Chapter 421: Zhao Lichun

"Qinghai, Tongwei, you two probably haven't eaten breakfast yet. I've already had someone prepare some; let's eat together in a moment."

"Brother Zhang, we've already eaten at home."

"Even if you've eaten, you've used up a lot of energy on this trip. Come keep me company and eat a little more."

Soon, tofu pudding, old-style fermented pancakes, fried dough sticks, and egg pancakes were brought out.

"Eat up, don't be polite."

"Godfather, if there's a chance, I'll take you to try fish soup noodles. They're very fresh."

"Alright."

Zhang Ping'an had tasted them in his past life; Dongtai fish soup noodles had a milky white broth and were incredibly savory. Of course, they had to be made by someone with decades of experience; if not done well, the taste could be fatal.

After eating and drinking their fill, Qi Qingbei and his father left some snacks behind and headed back, and Zhang Ping'an woke the others up.

"These are the snacks brought by your Brother Tongwei and Uncle Qi. Take them back and share them with your older brothers and sisters."

"Besides, the summer break ends in a few days, so you should fly back today. Get your spirits in order. Aihua, you go back with the children too; I still have some things to handle here."

"Alright."

Qi Tongwei had just told him that the day after tomorrow was the start of military training for the new students at Handong University. It just so happened that he had promised to send Zhang Qi Tongwei to school, so he would take care of it all at once.

Leaving behind two cars, Zhang Ping'an let the rest of the people return. At dawn the next day, the five members of Qi Tongwei's family plus Zhang Ping'an set off directly for Jingzhou.

"Qinghai, sister-in-law, Tongwei is studying politics and law; he is a guaranteed Cadre once he graduates."

"Moreover, as far as I know, the waters at Handong University are very deep. The reason I am sending Tongwei over in such a high-profile manner is also out of this consideration. We don't go looking for trouble, but we don't need to fear it either."

"I understand, Brother Zhang."

During the years Qi Qinghai spent taking care of his older brother Qi Qingbei, he had been looked down upon more than once. Even when his leg was injured, he still had to go dig river ditches. He didn't want his son to experience that kind of powerlessness, so he was very supportive of Zhang Ping'an's decision.

"Mm, good."

Zhang Ping'an was overthinking it; Qi Qinghai had seen enough of the coldness and warmth of human relationships to naturally know that he was doing this for Qi Tongwei's own good.

"Let's stay here."

Near noon, the group checked into a Reception House two kilometers away from Handong University; tomorrow was the day school started.

The next morning, the security detail drove to the entrance of Handong University. It was the peak period for new student arrivals, and the two luxury sedans were exceptionally eye-catching.

The Handong University gatekeeper hurried over to ask if they needed any help.

"I'm bringing my godson here to register. These cars won't be in the way here, will they?"

"Not at all, not at all. You and the child can just go in with the admission letter."

"Alright, sorry to trouble you, comrade."

"It's my duty; we gatekeepers are here to serve everyone."

At first, Qi Tongwei was a bit uncomfortable with the gazes of his fellow students, but under Zhang Ping'an's guidance, he slowly began to change.

In Qi Tongwei's eyes, aside from Zhang Ping'an, there was only Liu Haiyang; he wanted to become a man like them in the future.

Handong University was larger than Zhang Ping'an had imagined, and it took the group of six quite a bit of effort to find the registration desk for the Political and Law Department.

At this moment, at the entrance of Handa University, Mayor Zhao Lichun was also preparing to attend the opening ceremony of Handong University on behalf of the municipal government, but his pupils shrank slightly when he saw the small cars on the side.

Zhao Lichun remembered that Qian Dahu's vehicle was a Jing A, and Qian Dahu had also said that there were six numbers ahead of him. Now, these two cars were a 1 and a 2, clearly belonging to the absolute top brass of the Oriental Group.

"Xiaoli, have any high-level executives from the Oriental Group come to our Jingzhou?"

"Leader, I haven't heard that General Manager Qian or General Manager Zhang have come."

