Financial freedom starts from graduation

Chapter 241: I have a great scholar to argue for me
“…Success certainly requires opportunities, but hard work will always shorten the time you have to wait. My fellow students, I sincerely wish you to be the one who seizes the opportunity. I am Zhou Wang. Thank you all!”

Amidst warm applause and screams, Zhou Wang said this after answering the last question.

At this point, the presentation ended, but some people still remembered Zhou Wang's initial promise. One boy shouted, "Mr. Zhou, what is the little gift you mentioned?"

"I thought you would be embarrassed to mention it, it seems that everyone is very thick-skinned..."

Zhou Wang made another joke, which caused a burst of laughter. Then he said seriously, "Since I have already said so, of course there must be a gift. It is not something very expensive. It is just an activation code for a game for everyone present."

"game?"

Everyone was surprised at first, and then a boy reacted and shouted excitedly: "Is it the activation code for Black Myth: Wukong?"

"Bingo!"

Zhou Wang smiled and said, "Yes, I think it's the most appropriate gift to you all. Of course, if you don't have a compatible computer, it's none of my business."

"Fuck, Mr. Zhou is so generous!"

"I'm just planning on squeezing out this month's living expenses to buy one, hahahaha, Mr. Zhou is awesome..."

"Huang Chao, that idiot, thinks this kind of activity is meaningless. If he knew he could get the activation code for Black Myth for free, he would regret it to death!"

"Yeah, I was just about to give one to my male...best friend, and senior helped me save money!"

As the most popular domestic 3A masterpiece recently, even people who don’t pay attention to this game have more or less heard of it. Especially for students, Zhou Wang’s gift is absolutely timely.

The activation code for the regular version is worth 268 yuan, which is not a burden for ordinary wage earners, but it is not a small amount of money for students.

There were about 200 people in the audience, and Zhou Wang's gift-giving cost him about 50,000 to 60,000 coins, which was just a drop in the bucket...

"Of course, I know there are definitely people who don't play games, or have already bought them. In that case, there is another option, which is a JD voucher worth 268 yuan. It is universal across all categories on the platform. I have already asked the school Youth League Committee to help distribute the gifts. If you want a voucher, just tell them when the time comes..."

Zhou Wang added another sentence, which caused everyone to cheer.

……

The briefing activity officially ended. The participating students were still discussing the topic and then, led by another teacher from the Youth League Committee, boarded the return bus.

There were some lucky ones who finally got a photo with Zhou Wang and his autograph. They posted it on their Moments on the spot, making others extremely envious.

On the other side, Principal Bai and others accompanied Zhou Wang on a tour of the campus.

It's called a visit, but in fact it's just a stroll.

What’s interesting is that neither Bai Lisheng nor Zhou Wang tacitly mentioned the previous disciplinary incident.

The only thing was that after the event, Director Wang from the Teaching Department disappeared silently and no one knew where he went.

Under the shade of the lush green ginkgo trees, Bai Lisheng and Zhou Wang walked slightly to the front. Behind them were Jiang Qingkui and Ni Hong, and behind them were Dean Qin, Professor Wang and others who were serving as guests. Wang Qiaobin was also among them.

Fortunately, Wang Qiaobin, who came from a family of learned people, was quite familiar with dealing with these situations. He chatted and laughed with Dean Qin and others without showing any shyness. Otherwise, any young person would have been extremely embarrassed.

"Mr. Zhou, these views should be very familiar to you now. After all, you have only been away for more than two months."

Bai Lisheng said with a smile, handed Zhou Wang another cigarette, and pretended to help Zhou Wang light it, but was rejected by Zhou Wang.

“The scenery hasn’t changed much, but the mood remains the same.”

Zhou Wang responded with a smile.

"Mr. Zhou has experienced a lot, from adversity to prosperity. He knows that 'when you look at a mountain, it's not a mountain, but it's still a mountain'. It takes us decades to experience what Mr. Zhou has probably experienced in advance, so his mindset is naturally different."

Bai Lisheng said this with a sigh, and then smiled, "I heard that Mr. Zhou went back to his high school alma mater some time ago. I wonder if there is any difference in his feelings when comparing the two?"

Zhou Wang glanced at Bai Lisheng and laughed: "Of course I feel more at home on the university campus. After all, this is where my life has changed. I have always been grateful to Caida for nurturing me..."

