He fiercely criticized the Manchu scholar clique and the twelve emperors of the Qing Dynasty.

Today, I had an extremely enjoyable barbecue with Gu Nanxi. It was not only because we were able to clearly understand the imperial lineage of the Ming and Qing dynasties, but also because I was able to experience the pure leisure that belongs to young people in their twenties, without having to carefully choose my words to trap old scholars or constantly guard against the hidden attacks of interest groups.

Back in his seat, Zhao Shuyao draped a towel over the back of his chair and pulled it over to sit down.

Staring at the computer screen, I didn't open CNKI or touch the mountains of history books on my hard drive. Instead, I slid the mouse and moved the cursor to the pink and white TV icon—Bilibili.

Back in 2016, this community was still considered a haven for ACG enthusiasts and masters of meme creations, and Zhao Shuyao had recently gained some influence there.

The audio of him verbally attacking Yan Chongnian, who ended up in the ICU, was extracted by some random genius. He then paired it with a high-definition remastered version of the scene from "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" where Zhuge Liang verbally abuses Wang Lang to death, creating a bizarre and satirical video. The number of views skyrocketed every day in an incredibly terrifying arc.

Looking at his face, which was forcibly placed alongside Zhuge Liang on the cover, Zhao Shuyao couldn't help but let out a helpless smile.

I'm just idling around anyway.

I casually clicked on the "I want to go live" button on the homepage, without any commercial purpose, and without any intention of setting up a grand history popular science forum.

I just want to find a few strangers in the virtual world of the internet, with no real-world interests to entangle me, to chat about random things. Talking with strangers often helps me break out of my information cocoon and hear different voices.

Without even thinking, he typed out the room title: "History Department Idlers, Daydreaming, Random Chatting".

Click to start broadcasting.

The indicator light on the computer webcam lit up, and his face, dressed in loose cotton pajamas and completely unkempt, appeared in the center of the screen.

The live stream has officially begun.

For the first three minutes, it was as bleak as if a one-way radio wave was being emitted into a black hole.

The number of online users in the upper right corner is stuck at "0".

Suddenly, the zero flashed and changed to "1".

Zhao Shuyao's eyes lit up immediately. He quickly adjusted his posture while leaning back in his chair, straightening his back and putting on an extremely gentle and friendly smile.

He spoke into the microphone on the table: "Good evening, and this is the person who just came in..."

The word "friend" hadn't even slipped out of my throat yet.

The "1" in the upper right corner shrank back instantly as if it had been electrocuted, turning back into a cold "0".

A sudden, indescribable sense of stillness filled the air.

Zhao Shuyao maintained his friendly smile, extended a finger, and very slowly scratched his brow before letting out a long sigh.

"He ran faster than if he'd encountered a ghost," he muttered to himself. "Is it because my unwashed, large face is so lethal?"

Forget it.

He slumped back into his chair, his gaze still fixed on the screen, but his mind had already drifted away from the live stream and begun to ponder the complex history of the civil service during the reign of Emperor Xianzong of Ming.

In a physical sense, "daydreaming" perfectly matches the room's title.

I don't know how much time passed, but suddenly a very faint "beep" sound came from the quiet headphones.

Zhao Shuyao raised his eyelids and refocused his gaze.

The pitiful number in the upper right corner of the screen had silently jumped to "14" without anyone noticing.

In the previously empty bullet comment area in the lower left corner of the screen, a few lines of white text were sparsely floating by.

"Is this streamer even alive? How come they look like a JPG image, not even blinking for five minutes?"

"I clicked in and saw the title said 'Staring blankly,' and it actually refers to staring blankly on a physical level. Hardcore."

"Is the streamer new? How can you get viewers to watch if you don't do something funny during your stream? Show us some talent, like swallowing a light bulb or something?"

Looking at the barrage of comments filled with the spirit of online amusement, Zhao Shuyao's eyes revealed a genuine smile.

He sat up straight, reached out and lowered the angle of the computer camera so that half of his body was completely inside the frame, proving that he was definitely a three-dimensional carbon-based life form.

"Good evening, everyone." Zhao Shuyao's voice came through the cheap microphone, his speech slow and deep, with a relaxed, almost sleepy quality. "Sorry, I was thinking about something and got distracted. Let me clarify, I'm not JPG, I'm alive."

He raised his hand, waved at the camera, and looked at the screen.

"As for that friend who made me swallow a light bulb, forget it. That thing is a bit hard on the esophagus." Zhao Shuyao smiled, his tone extremely casual. "I started this live stream today purely because I was bored and wanted to find some living people to chat with. There was really no one paying attention to me in this room just now, so I cleared my mind for a while."

The comment section paused for two seconds, then a few more comments appeared.

"The streamer is just bored and looking for someone to chat with. He looks like a seasoned otaku."

"I'm guessing the streamer doesn't have much of a social life in real life and can only stay in his dorm on weekends, relying on the internet to relieve his loneliness. How pathetic."

