Chapter 73 Worthy

ack at Su Cun again but couldn’t help wondering why he was on her left side; it made her feel embarrassed.The concert ended, and people were still reluctant to leave. They saw vendors selling inflatab...Chapter 73: Worth It

In the BBS of Shanghai International Studies University, Lin Luoran has a nickname called "Gentle Sword," and she boldly filled in her gender as "female" on her profile. From Lin's perspective, this name alone is enough to deter those senior male students who can deduce a female’s character from her online nickname and even her birth date, thereby avoiding any potential pursuit for the sake of their descendants.

The BBS has quite a lot of information available; it covers everything. Lin Luoran was very willing to use this ID to find some useful stuff on the internet or occasionally help people seeking foreign language test papers or other minor pieces of information. However, she soon discovered that many people would intentionally or unintentionally make contact with her through the BBS. The visitors seemed rather extraordinary and always found an excuse to discuss literature, history, ideals, life, or show off their superior lives while subtly trying to pry into her real-life situation in an attempt to bridge the gap between them.

At first, she took these strangers seriously and chatted with them. But as they continued talking, things started feeling quite odd. Their online nicknames ranged from "I Will Take the Knife," "Gentle Knife After That," to "Kill a Thousand Knives," appearing like bamboo shoots after rain in her posts' replies, forming an entire pool of water.

Some people even developed to the point where when Lin was playing tennis on campus, someone would come by with a bottle of water, calling him "Hu Yidao," and thanking her for giving him English test papers previously. They wanted to play tennis together.

In her English Corner time, there were always protectors who spoke in local dialects or broken English announcing themselves as such. When the latter managed to form the phrase "Romantic Swordsman" in a clumsy attempt at English, Lin had an urge to dig out the fork from her lunch box and stab them.

Gradually, these people revealed their true intentions: some wanted to be friends, others lowered themselves to confess their love openly, while still others tried indirect approaches by saying they lived in a specific dorm building or held certain positions, hoping for cooperation and聯誼 (friendship).

Later on, Lin learned that all these sudden visitors had obtained her information through the BBS moderators. The school’s online ID allowed them to accurately determine which dormitory and room number belonged to whom. These forum administrators possessed firsthand information about high-quality female students like Lin Luoran. This university's underworld was far more sinister than imagined.

Eventually, Lin invited one of these forum administrators to an upscale restaurant outside the campus, thinking it would be a romantic date ending his dreary single life for the first three years of college. But after that night filled with excessive drinking and a group of friends abandoning him, he was reportedly led back by department officials in a tragic state.

This event followed the dormitory declaration of love incident, making Lin Luoran famous at the end of her freshman year.

In these days when she receives love letters in different languages, this girl who is graceful and elegant on the court, leaving countless boys staring in amazement yet indifferent to their advances, and who even leaves skilled pick-up artists at a loss for how to approach her, manages to stir up feelings among certain high-achieving groups within the school.

No one knows that she occasionally stops to admire the sunset over Shanghai as she walks home from class, wondering if someone in another place is also noticing this scenery that often goes unnoticed. No one realizes that sometimes when she leaves campus in a luxury car passing by Nan Da University's Jingjin Road, she gets out and buys herself a cup of milk tea for three yuan, cradling it in her hands as she watches the university gates recede through the car window. After the dorm lights are turned off, when she can't sleep, she pulls out a flashlight under the covers to flip through high school graduation photos and some yellowed letters stored in an iron box next to her pillow.

In the group photo, Su Cen is wearing a black bow tie with a white shirt, smiling brightly against the backdrop of time.

*****Su Cen's room isn't very large—around ten square meters. It has a bed measuring two meters in length and one-and-a-half meters in width, four-door wardrobe, bookshelf for thousands of books, and a desk with chair. There is little space left for movement, but Su Cen likes this cozy feeling. At night, facing the balcony toward the city's starry skyline, he places an amber lamp on his table—homey and reassuring.

Outside in the living room, Wang Weiwei and Lin Zouwu are with Su Cen, while Lin Luoran is sitting in Su Cen’s bedroom chair, chatting online with friends from Beijing and Shanghai. She slightly wrinkles her nose as she turns to see a t-shirt casually placed on the back of Su Cen's chair. After sniffing it, she frowns, and at that moment, a message pops up from one of the well-known young men in Beijing: "Where are you guys now Still staying at your old high school place"

Lin Luoran thinks about it for a moment, then smiles, replying, "Nope. We're currently at some stinky guy's house. Isn't it true that you boys especially suck at tidying up the rooms"

The other side is clearly shocked, and after a pause, responds, "Fallen from grace, fallen from grace. When did this start making my bros cry"

"Today."

