78: Bringing his wife and children to Harbin Institute of Technology

Feeling a little embarrassed by the comments from others, Zheng Shuyun moved closer to Ye Bingwen.

The line slowly moved forward, and finally it was Ye Bingwen's turn.

The person in charge of registration was a middle-aged female teacher wearing reading glasses, flipping through the list of new students.

"Name?"

"Ye Bingwen".

"Exam admission ticket number?"

"7801021015".

The female teacher turned to the corresponding page, her glasses nearly slipping off her nose. "You're Ye Bingwen?"

"it's me."

The female teacher looked up, scrutinized him carefully, then glanced at the child in his arms and Zheng Shuyun beside him, her expression somewhat complicated. "Wait a moment, I'll go find the department head."

After saying that, she got up and hurriedly walked towards the office building.

Ye Bingwen stood there helplessly, while the freshmen queuing behind him began to complain.

"What happened? Why did it stop when it got to him?"

"Is there a problem with the paperwork?"

The tall, thin boy whispered to his companion, "I just asked, and he seems to be Ye Bingwen, the one who scored 493!"

"493 points? From that rural area?"

"Yes, yes, that's him! I heard the department heads are scrambling to get him!"

"No wonder……"

Soon, the female teacher returned, followed by two other people.

One was Cai Xun, the head of the Mechanical Engineering Department, and the other was Ma Kui, the head of the Mathematics Department.

Cai Xun greeted him with a smile from afar, "Bingwen, you've finally arrived! I've been waiting for you for days!"

Not to be outdone, Ma Kui retorted, "Bingwen, are you settling into the house? Let me know if you need anything."

Both department heads extended their hands at the same time, both wanting to shake hands with Ye Bingwen.

Holding the child in his arms, Ye Bingwen could only respond with one hand. "Teacher Cai, Teacher Ma, thank you."

Cai Xun grabbed Ye Bingwen's hand. "Come on, let's go to my office first. I'll have someone take care of your registration."

Ma Kui grabbed Ye Bingwen's other sleeve. "Wait, Bingwen, the registration procedures need to be completed first. Director Cai, what's the rush?"

"How am I in a hurry? I'm just concerned about my students!" Cai Xun glared.

"Concern? I think you just want to lure people to your office so you can do some ideological work!" Ma Kui retorted without backing down.

The surrounding new students and their parents were stunned.

Two department heads publicly vying for a freshman—who has ever seen such a scene?

Ye Bingwen cleared his throat. "Teachers, shall I finish the registration process first?"

"Yes, yes, let's get the paperwork done first." Cai Xun quickly said to the female teacher, "Teacher Wang, I've made a special approval for Ye Bingwen's paperwork. He can directly enroll and be assigned a dormitory... He doesn't live on campus; he has a house outside."

Ma Kui added, "His student status was initially entered as a mechanical engineering student, but he also needs to attend mathematics courses. I will complete the formalities for that later."

Teacher Wang looked bewildered. "Director Ma, this... isn't this against the regulations?"

"Rules are rules, but people are flexible." Ma Kui waved his hand. "You go ahead and do it. I'll take responsibility if there are any problems."

Teacher Wang looked at Cai Xun, who nodded. She had no choice but to comply and complete Ye Bingwen's enrollment registration.

Ye Bingwen took the student ID card, which was stamped with the bright red seal of Harbin Institute of Technology, and a surge of indescribable emotions welled up in his heart.

In his past life, he was also a university professor, but that was in another timeline. Now, being a student again, and a university student in this turbulent era, has a completely different meaning.

"Teacher Cai, Teacher Ma, about the double degree..." Ye Bingwen brought it up.

Cai Xun and Ma Kui exchanged a glance, both revealing complex expressions.

"This matter... is a bit troublesome." Cai Xun sighed. "I went back and reported it to the school, but the academic affairs office said that there is no precedent for this. It's impossible to manage student records if a student is registered in two departments at the same time."

