I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

After finishing his business with Mu Xin, it was dinnertime, so Shen Kang treated Mu Xin to dinner at his home.

He paid for it, and Mu Xin cooked dinner—two chicken breast salads—which was a rather unique meal for the new family.

After finishing his meal, Shen Kang took his leave.

By this time, it was already dark, and the streetlights had come on.

Walking on the campus of Yangshi Normal University, you can often see female students in twos and threes, carrying books, heading to the study room. It seems that they have already started their final exam review battle.

The atmosphere of finals is palpable.

Shen Kang walked out of Yangshi Normal School and came to Yangke University of Science and Technology.

Walking on the campus of Yangon University of Science and Technology, the atmosphere of final exams was noticeably weaker. Although there were some students carrying books to the study room and entering final exam review mode, there were also quite a few college students like Shen Kang who were wandering around the campus aimlessly.

It must be said that girls are generally more proactive and serious about studying than boys.

And so, Shen Kang walked all the way to the dormitory building and went upstairs.

As soon as they entered the large dormitory, they heard unfamiliar voices coming from their small dormitory room.

Upon entering, they found Wang Pan, Feng Moquan, and Jin Chao all in the dormitory. In addition, there was an unfamiliar boy in the dormitory, talking to Feng Moquan and the others.

This unfamiliar young man looked a bit more mature than Shen Kang and the other freshmen, but he was probably only twenty-three or twenty-four at most, so he was probably a senior. He was over 1.7 meters tall, not handsome but with a righteous air, and he was quite pleasing to the eye.

The unfamiliar male student paused as someone entered, looked at Shen Kang, and smiled, "Excuse me, are you in this dorm too?"

Shen Kang nodded, hummed in agreement, and prepared to walk to his seat.

The unfamiliar young man then introduced himself: "Hello, I'm Liang Zhidao from 'Public Service Pioneers.' Our organization is a civil service exam preparation institution dedicated to serving students preparing for the civil service exam. If you're interested, feel free to learn more."

As he spoke, he pulled out a business card and handed it over with both hands.

Shen Kang accepted the document with both hands, saying, "Okay." He then walked to his seat, opened his laptop, and prepared to check his emails.

Liang Zhidao glanced at Shen Kang again, thinking to himself that this junior was a bit different and seemed to be a person with his own opinions.

After thinking for a moment, Liang Zhidao withdrew his gaze from Shen Kang and turned back to Wang Pan and the others, continuing, "These past few months since you started university have been much more enjoyable than your senior year of high school, haven't you? Nobody's watching you, playing games, sleeping in late... Honestly, isn't it great?"

Wang Pan and the others nodded in agreement. "Great!"

Liang Zhidao smiled knowingly at everyone, then his tone suddenly turned sincere but slightly heavy, "It's good to feel good. But brothers, I'm here today to say something that might not sound so nice, but it's absolutely from the bottom of my heart. You know, this kind of 'feeling good' is what's widening the gap between you and another group of people."

Leung Chi-tao leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice, creating an atmosphere of sharing secrets.

"While you're enjoying yourselves, others have already started doing something, getting a head start on your life's journey. That thing is taking the civil service exam!"

Then he pulled his body back a little and began to tell his story.

"As everyone knows, Yangko University of Science and Technology is just a second-tier university, and the graduates' asking price is actually quite weak. In previous years, it was better, as university graduates were guaranteed job placement, but now university graduates are no longer guaranteed job placement, and our Yangko University of Science and Technology students have a lot of trouble finding employment on their own after graduation. In the eyes of some larger companies, our Yangko University of Science and Technology is not much different from a junior college, especially for fresh graduates who did not choose a good major."

Liang Zhidao began to give examples.

"In my year, I had a classmate majoring in Public Administration. This major is practically a death sentence; it's so hard to find a job after graduation. In the end, this classmate couldn't find anything and ended up working as a waiter in a karaoke bar..."

Liang Zhidao's case library contains quite a few such cases, presented one after another, none of them repeating.

