Chapter 2

Every time in class, this girl would prop her left cheek with one arm, always looking down at the book on her lap, while the other hand would occasionally turn the pages. Her long hair always covered half of her face, making it impossible to tell whether she was dozing off or reading.

Unfortunately, she was aloof and didn't like interacting with others, always busy preparing for her overseas studies.

Unlike other classmates, there was probably no chance to see her again, so Zhang Yifu, with a sense of urgency, pulled Hao Shuai to this row of seats and sat down next to the girl. The girl didn't show much expression, just continued reading.

Zhang Yifu put his notebook on the desk, completely free from the shyness of people in this era, and with the casualness of a 21st-century young person, he casually smiled and said, "Have you sorted out your visa yet?"

The girl and Hao Shuai next to her were both taken aback.

The girl slightly turned her head, glanced at Zhang Yifu, and said irritably, "What are you doing here if your visa has been approved?"

Zhang Yifu felt helpless. He had held back for a long time in this era, not daring to talk to the girl, and now he had messed up their first conversation.

"Are you intentionally making fun of me?" The girl snorted, turned back, and continued reading, "But it doesn't matter. You won't be the first, nor the last. Also, you should tuck your T-shirt into your pants. Wearing clothes so loosely won't leave a good impression. You might as well wear jeans."

The girl ignored the rest and continued her tilted-head reading, which made Zhang Yifu feel a chill and deep resentment.

"Hey..." At this moment, Hao Shuai gently pulled Zhang Yifu and asked in a trembling voice, "Are you familiar with Xia Xue?"

"Just chatting casually, didn't expect it to be so difficult." Zhang Yifu shook his head helplessly. Since he had come to this era, he needed to change his way of dealing with people and his style of conversation.

"Better not provoke her... She's too proud." Hao Shuai shook his head and said no more.

At this moment, the door opened, and a group of men of different ages, after several polite gestures and rounds of refusal, finally entered, led by a middle-aged man with thick hair, and sat in front of the podium.

The playful atmosphere immediately vanished, and the entire audience held their breath, looking at the man with serious and energetic eyes. He must be the leader from the department.

After sitting down, the young counselor on the left side pulled the old microphone and introduced, "Fellow students, this is Director Liu Jianwang from the Third Division of the Power Industry Department, who has come to our school to explain the allocation matters. Let's give him a warm applause."

Although there were not many graduates, their applause was not inferior, loud and整齐, more resonant than the sparse applause 20 years later.

After the applause, the microphone was pushed to the department head on the other side. The old professor scanned the rows of energetic eyes and smiled.

"Students, it's almost time to fill in your allocation preferences. This is undoubtedly important for each of you, but even more so for the entire power industry. The country invests a huge amount of resources and effort in cultivating each college student. You carry not only your own future but also the future and hope of the country. There is no distinction between good and bad positions, and no matter the size of the organization, I hope everyone can find the right place to use their professional knowledge where it is most needed. This is fulfilling your responsibility. The school is proud of you!"

As the old professor's words ended, even more enthusiastic applause broke out. Encouraged by the department head, the students who had studied hard for four years showed a different kind of passion in their eyes.

However, Zhang Yifu clearly heard a sneer from the left.

Zhang Yifu swallowed, and whispered to Xia Xue, "Is something wrong?"

"He's afraid everyone will be dissatisfied with the allocation results, so he's trying to soothe them in advance." Xia Xue nodded toward the old professor, then shook her head and continued reading, "Anyway, you wouldn't understand. I spoke too much."

How serious... Zhang Yifu shivered again. This cynical feeling would be strong even in the 21st century. As a college student in this era, Xia Xue's awareness was really ahead of her time.

After the two school officials spoke, it was finally the turn of the main speaker.

Director Liu adjusted the microphone, smiled at the graduates, and began to speak.

"Students, seeing you makes me proud. Thinking about 187 more elites joining our power system excites me. Let me first briefly introduce the entire industry. As the professor said, there is no distinction between good and bad positions, and no matter the size of the organization, you must choose the direction that suits you to make the best use of your talents and shine."

"The national power system is uniformly managed by the Power Industry Department; it has six regional bureaus in North China, East China, Central China, South China, Northwest China, and Northeast China, responsible for managing regional power grids and large power plants; provincial and municipal power bureaus mainly manage power plants and power supply bureaus in their jurisdictions."

"Under the rapid economic development, the unprecedented growth of the secondary and tertiary industries, and the sharp increase in residential electricity consumption, there is a huge gap in both power generation and transmission. Our power system must