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

There weren't many people queuing at the braised pork window in the cafeteria today. Zhao Shuyao got a bowl of rice and two vegetable dishes, and ate it quietly.

In March 2016, the air in Fengtian was still very cold. Zhao Shuyao carried his tray to the recycling area, poured the leftover bones into the bucket, turned around and walked out of the cafeteria. He followed the tree-lined path back to his dormitory. He pushed open the door, but his roommate was still not there. He guessed that his roommate was reserving a seat in the library.

Zhao Shuyao pulled out a chair, sat down, and pressed the power button on his laptop. The screen lit up, and the fan emitted a soft hum.

He didn't log in to the creator backend of Toutiao to check the data today. He moved the mouse, double-clicked the browser, skillfully entered his account and password, and pressed Enter.

The moment the page redirected, the red notification icon in the upper right corner suddenly flashed, and the number "99+" was bright and eye-catching.

Zhao Shuyao leaned back in his chair, slid his right index finger down the mouse wheel, and opened the "Private Messages" list. The message stream refreshed like a waterfall.

The vast majority of these messages are lengthy, a mix of praise, curses, and even inquiries about business collaborations, forming the most authentic facet of the current internet ecosystem.

I randomly clicked on a private message from a stranger that had been folded by the system. The other person's profile picture was a still from a Qing Dynasty military drama.

"You attention-seeking clown, what do you know about history? All your statements are just your own fantasies made up while sitting in your dorm room. Can you even provide any official historical records to support them?"

"You're just inciting emotions, deliberately pandering to the uneducated masses at the bottom of society, making money off of people's suffering. You'll be ruined sooner or later!"

Zhao Shuyao looked at the text on the screen, his eyebrows slightly raised, and a relaxed smile appeared on his lips.

The absence of any angry emotional reaction, in this era of rampant internet traffic, receiving such furious yet powerless abuse is itself an affirmation of one's fighting spirit.

"The basic foundation." Zhao Shuyao murmured these five words and shook his head.

Of course, he wouldn't reply. People who refer to ordinary people and netizens as their "base" with a derogatory connotation are inherently hypocritical and condescending.

Being recognized by the general public and becoming the voice of the largest group in this land is the most solid foundation. Their use of this as a weapon to attack exposes their fatal weakness of being detached from the masses.

After closing the dialog box, Zhao Shuyao continued scrolling down.

The private messages that followed softened his gaze. There was no hostility in those long messages, only sincere communication and feedback.

"Hello Zhao, I am a 40-year-old middle-aged man. I used to enjoy watching various Qing Dynasty dramas after get off work, and I thought the emperors in them were diligent and loved the people. After reading your analysis and checking the county history information you provided today, I broke out in a cold sweat. We have been brainwashed by this kind of soft culture for too long. Thank you for standing up. You are a responsible young man."

Zhao Shuyao nodded slightly and continued to slide the mouse down.

The second comment came from a user who claimed to be a fellow teacher: "I am a history teacher at a high school in the south. Some parts of the current textbooks are limited by the length and do not explain things thoroughly enough. The section you analyzed about the Ming Dynasty's reshaping of cultural identity is extremely logically rigorous. I have already printed it out and plan to use it as a presentation for my students during class meeting this Friday. They need to understand this kind of Chinese spirit."

The third person spoke with a youthful energy: "Brother Zhao, I'm a recent graduate preparing for the civil service exam. I'm under a lot of pressure lately, studying until I feel like throwing up every day. People around me keep saying how corrupt the system is, and I'm really confused."

"After reading your speech about the nation and the times, I suddenly realized that my decision to take the civil service exam wasn't just about getting a job. It's about being worthy of the badge on my chest and doing something meaningful. That's the true meaning of it. Thank you for awakening me."

Zhao Shuyao stopped scrolling after looking at the three messages.

He placed his hands on the keyboard; this was the result he wanted. To speak out against powerful forces was not only to vent his anger from his past life, but also to provide a fresh perspective for those trapped in information cocoons. If he could awaken even a small number of people, all the criticism would be worthwhile.

Just as I was about to close the private messaging interface to check the data report, a message that had been sent ten minutes earlier caught my eye.

The sender's ID is "A Running Snail".

The private message began without any pleasantries, only an extremely straightforward self-analysis: "Zhao Shuyao, I'm sorry to bother you. I've read everything you've said and I think you live a very clear-headed life, but I'm very confused right now. I don't know what I'm doing or what to do in the future. Can you give me some advice?"

Zhao Shuyao stared at the message. It contained no specific event, only a pure emotional outpouring. Based on experience, such a cryptic private message was often a random plea for help from someone in a period of extreme low.

He pondered for two seconds, moved the mouse to the reply box, and began typing on the keyboard.

"Hello, I don't know exactly what difficulties you've encountered, but if it's convenient, you can tell me about them. Here's a piece of advice for you: When you're distressed because you don't have a good pair of shoes, why not look at those who have no feet? There's always a way to walk in this world."

Click send.

I initially thought it might take a while for the other person to see it. But less than ten seconds later, a message appeared at the top of the chat window saying "The other person is typing."

Clearly, the other person was holding their phone, aimlessly refreshing the screen.

