The first time Xu Tingsheng and Zhang Xingke had met, the latter had left behind a single sentence: If I really make a move, I’m afraid that you wouldn’t be able to bear it. He had even left behind a name card for him.

  From that moment on, even while Xu Tingsheng had still yet to know about Zhang Xingke’s background as well as the methods that he possessed, he had actually already begun his preparations.

  That very night, Xu Tingsheng had given a call to someone known as Chen Jianxing. This Chen Jianxing was precisely that reporter from Yanzhou Nightly whom he had ‘cooperated’ with back then. From that initial exchange of mutual benefits, the two had gotten acquainted with each other.

  Xu TIngsheng had told Chen Jianxing about his idea, which was using the development of the students of Yanzhou University as a ‘cover’ with which to arrange for an interview with the university. Afterwards, as for how to appropriately fit ‘Hucheng’ inside and magnify it, that was something that Chen Jianxing would definitely be more knowledgeable in than him.

  In the year 2003, the ministries of the nation had consecutively released ten papers which encouraged the entrepreneurship of university students.

  ‘Hucheng’ was a very good example of Yanzhou University having accomplished the policies of the central government. At the same time, its nature of helping impoverished university students in their livelihoods was also a very good selling point.

  After having come to an agreement, Xu Tingsheng had wired Chen Jianxing a sum of money.

  Just like last time, Chen Jianxing had quietly received the money. As he saw it, this was merely yet another of Xu Tingsheng’s advertisements for Hucheng. However, to Xu Tingsheng, whilst being an advertisement, it was a ‘protective talisman’ as well. Such was the primary motive of this move of his.

  Xu Tingsheng wanted to tie the reputations of Hucheng and Yanzhou University together. Like this, when the school committee had to make a stand one day, they actually wouldn’t have a choice in the matter in actuality.

  This matter was actually not hard at all for Chen Jianxing. Local newspapers ‘exhorting’ local universities had always been something that both parties were happy to see.

  The next day, when Hucheng had been teetering from the numerous attacks by Zhang Xingke, swaying dangerously amidst the storm, Yanzhou Nightly’s reporter, Chen Jianxing, had come to Yanzhou University, saying that he had been asked by his superiors and those from the city’s promotion board to write an article on Yanzhou University spurring on their students’ development.

  Yanzhou University had given Chen Jianxing a warm welcome, a few key personnel of the school leadership all having been interviewed by him.

  Apart from Xu Tingsheng himself, no one else at the time had been able to connect these two incidents which had happened on the same day together.

  Thus, when Zhao Kangwen threw the newspaper in Management Head Zhao’s face, the headlines on the front page not only praised Yanzhou University’s working students to the heavens, it even devoted close to a quarter of its coverage to Hucheng Education.

  Principal Zhao was very satisfied with the article, very satisfied with Hucheng, very satisfied with the first year student Xu Tingsheng who had established Hucheng.

  It was to the extent that he really couldn’t be any more satisfied with this youth.

  Xu Tingsheng who had entered Yanzhou University with the highest university entrance examination results in history, Xu Tingsheng who had established Hucheng Education, Xu Tingsheng who had defeated Jianhai University, venting out Yanzhou University’s stifledness. Other than that, there was also something additional that Principal Zhao knew that others hadn’t known about at the time-brave, civic-minded Xu Tingsheng.

  The highest score a matriculating batch had entered with would be printed on the reference booklets for university entrance examinations aspiration applications as well as the booklets which they used to recruit students. Xu Tingsheng had single-handedly brought Yanzhou University to new heights in this aspect.

  Of course, what Principal Zhao was most satisfied with was still Xu Tingsheng’s performance in as well as handling of the ‘imprisonment incident’ the previous year.

  While the media had not publicly revealed the specifics of the case and information about the heroes involved, the police had still been in contact with the university regarding this incident. Having received the notification from them, the elegant, refined Principal Zhao who was the exemplar of an educator had virtually broken out entirely in cold sweat.

  If the virtually all-encompassing media reports at the time had included the attempted kidnapping and imprisonment of a student home tutor from Yanzhou University, Yanzhou University would immediately have been thrown in front of a metaphorical firing squad in the sense that their safety procedures would have come under flak, their reputation taking a hit.

