Restart life

Chapter 266, page 0263: [Chen Shiyi and the Study of Success]

At the beginning of the new semester for universities across the country, New Oriental went public on the New York Stock Exchange.

Chen Guiliang held his "College English" textbook from last semester, pretending to prepare for the make-up exam while wondering whether he should enroll in a class at New Oriental.

I absolutely have to pass the CET-4 (College English Test Band 4) this semester!
Whether I can get my diploma or not is another matter; the main problem is that it would be too damn embarrassing if word got out.

"Sigh, how did I even get into English in my senior year of high school? I was even memorizing 25 words every day," Chen Guiliang sighed.

After looking at the words for a while, Chen Guiliang threw the English book aside.

He picked up a pen and paper and began to reply to the impoverished children he had sponsored last year, while also writing letters to the children he was sponsoring this year.

In total, the two batches funded 13 projects.

They are all excellent students but come from poor families, so sponsoring one of them wouldn't cost much money.

These days, people still need financial aid, but in another ten years or so, that won't be necessary. As long as you're willing to learn, you definitely won't have to worry about tuition fees.

There are indeed many students dropping out of school now because they cannot afford the tuition.

He admired his senior, Min Wenyu, who went to teach in mountainous areas every summer. Chen Guiliang himself didn't have the perseverance to stick with it.

"Chen Guiliang, you haven't chosen your courses for this academic year yet?" the group leader of the Yuanpei Class sent a text message.

Long Xiang has already graduated and has been recommended for postgraduate studies. Chen Guiliang currently has no advisor.

I'm already a junior, I don't need any counselors anymore.

So the 11 students under their mentor chose a group leader to be responsible for conveying information.

Chen Guiliang said, "I've made my choice, I'll email it to you."

"Still haven't decided on your major?"

"Let's just muddle along for now, there's no rush to learn anything about our major."

"You're amazing, you're not flustered at all."

Students can choose their major in the second semester of their sophomore year, but half of the students in the Yuanpei Class did not choose one.

Now that it's the first semester of junior year, students are starting to panic. These past few days, everyone has been discussing in the school's intranet groups, comparing their choices to see which major would be suitable.

Chen Guiliang continues to work as a freelancer.

Moreover, he has already completed all the required courses for his first and second years. This semester he has even more freedom and can choose whatever he wants.

Historical focus: History of Ancient Chinese Political Systems, History of Modern Chinese Thought.

Literature-related: Studies on Ancient Novels.

Philosophy specialization: History of Western Philosophy (Modern), Introduction to Phenomenology, Neo-Confucianism of the Song and Ming Dynasties.

Sociology: History of Chinese Social Thought, Economic Sociology.

Political Science: History of Western Political Thought, International Political Theory.

Economics: Continuing with last year's management-related studies and delving deeper. Also, consider Professor Lin's "Special Topics in the Chinese Economy" (the one about basketball and swimming).

He took the most economics and philosophy courses.

"Hello Mr. Chen. We've arrived at the south gate of Peking University," Yang Lan called.

Chen Guiliang said, "Wait a moment, I'll come pick you up. By the way, just call me Xiao Chen."

“That won’t do, we need to address each other formally,” Yang Lan said. “Give me your dormitory building number.”

"Okay, you can wait downstairs. I'll go find the dorm supervisor and the dormitory manager on duty, otherwise you won't be able to get in..."

Yang Lan always goes to the interviewee's workplace or residence for each interview, without ever complaining about the fatigue. Chen Guiliang strongly suspects that this is because she doesn't have a proper studio.

She set up her own private television station, where "Yang Lan Interview" premiered on her own channel before being sold to other television stations such as Dragon TV for rebroadcast.

After Chen Guiliang discussed it with the dormitory manager, he discovered that Yang Lan's team was being watched by several students.

"Hello, Ms. Yang." Chen Guiliang also used a more formal form of address.

Yang Lan said, "Let's go up."

Chen Guiliang reiterated his opinion: "You have cameras, lights, and recording equipment all set up; there's simply no room in the dormitory."

“We can record in the hallway outside your dorm room. The audience will definitely be interested in that kind of interview scene,” Yang Lan explained, describing the kind of program effect she wanted. She added with a smile, “After the interview, we’ll also go to your two companies to shoot a series of scenes.”

Chen Guiliang had no choice but to agree.

After going upstairs, he visited each dormitory room on the same floor, asking for forgiveness if he blocked the passageway.

The students were all easy to talk to, and while Yang Lan's team was adjusting the lights and sound, they all came over to watch the fun and chat.

Yang Lan seemed very approachable. While chatting with the students, she told the cameraman, "Shoot a set of shots of the dormitory and corridor. Natural light will suffice to show his daily life."

