed his mobile phone back into his pocket.

"Where are you going?"

"Let's go back to Zhongshan International directly."

"Okay."

Cars on the road.

Lu Zhou, who was leaning on the seat, took out his mobile phone and turned it on.

Just when he opened the list of likes, ready to find the article he hadn't finished just now and continue to see what the owner of the article said, he found that the article was gone.

Hey?

Did you delete it yourself?

Damn, forgot to take a screenshot.

Shaking his head, Lu Zhou put this matter aside, turned it off and forced it to open the scarf.

Just as he was about to interact with his fans for a while, a reminder of an unread email popped up at the top of the screen.

Click on it and take a look, it was actually sent by the International Union of Mathematicians.

As soon as he saw this caller address, Lu Zhou's head suddenly grew for a while.

In the past few days, he has a headache about whether to go or not, and the IMU sent an email, and he can hardly guess that he is here to urge himself to put the papers to be presented in the 60-minute report meeting on the conference website.

clicked on the email and glanced at it, but when Lu Zhou was thinking about how to euphemistically express to the organizer that he was not ready to report, he was suddenly stunned.

After being silent for a while, looking up at Wang Peng, who was driving in front of him, Lu Zhou spoke.

"Wang Peng."

"What's wrong?"

"In August, I might have to go to St. Petersburg."

"Okay, we'll arrange it for you...... By the way, has your research on the Riemann hypothesis progressed? ”

"No...... It has nothing to do with the report. ”

Wang Peng: "That's?" ”

Putting down the phone, Lu Zhou said with a strange expression.

"Go claim the prize."