Chapter 125 - Energy

rom now""I'll remember." As if joking, he would never forget his rebirth through two lifetimes.How about ten years laterWhat about twenty years laterI will remember. Are you going to ask me about thir...Volume 3: Go to That Distant Place, Chapter 125: Energy

The office staff from the Southeast Daily News Compilation Department arrived at the headquarters on the first morning subway as scheduled. They took out a packet of flower tea from a drawer that wasn't sliding smoothly and sprinkled some into a cup with traces of tea stains around the rim, then brewed it and returned to their seat. Opening up the newspaper in front of them, they were ready to enjoy the day's freshly printed edition while enjoying the misty morning light filtering through the window.

This staff member graduated from Nan University three years ago but found that the prestigious degree they had thought would open doors for them only led to mundane tasks such as fetching tea and coffee without even receiving respect. After struggling for three years, they finally transferred into the news compilation department office.

When graduates of renowned universities are stripped of their光環 (glow), most of them are just like ordinary college students who struggle and strive to support themselves and their families. However, when looking back at their alma mater after many years in society, there's an inexplicable sense of familiarity, because one can't help but recall those days spent aimlessly in university.

But the news before them is anything but vague; during Nan University's Homecoming Festival Economic Forum, Senchuan Group was publicly interrogated. Such a story would usually continue as routine social and economic corner pieces where competitors defame each other, similar to today’s numerous instances of unfair competition, making it somewhat numb to read.

But the plot took an unexpected turn when a Nan University student immediately stepped forward to expose the dark underbelly and then escorted the tearful Miss Song of Senchuan Group through a crowd of unknown people who were blocking their way. This breath of fresh air brought a refreshing change in the recent societal news that had been harshly criticizing prestigious universities for incidents such as the mistreatment of animals by graduate students or the cold-heartedness displayed by well-known institutions.

Meanwhile, this staff member involved in compilation was wondering if those who had long coveted Miss Song Zhen, believing themselves to be wealthy and influential elite bachelors in Shanghai, would lament upon hearing this news. They were also curious about whether anyone privately would inquire which unfortunate young man had managed such good fortune as to easily step closer to the 'difficult-to-capture high-society woman' that the mainstream circles of Shanghai generally refer to as Miss Song Zhen.

In an adjacent cubicle, two colleagues were discussing this matter. One said, "When I went to attend that new technology summit last time, I saw this woman there; to put it bluntly, she was stunning. At the time, all kinds of executives from various big and small companies behind the scenes discussed her. Some who thought they had the qualifications tried cleverly to send flowers through a flower shop outside the venue, but in the end, none succeeded. Now, tsk tsk, truly a beauty that brings disaster."

The other person said, "It's said that the Senchuan Group’s incident this time involved the interests of the high-level officials in Jingcheng. The Senchuan Group has some background. In the past, when Yan Wenzheng from the National Economic Commission went out for research, he got along well with Song Shihao from the Senchuan Group; there are connections between their two sides. It seems that someone is getting impatient and wants to hit hard to warn others. How could the Yan clique agree

Right when these kinds of speculations were circulating internally in the newspaper office, the chief editor entered the office with a flushed face and slammed a document on the desk, asking without preamble, "Who’s currently handling the Nan University beat"

"Currently, it's the first department that covers education, plus several reporters from the second government affairs department are covering it. Wang Ji and Zhou Ji from the business department are investigating into the Senchuan Group to get a sense of its background and uncover any hidden agendas." An unaware deputy chief editor put down what he was doing and stood up.

"Apart from the two people in the commercial division, call the others and have them pull back. The higher-ups have instructed us to handle this coldly regarding the incidents during Nan University's Homecoming Festival. We need to recall reporters sent to Nan University."

The chief editor left a note for the news department before going on to other departments.

Everyone resumed their work, and someone sighed, "It’s no surprise that Nan University is a sub-ministerial college; its influence is truly remarkable. They can control any news about them and minimize any negative impact. This must be due to some high-ranking official with close ties to Nan University giving orders from above. People talk about how state-owned enterprises can sway things as they please, but in reality, it’s universities like Nan that quietly wield real power."