He then handed Chen Guiliang the interview transcript: "Mr. Chen, you can take a look first. If there are any topics you don't want to discuss, I can make changes on the spot."

Chen Guiliang glanced at it: "We can discuss anything."

Once all the machines were debugged, the students dispersed very conscientiously.

Yang Lan told them, "As long as you don't make a sound, you can pass by freely. It's okay if you accidentally get in the shot."

She's going to do a very special episode because the guest for this episode is very special.

The interview began without following a script; he started speaking extemporaneously.

And they kept adding new tricks along the way!
The interview transcripts were practically rendered useless.

Yang Lan: "I remember the old-style student dormitories had common areas on each floor for watching TV or studying and exchanging ideas. Why doesn't your building have that?"

Chen Guiliang: "Most of the old buildings at Peking University have water, but our building is particularly old. There isn't even a water tap in the dormitory."

Yang Lan: Now that you're very successful with your company, do you ever feel that your living conditions are difficult? Have you ever thought about renting or buying a house off-campus?

Chen Guiliang: "I'm afraid that if I move out, I'll stop going back to school altogether. I don't have much willpower; I need an environment to force myself. As for the harsh conditions, if everyone else can live there, why can't I?"

Yang Lan: "You were a left-behind child. Was life this hard from a young age?"

Chen Guiliang: "It's alright."

Yang Lan: "You seem unwilling to talk about this. Are you avoiding the past?"

Chen Guiliang: "There have been too many related reports in the past, and mentioning this every time is annoying. It seems like they're trying to gain sympathy." Yang Lan: "This kind of background can garner sympathy and attention, and some people use it as an asset."

Chen Guiliang: "Few people only have a bright side. If you keep playing the victim to attract attention, the backlash from public opinion will be severe when your dirty secrets are exposed one day."

Yang Lan: "You also have a scandal?"

Chen Guiliang: "Yes, but not too shady. It wouldn't matter if it were made public. I might make mistakes in the future, who knows?"

Yang Lan: "You are very rational."

Chen Guiliang: "I am a sentimental person and often act impulsively. But I try my best to remain restrained. This semester I enrolled in the course of Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism, haha, maybe I can learn some self-cultivation techniques."

Yang Lan: "It seems like the Yuanpei Class can choose any courses. Which ones did you choose?"

Chen Guiliang: "This semester I chose..."

Yang Lan: "These cover Chinese and foreign politics, thought, philosophy, economics, society, and literature. The courses you enrolled in are very comprehensive. It seems that you are also an excellent student."

Chen Guiliang: "The way I chose my courses is quite lazy. Guo Feng, a shareholder of ByteDance, is really something else when it comes to choosing courses. He initially majored in biology, but ended up taking a bunch of courses on things like ancient building restoration. After we started the company together, he was in charge of ByteDance's technology, and that's when he switched his major back to computer science."

Yang Lan: "He's a very interesting person. I'll interview him again next time. How do you think the freedom of the Yuanpei Class has affected your growth and career?"

Chen Guiliang: "It makes it easy to skip classes. For students in the Yuanpei Class, the instructors don't take attendance. Sometimes, students skip class because their courses clash. Even the final exams might clash, forcing the instructors to prepare a supplementary exam."

Yang Lan: "The teaching method is so novel that even the exams overlap. So you often skip classes to handle business at the company?"

Chen Guiliang: "Yes. There's nothing we can do about it. ByteDance has over 200 employees, and Game Science has over 160. I have to be responsible for their livelihoods, and I also have to be responsible to our investors."

Yang Lan: "So, you said before that you were afraid you wouldn't go back to school at all. Was it because you were too busy with work and writing?"

Chen Guiliang: "It's much easier now. The company is running normally, and the management can handle most of the affairs. I was really busy when I first started the business. Now I don't even know how I got through it."

Yang Lan: "I heard that Renren.com has surpassed 10 million users?"

Chen Guiliang: "Yes, and most of them are college students. It is estimated that nearly half of the undergraduate and junior college students in the country are using our campus network."

Yang Lan: "Shocking data. You control the online social networks of half of the college students."

Chen Guiliang: "It's not about controlling it, but rather providing students with an online social platform. Two months ago, HaiNei.com already had over ten million registered users. It's a platform for everyone. Many celebrities also choose to communicate with everyone on our website."

Yang Lan: "You haven't even graduated yet, and you've already built such a big career. Has your mindset changed at all?"

Chen Guiliang: "It's nonsense to say there's no change. Sometimes I feel like I'm the most important person in the world. This kind of mentality is not good. It's easy to become detached from the masses and become arrogant and ignorant."

