"Hey, Old Yu—'b*stard' is my catchword, don't steal it!"
Guan Tong's shrill voice had a strange ring to it, it was ear-piercing and had a duck-like quality—like the loud squawking and hissing of a male duck being strangled.
Yu Jiangu glared at him severely with a look of exasperation. "You rotten brat, don't you dare be a bad influence to Xiao Luo, I tell you, otherwise I will castrate you."
"That's a false accusation, he doesn't need me to be a bad influence, that rascal, Dashan, has committed all sorts of sins, and as Xiao Luo is so close to him, I'm afraid that he has long been rotten to the core," Guan Tong retorted, casually picking his nose.
["Achoo!" Thousands of miles away, at the headquarters of Luo Workshop, Jiangcheng—Zhang Dashan, in his office reading through some documents, sneezed and muttered to himself, "Sh*t, which pretty girl is thinking about me?"]
"...?" Xiao Luo was speechless.
Yu Jiangu knocked Guan Tong with a knuckle to his head. "You think Xiao Luo is as unmotivated as you are, only knowing how to waste his life away all day long? I remember him well, he was at the top of the class and won a university-level scholarship once. Am I right, Xiao Luo?"
"It's all in the past, I didn't expect Mr. Yu would still remember it."
Xiao Luo was amazed by Yu Jiangu's memory, never expecting that he remembered the scholarship award. He did indeed get it during his freshman year, and it had been for the highest tier awarded at the university level. But the following year, as he was diligently working while studying at the same time, he only achieved moderate grades and no longer became a recipient of the scholarship.
"For us, teachers, students with good grades, and those with poor grades are the ones we remember well. By the way, how is that fellow, Zhang Dashan, doing now? "Yu Jiangu asked, remembering him well...
"He's doing okay, he has just started a company in Jiangcheng," Xiao Luo said.
Although Xiao Luo was actually the largest shareholder of Luo Workshop, he had nominated Zhang Dashan as its director, while he chose to remain behind the scenes.
Yu Jiangu was pleasantly surprised. "Not bad, that's amazing! I'm impressed Dashan was able to open a company in a developed city like Jiangcheng. Since you're so close to him, I'm sure you also have a good position in the company?"
"Mmm, yes, I do have a little influence within the company." Xiao Luo replied.
"Not bad, I was very optimistic about the two of you back in college, and you both did not let me down," Yu Jiangu gushed, patting Xiao Luo on his shoulder and nodding his approval.
Guan Tong quipped, "Old Yu, you seemed to say the same thing to every ex-student you meet."
Yu Jiangu once again rapped him on the head. "No one will take you for a mute if you don't talk!"
"Old Yu, I will draw a circle to curse you and make you bald soon."
As soon as he heard the word "bald," Yu Jiangu went red-faced and jumped like a fox that had its tail stepped on, unleashing a stream of invective at Guan Tong. "You young b*stard, I wondered why my hair has been falling out lately, so it's you who's been cursing me. Believe it or not, I'll castrate you!"
"Calm down, calm down, that much anger will only make you lose more of your thinning hair..."
"You little upstart, I'll really kill you if you mention hair loss again!"
Yu Jiangu was livid, wholly losing the gentle demeanor he had just a moment ago.
"Hello, Mr. Yu!"
Three girls happened to pass by and greeted him warmly.
Yu Jiangu immediately calmed down and smiled broadly, quickly adjusting his collar and nodding his head to acknowledge the pretty young ladies. "Oh, hello, girls."
Xiao Luo was speechless, how did he not notice before that his class teacher Yu Jiangu was such an amusing person.
...
After lunch, Yu Jiangu had a favor to ask of Xiao Luo and said, "Xiao Luo, it's been almost four years since you left the school, you must have accumulated much experience in society. We're having a class meeting later, please do share your experiences with your juniors so that they can prepare themselves early to step into the world, it's their last semester in school."
"Mr. Yu, this..."
