rity of the company’s senior figures; he was unhappy with Xu Jianchuan's practice of appointing outsiders and fostering his own clique, leading them to engage in open and covert rivalry. Zhuo Junjian'...Chapter 101: Turmoil and Treacherous Minds

Hui, despite her words, showed a formalized expression with a slightly indifferent gaze.

In black skirt, stockings, and shoes, and white shirt, Sun Man faced Su Can as she would an ordinary male student she interviewed or interacted with on campus TV. She used just the right language to give people a comfortable impression, calmly knowing how to connect better with others.

The boy beside Sun Man seemed unhappy about Su Can's intrusion and quickly found new topics to whisper with her, appearing closer to her; his eyes occasionally glanced at Su Can.

Su Can didn't say more. He listened quietly to various speeches, waiting for the swearing-in ceremony to end.

Instead of counting months until the college entrance exam, it was now a final 100-day sprint.

The entire campus saw students in both regular and special classes immersed in sea of questions. Teachers would bring stacks of freshly printed test papers from school printers, warm and still smelling of ink, to hand out to group leaders. Sometimes the ink would spread due to excessive pressure on the papers.

Someone might complain about their bad luck or stubbornly swap tests with a desk mate, leading to small but amusing disputes.

The endless functions, chemical equations, dynastic timelines, establishment of the Versailles-Washington System and success of the Russian October Revolution, subjunctive moods, auxiliary verbs, and modifiers. Students carrying thick dictionaries would study several pages daily, while some played English version "Final Fantasy" to review English before major exams. Girls flipping through hardcover bilingual editions of Jane Eyre for annotation and explanation.

In contrast to the leisurely first and second years, it felt like a state of turmoil now.

Minds were full yet empty, leading to exchanges like "Hey, I have volume 2 of Jin Yong's works. Does anyone have volume 3 I've already finished reading mine. Here is volume 4; who has volume 1" as students traded books, leaving teachers shaking their heads before continuing.

Some would take unfinished readings home but rarely lost books. Students bringing books usually got them back, though they'd become increasingly worn from circulation.

The pace of reading quickened. When "Norwegian Wood" was popular, it wasn't uncommon to finish half a book in an afternoon and pass it on. People began admiring Holden's language style in "The Catcher in the Rye," while "Sophie's World" became a must-have for those aiming for high scores in essays.

The days passed quietly and uneventfully, yet he felt as if his mind was being flooded with a lot of information daily. Looking at the third-year high school students around him, Su Can recalled how anxious he had been about the future back then, and how he had to tackle countless questions and study extensively to absorb all the knowledge that Chinese education required.

Now, it felt as though he was detached from this environment. He witnessed a scene etched deeply in his memory being replayed before him. Yet at this moment, unlike back then when he was uncertain about his future and felt lost, he saw hope—like an oasis appearing out of nowhere.

Lin Guangdong had visited the school and came to see Zhao Hua Society where he used to work. The old members of the society were extremely excited to see him and warmly called him "Teacher Lin!"

But now, Lin Guangdong was no longer a teacher; instead, he was the editor-in-chief and general manager of Pineapple Media. Pineapple Media's influence had spread far beyond the campus due to its development and support from the city government and backing from the provincial newspaper group. Leveraging this momentum, Pineapple Media began expanding into markets outside the province.

Synchronously, they were investing in creating a literary magazine for teenagers, and Lin Guangdong returned to No. 27 High School specifically to recruit some young writers who could join their new youth literature media initiative as its vanguard.

For a long time, the leisure and entertainment industry in Sichuan Province had been quite weak. There were no shortages of talent in Sichuan—both historically and now, it was a place teeming with hidden talents.

Yet, oddly enough, all those who emerged from here found their fame and fortune elsewhere; very few managed to gain recognition through the local influence or break out of provincial boundaries to reach the world stage.

This situation could serve as a cautionary tale for Su Can, based on his experiences in the past life. No matter what talent show was held in Chengdu, it always faced resistance from the city's entrenched establishment, which considered itself the heartland of China. In the future, when Hunan Satellite TV’s Super Girl, an imitation of America's Got Talent and Britain's The X Factor, became a sensation, the contestants that emerged from Chengdu were undoubtedly the best and helped solidify its reputation as the capital of talent shows.

Yet while everyone celebrated this accomplishment, Su Can could not help but feel it was no cause for pride.

The land of Shu abounded in beauty and nurtured numerous extraordinary individuals through its rich cultural heritage. However, these human resources often went unnoticed and untapped in Chengdu, with many people achieving success only after leaving the city. This situation prompted a reflection on why such a prosperous place as Chengdu had not yet established itself as an entertainment and leisure empire.

Beijing exudes grandeur; Shanghai is chic; Guangzhou embodies wealth creation; whereas Chengdu exemplifies living.

