Chapter 118 One of Them

w deeply regretted for him going so far over a woman.The news of Lin Guangdong no longer serving as the instructor of Chao Hua society plunged everyone into low spirits. Chen Bin and other female memb...Chapter 118: One of Them

After meeting with Cai Guotaos, his vice principal privately asked for Su Can's contact information. At this point, it wouldn't be proper for Cai Guotao to favor one over the others; thus, he naturally chatted with the students from Nan University.

Originally, Su Can was planning to return to the dormitory with Tang Wu after meeting up with her. However, at around 3 or 4 PM in the afternoon, he received a phone call.

The caller was Cai Guotao's vice principal Dai Cunxin, who said in a thick voice, "Is this Su Can I'm Old Dai. This way, President Cai is having dinner at your Holiday Hotel today afternoon, and since you are the representative of our No. 27 High School students at Nan University, he specifically asked me to invite both you and Tang Wu to participate in it. There will also be several deans and vice presidents from Nan University present on that day. So do you have time this afternoon I want to fulfill President Cai's wish..."

Of course, Cai Guotao wouldn't say it like that; it didn’t fit his personality. However, after Dai Cunxin's mouthed relay of the message, it sounded very comfortable and appropriate. Afterward, Dai Cunxin continued, "Oh yes, Lin Guangdong, a former teacher at our No. 27 High School who is now a famous figure in Shanghais business world, will also be there today. You should already know him pretty well."

"Yes, I understand. Please inform President Cai that I will definitely attend." To be honest, Su Can was rather surprised by this dinner invitation.

In the morning, he had met with Cai Guotao and recalled his high school days. He didn't expect to receive a call from him in the afternoon inviting him for a meal, especially when Lin Guangdong was also invited. This made him realize that No. 27 High School must have gathered more intelligence on him; thus, they would insist on having him attend under Cais instructions.

If many people knew that the popular and influential principal of No. 27 High School in Rongcheng had invited him to a banquet, quite a number of people would probably be shocked.

Su Can felt that sometimes this was reality: If he were just an ordinary student who only stood out academically at Nan University with nothing more than studying hard every day, it was impossible for him to receive such special treatment. No one would pay attention to him.

In this situation, it could only mean that Cai Guotao and others had already secretly analyzed his development status through various means and were aware of the astonishing potential value he possessed from his success on Chinese Facebook. In a way, this was an excellent opportunity for self-promotion and increasing influence.

"President Cais invitation" When Su Can hung up the phone, Tang Wu also felt quite surprised.

"This meal won't be tasty; in the future, we will definitely need to build many connections. So President Cai is already laying a foundation proactively. This old guy is indeed calculating. He forgot that back then when he was in his office, he used both coercion and threats against me."

"Then why did he specifically mention inviting me" Tang Wu didn't mind displaying her intimate relationship with Su Can in front of others. However, even the former principal had "especially" invited her, which made her feel somewhat embarrassed and unsure how to handle it. She knew that their departure from school and city at that time must have been under close scrutiny behind the scenes. But she hadn't expected the school's higher-ups to also be concerned.

"Given your status, even if President Cai Guotao doesn't invite you personally, the officials behind him at Nan University would still try their best to build a relationship with you," Su Can said. Perhaps due to geopolitical reasons, Tang Wus mother Mu Xuan might not have much influence in this city, but her maternal grandmother had an impressive background. The Central Party School, despite its ups and downs, was undeniably the holy land many people within the system longed for.

Usually, Tang Wu lived a peaceful life at school without anyone disturbing her to seek connections through her.

Many might pretend they were unaware, but Tang Wus university life was far from as calm and simple as it appeared on the surface. Just look at how often she didn't need to actively do anything for top student organizations or school groups to approach her. Without competing along the student cadre route, various titles would naturally be bestowed upon her through counselors or department heads initiating discussions with her.

Sometimes, even Su Can can't help but admire how meticulous some people are without leaving any traces.

Now that the former principal of both Su and Tang is here, those who have already thought it through naturally put their plans into action.

Tang Wu didn’t want to delve deeper and just tilted her head with a smile, "What identity do I have Just a second-year college student like most others."

Su Can looked at her and said, "Yes, you are currently just a college student, the same as me back then. However, in the not-so-distant future, I believe that you will be similar to how I am now—very soon, you won’t merely be seen as a simple student."

Tang Wu's eyes slightly lowered as she said, "Su Can, don't trouble yourself with me... because there’s nothing for me to give you and no way for me to repay you..."

Su Can gazed from Tang Wu’s ponytail down to her long legs until his gaze swept past the shy displeasure in her almond-shaped eyes before he said, "Agreed. For a lifetime, I’ll pledge myself to you."