Xiao Luo felt uncomfortable, as he never enjoyed talking much to people; the less he had to say, the better. To suddenly ask him to give a talk to fifty or sixty students was somewhat a challenge.
"Don't feel stressed, it's just getting to know your juniors and telling them about some of your experiences in society, to let them know that engineering management is not some obscure major, but that it's very well-received out there."
Yu Jiangu smiled as he looked at Xiao Luo with eyes that were genuine and sincere. Placing his hand on Xiao Luo's shoulder, he said, "Just do me a favor, those kids are too wild. They don't listen to much of what I have to say, even as their class teacher. But if a senior with a successful career were to speak to them, the effect would certainly be different. I am sincerely hoping that they can make a great career out of it so that I can have some pride and not be like someone who is just pulling us down."
He glanced meaningfully at Guan Tong, sitting next to him with a dumb smile on his face.
It suddenly hit Guan Tong, who then glared back at him. "Old Yu, what are you looking at me for, what exactly do you mean, are you trying to say that I'm the one embarrassing you?"
"Guan Tong, my long-time student—as your teacher, I'm very relieved that you have this realization." Yu Jiangu patted him firmly on the shoulder twice and said it in a sardonic way.
"You B*stard, Old Yu!"
Guan Tong frowned.
Xiao Luo laughed, and at this point, it was tough for him to refuse. After all, Yu Jiangu had been his class teacher at university for four years.
...
It was 2 pm, as Xiao Luo and Guan Tong followed Yu Jiangu to the engineering management school to meet the class that would be graduating this year.
Guan Tong was an "old" student who had had his name registered under the engineering management major for quite a while now, and he was obliged to attend the class meeting.
After Yu Jiangu updated his students concerning other relevant matters, he invited Xiao Luo to the front of the class and made the introductions. "Students, this is your senior from four batches before you, and his name is Xiao Luo. He is one of the founding members of a pastry-making company in Jiangcheng. He has come to Xiahai this year in anticipation of establishing a branch in Xiahai."
Listening to his introduction, the boys and girls in the class reacted in all sorts of ways—some stared adoring, some were curious, some looked surprised, and of course, some were snickering.
"Now, he will be sharing his experiences and give some pointers for the benefit of everyone here, so please welcome him—Xiao Luo!" Yu Jiangu led the applause.
The fifty or sixty students of the engineering management major followed his lead and applauded enthusiastically.
After the applause, a few students were whispering among themselves.
"Four batches before us, wouldn't that mean that he was in the same batch as 'Eight Years'?"
Many people glanced toward Guan Tong, sitting in the last row browsing on his mobile phone. "Eight Years" was the nickname students had given him, mocking him for taking eight years to finish college, but of course, it might just as quickly change to "Nine Years" or "Ten Years" later.
Xiao Luo stood on the podium and looking at the young faces below, his heart was filled with emotions. He once also sat below watching Yu Jiangu standing at the exact spot he was at present, and the experience was out of this world.
He smiled slightly, very much at ease, and said, "Actually, I don't know what to tell you, so I guess I'll tell you about the things that I've come to regret in my years of hard work."
"Senior Xiao, aren't you a successful person? How come you have regrets too?"
Everyone turned to look, and it was none other than the top student of the class, Guan Yilin, who asked the question. It seemed to be just a simple question, but the way she emphasized the words "successful people" was laced with sarcasm.
...
Yu Jiangu considered telling Guan Yilin not to interrupt Xiao Luo, as he was well aware of her overweening attitude. Guan Yilin had a very high opinion of herself and often asked loaded questions to make her teachers look incompetent. She was a handful as far as Yu Jiangu and all the teachers were concerned. In their eyes, she was an excellent student, but at the same time, also a b*tch of the highest order.
But he held back on second thought since Xiao Luo had the floor, and wanted to see if Xiao Luo could subdue this conceited and arrogant student.
Everyone in the class stared at Xiao Luo, many with wry smiles on their faces, waiting to see how he would respond.