Ma Kui nodded, "I spoke with Principal Liu, and he said he needs to see you in person before he can make a decision."

"Principal Liu?" Ye Bingwen was taken aback.

"Principal Liu Deben," Ma Kui said in a low voice, "He's very interested in you and said he wants to meet you when you arrive."

Cai Xun glanced at his watch. "It's a little past nine in the morning. Principal Liu should be in the school office. Shall we go there now?"

Ye Bingwen handed Ye An'an, who was in his arms, to Zheng Shuyun. "Shuyun, take the child to your place and wait for me. I'm going to see the principal with the two teachers."

Zheng Shuyun took the child from him, glanced at him with some concern, and said, "Then be careful."

"Don't worry." Ye Bingwen squeezed her hand.

The school office is on the third floor of the main building. The corridor is paved with dark red wooden floors that creak when you step on them.

Cai Xun and Ma Kui flanked Ye Bingwen, one on each side, making it look like they were escorting an important prisoner.

"Bingwen, you'd better do your best when you meet the principal later," Cai Xun instructed. "Principal Liu values ​​real talent and ability the most. If you can gain his approval, you'll have a chance with the double degree."

Ma Kui added, "That's right. Principal Liu also studied abroad back then, so he has a very high standard. But he values ​​talent, and your grades speak for themselves, so he shouldn't make things difficult for you."

Just then, a young man who looked like a secretary came out of the office. "Director Cai, Director Ma, the principal would like to invite you in."

The three entered the office, and a sandalwood scent wafted towards them.

The office wasn't large, but it was very tidy. A bookshelf lined the wall, filled with various professional books and original Russian documents. Several potted plants sat on the windowsill, looking vibrant in the autumn sunlight.

Behind the desk sat a man in his fifties, with a round face and slightly overweight, but most striking was his shiny bald head.

It was Liu Deben, the president of Harbin Institute of Technology.

"Principal Liu, this is Ye Bingwen," Cai Xun introduced.

Ye Bingwen bowed slightly and said, "Hello, Principal Liu."

Liu Deben raised his head, his gaze lingered on Ye Bingwen's face for a few seconds, and then he smiled, "Okay, okay, sit down."

He pointed to the chair opposite him, and Ye Bingwen sat down.

Liu Deben took out a stack of test papers from the drawer. Ye Bingwen recognized them at a glance as his own college entrance examination papers for each subject.

"Ye Bingwen, I've looked at your test paper several times." Liu Deben picked up the math paper. "Full marks in math, full marks in physics, 98 in chemistry, 97 in Chinese, 98 in politics. Full marks in foreign language too."

He read them out one by one, his tone calm, but with each number he read, Cai Xun and Ma Kui's expressions became more excited.

"In all my years as principal, I've seen many outstanding students, but someone like you is truly a first." Liu Deben put down the test paper. "However, what I'm more curious about is that you wrote a line at the end of each test paper."

He pulled out a math exam paper from the bottom and read aloud: "Bingwen is married with children. I hope your esteemed school can arrange a job and accommodation for my wife. Bingwen thanks you!"

Liu Deben put down the exam paper and looked at Ye Bingwen. "Your request is unprecedented in the history of Harbin Institute of Technology. Arranging jobs for family members is a privilege reserved for professors."

Cai Xun quickly explained, "Principal Liu, I've already arranged the position in the publicity department. As soon as Ye Bingwen enrolls, Comrade Zheng Shuyun can start working."

Ma Kui chimed in, "Besides, I helped them find the place they're renting now. The conditions are basic, but they can live there for the time being."

Liu Deben waved his hand. "That's not what I meant. I wanted to know, Ye Bingwen, why did you make this request? Do you know that such a request might cause some schools to reject you outright?"

Ye Bingwen was silent for a moment, then raised his head, his gaze calm and firm.

"Principal Liu, I made this request not because I didn't know it was excessive. On the contrary, I knew it was very excessive."

"Then why did you bring it up again?" Liu Deben asked with interest.