Seeing these two comments, which were clearly sarcastic and sympathetic, Zhao Shuyao not only did not refute them, but also thought about them very seriously for two seconds, and then nodded in deep agreement.

"You know what, that assessment is actually quite accurate."

Zhao Shuyao picked up the stainless steel thermos on the table, unscrewed the lid, blew on the steam, and slowly took a sip of water.

"In real life, I don't really like engaging in those pointless social interactions involving drinking and toasting. Most of the time, I prefer to read a book quietly by myself."

He put down his cup, his gaze sweeping over the slightly cramped boys' dormitory, a hint of genuine longing in his voice.

"As for relieving loneliness, I'm currently in school, and the conditions don't really allow me to do anything else. Once I graduate and have my own place, I'll definitely make myself a decent tea room."

"It doesn't need to be too big, just an old elm wood table, a set of purple clay teapots. When I have free time, I can brew myself a pot of aged white tea, watch the sun set outside the window, and just daydream."

Zhao Shuyao leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh: "Just thinking about this life makes me feel comfortable."

As soon as these words were spoken, the dozen or so viewers in the live stream who had just wanted to watch the fun immediately felt an extremely incongruous atmosphere.

In 2016, the live streaming industry was filled with all sorts of shouting, sensationalism, and screaming.

Suddenly, a young man in pajamas appears, speaking politely and gently. He not only refuses gifts but also describes to you the life of a retired senior citizen in a teahouse.

This kind of contrast that transcends age groups is like a breath of fresh air, directly capturing their attention.

"Holy crap, this streamer's opening line is something else! It's like the soul of an old cadre has been forcibly crammed into a young person's body?"

"Setting up a tea room to brew aged white tea, these days young people all go to nightclubs for VIP seats, right? The streamer's pursuit of being unconventional is making me a little uneasy."

"To be honest, the streamer's voice is kind of magnetic. Just because of that sleep-inducing tone, I've decided to leave this stream running."

Seeing the atmosphere in the comment section become friendly at a visible speed, Zhao Shuyao's smile deepened.

"It's not very interesting for me to be here alone, dreaming and painting pictures of the future." Zhao Shuyao clicked on the interactive interface in the live stream's backend, and said, "Well, since we've met, it's fate. Is there anyone willing to come up on the mic and chat for a bit?"

He spread his hands, looking completely at his mercy: "We can talk about anything, from all corners of the world, current events, or even the most trivial things in life. You guys decide the topics. I may not have many other skills, but I do have a bit of knowledge. I should be able to chime in with a few words about any joke."

As soon as he finished speaking, the icon in the live chat list actually started flashing.

Without any hesitation, Zhao Shuyao moved the cursor and pressed "Agree".

"Hello, hello? Can...can you hear me?"

A slightly young male voice with a distinct southern accent came through the earphones. His voice was extremely dry, revealing the restraint and nervousness of an ordinary person having their first conversation with a stranger online.

"I heard you perfectly clearly." Zhao Shuyao's voice was calm and even. "Don't be nervous, friend. We're just joking around. Judging from your schedule of watching videos in the middle of the night, you're quite the seasoned cultivator."

The boy on the other end chuckled twice, feeling slightly relieved by Zhao Shuyao's extremely casual attitude.

"Yeah, I had something on my mind last night and couldn't sleep. I was scrolling through Bilibili and saw your title, which was quite unique, so I clicked on it."

The boy paused for a moment, seemingly observing the scene behind Zhao Shuyao carefully, before his tone was filled with undisguised curiosity.

"Hey, host, you said you're still in school. Looking at the closet behind you and the bunk bed with a desk underneath, this is a dorm room, right? Haven't you graduated from your undergraduate program yet?"

"Undergraduates can't afford to live in places like ours," Zhao Shuyao said casually, pointing to the wardrobe behind him with his thumb, a smile playing on his lips. "I'm a graduate student here."

"postgraduate?!"

The male voice in the headphones instantly rose eight octaves, carrying a kind of instinctive admiration from a college student for someone with a high level of education.

"Wow, you're a genius! Where did you do your master's degree? What was your major? Are master's graduates able to pick and choose jobs easily these days?"

A barrage of questions came crashing down on him, revealing the deepest anxieties and unease of a young man about to enter society.

Before Zhao Shuyao could answer, the boy's voice quickly dropped, turning into a heavy sigh.

"Sigh, don't laugh at me, I'm from an ordinary second-tier university in Jiangnan Province, and I'm studying one of those jack-of-all-trades engineering majors. I'll be kicked out of school in less than a year."

The boy smiled bitterly on the other end of the microphone, as if he were complaining: "For the past two weeks, I've been running around to recruitment events like a grandson, but all the resumes I've sent out have disappeared without a trace."

"I really don't know what I can do with this lousy major. It's hard to say whether I can even find a job to support myself. I'm so worried that my hair is falling out in clumps."

A genuine and relatable sense of bewilderment flowed into the live stream room through the internet.

