Chapter 131: Jiang Qin’s Rising Brilliance

The next morning, the autumn colors were dense and the maple trees were fully dyed.

Jiang Qin’s entrepreneurial story was published in the Linchuan Youth Daily and delivered to the distribution room early.

Most college students don’t read newspapers, even the campus papers were rarely noticed, let alone newspapers from outside the school. But if the newspaper mentioned someone they knew, it would be a different story.

For example, Jiang Tian woke up early holding a stack of newspapers which she then distributed to her roommates.

“HeHe, an ordinary college student. He, an unremarkable on-campus entrepreneur. Yet he harbors aspirations and ideals, with a heart full of enthusiasm and kindness…”

Song Qingqing wasing was most excited upon seeing the newspaper, feeling like a fan admiring a celebrity. She picked up the paper and read two sentences with a delighted expression.

Jian Chun didn’t want to read it at first, but Song Qingqing’s recitation made her curious. Eventually she couldn’t resist opening the paper and carefully reading the news about Jiang Qin three times. Her expression became slightly dazed, and her bright eyes couldn’t help but take on a hint of melancholy.

For college students, the concepts of profit and honor are often separated.

Profit is profit, honor is honor – the two are not to be confused.

Moreover, most students feel honor is above profit, as the education they’ve received over the years leaned heavily towards self-sacrifice.

That is, don’t talk about profit, pursue selflessness, and strive for honor.

So although Jiang Qin’s entrepreneurial success seemed impressive, in the eyes of college students he was only somewhat capable, on par with the owner of a restaurant on South Street.

But if it was said that Jiang Qin was featured in the newspaper and officially recognized as an exemplary figure, then the effect would be completely different.

His image would instantly become grander, and his prestige would instantly rise.

Jian Chun and Song Qingqing’s personalities were fundamentally different. Song Qingqing valued money more, so the moment Jiang Qin appeared driving a Bentley, he instantly became her idol.

But Jian Chun came from a wealthy family, was not materialistic, and had no concept of money. She pursued more spiritual fulfillment.

At first she thought Jiang Qin was frivolous, but after the South Street incident she saw him as a mature and reliable man. Now, after seeing this newspaper, Jiang Qin had become incredibly brilliant in her eyes.

Normally, being featured in the campus newspaper would already make someone seem impressive. But Jiang Qin was in a proper city-level newspaper – it was simply incomparable.

“What does the work-study program mean?”

Jian Chun snapped out of her daze and explained to Pan Xiu, “It means providing part-time jobs for impoverished students.”

“Jiang Qin went to the University of Science and Technology for poverty alleviation work?” Pan Xiu seemed incredulous.

Jiang Tian couldn’t help but interject, “He’s been absent a lot recently, probably running back and forth to the University of Science and Technology. This is an inter-university program that regular students can’t even participate in, but not only did Jiang Qin participate, he was also the initiator.”

“No wonder even the Linchuan Youth Daily came to interview him. Look at the photo, he’s arm-in-arm with the director of the Youth League Committee at the University of Science and Technology. It’s like something out of a fantasy.”

“It feels like Jiang Qin isn’t even living in the same world as us.”

“Looking back now, that grand campus belle contest was actually started by him. No matter how you think about it, it doesn’t seem real.”

Listening to their conversation, Jian Chun couldn’t help but become a bit dazed, recalling the South Street incident and feeling a sense of vertigo.

How could she have dismissed such a brilliant man as frivolous when she first started school?

It was all Cao Guangyu’s fault for writing that unsigned note!

Of course, maybe he did sign it and she just didn’t notice.

Such misunderstandings were common in student life and wouldn’t normally become a lingering issue. But as Jiang Qin became more and more brilliant, the radiance surrounding him grew increasingly dazzling. Under these circumstances, Jian Chun found it harder and harder to resolve her misunderstanding.

At the same time, in the male dormitory 302, Cao Guangyu was also holding a newspaper, grinding his teeth loudly.

There were three photos in the newspaper – one of the entrepreneurship office, one of Jiang Qin with someone from the University of Science and Technology, and one solo photo of Jiang Qin. The more he looked, the more coolness he felt.

As an avid poser, Old Cao was quite envious.

Why did Old Jiang get such a good platform for posing but not him?

“No wonder this guy Jiang has had such a low presence in class recently. He dared to go pose in the newspaper without me!”

Zhou Chao was also staring at a newspaper he had read three times, “This photo of Jiang Ge, his demeanor and aura are more mature than my old man.”

“I used to think my life of gaming and dating was quite meaningful, but compared to Jiang Ge, it’s nothing!” Ren Ziqiang couldn’t help but feel some regret.

After hearing this, Cao Guangyu looked up in disbelief, “We all know about you gaming every day, but when did the dating part happen?”

Ren Ziqiang’s face instantly changed color, “…”

Zhou Chao also laughed, “Isn’t it with your virtual girlfriend?”

“Mind your own business!”

Originally there were four single guys in this dorm. Ren Ziqiang didn’t feel too much of a gap. But ever since Cao Guangyu got a girlfriend and had a necklace of hickeys, he kept mocking Ren Ziqiang, with Zhou Chao joining in, which really pissed him off.

Ren Ziqiang ignored them and buried himself under the blanket like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.

Avoiding things may be shameful but it works!

However, some people played the ostrich while others played the ostrich for others, like Wang Huiru.

She was now a member of the student council in the law department. She hurried to the activity room for a meeting right after waking up and inadvertently saw a newspaper in the hands of a senior student.

“University student representative Jiang Qin founded a website, led over thirty college students in entrepreneurship, and promoted work-study programs at the University of Science and Technology.”

