When Zhou Wang started boasting less than a minute after being nostalgic, Jiang Qingkui gave him a look of annoyance.
But she couldn’t argue.
Because at just a university graduate’s age, Zhou Wang had already achieved so much. Standing here, his back must be straight.
To put it bluntly, even if we remove the age factor, in the over a hundred years since Jing City First Middle School was founded, how many have surpassed his achievements?
Those in politics don’t count, after all, it’s a different track.
As it happened, both their phones rang at the same time.
"Old Guo."
"Teacher Qin."
They exchanged glances and found it quite amusing; their former head teacher was calling them both at the same time.
They answered their phones and after a round of "um, uh-huh," Zhou Wang hung up first. After waiting for more than a minute, Jiang Qingkui finished her conversation with Qin Li.
"What did Director Qin say?" Zhou Wang then asked.
"Told me to go to the small conference room..."
"Tsk, it seems Old Guo isn’t doing well, he only asked me to go to the lecture hall..."
Zhou Wang could immediately hear the difference.
The morning’s event was actually informal. According to the electronic invitation, it was a relaxed, buffet-style cocktail party meant for new and old alumni to get familiar with each other and learn about the school’s developments over the years...
Ostensibly, anyway.
But clearly, there were two different venues.
The lecture hall was where everyone could go, the main space for the cocktail party. The small conference room, not listed on the invitation, seemed to be set up for the "distinguished alumni."
Which made sense.
Important people get preferential treatment everywhere, and some topics aren’t suitable for public discussion.
Zhou Wang couldn’t be bothered to investigate why Old Guo didn’t quite trust Yang Hao or if his status wasn’t high enough to enter the small conference room... or maybe it was a bit of both.
"Let’s go."
Naturally, Zhou Wang wanted to first follow Jiang Qingkui to take a stroll around the small conference room.
To be fair, among the alumni attending the event from Jing City First Middle School, there were indeed some whom Zhou Wang admired, even though he couldn’t reach their level himself, it didn’t stop him from trying to get to know them.
Having reached this status and standing, there was no need for petty tricks, and besides, Zhou Wang genuinely intended to see if he could do something for his alma mater.
...
At the same time, in the principal’s office.
Hearing a knock, the principal, Li Xiwen, seated at the desk, said, "Come in," as Qin Li, who had just been promoted to director of academic affairs this year, entered the room.
"Principal..."
"Is everyone here?"
"Almost, shall we head over now?"
"Who has shown up?"
But instead of standing up, Li Xiwen asked.
Qin Li sat on the edge of the sofa, recalling and smiling, "About half of the invited list came. Most couldn’t make it due to scheduling conflicts, so we’ll see if they can join the later events..."
"Then the ones you were particularly focusing on, Academician Lei and Academician Zhao are both here... with these heavyweight figures in attendance, it has stirred quite a buzz, and the municipal side is also pleased."
Seeing Qin Li’s excited demeanor, Li Xiwen remained noncommittal, instead asking, "What about Mr. Chen? Mr. Gu? And Ms. Wang?"
"Mr. Chen is in Hong Kong, Ms. Wang went abroad for a foundation project, Mr. Gu won’t be available until next week, so..."
Hearing this, Qin Li replied awkwardly.
Li Xiwen didn’t say anything further, just furrowed her brow gently.
Even some big names had shown up, but Qin Li understood why Li Xiwen was unsatisfied...
As a woman in her early forties, who had reached the position of principal (division level) of First Middle School, Li Xiwen was indeed an accomplished young individual.
Her public image was known for its friendliness, but Qin Li knew that fundamentally she was extremely assertive, ambitious, and very eager to achieve notable successes during her tenure to counter some public criticism...
After all, women in leadership positions always face more scrutiny than their male counterparts.
In her eyes, this homecoming season event was a good opportunity. She wanted to create some noise to elevate Jing City First Middle School’s reputation to a higher level.
While the two academicians were important, they were too senior, all alumni from the last century...
It’s been the case for every important event at Jing City First Middle School, stalwart supporters, as the internet would say, "aesthetic fatigue."
That’s the school’s heritage, but not her, Li Xiwen’s, accomplishment.
Returning her thoughts, Li Xiwen sighed lightly, then composed her expression, smiled and stood up, "Let’s go, let’s head to the small conference room first."
...
Zhou Wang followed Jiang Qingkui to the small conference room, and no one really questioned them. After a brief registration at the entrance, they went inside.
Although called a small conference room, the internal space was quite large, extending to a balcony outside, occupying at least two hundred square meters.
The traditional conference table was removed, with only long tables with drinks and snacks on either side, and some sofas and chairs scattered around the room, creating a relaxed atmosphere.
By the time they entered, there were already dozens of people inside.
Zhou Wang glanced around at the alumni who were chatting and laughing in small groups. Very few were in their twenties or thirties. Excluding Zhou Wang, people like Jiang Qingkui were the youngest there, most were over forty, with even a white-haired elder present...