As everyone waited, the time for the 50th-anniversary celebration of the University of Finance and Economics drew nearer.
"The leaders have arrived, let's go greet them," someone reminded the group.
"Let's go together!"
With that, the VIPs in the Jinghua Pavilion headed to the lobby entrance together to welcome them.
Soon, a group of leaders dressed in administrative jackets approached them, accompanied by university staff. The middle-aged man leading the group was none other than Li Xiaohui's father. Beside him were the leaders of Pearl City, the president of the university, and other school officials.
The leaders shook hands with the VIPs of Jinghua Pavilion one by one. When the top leader shook hands with Liu Yutong, he deliberately added that he wanted to speak with her privately after the celebration.
Liu Yutong, who had been quite calm up until now, couldn't help but mutter in her heart: Was he going to settle a score with her?
Ever since Li Xiaohui joined the Wanlong Association, she had worried this day would come. Especially now that Li Xiaohui was acting more and more like an internet-addicted teen, it wasn't impossible for her father to come looking for trouble.
Well, since it's come to this, she would just have to face it. If they needed to talk, they would talk.
After the leaders exchanged a few more pleasantries with the crowd, the large group marched grandly toward the main sports field.
By the time Liu Yutong and the leaders arrived, the students and faculty were already in their seats. Tens of thousands of people gathered together, making for an incredibly grand and spectacular scene.
It even sparked a thought in Liu Yutong's mind: when could the Wanlong Association host a gathering of tens of thousands? Just imagining that scene was...
Normally, given Liu Yutong's status, she should have been sitting with her class, as she was still a current student at the university.
But this time, the school deliberately arranged for her to sit in the second row, alongside a dozen prominent alumni. As for the row on the rostrum, it was naturally reserved for the visiting leaders and school officials.
Shortly after she sat down, the ceremony officially kicked off with the majestic sound of the national anthem. The entire audience stood up, and tens of thousands sang the anthem together. The momentum was magnificent. Even the elites from various fields, who were used to grand occasions, looked solemn and sang along with surging emotions.
After the flag-raising ceremony, the university president took the stage first to give a speech.
He reviewed the university's ups and downs over the past fifty years, detailed its educational achievements, and thanked alumni from all walks of life for their support of their alma mater.
When the speech ended, warm applause erupted across the venue.
Next, the leaders spoke in turn, speaking highly of the university's academic accomplishments and expressing earnest expectations for its future development.
Following that were speeches from prominent alumni representatives.
The speech segment alone took over an hour.
After everyone finished speaking, the host finally announced, "Next, please welcome our student representative and the Chairman of Wanlong Group, student Liu Yutong, to deliver a speech!"
As soon as the words fell, the entire sports field instantly boiled over with excitement.
Compared to the seniors and leaders, the students in the audience were clearly more eager to hear Liu Yutong speak. This was easy to understand, as Liu Yutong was their peer.
Moreover, this peer was a current student and a prominent figure on campus.
Just thinking about her age and achievements, it was hard not to feel admiration, well, and a bit of awe.
In short, everyone showed immense enthusiasm for Liu Yutong, far exceeding the warmth shown to the prominent alumni and business seniors who spoke earlier.
The top leader sitting in the center of the rostrum saw this, turned to the president, and smiled, "It seems student Liu Yutong is very popular among her peers."
The president smiled in response, "Yes, she is now the pride of our university."
Liu Yutong walked up to the podium. She first bowed to the leaders on the rostrum, then turned and bowed to the faculty and students. This gesture drew another round of applause.
She waited for the applause to die down before she began her speech.
Unlike the lengthy speeches of the leaders before her, her speech was relatively short, ending in just a few minutes.
"Here, on behalf of all current students, I solemnly promise our alma mater: We will live up to our youth, forge ahead, and repay our alma mater's nurturing grace with outstanding achievements!"
"I also want to take this opportunity to say to the students here today: Please cherish every day at the university. Be brave to try, to innovate, and to chase your dreams! Thank you all!"
With Liu Yutong's speech concluded, the celebration drew to a close, and it was time for lunch.
Naturally, lunch was to be eaten in the school cafeteria.
The school had originally arranged for the leaders and alumni to dine on the second floor, but the top leader chose to eat with the students on the first floor, hoping to chat with them about their studies and daily lives.
Liu Yutong had wanted to find an inconspicuous seat to minimize her presence, but she was still invited by a secretary to join the top leader's table.
"Come, come, student Liu, sit here."
"Thank you, sir!"
Liu Yutong sat down as told, but her heart was pounding. She noticed that the other regional leaders had been seated at the next table; only she and the top leader were at this table. This was clearly a deliberate arrangement.
The secretary then brought over two trays of food, one for the leader and one for her. Both were standard student meals: two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, served with rice and the soup of the day.
Seeing the food arrive, the leader immediately ushered Liu Yutong, "Come! Eat! Let's eat first!"
The more polite the leader was, the more restless Liu Yutong felt. This meal was turning into mild torture.
It wasn't like she forced Li Xiaohui to get into esports; the girl simply loved esports and gaming too much. What was she supposed to do? She could only support her. She wasn't some old-fashioned pedant who viewed gaming and esports as a cancer.
She always firmly believed that as long as they were on the right path, working in the esports industry was nothing to be ashamed of. In the future, they might even win glory for the country.
After the two ate quietly for a few bites, the leader finally spoke up. "What has Xiaohui been busy with lately? That child, every time she calls home, she rushes to hang up after just a few words and never wants to chat much with me."
Liu Yutong quickly replied, "Xiaohui has indeed been quite busy recently. Aside from her studies, she is independently managing a project, so it's normal for her schedule to be tight. But, sir, she is working really hard."
The leader replied, "Working hard? You mean working hard at playing games and doing that esports stuff?"
Hearing this, Liu Yutong's scalp tingled. She thought to herself: Sure enough, the reckoning has come.
