Edward Witten had no intention of correcting someone like Qiao Ze, who seemed clueless.
After all, this was a man who only spent three months in his PhD program, and his doctoral thesis directly solved a global mathematical challenge. In this light, taking three months to construct this paper wasn't exactly an exaggeration—though his efficiency could still be debated.
You could only say that the goddess of mathematics truly favors the gifted. If you're brilliant enough, then whatever you do is considered right.
In truth, Witten hadn't come here today for this matter.
The last time he visited, he had promised Lothar Dugan something, and now he intended to deliver on that promise.
Some people don't take promises seriously, but Edward Witten clearly wasn't one of them. At a certain level of status, one needs to remember what they've said before.
Yes, he was here to talk to Qiao Ze about the publication of this paper.
