Chapter 135 The Old Angry Young Man Joins the Gang "Professor Zeng." Zheng Ju walked up to Zeng Kun, handed him two documents and said, "I'm Xiao Zheng from the Youth League Committee. The school has organized a web design competition. We would like to invite you to be a judge. Do you have time?" When these words came out, the other three lecturers in the office were stunned. What do you mean? Instead of inviting young people like us who have academic achievements, they invite an associate professor who has not published any articles, has no patents, and even has no scientific research ability for many years? The "young people" here refer to those in the academic circle, that is, those who are in their 30s but less than 40 years old, have studied abroad, and are just one step away from being hired as associate professors. The key point is that they have all heard of this "Dream Life" web design competition, which the student union has been promoting enthusiastically recently. If Zheng Ju approached them, they would most likely agree. There is also competition for associate professors. When other conditions are similar, if you have a resume of actively participating in campus activities, you may have a little more advantage than others. I didn’t expect that after choosing so much, they finally picked Lao Zeng. The leaders of the Youth League Committee must be crazy!

However, scientific research and administration are two different lines. If it were in other countries, scientific research would have a greater say. But it is not possible in China. The organization thinks that Comrade Zeng Kun is the most suitable judge for this event, so he is also the best judge. All colleagues had this reaction, and Zeng Kun himself was even more unbelievable. He is really the kind of "empty shell" associate professor who is not appreciated by his superiors, cannot get projects, and cannot teach students. This associate professorship was something that his boss managed to help him get many years ago, before he retired. Lao Zeng has been able to work as an associate professor steadily for all these years thanks to the fact that it was relatively easy to get the position in the first place. So now no matter how the matter is handled, he basically cannot be involved. Even if some leaders of the School of Planning dislike him, they can only put him on the bench, but there is no way to fire him. However, the feeling of being on the bench is indeed not pleasant. Without any subsidies, an associate professor at a 985 university only earns a little over 1 yuan a month, and this is even after taking into account the class fees. This income is actually very high compared to the average level in 2007, but it is a bit low compared to Zeng Kun's status and education. Zeng Kun read the "Notice of the Web Design Competition" and the "Letter of Invitation to Be a Judge" twice, then pushed up his glasses and asked, "Why did you think of me?" Zheng Ju had already thought of an answer to this question: "I have read your resume before and feel that you are quite authoritative in this area, so I would like to invite you to come and take charge." Zeng Kun laughed. Who would believe this? Website programming is not a difficult thing, and anyone in this office has the skills to be a reviewer. "You don't think that if I sit on the bench, you can save the review fee, right?" Zeng Kun thought to himself. Generally, this kind of review will come with a "service fee". The standard for an associate professor is between 1000 and 3000. If you meet a generous party A, it's normal to give 5000 or 1. However, Zeng Kun was worried that the Youth League Committee wanted to save the review fee, so he put the two red-headed documents on the table, looked at Zheng Ju and said, "Let me think about it. I also have teaching and research tasks recently, so I may not be free." Zheng Ju was stunned for a moment, thinking, why are you still pretending, old man? You can find out how many classes you have a week. What other teaching and research tasks do you have? If Chen Zhuo didn't think that you were alone and easy to control, why would he have chosen you? However, Zheng Ju still said politely: "Then please think about it first, we won't bother you anymore."

After leaving the office building of the School of Computer Science, Zheng Ju began to complain: "Professor Zeng is too arrogant. I have been asking the student union to promote this event. With the current popularity within the campus, it will be no problem to invite a young associate professor to come." Chen Zhuo didn't say a word in the office. He looked like a student, so Zeng Kun just took a quick look at him and then ignored him, thinking he was Zheng Ju's follower. "Let's go, let's go eat." Zheng Ju saw that it was time for dinner and planned to have a meal with Chen Zhe. It is very common for student union teachers and students to have meals together, after all, they have to organize activities frequently. Compared with Zheng Ju, who is 28 years old and not even an ordinary clerk, Chen Zhe is in a very peaceful state of mind. Success that can be achieved overnight is rare. Even love may have to go through some twists and turns so that two people can cherish each other. Professor Zeng must have his reasons for not agreeing, so why don't we just try to figure out why he is hesitating and then resolve it? "Not in a hurry." Chen said calmly: "Let's wait for Professor Zeng and have lunch with him." "what?" Zheng Ju blinked. He had read similar stories before, which said that some people, in order to achieve their goals, would persevere in looking for new opportunities even if they were rejected the first time. This sounds easy to do, but in fact, in normal life, many people don’t have the courage to speak up again after being rejected for the first time. Just like when a confession is rejected, most people play dead like ostriches, and don't even have the courage to face it again, let alone confess a second time. "I think some of your behaviors and thoughts are really not what you should have at your age." Zheng Ju couldn't help but ask, "Is this something that comes from family influence?" Chen smiled and said nothing, but to Zheng Ju, there was something mysterious about it. But Zheng Ju was happy in his heart. The more mature Chen Zhuo performed, the more confident he was in this project. If the project can finally make a profit as Chen planned, it will be a typical example of successful entrepreneurship among college students. As a mentor, this is a great honor for me. In the future, I don't have to rely on seniority to gain experience in the Youth League Committee, and perhaps I can avoid taking a few years of detours. Not long after, Zeng Kun walked out of the teaching building. The cold wind mixed with rain blew his half-gray and half-white hair. He stood there for a while, pushed his glasses and walked towards the cafeteria. "Professor Zeng." Chen Zhuo caught up from the side. Zeng Kun was a little surprised to see that it was the same two people from before: "Anything else?" "No." Chen Zhuo said, "I still want to ask Professor Zeng to be the judge." I don't know when, Chen Zhuo had already stood at the front and took over the task of negotiation. "This..."

