1994: From a young man from a small town to a second-generation resident of Shanghai

Girls' dormitory 301.

Xiao Hong's five roommates assumed she wasn't coming back tonight and was definitely out having an affair with a man.

In her roommates' eyes, Xiao Hong is now a woman with a "criminal record".

He's enjoying himself outside all by himself.

"Xiao Hong must have gotten together with the old man in the company," Wang Liman speculated maliciously.

"Not necessarily. What if he's a rich and handsome second-generation heir? Xiao Hong is so beautiful, she probably wouldn't let herself get taken advantage of."

"She's definitely not coming back tonight. We're all single women, so let's not speculate. Let's just wash up and go to bed. Some people can live a good life just because they're good-looking, but we still have to work hard, or we won't even have food to eat in the future."

Just as her roommates were getting sarcastic, Xiao Hong returned.

She was also carrying the Gucci bag that Chen Yong had given her.

It looks really good when slung over the shoulder.

Her roommates immediately noticed the bag slung over her shoulder.

"Xiao Hong, you actually—you actually came back."

"I was just saying you were going to sleep in a man's bed again tonight. Why are you back?"

Xiao Hong's legs trembled slightly, and they were still somewhat weak.

"I don't rent a place outside, why don't you come back?"

"Your boyfriend bought you a bag? It's a Gucci, a top international brand!"

This bag exploded like a bomb in the hearts of the girls in room 301.

Previously, the only difference between everyone and Xiao Hong was their appearance; in terms of academic achievements, they were not far behind.

But now the gap is huge!

While Xiao Hong was already carrying bags worth tens of thousands of yuan, they were still spending only a few dozen yuan a month. They were both students, yet the difference was so vast—who could ignore it?

To say I'm not envious would be a lie!

"It was a gift from a friend." Xiao Hong only said that it was a gift from a friend, and that's how President Chen described their relationship.

She can't be so shameless as to insist on being someone's girlfriend.

"What kind of friend would give you a Gucci bag worth tens of thousands of yuan? It's so beautiful."

Wang Liman held Xiao Hong's new bag as if it were her own, and even tried carrying it on her arm.

"Do you think there's any difference between me carrying this bag and Xiao Hong carrying it? Does it look good or not?"

"To be honest, Wang Liman does look quite fashionable with this bag, but she still can't compare to Xiao Hong. She is the true owner of this bag and it is definitely the most suitable for her."

Xiao Hong wasn't stingy; she let them try the bag, so they wouldn't lose anything.

She really liked the bag Chen Yong gave her.

Just the fact that her roommates were praising her when she came back made her feel very proud.

"Xiao Hong, is your friend from the same company as you?"

"It belongs to the same company."

The roommates exchanged glances and instantly understood.

"Quite a few boys at our school like you. They're going to be disappointed now."

"I don't like them anyway, so what's there to be disappointed about?"

Xiao Hong never denied that she was a vain woman. She enjoyed the praise and envy from her classmates.

Xiao Hong believed that she was not a woman who loved money; she preferred men with ability.

He's a capable man; of course, he's successful, wealthy, and handsome.

Mr. Chen meets all three requirements. She must be blind to choose someone else.

"The new students are coming tomorrow, do you have anything to do?"

"I'm going to welcome the new students," Wang Liman said.

"Me too," Xu Peipei said.

"Xiao Hong, and what about you?"

"I'll finish my homework tomorrow."

November 3th.

New students enroll at Fudan University.

Students from all over the country came.

That year, Fudan University admitted only a few hundred students.

Half of the enrollment quotas are allocated to local areas and then distributed to other provinces, leaving each province with only a dozen or so enrollment quotas.

290 million people took the college entrance examination, and 90 were admitted, with only 7% of them being admitted to key universities.

By 1999, academic qualifications began to be diluted.

That year, enrollment was increased by nearly 50%.

They expanded enrollment every year thereafter.

The number of students admitted has increased from 900,000 in 1994 to 10 million in 2025, including 4.5 million undergraduates and 5.5 million associate degree students.

