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

"The person in charge of next month's project is that titan of your history field who regularly gives lectures on television. They will personally send out the invitation. Are you sure you don't want to even glance at it?"

As Mr. Li finished speaking, the air in the corner of Starbucks seemed to freeze for a moment. That trump card was indeed heavy, especially in 2016 when the academic circle still placed great faith in overseas endorsements.

The dual titles of "renowned overseas foundation" and "domestic leading figure" are enough to make any liberal arts student who is struggling to gain seniority in the ivory tower's heart race and defect.

But Zhao Shuyao's heart did not race.

His gaze fell on President Li's confident face, and his brain processed the information in less than half a second. Using a leading authority to intimidate others? Using foreign knowledge to brainwash people? This is a case of not being able to overcome the logic of facts, so they start using so-called authoritative labels to create knowledge barriers.

Zhao Shuyao tapped his fingers lightly on the table, then couldn't help but let out a short, soft chuckle.

The laughter sounded particularly abrupt in the slightly tense negotiation atmosphere, even carrying a hint of absurdity.

"Mr. Li, if that's what you're saying, then I definitely can't go." Zhao Shuyao leaned back in his chair, spread his hands, and spoke with an extremely relaxed and teasing tone.

"I just exposed all the nonsense that 'master' spouted in his lectures in China a few days ago in front of a large audience. Now you want me to take a flight of more than ten hours to go abroad and continue listening to him and a bunch of foreigners chanting scriptures?"

Zhao Shuyao shook his head, a smirk of cultural disdain playing on his lips: "The hype in China is already enough to give anyone a headache. If I went to the event and couldn't help but burst out laughing, ruining the foundation's extremely refined academic atmosphere, whose responsibility would that be?"

The woman in red next to her finally couldn't hold back anymore. She was used to using resources and money to make others grovel. When had she ever seen a college student who remained unmoved by such overwhelming wealth?

"Zhao Shuyao, don't be so ungrateful!" The woman in red, her lips painted with bright red lipstick, pursed her lips, her voice suppressing her anger. "Do you know how many young scholars in the country are fighting tooth and nail for that spot? Who do you think you are? It's your luck that they're willing to promote you!"

"Oh." Zhao Shuyao turned his head and glanced at her casually. "Then why don't you hurry up and grab it? What are you wasting your breath talking to me here? Don't delay your auspicious time to burn incense on the other side of the ocean."

"You—" The woman in red was furious and about to explode when she was stopped by President Li, who was standing next to her.

Zhao Shuyao turned his gaze back to President Li, whose brows were already slightly furrowed, and without even thinking, gave his final answer.

"Mr. Li, let's not beat around the bush." ​​Zhao Shuyao picked up his iced Americano, his eyes clear. "I think I'll pass. I don't have any grand ambitions. I just like to study things on my own, and I think that's fine."

He paused, his tone revealing an undisguised disappointment: "As for the resources and titles you mentioned, I don't care at all. To be honest, before I came here, I thought that you investors were generous and could arrange some exciting work for me that I wouldn't expect."

"For example, they sent me to Antarctica to conduct scientific research on whether penguins had been discovered in the Qing Dynasty. I never expected that after going through all this trouble, all they would offer was this kind of vulgar 'silence' package."

Zhao Shuyao put down his cup and sighed, "I'm really quite disappointed."

It is straightforward, thorough, and has an aggressive sense of humor, devaluing the opponent's proudest assets to nothing.

Gu Nanxi sat to the side, her fingers gripping a paper cup, biting her lower lip hard to keep from laughing out loud; that mouth was too sharp.

Mr. Li fell silent, staring at Zhao Shuyao, his eyes scanning Zhao Shuyao's face, trying to find any feigned stubbornness or pretentious aloofness on that young face, but he failed. The nonchalant ease in Zhao Shuyao's eyes could not be faked.

Several seconds passed.

Mr. Li suddenly laughed. Instead of getting angry like the woman in red, he raised his hand and clapped twice very slowly.

"Good, just as insightful as rumored." The condescending and probing gloom on President Li's face vanished, replaced by an extremely professional seriousness.

He shifted his posture, reached into the inside pocket of his coat, pulled out an exquisite business card holder, took out a business card with a subtle pattern, and, holding the edges with both hands, slowly pushed it across the table in front of Zhao Shuyao.

"Zhao, let's get to know each other again." Mr. Li's voice became much more sincere, with a genuine intention to win you over. "I am Li Zhengming, the executive director of the Tianyin Charity Foundation. I am sitting here today on behalf of our foundation to formally invite you to participate in a large-scale annual fundraising event that we will be holding in Beijing later this month."

Zhao Shuyao's originally casual gaze narrowed slightly when it fell on the words "Tianyin Charity Foundation" on the business card.

