On the first day of September, a gentle breeze carried the first cool whispers of autumn.
An inflatable archway stood at the East Gate of Xuyuan, bearing a conspicuous banner that read, "With open arms, we warmly welcome the Class of 2012. Welcome to Xuyuan in Xucheng!"
The campus was decked out in festive decorations, creating a lively atmosphere.
Even more new students were arriving to register today than yesterday.
The road outside the gate was packed with private cars. Inside, the campus swarmed with freshmen pulling suitcases, their parents trailing close behind with bags of all sizes. As they walked, they looked around, covertly sizing up this second-tier university in Northern Huian.
Just inside the main gate, the library stood straight ahead, with the laboratory building on the left and the academic building on the right.
"Excuse me, senior, does that big ball on the roof have some special meaning?" a curious first-year student in a pleated skirt and a white t-shirt asked.
"That ball is quite something. It represents Xuyuan’s educational vision of embracing the world and maintaining a global perspective."
The senior walking ahead was just spouting nonsense. ’How can I steer this conversation toward phone cards?’ he wondered. He hadn’t gone to all this trouble welcoming freshmen just to be a good Samaritan.
’For one, he could earn a commission selling phone cards. For another, he could find a cute, naive first-year to put an end to his two-year single streak in college.’
In reality, the ball on the laboratory building was just a wind-driven ventilator, designed to improve indoor air quality, lower the temperature, prevent mold growth, and extend the building’s lifespan.
Of course, most Xuyuan students had a different interpretation: ’All this studying, and what do you get? A big fat ball.’
The year 2012 marked the beginning of a golden decade of rapid development in the mobile internet. Opportunities for entrepreneurship and growth seemed to be everywhere.
In this era, the obsession among university students with taking civil service and graduate school entrance exams had not yet reached its peak.
The mainstream dream for eighteen and nineteen-year-olds was to get a job at a big tech company after graduation, strike it rich on the internet, and achieve financial freedom.
It was as if they believed that the moment they entered the workforce, they would dominate the field, instantly become industry elites, be appointed general manager, and marry a rich, beautiful woman.
Everything was bursting with competitive vitality!
The ambitions of youth soared to the heavens!
Chen Yansen stood on the balcony, taking in the scene at Xuyuan. He smiled faintly. ’Another batch of high-quality wage slaves has arrived!’ he thought.
A translucent system panel materialized before his eyes. The value in the Human Dao Fire column was as high as 156,127 wisps, enough to synthesize 1,561 wisps of Divine Dao Fire.
Chen Yansen didn’t rush to enhance himself. This time was different; his Spiritual Power was about to break through 100. He was afraid of causing a commotion, so he suppressed the urge and decided to wait until late at night.
The only downside was that President Chen would have to sleep alone tonight.
"My life is so hard!"
Chen Yansen shook his head and walked out. The phone and car keys on the table seemed to come alive, zipping after him and slipping automatically into his pocket.
He went down to the first floor, got into the driver’s seat of his Bentley, and headed for the Science and Technology Park.
Xue Lin Road and Xuehai Road were swarming with people, so he drove very slowly. As he passed the orientation point for the School of Communication and Culture, he spotted Tang Zhenzhe in a red volunteer vest from a distance.
Sitting next to him was a middle-aged man, somewhere in his forties, wearing a twill shirt and black dress pants. He radiated such a strong guidance counselor vibe it was almost palpable.
"Teacher Zhao, Ah Zhe, keeping busy, I see."
Chen Yansen rolled down his window and called out a casual greeting.
After Guo Dongchen was accepted into the journalism doctoral program at Fudan, the university had assigned a new guidance counselor to the ’10 Journalism class—the middle-aged man right in front of him.
Hearing his name, Zhao Jinfeng looked up toward the road. When he saw it was Chen Yansen, he couldn’t help but smile and nod.
"Brother Sen, heading to the office?" Tang Zhenzhe dropped what he was doing and hurried over.
He had been interning on and off in the branding department at Orange Technology for almost a year. But since it was a Saturday and he was the president of the ’10 Journalism class, he had been roped in by Zhao Jinfeng to help the School of Communication and Culture’s student council members with freshman orientation.
"Spotted any cute first-years yet?" Chen Yansen asked, cutting straight to Tang Zhenzhe’s other motive.
"There are a few girls who... man, one look and you just get that feeling," Tang Zhenzhe whispered back, afraid Teacher Zhao behind him might overhear.
"Focus on quantity first, then worry about quality. Keep up the good work," Chen Yansen teased.
Just then, Zhao Jinfeng walked over. He hesitated for a moment before greeting with a strained smile, "Chen Tongxue."
The student was even busier than he was. He and Chen Yansen had only met once, briefly, at a ceremony for awarding outstanding students and national scholarships.
’Sometimes he wasn’t even sure if he should use Chen Yansen’s name, or if ’President Chen’ or ’Boss Chen’ was more appropriate.’
"Teacher Zhao, is there anything you need help with?"
Chen Yansen asked nonchalantly, like the genie from Aladdin’s Magic Lamp offering to grant a wish.
Zhao Jinfeng was taken aback for a second. ’In front of Chen Yansen,’ he thought, ’I always feel like a little schoolboy or a fresh-faced army recruit.’
"Brother Sen, actually, there is!" Tang Zhenzhe interjected. "Only 40% of the freshmen have finished registering, but six have already applied for student loans. I’m guessing a lot of the first-years in the ’12 Journalism class don’t come from well-off families."
Tang Zhenzhe’s brow furrowed as he spoke up.
"Pinbei is about to hire another batch of part-time customer service reps. I’ll give you ten spots. Send me a list of names later."
Chen Yansen said, making the arrangements on the spot.
"Got it. Thanks, Brother Sen!" Tang Zhenzhe’s brow instantly smoothed over, and he thanked him with a wide grin.
The guy genuinely wanted to help the new female students, but it was also true that he was checking them out. The two things weren’t mutually exclusive.
Beside them, Zhao Jinfeng opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say. With just a few words, the other man had solved the difficult problem of finding aid for students in need.