Chapter 98 - Extra 5: A Day-to-Day Account of University
Chapter 98 - Extra 5: A Day-to-Day Account of University
Lin Qian became famous after that incident in Professor Zhou TianRan’s class, and it caused gossip to run wild among the freshmen of L University. Later, the professors from the two other classes Lin Qian also attended heard about him. After finding out that he wasn’t actually a student at their University, they began to ask him some professional questions. To their surprise, Lin Qian answered all of them fluently. So the result was, Lin Qian’s excellent answers captured the hearts of the other teachers too.
Nobody knew if it was truly a coincidence, but later the other two teachers, like Professor Zhou, wrote up quizzes for their lectures and actively invited Lin Qian to participate. After everyone’s papers were marked, it came out that Lin Qian won first place again.
Honestly, Lin Qian was at a total loss about the situation. Because of the commotion he caused in Profesor Zhou’s class, he had tried to restrain himself in the other quizzes. Instead of using the practical experience he gained in his last life to answer the questions, he had answered these quizzes using only the theoretical knowledge he had attained from attending the lectures.
So after learning that he got the top score once more, he unconsciously blurted out: “Other people’s scores are so low?”
Zheng PingQing’s classmates: “….” Because he’s so handsome, we’ll bear with it.
“Yes, it’s really low.” The teacher replied.
The students: “….”
Lin Qian came back to his senses and realized that his words sounded too insulting. He couldn’t help but put his hand on his forehead.
However, Zheng PingQing was very proud of his boyfriend. He tried his best to pull aggro by saying to Lin Qian: “It’s not that other people’s scores are too low, it’s just that you’re too excellent, ah.”
The students: “…”
They wanted to put a sign outside their classroom that says: Dogs and traitors aren’t allowed in.
The teacher was a little confused by Zheng PingQing’s behavior. “Student Zheng, why are you so happy after being defeated by a student from another university?”
Zheng PingQing perfunctorily replied: “No sir, you’re wrong. This is my sad and ashamed expression, ah.”
The professor: “…..” This was the first time he’d seen a sad expression that included a mouth that was smiling so hard, it looked like it hurt.
Because of what happened in Professor Zhou TianRan’s class, the other two professors knew not to ask Lin Qian about the postgraduate entrance exams. However, when faced with their actual students, it was hard to avoid such things.
Meanwhile, L University’s freshmen management was getting antsy. If it had been a student in their University that was getting top marks, then it wouldn’t have mattered to them. After all, even if that student was in a different major and wasn’t actually part of the class, at least the person in question was still their own student. But not only was this person an outsider, but he was oppressing their students in three classes! How can they just sit back and do nothing!
Perhaps it was out of dissatisfaction, or maybe it was to restore the dignity of their freshmen. But L University’s freshmen management department suddenly became very diligent in their work. This term would later be considered the department’s most outstanding era since its establishment. Of course, attached to this story was the saga of Lin Qian, the tyrant, and Zheng PingQing, the traitor. Together, the two became one of the few undying tales in the University’s business department.
Of course, that was another story that would come to pass later.
Right now, the couple left Professor Zhou TianRan’s class, discussing where to go for dinner.
“There’s a really nice takeout place near the gymnasium. We can buy some food and go back to the apartment to eat.” Zheng PingQing suggested. Generally, he and Lin Qian would spend the weekend in their apartment. Since tomorrow was a Saturday, Zheng PingQing figured they would go to their apartment as usual.
But Lin Qian shook his head. “Let’s just quickly go to the canteen. I have a meeting with Boss Ke in the evening, and I have to go to the company tomorrow too.”
He and Ke MuZi’s company had finished their product’s closed beta test and were ready to start rolling it out to the public. This meant that Lin Qian was going to be very busy for a while. Because even though Ke MuZi was a technical genius, he was still much too young to know how to handle their company’s day-to-day operations. Fortunately, their company was still small, so Lin Qian wasn’t too stressed.
“We need to recruit some people, but those who have work experience aren’t willing to come. So I wanted to hire some interns and train them ourselves.” Lin Qian explained. He and Ke MuZi were too young, and their company had just started. While they stood out amongst the crowd for being ambitious, experienced and capable people wouldn’t take a chance on a company helmed by newbies.
“I’ll help you.” Zheng PingQing worked as a group executive in his last life, so he also knew how to handle new businesses. It would be a piece of cake to help Lin Qian take care of his budding company.
Lin Qian didn’t argue and readily accepted his offer. “Ok.”
Zheng PingQing continued: “But it doesn’t really solve your problem. You can’t always use interns, right?”
