Originally, Bian Haitao had hoped to rise through the help of Fang Chengxia, but now, he saw that even Fang had fallen.

He leaned back in his chair, his gaze uncontrollably drifting towards Cheng Rushan.

He had never imagined that this man would become so entangled with his fate.

A person unaware of the future or their destiny can still harbor envy and hatred based on current emotions, especially with the deep-seated grievances he had with Cheng Rushan.

Thus, he couldn’t let go, couldn’t release his obsession, and was constantly tormented, wishing for a rock to fall from the sky and crush Cheng Rushan.

Cheng Rushan sat there, sensing Bian Haitao’s intense, unyielding gaze.

Bian Haitao had been glaring at him with dark, hateful eyes.

Cheng Rushan could clearly feel the strong emotions directed at him.

He turned his head to look back, and their eyes met in the air.

Cheng Rushan’s gaze was cold and stern, and Bian Haitao, caught off guard, felt embarrassed, unable to hide his hatred in time.

Cheng Rushan let out a light scoff, his lips curling into a subtle, undisguised sneer.

Bian Haitao’s anger surged immediately.

Provocation from a rival was something no man could tolerate.

The newly appointed Minister Kong of the Political Department glanced around the room, asking, “Is there anything else to add?”

Cheng Rushan raised his hand.

Minister Kong nodded, signaling him to speak. “Go ahead.”

Cheng Rushan said, “Minister Kong, over the past two years, I’ve inspected various universities. After ten years of suppression, some students still can’t adapt to university life. They either haven’t moved on from their past or have become too self-indulgent. I suggest introducing a military theory course to strengthen students’ worldviews, outlooks on life, and values.”

He outlined the suggested course content, including military theory, military thought, first aid knowledge, etc.

He believed that combined with military training, it would leave a deeper impression on university students and better cultivate their spirit and energy.

Minister Kong listened attentively and nodded repeatedly. “This suggestion is good. We can discuss it with the Ministry of Education, and then our military district can send teachers to give lectures and training.”

Director Feng from the Logistics Department’s Political Office immediately said, “Minister Kong, should we arrange the teachers from our political office?”

Minister Kong looked around the room, his gaze sweeping over several faces before finally landing on Cheng Rushan.

He said, “Captain Cheng, take the lead in organizing a university military theory class research group and look into this.”

Entering the classroom required teaching personnel.

A university would need a few permanent lecturers, and the provincial universities would need dozens of them.

These would all be part-time roles, with individuals often handling multiple responsibilities and doing the work of several people.

Of course, the provincial university was a key target and would be the pilot site for this initiative.

If it went well, it could be expanded to the entire province.

After the meeting, Director Feng and Cheng Rushan called a few promising young officers and invited some experienced retired veterans for a meeting to discuss the plan.

Once they came up with an effective plan, they could directly inform the education bureau.

It was decided that Cheng Rushan and Bian Haitao would be responsible for this project, with Cheng Rushan as the leader and Bian Haitao as the deputy leader, reporting directly to Minister Kong.

As the meeting adjourned, Cheng Rushan tidied up and planned to head to the transportation office.

He had a lot of work on his plate and was constantly busy.

Bian Haitao stood at the door, a cigarette between his fingers, and sneered at him. “What are your qualifications, Captain Cheng? Aren’t you afraid of lacking confidence in a university classroom?”

Cheng Rushan responded calmly, “Relax, you won’t be teaching liberal arts to university students. Or is it that Deputy Director Bian hasn’t even mastered military affairs and lacks any confidence?”

Bian Haitao was left speechless, his face contorting in anger.

He took a puff of his cigarette and huffed in frustration.

Cheng Rushan sidestepped past him, “Deputy Director Bian didn’t even review for the college entrance exam?”

With that, he walked away.

Bian Haitao was so enraged that he bit down on his cigarette, crushing it.

College was just a step towards a better future.

People in good positions like himself wouldn’t spend extra time studying for college entrance exams; they lacked the energy and motivation for that.

Typically, they relied on further education for advancement.

He had gone to the capital years ago to study at a workers’ and peasants’ university and had been promoted upon returning.

But he had taken a college entrance exam practice test, and it had been disastrous—he would never have passed.