"Never mind then, keep an eye on this matter." Zhao Lichun pointed to the two small cars by the entrance of Handong University.

"Understood, leader."

At the registration desk for the Political and Law Department, a junior student looked at the admission letter in his hand.

"You're Qi Tongwei, our Handong's Third Place Scholar?"

"Huh?"

Qi Tongwei looked bewildered. He only knew he was the Top Scholar of Yantai City; he really hadn't paid attention to his ranking in Handong.

"Hahaha, our Political and Law Department has gained another top student. Welcome." Seeing that Qi Tongwei didn't care, the senior student naturally didn't bring it up again.

"Thank you, senior."

"We're all in the same department from now on; if you need anything, just mention your senior's name, it'll work."

"..."

Zhang Ping'an's mouth twitched slightly. This senior hadn't even said his name yet; how was he supposed to mention it later?

Afterward, the group was led by this senior to the dormitory.

"You arrived early. This is a six-person dormitory, and you are the first to arrive. Just pick any bunk you like. You guys start tidying up; I still have to go back to pick up new students."

"Alright, sorry to trouble you, senior."

"No problem. By the way, junior, you have an opening ceremony this afternoon, so try to finish whatever you need to do this morning."

"Alright."

"The environment here is actually quite nice; it is a university after all. Tongwei, remember the few numbers I left for you; if anything happens, just come to me directly."

"Alright, godfather."

"Mm. Qinghai, you guys talk amongst yourselves as a family. I'll walk around the school and we'll meet at the school gate later."

Zhang Ping'an walked around the school and felt it was about the same as the university in his past life; the dormitory was even better than his own.

He had registered late back then, so he only had a ten-person dormitory, and the key was that it was a mix of three different departments, which was really annoying. Of course, the accommodation fee was also the lowest. That was back in 2012, which counted as Handong as well.

"Teacher, may I ask how to get to the female dormitory of the Foreign Languages Department?"

"Me? I'm not a teacher here; I'm a student's parent."

"Oh, oh, then I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

Zhang Ping'an looked at his attire: a white short-sleeved shirt tucked into dress trousers, leather shoes, and a thermos in his hand. He did indeed look a bit like an Old Cadre, so it was no wonder the Student Union had mistaken him for one.

"How is it? Is he a new teacher at our school?"

"Not a teacher, he's a student's parent."

"Sigh, what a pity," a few female students said in disappointment, then chattered away into the distance.

"..."

"Sigh, a great handsome guy gets attention wherever he goes. I didn't expect that even now, at nearly fifty years old, I'd still have schoolgirls coming to chat me up. This damned charm of mine."

Zhang Ping'an acted conceited for a while before slowly returning to the car at the school gate. Secretary Li, who was lying in wait, also saw Zhang Ping'an, and after memorizing his appearance, made a call from the guard room.

"Leader, a man in his thirties has arrived in that car. He looks a bit like General Manager Zhang Weijun; he might be his older brother."

"Oh? Then it seems there's no mistake. Has he left?"

"Not yet, Leader. He should be waiting for someone."

"Good."

Zhao Lichun thought for a moment and still felt he should go over to meet him. After all, he had added fuel to his political achievements, and if he invested in Jingzhou again in the future, that would also be beneficial for his promotion to the ministry.

Thinking of this, Zhao Lichun no longer hesitated and directly had his driver head to the school gate.

Zhang Ping'an was in the car resting with his eyes closed when the driver whispered,

"General Manager Zhang, someone is coming over."

"Oh?"

Zhang Ping'an lifted his eyes to look. The person in the lead looked slightly familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before, but he couldn't recall it for a moment.

Zhang Ping'an also got out of the car. This person was dressed in civil servant attire, and judging by his aura, he was not a minor official. Could he be the president of Handa University?

"Hello, General Manager Zhang. This is our Jingzhou City Mayor, Zhao Lichun."

"Oh? Hello, Mayor Zhao, hello, hello."

No wonder he looked familiar; it turned out to be Zhao Lichun. He really did have a bit of Zhao Gang's shadow.