Names: Uncle Zhao Mengsheng, Father-in-law Pei Yihong

More than a month later.

The job placement list for graduates of Handong University was posted on the bulletin board.

The area was packed with students, some happy and some sad.

Only Qi Tongwei stood on the periphery of the crowd, his expression unusually calm.

Liang Lu, taking advantage of her father Liang Qunfeng's power, had his secretary directly interfere with the allocation of resources. In addition, Chen Yanshi stirred up trouble in Liang Lu's ear, exaggerating and slandering Qi Tongwei.

Without external intervention or mixed doubles, Qi Tongwei's assigned destination would be the provincial government agency, the Handong Provincial Procuratorate.

That's the kind of organization that countless law and political science graduates would kill to get into.

As a result, it was forcibly replaced by the Guyingling Township Judicial Office.

Guyingling Township is a remote and impoverished place with rugged mountain roads, a place where even cars have difficulty passing through smoothly.

The judicial office is a relatively quiet and insignificant department, dealing with trivial matters such as neighborhood disputes and conflicts over homesteads. Compared to the Handong Provincial Procuratorate, it is worlds apart.

One is in the sky, the other is on the ground.

Qi Tongwei was somewhat unwilling, but his face remained tense, showing no sign of it.

Even after being reborn, he still cannot escape the combined suppression of Liang Lu and Chen Yanshi.

He knew this was no coincidence, but a naked act of revenge, a result of Liang Lu's possessiveness and Chen Yanshi's prejudice against his social class, all working together to interfere with his future.

"Holy crap! This is outrageous!" Cheng Du roared, clenching his fists. "Tong Wei, this is clearly intentional! That woman Liang Lu, and Chen Yanshi, they're deliberately messing with us!"

Cheng Du walked up to Qi Tongwei and pointed to his name on the notice board. "Look! I could have been a police officer at the Guangming Branch of the Jingzhou Public Security Bureau."

Although he was just a regular police officer, it was a post in the city!

Perhaps because I was close to you, Liang Lu didn't want me to have an easy time, so she sent me to the Guyingling Township Police Station, just like you, to be an ordinary police officer in that godforsaken place!

Qi Tongwei turned his head to look at Cheng Du, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Cheng Du, do you regret getting close to me?"

Qi Tongwei knew better than anyone that anger would not solve anything.

Liang Qunfeng wielded immense power, while Chen Yanshi had deep roots in Handong.

Now, powerless and without influence, I can only endure in silence for the time being.

What about Guyingling Township?

What about those at the grassroots level?

In his past life, he was able to rise from the bottom; in this life, he will take a different path.

"No regrets!" Cheng Du scratched his head. "Tongwei, I just feel sorry for you. You're so outstanding, an excellent graduate, and you even got an outstanding thesis award. How did you end up like this? I'm speaking up for you."

"This isn't necessarily a bad thing," Qi Tongwei said, gazing into the distance. "Although working at the grassroots level is tough, it allows you to experience the most authentic aspects of people's lives and helps you shed any impetuousness. Also, don't forget, we've signed up for the army."

Liang Lu and Chen Yanshi's goal was to trap him at the bottom, ensuring he would never rise above his circumstances, and to make him completely abandon Chen Yang and all his ambitions.

But Qi Tongwei refused to back down. The more he was suppressed, the more he resisted; the more difficult the situation, the more determined he was to make a comeback.

Qi Tongwei was the first master's student supervised by Gao Yuliang.

Gao Yuliang was worried about Qi Tongwei, so he called him to his office, saying, "Tongwei, I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Qi Tongwei bowed slightly to Gao Yuliang, "Thank you, Professor Gao. It's still my incompetence."

"Tongwei, it's not your fault. You don't need to make excuses for them, and you don't need to belittle yourself." Gao Yuliang waved his hand, genuinely angry. "After this result came out, I was so angry I couldn't sleep all night. I immediately went to the admissions and employment department to discuss it. But they said it was the province's decision, that they particularly value you, think you're excellent and talented, and want you to go to the grassroots level to gain experience so they can entrust you with important responsibilities in the future."

It was from this moment that Gao Yuliang realized that being a teacher was not as good as being an official, and that power was a good thing.

If you want to realize your ambitions, becoming a teacher or a department head is very difficult.

The so-called training was nothing more than an excuse given by Liang Lu and Chen Yanshi, a fig leaf to drag him down to the bottom.

"I understand, thank you for your concern, Professor Gao." Qi Tongwei remained respectful and did not say anything more.

He knew all too well that Gao Yuliang was just a department head; although he valued him, he didn't have enough power.

Going to the school to argue on his behalf is already more than enough.

Looking at Qi Tongwei's calm demeanor, Gao Yuliang felt even more heartache and patted him on the shoulder: "Tongwei, don't worry, I will always keep an eye on you. As long as there is an opportunity, I will definitely try to get you transferred back. Do your best at the grassroots level, don't let your talents go to waste, and don't let me down."

"I will, Teacher Gao. Even if I'm in dire straits, I will fight my way out." Qi Tongwei nodded.

Chen Yang was the only graduate of the Department of Political Science and Law at Handong University to be assigned to Kyoto; there was no other like him.

After hearing about Qi Tongwei's post-graduation plans, Chen Yang still couldn't believe it. Taking advantage of the few people around, he went to the notice board and kept looking at Qi Tongwei's name.

Not right.

Something is very wrong.

She had heard of the Guyingling Township Judicial Office; it was a remote and underdeveloped place.

She couldn't imagine that someone as outstanding as Qi Tongwei would work in a place like that.

