13: Chapter 13 Profound Meaning

The night was already deep, and in the third-floor office of the President at Civil Engineering University, two cups of tea had long since gone cold.

President Chen Bing leaned back in his chair, removed his glasses, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Director Li Lei sat opposite him, his notebook spread open, but not a single word was written.

"President."

Director Li Lei finally spoke, his voice kept very low.

"I still can't figure it out."

President Chen Bing didn't open his eyes, saying indifferently: "Speak."

"Minister Yang promoting his own younger generation, that I can understand."

Director Li Lei pushed up his glasses, then said: "The Liu Faction has been at its zenith these years, Minister Yang is the backbone of the Liu Faction in the education system, Xu Tianhua is the nailed-down successor of the Liu Faction, so it is logical for him to look after the Xu Family child."

"But..."

"Why is the Reserve Army joining in the fun?"

President Chen Bing opened his eyes, looking at the ceiling.

"First Secretary Shen Hao has nothing to do with Xu Tianhua."

"One is in the local area, one is in Yancheng."

"Even if they had intersections back when he was hanging his position in Hanzhong, that was just a normal working relationship."

The more Director Li Lei spoke, the more he felt something was wrong, saying: "For this bit of friendship, is it worth him running over personally, and even offering conditions like entering the Youth League Committee as a freshman and becoming a Deputy Secretary in his sophomore year?"

President Chen Bing was silent, quietly saying nothing.

"President, tell me the truth."

President Chen Bing slowly sat up straight, pushing the cold tea to the side.

"Old Li, how many years have you been following me?"

Director Li Lei was startled, then said: "Until this December, exactly eighteen years."

"Eighteen years."

President Chen Bing nodded and said: "In these eighteen years, have you seen me handle anything wrong?"

"No."

President Chen Bing said calmly: "Then the words I say next, you hear them, and they rot in your stomach."

"Once you leave this door, I haven't said it, and you haven't heard it."

Director Li Lei's spine straightened; President Chen Bing didn't speak immediately.

He picked up the thermos cup on the table, unscrewed it, then screwed it back on.

"Before First Secretary Shen Hao came, I made a phone call to that office."

"There is an old connection over there, who has some dealings with the people in the Mu Office."

President Chen Bing's voice was very light, as if afraid to disturb something.

"He told me that First Secretary Shen Hao coming out this time was not something he wanted to do himself."

"It was a message passed from the Mu Office."

The office was so quiet that one could hear the ticking of the second hand on the wall clock; Director Li Lei opened his mouth, his throat seemingly blocked by something.

He picked up his teacup to take a sip, only to find the tea had long since gone cold, with fine water droplets condensed on the cup wall.

"Vice... Mu..."

He couldn't say those two words, so he hurriedly changed his words: "That person... how could he..."

President Chen Bing didn't answer; he got up and walked to the window, his back to Director Li Lei.

"Old Li, do you think our building, this office, sometimes looks like a ship?"

Director Li Lei didn't understand what he was saying.

"The ship travels on the river, and you think you are the one steering."

"Going east today, west tomorrow, setting the route yourself, controlling the speed yourself."

President Chen Bing's back looked very quiet in the night, but in reality, it had long since stirred up huge waves.

"But in reality? Under the ship is the river water; wherever the river flows, the ship can only go there."

President Chen Bing turned around, smiled bitterly and said: "You think you are steering, but actually you are only adjusting the sails so the ship doesn't capsize so quickly."

Director Li Lei was silent; he understood.

"That person's age, you know, right?"

Director Li Lei nodded; this was a well-known fact.

"How many more terms can he serve?"

"Once he retires, who will carry the banner of the Reserve Army?"

"When the old comrades are there, all sides give some face. When the old comrades retire one after another, no one can say for sure if the newcomers can hold up."

Director Li Lei listened blankly; some things had already exceeded his cognition.

"The Reserve Army looks like it's at its zenith now, but what about in reality?"

"Among the second generation, there are only a few who can fight, and the third generation hasn't grown up yet."

"This period in the middle is a gap."

President Chen Bing sighed and said: "If one day that person suddenly... this building will collapse the moment it's mentioned."

He didn't say the words "is gone", but Director Li Lei understood.

"So, they are..."