"Name yourself then, who's this person awaiting the scrutiny of countless people What background do you have"

Lin Luoran thinks about how many jaws will drop at this information and laughs so hard her stomach hurts as she replies, "You guys are in for a disappointment. My man is neither a big shot nor has any background or history. He's just an ordinary citizen. Please don't bully him."

"Well then, you can’t blame us if we do. An ordinary guy daring to move on Miss Lin, how would others feel Many guys with equally good character and abilities refrain from getting involved in such matters. I can imagine what they’d be thinking, quite a few wouldn't approve."

":( Well, there's nothing to be done about it. A wife should follow her husband’s lead—be he a beggar or an old man. I've made my own choice and you have no say in the matter."

"Then best of luck to you, stay away from us, and live out your days quietly in some second-tier city. Else jealousy is as scary for men too."

This is a robber's logic. Why should our happiness cater to your dark minds

Your words have made me jealous, strongly so. Does this mean we’ve reached an impasse

Impasse.

Then there’s nothing more to say. Let the man who dared to touch Miss Lin take responsibility for his actions and bear the consequences thereof.

He is my choice, someone I am willing to support. You would all do well to keep quiet. It's rare in life to have such an unreasonable impulse or act without considering the consequences, but neither do I expect your approval nor wish for you to create more trouble. I don't want to quarrel with anyone.

The other side remained silent before replying, "I hope this man truly is worth it."

He's someone who deserves my unwavering belief in him.

This night, Wang Weiwei and Lin Zouwu still didn’t receive any calls from Li Pengyu and Lu Nannan. They eventually gave up on their idea of going out and returned home with Zhang Qing and Wang Bo. Su Ran did not discover the telescope that Su Cun intended to use to spy on Tang Xiaofu in her room, and she continued to believe that Su Cun was a good boy who loved astronomy and science.

The city of Rong remains calm, but there are rumors circulating privately about the news from Xiling Snow Mountain.

However, significant moves have already been set in motion. The Yi family, headed by Zhongfan, is leveraging provincial and ministerial-level power discreetly to push their agenda, willing to invest heavily for a share of the profits. In certain matters, the Yi family's approach certainly demonstrates great decisiveness.

In Rong City’s Provincial Government Reception Hotel, seated beside Chengdu’s Deputy Secretary of the CPC Provincial Committee Guo Jiangtiao, Vice-Chairman of the CPPCC Zhang Yian, and Assistant to the Governor Wen Yaohua, are other specially invited provincial government consultants and officials from key departments. The lineup is formidable, and Yi Zhongsun's visit today aims to advance the project of establishing a southwestern resource channel for Three Gorges Energy.

Originally, the coalbed methane pipeline project, which would bring energy to the resource-starved southwest, lacked a clear leader. It was an undeniably beneficial project for the people and also a massive moneymaker due to its scale of resource transportation. Yi Zhongsun, in his position, would have been eager for such an opportunity.

However, reality is far more complex than it appears on the surface. Firstly, two major state-owned enterprises, China Coal Energy and Sinopec, each holding 17% and 14% shares respectively, frequently clash due to their bureaucratic mindsets and competitive nature. Additionally, the pipeline will pass through over twenty towns, necessitating negotiations with local authorities wherever it goes. Issues arise when the pipeline crosses ancestral graves or residential areas, requiring relocation and compensation agreements that are time-consuming.

These grassroots-level issues present significant challenges, consuming considerable resources of a group.

Initially, Yi Zhongsun had attached his Three Gorges Energy to this project with an intention to support from the side. Initially adopting a wait-and-see attitude, he has now decided to leverage Chongfan's advantage兵力to breakthrough here and gain political capital, allowing him to counter Su Licheng Wang Bo more confidently and strategically replace Dafu Construction’s position in Rong City.

The most impressive part of this move is that it places Yi Family in the position of a disadvantaged party, garnering sympathy from many.

At least now, people like Guo Jiangtiao and others at the provincial level have heard about how Chengdu's Secretary of the Municipal Committee’s son beat up Southwest Yi in Snow Mountain. Opinions vary on this incident.

Guo Jiangtiao, emerging from Phoenix Village as a young, vigorous farmer in his twenties, endured years of hardship to reach his current position. Wang Bo, however, is a third-generation official who has been promoted rapidly and now holds the position of Secretary of the Municipal Committee at a much younger age than Guo Jiangtiao. Guo Jiangtiao always looks down on officials like Wang Bo who rely heavily on their fathers' influence. Recalling his youth when he was chased around by a county official's son, Guo Jiangtiao harbors deep-seated resentment towards those like Wang Bo.

Thus, after hearing Yi Zhongsun's grievances, Guo Jiangtiao’s face darkened significantly, with an even worse opinion of Wang Bo. He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and muttered lowly, "What a fine son he has raised!" be frank. Your goal should all be to sweep into top universities across the country rather than crumbling beneath towering walls of limitations. Therefore, starting today, you will fight for your dre...