The school magazine reporter following behind immediately wrote in his notebook: "Together they toured the campus and reminisced about the past. Vice President Bai Lisheng praised Zhou Wang as a typical representative of young people who relied on hard work to fight back in life. Zhou Wang said that he benefited a lot from his four years at Caida University, and his subsequent success was inseparable from the all-round education of his alma mater..."

"Mr. Zhou is so generous. I couldn't believe it when I saw the news. Someone donated eight figures to a high school. From this perspective, it is lucky to be Mr. Zhou's alma mater!"

Bai Lisheng said jokingly.

Zhou Wang just smiled but didn't respond immediately. Bai Lisheng hesitated for a moment and then continued, "Actually, I invited Mr. Zhou back to school today because I have one more thing to ask for his opinion in person."

"what's up?"

Zhou Wang was surprised.

"Mr. Zhou was just elected as one of the 'Top Ten Outstanding Young People in Jingcheng' this year. I don't know if you have paid attention to it. In fact, the selection of the 'Top Ten Outstanding Young People in Yunnan Province' will start soon."

The top ten outstanding young people in Yunnan Province?

Zhou Wang was slightly startled. "I haven't really paid attention to this, but I saw some news before..."

"Unlike the selection at the prefecture and city level, the provincial selection process for the top ten outstanding young people is much more serious. When it was first established, the selection was held every two years. Later, due to various reasons, the selection period was continuously extended. However, we have received recommendation forms jointly issued by 12 provincial agencies, and the new round of selection has been launched this year..."

After listening to Principal Bai's brief introduction to the selection criteria and value of this honor, Zhou Wang was surprised and shook his head, "I'm afraid I'm not qualified for this level of honor, right?"

Although Zhou Wang is a cheater, he still knows himself well. This kind of selection needs to promote more positive images and contribute to spiritual construction, so the invisible threshold is very high.

"Mr. Zhou's achievements have surpassed more than 90% of his peers. What he lacks is some recognition from the society. Caida has a certain degree of recommendation power and can provide some support to Mr. Zhou."

Bai Lisheng's words were rather subtle, but Zhou Wang roughly understood what he meant.

The recognition from the University of Macau is bound to be an important part of the society.

……

Walking all the way from Ginkgo Road in the old campus to Shilin Road, everyone came to an inconspicuous small building near the cafeteria.

This is the place used for internal receptions at Caida, which is also a special "small canteen".

"Mr. Zhou, please take a rest here. I'll call Secretary Chen to confirm the time for him to come."

Leading Zhou Wang to the lounge which was simply decorated but had a suitable temperature, Bai Lisheng smiled, said something and turned away.

No one else continued to disturb Zhou Wang. At this time, only Zhou Wang, Jiang Qingkui and Wang Qiaobin were left in the lounge.

After Zhou Wang's introduction, Wang Qiaobin greeted Jiang Qingkui a little stiffly.

In fact, he had already heard of the name of Zhou Wang, the personal secretary. After all, Young Master Zhang and others had already discussed him in the group. When Wang Qiaobin actually met him in person, he realized that Young Master Zhang and others were still exaggerating too much...

Can this be described as "beautiful"?

The key point is that Jiang Qingkui not only has bright and elegant facial features that are extremely in line with the Chinese aesthetic, but also has an extremely cold temperament. What's more, she wears a black professional suit from Hermes that reveals her figure. Any man who sees her will be filled with the desire to conquer her.

However, although Wang Qiaobin was envious, he was not that envious.

Because he knew that he couldn't handle this kind of woman. I heard that she was the top scorer in the college entrance examination and a returned overseas PhD. Her IQ must be at a terrifying level. He couldn't control her... and he would probably just be killed by her.

Deep down, Wang Qiaobin is like most traditional Chinese men, who like the type of women who are dependent on others.

"Hello, Brother B."

Jiang Qingkui smiled reservedly, followed Zhou Wang's name and greeted Wang Qiaobin. Then she walked to Zhou Wang and handed him a very thick large file bag.

"Boss, this is what Director Wang handed to me after he came back. Please take a look..."

Zhou Wang was not too surprised. He just took the file bag without avoiding Wang Qiaobin, untied the threads, and poured everything inside onto the table.

The first thing was a certificate with a dark green cover that still smelled of ink. Zhou Wang flipped it open. The top page of the certificate had the school motto of Caida, "Self-respect, Knowledge, Justice, and Action", and the bottom page read:

"Zhou Wang, male... completed his undergraduate study in the law department of Caiyun University and has graduated... and was awarded a Bachelor of Laws degree."

