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

In the early days, university dormitory allocation was quite meticulous.

On the one hand, we need to take care of students from different regions, and on the other hand, we need to ensure that students with different personalities can get along as harmoniously as possible.

Although schools cannot know every student's personality in detail, they can glean some insights into their character from their student files.

There should be at least one or two students from other places in each dormitory.

The grades are also graded according to the college entrance examination level.

In university, it's impossible to put all the high-achieving students in one dormitory and the low-achieving students in another.

Although those who can get into Fudan University are all the pride of heaven.

However, there will definitely be differences between those who are admitted from different provinces.

Students in developed regions, whose middle schools have organized competitions and participated in national competitions, are certainly more capable than those in less developed regions.

Once they enter university, these students have family support and a clearer plan for their university life. These unseen gaps are the most terrifying.

When Chen Yong received his dormitory number, he wasn't surprised at all, as he already knew which dormitory he lived in and who his roommates were.

The boy who greeted him earlier didn't mean anything by it; he just wanted to make new friends.

Male students who have just entered university all have a bit of a "social butterfly" trait. After a while, once they start to get to know each other's personalities, everyone will understand who is suitable and who is not.

They started forming small groups and cliques, each doing their own thing.

Chen Yong had already experienced this in his previous life during university: birds of a feather flock together. Everyone has a different personality, family background, and life experience; it's impossible to please everyone.

Just like Chen Yong, who arrived in a Mercedes on the first day of school, some people in the class said he was pretentious and loved to show off.

Chen Yong didn't actually do anything special; he was quite low-key.

There's nothing we can do about him coming in a Mercedes; he's rich now. Other people are rich, but they still come in Mercedes too.

He wasn't the only student who arrived at school in a Mercedes.

Chen Yong had already introduced those four guys to each other.

Wang Shouheng, from Jiangnan, was a high-ranking official who looked like a pretty boy. He spoke gently and had an outgoing personality.

Guo Wei is from Hubei Province, specifically Wuhan. He is very loyal and righteous.

Zhu Tianliang, from Beijing, is a low-key Beijing native who knows how to treat people appropriately. He is very principled and behaves in a proper manner. His family may be involved in the government system.

Liu Cong, also known as Chuan Ye, comes from the countryside. He has a straightforward personality and often does chores at home, which makes him very strong.

Aside from Zhu Tianliang, who wasn't particularly fond of Liu Cong, everyone else approved of him. Who knows, he might very well become a big boss or a high-ranking leader someday.

Liu Cong was Chen Yong's roommate. Although Liu Cong came from a rural area, he was the top scorer in the college entrance examination in his county and ranked among the top ten in the province.

With this score, he would easily be first in mock exams, and to get into Fudan University, it's obvious that Fudan was his first choice.

In the 1990s, Tsinghua and Peking Universities weren't as legendary as they seem.

For some impoverished rural students, the primary goal is still to achieve wealth and stability.

Either choose a teacher training college, or prioritize areas with a good economy.

These days, the most sought-after major is foreign languages, and there's a huge shortage of them!

After graduation, just wait to earn a high salary, and there will be opportunities to go abroad.

How high were their salaries? In an era when the average salary was only around 300, they could earn 3,000 to 5,000, or even tens of thousands, right after graduation.

This has created a strange phenomenon: foreign language colleges have higher admission scores than prestigious universities like Tsinghua, Peking, Fudan, and Shanghai Jiao Tong.

High-scoring students rushed to apply, just like how top scorers in the college entrance examination later applied for finance. Talented people flock to places where they can make more money.

"Chen Yong, which dorm are you in?"

"301".

This year's finance students were assigned to dormitories in the South Campus, while the female students were assigned to the North Campus.

If there are couples in the class, it will immediately become a long-distance relationship.

"Me too, 301!" Liu Cong said happily. He felt lucky to be in the same dormitory as Chen Yong.

Chen Yong left people with the impression that he was rich, easy to talk to, and generous. Who wouldn't want a roommate like that?

Wang Shouheng, Guo Wei, and Zhu Tianliang were all somewhat disappointed. How did they end up running into Liu Cong?

At this point, senior students arranged by the school took them to visit their dormitories.

Even now, universities still mix students from different years in the same dormitory building, ostensibly to promote student cooperation.

However, this actually caused a lot of conflicts, and some of the teacher's embarrassing moments were more likely to be passed down.

For example, the senior student leading the group shared some things about the college professors with them on the way to the dormitory.

