I, the public enemy

The photographer recording the competition looked up and silently paused the machine upon seeing the commotion.

The students from various universities present remained silent. This person certainly had the right to be arrogant, and he was justified in being so. But they didn't know whether he was about to witness history, the rise of a genius manipulator, or his premature demise due to his arrogance. If one wanted to establish oneself in the cultivation world, one had to abide by its internal rules of hierarchy, even if it meant feigning compliance.

In social news, there are many examples of arrogant newcomers who have been blacklisted by the entire industry because they offended someone by saying the wrong thing.

Large companies exchange information with each other; they have plenty of staff in makeshift hospitals, so they don't need you.

Within the Mercury Group, even a slightly powerful person can ruin someone's reputation with a single word. Although universities are state-run, they can still infiltrate and, with a mere whisper, disqualify someone from admission.

The strict hierarchy of Yuangao High School is a microcosm of the entire society. To the outside world, this rule is magnified infinitely. Without a background or power, even a genius who doesn't follow the rules or understand the industry is just a nobody.

Wang Qing's words were a devastating blow to the future of the finance director of Yuangao High School. He thought he had secured investment and that Wang Qing himself had been chosen by the management present, but his joy turned to sorrow.

Wang Qing is now operating under the Yuanyue brand. Forget about losing all the investment; offending them would be the real threat to his official position.

But the finance director was also a seasoned veteran. During the brainstorming session, Wang Qing spoke up less than five seconds after he finished.

"Wang Qing's chip malfunctioned yesterday, causing an error when automatically running the mental cultivation technique, and he is somewhat mentally unstable."

The finance director gave Wang Qing a way out, but the worst part was that Wang Qing actually brought up the unspoken rule of pre-selecting employees. He not only accused the other group of being incompetent, but also disrupted their internal promotion order. This was a big problem. He added, "What happened just now was due to unforeseen circumstances. I apologize to the project manager, Mr. Wei, from the organizer."

At this moment, the project manager was not far from Ye Qinghan. He had just praised Wang Qing, and now his face turned green. However, the finance director gave him a way out, leaving room for maneuver, "Young people are naturally proud and arrogant, so there's no need to admit your mistake."

Liu Ziwen tugged at Wang Qing's sleeve, "Are you trying to read the air?!"

The president of the Far Beyond the Void Game Club was also an expert. He didn't show his anger on the surface. He made Wang Qing the main force to embarrass him, but since they were of different classes, he had to maintain his elegance. However, when he saw Wang Qing sweeping through with exaggerated movements, the high school student's composure finally crumbled.

The school's investment is its own business; right now, it wants to destroy Wang Qing, so it pretends to support Wang Qing.

"Qing Ge's performance is indeed stronger than any other contestant in previous competitions. There's no reason for a winner to admit mistakes; I'm just telling the truth."

The club president gave Wang Qing a hand.

"A discerning eye."

Wang Qing pointed to the president of the Yuanyue Society.

Today's goal has been achieved. Whether it's Mercury Heavy Industry or Qilin Intelligent Machinery, there are plenty of competing companies. The river is vast and the streams flow endlessly; why should we stop because of a single stream?

Mercury Group is really that weak; it lacks both vision and the ability to control it.

There's plenty of time ahead. If things don't go wrong in the underworld, I'll still need to study at university in Gray Core City for a few more years. University is a ten-year program, but theoretically, as long as you successfully establish your foundation and submit your foundation thesis, you can go to the upper levels for graduate studies. However, the graduate school admission rate is very low. Those who go to the upper levels are all exceptional individuals. They can graduate even without establishing their foundation. Most people also become full-time employees while working part-time during their university years.

"Since no one is willing to take on the challenge, and none of them are any good, I have to go back to class."

Wang Qing had hoped to use this incident to gain some special privileges in Yuanyue and avoid being strictly controlled by attendance rates, but it seems he will still have to be strictly controlled for a while.

The finance director was heartbroken, feeling utterly hopeless, and could barely stand.