Xiao Luo said, "Of course I have regrets, everyone has regrets more often than not, and a life without regrets is not a complete life."
"And what are your regrets?" Guan Yilin pressed further.
"My regret is that I didn't choose to go to graduate school or take the civil service exam in my senior year."
Xiao Luo smiled and said, "In today's society, there are too many college students entering the workforce, and there's fierce competition for jobs. Even many of the graduates from 221-tiered and 985-tiered colleges [1] are facing a crisis in the current climate of high unemployment. To get a better start and a stronger competitive edge, you must try to pursue postgraduate studies. But I didn't do so and have lost that opportunity to improve myself."
"I didn't opt to take the civil service exam either. Many people are dismissive of the civil service, believing that while it offers stability, it's at best a middle-income profession. But it represents an invaluable career for a new graduate, offering you a platform you to settle down and think carefully about a new career path before you embark on what you wish to achieve in the future."
These were indeed his two regrets; if it wasn't for the fortuitous integration of the genius system, he would still be toiling away as a hard-working, nine-to-five product engineer in some factory and would often have to work overtime.
Yu Jiangu agreed with Xiao Luo's view, and as a senior teacher, he had come to the same conclusion for some time now. Nowadays, there were hundreds of thousands of college students graduating every year, and while the number of job applicants increased on an annual basis, job availability did not grow at the same rate. Hence a more significant number of graduates were now competing for a limited number of jobs.
Under such circumstances, choosing to pursue postgraduate studies or to take the civil service exam was a smart path. As a testament, one of Yu Jiangu's students who pursued his postgraduate studies got into a large company with a starting salary of 10,000 dollars and often traveled on business trips abroad—although he had a late start, he quickly ran ahead of everyone else.
"Senior Xiao, what you mean is that there are only two paths for us graduates to take, one is to pursue postgraduate studies, and the other is to take the civil service exam, right?" Guan Yilin scoffed.
Xiao Luo shook his head as he replied, "No, this is just from my personal experience. It's not suitable for everyone, it's just information that you can use to form your own decisions. It's for your reference only."
"Oh, really? Then according to Senior Xiao, what should I do after graduation?"
Guan Yilin absolutely disagreed with Xiao Luo's viewpoint, and with a smirk on her face, she said, "I am now a regional manager of CITIC Credit Services, and CITIC Bank has also offered me a position. As soon as I sign the contract, they will put a lot of resources behind me, and I will be able to develop quickly into a successful career woman. But, Senior Xiao, according to what you've just said, do you think I should turn down their offer and go to graduate school instead, or take the civil service exam?"
"Yi Lin's salary now is already 8,000 or 10,000 dollars, at least, she must be crazy to give up on CITIC Bank."
"Yeah, I thought he could preach some useful life lessons, but then he starts talking about going to graduate school and taking civil service exams, this guy is really something else."
"Haha, looks like he's just here pretending to be street smart!"
Guan Yilin posed her mocking questions and drew laughter from the class, as to everyone's eyes, Xiao Luo was making a fool of himself. As students who had successfully gotten through the challenging entrance exams to enter such a leading university, the students prided themselves as elites; therefore, they were not inclined to listen to anyone they thought was inferior.
Xiao Luo now understood that the overly confident girl sitting in the first row right below him was deliberately trying to undermine anything he said. Xiao Luo was usually a soft-spoken, accommodating person, though somewhat chauvinistic, once his temper flared up, it did not matter if the other party was a man or a woman, he would make them kneel down and admit defeat.
"I have to emphasize it again, that's just my regret, and one must adapt according to one's needs rather than blindly following what I have to say."
"I see that Senior Xiao is cautious with his words, and I like it," Guan Yilin said, "By the way, I wonder if Senior Xiao has read the book 'Three Kingdoms,' one of the four famous novels?"
"I've read it."
"Then which one of the characters in the novel do you admire most, Senior Xiao?"
"Zhuge Liang."
