I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

The event organizers immediately stopped the competition and spoke with the person in charge of the equipment.

The venue, equipment, and personnel for this competition were all sponsored by Haobo Hotel. For example, the host who introduced the various segments was sponsored by Haobo Hotel. The on-site broadcasting equipment and operators were also sponsored by Haobo Hotel. The competition organizers and contestants only needed to be present, which was very convenient.

Therefore, when background music suddenly started playing on site, it was necessary to communicate with the person in charge of the playback equipment at Haobo Hotel.

The result of the communication was that the operator in charge of the broadcasting equipment said that he was ordered to do it this way by his superiors. So the competition organizers called over this "superior" again—an old acquaintance, Meng Shaoping, the marketing and sales director of Haobo Hotel.

Upon arriving at the venue, Meng Shaoping explained to the competition organizers why there was background music when the student took the stage: "Our hotel is honored to sponsor this event, and we strive for excellence in all aspects of our services. For example, the host was a professional presenter specially invited from Yangcheng City Channel. The venue design also went through three revisions..."

Meng Shaoping first explained how much importance their Haobo Hotel attached to this competition before bringing up the background music: "...It was in this pursuit of excellence that we noticed the contestants' speeches were delivered without any music, which sounded somewhat dry. Looking at similar international competitions, they usually provide appropriate music for the contestants, so our hotel also drew on international best practices and tried adding some background music. However, because we were still searching for materials, we only started experimenting now."

If Meng Shaoping, representing the hotel, had submitted this suggestion of adding background music "based on international best practices" before the competition started, the competition organizers would definitely have agreed.

However, it seems inappropriate to suddenly add this in when the competition has already been going on for half a day.

After a brief discussion, one of the event organizers spoke up, saying, "We appreciate the hospitality and professionalism of your hotel, but the competition is already halfway through. Adding background music at this point raises questions about the other competitors' participation."

Meng Shaoping further explained: "As I said before, we're starting to try it now, so it's not just this one contestant who has it, but all the future contestants will have it."

The representative simply shook his head: "Even so, what about the contestants who have already competed? If other contestants have something that they don't, that violates the principle of fairness in the competition."

Meng Shaoping tried to find a breakthrough from several other aspects, but the competition organizers remained adamant and wouldn't budge. In the end, Meng Shaoping had no choice but to give up and asked the staff to remove the background music. The matter was resolved, but Meng Shaoping didn't leave. Instead, he asked the competition organizers if he could watch the competition from there, "...I don't have a high level of education, and I've never seen a national college student entrepreneurship competition like this before. I'm quite curious."

The organizing committee naturally wouldn't refuse Meng Shaoping's request. They had originally wanted to add a chair in the first row for Meng Shaoping, the sponsor's representative, to sit in, but Meng Shaoping repeatedly declined, saying that he was unworthy to sit with those professors and teachers.

So in the end, Meng Shaoping got a chair and sat down in the equipment operation area to watch the game, focusing his attention on one side of the stage.

On one side of the stage, due to this unexpected incident, Shen Kang and his team had to stop going on stage and were waiting on the side.

Meng Shaoping's attention was also focused on Shen Kang.

Because of what Dai Wangyan had specifically instructed him to do yesterday, Meng Shaoping realized that this college student's identity was unusual. He even went to the front desk to check the college student's registration information and learned that the college student's name was Shen Kang and that he was from Yang University of Science and Technology.

Later, Meng Shaoping tried to subtly inquire with Dai Wangyan, but Dai Wangyan remained tight-lipped. However, from some of the hints, Meng Shaoping guessed that this college student might be related to the group's senior management.

Dai Wangyan's actions yesterday were also an attempt to curry favor with this college student.

This gave Meng Shaoping some ideas, so he arranged this whole thing.

It doesn't matter if they stop playing the background music; as long as they do this when Shen Kang is about to go on stage, it will send a signal to everyone. Maybe the judges will give Shen Kang and his team some extra points because of them, the sponsors? If it helps Shen Kang and his team win, that would be even better. Meng Shaoping will have done his part, and perhaps this will open up a new career opportunity for him…

After returning home, the event staff whispered among themselves, "Was that background music really just an unannounced experiment?"

Another staff member said calmly, "It's not necessarily true that they didn't give prior notice. I reckon the very act of trying it out is a form of greeting." "I think so too. This hotel is supporting this team."