Lin Qian replied: “Don’t worry, I’m well aware of the situation. I have a few plans.”
Truthfully, he had already begun to contact a few people. Some of them worked in Ke MuZi’s company in their last life, while others came from his own workplace. He knew them to be knowledgable, competent, and very reliable.
But right now, these people were still very young. Some of them were still in school, and most of them had no connection to each other whatsoever. So the main problem Lin Qian faced right now was to somehow persuade these people to join his freshly made company.
By the time the couple had reached the canteen, Zheng PingQing had devolved back into his one-track capitalist habits. “It’s a good idea. Before they grow into their talents, you should give them meager salaries and exploit your labor force.”
Lin Qian: “…I hope you can remember that these people are to be the future backbone of my company.”
When they stepped inside the canteen, they were just in time for lunch. Since the dining hall was full of students, the couple restrained their hand-feeding habits and kept their lovey-dovey atmosphere to a minimum.
Lin Qian walked off to find a table while Zheng PingQing ordered a few dishes according to Lin Qian’s taste. Then, the two sat opposite each other and began eating.
Halfway through their meal, two girls carrying trays suddenly approached them with a smile. “Zheng PingQing, Lin Qian, what a coincidence, ah.”
When the couple looked up, they noticed that one of the girls was Kuang Ling, a student in one of Zheng PingQing’s classes. The other was a stranger, but she was also just as beautiful.
Kuang Ling asked: “Do you mind if we shared a table?”
Lin Qian looked at the empty chair beside him, never even realizing that the people next to them had already left. Lin Qian smiled at Kuang Ling and replied: “This is a public area.”
At his words, Kuang Ling and the girl next to her sat down. Kuang Ling introduced them: “This is my high school classmate, Jiang Zhi. She’s an arts major like me.”
Jiang Zhi gave them a sweet smile. “Hello.”
Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing acted politely towards the two girls and nodded their heads. Then, they looked at each other, immediately understanding each other’s thoughts in a glance.
When Kuang Ling started introductions, she only introduced Jiang Zhi to Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing. The fact that she didn’t introduce the two men to her friend implied that Jiang Zhi knew them already. It was evident that this wasn’t a chance encounter.
Sure enough, Jiang Zhi looked at Lin Qian and said: “I heard what happened at Professor Zhou’s class, Ling Qian. So interesting, ah. I’m really interested in listening in on Professor Zhou’s lectures now.”
Lin Qian didn’t reply and simply let out a light laugh.
The conversation descended into a brief silence, leaving Jiang Zhi at a loss. Kuang Ling quickly took over and said: “If you really want to come, then I can take you. Professor Zhou’s lectures are really worth listening to. Otherwise, Lin Qian wouldn’t come to every single class just to listen in, right?”
Lin Qian didn’t manage to reply as Zheng PingQing spoke first. He modestly said: “Actually, Lin Qian attended Professor Zhou’s class not for his lectures, but for me…”
Kuang Ling: “…??”
Jiang Zhi: “…??”
“The braised ribs are perfect today, ah. Try it.” Lin Qian commented as he picked up a piece and casually sent it to Zheng PingQing’s mouth, interrupting the rest of his sentence.
Zheng PingQing accepted the food and ate it. He then affirmed: “It’s good.”
Kuang Ling and Jiang Zhi: “!!!”
Lin Qian turned back to Jiang Zhi and smiled. “But Professor Zhou’s lectures really are great. If you’re interested, you should go.”
Jiang Zhi was silent for a while, then she turned away and looked towards the distance. “No, since I’m studying the arts, I should stay true to my passions.”
Kuang Ling: “….”
Oh no, has her friend seen through the world of mortals?
The two women became befuddled as their minds became filled with images of gay love. But it wouldn’t be good to just get up and leave, ah. They had to brave the storm and continue to eat.
In the end, the atmosphere became awkward.
Fortunately, Lin Qian didn’t feed Zheng PingQing again, so the girls’ eyes got a little break. Lin Qian was also a gentleman, ah. After stopping Jiang Zhi’s attempts to approach him, Lin Qian didn’t continue to embarrass the two women. He brought up a few random topics during the meal and eventually eased the situation.
After they finished eating, Zheng PingQing stacked Lin Qian’s plate on top of his own, ready to take the dishes to the dishware station. Lin Qian politely said his goodbyes to the girls: “We’ll be leaving first.”
Although Lin Qian’s sudden coquettish action left a psychological shadow in the minds of the two young women, his gentle and calm temperament made it difficult to harbor grudges. In the end, the two women were friendly as they said goodbye.
