"Cheng Ran, many people think that everything will be fine once they go to college, but this time when I went to Tsinghua and talked with some seniors, I realized that it was not what I imagined. The amount of knowledge they are exposed to each semester is comparable to that of three years in high school. Many people don't go home during the holidays, and use all their time to go to the laboratory and do homework. The most terrifying thing is the eve of the midterm and final exams. The study room is almost full all night. Countless people read books and do homework. There are no seats. The lights in the dormitory building are turned off, but there are lights in the corridor. There are people carrying stools and crowding the entire corridor. There, the people around are very good, and no one wants to be left behind. In that atmosphere, even if you want to relax, you will be driven to study together. That's why I said that I am worried that you will miss the best platform. When I get there, I will probably want to keep up with the competitive environment. I will continue to work hard, so don't... be left behind by me."
Yang Xia said.
Cheng Ran smiled, "After all, are you still worried that I will become corrupted because of the satisfaction I get now and the fact that I went to Central South University of Science and Technology, which is not as good as the atmosphere at Tsinghua University?"
"It's true that my mother-in-law's mouth has never changed since I was a child..."
When Yang Xia looked at him coldly, Cheng Ran nodded and said, "Going to college means there are more things to do. I won't slack off. If you want to surpass me, I'm afraid it's not just talk now, you still have to work hard to catch up."
"Fake!" Yang Xia frowned and said word by word, "I didn't chase you!"
"On the contrary," Yang Xia looked up, a little stubborn and a little arrogant, "I will be different too."
The so-called difference is that he is more outstanding and more independent, and not much worse than the one in the UK.
Cheng Ran was startled, then smiled and nodded, "This aura is a bit like 'Wait until September 8th after autumn, my flowers will bloom and all other flowers will die'."
"What?" Yang Xia frowned, but her narrow eyes were a little cold. "'My flower blooms and all other flowers die', that's not bad either."
But this sharp gaze was all on Cheng Ran.
Yu Xiao leaned over from the side at this time and smiled at Yang Xia, "What did you just say about whether to pursue him or not? What's there to discuss? Why did you go to No. 10 Middle School? I can testify that I was going to pursue him!"
Then, Yang Xia, with a red face and murderous intent, chased after Yu Xiao who was running away, causing everyone to laugh continuously.
All the parents from the compound who were attending the dinner saw this scene. While everyone was expressing their feelings with a smile, saying "What a great relationship they have had since childhood", Yang Xia's parents looked at each other, and then at their daughter who was determined to kill Yu Xiao, their eyes were indescribably complicated.
…
The destinations of this class of students from Rongcheng No. 10 Middle School are generally good. 47 of them were admitted to Tsinghua University and Peking University, the rate of admission to key universities in science is 88%, and the rate of admission to key universities in liberal arts is 70%. It can be said that it is a good harvest.
This class also produced a provincial top scorer who was admitted to Tsinghua University and Peking University, was highly recruited by the admissions team, but ended up going to Central South University of Science and Technology, which aroused widespread discussion in society.
People are more concerned about this person's name than his real name, and the main controversy is whether the best talents should go to the best platforms.
Many people did not see Cheng Ran, but they would see him in many places later, such as in exam essays based on this incident, or in joint debate competitions among colleges and universities, where everyone argued fiercely with their own opinions.
Cheng Ran, the culprit who caused the incident, actually said that his life was still very peaceful at the time, without so many ups and downs. His circle of friends was not large, and he only contacted those fixed friends. Boss Ma called him at a critical moment in Alibaba.
"The Nasdaq in the United States is still falling, and many companies have run out of money. We are lucky to have your funds, which can still be burned, but it can only last for six months. I think your five bullets are right, and we have decided to lay off employees."
When Alibaba received Cheng Ran's funding, it went from eating boxed lunches every day to having money. It hired executives everywhere, including vice president-level executives from various Fortune 500 companies with scary names. Branches were set up everywhere, in mainland China, Hong Kong, the United States, Europe, and South Korea. Alibaba was really made to look like an international company, and Boss Ma was even featured in Time magazine. He was wearing a yellow shirt and posing with a fist clenched and rushing forward. This grassroots counterattack image was very popular with American investors. Cheng Ran once said that the five battlefields that Alibaba opened up in the world were like five bullets, but only one could really hit the bull's eye.
At that time, Mr. Ma did not agree with this statement. Alibaba's initial strategy was to use the best engineers to compete with Microsoft, Yahoo, and eBay. Therefore, a large number of engineers and executives who understand international trade were hired at high salaries, and offices were opened in multiple locations, resulting in high costs for a while. Later, the entire Internet winter came, and Alibaba had to seriously consider Cheng Ran's five bullets.
Cheng Ran injected the investment into Alibaba, and Boss Ma would regularly report on where the money was spent. When Alibaba decided to spend money in this way, Cheng Ran did not raise any objections, but only hinted at it with the "five bullets" statement. Cheng Ran certainly understood that Alibaba's current method of burning money was completely useless, but he did not raise any warnings or forcibly interfere with the decisions of Alibaba's top management.