Zhou Wang stroked the uneven surface of the certificate, feeling a little sad.

Now, he no longer needs this certificate to prove anything, but in the heart of the young man, not getting a degree certificate seems to be half of his life has collapsed...

It’s quite funny to think about it. Looking back from Zhou Wang’s perspective now, in fact, there was some room for maneuver in that matter. The fact that the school took a long time to issue the punishment is proof of this.

At that time, he was still too immature and did not understand that the rules could be bent and that there were human feelings beyond the law. So he foolishly allowed his future to be ruined.

These thoughts only flashed through his mind, but Zhou Wang's expression remained calm. He put down his degree certificate and picked up the second thing, which was also an honorary certificate:
"Award Zhou Wang the title of 'Outstanding Graduate of the University'...as an encouragement."

Further down there are two printed recommendation letters, one is "proposing to recommend Zhou Wangcheng to relevant municipal departments as a 'municipal outstanding graduate'", and the other is recommending Zhou Wangcheng as a "provincial outstanding graduate".

The authority to assess these two levels of honorary titles does not lie in the hands of Caida, but Caida’s recommendation is the basis.

Since the school gave him the recommendation letter, he should be quite confident.

In addition to these things, there was also a letter of recommendation. It was unknown whether it was written by the principal himself, but at least the principal's name was signed, and the content recommended Zhou Wang to participate in the selection of "Mingcheng's Top Ten Outstanding Young People" next year.

Zhou Wang understood that these were all part of the "help" that Bai Lisheng mentioned.

At this time, seeing Zhou Wang finish reading the contents of the file bag, Jiang Qingkui spoke softly: "Director Wang asked me to tell you that the senior student who deliberately disrupted the order of the venue and tried to discredit you was instructed by another graduate Lu Chen. He received a thousand yuan from the other party..."

"How many?"

Zhou Wang, who had not reacted until now, looked up in surprise.

"one thousand."

"..."

Zhou Wang opened his mouth, not knowing what to say for a moment.

"Don't overestimate the wisdom of students who haven't even graduated yet. Their lack of experience makes it difficult for them to think of deeper things. He probably thinks that he's just asking a question, and one thousand yuan is already a lot..."

Wang Qiaobin smiled sarcastically.

Zhou Wang thought so too. If it were his most difficult time, he would also think this was a great deal... No, he might only want five hundred.

Since the Academic Affairs Office has intervened, that guy is probably in trouble, and he doesn't know if he can graduate successfully. Shaking his head, Zhou Wang, who "respects the fate of others", didn't think much about it. He just turned and asked, "What about Lu Chen?"

"Because Lu Chen has already graduated, the school can't question him, so they just revoked his title of 'Outstanding Graduate'... In addition, Director Wang asked me to tell you that he is very sorry."

Jiang Qingkui added one more sentence at the end.

As for why Director Wang apologized, Zhou Wang naturally knew it well.

"Revoking the title of 'Outstanding Graduate' is already disgusting enough for Lu Chen. He values ​​these things more than you do..."

Wang Qiaobin said with a smile, and then reminded: "Brother Gou, you still have to be careful. Lu Chen is really petty. What if he does something weird again later?"

Jiang Qingkui heard this and took the initiative to say, "I'll ask Director Wang for his file later..."

Zhou Wang did not comment, nor did he take Lu Chen seriously. He just tapped the certificate on the table with his fingers and fell into thought.

The lounge fell silent. Neither Jiang Qingkui nor Wang Qiaobin spoke, so as not to disturb Zhou Wang's thoughts.

After a moment, Zhou Wang raised his head and said, "Qingkui, go out and see if Principal Bai has finished his call, please ask him to come in."

Jiang Qingkui went there as requested, and soon Bai Lisheng pushed the door open and walked in. Zhou Wang stood up to greet him, and they both sat down again.

Wang Qiaobin was about to stand up, but Zhou Wang waved his hand. Wang Qiaobin understood and did not try to avoid him anymore.

"Principal Bai, I want to donate money to my alma mater."

Zhou Wang went straight to the point.

After being stunned for a moment, Bai Lisheng's brows suddenly lit up with joy. He had made so much effort and spent so much time, wasn't he waiting for Zhou Wang to say this?

Although judging from Zhou Wang's act of spending 10 million on his high school alma mater, it is impossible for him to have no expression for his university alma mater, but it was not until this moment that Bai Lisheng felt completely relieved.

