Reborn in 2005, starting with repairing mobile phones

Chapter 128 What can I do?

He turned and left the office.

When I got back to the dormitory, the door was ajar.

Lin Dong pushed open the door and went in.

Li Hu was lying in bed, his thumb tapping away on his phone's keypad, a small snake spinning in the cubicle on the screen. Chen Long was reading, while Xu Zang leaned against the headboard, flipping through his book, which he had read countless times.

A few minutes later, Li Hu suddenly sat up and scratched his head.

"Um—I'm going out for a bit."

Lin Dong glanced at him.

"OK."

Li Hu stood up and walked out.

The door closed.

Administration building.

Third floor. Director's office.

Chen Guo sat behind his desk with a smile on his face.

Lin Dong had just left and refused, but he wasn't in a hurry; there were still three more to go.

He knew Li Hu well. He was outgoing and eloquent; he should have no problem giving a speech on stage. Unlike Lin Dong, who was so quiet and reserved.

He picked up his teacup and slowly took a sip. He was confident.

"Knock knock knock".

"Come in."

Li Hu pushed open the door and casually sat down in a chair.

"Director Chen, is there something you need?"

Chen Guo put down his teacup and looked at him with a smile.

"Li Hu, I've looked at your high school projects. They're very good."

Li Hu scratched his head and chuckled twice.

"It's alright, it's just something I did for fun."

Chen Guo waved his hand.

Don't be modest. The school values ​​you highly.

He paused, then leaned forward.

"I called you here today because there's something I want to tell you. The school wants you to speak as a representative of outstanding freshmen at the opening ceremony after military training."

Li Hu was stunned for a moment.

"Huh? To speak?"

Chen Guo nodded, looking at him expectantly.

"Yes. You have a good personality and are eloquent. You'll definitely have no problem saying a few words on stage. With over ten thousand people watching, it's a great opportunity."

Li Hu scratched his head.

"Um—Director Chen, can I refuse?"

Chen Guo's smile froze for a moment.

"reject?"

Li Hu nodded.

"I don't want to be too high-profile. Doing projects is fine, but giving speeches on stage—it's too much of a hassle."

Chen Guo looked at him, somewhat surprised.

"You really don't want to?"

Li Hu nodded.

"I really don't want to."

Chen Guo was silent for two seconds. What's wrong with kids these days? Speaking in front of more than 10,000 people, what a prestigious thing, why is no one willing to do it? It's one thing for Lin Dong to do it, but even Li Hu, that chatterbox, won't go?

He couldn't quite understand it.

But since things have already come to this point, it's not appropriate to offer any further advice.

He waved his hand.

"Alright, then I won't force you."

Li Hu stood up.

"Thank you, Director Chen."

He turned and walked out, his steps light.

Chen Guo watched his retreating figure, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

again.

It's alright, there are still two left — wait, how can you say it's alright?

He put down his teacup and frowned.

Lin Dong refused, and Li Hu also refused. These two were the ones he thought had the best chance. Lin Dong was calm and composed, and Li Hu was outgoing; either of them could hold their own.

Now both of them are gone.

What about the remaining two—can they handle it?

He stood up, walked a few steps around the office, and then sat down again.

He picked up his teacup and took another sip.

Well, just tell the principal: I've tried my best, but the kids don't want to go. What can I do? As the admissions director, I can't just force them to go on stage, can I?

Yeah.

He put the teacup on the table, and a smile returned to his face.

I'm such a genius.

The rest, let's call him Chen Long.

Li Hu returned to his dormitory carrying a bag of oranges.

"You're back?" Lin Dong glanced at him.

Li Hu shook the bag in his hand.

"Someone downstairs was handing them out, so I just grabbed a bag."

He put the bag on the table, sat on the bed, picked up his phone, and continued playing Snake.

Chen Long closed the book and stood up.

"I'm going out too."

Administration building.

Third floor.

Director's Office.

Chen Long knocked on the door.

"Come in."

He pushed the door open and went in.

Chen Guo sat behind his desk, his smile fading slightly.

He looked up at Chen Long.

"Please sit down."

Chen Long sat down in the chair and pushed up his glasses.

Chen Guo looked at him but didn't speak immediately.

He didn't know much about this kid. His file listed a whole bunch of awards; he was clearly the kind of kid who buried himself in research.

He wasn't as talkative as Li Hu, nor as enigmatic as Lin Dong.

Chen Guoqing cleared his throat.

"Chen Long, I've reviewed your file. First prize in the National Youth Science and Technology Innovation Competition, first prize in the provincial robotics competition—these are highly prestigious achievements."

Chen Long nodded.

"Thank you, Director Chen. What can I do for you?"

Chen Guo leaned forward.

"I called you here today so that you can speak as a representative of outstanding freshmen at the opening ceremony."