Some answers need to be found by themselves. Cheng Ran can certainly help them avoid detours from the perspective of two lives, but some detours must be taken. The result of taking them may be shedding a layer of skin, but the process of shedding skin may be painful, but it is an experience of setting things right.
Of course, although he knew that Alibaba's blind expansion after raising funds would inevitably bring them trouble at this time, the reason why Cheng Ran did not interfere and let it go was probably because no matter how much trouble they caused, even if Boss Ma's trajectory this time was different from that of later generations, even if Alibaba was severely damaged and could not be sustained, Cheng Ran still had enough ammunition to cover it.
He could even take this opportunity to get more shares of Alibaba. But this has its pros and cons, and Cheng Ran would not deliberately make a move. After all, he regards Boss Ma as a partner, and the principle is not to attack your partner, unless you only want to do this one thing in your life.
In two lives, reputation is the most important thing.
Cheng Ran said, "Then you must consider which of the five bullets is the most lethal."
Boss Ma was very determined. "Whether it's Hong Kong, the United States, Europe or South Korea, it's actually not necessary. We just need to keep the mainland, so this bullet is the mainland, that is, Hangzhou."
"Then you have to make a decision."
"I know it's a difficult decision."
The conversation between the two people at this time meant a bloody storm for Alibaba. It meant that less than three of the ten offices around the world would remain. It meant that all new employees would be laid off, and less than one-third of the old employees would remain. This was a tragic journey no less than crossing snowy mountains and grasslands. After discussing this decision with Cheng Ran, Boss Ma suffered from insomnia for the next few days. The most tragic situation would be to lay off employees one by one.
"This is something that must be done. If it doesn't work, just push someone out to be the good guy."
"Now that the company has grown, I actually find myself not knowing how to manage it. After this round of layoffs, I want to focus on reorganizing the company, training our staff, and taking management to a higher level. If the cold winter restricts our steps and drives us back to our base, then we will retract our fists and reorganize. I believe that when we strike out again with a clenched fist, it will be more powerful."
Cheng Ran said, "I also believe that after this ban and rectification, although Alibaba has become smaller, its internal cohesion will be even greater."
…
2000 was a difficult year. The Internet was in a cold winter, Fulong was blocked by the United States, Alibaba laid off a large number of employees, and a large number of Internet companies went bankrupt during this period. The outside world was in chaos, and no one knew where the dawn would come from after this desperate winter.
At the end of August of that year, Cheng Ran embarked on his university journey.
…
Yang Xia arrived in Beijing on August 24, taking a sleeper train from Chengdu to Beijing. Her parents also accompanied her. There were many new students on this train who were going to Beijing to report for the start of the new semester. Yang Xia also unexpectedly met a classmate from No. 10 Middle School in the same carriage. She was a girl from Class 3 named Luo Xi, who was also admitted to Tsinghua University and her grades were comparable to Yang Xia's.
During the one-day and one-night journey, either Yang Xia went to find her or she came to find Yang Xia. The two of them turned off the lights at night, or got up early in the morning to go to the train bathroom to wipe their faces with tap water, and then sat on the rest table and chairs in the sleeper to chat about the past and the future. Facing the fact that they were about to start their college life in a foreign land, the two of them were very cordial. In fact, at this time, they felt that they had met each other too late.
Inevitably, Luo Qian mentioned some things about No. 10 Middle School. "I can't believe it. In the past, No. 10 Middle School was full of Jiang Hongshao and Zhu Xu, and it became a good story. But after Cheng Ran transferred in, the pattern was broken. You know, Zhu Xu and Jiang Hongshao went out for competitions before. They had privileges and took the minibus back to school. We were still struggling to learn from them. When they returned triumphantly, people would shout their names. But when Cheng Ran arrived, they became the Condor Heroes with Jiang Hongshao. Now everyone shouts 'Condor Heroes', and who remembers the jokes they made on Zhu Xu and Jiang Hongshao... It's a pity that our class is falling behind. It's hard to say whether the kids behind us are as interesting as us!"
"But actually... I also feel it's a pity..." Luo Qian said, "Jiang Hongshao actually went to a better place than us, University College London, a world-renowned university. She didn't take the college entrance examination and didn't win the provincial championship. Although it's a bit regrettable, thinking about her future, it's actually quite in line with Jiang Ge's abilities. It's just a pity for Cheng Ran."
