Chapter 8: A Viral Sensation, Donations Surpass Five Million!

Once He Yu’s livestream went dark, a true storm began to brew.

It did not descend in silence; rather, it tore through the tranquility of every platform with near-savage intensity.

【#Streamer Solves Riemann Hypothesis in Thirty Minutes#】

This search term, like a red-hot iron brand, seared itself onto the top of the trending lists across Weibo, Douyin, Zhihu, Bilibili—every social media platform imaginable.

The first reaction of every netizen who clicked was disbelief.

"Is the clickbait crazy? Are they really trying to use the Riemann Hypothesis for clout?"

"Reported. Let's move on, it's just another MCN agency testing the lower limits of human intelligence."

But the moment they clicked on the viral, seconds-long clips, all their pre-conceived mockery and disdain were shattered in an instant.

In the video, the absurdly young man stood before a crude blackboard, chalking out strings of formulas that they could not comprehend, yet could feel contained some terrifying logic. His voice was calm and certain, as if he were not challenging a mathematical peak that had stood for a century, but merely explaining a basic middle-school geometry problem.

Then came the closing line that made the entire internet’s skin crawl.

"Therefore, the Riemann Hypothesis is proven."

Silence.

After a deathly silence came a volcanic eruption of comments.

"Holy shit."

"Holy shit!"

"I can't think of a second word besides 'holy shit'!"

"My brain understood every word, but my soul is telling me it’s nonsense. But why is my heart beating so fast?!"

"To the person above, you’re not alone! I’m a doctoral student in mathematics, and my advisor just sent me a WeChat message with only one word: 'Get out.' Get out and analyze this recording frame by frame!"

"The main point! Did you check the streamer’s resume? He failed the college entrance exam three times! Three times! This script—even a top-tier web novel author wouldn't dare write it while drunk! This isn't just fiction coming to life; this is a miracle descending upon the mortal realm!"

"I used to believe in science because it is rigorous. Now I believe even more, because I have witnessed something more unscientific than science itself..."

The flood of public opinion surged out of control.

The name He Yu, along with his "Longhai University"—which sounded like a third-rate private vocational school—completed the most incredible comeback overnight.

The follower count on his livestream backend looked like an activated EKG, skyrocketing vertically at an unbelievable angle.

Two hundred thousand.
Five hundred thousand.
Eight hundred thousand.

When the first ray of dawn pierced the clouds, that number sat firmly behind the "1 Million+" tag.

However, this was merely a celebration of fame. The true substance that gave this storm its weight lay elsewhere—the crude official website of "Longhai University."

The official server crashed for the first time at 3:00 AM. After emergency repairs by technical staff, it crashed again at 4:30 AM.

The reason was simple: the influx of people was too great.

Countless ordinary people, shocked beyond measure by the stream, along with parents across Nanhe Province who tossed and turned in the dead of night, worried for their children’s futures, flocked to that single donation portal like pilgrims who had finally found their faith.

Doubt?

It no longer existed.

A genius capable of conquering a world-class mathematical problem in front of hundreds of thousands of people—could he be a fraud?

If this was a scam, it was the highest-IQ, most worthy-to-be-scammed fraud in human history!

Moreover, the promise of "donations for lower admission requirements" now possessed the magical power of an oracle.

In the backend of the Longhai University website, the programmer in charge of monitoring data had a cigarette drop onto his keyboard, yet he didn't even notice. He simply stared, transfixed, at the ever-jumping numbers on his screen.

When the stream ended, the figure had been eight hundred thousand.

And now...

【Total Donations: 1,000,000.00 Yuan】

Every jump in the number felt like a heavy hammer striking his heart.

Seven figures!
In just a few hours, it had broken the million-yuan mark!

But this was only the beginning.

Daylight broke. As more people woke up and were bombarded by the overwhelming news notifications on their phones, a new wave arrived with ten times, a hundred times the force.

The backend servers let out a groan of distress under the impossible load. The donation total refreshed faster than the human eye could blink.

One point five million!
Two million!

The programmer's hands began to tremble. He reached for his water glass, only to realize he couldn't even manage such a simple task.

Three million!
Four million!
Five million!

Finally, at 3:00 PM, when the online buzz reached its peak, the number crossed a threshold that left everyone in the know gasping for air.

Five point two million!

In just one day, from eight hundred thousand to five point two million.

This was not capital injection, nor commercial financing; this was a torrent of steel forged, bit by bit, from the hopes and trust of countless ordinary people!

Simultaneously, in He Yu’s mind, the cold, mechanical prompt sounded at an unprecedented frequency, carrying a near-burning intensity.

【Ding!】

【The "Longhai University" incident has become a nationwide phenomenal hot topic; public trust has undergone an explosive expansion!】

【Reputation points rewarded: 3,000 points!】

【Current reputation balance: 4,850 points!】

A series of numbers appeared clearly in He Yu’s consciousness.

4,850 reputation points.
5.2 million in cash.

He Yu sat in his cramped, rented room, an indescribable sense of grandeur surging within his chest, threatening to break through his very body.

He had succeeded.

His university finally had its first capital that could truly be called "startup funds"!

This money might not be enough to build a real classroom building, but it was enough to leverage a much greater future.

Just then.

"Ding."

A private message popped up in the bottom right corner of his computer screen from the streaming platform.

A familiar ID.

"Old Zhang from Nanhe."

That big donor who had stayed at the top of his livestream’s leaderboard from the start but had rarely said a word.

He Yu’s fingertip hovered over the mouse for a moment before he clicked.

A block of text appeared clearly before him.

"Little Brother He, hello. I watched your entire livestream from beginning to end, and I am deeply moved!"

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Zhang Weiguo, a lifelong native of Nanhe. I am currently the president of the Nanhe Chamber of Commerce."

"I have seen your endeavor. It is not just your dream alone; it is the hope that all of us in Nanhe have suppressed in our hearts for decades. We have waited too long, and we have been disappointed for too long."

"So, you don't need to worry about the money anymore."

"From this moment on, I will mobilize all the resources and connections of myself and the entire Nanhe Chamber of Commerce to support you wholeheartedly!"

"Whatever you need, we will provide!"

He Yu looked quietly at every word on the screen.

The sunlight from outside the window passed through the glass, casting a warm patch of light upon him.

The rush of emotion that had been surging in his chest settled, transforming into a more solid, burning strength that flowed through his limbs.

He reached out to type a reply.

But after typing a few words, he deleted them.

A thousand words could be reduced to the simplest two.

"Thank you."

He knew that from this moment on, he was no longer a lone traveler staking everything on one throw.

Behind him stood countless expectant eyes and the full support of a massive commercial entity.

He knew he was no longer fighting this war alone.