Wang Pan and his classmates were college freshmen who had only been out of high school for half a year. This was the first time they had heard someone talk to them about employment and throw the bloody and cruel reality in front of them. They couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

As Shen Kang browsed through the emails, he thought to himself, "Wow, that's impressive. They're even recruiting freshmen for civil service exams."

Meanwhile, Liang Zhidao finished recounting several basic cases as usual and then gave a concluding speech.

"...Therefore, for students of Yangon Tech who want a bright future, taking the civil service exam is absolutely the best choice!"

Based on Liang Zhidao's experience, he could anticipate the opponent's reaction after he finished a combo, and he had various contingency plans.

But this dormitory was beyond his expectations.

The three freshmen in front of them all turned their heads and looked at the boy who had just returned to his dormitory.

"Old Shen, what do you think of taking the civil service exam?"

Wang Pan and the others acted on instinct as well.

After all, Old Shen is a rich second-generation heir who's been involved in all sorts of messy things, so he's got a good eye for things. Listening to Old Shen's opinion is never a bad idea.

A question mark crossed Liang Zhidao's mind, and then he looked at the boy who had been the last to return to the dormitory.

Shen Kang thought for a moment, then shifted his attention away from the screen and looked at them, saying, "As Mr. Lu Xun once said, I think it makes a lot of sense—'The end of the universe is taking the civil service exam.'"

"...Lu Xun actually said that?" Feng Moquan asked, puzzled.

Although Liang Zhidao was also quite puzzled, Shen Kang's words were in his best interest, so he quickly chimed in, "Yes! Mr. Lu Xun's words are profound!"

Shen Kang chuckled and continued, "Our Yangke University does have significant disadvantages. Not to mention public administration, even for our e-commerce major, the job prospects for ordinary students aren't great. The ceiling is high, but the floor is low. So, if you can successfully pass the civil service exam, it's actually a pretty good option."

"That student is absolutely right!"

Liang Zhidao quickly picked up where Shen Kang left off, and went on to explain the benefits of taking the civil service exam, making it seem as if taking the civil service exam was the only way out for Wang Pan and the others.

After listening to the conversation, Feng Moquan questioned, "I heard that most students only take the civil service exam in their senior year, or at the earliest in their junior year. Isn't it too early for us to start preparing in our freshman year?"

Liang Zhidao has long had a set of answers to these frequently asked questions: "Greetings! 'Do we have to prepare for the civil service exam in our freshman year?' Asking this question shows that you have a plan for your time and are not willing to blindly follow others, which is excellent. Many people only ask this question in their senior year, and by then it's too late."

Liang Zhidao's tone became earnest and forceful.

"But, my friend, today I want to share a viewpoint that might seem a bit counterintuitive: the first year of university is precisely the golden period for preparing for civil service exams!"

"I'm not telling you to start practicing aptitude tests and memorizing essays every day from your freshman year; that's something for juniors and seniors to do in their final push. What we're talking about is—strategic planning."

"Think about it, what is the 'civil service exam'? It's the most complex ability-based selection exam in China. In ancient times, this was called the imperial examination! Think about it, how many people took the imperial examination from their youth until they were old and gray? Thinking about it this way, isn't it too early for us to start preparing in our freshman year of college? Not only is it not early, it's even too late!..."

"First, there's the entry ticket of status. For civil service exams, what are the entry requirements for many core departments and selected graduate positions? It's not scores, it's being a Party member, a student leader, or receiving honors at the school level or above. Can these things be crammed into during your junior or senior year? No, you can't. You have to start preparing for them from your freshman year..."

"Second, the ability moat. What does the civil service exam test? Verbal comprehension, logical reasoning, and data analysis. You can certainly improve your score on these by doing a lot of practice questions. But what about the essay section? What about the interview? The essay section tests your government thinking in analyzing and solving problems... Can these abilities be developed by doing tons of practice questions in your junior and senior years? No, you can't. They need four years of time, growing little by little in case analysis classes, in debate competitions, in social practice investigation reports, and even in the process of mediating conflicts between classmates as a class leader..."