Back in 94, undergraduate and associate degree graduates were counted together in the statistics.

In nearly 30 years, the number of students enrolled has increased more than tenfold.

A Mercedes parked at the university gate attracted the attention of many students and parents.

There were two people in the car; the man was tall and handsome, and the woman was beautiful and charming.

It's easy for people to notice it.

It was Chen Yong and Chen Fang.

Although Chen Fang was assigned an apartment by the school, she has already moved out.

On the first day of school, I still need to help Chen Yong with his enrollment before I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Nearly 70% of those who can get into Fudan University are from urban areas, and 30% are from rural areas and county towns, which are counted together.

But later on, this percentage dropped sharply to only a little over ten percent.

Of course, this decline is normal due to urbanization.

In order to identify students from impoverished families, statistics should be compiled based on family income and parents' occupations.

Those who study in rural areas are not necessarily from poor families; those who study in cities are not necessarily middle-class or wealthy.

The school gate was very congested today; many people drove there.

Of course, among the crowd, there were some lonely figures, walking into the school alone with a bag on their backs.

Chen Yong was filled with awe when he saw such a person enter Fudan University.

These people are very likely to be the trendsetters of the future.

You start with a snakeskin bag, and twenty or thirty years later, you'll be a trendsetter in the world.

From having nothing to wielding immense power and becoming incredibly wealthy, there are many inspiring stories like this at Fudan University.

Their current poverty is merely a test of their minds.

When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it first tests their resolve and strengthens their body...

The road from their hometown to the school gate, though muddy, was the road they had come from.

Chen Yong slowly drove into the school. On the way, he encountered a student asking for directions. The student was carrying a bag on his back and was bigger than the boy.

"Excuse me, how do I get to the law school?"

Although the man was unassuming, his eyes were clear and resolute.

Chen Fang told him the route.

As the boy was about to leave, he heard a plain-looking man next to him, carrying a law book, ask, "Excuse me, are you a law student?"

"Teacher, who are you?" The boy looked honest and unassuming, and his attitude was very respectful when he saw the school teacher.

"I'm the dean of the law school. We have a connection, so I can take you there."

The boy never expected that he would encounter a high-ranking official in his department on his first day at school.

Chen Fang also took the initiative to greet the dean, "Hello Dean Wang, I am Chen Fang, a young teacher in the Department of Economics and Finance."

Chen Yong, ever the quick-witted one, also made an appearance before Dean Wang, saying, "I'm Chen Yong, a freshman in the Department of Economics and Finance. Hello, Dean Wang."

When new students arrive, upperclassmen will come to greet them in front of the college.

Then, senior students would take the freshmen to their dormitories and help them familiarize themselves with the campus environment.

Chen Yong had stayed at the school for more than ten days before the start of the semester, so he was very familiar with the school.

As I drove to the outside of the college, dozens of new students were already waiting there.

A Mercedes-Benz parked in front of the freshmen was quite intimidating.

"Who is this? Could he be one of our freshmen? His family drives a Mercedes."

"How arrogant!"

"It's great that Rich Guy is here; I'll borrow money from him from now on!"

Chen Yong got out of the car, said goodbye to Chen Fang, and mingled into the group of new students.

Several freshmen immediately surrounded him, saying, "Hey bro, you're awesome on your first day, driving a Mercedes."

"A local Shanghai rich guy?"

"What's your name?"

Several boys were very interested in him; it would be even better if they were girls.

When Chen Yong arrived, he noticed that the quality of the female students in this year's college was quite good, with three or five being very attractive, no less so than Xiao Hong or Ye Huiling.

I believe there will be even more beautiful girls in journalism and art departments.

"My name is Chen Yong, from Yunnan Province. What about you guys? Do you smoke? Do you drink?"

"Really? You're from Yunnan province? How come you own a Mercedes in Shanghai?"

"This is a rather complicated matter; you'll find out later."

"New students, gather around. We'll be processing your registration soon, and then we'll be assigning you dorm rooms."