I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

The annual Top Ten Singers Competition at Qianmin University concluded in this atmosphere.

The champion and the "Top Ten" were also selected on the spot, and they went on stage to receive their awards.

The outcome of the championship was not surprising; it was the boy who sang "patted himself with his slippers" when Shen Kangfa was singing, and he deserved the title.

Long Yuewen probably got into the top ten and won the prize money by relying on her ethnic style of music.

As for Fang Shiqi, she naturally lost without any surprise.

After the game ended, everyone dispersed, and the crowd in the stadium surged outwards like waves, gradually thinning out after a while.

On campus, groups of students who had just finished watching the game strolled along the various streets.

On one of the main roads, a family of three was walking slowly under the streetlights; it was Fang Tianming and his family.

Fang Tianming walked in the middle, with Luo Liqing on his left and Fang Shiqi on his right.

Tonight, Fang Shiqi had put on full makeup and wore a beautiful outfit for the competition, but she was in a bad mood, walking silently with her head slightly down.

Seeing this, Fang Tianming and Luo Liqing exchanged glances and silently communicated with their eyes, discussing who should comfort their defeated daughter.

In the end, Fang Tianming was no match for his wife and was defeated.

"Cough cough."

Fang Tianming withdrew his gaze, cleared his throat, and slowly walked away, turning to look at his daughter on his right. He forced a smile and comforted her, "It was just an entertainment competition, so it's okay to lose. Actually, I think you sang very well; it's just that those judges don't understand music."

Fang Shiqi kept her head down and walked slowly the whole way.

Hearing this, she finally raised her head, glanced at her father, and, though she didn't want to say anything, couldn't hold back her anger and finally blurted out, "Do they really not understand?"

Fang Tianming's heart skipped a beat, and he forced a dry laugh: "Of course."

Since Fang Shiqi had spoken up, she brought it up directly, her face full of anger: "I saw it before the competition; a group of our school leaders were all gathered around you. Did you think that if I won, you would be in trouble, so you deliberately had them eliminate me?"

She said this with a very aggrieved expression.

Fang Shiqi felt that way; after all, when the final rankings came out and she didn't even make it into the top ten, the other contestants were quite surprised.

Being in this family, Fang Shiqi had absorbed some things from what she saw and heard. Combining this with what she had witnessed before, she guessed what was going on.

Seeing that his daughter had discovered it, Fang Tianming remained silent.

Luo Liqing then said, "Qiqi, you're wronging your father. Actually, the reason we sat with Shen Kang was because Shen Kang told your school not to let you win."

"Shen Kang?" Fang Shiqi was taken aback. "You were sitting with him at the time?"

As she spoke, she stopped and looked around, seemingly trying to find Shen Kang. Of course, she couldn't find anything.

The Fang couple also stopped in their tracks.

"Stop looking, he and his friend left first," Luo Liqing said.

Upon hearing this, Fang Shiqi instinctively asked, "Friends? Male or female?"

Luo Liqing rolled her eyes at her daughter. "A boy."

Upon hearing this, Fang Shiqi breathed a sigh of relief. After thinking for a moment, she said, "So it was Shen Kang who did it... He's always been so mature and considerate."

As she spoke, she was no longer angry or aggrieved; instead, she looked understanding, appreciative, and even had a sweet smile.

In Fang Shiqi's opinion, Shen Kang and Fang Tianming didn't have much of a relationship, so his initiative in thinking about her father must be because of her as a friend.

Could Shen Kang even have other motives? Perhaps he doesn't want to attract too much attention. After all, many guys are like that; they don't care about other people's girlfriends, but they want to hide their own as completely as possible. Perhaps Shen Kang has similar thoughts?

Thinking of this, Fang Shiqi felt her heart flutter.

"..."

When Fang Tianming and Luo Liqing saw their daughter like this, they exchanged a glance, speechless.

Fang Tianming let out a long sigh, feeling a pang of pain in his heart.

If her own father did something like this, she would feel angry and wronged; but when Shen Kang did something like this, she was very understanding…

After the match, Shen Kang followed Long Xingchen and the others back to their dormitory.

