I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

The teachers at the school followed a similar path to the college students' housing purchases.

Administration Building

Qian Ming'en was sitting in his office, reviewing a teaching plan for the next semester.

That's when the door was pushed open.

The person who pushed the door didn't knock at all. The door panel slammed against the doorstop with a crisp sound. The force was just right, not too strong, not too weak, so that the person inside couldn't pretend they weren't there, and it was also right in the middle of "rudeness" and "what can you do to me?"

Then a tall, thin middle-aged man came in.

He is Kang Changgeng, the vice dean of the School of Foreign Languages.

This person and Qian Mingen entered Yangon University of Science and Technology in the same year, were promoted to associate professor in the same year, and were promoted to deputy director in the same year. Over the past twenty years, they have had their share of wins and losses in every dimension that can be compared, and neither of them is willing to admit defeat to the other.

Kang Changgeng did not come alone today.

Behind him followed a tall, thin boy wearing black-rimmed glasses and an overly clean white shirt with a metal badge pinned to his chest that read "National College English Speech Contest - Special Prize." The badge gleamed brightly under the fluorescent lights, almost blindingly so.

"Old Qian!" Kang Changgeng opened his arms wide as soon as he entered the door. His enthusiasm was so great that anyone who didn't know better would think he had come to pay a New Year's visit.

"I told you I'd come here to try my luck, and you're still here! That's great! Come, come, Xiao Qiu, come in. This is Vice Dean Qian, whom I often mention to you. He's a senior figure in the School of Economics and Management."

The boy named Xiao Qiu followed him in, standing upright with his chin slightly raised and a carefully trained smile on his face. The curve of his smile, the number of teeth he showed, and the subtlety of his gaze were all as precise as if measured with a compass.

"Hello, Dean Qian." Xiao Qiu bowed slightly, his voice loud and clear, full of energy, clearly indicating that he had been trained in broadcasting.

Qian Ming'en glanced at Kang Changgeng, then at the glowing badge behind him, and already knew what was going on.

He put down the red pen, leaned back in his chair, and picked up his teacup.

"Old Kang, what's wrong with you...?"

"Just passing by, nothing more."

Kang Changgeng sat down in the chair opposite him very naturally, and then pointed to another chair next to him, indicating that Xiao Qiu should sit down as well.

Xiao Qiu didn't sit down immediately. He glanced at Qian Ming'en first, and only sat down properly after Qian Ming'en nodded slightly, his back as straight as a ruler.

"I just finished a meeting, and I figured you'd still be in your office, so I thought I'd drop by. Perfect, it'll also let Xiao Qiu get acquainted with the place. Xiao Qiu, Dean Qian's School of Economics and Management is a long-established and strong school at Yangshuo University of Science and Technology; you should definitely learn from Dean Qian in the future."

"Yes, Dean Kang." Xiao Qiu nodded earnestly.

Qian Mingen took a sip of tea and remained silent.

Based on his understanding of Kang Changgeng, this kind of opening was a "warm-up," like bouncing a ball on the table a few times before playing table tennis to get a feel for it.

Sure enough, Kang Changgeng changed the subject, as if he had suddenly remembered something, and turned to look at Xiao Qiu, his tone filled with undisguised pride: "By the way, Xiao Qiu, your national competition special prize, that's the best result from our province's universities this year, right?"

"Yes, Dean Kang."

Xiao Qiu answered neither humbly nor arrogantly, his voice so loud it almost vibrated the windowpane, full of intonation and emotion.

"The judges on the organizing committee said that my impromptu speech received the highest score among all the contestants. They even included my speech in the collection of outstanding works, saying that they would print it out for the next year's contestants to use as a reference."

After listening, Kang Changgeng did not respond immediately, but instead turned to look at Qian Ming'en.

The timing of his turn was very precise—he needed to make sure Qian Ming'en was listening before he could deliver the message.

"Old Qian, listen to this,"

Kang Changgeng leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and drew a circle in the air with his right hand, as if displaying an invisible treasure: "National College English Speech Contest, National! Special Prize!"

"This has only happened twice in the entire history of Yangon Tech, the last time being fifteen years ago. Xiao Qiu has really brought a lot of honor to our school this time. The school leaders specifically praised him during a meeting, saying that the Foreign Languages ​​Department's achievements in this year's academic competitions are the benchmark for the entire school. Don't you think so, Xiao Qiu?"

"It's all thanks to Dean Kang's guidance," Xiao Qiu replied smoothly. "Before the competition, Dean Kang personally revised my speech five times and practiced with me in the voice room until after 11 p.m. every night. Without Dean Kang's guidance, I couldn't have achieved this result."

"Hey, you can't say that." Kang Changgeng waved his hand, his expression humble, but the smile on his lips was impossible to suppress. "It's mainly because you're ambitious. As your teacher, I'm just pointing you in the right direction."