"The recording isn't finished yet. You need to finish your acceptance speech. Xiao Wei, give him the prize and finish filming the promotional video first."

A cold, authoritative female voice rang out, its tone leaving no room for argument.

At this point, Ye Qinghan no longer kept a low profile. Qi Du's abilities were low, and there was such an incident in the company building. It was almost the end of the year, and the company headquarters had already announced the annual financial reports for each state. Cangzhou had not even made it to the middle level, which made her reach a critical point. Should she carry out a major reshuffle?

They no longer concealed their identities.

You can't tell someone's age just by looking at them; they're probably under thirty.

It seemed as if he had cultivated a special technique; not only was his hair ice-crystal colored, but his eyes were also like mirrors deep within a glacier, reflecting no emotions, only emptiness.

Even though she was dressed in high-waisted trousers and a shirt, which accentuated her tall and shapely figure, the imposing aura of someone with profound cultivation was so overwhelming that it extinguished any desire in anyone.

Many students present were seeing a public figure on TV for the first time, and after glancing at her, they didn't dare to look directly at her; the woman's aura was a bit intimidating.

Wang Qing also looked over in the direction of the sound.

But after Ye Qinghan finished speaking, the photographer, who was called Xiao Wei by her, was extremely efficient and started recording again.

Originally, there were three awards for the friendly match based on performance, but the staff stuffed them all into Wang Qing's hands at once.

Wang Qing couldn't even hold them all; they were all beautifully packaged gift boxes. He had to hold one box in each hand, and then another one on top of it, with another one at his feet.

Then, without warning, gold foil ribbons floated up, and the photographer waved to Wang Qing, urging him to quickly recite the lines.

Ah this...

Wang Qing is going to be tricked.

"Share your thoughts."

Ye Qinghan crossed her arms and stared coldly at Wang Qing.

Everyone present was sweating for Wang Qing. This guy was probably doomed. The head of Mercury Group in Cangzhou was actually there. How unlucky could he be?

Ye Qinghan is a celebrity; she even appeared as a guest on a job-seeking variety show in Cangzhou last year.

That variety show was quite dramatic, but this woman could talk everyone into silence. After recording a whole season, she didn't recruit a single person. Her online reputation was polarized, with both praise and criticism.

But this guy is really something else. He can actually hold his own against someone of that caliber. Is he really a high school student?

I could tell the box was full of good stuff; it was quite heavy. In public places, unless absolutely necessary, I couldn't release any of my spiritual sense.

Wang Qing didn't stand on ceremony either.

You still have to use polite, official language.

"I am very honored to receive this award. This honor belongs not only to me personally, but also to my team and everyone who has supported me. Thank you to the organizers for providing this platform, and to Yuangao High School for nurturing me."

Wang Qing nodded, indicating that his speech was over.

The finance director of Yuanyue was devastated; could he please refrain from mentioning the school's name at this moment?

There was absolutely no atmosphere of an awards ceremony; it felt more like attending a funeral.

With the recording still ongoing, an awkward silence lasted for ten seconds, so deep you could hear a pin drop.

Wang Qing could only add, pointing to the camera lens, "The lunchbox at noon was delicious."

The cameraman was so frightened he cried. Only this pointless statement, along with the previous ramblings, were cut out later.

"Is it okay now?"

Wang Qing had trouble carrying the three gift boxes, so he asked Liu Ziwen to help him carry one. Knowing that this woman was in charge, he asked her for help.

Liu Ziwen was truly impressed. To turn a potentially disastrous massacre into a tense situation, turning peace into war—you're truly amazing, Brother Qing!

"It's not over yet, let's continue our previous topic."

Ye Qinghan wouldn't bother arguing with high school students, but since she hadn't seen the actual competition, she knew that high school students' competitions were just like that, and she wanted to know where a minor got his confidence from.

High schools are now very hierarchical, and people are often emotionally repressed. High school students are like little adults, so such people are rare. Those who have the right to be arrogant and domineering are usually the children of elite talents and wouldn't participate in this competition.

Liu Ziwen gasped. "Brother Qing, you're in big trouble."