The night before the college entrance exam results were released, I redeemed my Peking University ad

Liaoning Province.

The Provincial Governor's Office.

"It seems Fucheng really needs to build an airport."

The provincial governor looked at the official document issued from above and muttered to himself.

With the approval from above, the pressure now falls on Liaoning Province.

Reception, security, transportation, sanitation, foreign affairs, publicity... each one is a grand affair.

To put it bluntly, Liaoning Province hasn't hosted an international event of this caliber in the last decade.

Moreover, there are less than two days left.

Fortunately, they had made preparations beforehand.

A joint guidance team composed of personnel from foreign affairs, security, and publicity departments has arrived in Shenyang from Beijing overnight.

After the delegation arrived, they didn't even have time to drink water before heading straight to the provincial government and holding a meeting with various departments and bureaus of Liaoning Province.

"Time is tight, the task is heavy, and the guests are of a high rank, so we will keep everything simple, but we must not make any mistakes."

"In terms of security, our personnel are responsible for the core area, while the provincial and municipal levels cooperate in the outer areas."

"All vehicles carrying foreign guests must use the dedicated lane. The route has already been planned, and the route map for Fucheng will be sent to you later."

"Regarding reception, foreign guests stay in hotels, domestic leaders stay in guesthouses, and those from Beijing are arranged separately."

"We've brought a team of twenty translators. The province will also send ten more people, mainly to be stationed on-site in Fucheng."

"Medical support, fire protection, electricity, and communications—all have been upgraded. We'll assign personnel to each area now."

"At the airport, three dedicated lanes for foreign guests have been arranged. Baggage checks will be conducted with diplomatic protocol, but no security procedures can be omitted."

……

One instruction after another was transmitted from the conference room, like an invisible net, affecting the nerves of the entire Liaoning Province.

At the same time, all roads along the route from Shenyang to Fucheng were put into operation.

At Shenyang Airport, banners were hung up overnight.

"Mountains and seas share a bond; the vast sky and earth are at peace!"

"A warm welcome to friends from all over the world to Liaoning Province!"

"Technological innovation, win-win cooperation!"

The guardrails on both sides of the airport expressway have all been repainted.

The green plants in the median strip were trimmed neatly.

The road, stretching for tens of kilometers, was so cleaned that not a single fallen leaf could be seen.

Along the highway from Shenyang to Fucheng, you can see newly placed potted flowers every so often.

The red and yellow colors are arranged in various shapes.

Passing drivers couldn't help but slow down, take photos, and post them on social media.

"Holy crap, this is huge! It's just a school ceremony, why is it being treated like the Olympics?"

"Didn't you see the news? Nobel laureate, multi-billion dollar conglomerate—when has Liaoning Province ever had such a entourage?"

"That doesn't justify sweeping the entire highway, does it? I went out this morning and found even the weeds along the roadside had been pulled up!"

"It's not just on the highways; it's even more extreme in Fucheng. There's a city-wide cleanup, with urban management officers going door-to-door to notify residents, and even the trash cans in front of shops have to be washed clean!"

"My classmate drives an excavator. Last night, he was taken to level a vacant lot overnight, supposedly as a temporary parking lot for more than a hundred Toyota Coaster buses."

"I heard that the water trucks in Fucheng have been running non-stop for a day and a night, and all the roads in the city have been washed three times. Now the floor tiles in Fucheng are reflecting light."

"This is outrageous!"

"Not an exaggeration at all!"

At that moment, the first batch of flights carrying foreign guests began to land at Shenyang Airport.

Lawrence Morgan of the Morgan family, accompanied by four people, was the first to emerge from the private passage.

He only brought a small suitcase and a briefcase with him this time.

Very low-key.

He even specifically instructed his bodyguards not to get too close.

But when he stepped out of the passage and saw the scene outside, he was still stunned for a moment.

Red carpet.

Fresh flowers.

Staff members holding welcome signs.

There was also a striking banner that read in both Chinese and English:

"A warm welcome to the Morgan family to Liaoning Province!"

Morgan stood on the red carpet with a somewhat subtle expression.

Before coming, he was actually a little awkward.

The Morgan family, a century-old dynasty, is one of the rulers of Wall Street.

He, an heir, actually had to travel to a third-tier city in China to attend the unveiling ceremony of a high school?

It's all just a joke.

He was even prepared to be ignored.

But look at this situation...

Morgan looked around and suddenly felt that his back straightened up a lot.

"Oh."

"China...is still the same China."

Soon, the Mitsui Group representatives arrived.

The leader, Executive Director Ito, was accompanied by two materials science professors and several staff members.

He also paused for a moment in front of the red carpet.

Then, he gave a half-smile and said in a voice only he could hear:

"Yosh! Looks like we're super popular."

In the following hours, more than a dozen chartered planes landed.

Terence Tao has arrived.

He carried an old backpack, looking like a university professor attending an academic conference.

When he saw the red carpet and flowers, he paused for a moment, then nodded somewhat embarrassedly to the staff, and walked quickly past without lingering.

Wiles has arrived.

The elderly man was helped down the gangway.

Seeing the spectacle outside, he frowned slightly, seemingly not liking the pomp and circumstance.

But in the end, he still politely cooperated with the group photo and brief interview.

"Professor Wiles, why did you decide to attend a high school ceremony?"

The old man thought for a moment and then said something that silenced everyone present:

"Because I want to see his next answer with my own eyes before I die."

The camera flashes went off everywhere.

Foreign guests, whether embarrassed, pleased, uncomfortable, or sentimental, were all arranged to board special vehicles for foreign guests and prepared to be sent to Fucheng.

However, after these scenes were transmitted back online through the lenses of the media and passersby, Chinese netizens couldn't sit still.

"Wow, isn't this a bit much? They've even rolled out the red carpet at the airport?"

"They clearly applied to come voluntarily, so why is it acting like we begged them to come?"

"This should have been our moment of triumph, but somehow it feels like we've become the ones being 'examined' by all nations?"

"Yeah! Weren't they here to mock us? Didn't they say they didn't believe in Ji Bai? How come they're getting VIP treatment as soon as they get off the plane? Red carpet, flowers, and banners? I almost thought they were welcoming some big shot."

"What's the biggest problem? It's that some of these people were just internationally accusing us of plagiarism! Now they're here, and we're treating them like royalty. Isn't that degrading?"

"To be honest, I just wanted to quietly watch Ji Shen get his comeuppance. But now that this has happened, all that excitement is gone. Instead, I feel really frustrated!"

"No, the people of Fucheng worked overtime last night to sweep the streets, just to show off to these people? Do they deserve it?"

"If I were Ji Shen, seeing this kind of spectacle, I wouldn't even bother going."

"Brothers, Ji Shen hasn't even made a move yet, and we've already been betrayed by our own people."

Soon, those "rational and objective" people reappeared.

"You don't understand, this is called diplomatic etiquette. They've come from afar, so we have to show the demeanor of a great power."

"Yes, he's a Nobel laureate and an heir to a conglomerate. He deserves the respect he deserves."

"We can't let people think we don't know any manners, can we? You people are so petty! The country thinks much further ahead than you do."

"You can't discuss ice with a summer insect!"

"You have guests over, aren't you going to clean up?"

It would have been better if they hadn't said that.

This only made netizens angrier.

"Did I beg them to come here?"

"I'm just asking you, did I beg them?"