Professor Qiu

The next day, Xi Chen arose to the realization that his 'grace weekend' offered by the university to students changing their designated majors had concluded. He curled his nose at the putrid swamp conquering major regions of the living space of the suite, and marched outside with briefcase in hand. The sun had yet to drag itself over the horizon, and the youth took it upon himself to enjoy a relaxing walk through the miniature gardens.

Given its small size and horrendously boring arrangement, there wasn't much to do except for laying on the bench and daydream.

"First class is an independent research course on strategic cost management, is that it?" Xi Chen scrolled through his phone and sighed.

"Students are to explore various possibilities of managing cost, stability, and developments of a theorized corporation and compile a presentable draft by the end of the semester. Detailed conditions are to be presented at the first class… so I missed that, hm?"

Jiangbei's universities had long since discarded the lax and lazy method of education that was the standard liberal arts curriculum that required just a single thesis to qualify for graduation, and had instead adopted the rigorous and labor-intensive, mind-grueling torture that was thesis-based courses. By their third year, any student disregarding their major track could expect to enroll in three to four classes per semester, each requiring a complete, independent thesis by the end of the semester. The harsh requirements forced students to dedicate their all just to pass a single semester, and allowed the professors to become lazier by the passing year.

Such practice had scared off any vestige of foreign students interested in studying in Jiangbei, rendering their accumulated foreign investments to zero. The academic results had pleased domestic instructors until they could no longer smile, and pissed the financial staff of the universities and caused a massive wave of resignations when the policy was introduced.

If only he was born two years earlier; then the nightmare that was poring over stacks of books every night at the library could be evaded.

Xi Chen released a gloomy exhale, and dragged himself through the wide campus until he stood before the grey, antiquated limestone building that formed one of the university's private lecture halls. Wrinkling his nose at the harsh smell of dust cutting at his throat, the youth quickly strode through the maze formed by numerous, intersecting and overlapping hallways. He didn't bother to stop and pause to admire the bizarre design and construction of the building's interior, and instead pushed open the door to the room labeled with the number '203.'

To his surprise, even though there were fifteen minutes prior to the class starting, the small classroom was filled save for a single seat. The professor stood by the lectern and gazed at him with narrowed eyes, and harrumphed with a displeased tone.

"This student here, you're late," she pushed up the rim of her glasses with a fingertip.

"I don't remember your face – you must be the foolish student who changed their major at their third year? Eh – sit, sit. We'll start soon."

The brisk pacing of the words thrown at his nose caused Xi Chen to blink in confusion, unable to respond. When the professor irritably flapped her wrist towards the rows of seats scattered throughout the classroom with great disdain plastered across her countenance, the youth adjusted the briefcase's position on his shoulder and moved towards the sole empty seat.

There were still eight minutes left before the class started – enough time to wander through the campus at the brisk pace – yet the professor and students seemed completely invested, the latter having spread their notes and pens clacked open.

"Now then, for the student who decided not to attend class last week, I am your professor for this course, Qiu Yueqi, of the Finance Department at the university," Professor Qiu coughed with a dry tone.

"Well… the resources for everything you'll require can be found somewhere along the class materials and resources. You're youths – you can all find things on the Internet with ease. The topic for this class today is regarding your placements for the semester's mandatory internships."

The brief pause in her words prompted the numerous students to slam the tip of their pens onto the whitespaces of the notebooks, and begin to fervently jot down each and every individual phrase uttered from the professor. Xi Chen was in the motion of withdrawing his notepad when the flurry had began, and the odd scene taking part everywhere around him caused his hand to shove the notepad back into the briefcase and instead play with the pen in his hand.

If his memories served him correct, the university had given the students the right to choose a local corporation to intern at –

"For students pursuing different major tracks, the university allows them full discretion at the selection of their choice of internship, save the corporation lies in the field of their study. However, for my Finance Department," Professor Qiu curled her lip in pride, and nudged the rims of her glasses once more.

"Students under my Finance Department are assigned placements and internships depending on their prior academic standing! That wishy-washy and lackadaisical behavior of selecting a third-rate, black-hat corporation to laze a semester's worth of study has no place in my department!"