"You don't know, but during the holidays, when we have a class reunion, many people will talk about it. Some of them failed to get into Peking University or Tsinghua University, and went to a lower-level school. They felt that thinking of Cheng Ran would make them feel balanced. There were also people who were admitted to Central South University of Science and Technology, and they were very happy to go to the same school with Cheng Ran. They had never met him before, and they wanted to organize a reunion for the No. 10 Middle School students after they entered the university. The most outrageous thing was that there was someone who had originally aimed at a key first-class university, but ended up failing the exam and was admitted to an ordinary first-class university. Do you know Wang Mingtao from Class 7? He is usually very reckless. He can get full marks in mathematics and pass English. He originally wanted to apply for Harbin Institute of Technology, but ended up failing the exam and could only go to Harbin Engineering University. When asked if he would repeat the year, he directly said that Harbin Engineering is Harbin Engineering. Cheng Ran ended up going to Central South University of Science and Technology. He has someone to take the blame for him, so what is he afraid of? Cheng Ran is simply... It can be said that he has made a cushion for us with his own strength. If anyone feels unhappy after the college entrance examination, they will feel relieved when they think of him."
The conversation between the two made Yang Xia's parents, who were sitting across the bunk from her, look at her. There was something difficult to describe in their eyes, which was the incomprehension of Cheng Ran's behavior. On the other hand, they were also looking at their daughter gently, feeling relieved that she was in the current situation.
Yes, in this era, Tsinghua and Peking University mean something, especially for families like Yang Xia's family who came to Chengdu from Shanhai City. They know that Shanhai City only produces one or two students from Tsinghua University and Peking University every year. Such students can be said to be the pride of a region and a city. And in Chengdu, the place is big. Of course, if you have the score to get into Tsinghua and Peking University, you often slip and fall into lower schools. And since you can get into Tsinghua, it is understandable that you want to be safe and go to a lower-level school to choose a major at will.
The key point is that he ranked first in the province, and despite all the efforts made by the admissions offices of Peking University and Tsinghua University, he still rejected these two universities. This is really shocking.
During this holiday, Yang Xia's ears were almost callused from hearing people around her discussing this. She even confused the person they were talking about with Cheng Ran, whom she had known since childhood. She felt a magical sense of alienation and strangeness, and it was hard for her to believe that people were discussing someone he was familiar with.
I felt depressed, but also secretly excited about the future. In this mood, with the sound of the rumbling train, I arrived at Beijing West Railway Station.
Then it was like a chaotic process of taking the luggage, exiting the station, and looking for the Tsinghua pick-up point. As soon as you come out of the train station, you can see Tsinghua’s red banners. Students in volunteer uniforms are greeting the new students and their parents in front of the set tables, and then guiding them to take the special shuttle buses to take batches of students to school.
Luo Xi's family and Yang Xia's family got on the same bus. The two of them squeezed together and took the bus to Tsinghua University. However, before the bus stopped, the outside of the campus was filled with senior students holding their department signs, shouting the names of their departments in an exaggerated and almost crazy manner, "Engineering Physics! Engineering Physics! Department of Civil Engineering and Hydraulic Engineering! School of Materials! Brothers and sisters! Gather, gather!" It was almost like a robbery.
Luo Qian and Yang Xia were stunned. "This is Tsinghua?... Why are they all so crazy? Are we so popular..."
After a battle that was almost like a war, Luo Qian was snatched away by the Journalism Department, while Yang Xia was caught by his own department. They went to the temporary information point set up by the department outside the school gate to receive various things to note and items for new students. Yang Xia's parents helped to organize various things. Yang Xia filled out the forms. Right in front of him was a girl. She looked at Yang Xia's information and smiled, "You are from Rongcheng No. 10 Middle School. Do I look familiar to you?"
Yang Xia was stunned for a moment, and the girl said, "I went to your No. 10 Middle School with the admissions team to recruit students... No wonder your provincial champion didn't apply to Tsinghua University..."
"Ah?" Yang Xia didn't understand for a moment.
The girl took out a newspaper from the pile of documents beside her, spread it in front of Yang Xia, and pouted, "Slut."
Yang Xia looked in the direction of her finger. There was a report on the Central South University of Science and Technology's admission of Cheng Ran. Yang Xia didn't pay attention to the long article at the beginning. The information started from here: "... Cheng Ran came from a poor family, but he was able to get such good grades. It was not easy. In order to commend Cheng Ran, Central South University of Science and Technology awarded him a scholarship of 100,000 yuan. Such a high and generous scholarship is rare in the history of USTC. This is the first time, but for a provincial champion, it doesn't seem too much. Central South University of Science and Technology aims to encourage outstanding students to study hard and make progress. The generous scholarship can also help them complete their studies smoothly..."
These days, a scholarship of 100,000 yuan is enough to draw public attention to this.
“See, Central South University of Science and Technology is doing these crooked things! No wonder they didn’t come to Peking University and Tsinghua University. It would be strange if they didn’t get corrupted with such a generous sum of money!” The senior sister was still a little indignant.
Yang Xia stared at the report with his lips slightly parted.
Poor family...
Provincial champion...
100,000 scholarships...
These words.
When Cheng Ran starts school this time... I don't know what he will experience...