This is a microcosm of millions of ordinary college students in 2016 and in countless years to come. Without capital background or the halo of a prestigious university, they hold an ordinary diploma, stand at the entrance to society, looking at that heavy door, at a loss.

Zhao Shuyao sat in the chair, listening quietly without interrupting or spouting any condescending platitudes like "gold always shines."

He was waiting for the other person to completely release the pent-up frustration in their chest.

Only after the complaining in the earphones completely stopped did Zhao Shuyao slowly sit up straight, interlacing his fingers and placing them on the table.

"An ordinary second-tier university in Jiangnan Province, majoring in engineering." Zhao Shuyao repeated the other party's label, then nodded very solemnly, "Well, objectively speaking, these conditions are not exactly a good hand in today's fiercely competitive job market."

A more bitter sigh came through the earphone: "Yeah, even you, the top student, say that. Looks like I'm really hopeless. I might as well go back to my hometown and work in a factory, screwing in screws."

"Don't be so quick to condemn yourself, I haven't finished speaking yet."

A sly glint flashed in Zhao Shuyao's eyes, and a cunning smile curved his lips.

"Your hand isn't great, but if you really want to find someone to compare your misfortune with and find some psychological balance, you can take a closer look at me."

"Look at you?" The boy was stunned, his tone full of doubt. "Aren't you a graduate student? What's so miserable about you?"

"Yes, I am a graduate student." Zhao Shuyao leaned forward, looked directly at the camera, and introduced himself word by word, "I am currently studying at Northeastern University, a proper and prestigious 985 key university."

"That's great..."

"But my major was history."

Zhao Shuyao decisively interrupted the other person's envy, slamming that most useless and fatal label in the eyes of the world heavily onto the table.

There was a moment of deathly silence in the headphones.

Followed by.

"Pfft—hahahahahaha!"

The southern boy on the other end of the live stream suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter, so loud that the microphone emitted sharp static.

There was no malice in that laughter; it was simply the feeling of relief and enlightenment that comes from someone stuck in a quagmire who suddenly discovers that someone with a much higher level of education is trapped in an even deeper quagmire.

Zhao Shuyao wasn't angry. He just smiled and watched the screen, letting the other person laugh heartily on the other end.

"Did you laugh it off?" Zhao Shuyao picked up his water glass, took another sip, and spoke with an extremely frank and straightforward tone. "Do you still think it's hard to make a living with your second-tier engineering degree? Even if your resume is terrible, you can still get a job on a construction site, or work as a machine tool operator in a workshop. The boss will see that you're physically strong and will at least give you an internship salary of four or five thousand."

He spread his hands, pointed to his nose, and said, "Look at me again. I studied history. What, am I supposed to do after graduation, tell my boss how Emperor Kangxi went on his incognito visits, or educate clients about the Ming Dynasty's finances and taxation?"

"Can other bosses pay me a salary? You're just having trouble finding a job, but in the traditional job market, this is called the terminal illness of 'graduation equals unemployment'."

The guy on the other end of the live stream was laughing so hard he was gasping for breath: "Hahaha, holy crap, you're hilarious, streamer! Compared to you, I suddenly feel like my job as a construction worker is a guaranteed job!"

"Your history department at a 985 university sounds prestigious and high-class, but in reality, it's not as easy to make a living as it is for us engineering students from second-tier universities!"

"So that's what I'm saying," Zhao Shuyao nodded in deep agreement, "there's no such thing as a complete dead end in this world. As long as you change your comparison frame and find a control group that's worse off than you, your anxiety will instantly disappear, won't it?"

This communication style, which uses extreme self-deconstruction and self-deprecation to forcefully reduce the scope of communication and evoke empathy, instantly pushed the atmosphere in the live broadcast room to a small climax.

The chat was filled with comments like "hahaha," "the streamer is ruthless, he doesn't even blink when he's cutting himself," and "what a bowl of toxic chicken soup, I'll drink it."

however.

Right here in this cheerful atmosphere.

The boy's laughter in the earphones gradually stopped, as if something had suddenly choked him.

"etc……"

The boy's voice became extremely hesitant, carrying a hint of shock at suddenly grasping crucial information, and even his tone changed.

"Host, you just said where you're doing your graduate studies?"

"Northeastern University," Zhao Shuyao replied casually, leaning back in his chair.

"Northeastern University... History graduate student..." The boy's voice grew clearer and clearer in the earphones, the casual, nonchalant tone completely replaced by a feverish excitement. "Holy crap!!"

He practically shouted it into the microphone.

"You're a graduate student in the History Department at Northeastern University, so do you know anyone who recently emerged from your school who's a phenomenal genius?!"

Zhao Shuyao raised an eyebrow but didn't reply.

The boy excitedly slammed his hand on the table, the sound deafening.

"That guy named Zhao Shuyao, the whole internet is full of videos of him criticizing those old fogies. Let me tell you, this guy has carved out a whole new career path for history majors, which is a chronic problem for their employment!"