"Senior Xiao, I presume that you admire Zhuge Liang because of his loyalty, bravery, and wisdom? 'Exerting himself to the utmost, carrying out his duty until his dying day' is the perfect portrayal of his life. I actually like him too, but I like the wily and cunning Sima Yi even more."
Guan Yilin dramatically stood up and presented her arguments, taking delight from the attention she was getting from everyone.
"Here we go, this girl's old habits are acting up again, and she's starting to find fault with Xiao Luo like how she does with the teachers!"
Yu Jiangu muttered under his breath, not pleased with how things were going at the moment. He had called Xiao Luo to share his experience about society to these students who were about to embark on their own careers. He hoped that they could get something out of it, and in some way, help prepare themselves in advance, but it now seemed unlikely. With Guan Yilin in the crowd, what hope did Xiao Luo have to showcase himself?
But just when Yu Jiangu was about to stop Guan Yilin, Xiao Luo gestured to him, indicating that he did not interfere.
Another student who had no qualms about stirring up trouble deliberately asked in a pretentious manner. "Yilin, why do you like Sima Yi? Wasn't that the guy who was afraid of Zhuge Liang during the time he employed the 'empty city' ruse?"
"You're wrong, Sima Yi had actually figured out Zhuge Liang's 'empty-city' stratagem. The reason why he didn't storm the city and capture Zhuge Liang alive was that he was smart—he knew the truth that 'when all birds have been shot, the bow would be set aside, and when all hares have been killed, the hounds would be stewed and eaten.'"
Guan Yilin's eloquent rhetoric not only caused a stir among her peers, but even Yu Jiangu was also swayed by her compelling argument, and he questioned his own understanding of the historical classic. He thought to himself, surely he had not read an adulterated version of the Three Kingdoms? Was Sima Yi ever more formidable a figure than Zhuge Liang?
Guan Yilin continued, "As we know, Sima Yi experienced many ups and downs in his career, and his path was filled with hardships. He was often the target of countless conspiracies as he had many political enemies that had been jealous of his successes. When Cao Cao was still alive, he was always wary of Sima Yi and once told Hua Xin, that 'Sima Yi is eyeing the nation like a hawk or a wolf, he cannot be accorded military power,' as Cao Cao wary that Sima Yi would become a significant threat to his own reign eventually.
"After Cao Pi acceded to the throne, Sima Yi was valued by his new lord and rose up the rank of the Great General, and when Cao Rui was later installed as emperor, Sima Yi led his troops against Zhuge Liang and became Zhuge Liang's most formidable foe on the battlefield. In several confrontations, Zhuge Liang felt the full force of Sima Yi's power.
"Zhuge Liang used the strategy of sowing discord among the enemy and spread rumors that Sima Yi planned to usurp the throne, and Cao Rui fell for it. But for General Cao Zhen, who loathed to lose a rare talent like Sima Yi and earnestly dispatched memorandums to the court defending him, Sima Yi would have lost his life.
"During a period when the situation was constantly evolving, Zhuge Liang marched from Mount Qi for the conquest of northern lands and repeatedly defeated Cao Cao's army. No one in the imperial court could oppose him, and the reign of the Cao clan was in danger. Sima Yi was once again recalled at that time, for he was the only one who could hold off Zhuge Liang's campaign.
"Being the talented person that he was, Sima Yi, having experienced countless ups and downs in his life, intimately understood the intricacies of politics. He could become useful again only because his arch-enemy Zhuge Liang remained a threat, for their relationship was a symbiotic one. The moment he eliminated Zhuge Liang, he would serve no purpose anymore, and the Cao family would undoubtedly have him killed.
"Therefore, the empty-city stratagem succeeded not because of how clever Zhuge Liang was, but because Sima Yi was way cleverer. People in later generations all have a deep misunderstanding and feel that he made such a ridiculous error in judgment because he was too paranoid."
Footnote:[1] 985-tiered universities are considered the best in China, closely followed by 211-tiered universities.