At first, everyone was still a bit distant from Shen Kang because of what happened on the playground. The warm relationship that had just been established yesterday became somewhat strained.

But by the time we reached the boys' dormitory, the atmosphere had thawed, and everyone was just as enthusiastic as yesterday.

They were even more enthusiastic than yesterday.

"You own Anjia Housekeeping Center? Holy crap! I've even used your services before!" a boy exclaimed in surprise.

Then, with a forced smile, he asked, "Next time we use your company's services, if I mention your name, can we get a discount?"

Surrounded by everyone in the center of the crowd, Shen Kang nodded upon hearing this, "Of course, just mention my name and I'll break your bones."

"Hahahaha..." The others laughed.

Another boy asked, "You also founded Beiming Community? No wonder you know so much about that website; you can easily boost its popularity with just a few tweaks."

Shen Kang sighed and said, "That's right. Back when I first started this website, there weren't many users. I pretended to be a real person, commenting on and replying to the few users' posts. I kept switching accounts to make it seem like there were many real people interacting with them. For female posters, I would switch to male accounts to comment on them, and for male posters, I would switch to female accounts to comment on them. That's how the website was built up little by little. It was all hard work and pioneering spirit."

He directly took Chow Yun-fat's story and applied it to himself.

The crowd was filled with amazement, marveling at the depth of business tactics.

However, some people scratched their heads, looking puzzled, as if they'd heard this story of "the founder dressing up as a woman to chat with a man" somewhere before...

The group chatted as they walked into the boys' dormitory and went upstairs.

Shen Kang was kept in Long Xingchen's dormitory for a while before being let go. He strolled back to the dormitory with an empty bed that Long Xingchen had found for him, ready to wash up and go to sleep.

Before entering the dormitory, Shen Kang thought of something. After a moment's thought, he didn't go in. Instead, he took a few steps back, took out his phone, and called Ding Zhentao.

"Hey, Shen Kang, what's up calling me so late?" Ding Zhentao's voice came from the other end of the phone.

Shen Kang said, "It's nothing, just reporting to Dean Ding on my itinerary at Qianmin University these past two days..."

He briefly explained the Miao embroidery project and what happened tonight at the campus's top ten singers competition to Ding Zhentao.

On the other end of the phone

Ding Zhentao is currently in his study at home, wearing pajamas, reading a book, planning to go to sleep after reading for a while.

After receiving Shen Kang's call and hearing Shen Kang talk about those things, Ding Zhentao sat up straighter and straighter, his eyes filled with surprise.

After Shen Kang finished speaking, Ding Zhentao sat up straight and couldn't help but say, "You've done so much at our school in just two days?"

He thought the kid had already gone back to Yang University of Science and Technology! But he didn't expect that Shen Kang hadn't left, and had accomplished so much in just two days.

"We've done a little bit," Shen Kang said on the other end of the phone, then asked, "Dean Ding, I'd like to know what your school's policies and attitudes are regarding ethnic culture?"

As Ding Zhentao thought about what Shen Kang had said, his eyes gradually became excited.

Hearing Shen Kang's question, he didn't hide anything and said directly, "We still value it very much. As you know, we are a national university, and a national university in Qianlin Province. The political task related to ethnic minorities has always been an important goal. If we can create a successful ethnic project that objectively promotes ethnic integration, then the political significance is quite great. At the same time, it is also an indicator, and the university will receive more resources and policies from higher authorities as a result..."

Shen Kang had some understanding of this in his previous life, which is why he did these things in the past two days.

Now that Ding Zhentao has personally explained the ethnic policies and benefits of Qianmin University, I feel much more at ease.

"...I understand what you mean."

After explaining the ethnic policies of the Nationalities University, Ding Zhentao said directly, "Are you trying to use these things to make another effort? I think it's feasible!"

Ding Zhentao had previously told Shen Kang that among the few people with decision-making power, there was only one who truly opposed him.

Previously, the others sided with that person only because they were on Ding Zhentao's side; they didn't gain any real benefit from it. But now it's different.

