Rekindling the Youthful Era

Chapter 873: They're all family.

"I talked a lot about the research center with Youyu's grandfather last night during dinner," Xu Rongsheng said to Li Luo as he sat at the table.

"He is a member of the Qian University Council, a senior member, and has a lot of influence within the council."

"Based on the seniority of the School of Humanities, the next dean should indeed be another vice dean."

“But I’m about the same age as him. Basically, once one of us becomes the dean, the other person will be too old to be suitable, even if he waits another five years.”

“I didn’t want to fight for it before, but now that I’m going to try, Yu’s maternal grandfather will naturally help me fight for it at the school committee.”

"So, if the research center is just an application for a university-level resource, there shouldn't be a big problem."

"Especially with your previous financial aid and now the scholarship for outstanding students, no one else on the school committee can really criticize you."

"But the most crucial point is whether our research center can actually achieve anything."

"And with this achievement, we can get the leaders at the Ministry of Education to favor us and allocate provincial-level project resources to our research center."

"This is the most crucial part."

"After all, my competitor has been immersed in school-level projects for more than two years, so he got off to a much faster start than us."

"The next change of dean will be in 20 years, which is only about two years away from now."

During lunch, the men resumed their detailed discussion of the previous topic.

Since there were no outsiders present, Xu Rongsheng opened up and shared many details that he had never mentioned before.

Upon hearing this, Li Luo felt much more relaxed.

"The dean's term is going to be over in 20 years? That's still a long way off," Li Luo said with a smile. "Two years is plenty of time for us to get a lot done."

"Two years have passed in the blink of an eye," Xu Rongsheng said with a chuckle. "Look at you guys, it was only three or four years ago when I first met you."

“But if you just want to achieve something, I think there’s plenty of time,” Li Luo nodded and said. “It’s just a matter of employment, which is a familiar topic for liberal arts students.”

"So where do you think the new way out lies?" Xu Rongsheng asked curiously.

"Uncle Xu, what kind of jobs do liberal arts graduates think they can get these days?" Li Luo didn't answer directly, but asked a question instead.

"It mainly depends on the major," Xu Rongsheng said. "If it's a major like law, accounting, or auditing, then there are usually fixed career paths."

"Those majoring in other languages ​​tend to have better job prospects."

"Even so, law students, who may seem to have a better chance of finding employment to outsiders, actually face the challenges of the bar exam, fierce competition, and a shortage of job openings."

"Take journalism and communication as another example. Nowadays, newspapers, TV stations, and publishing houses are gradually declining, and positions are becoming increasingly scarce, which is completely unable to accommodate so many graduates."

"Not to mention unpopular majors like Chinese language and literature, history, and philosophy. After graduation, besides taking the civil service exam, the only option left is to apply for a teaching position."

"To sum it up, none of them are easy..."

As the vice dean and professor of the School of Humanities, Xu Rongsheng is well aware of the predicament faced by humanities students.

However, the number of college graduates is increasing year by year, and regardless of whether they are in the humanities or sciences, it is not easy for any of them.

After stating his conclusion, Xu Rongsheng looked at Li Luo and asked, "So what are your thoughts?"

"Me?" Li Luo thought for a moment, then said, "Actually, my idea is quite simple. If possible, I hope to help students embrace the internet ecosystem as soon as possible."

"No matter what major you study, as long as you have the specific knowledge and skills required for that major, you can always find something on the internet that only your major can do."

"Let me give you a very simple example."

"I know an online novelist who is good-for-nothing. He never listens in class and only thinks about playing games all day."

"He really likes a game called League of Legends. There are professional players who compete in this game and can make a lot of money. So guess how he ended up making money?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Rongsheng hesitated for a moment before asking, "Did he go to play professionally?"

“No.” Li Luo shook his head. “But because he knows the classic moments and interesting stories that happen in the competitions every year, he can talk about the experiences and gossip of every professional player with ease.”

"So he went on to write fan fiction about League of Legends, earning at least several times more than his classmates."

Xu Rongsheng: "...That works? So, according to you, going to school or not is meaningless?"

“That’s not what I meant,” Li Luo said with a laugh. “I was just giving an example; what I wanted to express was actually quite simple.”

"Everyone has their own unique qualities, and in the past, these qualities might not have been able to bring you success."