President Chen Bing replied: "Taking precautions."

"Who can guarantee anything ten years from now?"

"He is paving the way for this child of the Xu Family now, even if it's just passing a word or showing his face, will Xu Weidong acknowledge this favor in the future?"

President Chen Bing paused, asking and answering himself: "If it were you, would you acknowledge it?"

Director Li Lei didn't answer; he remembered the scene he saw in the corridor this evening.

Youth League Committee Secretary Xiao Ze was sitting opposite Comrade Weidong, his tone enthusiastic, his smile sincere, like a perfectly normal teacher who loves talent.

So that's it!

So that's it...

"But..."

"That person is at his zenith, how could he..."

"How could he what? Start thinking about a retreat?"

"Old Li, you are also a man in your fifties."

"At our age, what haven't we seen?"

"Do you think those who collapsed overnight were only panicked at the last minute?"

President Chen Bing shook his head and said: "If you wait until the storm comes to find a shelter, the ship will have already capsized."

"Truly smart people have already cast their anchors when the sea is calm."

The ups and downs of officialdom, the unpredictability of life—no one dares to say their position is ironclad.

"President..."

Director Li Lei raised his head, his voice somewhat bitter.

"Then what... should we do?"

"Xu Weidong is at our university for four years."

Director Li Lei continued: "Minister Yang wants to cultivate him, and First Secretary Shen Hao also wants to cultivate him."

"We can't afford to offend either side, but we can't split the same student in half."

"When Youth League Committee Secretary Xiao Ze goes to find him again, who will he follow? Who should we listen to?"

Director Li Lei became more anxious as he spoke: "And the departments, Bai Bing that child was asking me about Xu Weidong two days ago, saying she wanted to pull him into the Literature Club."

Director Li Lei is the advisor for the Literature Club and is particularly fond of Bai Bing.

"She is just a little girl who knows nothing; she just thinks this junior is excellent."

"But if someone uses this to make an issue out of it later..."

"Old Li."

Director Li Lei stopped talking, President Chen Bing walked back to the desk and sat down.

He put his glasses back on and picked up the "Trial Plan for Personalized Cultivation of Excellent Undergraduates" which had already been revised four times.

"Send this out tomorrow."

"For the mentor, assign the youngest doctoral supervisor in the School of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering; don't look for those old academicians who are about to retire."

President Chen Bing opened the plan and read it line by line.

"The integrated bachelor-master-doctoral cultivation plan, start choosing courses from the sophomore year. For the national-level scientific research project, the one in the smart construction direction next March, put his name on it as a participant."

"Go and give a heads-up to the School of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, just say it's what I said."

Director Li Lei nodded and took out his pen to record.

After writing two lines, he stopped.

"President, then what about the University Youth League Committee..."

President Chen Bing was silent for a few seconds and then said: "If Youth League Committee Secretary Xiao Ze wants to find him, that is Youth League Committee Secretary Xiao Ze's business."

"We won't block it, and we won't push it."

"If he is willing to go to the Organization Department to be a Deputy Minister, that is his freedom."

"If he is willing to stay in the University Student Union and take it one step at a time, that is also his freedom."

Director Li Lei waited for the rest.

"However, all cultivation plans and all preferential treatments are based on academic performance, research ability, and comprehensive quality."

"Black and white on paper, archived and documented."

"If someone comes to investigate one day, we will have a valid and logical reason."

Director Li Lei's pen tip paused; he understood.

"Give him the fastest lane, let him choose which direction to drive."

President Chen Bing took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"As for whether he chooses Minister Yang's path, or First Secretary Shen Hao's path, or... chooses no one's, and walks his own path."

"Leave it to that little guy himself."

The office was quiet for a long time; Director Li Lei closed his notebook and stood up.

He walked to the door, then stopped, and looked back at President Chen Bing.

"President, where exactly is our ship sailing?"

President Chen Bing didn't answer; who knows?

"I don't know."

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

"First, stabilize the anchor, don't let the ship capsize, and wait until dawn to talk about it."

Director Li Lei stood there for a long time; he looked at this old leader he had followed for eighteen years and realized for the first time that his temples were already so gray.

Who said universities could stay away from struggles?

When the struggle comes knocking, whether to open the door or not...