If Shen Kang's ethnic minority project is successfully implemented and scaled up, the entire university will benefit, with increased funding and resources. If it becomes a star project, it will also bring political advantages. All things considered, it's very appealing.

"If they use this ethnic project as leverage, I believe there is a high chance they will change their minds and support us, allowing your Beiming community to join."

Ding Zhentao was full of confidence, as if he could already see the dejected expression on his opponent's face.

But Shen Kang's voice on the other end of the phone surprised him greatly, "Dean Ding, there's no need to make it seem like we have to do with him. My idea is that you submit your application normally, just tell the school about the ethnic minority program, and if the school wants him to continue running the forum, then let him. It's fine if Beiming Community doesn't join; we can still make progress on his forum..."

Shen Kang repeated what he had told Fang Tianming to Ding Zhentao.

After listening, Ding Zhentao seemed thoughtful but didn't object. "Okay. Let's do it this way..."

After Shen Kang finished telling Ding Zhentao what had happened, he hung up the phone, washed up, and went to bed.

Ding Zhentao sat at his desk, stopped reading, thought for a while, then picked up his phone and started making calls.

……

next day

Ding Zhentao arrived at the school early in the morning and spent the whole morning working.

Around 2 p.m., after taking a nap, Ding Zhentao picked up some materials and leisurely went to a conference room on the sixth floor of the administration building.

After waiting for a while, people entered one by one. Among them were clerks and heads of departments such as the security office. But the most important people were the president of Qianmin University and his two vice presidents.

At first glance, it might seem like making a mountain out of a molehill, but that's not the case: Ding Zhentao's submission concerns an asset within the school valued at around one million yuan, which falls under the category of "major issues requiring a large investment."

In the past, the school did not take such matters so seriously. Often, a few people of Ding Zhentao's rank could handle it, or even a single dean could make the decision.

This practice has led to numerous incidents. For example, a school's assets, valued at several hundred thousand yuan, were leased out by a certain dean. After some twists and turns, these assets, worth several hundred thousand yuan, were inexplicably separated from the school, resulting in the actual loss of state-owned assets.

After such incidents became more frequent, the authorities took them seriously and began to standardize administrative procedures.

Since then, matters involving major issues have been handled with seriousness and solemnity, requiring special meetings for discussion and high-level attendance.

Once everyone had arrived, Ding Zhentao, just like the previous two times, took the stage with his documents and began his report.

"I believe everyone understands the purpose of my request to convene this meeting: to discuss the disposal of the land assets mentioned in the document..."

The two vice principals present were Zhang Yiguang and Li Chen.

This was a slightly plump man, looking to be in his fifties, with a fleshy face and wearing gold-rimmed glasses. Perhaps because of his face shape, he seemed quite amiable and easy to talk to.

He proactively suggested that we could include Xianyu.com, but for the campus forum, we could use Qianmin University's own campus forum instead of Beiming Community.

Listening to Ding Zhentao's report, Li Chen appeared to be listening attentively, but inwardly he was yawning and getting impatient: This old Ding is really stubborn. Others won't turn back until they hit a wall, but he won't turn back even after hitting one. This is the third time already, isn't it? He still insists on trying.

As Li Chen pondered, his thoughts drifted further afield: He needed to remind Xiao Yi to do his job properly. This wasn't just about creating a forum to sell male profiles. There was a charity project involved, and he should leverage Xiao Yi's existing advantages to connect with it and enrich his resume. Such a resume might not be very useful for an average student, but for Xiao Yi, it would be quite valuable. With some effort, it could brighten his future…

Li Chen was lost in his own thoughts.

Suddenly, his expression changed, and his ears perked up.

It seemed that he heard something he had never heard before from Old Ding's report.

Li Chen stopped thinking and listened carefully, while also searching through the documents that had been handed to him.

This is the material Ding Zhentao sent them regarding the theme of today's meeting.

Previously, Li Chen thought it would be the same as the previous two times, so he didn't look at it carefully. He just flipped through it casually and pretended to look at it.

Now, hearing something different in Ding Zhentao's report, he began to seriously look through it.

