Reborn in 1977, I will no longer be my brother's blood bag.

The nights in Beijing are long.

In a guesthouse near the train station, Zhou Zhiyuan placed his luggage on the bedside.

The room was small, with a bed, a table, and a thermos—standard guesthouse amenities.

But his gaze was fixed on the view outside the window.

Beijing.

I've been here many times in my past lives. But in this life, I'm here a whole few years earlier than I remember.

Thinking of this, he slowly closed his eyes, and many images flashed through his mind: the machinery factory, the Red Flag Commune, the supply and marketing cooperative, and the girl standing behind the counter doing the accounting.

After a long while, Zhou Zhiyuan looked down at the time—it was nine o'clock in the evening, and there were still ten days until the training registration.

enough.

On the other side, in Tsinghua University, dormitory 403.

Gu Xiaolan was already asleep, and Liu Xue was snoring.

Only Lin Xiuhe remained seated at the table, with the competition registration form and the project materials Professor Chen had given her in front of her.

The words "Project Leader" stand out prominently.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't nervous.

In her past life, she had done many jobs, but she had never led a project of this caliber.

What's more, she's only a freshman in college right now.

Thinking of this, she picked up a pen and signed her name at the end of the registration form:

Lin Xiuhe.

The handwriting was neat and clean, without the slightest hesitation.

Because she knew the opportunity had arrived. Failing to seize it is a matter of ability; not daring to seize it is a matter of attitude.

The next day, in the automation building.

The competition organizing committee's first formal meeting.

In the conference room, besides Professor Chen and Director Qin, there were several other teachers. The atmosphere was noticeably more serious than before.

As soon as he sat down, Professor Chen got straight to the point: "The issue of who is in charge."

coming.

Everyone knows that this is the most important thing today.

Director Qin opened the file: "The research institute recommends Lin Xiuhe."

At those words, Li Mingyuan looked up, and Zhao Guodong frowned as well.

Although I was mentally prepared, I still felt mixed emotions when I actually heard it. It's impossible for a freshman to not feel pressured when he's directly put in charge.

There was a moment of silence in the meeting room.

Finally, Zhao Guodong spoke up: "I have an objection."

Professor Chen wasn't surprised at all: "Speak."

Zhao Guodong took a deep breath: "I admit she is excellent and has strong professional skills. But being in charge doesn't just mean solving problems; it also means coordination, organization, and overall planning—and she has no experience in that."

After the voice faded, no one spoke in the conference room.

Because what he said makes sense—the person in charge and the team members are two different things.

Li Mingyuan nodded slowly: "I agree."

This time, even Lin Xiuhe was somewhat surprised. She had originally thought that Li Mingyuan would support her, but it turned out that he had sided with Zhao Guodong.

Director Qin looked at him: "What's the reason?"

Li Mingyuan was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Because the project cannot fail."

He continued, "If she can prove herself, I'll accept it. But not now."

There was no targeting, no mockery, just speaking purely from the perspective of the project, which made it impossible for anyone to refute.

A brief silence fell over the meeting room.

Just then, Professor Chen suddenly smiled: "Very good, I was afraid you wouldn't have any objections."

Everyone was stunned.

What does that mean?

The old man put down his teacup and said slowly, "Since you have objections, then let's have a competition."

The atmosphere shifted slightly.

"Compare what?" Zhao Guodong asked instinctively.

Professor Chen took out a document and pushed it on the table: "The first stage of the competition: scheme design. Whoever comes in first place will be in charge."

The pen on the conference table rolled to the floor, and no one picked it up.

This means that the position of manager is open to competition. There are no pre-arranged appointments or favoritism; it's all about merit.

Director Qin immediately smiled: "That's a good idea."

Zhao Guodong's eyes lit up, and Li Mingyuan also sat up straight—because they were least afraid of competition.

Lin Xiuhe looked down at the documents without saying a word, but her eyes gradually became serious.

She suddenly realized that she really liked this approach—it was fair, direct, and based on merit.

After the meeting, the three walked out of the Automation Building together, the atmosphere somewhat awkward. From this day forward, they were not just classmates, but also competitors.

Just then, the campus loudspeaker suddenly sounded, informing students of a certain department to collect their materials.

The sound drifted through the campus, and many students came and went. The autumn wind blew through the ginkgo trees, and the leaves began to turn yellow.

Li Mingyuan suddenly spoke up: "Are you angry?"

"What?"

"We oppose you becoming the person in charge."

Lin Xiuhe laughed: "Why are you angry?"

"Because it used to be yours, but it isn't anymore."

Li Mingyuan paused for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing: "That's true. I almost forgot, you've never had your position given to you by others."

The three continued walking forward.

No one noticed that not far away at the school gate, a man in work clothes was standing there, carrying simple luggage, looking up at the three words on the gate—Tsinghua University.

Sunlight fell on his shoulders and into his calm eyes.

The next second, a security guard approached: "Comrade, who are you looking for?"

Zhou Zhiyuan withdrew his gaze and smiled, "I won't look for it yet, I'll just take a look around."

The staff member found it a bit strange, but didn't think much of it and turned to leave.

Zhou Zhiyuan's gaze once again passed over the school gate and landed deep within the campus.

There, there was someone he had longed for for two lifetimes.