September 1st marked the beginning of a new school year.
So were forced to attend school.
Others were thrilled about the suspension of classes.
In the principal’s office, Liu Xiaodong glared at Li Lin as he slamd the desk and stood up.
"Why didn’t you say so earlier?" he paced back and forth, "This definitely deserves a gong-banging, drum-beating celebration at the opening ceremony."
As he finished speaking, he approached the two of them and said, "Also, many of the new freshn enrolled because of you guys. So, could you make an appearance at the ceremony and say a few words, just to let people have a glance? It wouldn’t be right not to."
"Well... she can make the appearance, and I’ll do the talking," Li Zheng nodded and said, "For the rest, we just need to co back for the final exams, right?"
"Exactly, exactly," Liu Xiaodong hurriedly picked up the phone, "Just wait a mont. Go say goodbye to the other teachers as well."
"Ah?"
Incredibly, Li Zheng and Lin Yujing ended up shaking hands and taking photos with various teachers and school leaders, as if they were officials visiting the grassroots.
When it ca to Sun Xiubin, Li Zheng saw a look of relief in his eyes.
"We’ve caused you a lot of trouble, Director Sun."
"Hmm."
"Hey, stop talking about it," Sun Xiubin said shyly, turning his face away, "I won’t go to the little garden today, you guys co over if you like... "
"Ah, about that... we weren’t planning to go anyway..."
Next, shaking hands with Tang Zhifei told a whole saga that couldn’t be sumd up in a few words.
"In the beginning, you were just sitting in class studying... I even criticized your essays..." Tang Zhifei said, wiping his eyes, "How did you end up building rockets... That’s way too fast..."
"Ah, ti does fly," Li Zheng also beca nostalgic, "As the saying goes,’Once a teacher, for a lifeti... for a lifeti... the mories linger."
Tang Zhifei tilted his head and couldn’t bother to hurry him anymore: "Just go, get a move on."
Then there was Yu Hong, who pulled on Li Zheng and insisted, "I heard you’re going to Yingpei, right? If you plan to develop in chemistry, let know anyti, don’t listen to their nonsense about biochem-environntal-materials, whichever field you excel in, you won’t be mistreated."
"I’ve been curious about this for a long ti..." Li Zheng hesitated, "If I may be so bold, who exactly is... your spouse?"
"Ah... that’s..." Yu Hong smiled, "Deng Guoming, have you heard of him? He’s collaborated with your school’s departnt too, a consultant in chemical fuels."
"Ah... it’s a small world..." Li Zheng murmured, "Does your family happen to have a satellite model missing?"
"Yes! It just disappeared one night, said it was for a student," Yu Hong exclaid in surprise, "Ah!"
"Hmm..."
Next was Tao Feifei, who demonstrated an inexplicable warmth towards Li Zheng, whispering to him, "About the wedding, it’s roughly in December, we haven’t sent out the invitations yet, but if you’re free, co along, and if not, it’s okay. Anyway, don’t bring any gift money, teachers can’t accept it from students."
"Congratulations!"
Tao Feifei glanced at Lin Yujing and smiled, "Hey, when it’s your turn, rember to invite too. That’s a must from ."
"???"
Then there was Biology Teacher Hu. As they shook hands, it seed there wasn’t much to say.
Luckily, Teacher Hu rembered sothing.
"Li Zheng, the enrollnt for this year’s Biology Olympiad is low, so there won’t be any preliminaries in Jijing. You’ll go straight to the second round on the 10th of September. I’ll send your admission ticket over," she said.
"Okay, I’ll take half a day off then."
"My, taking half a day out of your busy schedule for Biology..."
"Don’t be like that, Teacher Hu... Biology is still part of the college entrance exam, at least for now..."
Li Zheng and Lin Yujing said goodbye to the entire group and were about to leave when they saw a middle-aged couple, who were teachers, hurrying over. As they entered and saw Li Zheng, they seed on the verge of tears.
"Teacher Hu!" Li Zheng stepped forward excitedly, holding Hu Chuni’s hand and asking, "Is everything taken care of?"
Hu Chuni just nodded, too choked up to speak while looking at Li Zheng.
Qiao Sheng said with a smile, "There’s a slight side effect, which is very minor among patients who had this surgery, and we still need to thank your father for that."
"I should be thanking Teacher Hu," Li Zheng nodded, "I haven’t been to visit in a long ti..."
"No, no need," Hu Chuni held Li Zheng’s hand tightly, "I always knew you could do it, I just didn’t expect it so soon... It’s natural for Yu Jing, but you... it really wasn’t easy..."
Hu Chuni talked to herself, Lin Yujing by her side unheard even as she muttered in dissatisfaction.
"Hey, Lin Yujing has been working hard as well, it’s just not easily noticed," said Li Zheng, "Which class do you teach now?"