Tianyin Charity Foundation.

In 2016, the foundation had an absurdly positive reputation online. Numerous celebrities donated to it, and mainstream media reports were always filled with praise for its "boundless love" and "touching society." There was not a single negative news story or any accounting disputes. The entire organization was as clean as a blank sheet of paper in the public eye.

But in the eyes of a historian like Zhao Shuyao, who has studied the rise and fall of dynasties over thousands of years and seen countless accounts of corruption, this phenomenon itself exudes an extremely dangerous aura.

What does it mean that an extremely large organization with complex financial flows can maintain a completely "sterile" state in the public sphere? It means that there is an extremely powerful force secretly covering up all possible loopholes and dissenting voices.

The absence of problems is often the biggest problem.

Zhao Shuyao didn't immediately take the business card. Looking at Li Zhengming, the logic in his mind quickly came together. One second he was trying to blacklist and bribe me, and the next second he was handing me a charity business card. This transition was too bizarre.

Zhao Shuyao held up two fingers, picked up the business card, and flipped it over between his fingertips.

"Mr. Li, with your ability to change your tune so quickly, it's a waste of your talent not to study Sichuan Opera." Zhao Shuyao had a scrutinizing smile on his lips. "I'm a little confused. You were just throwing money at me with the production consultant's offer and then pressuring me with the overseas foundation's offer. Was that all part of the script? Were you testing my character, or deliberately setting a trap for me?"

Li Zhengming sensed the wariness in Zhao Shuyao's tone, put on a helpless and apologetic expression, and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Zhao, I hope you can understand." Li Zhengming placed his hands on the table and spoke in a very low voice, "Our Tianyin Charity Foundation is engaged in public welfare work, and we value our reputation the most. Since it is about our reputation, we have to be extremely careful when we recruit new members."

He glanced at Zhao Shuyao: "If you had easily accepted our money or bowed to those empty titles during the test just now, this conversation would have ended by now. But the facts prove that you passed the test. We are looking for someone with backbone like you."

Observing Zhao Shuyao's still unyielding expression, Li Zhengming continued, "Zhao, it has not been easy for our foundation to develop to where it is today, but at present, we are facing considerable problems that urgently need to be resolved."

"A problem?" Zhao Shuyao toyed with the business card. "You're famous all over the world, what problem could you possibly have?"

"You're usually at school, so you might not pay much attention to the current state of the charity sector," Li Zhengming explained sincerely. "Our foundation's donors are mostly colleagues in the entertainment industry and some investors within the industry."

"But you have to understand that there is so much to do in philanthropy, and relying solely on this closed pool of funds within the industry is simply not enough to fulfill greater social responsibilities."

Li Zhengming leaned forward slightly, looked directly into Zhao Shuyao's eyes, and revealed his true intention: "We need to raise funds from the public, but young people today are immune to traditional charity propaganda, while you are different."

"You have recently gained an incredibly strong appeal among young people," Li Zhengming pointed out the core issue. "We carefully studied your interview on *TV. Your analysis of the underlying logic and your sense of social responsibility are exactly what we need."

"Therefore, we sincerely hope that you can join our fundraising campaign and use your voice to call on more young people to pay attention to charity. This is a great thing that can truly help more people."

The language was presented in an extremely ornate manner, and the banner of morality was waved loudly.

But the alarm bells in Zhao Shuyao's heart were ringing deafeningly at this moment.

Social responsibility and influence?

Zhao Shuyao sneered inwardly. What was he anyway? He knew all too well that in this land, there were countless public figures who were more famous, more experienced, and better able to demonstrate so-called "responsibility" than him.

Why would the Tianyin Foundation go to such lengths to come to Northeast China and use such a roundabout method to keep a close eye on a third-year graduate student who has just gained some online popularity?

They would never do something pointless unless they saw some extremely rare value in themselves that they could use to "endorse" their credentials.

For example, the "clean and pure" persona he built in TV interviews, representing absolute correctness and no compromise with power, is essentially a get-out-of-jail-free card for their funds once it's tied to their foundation. This persona is endorsed by both young people and the government.

Zhao Shuyao didn't speak immediately. He shifted his gaze from Li Zhengming's hypocritical face and turned to look at Gu Nanxi sitting next to him.

Gu Nanxi was also holding a paper cup, but her gaze remained fixed on Zhao Shuyao. She didn't urge him or disturb him. The second she received Zhao Shuyao's gaze, she lowered her eyes slightly, then raised her head again, her eyes extremely pure and firm.

It was an unreserved trust, those eyes seemed to be clearly telling Zhao Shuyao: it's all up to you. Whether you want to play along or turn on me right now, I'm on your side.

Zhao Shuyao withdrew his gaze, tapped his finger lightly on the table, producing an extremely crisp sound.