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

After a brief moment of stillness, the air in the conference room completely relaxed.

The vice principal gripped Zhao Shuyao's hand tightly, shook it twice, then released it, raised his right hand, reached into the inside pocket of his gray jacket, fumbled for a moment, pulled out a stiff white card, and handed it to Zhao Shuyao's chest.

"Shuyao." The vice principal's tone became very amiable, losing the air of authority typical of administrative occasions. "This is my personal number. We three completely understand why you don't want this job today, and we sincerely admire your pure integrity."

The vice-principal pointed to the card: "When you leave the school and enter society, you will definitely encounter all kinds of obstacles. If you encounter any insurmountable obstacles in your research of historical materials or work practice, call this number at any time. Dongda University will always be your support in pursuing true knowledge. I have high hopes for your next move."

Zhao Shuyao took the business card with both hands, glanced at it, and saw that it did not have any complicated titles printed on it, only a name and a string of eleven plus two numbers. It was a private endorsement from a vice-ministerial level university leader.

"Your recognition is far more valuable than a government job offer." Zhao Shuyao carefully placed the business card into his hoodie pocket, a gentle smile playing on his lips. "If I ever encounter someone who refuses to acknowledge their rights, I'll definitely use your name to reason with them."

The director of academic affairs nodded repeatedly, his expectation undisguised: "Shuyao, how can we, those of us in education, not protect a student like you from our Dongda University?"

"I will personally oversee your dissertation defense process and application for dual certificates. As long as your academic work can withstand scrutiny, no one can obstruct your process."

"Director Liu is right." Dean Xu Dongming also stood up and took back the document about the quota for staying at the university, which was originally in the center of the table. "The college will also provide all the necessary archival support, so you can focus on preparing your thesis."

Zhao Shuyao nodded slightly to the three of them. He had already exceeded his goal, and staying any longer would make him seem to lack boundaries.

"Then I won't disturb the three leaders' work any longer. I'll go back and revise my paper first. The boast I made during yesterday's live broadcast still needs to be filled in with solid arguments." Zhao Shuyao said goodbye with a touch of humor, turned around and walked towards the door.

With a soft "click," the door closed again.

None of the three people in the meeting room sat down immediately. Director Liu looked at the closed wooden door, clasped his hands over his stomach, and let out a long breath.

"Principal," Director Liu shook his head, his tone full of emotion, "This is the kind of student our Dongda University should be proud of. To be honest, watching him argue so strongly about not wanting a spot just now, I actually felt that he was the kind of student we educators initially wanted to become."

Holding the document, Xu Dongming replied somewhat awkwardly, "Yes, my decades of administrative experience seem too mundane in comparison to him."

The vice principal turned around, put his hands behind his back, and looked out the floor-to-ceiling window at the distant playground: "We really underestimated this young man, and we also underestimated the faith in the hearts of this generation of children."

The vice principal paced back and forth by the window, then began to review the exchange: "There are always voices in society saying that young people today are selfish and only care about money and privilege. Today you have all seen this child from an ordinary family."

"Faced with readily available benefits, they think of 'setting a bad precedent will bring social backlash.' There are many young people with strong beliefs whose resolve is more steadfast than many of us who sit in this position."

The vice principal stopped and turned to look at the two of them: "After this incident, we must adjust the focus of our student work. We need to learn to listen to their most authentic voices, instead of simply using our existing experience to allocate resources."

Director Liu and Xu Dongming both nodded in agreement.

The vice principal's gaze suddenly shifted upwards, fixing on the corner of the room to the right. There hung a hemispherical surveillance camera, its red indicator light flashing rhythmically on its side.

The vice principal stared at the camera. Last night's live broadcast had put the school in the center of negative public opinion. Zhao Shuyao's words just now perfectly illustrated the spirit of contemporary youth. This camera was connected to the security control room and had high-definition audio and video recording capabilities.

This is a breakthrough point that could directly turn the tide.

"Old Xu," the vice principal's voice was decisive and penetrating, "the surveillance cameras in this small conference room have always been running with synchronized audio and video, right?"

Xu Dongming immediately followed the gaze and quickly replied, "Yes, the security department just maintained the equipment yesterday."

"Contact the head of security immediately," the vice-principal ordered. "Make a complete 30-minute video of our conversation with Zhao Shuyao. Remember, do not edit a single scene or alter a single word. Post it online directly through our university's official account."

Xu Dongming and Director Liu instantly understood the vice president's intention. This was not only maximum publicity for Zhao Shuyao personally, but also an excellent crisis management move to show the entire internet that Dongda University does not cover up, does not protect its own, and encourages students to uphold the truth.

"We at Southeast University are so fortunate to have such a student with such pure thoughts and unwavering ideals." The vice president's tone was filled with pride. "If we are timid and hesitant to promote this, how can we live up to our century-old motto? Go for it, and send it out immediately."

Without further hesitation, the two leaders quickly left the meeting room to carry out the instructions.

At the same time, Zhao Shuyao walked back to his dormitory building along the tree-lined path.

Pushing open the door to room 302, Zhao Shuyao found no one inside. He guessed Yang Wei had gone to the library to reserve a seat again. He pulled out a chair, sat down at the desk, and pressed the power button on the computer.

The screen lit up, I entered the password to unlock it, opened the browser, and skillfully logged into the backend management page of Toutiao.