Upon reviewing the report, Li Chen discovered that Ding Zhentao's presentation today contained something new, unlike the previous two!

Li Chen stared at the new things and carefully read through them.

At the same time, Ding Zhentao's voice, who was giving a report, also reached his ears.

"...The specific details of this Miao embroidery project can be divided into two aspects. The first aspect, of course, is Miao embroidery itself. That student Shen Kang has already gathered students from our Qianmin University and several nearby schools who are knowledgeable in Miao embroidery to form a Miao embroidery technology alliance. I have also copied the signatures of these members into the materials, which you can all take a look at..."

As Ding Zhentao stated the specific page numbers, the leaders present with decision-making power turned to the corresponding sections of the document and saw the signatures Ding Zhentao had mentioned.

Yesterday, Shen Kang had Long Xingchen gather all the embroiderers together. Besides holding a meeting and establishing the Miao Embroidery Technology Alliance, they also did some other things, including getting everyone to sign their names.

Upon seeing these signatures, the leaders present with decision-making power had more evidence to support the authenticity of the plan.

Ding Zhentao continued his report.

"This is about Miao embroidery itself. Another aspect, naturally, is promotion; we need a platform for it..."

Li Chen looked down at the documents, inwardly cursing, "Oh no!"

He never expected that Lao Ding would come up with such a trick on the spot.

Propaganda platform... Is Lao Ding trying to use the political and economic benefits of this ethnic project to induce them to defect?

Li Chen thought to himself silently.

He now knew what Ding Zhentao wanted to do, but things had happened so suddenly that he couldn't think of any effective way to deal with it.

It was at this point that Ding Zhentao, after explaining the importance and significance of the publicity platform, continued: "Regarding the choice of publicity platform, it would be good if Beiming Community could participate. However, Shen Kang believes that using our own campus platform would also be acceptable."

"?"

Li Chen was taken aback.

What's going on? He thought Old Ding would use this opportunity to force him to resign.

Before they had this ethnic minority project, Lao Ding kept pushing and insisted on bringing the Beiming community in. But now that they have this project, why is Lao Ding backing down?

Ding Zhentao's behavior today was truly unexpected by Li Chen, but it also relieved him.

Apart from this unexpected incident, Ding Zhentao's other reports were basically the same as those from the previous two meetings.

After Ding Zhentao finished his report, the meeting proceeded smoothly, just like the previous two meetings.

During the questioning phase, Li Chen specifically asked Ding Zhentao again: "Dean Ding, suppose there's a situation where their Beiming Community isn't doing well within our Qianmin University campus, but they have another platform on our campus that's the mainstream platform used by our faculty and students. According to what you said before, this wouldn't affect the progress of their Miao embroidery project, is that right?"

Ding Zhentao nodded, his expression calm: "Yes. All this Miao embroidery project needs is a publicity platform. As for who owns this platform, they don't care, and it won't affect the progress of the Miao embroidery project."

Li Chen nodded. "I have no further questions."

He felt that everyone should understand now and there would be no more misunderstandings.

After all the procedures were completed, the final voting stage began.

five minutes later

The meeting ended, and everyone left one after another.

Li Chen remained seated, not moving.

Principal Zhao Linyuan had already stood up, said something to Zhang Yiguang, and then Zhang Yiguang left.

There were only a few people left in the meeting room.

Zhao Linyuan packed his things and was about to leave when he saw Li Chen still sitting there. After a moment's thought, he walked over and invited, "Old Li, the meeting is over, what are you still sitting there for? Let's go together."

Li Chen, who had been sitting still, finally moved. He slowly turned his head, looked at Zhao Linyuan, and nodded. "Okay." Then he got up and started packing his things.

The two also left the meeting room.

As Li Chen walked down the corridor, the scene of the final vote kept replaying in his mind:

At that moment, Li Chen remained as steady as he had been in the previous two meetings, his hands resting on the table without moving an inch. The other comrades with voting rights also remained motionless, just as they had in the previous two meetings.

It was at that moment that Principal Zhao Linyuan, after glancing at Ding Zhentao who was present, raised his right hand, which had been resting on the table.

