Chapter 7

"Such beautiful regular script." As soon as Zhang Yifu received the paper, he let out a sigh of admiration. Xia Xue had written the rigid and strict regular script with a soft and tranquil touch, and just looking at the characters made one feel comfortable.

When he looked at the answers, they were overly concise and to the point, with no extra explanations for any concepts, just a brief mention. Correspondingly, Xia Xue's answers to each question were very complete. Just in the first question about thermal power plants, she mentioned over a dozen types of thermal power plants, even including waste-to-energy plants. In terms of knowledge, even Zhang Yifu, without the help of a "computer," felt inferior to Xia Xue of this era.

Regarding the power situation in China twenty years later, Xia Xue's answers were also just a few sets of data, with no explanation at all. Unfortunately, her estimates were even more pessimistic than Zheng Daohang's, not even breaking 100 billion kilowatt-hours. The industrial structure and the proportion of various power generation methods had almost no changes from the present.

After the three of them finished reviewing the papers, Zheng Daohang let out a long breath and said, "I've broadened my horizons. Whether it's Xia Xue's theoretical foundation or Zhang Yifu's thinking ability, I've learned a lot."

Liu Jianwang smiled and asked, "Are there any flaws in their answers?"

"Flaws, I wouldn't dare to say, but if I were to nitpick, there are a few points that made me uncomfortable," Zheng Daohang said frankly, "Zhang Yifu's answers seem reserved, and could be more comprehensive; Xia Xue's answers feel... like they were written by a machine, with no subjective expression."

"Right on the mark." Liu Jianwang praised the counselor beside him, "Professor Chen's recommendation was indeed correct."

"Hehe." The counselor also smiled, "In the college, Little Zheng has been very proactive in assisting with management. Director Liu, you can rest assured about his abilities."

"Too much praise..." Zheng Daohang felt a bit embarrassed, "I'll also criticize myself. Compared to Xia Xue and Zhang Yifu, my answers were too rigid and lacked any wow factor."

Liu Jianwang nodded again, clearly very satisfied with Zheng Daohang's performance. As a student, he was already very mature and had a solid foundation in his major, making him a good candidate.

The counselor then turned to Xia Xue, "Xia Xue, you can also share your thoughts."

Xia Xue immediately said straightforwardly, "Zheng Daohang's answers were very good, and Zhang Yifu's were very poor."

Everyone was taken aback, and Zhang Yifu even snorted, unsure how to comment.

"Xia really doesn't give anyone face," Liu Jianwang teased, then asked curiously, "Why do you say that?"

"Zhang Yifu's way of answering questions is like that of an amateur, especially the third question, which is full of blind optimism and unrealistic expectations. He underestimates the difficulty of the work."

"Hmm... Professor Chen also mentioned this point," Liu Jianwang pursed his lips, a bit awkward, "But I said when I set the questions that everyone should let their imagination run wild and express their own views. As subjective questions, how they are expressed is a matter of personal freedom."

Xia Xue nodded but said no more.

Originally, Zheng Daohang had created a good atmosphere, but Xia Xue's comment was like a sudden cold wind on a summer afternoon, making everyone feel chilly.

"Yifu, you can also share your thoughts," the counselor gestured to Zhang Yifu. He clearly thought that Zhang Yifu's answers were purely a lucky match with Liu Jianwang's personality and didn't expect much from this "laid-back" guy.

Zhang Yifu said casually, "I agree with Xia Xue. Daohang's answers were very good, and Xia Xue's were very poor."

"..."

Everyone stared at Zhang Yifu, waiting for him to elaborate.

Zhang Yifu didn't hold back, glancing at Xia Xue, "I acknowledge her theoretical depth, but Director Liu made it clear that this assessment isn't about theory but about understanding us. Understanding us means evaluating our suitability for work units and positions based on our answers. Xia Xue's answers are probably only understandable by industry experts. In the future, we will work with various colleagues, not all of whom will have such deep professional knowledge. We need to communicate in a way that is easy to understand to be effective. On the other hand, I think Xia Xue's predictions are too pessimistic. The data reports from recent years have clearly shown the future trend, and 100 billion kilowatt-hours is an overly pessimistic estimate."

Xia Xue wasn't one to back down. Although her expression didn't change, she immediately retorted, "If I'm being overly pessimistic, then your prediction of 500 billion kilowatt-hours is being overly optimistic?"

Zhang Yifu tapped the table forcefully, "It's a factual prediction. You must have seen the data from recent years; it's just a simple mathematical calculation."

"Are you saying that the transition from 1 to 2 is the same as from 100 to 200 in terms of significance and difficulty?"

"Adapt to the environment. Given the current situation, the transition from 100 to 200 isn't much harder than from 1 to 2."

"How did you come to that conclusion?"

"Objective analysis, subjective judgment."

"Then I respect your subjective judgment, and I ask you to respect mine."

"I have always respected you, but I can't agree with you."

The other three watched the two of them argue, feeling their minds couldn't keep up. The counselor finally couldn't hold back, "You two, discuss your differences privately and be more serious."

The two of them immediately stopped, quickly resuming their neutral expressions.

"Hehe, having differing opinions and actively discussing them is a good thing," Liu Jianwang said awkwardly, "After talking with the three of you, I have a general understanding. Now let's discuss the allocation issue..."

The three of them felt a tightening in their hearts, putting aside their previous disagreements and listening intently.

"This time, the department plans to focus on cultivating a batch of graduates to build a solid talent base for the next five years, focusing on power plant construction and power grid construction. All three of you have left a deep impression on me..."

Liu Jianwang picked up the three papers, "Little Zheng and Little Xia both want to join the power department. I'll ask you first, which unit in the department are you more interested in?"

"Ah... this, I'll follow the leadership's arrangement," Zheng Daohang was already overjoyed. With this statement, plus his family's efforts and his relationship with the professor, being assigned to the department was almost a certainty. As for which specific bureau, it didn't matter much to him.

Xia Xue, however, was still straightforward, "I want to go to the Office of System Reform."

"Oh?" Liu Jianwang was surprised. That office was a strategic department with only a few people, having no real power or significant tasks. If not for Xia Xue's mention, he probably wouldn't have thought of such a place.