For many people at this moment—including the news department staff—these instructions from higher-ups had to be followed strictly, meaning replacing the most prominent news on newspapers with less significant content or canceling follow-up reports scheduled for the next issue. Hard work spent preparing special features was easily scrapped.

This is the influence of Nan University, one of China’s top five universities. For its reputation's sake, perhaps all it takes is a word from an alumnus in a certain higher-level department to have everything that could harm the university erased from public attention.

Most people, like the staff at the newspaper office, are just minor players swept up in the upper-level storm against their will.

Externally, it is thus; internally, within the eye of the storm at NanDa University, the turbulent undercurrents naturally become even more intense and fierce.

"In my personal opinion, this student should be expelled. The impact of this incident is extremely negative. We need to hold those who caused trouble legally accountable from an external perspective. From an internal standpoint, this student is in a highly sensitive position. His family background is solid; his father is the CEO of a state-owned enterprise in a provincial capital city. Additionally, he runs his own company outside of school. Given such status and privilege, it's clear that he has not experienced many setbacks, leading to an arrogant attitude. Judging from how he incited others to act aggressively during the incident in the auditorium, this behavior is already quite惡劣, severely disrespecting the rules and regulations of our institution."

During a subsequent internal meeting convened by the Returning School Festival Preparation Committee, Academic Affairs Office Director Xue Rui expressed his views publicly.

"I disagree," said Lu Chuanming from the College of Economics as he stood up. "His motive for going on stage was commendable. Not everyone has the courage to directly confront and expose the dark side of society like this. Educating students with moral principles— isn't this exactly what NanDa University's educational goal is Even if there were indeed physical altercations afterwards, I believe such circumstances can be understood."

The head of Student Affairs Office immediately countered, "I don’t think it’s understandable. Directly confronting the dark side of society deserves praise and promotion, but this doesn't justify resorting to violence privately. In this conflict, three of our security guards got injured, yet they failed to stop those who instigated the student in question from acting aggressively. From this perspective alone, such individuals can be categorized as henchmen. A student having bodyguards at his disposal anytime is a worrying trend."

A female director from the university's Party Office stated, "I still believe it’s somewhat understandable, although the student’s method of handling was inappropriate, his intentions can be acknowledged."

"No, this kind of atmosphere must be strictly punished."

During the meeting, there were occasional whispers about severely dealing with Su Cen. Some people remained silent and neutral, while others believed that under the bigger picture, Su Cen's actions had more merits than demerits.

Lü Chuanming frowned; after this incident occurred, there was quite a stir within Nan University. Lü Chuanming also heard rumors of someone from above getting involved and inquiring about it. He frowned at the fact that some people were ready to expel Su Cen without any hesitation, wondering if they had received certain "instructions" or were acting on behalf of others.

"I also know that last time he got into a fight with a dormitory patrol teacher because of being out past curfew. But back then you, President Lü, covered it up for him. Your leniency is understandable, but when it comes to matters involving Nan University's rules and regulations, I believe the School of Economics should not continue to shield this student just to make the grades look better."

"Enough." Throughout the process, President Wang Xiaoyi of Nan University had a grim expression. At this moment, he finally raised his hand to interrupt everyone’s discussion about whether Su Cen should be expelled.

Everyone turned to look at him, waiting for Wang Xiaoyi's judgment. Since this targeted emergency meeting began, Lü Chuanming's heart had been uneasy; he knew that the matter wouldn't be as simple as it appeared on the surface, with various forces behind the scenes vying against each other. Yesterday when returning to school, he even heard an absolutely shocking piece of news: someone had made a phone call directly to the president’s office mentioning Su Cen's name.

But the specifics of what happened afterward were unknown.

Lü Chuanming didn't know President Wang Xiaoyi's current stance toward Su Cen, but perhaps it was because of his words that this student's fate would be altered from then on, and he would inevitably change the course he had set out for himself as well.em.As soon as Liu Rui heard this news from his “advance party,” he immediately took action, riding his second-hand Chamois motorcycle outside with his roommate. People were shouting in every dorm buil...