"Third, the information gap advantage... While other students are still searching online for 'how many subjects are in the civil service exam,' you've already been precisely preparing for three years based on the past years' score requirements and professional requirements for your desired position. That's called 'information gap advantage'! Information gap is the most unfair and fatal advantage in the civil service exam. And what our organization is doing now is helping you seize this information gap!..."

Shen Kang stopped looking at his emails and turned to watch Liang Zhidao's speech with great interest.

These days, civil service exam training institutions are mostly targeting senior college students; it's quite rare to find civil service exam products aimed at freshmen.

Feng Moquan and the others listened and felt that what this senior brother Liang said made a lot of sense. Starting to prepare for the civil service exam in freshman year seemed to be just right, not too early.

Wang Pan's eyes flickered as if he had thought of something.

As Liang Zhidao continued speaking, he finally reached the end.

His final words, however, were not to persuade Wang Pan and the others to sign up, but rather to take out a flyer and hand it to them.

"Our organization is holding a free 'Civil Service Exam Planning Salon' at the activity center this week. You can come and listen if you have time. If you feel it's useless after listening, you're welcome to come and criticize me directly."

Liang Zhidao is an experienced man and knows that these kinds of things shouldn't be rushed.

Everything went according to procedure, and he was ready to leave for the next dormitory.

Unexpectedly, Wang Pan came up to him, grabbed his arm, and stared at him intently with his eyes.

"I want to sign up!"

Liang Zhidao was somewhat surprised, "Uh, you haven't learned about our course fees yet..."

Wang Pan shook his head firmly, his tone unwavering: "Money doesn't matter, I want to sign up!"

"..."

This was the first time Liang Zhidao had encountered a student like this—this freshman was like a fat sheep stretching its neck out for them to slaughter, and without any attempt to hide it.

However, Liang Zhidao and his team were a legitimate organization, so they didn't immediately take advantage of this lucrative opportunity—after all, the other party had only stated at the beginning that "money doesn't matter, he wants to sign up," and they hadn't actually paid him yet. What if they quoted too high a price and scared him away?

Therefore, Liang Zhidao simply told them the honest price of their products.

"We have two products for first-year university students."

"The first one is our 'Early Bird Program for Civil Service Exams - Get a Head Start from the Start'!"

"This product is charged on an annual fee basis, and there are different product sub-categories with several tiers, ranging from 1980 per year to 2980 per year."

"The second product is our flagship offering for high-end clients—the four-year 'Civil Service Elite' guaranteed pass program!"

"This flagship product packages all planning, training, and interview coaching from freshman to senior year of university, and includes a signed agreement that a partial refund will be provided if you do not pass the preliminary national or provincial civil service exam!"

"Of course, just like the early bird program, this flagship product is also divided into several categories, ranging from 9800 to 15800. Oh, by the way, this price isn't for each year, it's all-inclusive..."

Upon hearing the words "high-end clients" and "flagship products," Wang Pan couldn't contain himself.

"That flagship product, the most expensive one!"

Wang Pan himself didn't have any money, but he could ask his family for it—for something as important as taking the civil service exam, his family would not hesitate to pay for it.

Liang Zhidao asked, "Student, are you sure you want to buy this flagship product priced at 15800?"

"I'm sure."

Liang Zhidao asked several more questions, and finally, based on his extensive experience in judging people, he determined that this student, Wang, genuinely wanted to buy their 15800 product and had the means to do so.

This delighted Liang Zhidao.

He's just here today for his routine sales pitch. If some of the customers he's selling to tonight gradually come to trust him and are willing to buy their "early bird plan," then he'll have already achieved his goal.

Unexpectedly, one student immediately expressed their intention to buy the most expensive product, which was a pleasant surprise.

Liang Zhidao instantly became even more enthusiastic. After discussing some details with Wang Pan, the deal was basically finalized. Only the final procedure remained: taking Wang Pan to visit their organization, then signing the contract and making payment.