"Mr. Zhou is willing to give back to his alma mater after his success. Our school naturally welcomes this. Currently, Caida has established public welfare funds including development funds, talent support funds, student training funds, and special funds for student aid. I wonder if Mr. Zhou has any clear intentions?"

"It depends on the needs of my alma mater. I will personally cooperate with all my strength." Zhou Wang said with a smile.

“The amount of the donation…”

Bai Lisheng asked tentatively.

Originally, he shouldn't be so anxious, but Secretary Chen, who hadn't shown up yet, was still waiting for a definite answer...

"My initial plan is to donate 20 million RMB to Caida."

"Twenty million?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Lisheng was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling.

The goal that the secretary and the principal set for him was actually no less than 10 million...

Ten million is already the highest amount of donations in the history of Qicai University alumni, and twenty million is far beyond expectations.

At the same time, Bai Lisheng also breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the dinner that Secretary Chen had been waiting for could now be held smoothly.

Bai Lisheng was about to quietly send a WeChat message to ask Ni Hong to quickly notify Secretary Chen, when he heard Zhou Wang continue, "If 20 million is not enough, I can add another 10 million..."

"what?"

Even with Bai Lisheng's great concentration, his hands couldn't help but tremble and he almost dropped the phone.

Wang Qiaobin was even more shocked. Although he knew that Gou Ge was really rich, it was a completely different feeling to feel the generosity of "throwing away 30 million" in person...

After confirming that he had heard correctly, Bai Lisheng sat up straight and said in surprise and joy, "Mr. Zhou, are you kidding?"

"Of course I won't joke about this kind of thing, but if the donation amount can reach 30 million, I have an additional small request. I wonder if my alma mater can satisfy me?"

"I don't know what kind of request Mr. Zhou is talking about?"

Bai Lisheng asked cautiously.

"I am planning to develop a game recently, which may require some talent and technical support. I know that our School of Information and School of Software Engineering are very strong, so I want to see if I can reach some cooperation with my alma mater in this regard. Of course, my alma mater just needs to give me some conveniences, and the rest should follow the rules..."

Zhou Wang smiled and stated his needs.

Zhou Wang has been thinking about this matter ever since he put the project of "developing small games" on the agenda.

When it comes to making games, talent is undoubtedly the most important thing. Although the requirements for small games are not too high, if you cooperate with universities, it will undoubtedly be the most cost-effective way to save labor costs.

"If it's just this matter, it shouldn't be a big problem. We have many commercial projects in cooperation with foreign parties, and the operation model in this regard is already quite mature... So, I will invite the deans of the School of Information and the School of Software Engineering, as well as the relevant persons in charge, and Mr. Zhou will get to know them first, and then we can slowly connect with them if there are any needs."

Bai Lisheng thought about it and immediately nodded happily.

Zhou Wang glanced at Jiang Qingkui when he heard this. Jiang Qingkui also knew that this must be the job she was responsible for, so she nodded slightly.

Zhou Wang then stretched out his hand and shook hands tightly with Bai Lisheng, saying with a smile: "Then Principal Bai, I wish us a pleasant cooperation."

"In fact, it's a bit inappropriate to say 'cooperation'. Mr. Zhou has never been an outsider of Caida. In the future, maybe we will become closer..."

Bai Lisheng laughed loudly, and there seemed to be some deep meaning in his words.

Zhou Wang was a little confused, but seeing that Bai Lisheng had no intention of explaining, he didn't dare to continue asking.

……

At six o'clock in the evening, a table was set up in a private room on the second floor of the small building.

Zhou Wang and Caida Secretary Chen Gengyun sat at the main seats. Beside them, in addition to Bai Lisheng, there was another vice president of Caida, several deans, and many guests. The large table that could accommodate twenty people was full.

The dishes were the same old ones, with nothing particularly luxurious except for a large plate of steamed crabs.

The wine is not expensive either. What we drank today was not Moutai, but 52-proof Wuliangye, which has a price range of eight hundred to twelve hundred.

Regarding strong aroma and sauce aroma, Zhou Wang used to think that strong aroma was more palatable, but maybe because he drank too much now, he found that there was indeed a reason why sauce aroma was so popular all over the country.

But Zhou Wang is not picky, after all, Wuliangye is not bad.

The good thing was that after Zhou Wang insisted that he could not drink much, these professors and deans also showed corresponding elegance. They did not start a round-robin battle, but all accompanied Zhou Wang for a drink.