After reading these few lines, Wang Huiru was stunned, her eyes filled with shock. But after a brief moment, she quickly accepted this fact.

She had known about Jiang Qin’s brilliance since summer vacation.

Back then, everyone had just finished the college entrance exam and was still in a daze, but Jiang Qin was out doing business everywhere. By the start of the semester, he had already become a legendary figure.

So no matter how fantastical the news in the paper seemed, Wang Huiru didn’t find it far-fetched at all. In fact, considering Jiang Qin’s performance over the summer, it would have been more unbelievable if he had been unnoticed in college.

Only…

Wang Huiru suddenly thought of Chu Siqi, and her expression instantly changed. She thought to herself, Siqi definitely can’t see this.

Her former outstanding high school classmate’s success made Wang Huiru feel proud, but for Chu Siqi, the person she once liked and rejected suddenly becoming so accomplished would cause intense inner turmoil.

Would she have to pretend not to know anything again?

Wang Huiru felt like crying.

She had hidden Jiang Qin and Feng Nanshu’s relationship for three months and was already going crazy. She didn’t expect to have to hide something again. It was too much.

After the meeting, Wang Huiru returned to the dorm as if nothing had happened. But as soon as she entered, she was startled by the sight before her.

At that moment, Chu Siqi was sitting on the bed, holding a copy of the Linchuan Youth Daily. Her gaze was fixed on the newspaper, as if frozen, unmoving for a long time.

Wang Huiru walked over and looked at Chu Siqi, but to her surprise, her friend’s face didn’t show the defeat or melancholy she had imagined. Instead, it was an indescribable, complex expression.

“Siqi, you’re… reading the newspaper?”

“Mmhm.”

“Well, let’s go eat at the cafeteria.”

Chu Siqi turned to look at her, “Huiru, your acting is a little fake. I know there’s news about Jiang Qin in there.”

Wang Huiru was slightly stunned before letting out a sigh of relief, “So you saw it already.”

“I’m working as a reporter at the General Education Center now. That day when the Linchuan Youth Daily reporter interviewed him, I was the one responsible for receiving them. I followed the entire interview process with Jiang Qin and even went to his office.”

“…”

Hearing her roommate’s emotionless voice, Wang Huiru’s scalp went numb. She couldn’t imagine how explosive that scene must have been.

Chu Siqi couldn’t help but look out the window, “Jiang Qin is too outstanding now. I feel more and more that I’m not worthy of him. If only he wasn’t so outstanding, if only he was just an ordinary college student, then I wouldn’t regret it so much now.”

“It’s wrong to think that way. Jiang Qin’s excellence is due to his own hard work.”

“I understand the reasoning, but the more brilliant his existence, the more it proves how poor my judgement and taste were.”

Wang Huiru didn’t know how to respond and could only sit on the bed in silence with her friend.

During this silence, she couldn’t help but recall the conversation she had whispered with Yu Shasha at the graduation party.

Yu Shasha said it was truly unfortunate that she and Chu Siqi were at the same university as that brilliant Jiang Qin, because next to such a dazzling guy, all other boys would just be supporting roles. It would be hard to find a satisfactory partner.

At the time, Wang Huiru hadn’t taken those words to heart, but now it seemed they were becoming a reality.

“Huiru.”

“Mmm?”

“I also saw Feng Nanshu.”

“…”

Chu Siqi unconsciously clenched her fists, “At first I couldn’t accept it, but after thinking about it, Jiang Qin is so brilliant that he does deserve to be with her.”

Wang Huiru looked up, “Siqi, I think what you said is wrong.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Jiang Qin and Feng Nanshu weren’t brilliant when they got together. She walked that path with him from the very beginning. It’s not that he became brilliant and then attracted Feng Nanshu. You need to understand that sequence.”

Chu Siqi’s face instantly paled, then she pursed her lips in silence for a while, her emotions becoming extremely complex.

“Don’t think about it anymore, let’s go eat.”

“Okay.”

At the same time, people on the forum were also starting threads to discuss this matter.

Those who knew Jiang Qin had mostly been exposed to his achievements before, so they had built up some immunity and weren’t too shocked.

But those who didn’t know Jiang Qin reacted more intensely when they saw this news.

In recent years, Linchuan University had been encouraging student entrepreneurship but with little success and no noteworthy projects to show for it. Seizing this opportunity, the university hoped to inspire more entrepreneurial passion among students, so they directly uploaded the electronic version of this newspaper to the official website and course selection system.

This was why Jiang Qin’s unfamiliar name was first exposed to everyone’s view.

“What’s Jiang Qin’s background?”

“Probably a rich second generation, who else would dare burn money starting a website.”

“It’s too unbelievable, it’s not even November yet and he’s made that much money?”

“Maybe part of it was exaggerated, but the Linchuan Youth Daily has always had a serious style. Even if there was some embellishment, it probably wasn’t too far off.”

“You can make that much money just by starting a website? I wish I had done that too, it doesn’t look that hard.”

“It’s really not that hard, computer science students could do it in a week. Our school probably intentionally exaggerated things to set an example.”

A freshman starting a business just two and a half months into college, organizing a campus belle contest, promoting work-study programs.

No matter how you looked at those key points, they all seemed rather explosive, sparking countless sour comments.

This was actually a very normal reaction.

Whose freshman year was ever that outrageous?

Everyone else was probably just like how Ren Ziqiang described – besides attending classes, they just played games and dated. Now suddenly there was this freshman entrepreneur who made it into the newspaper and even collaborated with another university to promote work-study programs. Compared to their own mundane routine, the gap felt far too intense.