Feng Moquan and Jin Chao were not as impulsive as Wang Pan, and their intentions were not strong.

To their surprise, Shen Kang stopped playing on the computer, walked over, and said to Liang Zhidao, "Could you give me some of your brochures and materials?"

Feng Moquan asked in surprise, "Old Shen, are you also planning to take the civil service exam?"

Old Shen is a rich second-generation, and he's been tirelessly running so many businesses. He seems destined for entrepreneurship, so why is he suddenly interested in taking the civil service exam?

Wang Pan reacted the most strongly, "Old Shen, you can't take the civil service exam!"

He's been upset ever since he saw Lao Shen on TV last night, and he still can't calm down.

Does this mean I'll always be suppressed by Old Shen? Why must there be both Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang?!

Just as Wang Pan was sighing and lamenting, troubled by his inability to escape Shen Kang's shadow, Liang Zhidao came to his door.

After listening to the man talk for a while, Wang Pan suddenly had a flash of inspiration—that's right, he could take the civil service exam and become a high-ranking leader in the future!

No matter how capable Lao Shen is, he'll just be a businessman in the future. If I become a high-ranking leader, won't I be able to easily suppress Lao Shen?

Wang Pan even foresaw this scene in the future:

I sat behind my desk, with the magnificent national emblem right behind me.

Old Shen, that wicked capitalist, brought over a cup of tea, bowing and scraping before me. He put the tea down, smiling obsequiously, and said, "Director Wang, what do you think of my project?"

With an upright expression, he drawled, "The city has decided that this project will be put out to tender through open bidding. Although we're old classmates, you wouldn't want me to make a mistake, would you? I think you should prepare your materials and go to the bidding."

Old Shen nodded repeatedly, continuing to bow and scrape, completely losing the spirited demeanor he had in school, his face now full of obsequiousness towards himself, the "King of the Hall."

"Yes, yes, Director Wang agrees. For the sake of our old classmate relationship, how about I treat you to dinner tonight, Director Wang, please do me the honor of coming..."

Wang Pan thought about it more and more, and his heart was filled with excitement.

This explains why he is so eager to take the civil service exam.

Now, it seems that Lao Shen is also going to take the civil service exam?

As a result, Wang Pan reacted strongly and tried to stop it.

Everyone looked over.

Wang Pan's heart skipped a beat, realizing his little scheme had been exposed. He quickly chuckled dryly and said, "Look, your business is thriving; you're destined for the cover of Forbes magazine. Wouldn't it be a waste of your talent to take the civil service exam?"

Shen Kang chuckled, "I'm just looking into it; I'm not going to take the civil service exam."

Wang Pan was still uneasy. "Swear it."

Shen Kang was exasperated. "What kind of oath am I supposed to make?"

Wang Pan persisted: "Swear that you will never take the civil service exam in your life!"

After being entangled in Wang Pan's death for a while, Shen Kang got tired of him and pushed Liang Zhidao out the door.

Shen Kang was quite an interesting guy. He directly took on the role of the traitor's translator. Relying on his familiarity with the building, he led Liang Zhidao like a Japanese soldier entering a village, and they ransacked the entire building.

During that time, Liang Zhidao was talking to his classmates about taking the civil service exam, and he listened from the side.

After sweeping the entire building, Shen Kang escorted Liang Zhidao downstairs.

The two stood at the entrance of the apartment building. Liang Zhidao didn't leave immediately. Instead, he took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, and offered it to Shen Kang, "Want one?"

Shen Kang smiled and declined, "Thank you, but no."

Liang Zhidao also put away his cigarettes, smiling as well, "Actually, I don't smoke. I just carry a pack with me, ready to use it for social occasions."

He paused, then asked, "Junior Brother Shen, is there something you want to tell me?"

He wasn't stupid; he could easily tell that Shen Kang had something to say to him.

Shen Kang nodded.

After sweeping through the building, having known each other for quite some time, he went straight to the point: "I'd like to ask Senior Brother Liang if you'd be interested in doing a part-time job."