Tang Wu once thought that people who talk about life-long commitment so easily were often frivolous. She recalled her mother Mu Xuan telling her that she fell for her father not because of his tall and handsome appearance but rather because he was someone who never casually uttered words like "forever" or "I love you." Instead, this man would endure a daily struggle to ensure that his wife and daughter were unaffected by life’s hardships.

Therefore, sometimes one doesn’t need to look at what kind of limited edition bag a woman carries, how expensive her jewelry is, or which mysterious perfume she wears. What truly matters is whether there's an extraordinary man beside her who complements her grace and elegance.

Tang Wu knew that Su Can was the first man in her life, possibly also the last. Clearly, he was also the first person to speak such words without being seen as frivolous or immediately condemned; instead, she accepted them willingly.

Thus, this raven-haired woman nodded softly like a little wife, her face blushing with allure.

Lǐ Péngyǔ and Lín Guāndòng arrived at Nàn University around 5 PM. The banquet hosted by President Cài Guótao was held in the hotel’s Chinese restaurant. With the university's homecoming festival approaching, luxury cars surrounded the school area; even nearby hotels were fully booked due to the university’s shareholding stake in them. As a result, Nàndàng University could secure reservations for tables that seemed impossible to others.

Lǐ Péngyǔ dropped off the two guests at the hotel and went to find something to eat himself, merely asking them to call him when they were done.

The hotel lobby wasn’t lacking in celebrities coming and going. Many people who had achieved significant success drew attention with every action observed by others. Su Can saw several familiar faces among these individuals—famous figures from his previous life’s memories. Some hadn't yet reached their career peaks, but they didn't recognize him. On the contrary, Lín Guāndòng, from Dalíu Holdings, received more attention.

Lín Guāndóng broke away from a few acquaintances and followed Su Can toward the private room in the Chinese restaurant, smiling as he said, "A media friend just asked me about your identity. Some people seem to have gotten preliminary information about you through certain channels. It looks like your popularity will continue to rise."

"You’re my representative; all I need is for you to handle it. As long as I don’t publicly appear in the media, my current beautiful college life can still go on smoothly..." For a holding company with Facebook Chinese, Dalíu Media Group, Dunhuang Department Store, Shǔshān Company, and Upperme Digital Music under its umbrella, maintaining complete secrecy in today's information-rich society is impossible. Some organizations’ intelligence gathering capabilities far exceed expectations.

Once the industrial chain matures and major strategic moves are completed, especially with the integration of online games like World of Warcraft and social networking platforms, Dalíu Holdings will rise to prominence at a pivotal moment. Then many people will likely rely on me—this ultimate decision-maker—to learn about news that could impact their interests.

Every travel plan he makes, every public statement he issues, and even casual remarks made unintentionally; who he meets and interacts with – all of these become subjects for others to study and speculate upon. Just thinking about this kind of indirectly shackled life makes Su Cen feel very scared.

But it seems that as his fleet of enterprises grows in scale, such a trend will gradually become an inevitable reality.

In the resting tea room outside the private room, Cai Guotao warmly greeted Lin Guangdong. Soon after, guests began to arrive and take their seats, including Lu Chaming, the vice president of Su Cen's Economics College, as well as department heads and renowned professors. There were also one or two people in their mid-twenties who worked at the Office of the President of the university and children of the principal from Nan University's affiliated high school.

They seemed to be employed already and dressed more maturely, often glancing at Su Cen and Tang Wu while chatting with others.

It was clear that today’s banquet had another purpose, though Su Cen and Tang Wu weren’t the center of attention. Yet their presence somewhat affected everyone in the room.

Around the customary pleasantries about attending this Nan University Homecoming Festival, once drinks were poured, Cai Guotao quickly steered the conversation towards Su Cen, saying to everyone, "I’ve always held high hopes for my student, Su Cen. When he was in the Second Seventh High School, he saved a girl who attempted suicide. To put it simply, maintaining the reputation of the school has you partly to thank... Now that he’s entered this prestigious university, it's well-deserved."

Some people, unaware of the background details, began asking about them, while others knew Li Ying's identity and looked at Su Cen with a different expression.

The principal of Nan University's affiliated high school, Gao Bingqi, didn’t seem too concerned. After all, his school was also a national key secondary school, so he came to the banquet intending to defeat Cai Guotao in conversation over drinks. He then clasped his fingers together and slowly said, "It can only be said that there are still flaws in our high school education system. My daughter studied abroad at the age of fourteen, attending Oklahoma City Math and Science High School and later Columbia University. I must admit, seeing other countries’ educational systems makes me worry about ours… Why am I worried Because the gap is too obvious; some so-called national key schools are not worthy of their names." He then smiled and added, "Of course, President Cai, I’m not referring to your school but rather two recent cases where schools were stripped of this title..."

