Rejecting Tsinghua and Peking Universities: I Will Lead Harbin Institute of Technology to World Lead

The steaming hot and sour broth simmers in a specially made copper pot, emitting an enticing aroma of sourness and mild spiciness.

Lin Guodong had specially prepared several top-quality ingredients that Lin Feng loved to eat, and they were all served.

"Come on, try this. Your Uncle Wang and his team spent half a year working on this new recipe. It's sour enough to whet your appetite and spicy enough to be mild. They say it's good for your health too."

Lin Guodong personally cooked a slice of marbled beef for Lin Feng, his eyes full of anticipation.

Lin Feng rolled the sliced ​​beef in a special dish of sesame oil and minced garlic before putting it in his mouth.

The sour, spicy, and savory flavors explode on the taste buds, the meat is tender, and the texture is rich and layered.

"Mmm, delicious." After swallowing, Lin Feng gave a simple but sincere evaluation: "The sourness is just right, which stimulates the appetite, and the spiciness is also just right, without overpowering the original flavor of the ingredients."

"Haha, I'm glad you like it!" Upon hearing this, Lin Guodong's smile instantly boiled over like hot pot broth.

"Eat more, you definitely haven't been eating properly lately."

The father and son sat around the fire, temporarily setting aside the ups and downs of the business world and the challenges of scientific research.

The conversation ranged from the ingredients for the hot pot base to local specialties from different regions, and then from Lin Guodong's recent business experiences to some things that happened at Lin Feng's school.

Lin Guodong never asked Lin Feng what specific research he was doing; he only cared about his health, whether he had enough money, and whether he needed support from his family.

This tacit understanding and unconditional trust warmed Lin Feng's heart.

This hot pot meal was exceptionally enjoyable.

After a satisfying meal, the two were about to have some tea to aid digestion when a commotion arose downstairs, and it seemed to be getting louder.

Lin Guodong frowned slightly and pressed the service bell on the table.

Soon, a lobby manager dressed in a smart uniform and looking slightly nervous walked in.

"Boss."

"What's going on outside? Why is it so noisy?" Lin Guodong asked.

"That's right, boss," the manager quickly explained, "About half an hour ago, a female celebrity came to our private room with her assistant. Some sharp-eyed customer recognized her, and the news got out."

"Now a lot of fans have gathered outside after hearing the news, all wanting to come in for autographs and photos. As the crowd grows, we're worried about affecting other customers and also concerned about safety, so we've temporarily blocked the entrance, but the fans are quite agitated."

After listening, Lin Guodong's brows relaxed; this was indeed not the first time he had encountered something like this.

As Lin's Hot Pot gains more and more fame, it has become the choice of many celebrities for private gatherings, and similar scenes have been staged in stores in several major cities.

"Understood," Lin Guodong calmly instructed.

"First, tell all staff to remain calm and polite, and absolutely not to have any physical or verbal conflicts with fans."

"Second, immediately contact the nearby police station and shopping mall security to request their assistance in maintaining order and guiding the crowd."

"Third, ask the celebrity and her team if they need us to help them leave as soon as possible through an internal channel."

"Yes, boss, I'll take care of it right away!" The manager accepted the order and hurriedly left.

Lin Guodong turned to Lin Feng and smiled helplessly: "Alright, the celebrity effect. Son, let's go through the back door. It won't be quiet up there anytime soon. This way, we can avoid being jostled by the crowd."

Lin Feng nodded, having no objection.

His father handled things in a methodical manner, which put his mind at ease.

Guided by a familiar long-time employee, the two walked through a quiet passage inside the kitchen and headed toward a hidden back door reserved for special circumstances.

The back door connects to a relatively quiet back alley, which is usually only used by employees to move goods or in special circumstances.

Just as Lin Feng and Lin Guodong were about to push the door open and leave, the door was gently pushed open a crack from the outside.

A pleasant yet somewhat urgent female voice rang out:

"Excuse me, may we leave from this side first?"

Lin Feng looked up.

There were two people standing outside the door.

The person in the lead wore a baseball cap and a mask, which almost completely covered his face, revealing only a pair of clear, bright eyes that looked slightly anxious at the moment.

She was wearing a regular sweatshirt and jeans, and she was tall.

Beside him was a short-haired woman who looked shrewd and capable, scanning her surroundings warily; she was clearly his assistant.

Lin Guodong instantly realized that this was probably the "source" of the commotion.

He stepped aside to make way and said politely, "Of course, please go first."