"You're oversimplifying things. Even our competition organizers can't control these judges. Their hotel is just a sponsor, making a brief appearance. Do you think they'll expect the judges to give them face?"...

Not only were the event organizers talking about it, but the contestants were also whispering among themselves.

Some people believe that this was simply a simple mistake made by the operator.

Some people believe that the hotel is supporting this team. Some of them witnessed the scene of "Meng Shaoping asking Shen Kang" yesterday and spoke out, further confirming that the team is related to the hotel and that the hotel is supporting and cheering for the team.

The judges were also whispering among themselves.

One of the judges even joked with Xiao Bonian, "Old Xiao, this hotel is really giving you, their son, a lot of face."

Xiao Bonian smiled but did not respond. He only glanced at Huang Anyong on his left.

Of the judges present, only he and Huang Anyong were from Yangzhou University. The other judges were from other universities and were unaware of their "father-son" relationship with Shen Kang.

But now it seems everyone knows, it's very likely that Huang Anyong already told them, letting everyone know that Shen Kang is Xiao Bonian's son, which is a bit like putting them on the spot.

Huang Anyong pretended not to see Xiao Bonian's glance, keeping his head down as if he were organizing the information of the teams from the previous competition.

While everyone else was making their own moves, Shen Kang and the others were still standing on one side of the stage. Shen Kang also noticed Meng Shaoping coming over and roughly guessed what the background music was all about.

When Shen Kang noticed Meng Shaoping sitting down in the equipment operation area, he looked over at Meng Shaoping and saw Meng Shaoping look back at him and smile at him with a slightly obsequious smile.

This amused Shen Kang: This Director Meng is somewhat abstract, and he even gave him his own background music, which is quite entertaining.

It seems like they've been sanctioned, which is a bit of a shame.

However, he didn't think about it any further.

After the matter was resolved, with the introductions from the professional host, it was finally their turn to go on stage again, this time without any background music.

"Good afternoon, esteemed judges, advisors, and fellow students. We are the team from Yangon University of Science and Technology, and I am our team leader, Shen Kang..."

Following the procedure used by the previous participating teams, Shen Kang first gave a brief introduction to their team, and then began to explain their competition project.

When the teams gave their presentations, many of the contestants below weren't really paying attention. It was fine in the morning, as everyone was still somewhat excited, but after a morning of presentations, by the afternoon, everyone was a bit tired and didn't listen as attentively.

However, because of the background music incident earlier, everyone is still quite curious about this team, so it's quite rare that everyone is listening attentively to this project.

However, some people are not so serious, such as a boy named Ge Qiming sitting next to Zheng Changhao.

This was the captain of the team from Qianlin Institute of Technology. After listening for a while, he leaned close to Zheng Changhao and whispered, "Old Zheng, I heard your forum hasn't been doing too well lately. You've lost market share from Yang University of Science and Technology. Coincidentally, this team is also from Yang University of Science and Technology. Could it be that this team is the one that knocked you out?" There was a hint of schadenfreude in his words.

Ge Qiming participated in the practical competition and successfully completed a business project on campus, making him quite popular. However, because they were located in the Beilu District, people often compared Zheng Changhao to Ge Qiming.

Compared to Zheng Changhao's campus forum that covered the entire Beilu District, Ge Qiming's business project was slightly weaker. So whenever Ge Qiming was compared with Zheng Changhao, he was always overshadowed, which made him quite depressed.

However, Ge Qiming eventually heard something—Zheng Changhao's once impregnable Yangbei Forum had encountered a challenger and was in trouble at Yang University of Science and Technology.

After learning this news, Ge Qiming has been going to the Yangbei Forum on the Yangke University campus every day to inquire about the news, and that's how he learned about the Beiming Community.

He kept switching between the two sites, browsing and following the gossip, so he was also familiar with the details of the battle between Yangbei Forum and Beiming Community at Yang University of Science and Technology.

Seeing Yangbei Forum suffer a crushing defeat at Yangke University campus and lose market share, Ge Qiming felt relieved and even had a better appetite.

Ge Qiming didn't know who the person behind the Beiming Forum was. He only guessed because he saw that the team on stage was from Yangke University and Shen Kang's unusual performance yesterday.

