"I'm going to headquarters for an internship!"
"I'm interning at 00 Network too."
"Damn, I didn't pass, does that mean I have to wait for reassignment!" A week later, as exams and interviews concluded, the first batch of graduates from Jiangnan University had all found their internship placements.
Students who successfully interned at their preferred institutions were naturally beaming with smiles, while those who failed were dejected, left to await company reassignment.
However, some, like Zhao Yao, wore a puzzled expression. The complete list of internship placements had been released, yet Zhao Yao couldn't find his name anywhere on it.
This meant that those who failed the exams and were awaiting reassignment also had no results yet. But the problem was that his classmates who had directly chosen company assignments had already received their outcomes, and they seemed to be quite good. At least about a third had gone to headquarters, and the remaining two-thirds were placed in decent departments. Only Zhao Yao himself couldn't find his name on the list.
"Could it be that no department wants me?" Zhao Yao couldn't help but feel dejected. At the same time, he noticed the strange glances from his classmates. After all, Zhao Yao had been the student union president for three full years, enjoying immense popularity among his peers. Everyone assumed he would surely intern at the best institutions, but to his surprise, he hadn't even made the main list. Such a disparity naturally led to whispers and pointing fingers. Some classmates who didn't get along with Zhao Yao even started to mock him directly.
Zhao Yao spent three gloomy days like this. By now, even the list of those who failed the exams and were awaiting reassignment had come out. In the end, about 80% of the students were accepted for internships at Jiangnan Group, with less than 20% not being included in the internship list.
This meant they hadn't been selected by Jiangnan Group at all. Although Jiangnan Group stated they would recommend them for internships at other companies within the China International High-Tech Electronic Industry Alliance, their future prospects of joining Jiangnan Group seemed dim.
This caused all these students to wear long faces. Fortunately, they had a consolation: their student union president, Zhao Yao, apparently hadn't secured an internship position either and would have to intern at other companies with them.
Soon, students began packing their belongings, ready to embark on a new chapter. Zhao Yao did the same, declined his friend's invitation, silently packed his things, and left Jiangnan University.
He planned to go home and rest for a while, waiting to see if the school would arrange an internship for him at other alliance companies. If not, he'd find a job himself.
Having been at Jiangnan University for three years, Zhao Yao had learned a great deal, including how to hide and mask his emotions. Therefore, despite the mixed feelings of bitterness and sadness in his heart, Zhao Yao remained outwardly calm.
He boarded the return train smoothly and arrived back in his long-unseen hometown a day later, much to the surprise of his parents.
"Yaoyao, why are you back? Didn't you say that after the semester ended, the school would immediately arrange internships for you? Why are you back?" his mother asked curiously while tidying up Zhao Yao's belongings.
"Oh, the school asked me to go home and rest for a bit. After all, I haven't been home for a year, and I was busy with school matters during winter break!" Zhao Yao replied.
"Yes, Jiangnan University is so considerate. Our neighbors keep telling everyone how accomplished you are at Jiangnan University, and that you'll definitely be earning over ten thousand yuan a month after graduation."
"I said, when did I graduate? You're already earning over ten thousand a month now, hahaha!" his mother said, seemingly modestly but actually with pride. This was her perennial topic of conversation and story among the neighbors.
Indeed, Zhao Yao had every reason to make his parents proud. While other students might ask their families for thousands of yuan in living expenses each month, and some unfortunate ones even for three or four thousand, Zhao Yao was different. He deposited about 10,000 yuan into his family's bank account every month. These earnings were all from his time at school.
Initially, he was converting software for a mobile platform. This job lasted for three months, and due to working overtime day and night, almost all students earned over ten thousand yuan per month. Zhao Yao, being particularly diligent, even earned up to 20,000 yuan monthly.
Although such urgent ad-hoc work became rare afterward, as the student union president, Zhao Yao also had to participate in many school activities. Normally, a student union president wouldn't receive any income for their school duties. Of course, some hidden rewards for completing the work were enough to last these student union presidents a lifetime. However, Jiangnan University was different. The university directly paid, with transfers made on the spot. Zhao Yao could earn over ten thousand yuan every month.
Sometimes, he wouldn't go home during winter or summer breaks, helping the school with special construction projects when it was empty, earning a substantial income, even more than usual. Over time, Zhao Yao, a university student, not only didn't spend a penny of his family's money but also sent back about 10,000 yuan each month. This salary was higher than that of many university graduates who had been working for over a decade, giving Zhao Yao's parents ample reason to boast within the community.