Jiang Zhi’s goodbye was tinged with regret.
Lin Qian was about to leave when a tall, handsome boy suddenly approached their table and talked to Jiang Zhi. “Junior sister, I’ve finally found you.”
Jiang Zhi’s expression showed a trace of impatience as she said: “Senior brother Yang Yi, what can I do for you?”
The boy named Yang Yi said: “You mentioned in QQ yesterday that you wanted to quit the student union. Can I take that as nothing more than a funny joke?”
Jiang Zhi replied: “I wasn’t kidding. I meant it.”
Yang Yi immediately straightened. “Junior sister, don’t you know how many people would kneel for an opportunity to get into the student union? I gave you such a precious opportunity, ah. How can you just give it up so easily?”
Jiang Zhi gave him a perfunctory response. “I’m sorry, senior brother. But the student union is far too hectic for me. I want to spend more time practicing my dancing.”
But Yang Yi continued to lecture Jiang Zhi: “Junior sister, why can’t you understand? Having the student union in your resume will make it much easier for you to get a job in the future. This senior brother told you…”
At Yang Yi’s non-stop gushing, Jiang Zhi’s expression became more and more impatient.
Lin Qian sent a timely interruption by saying: “Truthfully, the experience you gain in the student union has limited effects when looking for employment. Professional ability is the most important thing. Jiang Zhi’s thinking is correct in this case.”
Yang Yi’s long speech had been interrupted. With a frown, he turned his head to look for the source of this interruption but was shocked by Lin Qian’s appearance. Yang Yi suddenly felt a strong sense of crisis. Fortunately, the man in front of him looked very young. Young Yi figured that he was just a freshman, so he straightened and asked: “Are you a freshman?”
Lin Qian smiled but didn’t deny it.
Yang Yi became emboldened by Lin Qian’s lack of response and acted like an all-knowing senior as he said: “Freshman, your words are too naive. Don’t you know how organizations emphasize student work? If you mislead junior sister like this, it’ll affect her future, ah. Are you going to take responsibility for this later?”
“Jiang Zhi is a performing arts major. I don’t think such things will have too much of a big impact.” Lin Qian replied.
Jiang Zhi hurriedly nodded in agreement, though it was mostly because she had been long fed up with Yang Yi’s constant harassment.
Having been talked back to, Yang Yi became somewhat angry. “Between the two of us, who do you think has more experience in the matter? I’m the vice-president of the student union. Do you actually believe you understand the importance of the student union better than me?”
Then, looking a little prideful, he said: “You may not know, but seniors are starting to apply for prospective jobs now. I’ll have you know that I received the most interview spots compared to all my other classmates simply because I’m the vice-president of the student union. Do you still dare to say that this kind of experience doesn’t matter?”
Lin Qian concisely replied: “Doesn’t matter.”
Jiang Zhi and Kuang Ling couldn’t help but laugh.
Yang Yi became so angry, but then he suddenly thought of something. He asked Lin Qian: “Have you already tried to join the student union?”
Lin Qian had the urge to roll his eyes.
Seeing Lin Qian’s hesitation, Yang Yi immediately became elated. “I get it now. You couldn’t enter the student union yourself, so you’re telling everyone that it isn’t good…”
At this time, Zheng PingQing had come back after taking care of the plates and heard Yang Yi’s words. He casually asked: “It’s difficult to get into the student union? Didn’t that president say that as long as I was willing to join them, he’d definitely relay the position to me in the future?”
Lin Qian: “…Did you mean he’ll pass it on to you?”
Zheng PingQing shrugged. “Close enough.”
Yang Yi recognized Zheng PingQing: “It’s you.”
Zheng PingQing replied: “Yes, it’s me.”
During his military training, Zheng PingQing had attracted a lot of attention. Various associations aimed for him one after the other, trying to get Zheng PingQing to their side. Naturally, the student union was no exception.
Yang Yi, as the vice-president of the student union, naturally knew about it.
Initially, the student union of L University had an unspoken rule that the president of the union would always be a junior, and the vice-president would be a sophomore. However, Yang Yi insisted on staying in the student union, so he managed to become vice-president, despite being a senior. Yang Yi was actually quite jealous of Zheng PingQing, who had already been chosen as the future president even though he was just a freshman. Honestly, while he was the vice-president, Yang Yi had only obtained an empty title. He couldn’t affect the union’s decisions and had little say on things.
That was why Yang Yi had been relieved when he found out that Zheng PingQing had no interest in student work. Zheng PingQing didn’t participate in any clubs and mostly stayed to himself.