He had never mentioned this to anyone, but Cheng Rushan’s comment made it clear that he was aware.

Damn it!

It was already distressing enough that Jiang Lin had managed to get into the provincial university.

In his mind, Jiang Lin had poor academic performance and was only suitable for vocational school, so her admission to the provincial university seemed unbelievable.

He had even used some underhanded methods to intercept and mark her admission notice for two days.

He had also taken her exam papers from the school and locked them in his file cabinet.

Since the scores for the first batch of university students were not published and the papers would not be kept for long, he didn’t think taking them was an issue.

Every time he looked at those papers, it was a cruel reminder that Jiang Lin was no longer the same person.

Perhaps it was because he had hurt her deeply, or maybe it was her resentment toward him that motivated her to improve.

He just refused to admit that Jiang Lin had become better after leaving him.

He had repeatedly asked Meng Yiyi whether there would be any future intersection between him and Jiang Lin and learned that their futures had deviated significantly from the original path.

Originally, Jiang Lin had become his mistress and even had a child with him.

Meanwhile, he had abandoned Kuang Guomei and married Fang Chengxia, but his end had been disastrous—he was eventually killed by Cheng Rushan, and Jiang Lin ended up imprisoned by Cheng Rushan.

Fortunately, Meng Yiyi’s guidance had changed the future, and he did not marry Fang Chengxia.

Even with Cheng Rushan as an obstacle, he could still carve out a new path for himself.

However, this also made Bian Haitao somewhat neurotic.

He couldn’t help but wonder if Jiang Lin and Cheng Rushan had forgotten what had happened.

Why had their life trajectories also changed? They hadn’t received Meng Yiyi’s guidance!

Unconsciously, his psychological imbalance grew.

….

Cheng Rushan had no idea about Bian Haitao’s complicated inner turmoil.

After the meeting, he went to the transportation office, and by the time he finished, it was almost dinner time.

He tidied up and headed home.

As soon as he entered the gate, he heard laughter and cheerful voices coming from the courtyard.

Jiang Lin was teaching Wen Sheng to sing. “Wen Sheng, this is a song, not an opera. You don’t need to sing it like an opera. Sing with me: ‘The girls of Alishan are as beautiful as the water, and the boys of Alishan are as strong as the mountains.'”

Wen Sheng learned opera quickly, picking it up after hearing it a few times.

However, when it came to singing regular songs, he couldn’t help but use an opera style.

Initially, he wasn’t like this.

Singing opera was just a hobby, something he did occasionally without it affecting him.

He could sing children’s songs with Da Bao and Xiao Bao back then.

But after joining the opera troupe, practicing his voice and singing opera every day, he became so engrossed that now, whenever he sang a song, it had an opera tone.

He could transform any song into an opera style, and it sounded beautiful.

However, singing opera was tiring and had a smaller audience.

To be honest, most people preferred listening to popular songs.

Jiang Lin also loved popular songs and wanted to hear Wen Sheng sing them because his voice was so pleasant.

Listening to Wen Sheng turn “The Girls of Alishan” into an opera, Jiang Lin and the others couldn’t stop laughing.

Da Bao said, “Let me sing.”

Xiao Bao chimed in, “I know it too.”

The two brothers, only nine years old, had clear and sweet voices, singing with a unique charm.

Jiang Lin then taught them “Edelweiss.”

When she saw Cheng Rushan coming in, she joyfully exclaimed, “Brother Shan, Wen Sheng was chosen by a big director to sing a movie soundtrack. Isn’t that amazing?”

After the Cultural Revolution ended, the literary and cultural sectors began to revive.

Not only were literary works making progress, but the film industry was also advancing.

In response to the government’s cultural initiatives, movies focusing on reflecting on the past decade, highlighting current developments, and emphasizing family planning were being produced.

The movie for which Wen Sheng was chosen to sing a soundtrack was called “Sweet Family.”

It told the story of Aunt Cao, who, in her desire to have a son, caused various troubles.

Eventually, her daughter and son-in-law settled with her and her husband, taking care of them in their old age.

Aunt Cao finally complied with family planning policies and underwent sterilization.

Although the story seemed simple to Jiang Lin, it was more relatable than standard model dramas.

It told the story of ordinary people, which the citizens preferred to watch.