"However, to be fair, our Foreign Languages ​​Department has indeed had a good run of success this year. In addition to Xiao Qiu's national competition special prize, we also won the Best Organization Award at the provincial Foreign Language and Culture Festival, two first prizes and one second prize in the translation competition, and last month we even got a plaque for 'Demonstration Site for Foreign Language Teaching Reform and Innovation' from the Provincial Department of Education..."

Kang Changgeng launched into a long, rambling monologue, much like reciting a menu. After finishing, he paused, picked up the untouched glass of cold tea on Qian Ming'en's table, glanced at it, and then put it down, clearly finding the tea too inferior.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Kang Changgeng leaned forward and asked in a "heart-to-heart" tone, "By the way, Lao Qian, how are the academic competitions in your School of Economics and Management going this year? I remember last semester you said you wanted students to participate in some kind of competition, what was it like? How did that competition go?"

After asking his question, Kang Changgeng leaned back in his chair, changed the direction of his crossed legs, and put on a gentle, concerned, and completely harmless smile.

He knew that the School of Economics and Management had a poor track record in these competitions. In previous years, their best result was only a third prize in the provincial competition, and they had never even made it to the national competition. When he asked this question, he didn't expect any decent answer. He just needed a pretext to keep talking.

Qian Ming'en put down his teacup.

Kang Changgeng had seen this routine of "bringing students over for a visit and showing off their treasures" ten years ago, and the pattern had never changed: first, have the students introduce themselves, then play a question-and-answer game, listing their grades one by one, and finally "casually" ask the other party, "How is your department doing this year?" to complete the whole show-off routine.

It may be a cliché, but Kang Changgeng always puts his heart into the role, which is something Qian Mingen admires – the ability to use the same routine for ten years without getting tired of it is a talent in itself.

Qian Mingen was about to say something, but before he could speak, he had already said it.

The door was pushed open again.

This time, it was Shen Kang who pushed open the door.

He'd sorted things out on Xiaodong Street and was now visiting relatives and friends.

With one hand, she carried a bulging paper bag printed with the pattern of Yan Yu Cha Ji and the letter "l", while with the other hand, she pushed open the door.

After the door was pushed open, he first poked half his body in.

"Dean Qian,"

Shen Kang glanced around the room and saw that there were still guests in Dean Qian's office, and they seemed to be chatting. He decided to come and visit later. "Busy? Then I'll come and visit later."

After Shen Kang finished greeting everyone, he was about to leave when Qian Ming'en waved his hand and said, "You need something from me? No problem, I don't have anything important to do anyway. Since you're already here, just come in and sit down and wait."

Seeing that Qian Ming'en had said that, Shen Kang brought in the milk tea.

As he entered, everyone noticed that there was a girl following behind him.

Qian Ming'en had met Shen Kang's girlfriend, He Qiuzhu, before, so he didn't show any particular expression. However, it was the first time that Kang Changgeng and Xiao Qiu had met He Qiuzhu.

Kang Changgeng was alright; after all, he was old. He only looked at the person with a look of amazement, thinking, "There really is such a beautiful person in real life?" and then it was over.

Xiao Qiu stared blankly, unable to come to her senses for a long time, her confident and composed demeanor completely gone.

After entering, Shen Kang took a few steps, looking left and right, seemingly unsure where to sit, as if he wasn't very familiar with Qian Ming'en.

Seeing this, Qian Ming'en chuckled to himself, thinking that Shen Kang was indeed cautious and didn't know anything about Kang Changgeng's background, so he pretended not to know him.

"Sit wherever you like, Xiao Shen, Xiao He."

After Qian Ming'en asked Shen Kang and He Qiuzhu to sit down, he introduced Vice Dean Kang to them and then turned to Kang Changgeng.

"Old Kang, didn't you just ask about that competition in our college? It's called the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. Let me introduce you to this Shen Kang, a freshman in the e-commerce class. He just signed up casually and participated without much effort, and before he knew it, he had made it to the national finals."

The smile on Kang Changgeng's face froze instantly.

"The national finals?" Kang Changgeng repeated, his voice rising half a tone from before.

"Hmm." Qian Ming'en slowly put down his cup. "Old Kang, you might not be paying much attention to this competition. The 'Three Innovations Competition,' officially known as the National College Students' 'Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship' Challenge, is jointly organized by the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Education. It's considered the highest-level academic competition in the field of entrepreneurship in China. This year, only one undergraduate project from the entire province made it to the national competition—Shen Kang's team."

Kang Changgeng's Adam's apple bobbed.

He turned his head and glanced at Xiao Qiu.

Xiao Qiu was still sitting there upright, his back still straight, but the grand prize badge on his chest seemed to have suddenly lost its luster under the fluorescent light.

At this moment, Xiao Qiu finally turned her gaze away from He Qiuzhu's face and noticed this subtle change.

The smile was still on his face, but his eyes began to drift towards Kang Changgeng, a distress signal that seemed to say, "Boss, what's the next act?"

Before Kang Changgeng could adjust his strategy, Shen Kang spoke up.

"Dean Qian, didn't I have something to do and miss the provincial competition? How did we make it to the national finals?"