"But in the Internet age, anything is possible. The key is whether you have something that others don't."

"Even if it's just about being very knowledgeable about a particular game, something that's criticized by countless parents, it might become a special skill that allows you to earn a living."

"The key is to discover it and then use it correctly."

"Just like our liberal arts students, does that mean all the knowledge we learn is truly useless?"

"For example, you just mentioned journalism and communication studies. You said that publishing houses and television stations are gradually declining, and there are fewer and fewer positions like editors."

"But what do these positions actually do?"

Why have these jobs gradually declined with the development of the internet? Have people lost interest in news and programs?

"Of course not, it's just that people's attention has been diverted to the news and programs, so naturally we should shift our attention to where it is."

"Like the roommate I showed to the leaders of the Ministry of Education before, his compilation and interpretation of international current affairs news on Bilibili."

Who do you think is best suited for this position?

"Often, those jobs that disappear don't just vanish into thin air; they simply reappear in people's lives in a different form."

After listening to Li Luo's words, Xu Rongsheng seemed to have grasped something.

"Now that you've said that, I have a clearer idea of ​​the direction for the research center." Xu Rongsheng thought for a while, and many more ideas came to mind, but he couldn't sort them out for the time being, so he could only say, "I'll think about it more when I have some free time."

After discussing Xu Rongsheng's matter, Ying Zhicheng immediately changed the subject, asking Li Luo, "How far have the negotiations progressed regarding the film and television rights to your novel 'The Great Qian Night Patrol'?"

"You'll have to ask Xixi for that," Li Luo said, turning to Ying Chanxi with a smile.

"Hmm..." Ying Chanxi was eating the big chicken leg that Li Luo had put on her plate. After taking a bite and swallowing it with great difficulty, she looked at her father and said, "It's still uncertain. There are signs that they've made concessions." "I'm not sure exactly how much of a share we'll get in the end, so I can't make any guarantees right now."

"Or rather, Dad, if you want Li Luo to acquire a sufficient share of equity, what percentage of the investment do you need?"

“The percentage isn’t the point,” Ying Zhicheng said, shaking his head. “After all, what the shareholders on the board want is simply to increase the value of the assets.”

"For those people, Huayue Film and Television is probably just an insignificant investment channel."

"The previous success of 'A Little Reunion' gave them a good taste of success, so they are happy to invest in any of Li Luo's projects."

"Giving up a portion of the shares, especially to Li Luo, will actually make them feel more at ease, because it's like binding Li Luo onto the warship as well."

“From now on, we’ll all be in the same boat, so investing in Li Luo’s projects will be even safer.”

After listening, Ying Chanxi nodded in understanding and then said to Ying Zhicheng, "According to what I heard from Tencent Video, this film and television adaptation of 'The Great Qian Night Patrol Division' is one of their highest-level projects."

"It is said that the estimated investment budget is over 200 million yuan."

"Given the success of Li Luo's novel 'The Great Qian Night Patrol Division,' and based on Wenyue Group's past practices, it's likely to fetch 50 million in copyright fees."

"If the original author wants to get a share of the investment, the most common way is to convert the copyright price into the investment project."

"Just like Li Luo's 'The Beginning'."

"But even if we wanted to, Tencent Video wouldn't let us factor in all 50 million, so we can only compromise on this price and try to reach a level that both sides can accept."

At this point in Ying Chanxi's speech, Li Luo chimed in, "It's alright, the copyright price can be lowered, anyway, we have the initiative."

"When we signed the platinum contract, it was clearly stated in black and white that if we were capable of negotiating copyright ourselves, Wenyue Group could not veto it."

"So the final price of the copyright is not the main point this time. The key is that we need to meet those additional conditions."

Ying Chanxi naturally understood what Li Luo meant and nodded to indicate that there was no problem.

As a result, Ying Zhicheng thought that Li Luo was making concessions entirely for his plan, and his heart suddenly felt even heavier, feeling that he owed this kid more and more favors.

But in reality, besides the investment share, Li Luo also had Xi Xi discuss the film and television rights of "Gu Dao Chang Qing", which had absolutely nothing to do with Hua Yue Film and Television.

After we finished talking, we had almost finished lunch.

After eating his fill, Xu Youyu immediately said he wanted to take a nap and subconsciously went upstairs.

