The four of them encountered such an unbelievable event that they all felt somewhat bewildered. The development of the situation had clearly gone beyond their expectations. Just as they were still in a daze, the "victim" girl had quietly left, taking Li Wei's jacket with her.
"Let's go back. It seems we should try to avoid going out at night."
Wang Haiyang, seeing that the others were still standing there with no intention of leaving, couldn't help but remind them. He was the most timid of the group and had been quite frightened when he saw the dagger. Now that even the police had fled, he was even more afraid.
With this reminder, the others also came to their senses. This was not the time to dwell on the past. After exchanging glances, they all returned to the school with their minds full of doubts.
"I want to be an official! I don't want to do academic research anymore. Being an official can also serve the country!"
When the four shaken individuals returned to the dormitory, Wang Haiyang loudly announced. It seemed that tonight's events had greatly affected him. Even he, who had always boasted of being a future scientist and Nobel Prize winner, now felt the difference between the campus and society. Before anyone could say anything, he continued, "Brothers, do you remember the seniors from a few years ago? Li Zhiqiang? Wu Qiushi?"
The two people he mentioned were once prominent figures on the campus of Yan University. The older Li Zhiqiang, due to his excellent grades and strong political acumen, stayed at Yan University after graduation to serve as the secretary of the Youth League Committee. Later, he was transferred to the central government to serve as a secretary.
The younger Wu Qiushi was an even more revered figure among Yan University students. He came from a remote village in the south and entered Yan University at the age of 16 as the top scorer. He studied Chinese literature and was named an outstanding graduate upon graduation. Although he could have stayed in Beijing to work, he voluntarily applied to work in the highlands. Later, as a representative of the graduates, he spoke at the National Parliament Hall and was widely reported by the central media, becoming an ideal model of a scholar serving the country.
Like another famous university nearby, Yan University students also had a sense of responsibility for the world. However, the difference was that the nearby university cultivated diligent engineers and the "work for the country for fifty years" mindset, while Yan University was more idealistic and closer to the ancient Chinese scholars' "govern the country and manage the family" ethos. Wu Qiushi was undoubtedly the perfect model in the hearts of Yan University students.
"Zhong Yi, what do you want to do in the future?"
When the topic turned to the future, the four of them immediately forgot about the earlier incident and began to discuss with great interest.
Generally, a person's life develops in three main fields: politics, business, and academia. No matter which field, achieving success is not easy, but there are still many who have succeeded, and even some geniuses who have achieved remarkable success across multiple fields.
For example, James Simons, the founder of Renaissance Technologies, was a world-class mathematician before establishing the hedge fund. He obtained a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley, known for its concentration of geniuses, at the age of 23. He later taught mathematics at Harvard and MIT. In 1974, he and the legendary Chinese mathematician Chen Shing-Shen proposed the Chen-Simons theory, for which he won the Fields Medal.
After reaching the pinnacle of academia, Simons, after consulting with Chen Shing-Shen, entered the business world and founded the legendary hedge fund, Renaissance Technologies. In just twenty years, Renaissance Technologies grew from an unknown fund to a behemoth managing tens of billions of dollars, and Simons himself, with a net worth of over ten billion dollars, made it to the top 100 on the Forbes Global Rich List.
"I, well, want to study abroad in the United States. As for what I'll do after that, I haven't decided yet! What about you guys?"
Zhong Yi answered casually, but in his heart, he thought about the life plan Zhong Shi had made for him. He had initially dismissed it, but after seeing his talented cousin's ability to make money, Zhong Yi began to take Zhong Shi's words more seriously, even unconsciously imitating his nine-year-old cousin's mannerisms.
Of course, he couldn't tell anyone else about this, not even his parents.
"I, well, will go wherever I'm assigned after graduation. But I hope I can return to the grasslands. You know, the environment in big cities is really bad, and the blue sky and white clouds on the grasslands are much better!"
Wuti Da said bluntly. This kind of thinking was somewhat shocking even in today's world, let alone back then. In the 1980s, people hoped to change their fate through the college entrance exam and become city dwellers. If they could get a government job, it would be even better. However, in university campuses, many young students, filled with hope for the reform and opening up and the prospect of a better future, all wanted to go to the forefront of reform—Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Even Yan University students were no exception.