So Yang Yi really didn’t expect to see Zheng PingQing here. He looked between Zheng PingQing and Lin Qian and felt embarrassed.
Lin Qian smiled and asked Zheng PingQing: “If the position isn’t passed on to you, do you think you’ll have a hard time finding a job?”
Zheng PingQing indifferently replied: “What does that matter? I’m rich and headstrong, ah.”
In the end, Yang Yi was ridiculed by the two. His expression turned dark, and he bitterly spat: “When you start job-hunting, you’ll know just how hard it is.”
After that, he ran away, leaving the two women giggling to each other.
Jiang Zhi breathed a sigh of relief and gratefully said: “I’ve finally gotten rid of that annoying fly.”
……
Pissed, Yang Yi went back to his dorm and saw the large pile of interview notices on his desk.
In general, students would try and look for internships outside University. Students wouldn’t usually look for internships during their junior year, but because L University was a good school, many companies would try to rope in students to them early on.
Yang Yi had a lot of work experience, so he received plenty of interview notices. However, his professional achievements weren’t that great, so his actual pass rate was relatively low. At first, he chose famous companies to attend interviews, but he was always dismissed. Later, he lowered his standards and accepted an interview invitation from a few small companies. He was dissatisfied with these subpar companies, but in the end, he decided to try.
The next day, Yang Yi set out early for an interview with a start-up company called ‘Shuttle Technology.’ He didn’t want to try for these newer companies, but the internet industry had rapidly developed over the past two years. From time to time, Yang Yi would hear these tech start-ups suddenly explode in wealth. As long as you bet on the right one, it was possible to get rich overnight. And anyway, the office of this company was very close to L University, so in the end, Yang Yi decided to give it a try.
Shuttle Technology’s office was situated in a regular office building. They had a small space, but the decorations were tasteful, which improved Yang Yi’s mood.
There weren’t many people in the office. The liveliest place was in reception.
Yang Yi sat at reception with several other students who were also applying for an internship. The students around Yang Yi were exchanging information and discussing potential questions that may be asked later.
Yang Yi didn’t join in on the discussions around him for fear that his rich experience in interviews would be exposed.
After sitting for a while, the frosted glass door of the reception room opened, and a man came in. Everyone in the room looked up and immediately sucked in a breath.
The man who entered was very young, but he was tall and quite handsome. Despite the casual suit he wore, the man looked like he could be one of their peers. But everyone could immediately tell that the man had a totally different atmosphere from them.
Calm, but powerful.
While everyone was still surprised, Yang Yi suddenly stood up and sneered. “What? Are you here for an interview too?”
Yang Yi scoffed. “A freshman trying to get an internship? What happened to all the posturing you did yesterday?”
Yang Yi was overjoyed. He didn’t expect to see Lin Qian again so quickly. He immediately took this opportunity to get revenge for yesterday’s humiliation. He continued to mock Lin Qian as he said: “Junior brother, don’t blame this senior for not properly teaching you…”
Lin Qian waved his hand to interrupt Yang Yi’s words and looked down on the document he was holding. “Yang Yi, right? You can go back first.”
Since they didn’t hadn’t hired any specialized personnel yet, the resumes submitted for the internship role was handled by the front desk. So Lin Qian hadn’t actually known that this exotic flower would also be here.
Yang Yi was struck silent for a moment, unable to comprehend Lin Qian’s words.
Lin Qian turned to look at the others and asked: “Who’s Li ZhengRong?”
A boy raised his hand, and Lin Qian nodded at him. “Please come with me.”
Lin Qian then turned to leave, but Yang Yi quickly reached out a hand and stopped him. Staring at Lin Qian, Yang Yi asked: “You didn’t come for an interview?”
Lin Qian hadn’t dealt with such a bureaucratic, student union-type person for so long that for a moment, he found the situation a little funny. He said: “Yang Yi, you can go back.”
Yang Yi angrily said: “Are you a staff member here? If so, you’re not qualified to ask me to leave. It’s not up to a lowly intern whether or not the company will employ me.”
At this moment, the receptionist, who had been in charge of receiving them, poked his head in the room and said to Lin Qian: “Boss, conference room one has just been requisitioned by Boss Ke. Your interview has to be done in conference room two. Is that alright?”
Lin Qian nodded. “That’s fine.”
The receptionist left.
Yang Yi: ????
The author has something to say:
I originally wanted to write another chapter about the interview but felt that it wasn’t needed, so I just wrote this one chapter.
Also, I don’t mean to say that the student union isn’t a good organization. Most student union-type people are great, ah.
It’s just that this person mixed up his priorities and placed too much emphasis on seniority, ah.