"The new first year, class four," Hu Chuni responded with a laugh and a hint of scolding, "Ah, don’t even ntion it, they are incomparable to your class, the worst one I’ve ever taught."
"Haha, that’s great, seems like Teacher Hu had a speedy recovery," Li Zheng comnted.
Amidst laughter, everyone walked together to the field, heading for the opening ceremony.
After several school leaders finished their speeches, Li Zheng and Lin Yujing filled in for the planned student representative Jiang Qinghua and took the stage for a welco address.
On stage, Li Zheng looked at the pairs of young and fervent eyes of the first-year students, feeling as if he had returned to his own youth.
If it had been him back in the day, he probably would have said sothing like "The primary duty of a student is to study."
And now, he had beco battle-hardened, his thoughts fully mature.
On this path, he t Lin Yujing, Zhang Xiaoke, Xu ngxi, Qiao Bixia, Liu Xin, Jiang Qinghua, Shi Yang, Wu Shu, Ou Xingzhuo...
He had experienced competitions, the small garden, the basketball court, and rocket launches.
If this journey had been only about studying,
How much scenery would he have missed out on?
Facing the entire school, Li Zheng took a breath.
"The primary task of a student is to study,"
"But that’s just a duty, life isn’t only about duties."
"Beyond our duties, I hope everyone can, like ,"
"Find sothing they want to do."
"et the people they like,"
"Have goals worth striving for."
"Walk the path they choose for themselves."
With these words, a resounding applause burst forth, starting with the freshn of year one.
Those who were familiar with Li Zheng couldn’t help but feel sentintal.
Zhang Xiaoke took a deep breath, "So even masters can change, huh."
"People always grow up," Jiang Qinghua muttered as she clenched the speech she had prepared for two weeks.
However, the speech was not over yet.
After finishing, Li Zheng always felt sothing was missing, as if the emotions were in place, but the logic was not quite there.
He quickly found the reason.
"However, based on my experience..."
"Doing what you want to do, eting the people you like, striving for a certain goal, walking the path you choose."
"It seems that you can only achieve these if you study well."
"So in the end," Li Zheng glared and made a chopping motion with his arm, "you still have to study hard, everyone!"
The previously good atmosphere suddenly beca awkward.
"We’ve been tricked, the master is still the master!" Zhang Xiaoke shouted from a distance, "Master, run! They’re going to throw rotten eggs at you!"
...
After the opening ceremony ended, Li Zheng and Lin Yujing also returned to their class to say goodbye to their classmates.
Unfortunately, their old class teacher was no longer there; they now belonged to the new first class.
But this process would remain the sa.
Not to ntion, the two boxes of problems were unavoidable.
"Xiaoke, Qinghua, from now on I can only provide long-distance support." Li Zheng placed the problems on their desk and wiped so sweat off his forehead, "I’ll also update the learning software in between bathroom breaks, just rember to enter your results, and it will give back new problems."
"Ah... I didn’t expect it to co so soon…" Zhang Xiaoke slumped over her desk, "How am I going to get through this year..."
"You’re just used to the bustle," Jiang Qinghua snorted as she picked up the stacks of problems, "What’s there to fear? You get used to solitude after a while."
"It’s not a matter of life and death." Li Zheng smiled, "We’ll et again in the future. Just apply to Ji University and we can be classmates for another four years."
"Please, no more demoralizing talk, master." Zhang Xiaoke glanced at the first class students around them, "You’d better leave quickly, or you’re going to get beaten up."
As she spoke, she sprung up and pounced towards Lin Yujing, who was tidying her seat by the window, "Last chance... let pinch you one last ti!"
"Um…" Lin Yujing gave up resisting and let her face be pinched until it was stretched long, "Enough… enough now…"
"It’s not enough, I won’t be able to pinch you afterwards…" Zhang Xiaoke imdiately glared at Li Zheng, "I’ll only pinch the master in the future, not ."
"Get off, no more pinching!"
"Just one last ti, one last ti."
While they were fooling around, Liu Yuexuan, who was also entering the key class, ca over.
"I thought you guys were going to attend university classes, but instead, you went straight to build rockets." Liu Yuexuan approached Li Zheng and handed over a notebook, "Luckily, I was prepared. Could you write sothing in my yearbook~?"
"Sure thing," Li Zheng began to write, "I also have to thank you for your guidance in Chinese class. After talking with you, I’ve kept up with reading for two hours a day and have learned a lot."
"Oh, co on," Liu Yuexuan bowed and giggled, "You’ve got to rember to invite us old classmates to your wedding in the future."
"Why is everyone thinking about that…" Li Zheng scratched his head as he handed back the yearbook, "It’s an uncertain thing..."
"Right, right, uncertain~~"
...