It was after those words were spoken that Ge Qiming saw Zheng Changhao's face darken.

This made Ge Qiming happy, and he was almost certain that it was indeed Shen Kang's team on stage who created the Beiming Forum and drove Zheng Changhao's Yangbei Forum out of the Yangke University campus!

"Yangbei University of Science and Technology has not lost its market share. It's just that Yangbei Forum recently made some new moves and made a strategic shift due to a major strategic adjustment," Zheng Changhao said.

Ge Qiming thought to himself, "You're really something, calling a retreat a strategic retreat, huh?" Then he laughed even more heartily, nodding repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes." Then he continued to listen to Shen Kang's speech on stage.

After listening for a while and glancing at the PowerPoint presentation, Ge Qiming leaned closer and whispered, "Old Zheng, this project of his seems pretty average. It has quite a few flaws. I don't know how he won the school-level competition. Were you forced into this 'strategic shift' by someone like him?"

Ge Qiming wasn't simply trying to disgust Zheng Changhao; after listening and watching so intently for a while, he genuinely realized that the competition Shen Kang was doing on stage was rather mediocre, had flaws, and seemed to be of only average skill.

Zheng Changhao reiterated: "As I said, the temporary withdrawal of Yangbei Forum from the Yangke University market is based on overall strategic considerations."

Having said that, he didn't say anything else, but he also had some doubts in his heart, just like Ge Qiming.

Judging from this competition, Shen Kang's skill level is really quite average.

However, Zheng Changhao immediately realized: when he first met Shen Kang, didn't he also think that this person was just an ordinary rich kid, and that his work was also mediocre? But as it turned out, that wasn't the case at all...

Two rows ahead are the seats for the Yangcheng University of Technology students.

Miao Changqing sat in the chair, looking rather downcast.

What happened yesterday morning really upset him, but what upset him even more was that the girl who made his heart flutter seemed to have an unusual relationship with Shen Kang.

Miao Changqing even asked Wan Zihao to see if he knew, and it turned out that Wan Zihao did know, saying that the girl's name was He Qiuzhu, and that she was Shen Kang's girlfriend.

At that moment, Miao Changqing was utterly despondent. Wan Zihao, looking at Miao Changqing's state, seemed to see himself being thoroughly humiliated by Shen Kang during the summer vacation, and felt a sense of shared misery. "Sigh... Senior Miao, that bastard is just like that. You'll get used to it after a few more times."

Wan Zihao himself has gotten used to it now, so much so that when he saw Shen Kang acting like a broken record and "persuading" Director Meng yesterday morning, he didn't feel as bad as he did during the summer vacation.

As long as it's not specifically targeting yourself, it's fine.

However, Miao Changqing clearly hasn't gotten used to it yet.

This was the first time in his life he had ever felt love; it was his first crush! (His first unrequited love). But it ended before it even began.

It hurts, it hurts too much!

As a result, Miao Changqing has been quite listless from yesterday to today, wallowing in self-pity and in low spirits.

Although his mood wasn't great, Miao Changqing still listened attentively to Shen Kang's speech on stage. As he listened, he realized that this competition seemed rather ordinary. This cheered Miao Changqing up a bit, making him feel that he was at least more capable than Shen Kang. The fact that Shen Kang hadn't offered any original insights yesterday, merely reciting his own words, further proved this point.

Unfortunately, the goddess was blinded by the boy's appearance and his suspected status as a rich second-generation, and failed to discover that he was a treasure boy with a golden heart and a beautiful soul... Miao Changqing began to feel sorry for himself again.

Amidst the diverse reactions of the audience, Shen Kang on stage had already finished explaining their competition event.

Next, it will be time for the judges to ask questions.

As with some previous projects involving IT technology, Xiao Bonian, the judge responsible for the IT aspect, asked two questions about the IT technology of their second-hand textbook recycling platform. Ma Liang answered these questions.

The two questions were not difficult; they were both based on the implementation path, so Ma Liang answered them quickly.

As Xiao Bonian listened, he scribbled something on the paper in front of him, and finally expressed his satisfaction with Ma Liang's answer.

After Xiao Bonian finished asking his question, Huang Anyong spoke up: "Shen Kang, you said that the main transaction scenario for your project is offline, right?"

"Yes."