Fortunately, Ying Chanxi grabbed her in time and whispered something in her ear. Xu Youyu then realized what was happening and hurriedly went downstairs in front of Ying Zhicheng. After returning to the next room, she slipped from the rooftop to Li Luo's bedroom.

As for Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng, they naturally stayed here to play mahjong with Lin Xiuhong and Cui Suling.

The group of men decided to go fishing together at the lake outside the village, chatting as they went.

Around 4 p.m., Ying Zhicheng's phone rang. After answering it and saying a few words, he hung up and then stood up and said, "Wanqing is back. I'll go pick her up."

"Let's call it a day and head back," Li Guohong said, standing up. "There's not a single fish in this godforsaken place."

"You're the only one who didn't catch anything. Don't blame the lake for not having any fish if you're not good at it," Li Luo joked with a smile. "Uncle Ying, Uncle Xu, and I each caught one. We can eat until tomorrow night."

"You talk too much." Li Guohong rolled his eyes at him, immediately packed his things, and left.

Ying Zhicheng and Xu Rongsheng walked back with smiles on their faces, carrying buckets of water, and even discussed things with Li Luo.

"Old Xu's fish is the biggest, let's kill it and eat it tonight. Li Luo and I will keep ours alive for a while longer."

“Okay.” Xu Rongsheng nodded with a smile. “This one is big. We can use the head to make soup, the body to braise, and the tail to steam. We can cook it three ways.”

"Uncle Xu is quite knowledgeable," Li Luo said with a smile. "Isn't Aunt Cui usually the one cooking at home?"

“You don’t understand,” Xu Rongsheng chuckled. “Master chefs don’t take the initiative easily, but when it comes to crucial moments, like the New Year’s Eve dinner, I usually take the lead.”

"Is that so?" Li Luo was surprised. "Then why don't you show off your skills again tonight?"

"What are you saying?" Li Guohong turned around and said, "How can you have the nerve to ask your guests to cook?"

“Hey, that works too.” Xu Rongsheng became interested and said to Li Guohong, “What do you mean by ‘guest’? Old Li, you’re being too polite.”

“Exactly, exactly,” Li Luo retorted. “Dad, people who haven’t caught any fish don’t deserve to speak. You just lead the way; we’re having a great chat.”

Li Guohong: "...Don't be so arrogant, kid. Come back tomorrow if you dare!"

The four of them walked along the dirt road outside the village, making a ruckus the whole way. Anyone who didn't know them would think they were just ordinary villagers.

Who would have thought that one of them was a professor at Qianjiang University, another was the CEO of a film and television company, and yet another was a platinum-level writer who achieved fame at a young age?

Um... and his father, the platinum author.

When they returned to the courtyard, Xu Rongsheng took the first step, carrying buckets of water to the kitchen on the second floor.

Li Luo also put her and Ying Zhicheng's fish in a bucket to keep them alive.

A short while later, the sound of a car came from the courtyard, indicating that Yuan Wanqing had arrived.

Li Luo followed the others to the balcony and saw Yuan Wanqing get out of the car. Ying Zhicheng was helping her carry her luggage. After putting her things away next door, the two of them came over to them.

"Our big star is back!" Lin Xiuhong waved to Yuan Wanqing with a smile. "Come on, come on, Lao Xu said he's going to cook tonight and show off his skills. Let's continue playing mahjong."

"Really?" Yuan Wanqing smiled and sat down at the mahjong table. "I was just saying I had a plan, but I didn't expect someone to beat me to it."

“Then you can come tomorrow,” Lin Xiuhong said with a smile, without any politeness. “We have plenty of time during the New Year. Let’s try the big star’s cooking and see if it has improved since then.”

“Then it’s definitely not as good as the two of you,” Yuan Wanqing said with a smile.

After she sat down and picked up a mahjong tile, feeling the lively and cheerful atmosphere in the living room, her body and nerves, which had been tense because of participating in the Spring Festival Gala, gradually relaxed.

Although Lin Xiuhong called her a big star, she didn't treat her like one at all.

This made Yuan Wanqing feel very comfortable. Coming back here was like coming home, relaxing and pleasant, without having to think about too many troubles.

If things could continue like this forever, that would be wonderful.

(End of this chapter)