This is truly outrageous!

She rushed home, wanting to find Chen Yanshi and get the truth out of him.

But as soon as I entered, I heard Chen Yanshi on the phone, speaking in a respectful and polite tone.

It seemed like she was communicating with someone, and appeared to be pleading for Qi Tongwei.

What Chen Yang didn't know was that the person answering the phone on the other end was none other than Zheng Xipo, the chairman of the labor union at Dafeng Factory.

Chen Yanshi was just putting on a show for his daughter, Chen Yang.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Yanshi looked at Chen Yang and said, "Yangyang, I've already spoken to people in Kyoto. You don't need to wait for your graduation certificate. Go to Kyoto tomorrow, go to your workplace first to familiarize yourself with the environment and get used to your job. You heard me too, I'm going all out and asking for help. Dad's abilities are limited, I really can't help you."

Chen Yang asked with some doubt, "Dad, are you doing this on purpose?"

How did Tongwei end up being assigned to Guyingling Township?

What exactly happened?

It's one thing for a graduate student to have a worse job placement than an undergraduate.

It's not even as good as the job placement of some vocational college graduates.

That's absolutely outrageous.

This is outrageous!

Chen Yanshi's face darkened. "Yangyang, what can I say? I just called my old comrades in Kyoto. They all said it was a unified arrangement by the province, and that the higher-ups value Qi Tongwei."

Whether Chen Yang believed it or not, Wang Fu, who was listening nearby, didn't believe it at all.

The purpose of sending Chen Yang to Kyoto ahead of time was to discourage him from pursuing his dreams and to encourage him to focus on developing his career there. The plan was for him to marry the son of Chen Yanshi's comrade-in-arms, which was the path Chen Yang should take.

Born into the Chen family, Chen Yang had no right to choose his own love life and career.

Everything was arranged perfectly by Chen Yanshi and Wang Fuzhen.

Looking at Chen Yanshi's indifferent expression, Chen Yang felt a chill in his heart, and tears welled up in his eyes: "Dad, this is too much! I think all this talk about training is just an excuse; someone just doesn't want me to be with Tongwei, and they're trying to suppress him!"

"Yangyang, to be honest, Liang Qunfeng's daughter, Liang Lu, has taken a liking to Qi Tongwei. You and Qi Tongwei are not suitable, and I'm doing this for your own good!" Chen Yanshi slammed his hand on the table, his tone agitated. "Qi Tongwei is just a farmer's son; he's not good enough for you. There won't be a good outcome for you two! You must go to Kyoto; there's no room for discussion!"

Chen Yang knew that arguing was pointless, so he turned around, ran back to his room, crawled into bed, and started crying.

She wanted to see Qi Tongwei, to say goodbye to him properly, and to tell him that she would wait for him, and wait for him to come to Kyoto to find her.

Suppressing her grievances, she stood at the door listening for any sounds. After confirming that Chen Yanshi and Wang Fuzhen had gone out, she quietly closed the door and hurriedly went to Handong University.

At this moment, Qi Tongwei was sitting in his dormitory packing his luggage, preparing to leave.

Chen Yang ran into the dormitory, breathless, and forced a smile through his tears, comforting him: "Tongwei, you are outstanding. You are the only person in our class to receive both the Outstanding Graduate and Outstanding Graduation Thesis awards. My dad said that you were assigned to Guyingling because the higher-ups want to train you."

"Chen Yang, that's just something you say to fool a child. Do you believe it?" Qi Tongwei felt bitter inside, but his tone was flat.

Chen Yang nodded quickly, "I believe you! My dad even called Kyoto to plead for you. If you work hard, you'll be transferred to Kyoto soon, and then we can be together."

Qi Tongwei remained silent for a while before posing a question, "Chen Yang, what if I can't go to Kyoto and can only work in Handong?"

Chen Yang's smile froze instantly, and he shook his head: "Tongwei, I don't want to stay in Handong. I want to go to a big city, otherwise I won't be happy. We're studying law, and we're graduate students. Only in big cities can we put our professional knowledge to good use. In small cities, in small towns, I feel it's a waste."

These words pierced Qi Tongwei's heart like a sharp knife.

The two had completely different aspirations for the future.

The melancholy in her eyes faded, leaving only indifference: "Chen Yang, we're not right for each other. I hope you're happy in Kyoto every day. My father is just a farmer, toiling in the fields. He doesn't have any special skills; I have to rely on myself for everything. I have to go to work tomorrow."

Chen Yang was a little disappointed. He didn't say anything and walked out of Qi Tongwei's dormitory.

When they got downstairs, Cheng Du quickly walked over. "Senior Chen Yang, this is Cheng Du. This is a gift from Senior Qi Tongwei. You gave him a pair of sneakers back then, and now he's returning two pairs to you."

Chen Yang shook his head. "I don't want to."

Returning it means everything is over.

Cheng Du dropped the two pairs of shoes and quickly left.

Qi Tongwei and Cheng Du made a special trip to Gao Yuliang's home to say goodbye.

When they knocked on the door, Gao Yuliang and Wu Huifen were both home.

Upon seeing the two, Gao Yuliang quickly greeted them, "Tongwei, Chengdu, come in and sit down."

Qi Tongwei placed a small bag of local specialties on the table. "Teacher Gao, Teacher Wu, we're planning to take the bus to Guyingling today. We've come to say goodbye."

Cheng Du scratched his head and smiled, "Teacher Gao, we'll be in the mountains from now on, and the roads are long and the mountains are high, so we won't be able to come to Jingzhou to see you often. Please take care of yourselves, Teacher Wu."