King of Technology: A Fresh Start in 1983

The year after Qin Shunan went to the United States, Zhan Yiling also wanted to go.

I've received the acceptance letter from the school in the UK, and my passport is ready.

But He Fan didn't want to go.

He Fan's parents are stationed in the United Kingdom year-round for work purposes.

He was enjoying himself in the capital, but worried that if he went to the United States, he would be restricted and not free.

Zhan Yiling couldn't let go of He Fan, so she decided not to leave.

After graduating from university, I went to work for IBM (China).

Because of his excellent academic performance, He Fan was assigned to the 218 Research Institute, which was directly under the Ministry of Electronics Industry in Ningcheng.

The male classmates in the class said to He Fan with envy, "Where did you get such good luck? You've got the prettiest girl in the class and the best researcher in the department..."

If it weren't for Zhan Yiling, He Fan would definitely have gone!

But Zhan Yiling gave up the opportunity to study in the United Kingdom in order to be with him.

Therefore, he had to stay in the capital and be with her.

Therefore, he refused to report to College 218 and hoped that the school could reassign him.

This really angered the 218th Hospital!

His file was immediately returned to the Personnel Department of the Ministry.

The personnel department then returned the files to the school.

He Fan went to the school's career guidance center, hoping to be assigned to a municipal unit in Beijing.

This annoyed the school again.

The school said the job placement process had already ended and they couldn't help him find a new job.

As a result, He Fan had a huge fight with the school, and they finally broke off all relations.

In a fit of anger, the school transferred his file to the local street office, leaving him to find his own employment.

He Fan, a graduate of the class of '88, was originally a cadre, but because he refused to obey the state's assignment, he became a worker overnight.

The neighborhood committee did value He Fan's degree from Tsinghua University, but all they owned were collectively owned factories or state-run grain and oil stores.

Chen Jianghe and Li Mingyuan also advised He Fan to return to Tiangong...

But He Fan looked down on all of these organizations.

From that day on, He Fan had nothing to do and stayed at home all day, fiddling with the colorful stamps he had been collecting since elementary school.

Seeing Zhang Wei busy every day, leaving early and returning late, Zhan Yiling couldn't bear to watch anymore.

She started subtly suggesting that He Fan should just go abroad with her!

"You don't necessarily have to live in the same city as your parents when you go to the UK!"

"The United States is so big; the distance from New York to Los Angeles is farther than the distance from Beijing to Shanghai. How can they possibly control you?"

After hearing what Zhan Yiling said, He Fan suddenly realized!

He gestured and measured distances with his fingers in front of the world map hanging on the wall…

I think Zhan Yiling's words make sense, so I've decided to apply to universities in California.

However, a transcript issued by the school is required to apply for studying abroad.

Therefore, Zhang Wei and Zhao Lin approached Professor Li Mingyuan and asked him to put in a good word with the relevant departments of the university.

A year after graduation, He Fan returned to Tsinghua University.

Upon arriving at a small building, I was surprised to find it packed with people both inside and in the hallways.

After queuing for more than an hour, it was finally He Fan's turn.

After verifying his information, a teacher made a phone call, seemingly to consult someone…

After hanging up the phone, she glanced at He Fan and said, "I'm sorry, the school can't issue you a report card."

He Fan was taken aback: "Why?"

"You have to pay the training fee first."

"What training fee?" He Fan was completely bewildered.

"The country spent so much money to train you, and not only did you disobey the country's assignment, but you also went abroad without serving the country. You have to return the training fee to the country."

"Damn! Where did this rule come from? I've never heard of it before... How much does it cost?"

As He Fan spoke, he took his wallet out of his pocket.

Upon seeing this, the teacher was stunned, his face filled with doubt: "What, you really always carry ten thousand yuan in your pocket?"

"What? Ten thousand?" He Fan exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, it's 2,500 a year. The country will train you for four years, so it's 10,000, right? This is a policy that was just implemented this year, and you're lucky to have caught it."

He Fan muttered to himself, "Where am I going to find ten thousand yuan? Looks like... I'll have to sell the monkey stamps ahead of time!"

When he decided to go home immediately, he took out several sheets of monkey stamps to the stamp market to exchange them for money…

At this moment, the teacher smiled slightly and said, "To be honest, your situation is rather special."

Even if you pay tuition, the school may not be able to issue you a transcript.

"Why?" He Fan was taken aback.

"This rule only applies to students who have accepted government job assignments and have already started working. You don't seem to fall into that category, do you?"

"I specifically asked the academic affairs office, and they said they really don't know what to do in your special case."

"Teacher, it's not that I don't want to accept the assignment, I just don't want to leave Beijing. My girlfriend is here, and I don't want to be separated from her."

He Fan continued, "It's precisely because I had no other choice that I decided to go abroad with my girlfriend!"

The teacher waved his hand: "Why don't you go to the academic affairs office to ask after school starts? Now that it's holiday, no one can make a decision."

...

He Fan couldn't remember how he left that small building or how he walked out of Tsinghua University.

He wandered aimlessly down the street until he was startled awake by the horn of a passing car, and only then did he realize that there was a newsstand by the roadside.

He stared at a public telephone pressed down on the cardboard.

After thinking for a while, I finally dialed Zhan Yiling's number.

It rang for a long time, but no one answered.

After hanging up the phone, he continued walking aimlessly forward.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he finally arrived at his doorstep.

He didn't go home immediately, but squatted on the curb outside the family compound, staring blankly at the passing vehicles and pedestrians.

The more he thought about it, the more wronged and desperate he felt, and he sadly lowered his head.

Just as he was about to get up and go home, a pair of white Reebok sneakers appeared in front of him.

Above that was a pair of light blue apple-shaped jeans, hugging a pair of long, straight legs.

Above that is a collared Nike T-shirt that accentuates her graceful figure.

Looking up, I saw a familiar oval face...

Zhan Yiling was looking down at him with a pained expression.

He looked up at Zhan Yiling blankly, a look of despair on his face, unsure of what to say.

Sweat beaded on Zhan Yiling's face as she stretched out both hands and pulled He Fan up with all her might.

Because he had been squatting for a long time, He Fan felt his legs go numb and he lost his balance for a moment.

He pulled Zhan Yiling so hard she almost fell over.

Zhan Yiling didn't say anything, but she heard He Fan shout angrily, "Don't pull me, you might as well kill me!"

Zhan Yiling's voice trembled: "It's all my fault, I shouldn't have brought up the matter of going abroad with you."

"What does this have to do with you? It's not like you're the one who refused to give me my report card," He Fan said angrily.

"Isn't it all because of me? You were originally assigned to the 218 Research Institute, a unit that many people envy, but I'm the one who dragged you down."

"Stop taking everything on yourself, okay?" He Fan roared.