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

"Chen Yun, you didn't just call to talk about my parents, did you?" Chen Dagang asked, seeing that Chen Yun was unwilling to bring it up.

"You understand me best."

"I know you're a businessman; you don't get up early for nothing," Chen Dagang mocked.

Chen Yun didn't blame him; if he put himself in Chen Yun's shoes, Chen Yun's attitude wouldn't have been any better.

"I've already met Chen Yong. He's an excellent child; you've raised him very well."

When Chen Yun said those words, Chen Dagang immediately felt a surge of anger.

It's very much like a drama between men fighting over a woman.

However, what the two are fighting over is the child.

Chen Dagang will not let go when it comes to his child.

Even if you, Chen Yuncheng, are a wealthy boss, so what? He won't let go of his son!

"Of course the child I raised is good. He got into Fudan University, and our family is very proud of him."

"Perhaps Chen Yong is even more outstanding than you imagine. He has already been specially appointed as a lecturer by the academy. In the future, he will be teaching courses specifically for entrepreneurs."

"What did you say! This kid has already been hired by a university!"

Chen Dagang exclaimed in surprise; the news Chen Yun had sent was far beyond his imagination!

How long has Chen Yong been in college? He has already fulfilled their expectations so quickly.

Before Chen Yong went to university, their expectation for their child was that he could stay at the university and become a teacher.

I never expected to achieve this in just my first semester of university.

The sooner you realize your dreams, the better, because the competition becomes more intense and the barriers to entry become higher as you get older.

In the 1980s and 90s, a bachelor's degree was enough to get a teaching position at the university. In the early 21st century, bachelor's degrees still offered opportunities, but most universities required a master's degree.

Since 2010, universities have restricted undergraduate students from staying on campus, allowing only master's students to do so.

Starting in 2015, top universities began only recruiting doctoral degree holders for faculty positions.

Over the next ten years, there was basically a new threshold every year, and it kept getting higher and higher.

When Chen Dagang heard the news, he was happy for his son.

That really made him proud!

Wang Juan had just returned from class, carrying groceries in her hands.

Chen Dagang's laughter could be heard from afar. "What stroke of luck have you struck? Why are you so happy?"

"Wang Juan is back," Chen Dagang said to the person on the phone.

He then shared the good news with Wang Juan: "Our son has been hired as a teacher at the university."

"What!" Wang Juan's hand trembled, and the vegetables fell to the ground. Luckily, there were no eggs.

"He's only a freshman! How did he become a teacher at the school?"

"I'm talking to Chen Yun on the phone."

Chen Yun repeated it over the phone, and Wang Juan completely believed him.

Their son made a name for himself as soon as he arrived in Shanghai.

Now they can finally relax.

There will be no more pressure from now on; their children will never need their parents to worry about anything.

They've always been the "other people's child" that parents talk about.

Chen Yun also said on the phone that he would buy a car for the couple.

Wang Juan refused outright, "No, no, the purpose of installing a telephone is to make it easier to contact the child. What would it look like to ask for a car as well? Chen Yun, you wouldn't be thinking of taking the child back now that you see Chen Yong is doing well, would you?"

Women don't hold back as much as men when they speak; they can say all sorts of sharp and sarcastic things.

"Sister-in-law, you underestimate me. Chen Yong has done a good job, but to say he can surpass me is probably not that easy."

"I have billions of yuan in assets in Shanghai. If I just tell him to inherit my wealth, do you think Chen Yong would refuse to come back to me?"

When the couple heard that Chen Yun actually had a net worth of several billion, it was an enormous fortune that they never dared to dream of.

Chen Yong is still so young, he certainly can't resist the temptation of billions of dollars in wealth.

Even they wouldn't be able to do it; they might waver if faced with ten million.

Ten million is more than enough for them to live a happy life.

"Having a car would make life much more convenient for you back in your hometown."

"You're overthinking it. We're just two ordinary teachers, and we have a car at school. Do you think the school leaders will ask to borrow it? Are you buying a car for us, or for the leaders?"

Chen Yun then said, "Have you considered coming back to Shanghai? It's developing very well here now, and you two happen to be from Shanghai. Shanghai will become the financial center of the country in the future and is entering a period of rapid development. Places like Xina County would hardly have developed in our time."

At best, we can do some tourism; there's no other industry.

When you come back, you'll have a new, spacious house to live in, and a car will be provided for you.

Your workplace has also made arrangements for you in advance.

Chen Yun offered a series of temptations, hoping to entice the couple to return.

He genuinely wanted to make amends to the two of them, and secondly, he wanted to strengthen his relationship with Chen Yong through Chen Dagang and his wife.

This time, Chen Dagang and his wife didn't rush to refuse. "We'll think about it seriously."

The temptation is just too great. What are the conditions in Xina County, and what are the conditions in Shanghai?

…………

Chen Yong's life at school was not greatly affected; the only difference was that his classmates respected him even more.

The work at the academy will not begin until after the National Day holiday, when the entrepreneur training program will officially start.

He teaches two classes a week, and the college pays him a salary based on sales commissions, which is unique to him.

Since he is a shareholder, while the other teachers are school employees, they cannot be compared.

For example, in the first phase, if 10 students are enrolled and each student is charged 5 yuan, then the income of 50 yuan, after deducting half of it for the school, is 25 yuan.

There's no other way; you have to make offerings. Otherwise, the school won't allow you to open classes, since you're using the school's name.

Without the school's name, where will you recruit students?

The remaining 250,000 will be split 30/70 as agreed.

Chen Yong takes 30%, which means he'll receive over 30,000 yuan.

The average salary of a school's faculty and staff is only around 800 yuan, which is much higher than the average salary.

This is only because it has increased in recent years. In that era of egalitarianism, don't expect to earn much more than the average wage.

You can imagine how envious some teachers would be if they found out.

Any teacher with a bit of skill would want to participate in this project.

In the future, we will also offer various classes tailored to different market demands, so there will be plenty of opportunities.

Chen Yong was busy rehearsing for the National Day gala performance.

He has a lot on his plate; not only does he have to oversee the class's projects, but he also has to create his own songs.

For National Day, he was going to sing a solo song. He originally just wanted to win an award, which wouldn't be difficult for him.

But Chen Fang wanted him to make it like a Hong Kong concert, and even specially brought in sponsors to arrange luxurious lighting and sound equipment for the event.

The entire process cost at least 200,000 yuan.

With National Day just two days away, Chen Yong was having his final rehearsal.

The band was a musically savvy group from the school, and the music was his own composition.

Student bands are just as good as outside bands, especially those from Fudan University. People who can play music usually come from well-off families.

The lyrics were co-written by Chen Yong and Chen Fang.

…………

That year you traversed the smoke of war.

Youth, clad in battle uniform, shines exceptionally brightly.

For the Dawn of the New China

You hold your head high—walking towards thunder and lightning.

I see millions of you.

Pouring their passion into the mountains and rivers

The muddy road where the tanks drove

Blooming in spring

I look up at the clear sky you once guarded.

Embracing each other again after forty-six years

…………

Coupled with the music that transcends time and space, it received unanimous praise even during rehearsals.

"Who sang that song on stage? It was amazing!"

"It seems to be someone from the finance class, but I'm not sure exactly who. It's really good; I'd guess it's the best performance this year."

"I feel that this song is very likely to become a nationwide hit."

People from the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering didn't believe it. "It's not that exaggerated. It's just singing on campus. Who would share it?"

After all, there are no conditions for dissemination unless a record company takes notice or the school takes the initiative to promote him.

If a school helps a student promote their song, how popular must it become?