What exactly defines a "good official"?
Wu Huifen considered Director Song a good official. He gave his word at noon, and by three in the afternoon, the keys were already in her hand. He even provided a one-stop service, handling all the miscellaneous tasks like real estate registration and title transfers. He personally guided her and her husband to inspect the property—a prime third-floor unit, 138 square meters finished to the highest standard, ready for immediate move-in.
"Thank you, thank you so much, Director Song." Wu Huifen grasped Director Song’s hand, clearly moved.
"It’s my duty… it’s all my duty. And please, just call me Little Song."
Director Song’s smile was strictly professional, while his heart ached; he had been holding onto this property for himself, hoping to sell it for a high price later. Now, it had all gone to an outsider for nothing.
Gao Yuliang, meanwhile, was eyeing the room layout with a satisfied smile. Living alone was fine, and living as a couple was fine too, provided the environment was comfortable. His initial expectation had been 80 to 100 square meters—enough for a two-bedroom layout that would include a study. But 138 square meters? That wasn't just enough for a study; it was enough for a "playroom"… or just a place to play chess when the mood struck.
"This student of mine is quite something," Gao Yuliang thought. His gaze was razor-sharp; he had spotted the lingering reluctance in Song Hongzhuo’s eyes the moment the property was introduced. Unlike Wu Huifen, who was just blindly happy.
Wu Huifen thought: *You and your high-and-mighty attitude. You stay calm and collected every day, but I’ve been looking forward to this for a year—can’t I be happy?*
"Thank you, thank you, Director Song."
"Please, just call me Little Song. Well, Teacher Wu, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading off."
Once Director Song left, Gao Yuliang pulled Wu Huifen in front of him and asked sternly, "Huifen, tell me exactly how you two went to see Director Song. Every detail."
Wu Huifen was obsessed with the apartment, but she wasn’t stupid. She understood her husband’s concerns and said bluntly, "You’re just a university professor, and I’m just a lecturer. We’re dirt poor—who would be eyeing us?"
Gao Yuliang was momentarily speechless, then said with a mix of shame and annoyance, "Who says we’re dirt poor? 'Within books, there are golden houses.'"
"Yes, yes, 'within books there are golden houses,' and we have our own golden house too. This is our future golden house." Wu Huifen smiled, wrapping her arms around Gao Yuliang’s neck, her eyes burning.
Gao Yuliang frowned. "Stop it. It’s not even dark yet."
"I’m not stopping. Just close the curtains and it’ll be dark."
The two of them carried on… Teacher Gao was a scholar, after all, and his physical constitution was a bit weak.
***
On September 2, 1984, the intense freshman military training began.
Before the training commenced, the old university president delivered a pre-training speech that revolved around three themes: reflecting on the past, grasping the present, and cherishing the future. It lasted an hour and a half.
It is worth noting that toward the end, he specifically praised an outstanding freshman, probationary Party member Qi Tongwei.
"Ten years to grow a tree, a hundred years to nurture a person. Student Qi Tongwei’s spirit is worthy of our study. The school will focus on cultivating him, and I encourage all students to have the courage to take responsibility and carry forward our Party’s spirit of fearing neither hardship, nor fatigue, nor death!"
The old president intended to establish an advanced model for the school before his departure.
Qi Tongwei was happy to play the part. People say that fame brings trouble, but if you want to advance into the bureaucracy, you cannot be indecisive. If you are afraid of the wolf in front and the tiger behind, how can you ever make it into the ranks? As for whether he would face jealousy or exclusion, Qi Tongwei wasn’t worried in the least. A person who isn't envied is mediocre, and he had the confidence to deal with any monsters lurking in the shadows.
As the military training officially began, Qi Tongwei revisited the iron discipline of the soldier once more. In his previous life, he had participated as an ordinary university student; though he could be called diligent, he was nowhere near "outstanding."
Does anyone actually think a teenager who was constantly starving, struggling to get enough to eat, could stand out in a military training session that tested raw physical endurance? What would that make those wealthy students who ate three eggs a day and had nutritious meals every time?
"A soldier’s most important trait is a will of iron! Unbreakable, unshakeable—that is our army’s fine combat style. The first subject: standing at attention!"
The military training phalanx was organized by class. Class One had 68 students, all present, supervised by two instructors. The core of the military stance was the "three points on a line," leaning forward, with the balls of the feet gripping the ground.
It sounded easy, and it wasn't hard to do; what was hard was the persistence. Simply put, you had to be ruthless with yourself. Qi Tongwei had even been capable of self-destruction; who could be more ruthless than him? Besides, twenty-three years of ups and downs in officialdom had long since forged his will into steel.
Three minutes in, a girl twitched her shoulder.
"You, step out!"
The instructor was merciless. He didn't continue lecturing; he just stared at the rest of them. Then came the second, then the third.
In less than ten minutes, 59 out of the 68 had "fallen," leaving only nine, Qi Tongwei among them.
Many young, attractive students who hadn't yet entered college might not understand that the elimination system in military training was meant to cultivate a mindset of strength. A truly capable person is like a 2000-watt bulb wherever they go, and the light belongs only to the strong. Of course, physical stamina is only raw power; it cannot encompass the laws of strength in modern society, so its life cycle is short—it only lasts for the month of military training. It is like a seed that will take root and sprout when you face setbacks in your studies or feel lost about the future.
Twenty minutes later, only five remained: Fang Xue, Xiao Gangyu, Chen Qingquan, Chen Yang, and Qi Tongwei.
To engage in corruption, you need an opportunity. To enjoy "learning a foreign language," you must first climb to a position where people offer to teach you for free. Being a middleman is no different.
As for Chen Yang, it was tied to her family background. Her father, Chen Yanshi, was an undisputed national hero; to smear him would be to deny the new society itself. (Regardless of how much speculation exists online, the author does not want to, nor does he wish to, dissect him. We live in a time of peace, and we have no standing—let alone the qualifications—to judge them. Innocent until proven guilty; I believe they are worthy of their reputation.)
(However, this did not prevent Qi Tongwei from hating him.)
Thirty minutes later, the instructor came to the phalanx of the "failures" to praise the five, and declared a ten-minute break.
The strong are not lone wolves; they need to move forward hand-in-hand. Healthy competition allows one to go further. Besides Qi Tongwei, who understood these nuances, the other four, though they didn't quite grasp it, felt a touch of mutual recognition.
In his previous life, the starting point of the bond between Chen Yang and Qi Tongwei had been this very moment of standing at attention. Chen Yang had seen Qi Tongwei’s resilience and refusal to yield, which led to her acceptance of him, eventually agreeing to date him.
Unlike the inquisitive gaze of his previous life, this time when Chen Yang looked at Qi Tongwei, her eyes were filled with unyielding competitiveness. The first time, it was because he had stamina. This time, it was: *How is he good at everything?*
With a different mindset, the way they interacted would change. Chen Yang was changing, and Qi Tongwei was changing, too. The only thing that would never change was his revenge against Liang Lu.
Yes, Qi Tongwei was thinking of Liang Lu again. He couldn't wait to see if Liang Lu—who constantly touted her loyalty to love and insisted the whole world owed her—would be the first to break up with Chen Shan.
Fickle, promiscuous… yes, those words suited Liang Lu perfectly.