Even their former boss, the factory director, whom they used to fear the most, would now politely offer Zhao Yao's father a cigarette upon meeting them and sincerely inquire how to get their own child admitted to Jiangnan University. They would also ask if Zhao Yao, as the student union president, could put in a good word with the school to give their child more opportunities. These interactions made Zhao Yao's parents' lives incredibly pleasant over the past three years.
In the following days, Zhao Yao was well taken care of by his parents. Of course, as a form of repayment, he had to sit in the residential complex for an hour or two each day, recounting his experiences at school to the uncles and aunties, eliciting envious glances and exclamations. He also used these opportunities to advise them to encourage their own children to find ways to get into Jiangnan University, as it allowed direct employment with Jiangnan Group and even provided income while studying, which was far better than any ordinary university.
After staying for a few days, Zhao Yao started to feel restless. He told his parents he wanted to go on a trip for a few days, using it as an excuse to leave home. However, Zhao Yao's trip was aimless, as he didn't know where he was going. He simply went to the other end of the city, checked into a hotel, and planned to enjoy some peace and quiet for a few days.
The next evening, as Zhao Yao was heading downstairs to eat, he suddenly spotted an old friend downstairs and exclaimed with surprise, "Fan Rui, what are you doing here!"
"Old Zhao!" Seeing Zhao Yao, Fan Rui was also delighted. The two immediately embraced warmly. Then, Fan Rui introduced the person beside him to Zhao Yao, saying, "This is Liu Ting, my girlfriend. What do you think? Pretty, right!"
Fan Rui was right; Liu Ting was indeed quite beautiful, with a perfect oval face, delicate eyebrows, and dimples that appeared when she smiled. Zhao Yao recalled that when he first saw Fan Rui, the latter seemed to be about to check into a hotel room, making him marvel at Fan Rui's good fortune.
"Old Zhao, you're staying here? Are you by any chance with a girlfriend too..." Fan Rui asked curiously, remembering that Zhao Yao had come out of the hotel elevator.
"No, I'm just staying here alone!" Zhao Yao shook his head.
"Nonsense, our homes are all here. I heard a while ago that you had gone home, so why are you staying in a hotel alone now?" Fan Rui said with a grin.
"It's too annoying at home, so I came out for some peace," Zhao Yao replied with a wry smile.
"I agree, my home is also incredibly annoying. They keep pushing me to take postgraduate entrance exams, and it's not like I can even pass them!" Fan Rui said sympathetically. "By the way, where is your room? Let's go in and chat!"
"Okay!" Zhao Yao enthusiastically led them into his room, and then Fan Rui and Zhao Yao began to chat happily. Since they hadn't seen each other for a long time, they had much to discuss. Moreover, Zhao Yao truly felt some distress and wanted to confide in someone, so he poured out many heartfelt words.
"Old Zhao, you have no idea how much I regret now. If only I hadn't listened to that damned homeroom teacher and gone to Jiangnan University with you. Studying there earns money, unlike me now, who is so poor even going out with my girlfriend is difficult!" Fan Rui said with a look of dejection and pain.
Thanks to Zhao Yao's parents' loose tongues, almost all of Zhao Yao's classmates and their parents knew that Zhao Yao not only didn't spend money at Jiangnan University but also earned money, tens of thousands monthly, which was better than graduates from Tsinghua or Peking University. This made countless classmates' parents regret their decisions, including Fan Rui's parents.
"Actually, the teacher's intentions were good. I only realized how good the school was after I went to Jiangnan University. I never would have imagined such a thing before!" Zhao Yao explained.
"Fine, only you are still defending our homeroom teacher. I'm just saying a few bad words. But Li Zhenghao's parents are different. He applied to Jiangnan University with us back then, but he gave it up after a few words from the teacher and didn't even take the exam."
"Actually, with Li Zhenghao's grades, he wouldn't have gotten into Jiangnan University anyway, but his parents don't think so. They believe their son could also earn over ten thousand yuan a month by studying. Now, he demands 5,000 yuan in living expenses from his family every month, and if they refuse, he threatens to commit suicide, forcing his parents to sell their car."
"As a result, Li Zhenghao's parents found an opportunity to beat up the homeroom teacher, and they beat him so badly that the teacher retired last year. He was only in his early fifties but quit altogether. It's truly pathetic!" Fan Rui sighed, lamenting the unpredictability of life.