  The consequences would have been disastrous beyond compare.

  Thus, when the representative from the police had privately awarded Xu Tingsheng with the Award of Bravery in Zhao Kangwen’s office afterwards, even having said something like ‘Hero will have been shortchanged with this’, Zhao Kangwen had also said to Xu Tingsheng, “Student Xu, Yanzhou University owes you a great debt, this Zhao Kangwen also owes you a great debt!”


  Back then, Xu Tingsheng had already introduced his plans for Hucheng Education to Principal Zhao, also having pointed out its utility in ensuring the safety of their student home tutors.

  Thus, on a morning when he had originally been feeling joyful beyond compare, Zhao Kangwen was feeling disgusted by this Management Head Zhao before him, even more disgusted than if he had swallowed a fly.

  “You freaking fool, you actually want me to deal with Xu Tingsheng? Also wanting to cease the operations of the classic example of Yanzhou University having promoted the entrepreneurship of its students that the media just enthusiastically reported on, Hucheng Education? Don’t think that I don’t know about those trashy dealings that you have been making.”


  Zhao Kangwen who was a Northern man with a strong righteous disposition by nature was really tempted to throw the green porcelain teacup in his hand even after having thrown the newspaper.

  “Take the newspaper. Get out!”


  Principal Zhao having ordered him out, Management Head Zhao was still completely oblivious as to what was happening as he left the room. It was only when he looked at the newspaper in his hand that he realised that he had kicked onto a metal board.

  “Goddamn kid, why didn’t you say that you had a background earlier? With such crazy methods, what vulnerable were you faking?”


  Management Head Zhao remembered the vulnerable, helpless look that had been on Xu Tingsheng’s face as he had threatened him. That was really too high a level of swindling.

  Management Head Zhao considered the options that were available to him. Now, rather than forcibly continuing trying to deal with Xu Tingsheng who had Principal Zhao supporting him, he really might as well shift to targeting Zhang Xingke instead. That might still be somewhat easier.

  Also, the feeling of being blackmailed was really not good at all. Was he, as a mid-echelon member of a university’s management, to be threatened by a student for his entire life?

  Moreover, it was definitely not just him who would be trying to kick the downed Zhang Xingke now. With the latter’s arrogant, domineering manner of acting these past two years, those whom he had threatened as well as offended would definitely not be few in number. Amongst them would inevitably be the middle and lower echelon members of a few universities’ management.

  Zhang Xingke was still waiting to ‘break through intricacy with strength’, launching a fatal blow on Xu Tingsheng through his university itself. Yet, never would he have realised that the target of that ‘fatal blow’ had actually already become he himself.

  That afternoon, with ‘University Students’ model entrepreneurship’ as the basis, Yanzhou University publicly commended Hucheng Education, and with ‘bravery and civic-mindedness’ as the basis, publicly commended Xu Tingsheng.

  The previous thread on the forum regarding ‘the university coming out to intervene’ was triumphantly revived by the student who had posted it.

  “See? Yanzhou University has openly declared its stance, giving Hucheng Education its full support. I said long ago that the school would come out to intervene, and you people still said that I was talking nonsense.”


  Actually, there was only he himself who knew that he had merely said so casually at the time, not even having thought about which side it was that the university might support. If he had really considered the matter, he would definitely have picked the rumoured all-seeing, all-powerful Zhang Xingke as the likely choice.

  Most people actually ignored him, because what they were more interested in was: Where was Xu Tingsheng?

  In just a few short days, amidst a heated, chaotic battle, Hucheng which had seemingly already been nailed dead to the ground as soon as the battle had begun had suddenly unleashed a remarkable flurry of fists, successfully achieving a grand reversal with that beautiful combo.

  The current battlefield between the recently established Hucheng and the greatly renowned Zhang Xingke was such that the former seemed to already have secured a complete victory.

  If this was a game of chess, where then was the one who had moved the pieces, Xu Tingsheng? Someone said that he was currently barbecuing in the wilderness right by Thousand Island Lake.

  When he had departed from Yanzhou when the whole world had been threatening to crumble about Hucheng, many people had thought that he was admitting defeat, fearful and therefore fleeing. Then, what now? When he should be returning in full glory, he was actually barbecuing.

  How broad a heart was this?