Yang Lan: "How should we adjust it?"

Chen Guiliang: "Be cautious when alone."

Yang Lan: "Hmm?"

Chen Guiliang: "It means that even when no one is supervising you, you should still be strict with yourself and reflect on your own actions. I'm not saying you have to become a perfect gentleman, but that everyone makes mistakes every day. By recognizing your mistakes and trying your best to correct them, you can continuously improve yourself."

Yang Lan: "I've learned another word. You're more like a cultured person than a businessman, which is evident from your book, 'Those Things of the Ming Dynasty'."

Chen Guiliang: "Fortunately, many professors helped me check the work and tried to avoid common sense mistakes."

Yang Lan: "Your 'Those Things About the Ming Dynasty' Volumes 4 and 5 have recently climbed to second place on the bestseller list."

Chen Guiliang: "What's the first book?"

Yang Lan: "The World Is Flat," a foreign business management book.

Chen Guiliang: "Then I have no objection. They sell well all over the world."

Yang Lan: "Third on the list is 'Appreciating the Three Kingdoms.' As a popular history book, how would you rate 'Appreciating the Three Kingdoms'?"

Chen Guiliang: "I don't want to comment."

Yang Lan: "Why?"

Chen Guiliang: "Professor Yi is a professor in the Chinese Department, not the History Department. I have reservations about this."

Yang Lan: "The fourth and fifth place winners are Guo Jingming's 'River Flows to the Sea of ​​Sorrow' and Han Han's 'A City,' respectively. You and they both came from the New Concept Writing Competition, and they even wrote blogs to promote your books. Do you still keep in touch?"

Chen Guiliang: "Keep it a secret."

Yang Lan: Will you continue to maintain your triple identity as a student, writer, and businesswoman in the future? Have you considered taking a break from your studies?

Chen Guiliang: "As long as Peking University doesn't let me drop out, I'll just shamelessly stick around. After finishing 'Those Things of the Ming Dynasty,' I don't plan to write any more books, at least not long ones like this. This book is expected to be eight or nine volumes; researching the materials is exhausting."

They chatted for several tens of minutes, and I don't know how Yang Lan edited the final version.

She even took her team to Chen Guiliang's company for a recording session.

Later, CCTV's "Dialogue," which was touted as a high-end interview program, actually mainly targeted the lower classes at this time. The general public enjoyed watching celebrities argue and fight on "Dialogue."

The target audience for shows like "Qiang Qiang San Ren Xing" and "Yang Lan Interview" is more mid-to-high-end, especially white-collar workers and students. The conversations are primarily casual chats.

That episode of "Qiang Qiang San Ren Xing" has already aired. The TV ratings were so-so, but it was very popular online. Pirated downloads and website views were both extremely high.

The effect will definitely be better when "Yang Lan Interview" airs, after all, it has a platform like Dragon TV.

It can be used to boost one's social status.

Chen Guiliang did not expect that after chatting with Yang Lan for a long time, the phrase "being cautious when alone" would become the most popular topic.

Because many entrepreneurs, executives, and white-collar workers watch this program, they find the concept of "being cautious in solitude" particularly elegant. After inquiring about its origin, they learn about its source and begin to use it as a catchphrase.

They even invited a calligrapher to write the two characters "慎独" (shèn dú, meaning "be cautious when alone") and hang them in the office.

Entrepreneurs also follow trends. One moment they're chasing the wolf culture of "Wolf Totem," the next they're chasing Wang Yangming's philosophy of mind, and then they all flock to Liu Cixin's "The Three-Body Problem."

It just so happens that Yu Dan is very popular right now, and people can use the Analects of Confucius and the like to show off.

Chen Guiliang's use of the phrase "being cautious when alone" caught up with Professor Yu's Confucian trend and inexplicably became popular in certain circles.

Especially those entrepreneurs who come from humble backgrounds, have little education, but want to present themselves as cultured people!
Since entrepreneurs like it, the "gurus" of success studies will naturally adopt it as well. Chen Guiliang happens to be quite successful, serving as a real-world case study for success studies.

Damn, just imagine this scene:
In a high-end-looking hall, a self-help guru, dressed in a suit and tie, stood on the stage, while countless adults paid to attend his training course below.

The speakers played songs like "The Sun Always Shines After the Rain" or "True Hero," while the master recounted Chen Guiliang's inspirational entrepreneurial story, peddling the most popular Confucian self-cultivation doctrines of the moment. He constantly spoke of "being cautious in solitude" and "the Analects' way of dealing with the world"...

You've completely fooled everyone.

(End of this chapter)