You said you failed your college entrance exam and are now crowdfunding to build a university?

Wei Ying cleared his throat and turned on the microphone: "Ahem, no doubt about it. I've just figured out something big."

His voice caused the live chat to quiet down slightly.

"What's the big news? A new flavor for instant noodles?"

"The big decision is what time to end the broadcast tonight?"

Wei Ying ignored the teasing, looked at the camera, and deliberately kept his tone calm but with a hint of provocation: "Didn't someone just mention that our four provinces are lacking a good university? I think just complaining is useless."

A barrage of question marks appeared in the comments.

"So what? You're going to stage a sit-in protest in front of the Education Bureau?"

"Want to donate money? I still have 50 yuan left on my Alipay credit limit."

"Donating money is one way," Wei Ying replied, tapping his fingers on the table. "But one person's donation is just a drop in the ocean."

What if... people from our four provinces each contributed a little?

The live stream was quiet for a few seconds, then the chat exploded.

"???"

"Crowdfunding to build a university? Anchor, are you alright?"

"I'm impressed by this idea. I suggest you try it in a mental hospital."

"A thousand yuan? That's how much my monthly living expenses are!"

"A new scam? I've reported it!"

Wei Ying had anticipated this reaction, so he wasn't in a hurry and said slowly, "I knew you wouldn't believe me. You think I'm a fraud, right?" He paused.

"I won't explain. Just one sentence: I've put the account number here, and the name is 'Haichuan University Foundation Fund.' Believe it or not, it's up to you. One yuan is not too little, and ten thousand yuan is not too much. But if a thousand or ten thousand people believe in it, this might just come to fruition."

His words were a bit cheeky and irresponsible, yet strangely carried a sense of desperation, suggesting he wasn't entirely joking. The comments section became somewhat hesitant.

"Are you serious, streamer?"

"How...how can this possibly work? Land, approvals, teachers..."

"But if it actually happens... damn, the thought is kind of exciting, isn't it?"

"I'll wait and see; whoever has the most money will go for it."

Wei Ying didn't say anything more, but simply posted the bank account information in bold at the very top of the live stream announcement board, bright red and extremely eye-catching.

"The challenge has been updated," he said to the camera. "This week's challenge: Build Haichuan University. First-stage goal: Raise seed funding. That's it. The live stream will continue, and the fundraising progress will be updated in real time. If you think I'm stupid, feel free to stay and watch the fun; if you think there's even a one in ten thousand chance and are willing to take the gamble..."

He smiled, but didn't finish his sentence.

Li Ming stared at his phone screen, his thumb hovering over the delete button for a long time without moving.

The card number was clearly written down, and he was asking for a thousand yuan right off the bat—it was practically as if he had "I'm a scammer" printed on the screen. He shook his head and prepared to swipe the card.

But the last few lines of text in the message made his finger stop.

Those who participate in fundraising will enjoy the following privileges as founding members of the school:

Those who do not reach the minimum score will be admitted with a score reduction of 50 points.

Those who have reached the score requirement will be given priority for admission.

All on-campus dining halls, bathhouses, and libraries offer a 20% discount.

Students can freely enter and exit the dormitory building after midnight.

"..."

Li Ming was stunned.

A 50% reduction? Various 20% discounts? And the ability to freely enter and exit the dorm at night?

What on earth is going on? He searched "Haichuan University" online, but found absolutely nothing. It seems it really is just a baseless rumor.

As he hesitated, his phone rang; it was his best friend, Zhao Xiaochuan, calling.

"Hey, Mingzi! You were just 30 points short of getting into university? I've got a way for you!" Zhao Xiaochuan's voice was deafening.

"There's a newly built university where you can buy points! Twenty yuan per point, want to buy?"

Li Ming's forehead vein throbbed: "You're talking about... Haichuan University, right?"

"Hey? You got the text message too? Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and send the money!" Zhao Xiaochuan was even more excited.

"If this school is really built, we'll be the founding members! Do you understand, school board members? We'll be able to do whatever we want at the school!"

"You...have already transferred?"

"I've gambled it all! I've gone all in with my New Year's money, two thousand! From now on, I'll be a high-ranking school board member!"

Li Ming: "..."

He hung up the phone and glanced at the text message again. That idiot Zhao Xiaochuan had already fallen into the trap; the message sounded very convincing.

Back in junior high, he even transferred 100 yuan to "Qin Shi Huang" for travel expenses. He didn't become a general, but he did get a beating from his parents.

But this time, it seems a little different.

On the same day, a middle school in a county town in southern Sichuan.

In the teachers' office, the fan creaked and groaned.

Wearing his reading glasses, retired teacher Wu Jianguo carefully marked the roster.

He has been teaching for over thirty years and has taught countless classes of students. He is fifty-nine years old this year and is still a senior high school homeroom teacher.

"This year... thirteen students made it to the first-tier university cutoff, and twenty-eight got into second-tier universities," he muttered to himself, his brow furrowed.

Meeting the cutoff score doesn't guarantee admission to a good school. Students from this area who want to get into good universities in other provinces need scores significantly higher than local students.

Why? Because there isn't a decent university on their own territory.

"Ding-dong."

The phone rang. Wu Jianguo adjusted his glasses and answered it.

The very first sentence struck a chord with him: "Eastern and southern Sichuan, western and northern coastal areas, four provinces with 300 million people—we can't even gather four top-tier universities!"

He looked down, his breathing becoming increasingly rapid. Build a university? Build a top-tier university for four provinces? This guy is either insane, or…

Wu Jianguo put down his phone, remained silent for a while, then suddenly picked up the landline on the table and dialed a number.

"Hey, Binzi, it's me. Your dad wants to do something that might be a little silly."

That crowdfunding message was like a pebble thrown into a sea of ​​people across four provinces.

Most people glance at it, mutter "scammer," and delete it with a swipe of their finger. But there are also some people who, with their fingers hovering over the delete button, end up clicking on the transfer page.

Some are students who failed this year's college entrance exam and are thinking, "Twenty yuan a point, let's take a gamble"; others are adults who have been frustrated by reality for too long, and a thousand yuan is not much, so they just buy a thought, buy "what if".

The next afternoon, at the rented room.

Wei Ying stared blankly at the mobile banking app.

Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousand, hundred thousand... two million four hundred thousand?

Just one day after the text message was sent, his card, which originally had only about thirty yuan left, saw a surge of over two thousand transfers. The smallest was one thousand yuan, and the largest was tens of thousands, adding up to more than two million four hundred thousand yuan.

Furthermore, new deposit notifications pop up every few minutes.

"Someone actually donated money...and so much?" Wei Ying swallowed hard, his heart pounding. He had been hoping to raise a few hundred thousand yuan, but this result was truly frightening.

He looked up at the system panel.

[Haichuan University Establishment] Task, remaining time: 29 days.

The money was starting to come in, but building the school was still a long way off. Land, permits, teachers... none of these were cheap. But the task had to be carried out.