September 30, 1984. Military training concluded.
During this period, Class One, under the leadership of Qi Tongwei, won first place in the final review ceremony and was awarded a banner for excellence.
In that month, Qi Tongwei had grown tanned and sturdy, a result bought with fifty servings of braised pork, each costing twenty-five cents.
As for why it was fifty servings, it is worth noting here that while braised pork is delicious, it eventually loses its appeal.
"Students, it has been a pleasure to meet you all. As we part ways, I have one last thing to say as your instructor."
"If one day you decide to trade your pens for swords, the military will always welcome you!"
On the parade ground, two military trucks slowly pulled away from the campus amidst the farewells of the teachers and students.
Qi Tongwei stood at the very front, his gaze calm as he looked toward the distance. Avenging himself against Liang Lu was merely a personal desire; the main priority was how to enter the Ministry.
Unfortunately, the training units that had come to Handong University since 1984 hadn't produced any standout officers.
The highest-ranking officer in charge was a major, and he was destined to reach only the rank of colonel before transferring to a civilian job.
It wasn't that Qi Tongwei was arrogant, but a deputy director of the Luzhou Municipal Bureau in the year 2000 was of little use.
By the year 2000, Teacher Gao would already be the deputy secretary of the Luzhou Political and Legal Affairs Commission. Looking around the entire university, it was a place of hidden talent.
Yet the deepest, most dangerous shark of them all remained his own mentor, Teacher Gao.
"Forget it. Teacher Wu said she made my favorite hairy crabs for dinner tonight; I might as well go over and mooch a meal."
After the farewell ceremony ended, Qi Tongwei went to the library.
Don't misunderstand; he wasn't there to write little notes to Liang Lu. He had more important things to do.
To forge iron, one must be strong oneself. Regarding how to develop in the future, Qi Tongwei had already laid out a clear plan; he would not go through the next seven years step by step.
If he had used seven years to earn a graduate degree before his rebirth, and used another seven years to do it again after his rebirth, wouldn't that make the rebirth pointless?
Qi Tongwei had just entered a state of focus when he was interrupted by Chen Qingquan, who had followed him in.
"Hey, Old Qi, what are you doing, running to the library all day?"
Qi Tongwei put down his book. "Qingquan, is there something you need?"
"Heh heh, just a small matter."
Chen Qingquan, who had yet to go bald, looked somewhat handsome when he wasn't smiling, but once he did, he ruined the image—he looked a bit sleazy.
"Tell me, we've been dragged around like livestock for a month. Don't you think we should go out and relax during the National Day holiday?"
Qi Tongwei smiled, teasing, "What's wrong? Do you want to go 'study a foreign language'?"
Chen Qingquan, who didn't yet know his future "hobbies," shook his head quickly. "Study what foreign language? We meant that our class should organize an activity. Since we only have the opening ceremony tomorrow morning and everyone is free in the afternoon, why don't we go out and have some fun together?"
Qi Tongwei thought for a moment. The suggestion was decent and the reasoning was sound; there was no reason to refuse.
"Going out is probably not the best idea. We could hold a tea party within the classroom. I'll go apply for permission from Teacher Gao."
Public security in 1984 was truly indescribable. If some sudden incident occurred, Qi Tongwei would bear an inescapable responsibility.
Heroic tales of saving orphans from drowning or rescuing beauties—it was fine to dream about those under the covers, but once he was out of bed, it was better to play it safe.
"Don't be like that. We have Qingshui Bay here in Jingzhou, it's absolutely beautiful. Don't you want to go?"
Qi Tongwei looked up at him. Was this bastard Chen Qingquan digging a pit for him? Qingshui Bay was far from the city, and the surrounding ten miles were desolate. If anything unexpected happened, there would be no one to hear his cries for help.
It was only 1984, twelve years away from a total ban on firearms. If two thugs popped out of the bushes, each holding a handgun, and decided to assault a female classmate right in front of them, one wouldn't even dare to make a peep.
"How about this: go back to class and make a list. Tally up who wants to go and who doesn't. We shouldn't force anyone, right?"
"So, Old Qi, does that mean you're in?"
Qi Tongwei nodded with a smile.
"That's great!"
Watching Chen Qingquan walk away, a cold glint flashed in Qi Tongwei's eyes before he returned to his reading.
The Political and Law major's main subjects were divided into three categories: Law, Political Science, and Sociology, with thirteen sub-categories.
In his previous life, Qi Tongwei had majored in Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, and Social Psychology.
That was precisely why, after being assigned to a township justice office, he chose to become an anti-narcotics officer to break out of his predicament.
Being a policeman was truly a match for his expertise and also his greatest advantage.
Of course, with twenty-three years of experience in politics and law, and the eight major branches of legal studies, Qi Tongwei had dabbled in all of them later on to get into the Ministry.
However, just as there were things he was good at, there were things he wasn't.
What Qi Tongwei was least skilled in was the general introduction to political science and sociology.
"In my past life, Teacher Gao always said I was naive. I never understood what was so naive about me until I died. Isn't this land a society built on personal favors? You help me, I help you, and everyone gets along fine?"
"I never expected that the answer to what I couldn't understand in a lifetime was hidden right here in my alma mater's library. Teacher Gao was right to scold me. Even if I had actually become a deputy provincial governor, it wouldn't necessarily have been a good thing."
"My theory of personal favors could only support me in reaching the level of a department head. To go any further, the rules of the game are completely different."
"But that's okay. If I don't know it, I'll learn it. Hou Liangping, Li Dakang, Sha Ruijin—let's keep our scores and see how this plays out."
Regarding his future junior, Hou Liangping, Qi Tongwei held deep feelings—a profound sentiment that made him want to frame the man and offer incense to him every single day.
But right now, Hou Liangping was only twelve. By the time he would compete with him for the student council presidency in 1988, Hou Liangping would only be sixteen.
Success in youth, success in early adulthood, success in middle age... and Qi Tongwei had killed himself.
........
An hour later, Chen Qingquan returned, holding a piece of paper in his hand.
Qi Tongwei took the list and set it casually on the desk. "All right, I'll go ask Teacher Gao for approval in a bit."
"Make it quick, everyone is waiting."
Once Chen Qingquan left, Qi Tongwei picked up the list and examined it carefully. He held it up to the light to inspect the writing, eventually focusing on the first five people who had agreed to go.
When people achieve a certain goal, they subconsciously find partners to share it with before moving on to others.
The names of the first five people were in Chen Qingquan's handwriting, but from the sixth name onward, it was Xiao Gangyu's.
This meant that after leaving the library, Chen Qingquan had found four people, written down their five names, and then handed the task over to Xiao Gangyu.
"Chen Qingquan, Xiao Gangyu, Fang Xue, Zhong Wenrui, Ji Junnan."
Qi Tongwei crossed his hands on the desk. As he closed his eyes, his memory began to simulate and extend outward.
"Hey, Old Qi agreed. I'll write our five names first, and then I'll leave the rest to you, Old Xiao."
"Fine, I'll handle the rest."
The scene paused. Time rewound to a month ago. Starting with Chen Qingquan, every event and every detail that had entered his field of vision over the past month began to replay.
Then came Xiao Gangyu, Fang Xue, Zhong Wenrui, and Ji Junnan.
He organized and extracted the details from their conversations, and through logical deduction, the full picture of the matter began to become clear.
The scene continued!!!