In just a short while, he had basically figured out what was going on at the scene from the conversation between Qian Mingen and Kang Changgeng, and he also knew what he should say.

Upon hearing this, Qian Ming'en was secretly delighted, but maintained a serious expression: "Yes, I just received the message and haven't had a chance to inform you yet, but you've come to my door first, so I'll tell you all at once."

"no."

At this moment, Kang Changgeng couldn't help but interject, "Old Qian, this Shen Kang from your department didn't even go to the provincial competition? And he still made it to the national finals?"

He felt as if he had caught a loophole in Old Qian's words.

Qian Ming'en thought to himself, "I was just afraid you wouldn't ask," and then said casually, "Well, this kid was really outrageous. Right before the competition, he suddenly told me he couldn't participate. Fortunately, Xiao Shen did well in his event, and his teammates who stepped in at the last minute also performed well, so they still won most of the judges' praise and qualified for the national finals."

After saying that, he looked at Shen Kang with a hint of reproach: "You brat, don't cause me any more trouble during the national finals. The national finals are not like the provincial finals. You can just go through the motions in the provincial finals and win, but there are a lot of experts in the national finals. I reckon you'll have to be serious to have a chance of winning the championship."

Shen Kang nodded and gave a self-deprecating laugh: "I just came up with an idea on the spot, and I never expected that I would actually make it to the national finals."

Just some random idea? What kind of nonsense is that? Kang Changgeng remained silent.

Qian Ming'en was even more delighted inside, but his face remained serious as he commented, "That's real skill. Sigh, to be honest, I'm ashamed to say that I've been too busy to help you revise your manuscript five times, or discuss projects with you until 11 p.m...."

Every word he spoke, whether sarcastic or sarcastic, made Kang Changgeng's face twitch.

"...I'm ashamed. Luckily, you have the ability and you worked hard, so you finally made it to the national finals."

Shen Kang disagreed with Qian Ming'en's words. "It's alright, don't feel ashamed, Dean Qian. If you don't value it, neither do I. The idea was something I came up with on the spot, and I only finished the script the day before I went on stage. If you really value it and make me work so hard, then I'll be in a real bind."

"..." Kang Changgeng remained silent.

Qian Ming'en's stomach trembled as he tried to suppress his laughter, but his face remained serious, with a hint of reprimand: "The national finals still need to be taken seriously." He paused, then added, "At least you can't just say you have something to do and can't participate again. If you really can't participate in the national finals, you should at least tell me in advance."

Shen Kang understood and nodded, "Yes, if something comes up and I can't attend, I'll let you know in advance."

Qian Ming'en added, "But we should try to avoid something like that happening. After all, you yourself are the most likely to win the championship."

"I'll try my best, but I can't guarantee it. You know I'm very busy."...

Kang Changgeng remained silent.

Look at the nonsense these two are spouting! They act like winning the championship is a piece of cake as long as Shen Kang gets serious.

Furthermore, the idea that they came up with on the spur of the moment and won without even reaching the provincial competition sounds too absurd.

But Kang Changgeng really didn't dare to question it.

Just as Qian Mingen understood Kang Changgeng, Kang Changgeng also understood Qian Mingen.

So he knew that Qian Mingen wasn't one to make empty promises. If he dared to say something like that, it must be true. He was just waiting for Qian Mingen to ask him, and then Qian Mingen would produce evidence to prove him wrong.

You'd be really stupid to ask these questions yourself.

Kang Changgeng made up his mind not to ask about these things, but to wait for a way to start a conversation and change the subject.

However, Kang Changgeng understands Qian Mingen, but Xiao Qiu does not.

Xiao Qiu only saw that while Shen Kang was singing and dancing with Qian Ming'en, the fairy named He Qiuzhu kept staring at Shen Kang, her gaze glued to him.

Then Xiao Qiu suddenly spoke up: "Shen Kang, what important thing is it that you're not even participating in a competition like the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition? And it's the provincial competition, you..."

Xiao Qiu hesitated, and ultimately didn't say what he meant, but everyone understood what he meant: he was questioning whether Shen Kang was bragging.

Xiao Qiu agreed. After all, winning without even participating in the competition was too outrageous to be true. Only this fairy would believe it—not because she was stupid, but because she was innocent and naive.

Xiao Qiu had seen plenty of guys like Shen Kang. He relied on his good looks, his eloquence, and his constant boasting to always manage to fool some girls.

As a righteous person, I feel it is my duty to expose them and prevent young girls from being deceived by them.

Upon hearing this, Shen Kang glanced at Qian Ming'en, his eyes conveying a message—Dean Qian, is this one of your people? Wow, you've even planted an undercover agent next to the enemy, cooperating with us.

Qian Mingen was practically bursting with laughter, trying his best to hold it in, his lips twitching.

After struggling to suppress his laughter, Qian Mingen pinched his thigh hard and finally spoke slowly, continuing the conversation that Xiao Qiu had given him.