Chapter 14

Mr. Luo and Wang Koulan originally thought that Jia Hongjian was only capable of attending a mediocre high school, one that few people even knew the name of. They never imagined that the school would be so good! "The reason the school isn't well-known is that it has never admitted students from outside. It only recruits students from the entire city during primary school admissions. Even then, people within the education system prioritize getting their children into the school, so it's quite normal for those outside the system to not know the school's name..."

When Jia Hongjian made this additional explanation, Mr. Luo and Wang Koulan were completely stunned. Their brains couldn't handle such a stark contrast. They had set up all their conversations based on the assumption that Jia Hongjian's school was not good, but now, suddenly finding out that his school was excellent, they were at a loss for words.

Seeing the awkward silence, and noticing that Mr. Luo and Wang Koulan were struggling to process the information, Jia Hongjian thought about how to ease the tension and give them some time to react. "Shouldn't the Shanghai TV news be starting around now?"

"Oh, look at me, how could I forget to turn on the TV..." Mr. Luo smiled slightly, slightly self-reproachful, and used the remote to turn on a 21-inch Toshiba picture-in-picture color TV. "I don't know what's wrong with me today. I spoke without understanding the situation and ended up making a fool of myself in front of Jia Hongjian."

"It's not your fault, it's all because I've been trying to be humble and reserved, so I didn't explain clearly..." Jia Hongjian quickly smiled and politely responded.

However, at that moment, a news report came on the TV: "According to Harbin TV, a month ago, two professors from Harbin Institute of Technology announced that they would investigate Wang Hongcheng's 'Water-to-Oil Technology' and 'Hongcheng Water-Based Fuel Expander.' Recently, these two professors from Harbin Institute of Technology announced that their investigation found the water-to-oil technology to be entirely genuine, with no falsification or deception..."

As soon as Jia Hongjian heard the words "water-to-oil technology," he turned his head in shock to stare at the TV. By the time the report was over, his face was full of disdain, and he even let out a cold snort. His expression was fully noticed by Mr. Luo and Wang Koulan. Mr. Luo asked curiously, "Hongjian, what's wrong? Do you have any thoughts on this news?"

"Thoughts? My thoughts are that those two professors who have brought decades of disgrace to Harbin Institute of Technology and Wang Hongcheng, the fraud, haven't been arrested yet!" Jia Hongjian said angrily. He had seen many shameless professors in the 21st century, but these professors who disgraced their alma mater by verifying something as absurd as water-to-oil, which even elementary school students wouldn't believe, were either corrupt or incompetent.

However, this was a minor issue. What truly made Jia Hongjian furious was that from this point on, the so-called iron triangle of academia, business, and government would begin to take root.

"Do you mean they...?" Mr. Luo asked, but with his experience from the ten years of turmoil, he didn't say the key words.

"They must have taken money! These damned professors! For a bit of dirty money, they've lost their conscience..." Jia Hongjian cursed angrily. As someone who had been reborn in the 21st century, he naturally hated such professors more than people of this era.

"Maybe not?" Wang Koulan said, half-believing, half-doubting. "If the water-to-oil technology succeeds, it would be an energy revolution, right? Even if it doesn't succeed, it wouldn't waste much of the country's money, would it?"

At this point, Jia Hongjian really wanted to laugh, but to avoid mocking the beautiful, mature woman, he held back and explained as calmly as possible, "Sister Wang, this isn't about wasting the country's research funds... After Wang Hongcheng gets the endorsement of two well-known professors from Harbin Institute of Technology, what will he do? He will set up a company and use the endorsement to raise funds from the public! This isn't about the country's money; it's about the people's money! Wang Hongcheng wouldn't dare to defraud the central government; he always picks the softest targets. He wouldn't dare to openly challenge the state, which has the power of force!"

"Really?" Wang Koulan was so shocked that she felt cold sweat on her body! Even Mr. Luo, who was usually composed, was wide-eyed. They were unfamiliar with the market economy and risk investment, so they couldn't see through the scheme. But who was Jia Hongjian? Having fought alone in the business world, he could see through it.