Gao Bingqi's words clearly had a pointed meaning. Not only did he highlight his daughter’s impressive academic record to overshadow Su Cen, but he also subtly criticized the suicide incident at Second Seventh High School.

Cai Guotao felt uncomfortable with Gao Bingqi openly praising Su Cen in front of everyone at this banquet. To him, it looked like Cai was trying to pave a path for his student before these high-ranking officials from Nan University. With his daughter now employed at the university, he hadn’t yet secured her future prospects; why should Cai Guotao have such an opportunity

Furthermore, here in this room were people who had students everywhere and even graduates holding positions as deputy department heads or millionaires. These alumni served to enhance their reputations and status. Praising a mere student for saving a suicidal girl was beneath him; it felt like showing off one's skills in front of those who are more skilled.

However, Gao Bingqi didn't notice that the expressions on people around him became rather strange after his speech.

Cai Guotao’s expression darkened slightly as he exchanged a glance with the university president's office director. The latter gave an almost imperceptible signal, and Cai quickly returned to normalcy. The atmosphere had briefly paused due to Gao Bingqi's interruption.

At this moment, Lu Chaming, vice president of the Economics College, took over the conversation: "Su Cen, your former principal and teachers all have high expectations for you. The college is willing to trust in you; if you encounter any difficulties or needs in the future, feel free to ask for help. You should strive to achieve something so that Nan University can be proud of you tomorrow as it hopes you will be proud of it today."

Hearing this, Gao Bingqi gave a cold laugh. He originally thought Cai Guotao's promotion of his student wouldn’t have much effect, but he hadn't expected Lu Chaming to support him internally. He wondered how great the benefits were that Su Cen’s family had given for such enthusiastic endorsement.

Following Lu Chaming's words, Gao Bingqi's laughter did not grate on the ears, but it was enough to make Su Cen glance at him suspiciously, discerning the underlying tension between Gao Bingqi and Cai Guotao.

The people around now looked at Gao Bingqi even more strangely.

Gao Bingqi could sit in this position, naturally not being an ordinary person. It was just that after staying in the top position for a long time, he wasn't as sharp as before, but his abilities were still there. He noticed something unusual around him. Seeing Director Gu of the president's office at Nan University with a gloomy expression, it finally struck Gao Bingqi that perhaps he had made some mistake and missed an important point in today’s banquet.

He then gradually looked toward Su Can. Could this seemingly ordinary student before him be... the key to why so many people gathered here today

Afther saying a few unimportant words, Cai Guotao finally lowered his eyes and said to Su Can, "I heard from President Lu that you are quite busy at school. You have quite a lot of things to take care of. You need to mind your studies as well as your career. Although you're still young... you must pay attention to your health."

Su Can wasn't surprised that Cai Guotao suddenly mentioned "career." He continuously nodded.

Cai Guotao paused for a moment and continued, "Recently when I was abroad on an inspection trip, the students, youths, and even educators there used something called Facebook to communicate online... This has become a trend across America. I heard that you started this trend"

Gao Bingqi's breath instantly tightened in this moment as he finally realized the significance of the bombshell and also realized what he had done just now was like a clown.

The room fell silent, with no sound at all. The office director of Nan University, the dean of the Economics College, the department head, the staff from development planning and discipline construction offices, among others, fell into their own habitual silence, even adjusting their breathing to only just audible levels.

The air seemed frozen, not allowing even a breath of wind to pass through.

Everyone's years of experience in dealing with such situations was displayed at its peak. There were those who remained silent, others looking around curiously, some pretending to be bored and picking at the food on their plates, or carefully prying apart a roasted chicken leg's tender meat, or holding their glasses and aimlessly spinning them.

But everyone had one common feature: they all seemed to listen intently, waiting for Su Can’s answer to this question.

All the speculations about this man and the various discussions outside were just rumors. The person involved hadn't come forward to clarify anything; no media could interview this mysterious figure behind everything.

Up until now, nobody at Nan University had confirmed what this youth was doing other than attending his regular classes every day, or what he was thinking and planning, or even who he truly was.

Lin Guangdun looked over at Su Can in disbelief and helplessness. He hadn't expected the former president to bring up such a direct and sharp topic, feeling somewhat helpless but also a bit glad that it wasn't him being put on the spot. It seemed this banquet had been planned long ago.

Tang Wu glanced sideways at Su Can, knowing that for Su Can, this might be a difficult question to answer.

After a brief but heart-racing silence, Su Can said, "Yes, I did start it. One of the two founders of Facebook... is me."en return; some people's lives were better than others', and all of this could serve as gossip among the group.The current situation was no different, with conversations mostly centered around their i...