Chapter 40: Coming Straight at Me!

"Is Zhou Yun here? Sit down." Deng Yonghua gestured for him to take a seat.

Seeing the furrow in Zhou's brow, he looked somewhat surprised. "Have you run into any trouble lately?"

"Well, I’ve been feeling a bit lost recently. It feels rather meaningless to just publish papers for the sake of publishing, or to conduct research just for the sake of research."

"Haha, you kid—if anyone else heard you say that, they’d think you were..." He paused to think. "That’s right, you’re being a 'humblebragger'!"

After all, there are so many people out there tearing their hair out just trying to get a single paper published.

"But if it’s you, I’m not surprised at all by this problem. The answer is simple: you lack an ultimate goal. Perhaps for most ordinary people, including myself, such an 'ultimate goal' is a vague and ethereal concept. But for true geniuses, it is precisely this 'goal' that drives them forward. All those papers and patents are merely byproducts produced along the journey toward that objective. You need to find a goal, and as for how to find it, that’s up to you."

Deng Yonghua finished speaking and sat quietly to the side, waiting.

Zhou Yun felt that Deng’s words made a lot of sense. Until now, everything he had done was for the sake of short-term goals. As for what he wanted to do with his life, he had never really thought about it—or perhaps, he had been unwilling or afraid to think about it.

After a while, still finding no clarity, he shook his head to himself.

"It’s not easy to figure out such a question in a short time. After all, it takes a lot of life experience for most people to gradually realize what they truly want. If you ask me, at your age, you should just do more and get out there to see the world; a narrow perspective limits your thinking. As it happens, that’s exactly why I called you here.

"There’s a project meeting in Jiangcheng coming up, and it’s going to be a long one. How about it? Do you want to go? It might help with your dilemma, and you’ll get to meet some influential people."

Although Deng had some personal motives, he wasn't just bringing Zhou along to slack off; he genuinely wanted him involved in the project and introduced to some heavy hitters, which would undoubtedly benefit his future development.

Zhou Yun thought for a moment. "Alright, I'll go. When do we leave?"

"No need to rush. We leave next Monday, and we’ll be there for about ten days."

"Sounds good."

The next morning, the sun was shining brightly. On his way to the lab, Zhou Yun noticed a large banner hanging over the main entrance of the school.

[Warmly Welcome City Leaders to Inspect Our Work]

The banner wasn't new; it was clearly one of the school’s standard items kept in storage.

In an instant, he recalled what Director Zhao had told him a few days prior. Was this the solution he had mentioned?

At that moment, for the first time, he truly felt the weight of two words: power.

Just because of his words, the city leaders had come down for an inspection. This clearly demonstrated the state's high regard for scientific research talent. Of course, this was also because Zhou Yun’s request was reasonable; otherwise, no matter how great his contribution, the state would not act against its principles.

Zhou Yun shook his head and walked straight toward the lab. He had no habit of rubbernecking; he’d rather spend that time thinking about his future research direction.

At the school gate, President Li Mingyuan, dressed in a crisp dark suit, had been waiting for ten minutes, accompanied by several vice presidents. Everyone was in formal attire. Although this wasn't their first inspection, there was a touch of "surprise inspection" tension in their eyes.

At nine o'clock sharp, a black sedan arrived and pulled to a smooth stop.

The door opened, and Vice Mayor Wang stepped out, accompanied by his secretary. He was around fifty, well-kept, and wore a somewhat formulaic smile as he assessed Li Mingyuan and the others.

"President Li, fellow school leaders, sorry to bother you." Vice Mayor Wang extended his hand.

"We welcome Vice Mayor Wang to the school to guide our work!" Li Mingyuan stepped forward quickly, shaking hands with composed professionalism. "It’s no bother at all. It is our honor to have leadership show such concern for education."

After the brief pleasantries, Li Mingyuan took the lead. "Vice Mayor Wang, shall we walk around the campus first? We can chat as we go. It’s a good chance to get a feel for the campus atmosphere at the start of the semester."

"Good, that’s a fine suggestion, President Li. We’re here to see the real situation." Although Vice Mayor Wang kept a smile on his face, he was actually anxious.

This inspection wasn't part of his regular schedule. It stemmed from a report by a leader of equal rank, claiming that Qiantang University was engaging in unreasonable fee collections.

Upon hearing that, he was incensed. For a leader, this was the last thing they wanted to deal with, especially in a local university. Hence, this surprise inspection.

Accompanied by President Li and the vice presidents, Vice Mayor Wang walked slowly along the main campus road. President Li introduced the general overview of the school and the new semester’s initiatives, while keeping a side-eye on the Vice Mayor’s expressions.

"How are your tuition fees?"

"Our tuition fees are collected in accordance with the standards for public schools in the city. Our university has always upheld the philosophy of being 'student-centered.' We have put a great deal of effort into standardizing fees and reducing the burden on students, ensuring every cent is transparently accounted for and clearly utilized. For students with financial difficulties, we have a dedicated subsidy fund." As he mentioned this, a bit more of a smile appeared on Li Mingyuan’s face.

Vice Mayor Wang cast him a calm look. "Is that so? President Li, would you mind if I ask a student?"

Li Mingyuan nodded. "Of course, please, ask whatever you like."

Vice Mayor Wang nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping casually over a few students hurrying by with books in their arms. He paused slightly and gestured to a student who looked relatively composed.

"Student, excuse me."

The student was startled and stopped, looking a bit reserved. He didn't recognize any of them, but their attire made it obvious they were school leaders. This wasn't strange; most students only knew their counselors, and perhaps their professors. As for the president and vice presidents? Sorry, they were total strangers.

"Don't be nervous, student," Vice Mayor Wang said with a more kindly smile. "I just wanted to ask, in your life and studies here at school, have you ever encountered any unreasonable fees? For example, costs outside of tuition that weren't clearly explained?"

As soon as these words were out, President Li’s heart jumped to his throat; alarm bells rang instantly.

*He’s coming for me!*

Li Mingyuan finally understood the purpose of this surprise inspection.