"You should choose Professor Xiong's class in our college carefully. He is a very strict old man, and the final exam is difficult. However, there are some advantages. If you can learn well from him, he will recommend internship resources."

We also need to gossip about Professor Xiong.

Professor Xiong is quite skilled in the financial field and can be considered a senior professor. He has collaborated with several companies and made a lot of money. It is said that he also has a girlfriend in her twenties.

People are very interested in this senior professor's sex scandal.

"Chen Yong, you said Professor Xiong is in his fifties or sixties, yet he has a girlfriend in her twenties. Isn't that a matter of conduct?" Liu Cong, who grew up in the countryside, had very strong moral values. Hearing about a professor being a teacher despite such behavior, he felt his own values ​​were shaken.

"Developed and underdeveloped regions are different; you'll gradually understand this. Professor Xiong is quite capable and willing to mentor students. If he helps you make money in the future, greatly benefiting your career, wouldn't you be grateful to him?"

Liu Cong felt that Chen Yong's words made a lot of sense, and he couldn't refute them, but he couldn't get over it in his heart.

Chen Yong could see that Liu Cong had a common problem among students: his perspective on issues was too one-sided and simplistic.

Aside from having a girlfriend in her twenties and setting somewhat difficult questions, there's nothing else wrong with Professor Xiong.

I doubt many people would still choose his classes. Just the fact that he's willing to recommend internships to high-achieving students is quite commendable. This professor certainly has the ability and resources.

Professors who lack ability and resources, no matter how high their moral standards, will only receive superficial compliments; when it comes to making a selection, they will definitely be the first to be eliminated.

"Dear juniors, please pack your things in your dorms first. In the afternoon, you can go back to your respective classes to meet your new classmates, your future teachers, the start of the semester, and elect class officers."

This year, there are only two classes: one in economics and the other in finance. Further specialization will be arranged by the college in the future.

Chen Yong and Liu Cong arrived at the dormitory, and the other four also arrived.

The other four were quite unexpected; I didn't expect to run into the Mercedes guy at all of them.

Chen Yong now has a nickname: Mercedes-Benz Bro.

The rich guy who arrived at school in a Mercedes on the first day of class is now known to all the students in this year.

"Brother Mercedes, I never expected we'd end up in the same dorm!"

Chen Yong looked bewildered. How did he suddenly get such a nickname? "Mercedes Bro"—it actually sounds pretty cool!

"My name is Xu Wei, and I'm from Jiangxi Province. I love spicy food. Today is the first day of school, so I brought you a local specialty from my hometown: chili sauce. It's fragrant, spicy, and delicious. Please try it!"

Xu Wei is quite good at handling things; he actually brought out chili sauce for everyone to try, and even thoughtfully prepared chopsticks.

Everyone felt bad not trying it.

Only Liu Cong was satisfied after tasting it. Although tears were streaming down his face, he still praised, "Xu Wei, I didn't expect people from your area to be so good at eating spicy food! Even I, a Sichuan man, was brought to tears by the spiciness."

Chen Yong only tried a little, barely enough to eat, but he dared not eat it like Liu Cong did, as if it were a snack.

The others weren't in the spicy food section, so I simply gave up; the smell of spiciness was too much for me to bear.

The three who could handle spicy food quickly became friends, while the other three...

Lin Jiang, a native of Fujian Province, is rather introverted. He only speaks when asked, and remains silent otherwise.

Xu Shijie is a native of Shanghai; his family are high-ranking officials in the municipal government. Chen Yong knew this when the dormitory assignments were being made.

Wang Teng was from Jizhou.

It's said that there's a second-generation red among the girls.

Chen Yong knew the background of everyone in the dormitory, which he had learned from his aunt.

The dormitory arrangement might not be without Chen Fang's influence.

Although Xu Shijie doesn't eat spicy food, he still took the initiative to come over and chat, which helped to strengthen the bonds between the students in the dormitory.

At the same time, I am also observing each person to see if they are worth associating with.

Currently, the most impressive dormitory is definitely Chen Yong's.

He arrived in a Mercedes on the first day of school; I heard his aunt is a teacher at the school.

Just as Chen Yong could find out Xu Shijie's information, Xu Shijie could also get information about his roommate.

The second one is Liu Cong, who ranked the highest in the college entrance examination. The top ten ranking is too high.

To get into Fudan University normally, being in the top 200 is enough; it would be a pity to get in the top 50, and a waste to get in the top 10.