Upon hearing Wuti Da's words, the other three looked at each other in surprise, and the dormitory fell into an awkward silence. Zhong Yi, Wang Haiyang, and Li Wei looked at Wuti Da with incredulous eyes, making him feel uneasy.
"What's wrong? If you've been to the grasslands and seen the vast green fields and blue sky, I guarantee you'll never want to live in the city again."
Wuti Da explained in a low voice. However, even he didn't believe that his brothers would stay on the grasslands after seeing its beauty.
"Li Wei, what are your plans for the future?"
After collectively mocking Wuti Da, they turned their attention to the only one who hadn't yet revealed his thoughts.
"I, well, plan to go to Shenzhen and Hong Kong after graduation. You've all heard that it's a magical land where miracles happen every day. Maybe I'll do well there, and when you guys come to Shenzhen..."
After waiting for a long time, it was finally his turn, and Li Wei's eyes lit up as he spoke enthusiastically, not even noticing the understanding looks on the others' faces.
They had heard his plan many times before. Li Wei would talk about his grand plans whenever he had the chance. At first, the others tried to discourage him, but over time, they became numb to it.
The 1980s were not a time of severe materialism, especially in university campuses. When Li Wei first mentioned his life plan, the others had harshly criticized him. But now, times had changed, and they no longer had the same thoughts.
The one who had changed the most was Zhong Yi. He had witnessed the girl he liked getting into a small car with an unremarkable man and driving away. He kept comforting himself, saying it was just a coincidence, or that the man was her relative, or something else...
In any case, he found hundreds of reasons to defend her, but the changes in her appearance shattered his illusions. The one-piece dress, the sky-blue jeans, and the vermilion leather shoes all told Zhong Yi the allure of money.
Zhong Yi buried this incident deep in his heart and never told anyone. It was a pain that every boy must go through to become a man.
If Zhong Shi knew about this, he would probably just laugh. Such things were too common in the future. As a top fund manager, he often attended private parties hosted by the wealthy, and the things that happened at those events, if leaked, would cause a huge stir.
"Hey, what about your girlfriends?"
Wuti Da glared and rudely interrupted Li Wei's long speech.
In the night talks of university dormitories, girls were a constant topic. No matter what the starting point, the conversation always ended with the opposite sex. The hormones of young men in their youth were undoubtedly abundant.
In this dormitory, only Zhong Yi was single. The others all had girlfriends. Wuti Da's girlfriend was also from Mengfeng, and they met at a hometown association event, where they developed a mutual liking and naturally got together.
Li Wei's girlfriend, Liu Ling, was a girl from Xiujiang, with the typical characteristics of a southern girl: petite, fair-skinned, and soft-spoken, making people feel protective. Li Wei had to work hard to stand out among many competitors and win her heart.
Wang Haiyang's girlfriend, Zhang Minghui, was also from Lihai, and they were high school classmates. Wang Haiyang often complained in the dormitory that his girlfriend was too shrewd and always nitpicked, which hurt him as a man. However, the others didn't take his complaints seriously.
After nearly three years of living together, everyone knew each other's personalities well and could tell when they were being sincere. The others knew that Wang Haiyang's complaints were actually a way to show off.
"Heh, Minghui said she will return to Lihai after graduation. I originally thought the same, but after today's incident, I've decided to stay in Beijing after graduation and try to enter the government. If she doesn't agree, we'll have to break up!"
Wang Haiyang said coldly, surprising everyone. They realized that his determination to enter politics was so strong that he was willing to abandon his girlfriend of several years.
For a moment, the others fell silent, not knowing what to say. The harsh reality shattered their beautiful dreams, bringing them back to the real world and making them feel unusually heavy-hearted.
"I wonder what my little cousin has in mind for the future and what his life goals are."
Lying in bed, Zhong Yi looked at the ceiling and couldn't help but think aimlessly. This time, he didn't think about the girl who had changed his values but instead thought about Zhong Shi, who often gave him advice.
After thinking for a while, Zhong Yi suddenly realized that the others were not asleep either. Even Wuti Da, who usually fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed, was tossing and turning, clearly troubled. The quiet dormitory was occasionally interrupted by sighs.
"He's just a nine-year-old kid. Even if he's a genius, what could he know?" Zhong Yi organized his thoughts and couldn't help but laugh at his own thoughts. He didn't realize that Zhong Shi had not only planned his future but also set an incredible goal for himself, one that seemed unbelievable to others.