Free Web NovelChapter 279: Chapter 212: Next Time, I Want to Sit on the Dais
On stage, after a group of VIPs finished their speeches, the host announced it was time for the freshman representative to speak.
Beside him, Kong Qi gently nudged Lin Chu’s arm.
The procedure had already been laid out. Although Lin Chu wasn’t qualified to sit on the main stage, being able to speak from the audience was still considered a "special honor" of sorts.
The speech was already prepared. All Lin Chu had to do was read from the script, and the job would be considered done.
As was expected, the other students broke into enthusiastic applause.
Lin Chu glanced around the hall, picked up the speech, and began to read it nonchalantly.
"Represent..."
"Thankful..."
"Strive..."
"Expectations..."
The generic phrases, one after another, echoed clearly throughout the auditorium.
’I should feel "proud," right? After all, being the freshman representative makes me the head of the new students, in a way.’
’So why does it feel so... off?’
’There’s no excitement.’
’No energy.’
Lin Chu casually finished his speech, pursed his lips, gave the crowd a wave, and sat down.
Kong Qi glanced at him, sensing that Lin Chu wasn’t very enthusiastic. But it didn’t really matter; as long as he kept up appearances, it was fine. It was all just a formality, anyway.
He smiled and offered a few words of casual praise.
Lin Chu smiled and nodded nonchalantly.
After mulling it over for a moment, Lin Chu figured it out.
’First, respecting knowledge isn’t the same as respecting the institution. They’re two different things. Peking University doesn’t have any special halo in my eyes.’
’Second, these so-called procedures are just hollow formalities, and they’re boring as hell.’
’Third, if I were sitting on the main stage, I could say whatever I wanted, and I’d definitely be more into it. But being a "puppet" is completely pointless.’
"Brother Kong, can I run something by you?"
Lin Chu said suddenly with a grin.
"Hm?"
Kong Qi looked at him intently. "Go ahead."
"Next time I have to give a speech, arrange a seat for me on the main stage."
Lin Chu said, as if he were joking.
Kong Qi was baffled.
He was stunned for a second but quickly recovered. ’This young man really has an appetite for power,’ he thought. ’He just enrolled and he’s already thinking about becoming a leader. Why not just aim to be the president of Peking University while you’re at it?’
Then again, this was to be expected.
"I understand. For Chairman Lin, going from the head of a corporation to just another student... there’s bound to be a sense of a letdown. But this mental conditioning is also part of the curriculum. When you find yourself in a lower position, it’s unwise to be either overeager or to just give up and slack off."
"I believe that by the time the graduation ceremony comes around, you’ll definitely be sitting on that stage. As for how to make that happen, well, that’s your homework," Kong Qi said with a smile.
He was clearly experienced, with a smooth, practiced way of speaking, and quite good at encouraging people.
Lin Chu rubbed his nose and nodded lightly.
’This "advisor" isn’t half bad,’ Lin Chu thought. ’Seems pretty sharp.’
’Though he’s just as smooth when it comes to making empty promises.’
’But he wasn’t wrong about my state of mind.’
...
After the ceremony in the auditorium concluded, everyone headed out to the athletic field.
Drones flew overhead and photographers ran around on the ground, taking group photos to commemorate the day.
With blue skies and white clouds, the weather was perfect.
After the official group photos, it was time for personal pictures. Many students started seeking out the VIPs to get some face time and a personal photo.
On an occasion like this, the VIPs naturally wouldn’t refuse, if only out of politeness.
Lin Chu scanned the crowd but didn’t recognize anyone.
A moment later, however, Kong Qi walked over and said with a smile, "Chairman Lin, I’ve arranged for you to sit at the head table at the banquet tonight."
Uh...
Lin Chu glanced at him, suddenly at a loss for whether to laugh or cry.
Kong Qi’s gesture felt like someone sticking a pacifier in a crying baby’s mouth.
Still, it was a kind gesture.
"Thanks."
Lin Chu patted his shoulder and said casually.
Just then, Lu Ming ambled over, looking like he just wanted to chat. He asked with a smile, "Brother Kong, I have an idea and wanted to get your opinion on whether it’s feasible."
"Go on."
Kong Qi recognized him and knew his name. He had already memorized every student’s file and could put a face to every name.
It was basic prep work.
In his eyes, Lu Ming was part of Lin Chu’s core team.
The two had registered at the same time and paid their fees together. Moreover, Lu Ming worked at Lin Chu’s club.
"Here’s what I was thinking," Lu Ming began. "Since we’re all here for professional development, it makes sense to combine theory with practice. I have a bold idea: there are sixty of us in this class. What if we use ourselves as the core team, everyone pitches in a little money—it doesn’t have to be a lot, capped at ten thousand, but even a few thousand would work—and we start a project together?"
"If it succeeds, it’s a commercial enterprise. If it fails, we can just call it a practical social experiment."
"So... would the university allow something like that?"
Lu Ming asked casually. He was still hung up on that "youthful feeling" and had proposed a similar idea to Lin Chu on the way here, only to be rejected. And so, a brand-new, 2.0 version of his idea was now on the table.
This time, he was playing for bigger stakes.
It also sounded way more impressive.
Hearing this, Lin Chu glanced at him, a flicker of interest stirring within him.
’This version is definitely a huge improvement on what he proposed earlier,’ he thought. ’It’s actually pretty interesting.’
Kong Qi looked from Lu Ming to Lin Chu.
He suspected that Lin Chu had put Lu Ming up to this.
His mind instantly jumped to one conclusion: ’Could this be the start of an "illegal fundraising" scheme?’
Something similar had happened two years ago in an MBA class at another prestigious university. The most respected person in the class had led the majority of his classmates into a high-yield investment scheme. It wasn’t small-scale, either; the total capital involved had exceeded a hundred million.
After getting the class members on board, they used them as a core group to expand the scheme privately, and it just kept getting bigger and bigger.
