A plate of braised pork, a plate of asparagus chicken, and a plate of green vegetables. Although Chen Yang and the other two men didn't eat their fill, their taste buds were greatly satisfied.
Liu Xiangyu, in particular, hadn't touched a bite of meat in over half a year. If it weren't for the fact that they were together, he would have licked the tin lunchbox clean. The oily sauce at the bottom of the white rice was enough for him to eat a bowl of rice even without any dishes.
Seeing this, Chen Yang secretly made up his mind to find Liu Xiangyu some profitable work in the future. People his age were proud, and Liu Xiangyu would surely not accept money directly. However, by helping him find avenues to earn money, Chen Yang believed Liu Xiangyu would not refuse. This was the art of dealing with people. Some people helped others and received no gratitude, while others seemed to do little but were remembered fondly.
Liu Xiangyu was in his third year and would soon become a scribe in the energy branch office of a certain district under Shanghai. With his talent for writing, he was chosen by the district's second-in-command to be his secretary. From then on, Liu Xiangyu's career path was brilliant. He climbed steadily, was promoted back to the regional general manager of the state-owned energy company's Shanghai branch, and eventually became the chairman of the board of directors of the group. He led the group in overseas auctions for several multi-million-ton ore and crude oil procurement contracts, providing stable energy support for the nation's economic development and earning high praise from the Shanghai municipal leaders. When Chen Yang was reborn, Liu Xiangyu was still a prominent figure often featured in television news reports, with rumors even circulating that he would join the Ministry of Energy.
Wang Baolin was also no ordinary person, but compared to Liu Xiangyu, Wang Baolin's early development was much more difficult. His rise to prominence came after he got married at the age of thirty. It couldn't be helped, as he met a great father-in-law. This was something one couldn't envy. However, at this moment, Wang Baolin was still a complete greenhorn. In just the time it took for this meal, Chen Yang had established a good relationship with Wang Baolin and Liu Xiangyu. Their addresses changed from "Xue Chang Baolin" and "Xue Chang Xiangyu" to "Brother Lin" and "Brother Yu," while they called Chen Yang "Yangzi."
In the short term, they might not be able to help Chen Yang much. Of course, during this period of wild growth, Chen Yang didn't need their help. It was in the later stages, when they gradually became influential figures, that Chen Yang would need these weighty personalities to support him. Therefore, Chen Yang's goal was not their present selves, but their future selves. The earlier he invested time, the better. A meal costing two yuan now had brought them much closer. When they achieved their successes, they wouldn't even mind a meal costing twenty, two hundred thousand, or two million.
After the meal, Chen Yang felt it would be improper to keep them chatting for too long, as too much could be detrimental. He believed he had left a good impression on the two future big shots today. As long as they continued to hang out from time to time, he was sure he could become one of their closest friends at school. If they maintained contact, he had no doubt they would help him.
Chen Yang rinsed his lunchbox with water, threw it into his mesh bag, and hung it behind his neck as he headed back to the dormitory. Having been on a train for most of the day, his back was aching, and he needed to get back to sleep and rest well.
When Chen Yang returned, he discovered that the dormitory, which had been empty before, was now fully occupied. They were still using old bunk beds, with four beds assigned to each room, accommodating eight people. Some dormitories had dormitory-style beds, housing fifty to sixty people, so an eight-person dormitory was considered good at the time. These dormitories did not have private bathrooms or showers. Toilets and bathrooms were located at the eastern end of the floor, and everyone on that floor had to use the communal facilities for bathing, washing clothes, and using the toilet.
"Hello, my name is Ge Mingying, from Sichuan province."
As Chen Yang entered, a young man leaning by the door quickly sat up on his bed and greeted him with a handshake.
"Hello, I'm Chen Yang, from Jinling, Jiangsu province."
Chen Yang looked at Ge Mingying. He remembered that there was no one from Sichuan in his dormitory in his previous life. Had he gone to the wrong dormitory? Chen Yang glanced at the tin door behind him. It was building 6, room 102. It was correct. He then looked at the other roommates who had stood up and gathered around: Lao Wen, Wen Feng, You Bo, Liu Quan, Meng Zhengyi. Wait, who was that big傻 (shǎ, foolish/big) guy behind them?
Chen Yang looked at the other roommates, who were somewhat familiar. Five of them were people he knew. They often had class reunions in his later life. Although Chen Yang was more successful, he still kept in touch with his dormitory brothers. However, Ge Mingying and that傻大个 (shǎ dà gè, big傻 guy) who almost touched the door frame were people he didn't remember at all. How did they end up in his dormitory? Could it be that his rebirth's butterfly effect had unintentionally caused a deviation? Chen Yang was a bit confused. It shouldn't be. He hadn't changed schools or majors.
Chen Yang was puzzled, but then he suddenly remembered that although his school and major hadn't changed, his score had! Originally, he had only scored a few points higher than the school's admission requirement, barely getting into the East China University of Finance and Economics. But now, it was very likely that his higher score had inadvertently bumped off the original lowest admission score. Moreover, he had taken the college entrance examination in Jiangsu province in his previous life, but this life he was in Anhui province. The admission score lines for each province were different for the school. Therefore, Chen Yang felt that it was likely that the butterfly effect of changing his college entrance examination location after his rebirth had caused his original roommates to be displaced.
"My name is Wen Yong, from Shandong province."
"I'm Wen Feng, from Shanghai itself."
...
"My name is Chen Yongjun, I'm also from Jiangsu province, from Pengcheng, Jiangsu province."
Chen Yang stepped forward and introduced himself. The other people in the dormitory came forward to introduce themselves. They had already introduced themselves, and only Chen Yang, who had occupied a bed first but hadn't been seen, was missing. Because everyone was expectant, they hurried over to join the fun as soon as Chen Yang arrived.
"You're also surnamed Chen, from Pengcheng, Jiangsu. We're practically fellow townsmen. My ancestral home is Pengcheng. My dad was assigned to work in Jinling, and I still have relatives in Pengcheng."
Hearing Chen Yongjun's introduction, Chen Yang could basically confirm it. Regardless of anything else, there was no Chen Yongjun in their major in the year 1979 in his previous life. This kid was undoubtedly a lucky one who was admitted because he didn't take the college entrance examination in Jiangsu province, thus creating an extra admission quota compared to his past life.
"What a coincidence. My family works at the Pengcheng Chemical Plant. Both my parents work there. Classmate Chen Yang, where is your hometown? Maybe I've been there."
Upon hearing that Chen Yang's hometown was Pengcheng and that they shared the same surname, Chen Yongjun immediately became much more enthusiastic. Chen Yang exchanged a few words with him, and at the same time, he didn't forget to greet the other roommates. Although their future developments would be different, they had a harmonious relationship during their four years of university. Otherwise, Chen Yang wouldn't have frequently attended reunions with them later. The emotions at this time were the purest, devoid of any personal gain.
"My wife made these sesame crisps. They're very fragrant. Everyone, try them."
In his previous life, Chen Yang had never mentioned to his classmates that he was married. In this life, however, he didn't hide it. Shen Xue had made a lot of snacks for him to bring to school, and he immediately shared some with his roommates.