Chapter 456

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

"Beep beep beep..."

Wang Xiaohua's mobile phone suddenly rang.

He took it out to look; it was the homeroom teacher calling.

"Xiaohua, have you arrived at school?"

"Teacher, I just got here..." Wang Xiaohua couldn't help but ask, "Why do I have to invite leaders to a big seminar just to fill out my volunteer application?"

The homeroom teacher chuckled and explained:

"I only found out this morning too. It was the principal's decision. He just told me this morning to take you to attend the seminar first, and then let you fill out the application."

"May I ask, can I not attend?" Wang Xiaohua asked politely.

"That won't do. You are the protagonist of this meeting; how can you not attend?"

The homeroom teacher made his position clear.

Then he comforted Wang Xiaohua's resistant inner heart:

"I know you don't like these things, you might be a bit nervous, but don't be afraid. For you, this is actually a good thing. The principal invited many county leaders to attend this seminar — even the County Magistrate, Deputy County Magistrate, and County Education Bureau Director will be there. At that time, you can gain connections from these people. This is equivalent to leaving a broad back road for yourself in your hometown. When you graduate from university later, if you happen to not do well outside, you can still return to your hometown to work. At that time, the connections you make now will play a huge role."

Hearing this, Wang Xiaohua felt it made some sense.

Most importantly, he fundamentally had no room to choose.

This isn't a novel, and he isn't a rebellious protagonist from a novel.

He cannot act recklessly just following his temperament.

So in the end he could only say:

"Alright then, when does this meeting start?"

"Ten thirty." The homeroom teacher answered truthfully, then added, "Come to my office now. We'll write a speech draft together. That way, when the leaders ask you to speak, you'll have a draft in hand and won't speak incoherently."

"Okay, okay, I'm heading over now."

Wang Xiaohua hung up the homeroom teacher's phone and went to the homeroom teacher's office.

"Xiaohua, come sit quickly!"

Seeing Wang Xiaohua arrive, the homeroom teacher immediately pulled Wang Xiaohua to sit at the desk.

"You hurry up and write a speech draft now."

"How do I write it?" Wang Xiaohua was completely at a loss. A college entrance exam volunteer application seminar — this was the first time he'd heard of such a meeting. He truly didn't know how to write it.

"You just first thank the leaders for their concern, then write about the school's care, the teachers' cultivation, and finally write the volunteer you've decided on." Speaking here, the homeroom teacher asked Wang Xiaohua: "You've already decided on Qingbei, right?"

Wang Xiaohua smiled: "Mm, yes."

The homeroom teacher sighed complexly: "That's good, that's good."

Then he comforted: "Don't think so much. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Hurry up and write the speech draft."

"Okay, Teacher."

Wang Xiaohua took paper and pen from the homeroom teacher and began writing the speech draft with his head down.

He truly didn't know how to write.

What he wrote had no emotion to speak of.

Fortunately, this was originally just a perfunctory performance thing.

They don't want your emotions anyway.

After the homeroom teacher read Wang Xiaohua's finished speech draft, he nodded satisfactorily:

"Written well. Your 140 in Chinese makes sense. But there's a small flaw."

"What flaw?"

"Your opening — you have to thank the County Party Secretary first, then thank the County Magistrate."

"Why?"

"Because the County Party Secretary is actually a bit higher than the County Magistrate."

"Okay, okay, I'll fix it now."

Time turned and in a blink reached ten o'clock.

The seminar didn't start until ten thirty, but the homeroom teacher hurriedly took Wang Xiaohua to the administrative building at ten.

They had to go half an hour early. They couldn't appear later than the leaders; otherwise it wouldn't comply with regulations.

Arriving at the conference room.

Only saw several students organizing seats in the conference room, placing name signs, putting out mineral water.

Among them was surprisingly Li Jianjia.

"Jianjia, why are you here?"

Wang Xiaohua was somewhat surprised.

Li Jianjia smiled:

"My dad has to attend your seminar today. He had me come help do some odd jobs."

Wang Xiaohua nodded. Only then did he suddenly realize — Li Jianjia's father's influence in this county town was even greater than he imagined.

Leaders able to attend today's seminar — presumably in this county town, they all definitely carry some weight.

"Have you decided which school to apply for?"

Li Jianjia asked at this moment.

"Tsinghua and Peking University, placed as first and second choices; the others I haven't thought about yet."

Wang Xiaohua said so.

Li Jianjia said with a smile:

"That's great; with your grades, you should go to Tsinghua or Peking University!"

"What about you?"

"Me? I should apply to Guangwai; didn't I tell you before? How come you don't remember?"

"Did you tell me?" Wang Xiaohua was somewhat dazed.

"I did tell you; you have a matchmaker's memory — too many favors to remember!"

"I'm very sorry; I don't remember too well."

The homeroom teacher came over at this moment carrying a stack of freshly made name bus signs:

"Jianjia, arrange these bus signs; don't put them in the wrong positions."

Li Jianjia responded with a smile:

"Reassure yourself; I won't put them wrong. Which leader, what name, what position — I know them all!"

The homeroom teacher looked at Wang Xiaohua:

"Xiaohua, why don't you go review your speech manuscript? If you can speak without notes, that would be even better."

Wang Xiaohua smiled:

"Okay, okay."

The homeroom teacher went out again with other students and moved in several boxes of mineral water.

Then two students held a line, one student was responsible for placing the mineral water, arranging the mineral water on the tabletop into a very straight line.

Wang Xiaohua watched all this, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

Although these are all human relations, isn't it also a kind of formalism?

He admits that people who can do these things well generally get along comparatively smoothly.

For example, Niu Chunsheng; he understands these very well, so he now does business in the county town like a fish in water.

But this world, this country, even this small county town, this school, every single person here — do they really need these things?

Wang Xiaohua felt somewhat bewildered in his heart.

Before, when he ate a meal with Xiao Xueqing, he was still humbly learning the various banquet etiquettes Niu Chunsheng displayed, feeling that human relations still needed to be understood somewhat — to know worldly wisdom without being worldly.

But now for some reason, a trace of nausea rose in his inner heart toward these things.

Perhaps it's because this "Wang Xiaohua Volunteer Application Symposium" never sought Wang Xiaohua's own wishes at all.

Any person in this world surely yearns to be respected.

Although this symposium, in outsiders' eyes, is absolutely a huge honor for Wang Xiaohua.

But being treated like a tool and placed on the stage, ordered about like a clown — whoever it was, their heart surely wouldn't be too happy.