Afterward, Li Zheng left the classroom and made a special trip back to the old fourth class.
Seeing that Liu Xin had already gotten along well with the new students, Li Zheng didn’t go inside, just nodded from a distance.
Liu Xin too just smiled and nodded back, then made a driving gesture.
Li Zheng waved his hand with a curse and then left.
Climbing the stairs back to Class 1, ready to call Lin Yujing to leave together, Li Zheng was suddenly grabbed by a bewildered-looking buzz-cut.
"God Zheng..."
Li Zheng turned around to look.
He didn’t recognize the person at all.
"You are..."
"I’m Zhao Yinbiao... I’ve looked for you before," the buzz-cut said, scratching his head, sowhat embarrassed, "It was that ti, I wanted to learn Chem Competitions from you, and then you scolded , sent packing."
Only then did Li Zheng rember. It was right after the Chem Competitions results ca out, and a bunch of freshn were blindly following the trend. This Zhao Yinbiao kept bothering him, and since he was really annoyed, he scolded him away. Surprisingly, his mission to inspire sohow got accomplished unexpectedly.
"It’s just that... well, the Chem Competitions are coming up again..." Zhao Yinbiao said, his head hung low in a mix of entanglent, "My family has always been against participating in competitions, saying that if I don’t make it to the provincial team this ti, I should never try again... I feel quite down and wanted you to scold ..."
Li Zheng did feel sowhat guilty about him and so he didn’t rush to send him away. He began to seriously consider the situation for him.
Competitions are never an easy thing, behind those dozens of gold dals are thousands of naless competitors.
Really betting everything, neglecting the college entrance exams, and in the end not receiving preferential treatnt from prestigious universities, are common occurrences.
After pondering for a mont, Li Zheng nodded his head.
"I agree with your family’s opinion."
"As expected..." Zhao Yinbiao hung his head in disappointnt, "But I really love chemistry."
"Liking sothing doesn’t an you can do it well, and a hobby doesn’t necessarily have to beco a job," Li Zheng patted Zhao Yinbiao, "The purpose of competitions is to select the most talented few individuals of the year and provide them with the best educational resources, irrespective of whether or not you like it."
"But... but even if I’m not as strong as you, getting second in the province would still give extra points, right..."
"I really don’t see much value in those extra points," Li Zheng said gravely, "The trend is very clear now. The extensive competition bonuses are being gradually weakened, and eventually, only the national gold dalists will retain their privileges. The provincial firsts and seconds will beco increasingly insignificant, and they’re no longer useful for getting into prestigious universities. Besides, from my experience, there’s a lot of murky water in competitions; so bastards have sullied the reputation of competitions themselves."
"Sigh..."
"Alright, I didn’t say you have no talent for chemistry," Li Zheng consoled Zhao Yinbiao, "If you make it to the provincial team this year, then I support you giving it another shot."
"Damn... my family only asked for provincial first, you’re being way too strict," Zhao Yinbiao chuckled, "Alright... I got it... I’ll follow the guidance of my idol."
"I told you not to go down that road!"
After sending Zhao Yinbiao away, Li Zheng wrapped up the last inconsequential matter.
Now it was really ti to say goodbye to the school.
...
At one o’clock in the afternoon, Li Zheng and Lin Yujing formally arrived at the university to register.
Then they began the process of running errands.
Getting work permits, al cards, taking photos, and so on, all had to be done by themselves.
Naturally, the process included their share of stares and shocks.
After all, they were far too young; many things were unclear, and it wasn’t appropriate to ask directly.
After they left, the few people in the office gathered together to ponder.
The young clerk pulled up a chair next to the office elder sister, "Don’t we only recruit master’s students for interns?"
"Don’t ask... it’s definitely a connection from top leadership," said the elder sister with a very serious expression.
"But even the top leaders can’t do whatever they want... they should at least have an undergraduate degree before coming..."
"It might be that the leader is too big," the elder sister’s expression beca even more grave, "Stop inquiring about it..."
"And why bring them in pairs... I think their relationship isn’t ordinary..."
"You don’t know?" the old brother at the opposite desk laughed, "It was Chen Hongbing from the Ministry of Science and Technology who sent them, and that girl is Shen Tinglan’s daughter~"
"Ah?" the youngster was astonished, "The Yellow 2 project in the ministry is... is already so serious, and yet they’re doing this?"
"Who knows what they’re thinking," the old brother exhaled, "Maybe they realize they don’t have much ti left, and while they still have so power, they are eager to pave the way."
"Sigh... the ministry really is ssing around too much..." the youngster shook his head, "Just wait and see, when these two high school kids bump into leaders in the building, for sure the leaders will question, ’Does Chen Hongbing not have enough problems on his plate already?’"
And thus, similar comnts, like a gentle breeze, began to spread through the office building.