As soon as he entered the page, the private message icon in the upper right corner was flashing wildly, and the red "99+" number was extremely eye-catching. After the broadcast last night, he only dealt with a few media invitations, and he didn't have time to read the private messages from ordinary netizens.

Zhao Shuyao gripped the mouse in his right hand, opened the private message list, and hundreds of unread messages instantly appeared on the screen. He scrolled down at a steady pace, his eyes rapidly jumping between these complex words, extracting slices of the current online emotions.

The information is very disorganized, but it can be roughly divided into three distinct camps.

The first type is the most direct form of admiration and praise.

A middle-aged user with the online name "Years Like Songs" commented: "Professor Zhao, your logic is impeccable. When you bring out those original archives, you directly trample the face of pseudo-history experts into the ground. The academic community needs rigorous and truth-seeking people like you."

Another comment came from a user verified as a "high school history teacher": "After watching the live stream, I was deeply moved. The courage to give up a secure job for the sake of truth is a testament to the integrity of a scholar, which makes me, an old man who has been teaching for over a decade, feel ashamed of my own lack of such spirit."

This was followed by a very socially conscious comment: "Brother Zhao, that 'Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?' was so inspiring! We ordinary people should have that indomitable spirit. I admire you!"

The second type is filled with simple liking and enthusiasm.

A girl with the online name "Peninsula Sunset" sent a long string of emojis: "Senior Zhao, you're exactly my type, especially the way you swear slowly and deliberately without using any profanity. Your humor is off the charts, I'm a total fan!"

Some people joked about his personality: "Teacher Zhao, your cunning is so endearing. Recording beforehand was a brilliant move. I laugh every time I see the other person's furious expression."

Others expressed agreement with your attitude towards life: "I've followed you. Not only can I learn history, but I can also learn how to deal with workplace routines. Your relaxed attitude is simply the perfect online mouthpiece for today's young people."

After reading all of this, Zhao Shuyao remained completely unmoved, as this was all within his expectations. He continued scrolling, and the third type of private messages, filled with doubt and malice, began to appear frequently.

User "Da Qing Zheng Huang Qi Zi Di" used strong language: "People like you are packaged by a professional MCN agency, reciting a few pre-written articles and trying to ride on the coattails of our ancestors' popularity. Be careful, you'll crash and burn sooner or later!"

A conspiracy theory was sent from a completely numeric account with no profile picture: "Stop pretending to be so noble. You refused to stay at the university because you have a powerful backer who offered you a multi-million dollar annual salary. In the end, it's all about making money. Your behavior is disgusting."

Some even speculated about his motives: "You're just taking advantage of our resentment towards the rich. Once this storm passes, you'll still have to cling to those academic tycoons. The higher you jump now, the faster you'll kneel down later."

Seeing these extremely malicious comments, Zhao Shuyao released the mouse, leaned back in his chair, and even felt a little like laughing.

If it were an ordinary student, seeing so many people slandering their motives, they would probably be so angry that they would be typing out a long essay to prove their innocence by now. But Zhao Shuyao had no such impulse at all.

These comments are perfectly normal. Even ten years from now, in an era where algorithmic recommendations have reached their peak, if you post a positive video of an elderly woman crossing the street online, there will still be people in the comments section who will speculate with the utmost malice whether you are staging it.

Arguing with these people is a waste of your emotional energy. If you don't even have this basic ability to filter information, then all the experience you gained in your past life has been wasted.

Just as he was about to click the "Read All" button, the mouse cursor suddenly stopped in the middle of the list.

A private message with a highly verified gold V mark lay quietly amidst the chaotic information flow. The sender's name consisted of only four simple characters: "**News".

Zhao Shuyao's pupils contracted slightly. He straightened up and stared intently at the four words on the screen.

To make the news in 2016 is beyond simply "going viral." For a third-year graduate student with no connections, it was a genuine act of bringing honor to one's family.

Zhao Shuyao clicked the left mouse button to open the details of the private message.

"Hello Zhao Shuyao, I am Lin Jing, a reporter from **News. I watched your live broadcast in its entirety last night and believe that your research spirit, your confidence in youth culture, and your attitude towards online public opinion have demonstrated extremely profound research value."

"Would you be available this week? If so, our team will travel to the Southeast University campus in Fengtian City for a half-day in-depth video interview with you. We look forward to your reply."

The writing is meticulous and professional, without any condescending attitude, but rather full of respect.

As Zhao Shuyao read this text, his heart rate did indeed increase by half a beat. He immediately placed his hands on the keyboard without any hesitation; this was a direct ticket to the absolute safety zone.

His fingers flew across the keyboard as he carefully chose his words, trying to convey both youthful enthusiasm and scholarly composure.

"Editor-in-Chief Lin, thank you for the attention and invitation from **News. It is the duty of our generation of young people to speak with true historical materials and restore the original appearance of history. I am ready to cooperate with the work arrangements at any time. We can communicate the specific schedule at any time. My personal contact number is: 138XXXXXXXX."

After checking for typos, Zhao Shuyao decisively pressed the Enter key and sent the message successfully.

Leaning back in his chair, he let out a long breath. The situation was progressing much faster than expected. The upcoming interview would be the ultimate test that would determine whether his personal brand could evolve from an "internet celebrity" to a "cultural opinion leader."