The Poor School Heartthrob Was Secretly a Financial Titan - Chapter 39

Before leaving the hospital, Han Defu lay on the bed, constantly peeking out and asking, “Xiao Tao, are you sure you don’t need me to take you?”

“Dad, can you put your legs down now?”

Han Defu choked.

Zhao Xiurong said from the side, “Then I’ll take you there.”

Han Xuetao glanced at her: “Mom, Dad needs to do rehabilitation this morning and needs a wheelchair. If you take me there, who will push him?”

Zhao Xiurong was also speechless.

The elderly couple exchanged a glance, their faces full of remorse. Zhao Xiurong sighed, “When other people’s children get into university, aren’t they all sent there by their parents? Our family is so bad, the parents are useless, and our son has to go to register all by himself.”

Han Xuetao thought to himself: I am fortunate that I was able to attend this university and that you two are in good health.

During his time at the Provincial People’s Hospital, he used a combination of deception and coaxing to get his parents to do every possible physical examination. They found some minor issues, but nothing serious. He was already very satisfied with the results; what more could he ask for?

He slung his bag over his shoulder, waved to the elderly couple, and said, “Alright, I’m leaving. I’ll be back after I check in.”

The door closed, and the footsteps faded into the distance.

…

The main entrance of Ninghai University was packed with people.

Han Xuetao got off the bus and stood by the roadside for a while.

University registration in the 1990s was completely different from what it is today. The entrance was full of bicycles, old-fashioned and women’s bicycles, one after another, with bedding rolls tied to the back seats. Parents pushed the bicycles in, and the children followed beside them, their faces filled with novelty and excitement.

Some carried burlap sacks, bulging and clearly stuffed with bedding and clothes. Others carried army-green canvas bags, while still others carried net bags filled with enamel mugs, lunchboxes, and soap dishes.

Banners were everywhere on campus—”Warmly welcome the Class of ’96 new students,” “Department of XX Welcome Station.” Upperclassmen held up signs and shouted, “Chinese Literature majors, this way!” “Mathematics majors, follow me!”

Han Xuetao stood there, suddenly feeling a little dazed.

In less than ten years, these bicycles will become cars, these burlap sacks will become suitcases, and these simple banners will become all sorts of fancy billboards. It is now 1996, on the eve of a major economic boom in China, and everything is moving forward at an incredible pace.

He knew what was coming. Those waves, those opportunities, those overnight riches myths.

But at this moment, he was just a freshman with a backpack, standing at the school gate, looking at the bustling world before him.

He walked inside.

The campus was vast, with sycamore trees providing ample shade, and tables for welcoming new students from various departments lined both sides of the road. The Chinese Literature, History, Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry departments—all large departments—had long queues in front of their tables.

As Han Xuetao walked and looked around, a thought suddenly popped into his mind.

Where was he at this time last time?

prison.

High walls, iron bars, a hard bed, and half an hour of fresh air each day. In those years, he didn’t even know what a university gate looked like; he could only listen to others bragging in the cell about how awesome they were in the underworld.

Now he walks here, sunlight filtering through the sycamore leaves, dappling the ground. Freshmen walk past him, laughing and talking, their faces full of anticipation for the future.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

“Hey—excuse me, student in front! Make way!”

An urgent shout came from behind him. Han Xuetao stepped aside and looked back.

A middle-aged man was pushing a bicycle. The bedding on the back seat was rolled up crookedly and looked like it was about to fall off. He held onto the handlebars with one hand and reached back with the other, trying to straighten the bedding, but the handlebars started to wobble, and he wobbled and fell to one side.

Han Xuetao strode over and grabbed the back seat of the car.

“Thank you, thank you!” The middle-aged man gasped for breath, steadied the handlebars, and re-tied up the bedding roll.

A boy, about his age, ran up beside him, carrying a net bag containing a thermos and two basins. He was sweating profusely and muttered, “Dad, slow down…”

The middle-aged man glared at him: “Isn’t it because you brought too much stuff!”

The boy chuckled twice and looked at Han Xuetao: “Dad, thanks.”

Han Xuetao nodded: “It’s nothing.”

The middle-aged man sized him up and asked, “Excuse me, are you also a new student here to register? Didn’t your parents come with you? Are you from Ninghai?”

Han Xuetao shook his head: “Not local, just nearby.”

Which department?

Department of Earth Sciences.

Upon hearing this, the boy’s eyes lit up: “Hey! Same as me! We’re in the same department!” He pointed to himself, “Earth Sciences Department, sounds nice, but it’s really just the Geology Department.”

Han Xuetao smiled.

The middle-aged man pushed the cart forward, and Han Xuetao took the bedding from it and straightened the crooked bag on the boy’s back. The boy was stunned for a moment, then thanked him repeatedly.

“My name is Li Jing,” the boy said, “the same name as Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King.”

Han Xuetao glanced at him; he really didn’t look like the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King. He had a round face, a friendly smile, and seemed to have a good temper.

“Han Xuetao”.

“Han Xuetao…” Li Jing repeated, “Okay, I’ve got it.”

The two walked and talked. Li Jing’s father pushed the cart in front, while they followed behind, each carrying something in their hands.

After walking a few steps, Han Xuetao realized that Li Jing’s stamina was truly lacking.

He carried a bag on his back and also helped Li Jing carry his bedding roll. Li Jing carried a bag on his back and a net bag in his hand, which contained a thermos and two basins. He started panting after walking a few steps.

Despite his panting, this guy’s eyes never stopped moving.

He looked at each girl who passed by. When he saw a pretty one, he would nudge Han Xuetao with his elbow and point his chin in that direction, saying, “Hey, hey, over there, over there.”

Han Xuetao looked in the direction he was pointing, nodded, and showed no expression.

When they got to the foreign language department, a group of girls were gathered around the welcome table, chattering and laughing. Li Jing’s eyes widened, and she kept nudging Han Xuetao’s elbow.

“Over there! Look at that girl in the white dress! And that one with the ponytail! The Foreign Languages ​​Department truly lives up to its reputation!”

Han Xuetao glanced at him and said, “You might as well switch majors.”

Li Jing sighed, “We can’t switch. Foreign languages ​​are popular majors, and our geology department can’t compete.”

“Isn’t the geology department quite large?”

Li Jing shook his head and began to explain: “It is big, but it depends on the time. The geology department used to be really big. When it came to mineral exploration, the country needed it, and the mining system offered good benefits, so many people were eager to get in. Later, things went downhill, and many units couldn’t pay salaries, so the geology department became less popular. But in the last two years, it has become popular again, I heard it’s because of things like energy security and resource strategy.”

He paused, then lowered his voice: “But it can’t compare to the foreign language department or the economics and management department. Those graduates go to foreign companies or government agencies, while we graduate and go to remote mountain villages. Do you think we can compare?”

Han Xuetao smiled but didn’t reply.

As he passed the welcoming station for new students from the Department of Economics and Management, he glanced over there.

A long line had formed in front of the table, and several older students were working up a sweat. He glanced around but didn’t see Li Man.

I guess she hasn’t arrived yet. It takes four hours to get here from Donglin by train, so the earliest she’ll arrive is in the afternoon.

Li Jing nudged him from the side: “What are you looking at? Do you know anyone in the Business Administration Department?”

Han Xuetao looked away: “No.”

The two continued walking forward, the shadows of the sycamore trees swaying on them.