"Thank you..." the female celebrity said hurriedly, her gaze sweeping over the two people who had made way for her.

When her gaze swept across Lin Feng's face, she visibly stiffened.

Those beautiful eyes that were exposed widened instantly, filled with surprise, disbelief, and even a hint of... barely concealed joy?

"You are... Lin Feng?!"

She blurted it out, her voice rising slightly with excitement.

Lin Feng was taken aback upon hearing this and looked at the other person with a puzzled expression.

His face was completely covered, and although his voice was pleasant, he was certain he didn't recognize any female celebrities.

"Do you know me?" he asked calmly.

"Ranran, hurry! It looks like some fans are coming around from the side door!" The assistant next to her anxiously tugged at the female celebrity's arm and looked warily toward the alley entrance.

The female celebrity seemed to have a thousand words to say. She looked at Lin Feng deeply, her gaze complex and unfathomable.

But amidst her assistant's urging and the increasingly loud noise, she could only nod hastily to Lin Feng before being pulled away by her assistant and quickly disappeared into the other end of the alley.

The whole process took only a dozen seconds.

"Xiaofeng, do you really know this celebrity?" Lin Guodong asked his son curiously, watching the departing figure.

Lin Feng shook his head and answered definitively, "I don't know him. Maybe... you've mistaken him for someone else?"

To his recollection, he had indeed never had any contact with anyone in the entertainment industry.

"Maybe it's because you're handsome, and they've seen your picture somewhere before," Lin Guodong joked, without delving into it further.

"Let's go, the car should be waiting in the back street."

The father and son calmly walked out from the other end of the alley, where a black minivan was already quietly parked on the side of the road.

……

Meanwhile, inside another understated, all-black business van.

The female celebrity has taken off her hat and mask, revealing a face that is breathtaking.

Her skin was as white as snow, and her features were so exquisite that they seemed to have been meticulously sculpted, completely natural, without any artificial traces.

Especially those eyes, clear and bright, now carrying a hint of reminiscence and an undisguised joy.

She is none other than Shen Moran, a rising star actress.

"Follow the black minivan in front, the one that just came out of the alley," Shen Moran instructed the driver, her eyes fixed on Lin Guodong's car ahead.

"Yes, Ms. Shen," the driver replied, and followed smoothly.

Sitting next to her, assistant Xiaoxiao, seeing Shen Moran's unusual behavior and recalling the scene at the back door, couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Ranran, do you... know that boy from earlier?"

She had followed Shen Moran for two years, from being unknown to making a name for herself. She knew that although her master seemed cheerful, she actually had a very strong sense of boundaries with the opposite sex. She had never seen her so proactive or even lose her composure.

Shen Mo Ran withdrew her gaze, leaned back in the soft chair, and unconsciously smiled, a soft light of reminiscence flashing in her eyes.

"Yes, I know him," she said softly, her tone filled with a sense of appreciation.

"He was my junior in high school, two years below me. He was also... someone I secretly liked."

"Huh?!" Xiao Xiao was so surprised she almost cried out, quickly covering her mouth with her eyes wide open.

She knew that Shen Moran had a white moonlight in her heart, which was the academically gifted junior she had a crush on in high school.

When Shen Mo Ran occasionally mentioned it, it was only a few words, but the beauty he cherished in his heart was obvious.

But she never expected that she would meet the real person here in this way!

"So it was him! No wonder... I felt that although the boy was dressed simply, he had a particularly clean and neat demeanor, was handsome, and looked somewhat familiar!"

Xiao Xiao suddenly realized, and then became very curious.

"But Ranran, shouldn't he be in college? And I remember you said he was the top scorer in your year's college entrance exam and went to Harbin Institute of Technology? How come he's in Beijing? And why is he showing up at the back door of a hot pot restaurant?"

Shen Moran shook her head, her gaze still following the taillights of the vehicle in front.

"I don't know either. We haven't seen each other since graduating from high school. I only heard that he went to Harbin Institute of Technology, and then... I don't think I heard anything from him anymore."

There was a hint of disappointment in her tone, but it was quickly overshadowed by the joy of the reunion.

"No matter what, it's so good to have met him again," Shen Moran murmured to herself, her eyes shining with determination.

"Xiaoxiao, can you help me find out if he came to Beijing to study or work? Also, why was he there today?"

"I want to know how he's been all these years."

Vehicles weave through the traffic of Beijing at night.

Ahead lies the road leading Lin Feng back to campus.

Behind them, a young girl's heart, dormant for many years, is quietly stirring again due to an unexpected reunion.