Zeng Kun walked while holding an umbrella and replied, "I've already told you to wait and see the time." He had two concerns in his mind. If the Youth League Committee could not give a clear opinion, he would not participate. Chen Zhuo followed behind, and Zeng Kun ignored him at first. However, as he walked across the flooded road, Chen seemed to be talking to himself: "My shoes are soaked again. There are so many unscrupulous merchants nowadays. Shoes bought for hundreds of dollars are not durable. My grandmother told me that the rubber shoes that used to cost only a few cents a pair never wore out no matter how much you wore them." This sentence is like bait, targeting those old angry young people who are extremely dissatisfied with modern society. "How can we compare now with before?" Zeng Kun had no idea that this was Chen Zhuo's way of opening up a conversation and getting closer to him. Or even if he realized it, he probably couldn't help it. “When I went to the countryside.” Zeng Kun said to Chen Zhuo, "A pair of shoes that the brigade randomly distributes will not wear out no matter how hard you work in the fields. But if you try the shoes we have now, the soles will wear out in less than three days." "correct." Chen Zhuo immediately agreed, "Don't even mention shoes. The same goes for belts. They broke two days after I bought them. I don't know what products are worth buying right now." "See my belt?" Zeng Kun pointed at the peeling belt around his waist, and thought to himself, you're not going to say that you've been wearing it since the 80s, are you? Uncle Zeng, I can't handle your bragging like that. "This metal belt buckle." Zeng Kun said: "I used it when I went to the countryside!" "Oh~" Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out to be a belt buckle. The metal material is very reasonable to use now. Chen followed Zeng Kun into the faculty and staff floor of the cafeteria. Of course, no one would say anything. Some teachers or professors would invite their students to eat together if they hadn't finished discussing something. “So, sometimes I feel that way.” Chen seemed to be in doubt, and said uncertainly: "Although we are rich now, in fact, many aspects are not as good as before. I don't know if this view is correct..." Zeng Kun turned around and said firmly: "Yes! Why not? I tell you, now is not as good as before..." "In the past, every household could leave their doors unlocked at night and not pick up things on the road. Now, look around, which household can do that?" "In the past, the raw materials of those food stores were all genuine. Anyone who dared to pass off inferior products as genuine ones would be shot directly." "Also, academic research used to be one and two, but now the academic world is full of fraud. Do you think our school is clean?" …… Chen listened quietly. When society develops too fast, there will be some drawbacks, which is probably unavoidable no matter what. He is just an ordinary person now, and even if he becomes rich and powerful in the future, he may not be able to change these situations. However, some people may not be able to stand these things, so whenever they encounter some injustice or setbacks, they will miss the pure era that they experienced personally.

After Zeng Kun finished the call, he suddenly threw down his chopsticks, as if he was so angry that he couldn't even eat his meal, and his chest was heaving with rage. Chen Zhuo turned to Zheng Ju and said, "Go buy a bottle of mineral water." "it is good!" Zheng Ju stood up and ran to the convenience store outside the cafeteria. After walking a few steps, he felt a little strange: I am the teacher, why would I listen to a student so obediently? In the cafeteria, Chen Zhuo bent down and picked up the chopsticks that Zeng Kun had thrown away, then took a new pair of chopsticks and placed them on Professor Zeng's plate. Zeng Kun watched everything Chen did silently, and suddenly asked, "What year are you in?" "My name is Chen Zhe, a freshman at Lingyuan, and I'm currently working in the Publicity and Coordination Department of the Student Union." Chen replied calmly. "Student Union? No wonder he's with the Youth League Committee teacher." Zeng Kun nodded and said, "There are very few young students like you who think that the past was better than the present." "After listening to Professor Zeng's words today, I have a deeper understanding of this." Chen Zhuo quietly flattered him, and then took the opportunity to say, "I am in charge of the web design competition activities in the Publicity Department. Professor Zeng is unwilling to be a judge. What are his concerns?" Zeng Kun glanced at Chen Zhe. From what he had just said, he felt that this young man might have the same beliefs as himself, so he said: "I might as well tell you. One is the issue of the judges' labor fees. Another question is, are there other judges besides me? If there are, we may get bored with each other, so I would rather not participate." "Does Professor Zeng have any expectations for labor fees?" Chen asked immediately. "At least……" Zeng Kun frowned and said, "2000 yuan, please." Chen smiled in his heart. The price was neither too much nor too little. However, the labor fee was the result of the development of the market economy. If it were the 80s, should professors have provided services for school activities for free? After Zheng Ju bought the mineral water, Chen Zhuo did not talk about the topic of "invitation to be a judge" anymore, but continued to chat with Zeng Kun about the good life in the past to deepen their relationship. After Zeng Kun returned to the office after dinner, Chen Zhuo said to Zheng Ju: "Professor Zeng has two demands. One is the review fee of 2000 yuan, and the second is independent review. If you can agree to this, he should be able to join." Zheng Ju thought about it and decided that both requests were not a problem, as the budget management had approved 6000 yuan for the activities. What surprised Zheng Ju the most was that he saw with his own eyes how Chen Zhe became more and more harmonious in the conversation with Professor Zeng, a language ability that he himself was far inferior to. "I'll go back and draw up an agreement and find a time to sign it with Professor Zeng." Chen Zhuo said: "Then the project can be officially launched." "Forget it, I'll draft this agreement." Zheng Ju sighed and said, "We can't let you do everything. That would make us seem useless." ······ (Please give me a monthly ticket. Thank you everyone.) (End of this chapter)