The song in the story is called “Children Are Treasures in Our Hands,” which fits the mainstream propaganda of the time, but the tune is very pleasant.

Cheng Rushan held her waist and said to Wen Sheng, “Sing it for us.”

Wen Sheng, feeling a bit down, tugged at his ears and said, “…I haven’t learned it yet.”

He looked at Jiang Lin and Yan Runzhi and added, “Am I a bit dumb?”

“Not at all!” Dabao and Xiaobao encouraged him in unison. “It’s a long song, but you’ll get it after singing it a few times.”

Jiang Lin said, “Wen Sheng is too focused; he pays attention to one thing and ignores the other. Singing also has different styles. You know Peking opera, Huangmei opera, and Bangzi opera. Just think of singing as a type of storytelling or something like that.”

His reaction might be hard for ordinary people to understand, but Jiang Lin, who had spent a lot of time with him and researched mental health, could easily grasp his feelings.

Wen Sheng listened to her advice and closed his eyes to start changing his perception in his mind.

Yan Runzhi signaled everyone to be quiet so as not to disturb Wen Sheng and went to set the table with Cheng Yunzhi.

Dabao and Xiaobao took small stools and squeezed together, waiting for Wen Sheng to show a surprised and delighted expression and shout, “Wow, it really works!”

Jiang Lin had told them many stories, including ones about the clever monk Ikkyu and Conan.

To avoid future confusion, she changed the names and backgrounds and made up some details, but kept the essence of insightful moments and the excitement of realizing “the truth is only one.”

Dabao and Xiaobao loved these moments, especially the “slap on the wake-up wood” in storytelling, where they would exclaim, “Oh, so that’s how it is!”

They also enjoyed seeing their classmates figuring out problems in class.

These scenes excited them and sparked their inspiration.

By the time Yan Runzhi set the table, Cheng Rushan had already taken a quick shower and come out, while Wen Sheng was still standing there, muttering to himself.

Suddenly, Wen Sheng shouted, “I got it!”

He began to sing smoothly, just like an ordinary person.

Dabao and Xiaobao jumped up and cheered, “Awesome!”

They loved seeing the surprise expression on people’s faces in those moments.

During dinner, Wen Sheng kept humming, unable to stop.

Seeing Jiang Lin’s amazed expression, as if she forgot to eat while listening, made Wen Sheng feel delighted.

He said to Jiang Lin, “Mom, next time there’s a class activity, I’ll sing.”

Jiang Lin clapped her hands. “Welcome, welcome.”

Da Bao said, “I’ll tell a ghost story!”

Currently, Lin Shi, a pen name, had gained some fame in provincial university newspapers, “Story Forest,” “Semi-Monthly Talk,” and other publications.

However, readers often commented that the author’s writing style varied greatly, making it seem as if different people wrote under the same name.

Xiao Bao’s face changed. “No way, there’s no such thing as ghosts. We are materialists!”

Da Bao glanced at him. “There’s no more dinosaurs, no magic dragons, no immortals, no fairy snail maidens, no…”

Xiao Bao loved those magical and immortal tales but was uniquely afraid of ghosts, a weakness Da Bao knew well and exploited.

Jiang Lin glared at the two of them and said earnestly, “Da Bao, let’s tell healthy and happy stories, not scary ones.”

Da Bao replied, “Scary? I don’t think they’re scary at all.”

Jiang Lin nudged Cheng Rushan, hinting for him to intervene.

Cheng Rushan said, “From now on, you’re going to study the Four Books and Five Classics. Memorize and recite them so you won’t be so idle.”

As long as Da Bao didn’t scare his wife, Cheng Rushan didn’t mind him scaring others.

Xiao Bao was a clever kid, always sticking close to Da Bao and seeking his protection at the slightest hint of danger.

It was doubtful he was genuinely scared.

Seeing his father step in to discipline Da Bao, Xiao Bao chuckled, “Heh heh, heh heh.”

Da Bao shot him a look and said coolly, “What are you laughing about? Heh heh. Aren’t you afraid ‘Heh Heh’ will come find you at night?”

He had once told their classmates a ghost story about a spirit named ‘Heh Heh,’ which had terrified Xiao Bao.

Xiao Bao had only recently started to forget about it.

“Dad!” Xiao Bao called out.