After three rounds of drinks, Zhou Wang took a bite of the crab that Jiang Qingkui had peeled for him, and heard Chen Gengyun, who was already somewhat familiar with him, say with a smile:

"Mr. Zhou, I wonder if you are interested in joining the board of directors of Caida?"

"Ok?"

Zhou Wang immediately suspected that he had heard it wrong. He looked up in surprise and asked, "Board of Directors?"

Zhou Wang was indeed a little confused. Caida is a public university. Does it also have an institution like a board of directors?
As if he had expected Zhou Wang to be confused, Chen Gengyun smiled and glanced at Ni Hong who was sitting not far away, "Teacher Ni, can you help explain it?"

"Ah, okay..."

Ni Hong came back to her senses from her extreme shock. She looked at Zhou Wang with complicated eyes. Perhaps she was afraid that Zhou Wang couldn't hear her, so she quickly stood up and walked over. Jiang Qingkui temporarily gave his seat to her.

After thanking him, Ni Hong sat down next to Zhou Wang, adjusted her expression, and explained in a low voice:
"Mr. Zhou, it's like this. Now many universities no longer rely solely on grants to raise funds. Caida's board of directors has a long history..."

After Ni Hong's explanation, Zhou Wang finally understood the significance of the board of directors.

In short, in order to embody some purposes and concepts such as "universities run by society and universities for society", Caida established a board of directors very early on, and it is now the seventh one.

The members of the board of directors come from all walks of life. There is no chairman. The first-ranked executive vice chairman is a giant in a provincial agency, and the other members are well-known people from all walks of life at home and abroad.

For example, among the several vice chairmen listed alongside Chen Gengyun himself, there are heads from official institutions, chairmen from private listed companies, and overseas Chinese, such as the current president of a multinational group in California, the United States, and the chairman of an overseas foundation, etc.

There are 43 directors in total. In addition to their usual suggestions for the construction of Caida, each of them is also responsible for donating some amount of construction funds, which is also part of their responsibility.

The funds raised by the board of directors have now exceeded 100 million yuan, becoming an important supplement to the capital investment in the construction of Cai University.

"Mr. Zhou, if your personal donation reaches 30 million, you are fully qualified to join the Caida board of directors and become a member of the executive director..."

After finishing the explanation, Ni Hong whispered another sentence.

Zhou Wang really didn't expect that Chen Gengyun would make such an invitation to him, but when he thought about it, he understood something.

The title of "Executive Director" of Caida University is actually the real gift prepared by my alma mater for me...

No wonder Bai Lisheng said such a double-entendre statement.

The others are just extras, including the pie that Bai Lisheng painted for Zhou Wang about being one of the "Top Ten Outstanding Young People in Yunnan Province". Only this executive director of Caida represents the true sincerity shown by Caida.

But if Zhou Wang's donation amount did not reach 30 million, it is hard to say whether Chen Gengyun would still bring it up...

Zhou Wang was distracted when he suddenly felt a warm touch on his calf.

He lowered his head in surprise, and saw a calf wrapped in flesh-colored stockings slightly resting on his leg from inside the rolled-up trouser leg of her blazer. The ankle was slightly separated from the high heel, swinging back and forth, drawing a smooth arc.

At this time, Ni Hong was leaning forward, still talking to Zhou Wang attentively, seemingly unaware of her little Jio who was standing on tiptoe.

If we only look at the appearance, we cannot say that the other party's actions are definitely intentional, and Teacher Ni Hong's expression is very well controlled——

She had an oval face that looked rather ascetic, and her medium-length hair cast some shadows on her fair skin. Her neat eyebrows made her look rather serious when she was not smiling. At this moment, she was talking to Zhou Wang in a low voice with a serious expression, as if she did not notice the slight physical contact.

But her eyelashes were trembling slightly.

The amplitude was very small, but the two people were very close at the time, so Zhou Wang saw it, and saw it very clearly.

"Mr. Zhou, being an executive director doesn't require many responsibilities, but it does have a relatively positive impact on your reputation, so..."

Ni Hong couldn't continue talking because Zhou Wang's eyes were too playful, as if he wanted to see through her pupils and into the depths of her soul...

Ni Hong's ears quickly turned red. She avoided Zhou Wang's gaze, but bit her lip secretly. Her calves wrapped in flesh-colored stockings did not retract, but instead completely took off their shaky high heels, and her slippery toes went directly into Zhou Wang's trouser legs.

(End of this chapter)