Huang Anyong then said, "Can I imagine this scenario: there are two students, A and B. A is selling a used textbook on your platform. According to the business model you just presented, B wants to buy this used textbook on your platform. He will communicate with A online on your website."

"Your description of the transaction environment is rather vague. Based on the university environment, I can make this reasonable assumption: After the communication is completed, since everyone is in the same school, A and B will most likely conduct an offline face-to-face transaction, exchanging money for goods."

At this point, Huang Anyong glanced at Shen Kang on the stage and asked, "Do you agree with this?"

Shen Kang nodded, "I agree." He already knew what Huang Anyong wanted to say.

Seeing Shen Kang's agreement, Huang Anyong continued, "Once they complete the transaction and go home, they are perfectly entitled to withdraw the product information—your website can't force users to complete a transaction once it's posted, can it? That's unrealistic. Do you agree?"

Shen Kang nodded again, "I agree."

Huang Anyong continued, "We might call these transactions—'online communication, offline transactions, and then deleting the transaction information from the platform afterward'—'ghost transactions.' What methods do you have to prevent 'ghost transactions'? Or what methods do you have to track the actual number and amount of transactions that occur through your platform?" Shen Kang shook his head: "No way."

Seeing Shen Kang's decisiveness, Huang Anyong was taken aback for a moment, but that was all; it didn't change his mind about what he was about to say: "Since you can't eliminate ghost transactions or track real transactions, how are you going to make a profit? According to your project model, your second-hand textbook recycling platform will make a profit through commission."

Shen Kang agreed, "Indeed, you're right." He was just there to go through the motions and didn't intend to waste any more words; he just wanted to get off the stage as soon as he was done.

In Huang Anyong's eyes, it was because he had rendered Xiao Bonian's adopted son speechless that he felt very comfortable, as if he had made a good offer for his in-laws.

Not only Huang Anyong, but another judge also spoke up at this moment, raising his question: "Shen Kang, there is another issue you may not have noticed, which is the time discrepancy."

"Generally speaking, the peak season for selling second-hand textbooks is at the end of the semester, especially in June each year, when a large number of senior students graduate and have a need to deal with all the textbooks they have collected over the past four years."

"However, the peak period for textbook purchases is at the beginning of the semester, because that's when students have just completed course selection and know which subjects' textbooks they need."

"How do you plan to resolve these two timing misalignments in supply and demand?"

Just as the competition organizers had guessed, the judges saw through Haobo Hotel's intention to support this team, but they weren't prepared to give the hotel any face—you're just a five-star hotel, after all. If it were just some trivial matter, they might give you, the sponsor, a little face, and that would be fine. But if you're trying to influence the outcome of the competition by making statements, that's simply wishful thinking.

You could at least slip them some money, right? Of course, this doesn't mean the judges would actually be bribed. It's just that the hotel's idea of ​​influencing the competition's outcome through such a simple, suggestive method is incredibly naive.

Therefore, these judges are participating in the questioning and evaluation of the competition projects in a completely fair and impartial manner.

They were even more serious and fair in their approach. And when faced with this new question, Shen Kang, as before, said he didn't know how to resolve it.

Then, another judge asked a question...

For the previous participating teams, if there were indeed some flaws, the judges would point them out but not at all.

However, this time, whether it was because the hotel's actions backfired and displeased the judges, or for some other reason, everyone went all out and stopped at nothing, constantly asking questions and dismantling Shen Kang's project into nothing.

Of all the judges, Xiao Bonian was the only one to give a positive evaluation.

All the problems with Shen Kang's project lie at the business model level. As for the technical aspects, there are no implementation issues. Therefore, Xiao Bonian gave his approval purely from a technical perspective, which is perfectly reasonable.

This puts Xiao Bonian in a somewhat awkward position, as if he were engaging in favoritism and corruption.

Huang Anyong is most satisfied with the current situation.

He would then share this scene with others, occasionally chatting with a few people about this amusing incident from the competition. It wasn't that he was saying anything bad about Xiao Bonian, just sharing his observations from the competition, haha…

While answering questions from the teachers below, Shen Kang also noticed the unusual atmosphere on stage.

He glanced at Xiao Bonian again, then suddenly changed the subject: "Thank you for your feedback, judges. It sparked my inspiration and led me to come up with a new model for a secondhand textbook recycling platform that can solve all the problems you've raised. May I explain it?"