Reading on mobile phone Master Chen stared with wolf-like eyes, riding his bicycle into Pingda University campus. Eighty-electronic book Given his monthly income, buying a car for commuting is certainly feasible—yet he hesitates. The money must be saved for his daughter’s dowry. Thinking of the word "dowry," he truly wishes to give himself two good ear-slaps. His daughter has vanished completely, and he’s still fretting over her future dowry—what a bargain that is! As he entered the main gate, he glanced toward the Faculty of Arts. He decided to skip the visit today. Every time he passes by, the students there treat him like a flood of monsters, all fleeing far away. Why make things unnecessarily dull for himself? Two students were chatting by the roadside. One said, "Did you know the convoy just past wasn't made up of second-generation wealthy families, but rather students and faculty from our school? Chen Yue, the arts department counselor, right? She's driving a white Aston Martin. I checked online just now with my phone—its listed price exceeds five million!" "Really?" the other student asked. "When did Chen Yue become so wealthy? Isn't she being supported financially? Her father, always searching for a daughter at the school, must be thrilled now—seeing her drive off in such a fine car!" "Indeed. Do you know anyone else? Lin Caiwei drives a limited-edition Alfa Romeo—there's only one of this model in China, and only a few dozen worldwide. It's hard to find such a car even if you have the money. And then there's Su Wu, the counselor who resigned last semester—she drives the same sports car as Chen Yue!" The two were chatting warmly when they looked up to see a middle-aged man standing there on one foot, his face now as green as a cabbage. My goodness, isn't that none other than Master Chen? Your daughter has brought honor to your family—how come you still act as if everyone owes you two hundred? Well, it's no longer just two hundred—it's at least four hundred now. Seeing the situation unfolding, the two students took off like a shot. Master Chen's face turned from green to black. He muttered to himself, "Unfortunate for our family, unfortunate indeed. I thought you'd retreat to reflect on yourself, but instead, you've really gone off to join the wealthy second-generation family! Today, I won't let you off!" With that, he turned the bicycle around and pedaled furiously with both legs, the bike groaning and creaking as if about to fall apart. Yet even so, the bicycle managed to carry him all the way to the Faculty of Arts, where he immediately spotted five neatly parked bicycles in front of the teaching building. What's Aston Martin or Alfa Romeo—neither did he know. He'd originally intended to smash his daughter's car to make her remember, but then thought better of it. After all, what if he accidentally hit the wrong one? Even if he hit the right one, the cost would be enough to wipe out the family's savings. He positioned his bicycle, braced his hands on his waist, and shouted loudly toward the direction of his daughter's class, "Chen Yue, come down right now!" The beautiful counselor felt her heart skip a beat. Though she had prepared herself for Professor Li, she hadn't expected him to arrive so quickly—just after the class bell had rung. Su Wu stood up first and made an encouraging gesture toward her. Qin Feng followed suit, and together with Chen Yue, the three walked out of the classroom. Zhou Muzi gently touched Lin Caiwei's arm and whispered, "Should we go down and help?" Lin, the beautiful woman, shook her head, "No, if we go down, we'll only make things worse. Qin Feng has to go down—Su Wu and Professor Li have known each other for a long time. With just the two of them going down, they'll be able to handle Professor Li perfectly." Footsteps echoed in the hallway as Professor Li, taking advantage of this moment, went over once again in his mind the well-rehearsed speech he had prepared—this time, he was determined to give his daughter a proper political lesson. It was Su Wu who stepped out of the stairwell first. He furrowed his brow—having an outsider present, he found himself unable to speak much, for at home, the family's shortcomings must never be exposed. That was, to him, an absolute truth. Next came his daughter. It had been so long since he last saw her; he genuinely missed her, and his heart softened yet again. Then came the third person, who reignited his anger—this listless young man, who had spoiled his beloved daughter. He had gone to the police station to file a complaint, only to be told with great pride that you were a celebrated entrepreneur in Pingluan City—nothing special, really, just a wealthy second-generation heir with a large inheritance. How could you possibly be so impressive? You even managed to bribe the very officers. He pulled his sleeves up, then thought better of it and let them fall back down again. As the saying goes, a gentleman speaks but does not act—what if he actually fought with him? Then wouldn’t he be seen as a petty person, one to be scorned by all? All three of them watched this scene unfold clearly. Qin was finding it hard to suppress a smile. He simply couldn’t understand how the old scholar had developed such a distinct personality in this society so open to new ideas—given that there was no environment around him that could have influenced him at all. How had he managed to become a modern-day ancient figure himself? "Su Wu smiled at the two of them and approached the elder first: 'Uncle Chen, it's been a while! Your complexion looks great—your forehead is so dark...' As she said this, she felt a little embarrassed; the elder's face had turned nearly as dark as the bottom of a pot, completely unrelated to his good health. 'Dad, you've come!' Chen Yue said carefully. 'Why not just call me directly? Standing below and shouting isn't convenient—your voice isn't strong, so you should pay more attention to it!' The elder's face darkened even further. 'I'd really like to call you, but when I ask you, Chen Yue, have you finally settled with this quiet, composed young man? Isn't that right?' The beautiful counselor blushed slightly and nodded gently. 'What a pity for our family!' the elder sighed dramatically, as if comparing himself to Qu Yuan, Du Fu, and Lu You to see who was more unfortunate and more passionate. Qin Dashi stepped forward and smiled gently, saying, "Grandfather, you're mistaken. Why should Yueyue's presence with me be considered an ill omen? You must clearly explain your reasoning—point by point, one, two, three—otherwise, you're simply wasting your study of the sages."