Soon, a long text popped up, and you could feel the urgency of the other person typing on the phone keyboard even through the screen.

"Zhao, thank you for replying! I really don't know what to say. I'm currently a freshman at a very ordinary junior college in the south, and I'm filled with fear about the future. I don't know what I can do after graduation."

"I've looked at the school's online forum. Most of the alumni who graduated before ended up working on factory assembly lines or as salespeople in real estate offices. I don't think working in a factory or doing sales is shameful, but this is really not the life I want. I want to change, but I can't see any direction. I feel like I'm trapped by this degree. I hope you can help me."

Zhao Shuyao looked at the screen, leaning forward.

Education anxiety is a social pain point that will become increasingly serious after 2016, and may even evolve into a nationwide involution. College graduates bear the most direct employment pressure and identity crisis in this social evaluation system.

With his hands on the keyboard and his eyes focused, he knew he had to offer the most practical and feasible solutions to those seeking a way out of their predicaments, rather than spouting empty platitudes.

"A junior college degree is just a starting point; it doesn't represent your end point." Zhao Shuyao typed rapidly on the keyboard. "You're only a freshman. The fact that you can feel lost at this stage, instead of just drifting through each day, shows that you already have the independent thinking ability to take responsibility for your future. That's what makes you better than many others."

He pressed Enter, sent the message, and without pausing, continued typing the second paragraph.

"Since you don't want those ready-made paths, why not set your sights on the transfer exam to a four-year university? Treat these three years as a continuation of high school, and once you obtain a full-time bachelor's degree through the national unified transfer exam, you can definitely continue to take the postgraduate entrance exam."

"Every year, our Southeast University has students who have gone all the way from junior college to graduate school. Even if you fail the entrance exam, the learning ability and self-discipline you develop in the process are enough to help you find your own path in this society. You have to believe that in this era, studying is still the fairest and most effective way for ordinary people to change their destiny."

After checking for typos, Zhao Shuyao pressed the send button.

I clicked on the other person's profile picture and glanced at their profile page; their gender was listed as female.

About half a minute later, the dialog box flashed again, and a long text message came through, conveying a deep sense of powerlessness and suffocation from being pulled along by the environment.

"I've thought about transferring to a four-year university, but Zhao, you don't know my situation right now. There are six of us in the dorm. Apart from me, all they do every day is stay in bed watching Korean dramas, discussing which brand of lipstick looks good, and which guy comes from a wealthy family. The whole dorm is filled with gossip and laughter from morning till night."

Before I could finish reading the message, another one popped up.

"I bought some review materials, and a few times when I tried to concentrate on studying in my dorm, they would make sarcastic remarks next to me. One roommate said to me directly: 'What's the use of studying so many books? A junior college is just a junior college. No matter how well you study, you'll still end up working for college graduates.'"

"You'd be better off dressing up now, finding a rich boyfriend to marry—that's the shortcut for women." Zhao, hearing these words every day makes it really hard for me to concentrate. Sometimes I even wonder if I've done something wrong.

After reading this passage, Zhao Shuyao removed his fingers from the keyboard.

Close your eyes, and this vivid image of the dormitory ecosystem comes to mind. It is a very typical conflict of underlying logic: those who try to climb up are often ridiculed and ostracized by those around them who are content with the status quo.

This isn't directed at any individual; it's a subculture's instinctive rejection of "outliers." As for the argument that "it's better to get married than to study," it takes parasitic thinking to the extreme.

This toxic idea must be completely eradicated from her.

Zhao Shuyao opened his eyes, his gaze clear, and his fingers landed on the keyboard again, this time with a few more forceful taps than before.

"It's normal for them to have this kind of thinking; it's a concrete manifestation of short-term hedonism in their cognition. But I hope you understand an extremely cruel social law: there is no shortcut without a price."

"Placing your hopes for life on the so-called 'marrying a rich man' is essentially giving up control over your life. When you don't have the ability and value to match him, you will always be in a dependent or even charity position in this relationship. This is common sense."

After sending this message, Zhao Shuyao did not wait for a response and continued to provide physical-level solutions.

"Now that you've seen through their logic, why bother caring what they say? You can only experience your own life. No one, including your parents and roommates, can walk this path for you. You're accumulating leverage for your own future and getting bothered by irrelevant people. This is a huge waste of energy."

After pausing for a moment, I came up with two absolutely feasible suggestions.

"Since the dormitory environment affects you so much, I'll give you two options. First, if your school's management allows it, go directly to your counselor tomorrow, explain the situation, and apply to be transferred to a dormitory with a better atmosphere."

"Second, if we can't change dorms, then we'll have to physically isolate ourselves. Starting tomorrow, every morning except when we're sleeping, we'll not stay in the dorms. We'll go to the library or empty classrooms."

"You have to believe one thing." Zhao Shuyao's words revealed a strong determination: "No matter what level a school is at, you are definitely not the only one who wants to change your destiny through learning. When you go to the library, you will find people who have the same ideas as you and are unwilling to be assimilated into mediocrity."

"Go join them. The saying 'one is influenced by one's company' always applies. When your companions are struggling with a few questions, even if you want to give up, the environment will push you forward."

The reply, which was over two hundred words long, went straight to the point, offering no unnecessary sympathy but only solutions to break the deadlock.