Chapter 400: An Ordinary Tsinghua Student

The new semester arrived right on schedule. Going from freshman to sophomore meant the rookies had become seasoned veterans.

Thanks to Jiang Xia, the new students who had just enrolled in the School of Fine Arts this year immediately started asking about the senior with the legendary background. The animation department had consequently become the school’s hottest major.

During military training, Jiang Xia and Lin Yanwan brought refreshing supplies to the underclassmen. The two of them sat in the shade, holding a chilled watermelon and watching the freshmen train hard under the scorching sun not far away. They were offering material support and, simultaneously, a spiritual blow.

“Do you think someone’s going to film us and post it on D Station, viciously accusing us of being inhuman?” Lin Yanwan asked.

“It’s possible.”

Jiang Xia nodded, scooping a piece of watermelon into his mouth with a spoon. He had even thought up the post’s title.

“So Inhuman! The Boss and Lady Boss of Qitian Group Are Eating Watermelon Right in Front of Freshmen During Military Training.”

“Then why are you eating so happily?” Lin Yanwan felt an inexplicable urge to laugh.

“Hehe, well, when we were going through military training, some upperclassmen did the exact same thing to us. Back then, I thought to myself, when I become a senior, I’m definitely getting my revenge.”

As he spoke, he dug out another bite. Ignoring whether the freshmen could hear him, he put on a show of chewing loudly, SMACK SMACK, before swallowing with relish.

If he had the equipment for a livestream, he might have even broadcasted it live to let the new students feel what “a senior’s care” was really like.

Lin Yanwan couldn’t help but roll her eyes. ‘He’s already in his early thirties in reality, but he’s still so childish.’

So, she also dug out a big scoop for herself. Eating juicy, chilled watermelon in the hot weather was just the best.

“And you were giving me a hard time? Aren’t you eating it too?” Jiang Xia pouted.

“Because I suddenly think you have a point,” Lin Yanwan said with a casual smile. “If they want to post about it, let them. It’s all in good fun, anyway.”

Jiang Xia suddenly let out a soft sigh. “It’s already been a year, just like that.”

“Does it feel fast or slow to you?” Lin Yanwan smiled.

“Not fast, not slow. Just right,” Jiang Xia said.

This time last year, he had also been one of the freshmen in military training, still worrying about where to find office space for Qitian Animation. ⅇ

But in just one short year, Qitian Animation had become an overnight sensation and Dili Dili had emerged as a new powerhouse. The company had grown from a ragtag team into an enterprise that now occupied an entire floor of the Tsinghua Science Park.

And at its current rate of development, it probably wouldn’t be long before they had to expand again to keep up with society’s ever-changing landscape after 2010.

However, the rapid expansion was mainly driven by D Station. As a video website catering to the entire internet, it had become one of the top two in the country. It had no choice but to scale up to handle the rapidly growing user base nationwide.

As for Qitian Animation, the company’s foundation, Jiang Xia had no plans to expand it further for the time being. He had limited energy, and currently, maintaining production for *Slam Dunk*, *Cat and Mouse*, and the feature film was already stretching him thin.

At the very least, he would wait until after the feature film was released before starting any new animation projects.

The two chatted leisurely. When the military training took a short mid-session break, the freshmen swarmed over and surrounded them.

“It’s hot out, and military training is tough. I’m treating everyone to water and watermelon. I hope all you underclassmen will carry on the hardworking and exceptional spirit of Tsinghua and train hard,” Jiang Xia said while holding the watermelon. He was very approachable, not at all like a big boss.

“Wow! Thank you, President Jiang!”

“There’s no President Jiang here, only a senior,” Jiang Xia said with a smile.

“Thank you, senior!”

After delivering the summer refreshments, Jiang Xia drove his wife back to the company, leaving behind a group of underclassmen with eyes full of admiration.

That very evening, someone did post a video on D Station about President Jiang eating watermelon in front of the freshmen. But instead of accusing him of any crime, they were moved by his act of providing refreshments.

The bullet comments were all praising how nice and approachable President Jiang was. He sat with them, ate watermelon, and chatted without putting on any airs. Where else could you find such a great senior!

The video’s release made countless new university students envious.

The next day, Jiang Xia saw the video and even made a special trip to the comments section to post: “One like for one bottle of water, ten likes for one watermelon. Supplied all day during military training!”

And so, the video went viral, even trending on Weibo.

In just one day, the number of likes shot up to 100,000. Jiang Xia was true to his word. The next day, Qitian Company brought several truckloads of mineral water and watermelons, setting up a special “Summer Refreshment” tent on the East University Playground.

This led to a rather funny scene: during military training, before each platoon began their drills, they had to go to the Qitian Animation activity spot to pick up mineral water and watermelon.

This act of goodwill also received unanimous praise from across the internet. After all, you can tell if a company has a sense of responsibility from the little things.

This was a perfect example of the saying, “When you drink water, don’t forget who dug the well.”

If Qitian Company were publicly listed right now, its stock would probably have soared for several days straight.

Jiang Xia hadn’t expected this outcome. Now that he had all this traffic, to prevent malicious actors from smearing him and manipulating the narrative, he started building up his defenses preemptively.

That evening, he added a clarification in one of Lin Yanwan’s lifestyle videos: “He is just an ordinary Tsinghua student doing what little he can for his underclassmen. I hope everyone won’t make baseless connections or over-interpret things.”

As a result, netizens’ favorable impression of Qitian Company grew even stronger, and they flocked to Jiang Xia’s personal D Station account to comment—

“@Jiang Xia, Senior Jiang, do I still have a chance to become your junior?”

◇

Not long after military training ended, Tsinghua held its orientation party for new students. ⅇℓ.

The vice-principal even specially invited Jiang Xia on stage to say a few words. He was currently the most famous figure at the university, and a blessing from him was far more effective than the empty words and grand promises of some administrators.

During the event, someone boldly asked, “President Jiang, if I study hard, will I have a chance to work at Qitian Group?”

Jiang Xia replied with a cheerful smile, “Any company would welcome talented individuals. In fact, both Qitian Animation and Dili Dili are always recruiting. So, to all the upperclassmen and underclassmen, as long as you meet the job requirements, don’t be afraid. Be bold and submit your résumés.”

His answer was met with thunderous applause from the entire student body and faculty.

…

(Recommending a friend’s book, a Naruto fanfic, *In Konoha, Overthrowing the Ninja World Starting from the ANBU*. Tianfeng is a veteran Naruto fanfic author, so the quality is guaranteed. His writing speed leaves me in the dust, WAHHHH.)

(Recommendation blurb: He says he’s jealous of my very *satisfying* married life every day, so I guess I have to promote his book, hehe.)