The fierce declaration caused Xi Chen's head to immediately snap up in surprise, and he nearly opened his mouth to protest. Yet, the zealous and prideful professor seemed to have awoken her passion, and her fist pounded on the wooden surface of the lectern.

"Within Jiangbei, several dozen mid-tier and top-rated domestic corporations have contacted me regarding open internships regarding the position of financial counselor. Tech corporations, promising startups who have passed their first profit phase without issue, beauty and redevelopment agencies, mid-level marketing enterprises, and the like! Depending on your studies and grades so far, you could be assigned as financial counselor to a major corporation in the city, and have your career set for life as long as you don't f*ck up!"

"Placements will be assigned two weeks from now – right after the first examination! That's all! Get out of here, you rascals!"

The slender palm slapped the tip of the lectern, and as if given an instinctual cue, the students immediately clapped their notebooks shut and shuffled out of the classroom in orderly steps. Within a few breaths of time, Xi Chen's dazed countenance was the sole audience, and Professor Qiu gradually stepped towards him with a leather booklet clasped to her chest.

The lecture was over? The time was now nine in the morning, the time slotted for when the class should have begun…

To think that a class could be finished in nine minutes...

"Student Xi, I have just looked over your records. Unfortunately, there is not much I can do given your circumstances," the professor crossed her arms and gazed downwards at the seated youth.

"Per the university's requirements only the transfer of credits is permitted; the grades achieved will not count towards the overall graduation. As such, I do not have a basis to evaluate your academic performance nor your work ethic, and cannot assign you an internship position this semester. Although –"

"Professor Qiu, there is no need. I will be following the university's guidelines for selecting an internship this semester."

Xi Chen recovered his senses and retorted with a small smile. When she noticed that the only object the youth had retrieved from his briefcase was that of a pen without any accompanying notepad, irritation began to well up within her chest, and Qiu Yueqi snorted with a cold expression.

"I would like to know, Student Xi, just where can you find an internship that can match the quality required by the Finance Department in order to graduate? Compared to other academic departments, ours is not so lax and unrefined. There are strict –"

"Tianming Corporation had offered me a consulting position in their finance department a few days prior," Xi Chen shouldered his briefcase and rubbed his palms.

"I suppose that suits the aspiring requirements of the Finance Department? Although, I haven't heard much that the accounting and finance major tracks were that developed and refined within the university…"

"Tianming Corporation? Suzhou's jewelry king? Student Xi, it is not wise to jest."

Qiu Yueqi's eyes immediately narrowed in disbelief and contempt, and her gaze towards Xi Chen dropped a few degrees. The professor snapped open the leather booklet and swiftly scanned through the pages, and the disdain became more pronounced through her voice.

"A villager's child with no connections and establishments, obtaining a counseling position of a corporation – especially its finances – out of the blue without any prior interactions whatsoever? Either you, Student Xi, live in a fairytale detached from reality, or the Board of Directors of Tianming Corporation are stark raving mad, and I, with my years of experience in teaching, highly believe the former!"

Xi Chen didn't give much in reply save for a continual smile, and watched as the contempt and irritation on Professor Qiu's countenance accumulate breath after breath. The youth deliberated on the choices for a few moments in his mind, and cast the die with a gambler's heart.

"Professor Qiu, but what if my statement is true?"

The professor's eyes bulged at the haughty remark tossed by the student who seemed to have committed the blunder of his life by transferring majors just as soon as the academic groundwork was laid; the anger spilled over and when mixed with her carefully constructed and embellished pride, ignited into a towering inferno. Qiu Yueqi closed the leather booklet shut and crossed her arms once more, her expression taut and filled with conceit.

"Normally, I would not permit such intolerable and contemptuous behavior, and would kick the student out. But you – Student Xi – I will give you a chance," the professor warned with a grave tone.

"If you can prove that prior to entering this classroom, on this day, that you have received an offer of employment from Tianming Corporation, then I will personally exempt you from all written and compiled assignments for this course. However, should it turn out to be false, I, Qiu Yueqi, will use my authority to its utmost to invalidate your academic standing in this university!"

With a final harrumph, the professor clacked her heels and stormed from the classroom with unfaltering steps. Xi Chen stood besides his seat with the pen still clenched in his hand, and curled his lips into a light grin.

Those with great pride were always the easiest to manipulate, almost to the point of being laughable.