So, Jia Hongjian decided to explain in detail: "This is the beginning of the so-called iron triangle of academia, government, and business, a scheme that has been used by financial groups in Europe and America. How does it work? First, businessmen bribe scholars to promote their plans, creating a favorable public opinion. Then, they bribe officials to turn a blind eye or even give them a green light. With this, how could the public not believe? When officials and famous professors endorse it, how could it be fake? After the public's money is defrauded, the officials and professors will say, 'Invest with caution...'"

Mr. Luo and Wang Koulan could only stare at Jia Hongjian in shock. They had never thought so deeply. Mr. Luo, a revolutionary veteran, had grown up in a traditional socialist society and lacked knowledge of complex market conspiracies. Wang Koulan, not being in the economic field, was even less familiar with it.

In their eyes, the scenario Jia Hongjian described was terrifying. It seemed as if all the people in power were colluding to defraud the public. Was the world so dark? Was this still the land of the people? Was this still socialism?

"It can't be, right? No matter what, the Party wouldn't allow such a deception of the people..." Mr. Luo, the old revolutionary, could only try to believe in his own beliefs.

Jia Hongjian pursed his lips, suppressing his cold prediction, and chose his words carefully, "I hope the Party can handle it, but we'll see in the next few months. If things develop as I predict, the government in Harbin will definitely take action, perhaps by using some fuel expanders on a few bus routes..."

What he described was actually a historical fact. In the next one to two months, the Harbin government would announce that eight bus routes would switch to water-based fuel expanders, mixing water and oil in the fuel tanks. After this demonstration, Wang Hongcheng's company received orders from all over the country, but a few months later, the engines of those eight bus routes would be completely ruined...

However, at that moment, Mr. Luo and Wang Koulan just nodded, treating Jia Hongjian's prediction as a cynical guess. Compared to such a dark future, they preferred to believe that the people in power were great, glorious, and correct...

After thinking about these things, Wang Koulan suddenly looked at Jia Hongjian in surprise. She realized something—how could the conversation she and her father-in-law had with Jia Hongjian sound less and less like a conversation with a 15-year-old boy? It sounded more like a conversation with a 34-year-old middle-aged man!

Thinking about this, Wang Koulan found Jia Hongjian increasingly strange. If Jia Hongjian only showed his literary and historical knowledge, she could understand it—Fu Mingxia, the diver, had created the miracle of entering the national team at 13 and winning gold at the Barcelona Olympics at 15. The International Olympic Committee even set a rule prohibiting athletes under 16 from participating in the Olympics. If Fu Mingxia could achieve world-class success, why couldn't Jia Hongjian be excellent in literature and history?

However, the views Jia Hongjian expressed about the water-to-oil technology and the iron triangle of academia, business, and government were not something a 15-year-old could say! These views revealed a deep understanding of society, business, and human nature, which no ordinary teenager, no matter how smart, could possess. Just look at the geniuses from the Youth Science and Technology University; how many of them succeeded after graduation?

If Jia Hongjian had only expressed his disgust for the two professors from Harbin Institute of Technology, it might have been understandable, as those views could have been learned from his parents. But the detailed explanations and the tone and manner in which he explained them did not seem like someone who had only heard a few bits of information from his parents and was trying to show off.

Teenagers in such a state would usually get upset if others didn't believe them and would repeat the same few sentences over and over. But Jia Hongjian was different! He could calmly and logically explain things, proving that he had truly understood those views and concepts.

Such a Jia Hongjian was too extraordinary, wasn't he? Wang Koulan, of course, didn't think he was reborn. She was just curious about what kind of family education had produced such an extraordinary Jia Hongjian...

As Wang Koulan slightly raised her head and looked at Jia Hongjian with her hidden, puzzled gaze, Jia Hongjian, of course, felt her gaze. He knew that a beautiful, mature, and attractive woman was looking at him, but he wasn't thinking about that. He was thinking about whether he should do something about the "water-to-oil" technology or if he could use it to make some money...

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