...
At six o’clock in the afternoon, in the large office area on the 7th floor of Building 2, Chen Wei, who had just completed part of the testing plan, stretched a big lazy stretch.
Technically, it was ti to clock out, but since the failure of the 8.8 plan, he had not gotten ho before 11 p.m.
He didn’t really complain, after all, it was a mistake on his part at the ministry, and it was only right to try to make up for it with overti.
It’s just that, he really was very tired...
He looked around; most of his colleagues had already gone to the office area in the Western suburb, and the few that remained were busy with their own tasks.
Perhaps a little break wouldn’t hurt.
With that thought, Chen Wei sneakily took out his phone.
Just one ga... just one!
He entered the ga, chose a Hero, and started playing.
But as he was engrossed in playing, the screen of the phone suddenly reflected an imposing figure that wasn’t even angry yet commanded respect.
Chen Wei got a shock, and his heart nearly skipped a beat.
Before he could even turn off his phone, a hefty palm ca smacking down.
"Chen, has your recent workload not been full enough?"
"No, no, no, Director..." Chen Wei, frightened, dropped his phone and bolted upright, "Just...just...adjusting...adjusting..."
He was mid-sentence when he realized sothing was off.
Turning around, he ca face-to-face with Li Zheng’s handso visage.
Chen Wei’s mouth hung open as if he’d seen a ghost.
"Haha, just kidding." Li Zheng pinched his work badge, "Not bad, huh?"
"Woah... f*ck..." Chen Wei grabbed the badge and stared hard at it.
[Li Zheng]
[First Departnt, First Hospital]
[Intern Engineer]
"Did he really f*cking co???" Chen Wei glared at Li Zheng fiercely.
"That’s why," Li Zheng said, patting Chen Wei with a laugh, "being good at academics really does let you do whatever you want."
Chen Wei wanted to retort but swallowed his words, his face a mix of frustration and reluctance.
"Don’t listen to his nonsense." Lin Yujing ca bouncing over, "He begged his mom."
"Go on, get out of here." Li Zheng waved his hand dismissively, "That’s a secondary condition. The primary one is still having good grades."
Chen Wei looked back and forth between the two, finally bowing down to the great might of the scholar faction, "I’m convinced... this ti I’m truly convinced..."
As he said this, he looked up nervously, "But Li Zheng... why... your tone is so similar to Director Chen’s... especially at the ’work not being full’ part, why are you so familiar with it?"
"Is it?" Li Zheng spread his hands innocently, "It’s my first ti in a work environnt, did I nail it?"
"It was spot-on... a perfect replica of the terrifying ’Soldier’s Gaze’..."
"Haha, it was just a spur of the mont, don’t take it too seriously." Li Zheng looked around, "I need to get up to speed quickly too."
Watching Li Zheng survey the area like a boss, Chen Wei was sowhat baffled.
"God Zheng, I know the intensity of preparing for competitions is great, but compared with real work, it’s still child’s play," Chen Wei said with a smile as he wiped his nose, "I’ve experienced both, and no one understands being saturated with work better than I do. Just you watch, you’ll be crying to go ho after three days."
However, Li Zheng wasn’t fazed or arguntative.
Instead, he flashed his usual smile and rubbed his hands, "Oh? Then I look forward to Big Brother Wei showing , what, exactly, is, being saturated."
"Pff, you’re missing the point." Chen Wei pointed to the ground, imitating Chen Hongbing’s commanding tone, "What the hell, does, being, f*ckin’, saturated, even an!"
Just as he finished speaking, a man’s voice ca from the door.
"Yo, not bad Chen, passing on our departnt’s traditions to the newcor?"
Chen Hongbing walked in beaming, seemingly very satisfied with Chen Wei’s performance.
"Director, Director, Director..." Chen Wei stiffened up, "Just... just using a special way to tell the newcor that overti starts on the first day!"
"Ah, what overti," Chen Hongbing looked around with a smile, "it’s all just normal work. Good news, everyone, hurry up and get your als, we have a eting at six-thirty on the third floor, all of you go."
With that, he gave a small smile and presented Li Zheng with a true ’Soldier’s Gaze.’
"You two as well."
But Li Zheng returned with an even more fervent ’God Zheng’s Gaze.’
"Yes, Director!"
That surprised Chen Hongbing.
Sothing about that aura was off.
It seed like Li Zheng... was looking forward to being saturated with work?
Even more than himself?
"All right, Li Zheng, don’t be so loud," Chen Hongbing, after all, was on his ho turf and just patted Li Zheng, "Don’t make big claims yet; you may not know, but half of our interns bail within two weeks."
"Did you hear that?" Li Zheng turned to Lin Yujing, "Don’t talk big, deserters have to deliver supper."
"Huh????"
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