Chen Long thought for a moment.

I've been getting along very well with everyone in the dorm these past two days. No one asked him what awards he'd won, no one inquired about what projects he'd worked on, and no one looked at him with that "wow, you're a genius" kind of look.

They were just ordinary college roommates.

He didn't want to break the relationship.

"Director Chen, can I refuse?"

Chen Guo was taken aback.

"Are you going to refuse too?"

Chen Long nodded.

"I'm not really suited to be on stage."

Chen Guo looked at him.

"Why is it unsuitable?"

Chen Long pushed up his glasses.

"I speak slowly and I'm afraid of awkward silences."

Chen Guo frowned.

Isn't a back-to-school speech a good thing? Why are they all refusing?

But he still wanted to try again.

"Chen Long, are you really not going to reconsider? The school can help you write the script, and you can just read it. It's okay to speak slowly; that's called pausing, it makes you seem more composed."

Chen Long shook his head.

"Director Chen, let's forget about it."

Chen Guo took a deep breath and waved his hand.

"Alright."

Chen Long stood up.

"Thank you, Director Chen."

He turned and walked out.

Chen Guo watched his retreating figure, and the corner of his mouth twitched again.

This is the third one.

He leaned back in his chair.

It's over. He had looked into Xu Zang; of the four, Xu Zang had the least information and was the most mysterious. The task assigned by the principal was likely to fail.

But Principal, I tried my best. Why did these four geniuses in this year's class not play by the rules?

He picked up his phone, opened the text message interface, and hesitated for a moment.

I'll just send a text message. I don't want to be hurt in person again.

He carefully considered his words before typing:

【Hello Xu Zang, this is Director Chen from the Admissions Office. The school would like to invite you to speak as a representative of outstanding freshmen at the opening ceremony after the military training.】

The school can help you prepare the manuscript, and the schedule will be fully flexible. Please reply to me if you are interested.

Thanks.】

He read it again and added: "This is a rare opportunity; over ten thousand new students will be watching you."

I looked at it again and thought it was about right, so I clicked send.

The phone vibrated in less than two seconds.

【In no mood.】

Chen Guo stared at the screen, his lips twitching.

I don't want to. Just two words. Not even a second explanation.

He tossed his phone onto the table, leaned back in his chair, and stared at the ceiling.

Okay, you guys are good.

He picked up his phone and dialed the principal's number.

"Hello, Principal, it's me."

The principal's voice came from the other end of the phone: "How's it going? Has it been decided?"

Chen Guo took a deep breath.

"Principal, all four of them refused."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

"They all refused?"

Chen Guo nodded.

"Yes. Lin Dong said he wanted to keep a low profile, Li Hu said he didn't want to be too high-profile, Chen Long said he was afraid of awkward silences, and Xu Zang—Xu Zang replied with two words, 'I don't want to.'"

The principal was silent for a few seconds, then smiled.

"Alright, let them be. They're all good prospects. If they don't want to go on stage, they don't have to. Find the one with the highest score in this year's college entrance exam and have him go on stage."

Chen Guo nodded quickly.

"Okay, okay, I'll take care of it right away."

He let out a long sigh after hanging up the phone.

Finally, there's a way out.

He flipped through the files and found the student with the highest score in this year's college entrance examination, Zhang Ming, from Jiangsu, who scored 703 in science.

He picked up the phone and dialed counselor Zhang Ming's number.

Half an hour later, Zhang Ming knocked on the door and came in.

He stood ramrod straight, his face filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"Director Chen, you wanted to see me?"

Chen Guo looked up at him.

These eyes, these expressions, are completely different from the three from before.

When Lin Dong and the others came in, they all acted as if nothing had happened. Xu Zang was even more audacious, not uttering a single word.

The person in front of me—before even opening their mouth, couldn't hide their excitement.

Chen Guo sighed inwardly.

"The school would like you to speak at the opening ceremony as a representative of outstanding freshmen."

Zhang Ming's eyes lit up immediately.

"Really? I—I'll definitely prepare well!"

"Director Chen, please rest assured, I will definitely prepare diligently. I've loved public speaking since I was a child, and I was a host in junior high and high school. I'm particularly good at these kinds of occasions! I will definitely perform well and not let the school down!"

Chen Guo nodded.

"Okay, go and get ready."

Zhang Ming nodded repeatedly.

"Thank you, Director Chen! Thank you, school! This is such a rare opportunity, I will definitely cherish it!"

After the opening ceremony, I will write a reflection and publish it in the school magazine!

"By the way, Director Chen, do you need me to rehearse beforehand? Do you need me to familiarize myself with the venue beforehand? Do you need me to—"

Chen Guo frowned and interrupted him impatiently.

"Alright, go and get ready."

Zhang Ming was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening.