Vice Principal Zhang Yiguang didn't look at anyone, just thought for a while, and then raised his right hand, which was on the table.

At that moment, all the comrades present with voting rights, except for Li Chen, successively raised their right hands...

The final result was that the resolution was passed. The Beiming Community is now allowed access to Qianmin University, and that plot of land is also permitted to be leased to the Beiming Community.

This is why Li Chen sat there for a long time after the meeting ended without moving.

Li Chen still doesn't quite understand it.

As they walked, Zhao Linyuan invited Li Chen to come in and sit down after they arrived at the principal's office.

Li Chen and Zhao Linyuan have a good relationship.

After entering, closing the door, and sitting down, Li Chen directly asked his question—since the other party is willing to push forward the Miao embroidery project no matter what, shouldn't it be more beneficial for the school to have its students act as the publicity platform from the perspective of Qianmin University?

Zhao Linyuan also explained his reason for raising his hand: "Old Li, what you said makes sense, but what will be the final result of doing this? The other party's intention is to promote this model. In the end, it will be like this: in other schools, it's Beiming Community + Xianyu.com + Miao Embroidery Project, but only at Qianmin University, it's our own campus forum + Xianyu.com + Miao Embroidery Project."

"In a project like this, with everything in red and only a patch of green, don't you think it looks like a joke? And isn't it conspicuous? Of course, being conspicuous is secondary; the most important thing is that people will wonder, why are you so special? And once they find out, a bunch of accusations of 'school protectionism' might be slapped on us. Even worse, our school might become the culprit in hindering such a good project, and this patch of green in a sea of ​​red would be the strongest evidence. It's just that they're clever enough not to be hindered by us and still managed to develop it. If this impression forms, our school will be in a very passive position."

After listening, Li Chen thought for a moment and said, "Principal Zhao, isn't this plan a bit too optimistic, like a single green leaf amidst a sea of ​​red?"

Zhao Linyuan glanced at him, then suddenly changed the subject: "Old Li, do you know about what happened at the campus's top ten singers competition last night?"

Li Chen shook his head. "I don't know. That's Old Zhang's responsibility. I didn't go last night."

Zhao Linyuan revealed something: "Old Zhang told me that he ran into Fang Tianming from the Department of Commerce at the campus's Top Ten Singers Competition last night..."

Zhao Linyuan learned about the campus top ten singers competition last night; Zhang Yiguang had called him to report it.

During the phone call, Zhang Yiguang not only reported Fang Tianming's presence but also mentioned Shen Kang, who was also present and sitting next to Fang Tianming. Fearing Zhao Linyuan might forget, Zhang Yiguang further reminded him that Shen Kang was the owner of the Beiming Community, mentioned in Ding Zhentao's proposal, who wanted to enter Qianmin University.

After telling Li Chen about what happened at the campus's top ten singers competition last night, Zhao Linyuan stopped talking and picked up his teacup, taking a sip of tea.

Li Chen was surprised and his thoughts were racing.

He never expected that Shen Kang could be connected to Fang Tianming of the Commerce Department. Furthermore, based on Zhao Linyuan's words, Li Chen had even more ideas:

It's possible that Shen Kang is just a front man, and there's someone else behind all this.

The more Li Chen thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. After all, based on what Li Chen knew, Shen Kang was only 18 years old and a freshman in college, yet he had managed to pull off so much—it was truly a bit unreasonable and even somewhat freakish. But if he was just a front man, with others behind him, then it suddenly made sense.

This Miao embroidery project further strengthens the plausibility of this conjecture.

What is this Miao embroidery project? It's essentially a local ethnic project focused on making noodles, with far more political than economic significance. If you didn't know better, you'd think it was a government-initiated project.

Shen Kang, an 18-year-old college freshman and a businessman, came up with this kind of project... The more you look at it, the more it seems like a front man.

Li Chen was somewhat alarmed.

Then, he held up a finger and pointed to the ceiling, his eyes probing, "Principal Zhao, what do you mean?"

Zhao Linyuan shook his head. "I didn't mean anything by it. I was just telling you what I know."