The beauty of Shu, the city renowned for its beautiful women, made entertainment and leisure activities the most universal way to express happiness and enjoyment. For those who struggled with their shadows and hardships, this was the sole path to joy and celebration.

Rongcheng residents love leisure and entertainment, leading to the development of a thriving bar culture. There are many famous bars in Rongcheng, which is closely related to the city's playful nature. This marginal prosperity needs to be steered towards an orderly track, otherwise these resources will be wasted.

The idea of contentment with small gains makes this city easy to satisfy but also limits its development, at least in terms of leisure and entertainment, where more creativity is needed. The hidden resources here need to be developed one by one.

Su Cen does not have the energy to showcase everything, he just tries his best to let Pineapple Media gain the most strength from his mind, striving for industrial expansion through a magazine but without relying on past achievements alone. He can't compete against the strong historical trend either, so all he can do is build upon existing foundations and hope that these tools will help him fill some of his regrets.

When one has the ability to meet basic material needs such as clothing, food, shelter and transportation, they should also seek spiritual fulfillment. Reading is a cheap and efficient way but it cannot change anything in reality.

Su Cen can only enrich himself gradually and use tools like Pineapple Media that have not yet become "magical" weapons to slowly make up for past dreams he never dared to think about.

The biggest difference now may be, with the changes in people's destinies around him due to his rebirth, many are gathering under his command. As his invisible wealth grows...

Su Cen can feel a sense of "power" that has been materialized and armed on himself.

Just like the pressure felt by all students in their first and second years of high school suddenly turning into something tangible, crushing down upon one's back and bending their spine.

Since Lin Guangdong's visit today was at Su Cen’s instigation, Su Cen for the first time came to the literature club he hadn't seen in more than half a year, almost ready to expel him. He met with Lin Guangdong privately and discussed Pineapple Media's strategic vision.

Before Lin Guangdong left, two people were standing at the parking lot.

The person Lin Guangdong saw was the man who had taken his woman when he was still a teacher – Zhao Chengyan’s uncle, a director in the transportation bureau with considerable influence. The man who could face the principal of No. 27 High School and shout, "If this teacher doesn't change, you should all leave!"

Lin Guangdong's Audi was parked outdoors, while the other person's Honda Accord had bumped into his car’s rear bumper. This person stood still, slightly anxious but imagining who he might have scratched that could afford an Audi and if they could develop a relationship.

The moment Lin Guangdong recognized this middle-aged man, his expression darkened. When he walked over, the man was surprised to see the woman who had been with him, now married and looking more radiant than before in a black halter dress she would never have been able to afford back then.

The woman clearly hadn't expected to run into him here. Ignoring the dark expression on her husband's face beside her, she hesitated and smiled at him, "Guangdong, have you returned to school Are things going well for you"

Her life after marriage was materially comfortable, but every day she worried about whether her husband was indulging in revelry outside. Living a materially rich yet spiritually empty existence, she occasionally thought back to the past and remembered Lin Guangdong, a man who had once been obsessed with alcohol and felt unfulfilled. She recalled the days when they had graduated together and come to Chengdu, where they were assigned to live in a communal apartment building that shared two bathrooms among eleven households. She couldn't help but remember the years of her youth she had spent for him.

She would occasionally think about their past dreams. Back then, she thought it was the most beautiful happiness imaginable if her man, Lin Guangdong, could be allocated a new dormitory by the school and they could marry and start a family there.

In comparison to her current life, those days seemed like a dream, and recalling them brought a sense of pain.

Lin Guangdong forced a smile at the woman and then looked at his car in front of him. He asked, "What's going on"

The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment before saying, "None of your business."

Fearing that the two might start another argument, the woman stepped forward to hold her husband's hand. She understood Lin Guangdong's character better than she did the man who slept beside her every day.

Lin Guangdong smiled and said goodbye to Su Can before turning around, opening the car door and sitting inside. The sound of the engine starting followed as he ignored his damaged Audi 6 and made no attempt to take responsibility for the confrontation with his rival. He decisively left, making a sharp turn at the school gate and speeding away under the shadows cast by the ginkgo and camphor trees.

During this process, Su Can saw that the middle-aged man's expression had become even more complicated and unpredictable. The woman seemed to be in shock, watching as the man she once loved turned and left without a second glance.

Fate can be cruel indeed.

To start with, I need to correct an error in the book: Su Can’s college entrance exam should have taken place in July, not June. This has been corrected.

Secondly, I mistakenly wrote "Odyssey" as "Osiede," which was just a slip of the tongue.

In this new month, we're more motivated and will definitely strive to reward everyone who subscribes with monthly votes and supports us! We hope to live up to every subscriber's expectations!n arrived, she would only go to school and back home every day without noticing anything else around her—occasionally reporting briefly to her parents in the grand living room or accompanying them at...