"Okay, okay, I'll get ready right away! Thank you, Director Chen! Thank you, school!"

He turned and walked out, muttering to himself that he was too excited and would definitely prepare well.

Chen Guo watched his figure disappear through the door, then picked up his teacup and took a sip.

They talked too much. He thought of those four people from earlier; not one of them was excited, not one was thrilled, and not one of them thought it was some kind of amazing opportunity.

And what's in front of me—

He put down his teacup and leaned back in his chair.

The difference between a top-tier genius and a relative genius lies here.

They care about completely different things.

Ordinary people see opportunities, honors, and the glory of being watched by more than ten thousand people. Geniuses see trouble, exposure, and the price of having their peaceful lives disturbed.

Different perspectives lead to different levels of understanding.

Chen Guo smiled and took another sip of tea.

This year's session is interesting.

The following day. Opening ceremony.

The playground was packed with people, and the sun was so bright it made their eyes water.

On stage, the principal was giving a speech. Then the school leaders spoke. Then a representative of the new students gave a speech.

Zhang Ming stood on the stage, holding his script, his voice booming.

"—I will cherish my youth, study diligently, and bring honor to Shenzhen University!"

Applause erupted from the audience.

Lin Dong sat below, leaning back in his chair, his eyelids heavy.

It's almost over.

Lunch. Cafeteria.

The four people, each carrying a plate, sat down in their usual spot.

The cafeteria was crowded, and everyone was talking about the morning's opening ceremony.

At the next table, a few boys were having a lively conversation.

"What was that freshman representative's name again? Zhang Ming, right?"

"Yes, 703 on the college entrance exam, that's really impressive."

"It's such an honor to speak at the opening ceremony. It'll definitely be on my resume."

"I'm so envious. If I could be selected, my parents would be overjoyed."

The other table was also chatting.

"I heard he wrote the article himself, and it took him several days."

"Really? That's amazing!"

"Of course, otherwise how could we have chosen him as our representative?"

Li Hu picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, chewed it, and listened to the boastful talk from the table next to him. Suddenly, he chuckled.

"Is it really necessary? It's just a comment."

Chen Long looked up and adjusted his glasses.

"They probably feel quite honored."

Li Hu curled his lip.

"Glory? I'd rather sleep a little longer."

Someone at the next table heard this and turned to look at them.

Li Hu didn't flinch, and casually looked back.

The man paused for a moment, looked away, and continued talking, but his voice was a little softer.

Lin Dong's lips twitched.

That's how it is in school; you can discuss the smallest things for ages, and you feel like it's a huge honor to speak on stage. He's been through it too, so he understands.

But while I understand, I'd rather not let him take the stage.

The four of them continued eating.

The discussion was still going on, but it didn't seem as lively as before.

Their table was so quiet it seemed out of place.

Not far away, Chen Guo, carrying a tray, walked this way with several school leaders.

Zhang Ming's eyes suddenly lit up at the next table.

"Director Chen!"

He put down his chopsticks, sat up straight, and had an irrepressible smile on his face.

The school leaders are here, probably to congratulate him, right? They might even want him to sit with them, chat about the opening ceremony, ask him how he felt, and offer some encouragement.

He cleared his throat, straightened his collar, and prepared to stand up.

Chen Guo's footsteps passed by him.

It didn't stop.

Zhang Ming was stunned for a moment, and the smile on his face froze.

Maybe—maybe I should go to another table and say hello first?

He watched as Chen Guo walked to the next table and stopped in front of the four people.

"How's the food here?"

Chen Guo asked with a smile.

Zhang Ming stood there, frozen.

Li Hu looked up and paused for a moment.

"It's quite delicious."

Chen Guo nodded.

"That's good. Was military training tiring?"

Li Hu scratched his head.

"It's alright, but my legs go numb after standing for a long time."

Several school leaders laughed.

Chen Guo then looked at Lin Dong.

"Are you getting used to it?"

Lin Dong nodded.

"good."

Chen Guo smiled, glanced at Chen Long and Xu Zang, and didn't ask any further questions.

"Okay, you can take your time eating."

He took his tray and left.

Several school leaders followed, chatting and laughing.

Zhang Ming sat there, his smile completely frozen.

The classmate next to me asked in a low voice.

Why didn't the school leaders greet you?

Zhang Ming opened his mouth, but no words came out.

He looked down at the food on his plate and suddenly lost his appetite.

Why? He was clearly the freshman representative, he was the one speaking on stage today, and over ten thousand people were watching him. Why did those few people sitting in the corner, who didn't say a word, get special treatment from school leaders?

He gripped his chopsticks, not moving them for a long time.

At the next table, the four people were still eating quietly, as if nothing had happened.

Zhang Ming withdrew his gaze and lowered his head.