Selective Information Filtering
Often, people at the bottom of society wonder what the Upper Class is like. Is it like what is depicted in some movies and TV shows, where everyone is gentle and refined, speaks with a northern accent, wears wigs even in the sweltering summer, wears thick tailcoats, sits solemnly in the shade of a parasol under the blazing sun, pinches the handle of a teacup with two fingers, raises the other three fingers, lightly dips the lips into the beverage in the teacup, and then says "Délisabeth" while sweating profusely.
Actually, that's not the case. No one would dress as formally and neatly as a madman in the middle of summer. Even some formal places provide air conditioning, so even if you are wearing a lot of clothes, it won't affect your appearance.
Moreover, summer is a season for showing skin and daring to show skin, especially for girls who love beauty.
The term "summer clothes" was not coined for those who couldn't afford them, although the clothes worn by those who couldn't afford them were, in some ways, not much different from real "summer clothes."
As for the lives of the Upper Class... Catherine hadn't seen anything more profound; she was just speaking based on her own feelings, and it must be said that she was absolutely right.
The daily work of the elites in Upper Class consists of chatting with different people at different times and enjoying meals with others at mealtimes.
But the content of these people's conversations, their attitudes, and their unwavering choices determine the jobs, lives, and future of hundreds and thousands of workers and their families.
Life may seem simple, but it is not. However, Lin Qi does not intend to tell the girl this now. After she finishes her new studies, she will have a new understanding of the world.
"Beautiful car, I thought you would buy the kind we looked at together..." As soon as Lin Qi and Catherine arrived at the parking lot, the driver opened the door for them, and Catherine couldn't help but whistle and sigh.
They had attended car shows together before, which wasn't a bad thing, so Lin Qi didn't intend to deny it. Everyone dreams of one day being able to control their own destiny and buy what they want, and the two young men were no exception.
At that time, the cars they liked were older and more ordinary. Most importantly, after the discount, they could buy the car for just over 10,000 yuan, and the price of a used car was even lower.
What they actually liked wasn't the car itself, but its incredibly attractive price.
The driver is a temporary driver provided by the community service company, much like the maid in Lin Qi's house. The more upscale the Community Service Company, the more types of services it provides. When necessary, they can even organize a fun party for the residents.
Providing a driver is too simple; if it's not a long-term employment, Lin Qi wouldn't even need to pay the driver any extra fees.
Lin Qi opened the car door, let Catherine get in, and smiled, "It's just as handsome as me. I can't ignore another version of myself, so I chose it."
The girl chuckled to herself. He was just as narcissistic as he was in school, except that Lin Qi now exuded a composure and pressure that was a little suffocating, which was why she kept talking.
If she couldn't liven things up, she felt that she would eventually be too afraid to even breathe next to Lin Qi, and that she would suffocate.
This feeling actually stems from a sense of disparity, which is why Lin Qi made Catherine feel like a stranger. When someone does something that people think they could never do in their entire lives, in addition to being shocked, people also feel that they don't know this person well enough.
Even though they used to be together every day!
After getting in the car Lin Qi spotted a restaurant that seemed perfect for young people. The atmosphere was lively. Since becoming a "decent person," Lin Qi had developed a detailed understanding of some of the important places in Sabine City suitable for socializing.
It is crucial to understand that some prestigious and formal occasions are not suitable for all social engagements.
While waiting for the food to be served, Lin Qi talked to the girl about his past pursuits and their next destination. "Do you have a particular goal in mind, or is it still Sabine City College?"
Sabine City College is one of the local universities. In earlier years, in order to improve the education level of Federal citizens, the Federal Education Committee of Bayer Federation encouraged local governments to raise funds to establish Public University to improve the Federal education system. Sabine City also established its own Public University.
Although it is Public University, the tuition is still very high. Even with the purchase of "College Admission Insurance", many families still find it difficult to raise the funds for university education. In addition, there are always some problems with the allocation of scholarships, so many people still cannot afford to go to university.
For example, Catherine, and Lin Qi.
Sabine City University was once their dream, not because this Public University was so good, but because its tuition was the cheapest and scholarships were the easiest to obtain. At least it was much cheaper than the tuition of private universities, making it one of the more attainable dreams among their many unattainable ones.
"Do you have any good options?" Catherine asked Lin Qi, Lin Qi frowned and pondered for a moment.
There is only one and a half Public University and one private university in the Sabine City. One is Sabine City College, and the other is Sabine City University, which was jointly funded by the City Hall and private fundraising. It is not very well-known locally.
Rumor has it that the establishment of the Sabine City University was deliberately orchestrated by certain individuals seeking subsidies from the Federal Education Committee, while also adding a touch of humanities and education to the small city.
Later, for some other reason, the Federal Education Committee downgraded the ranking of Sabine City University, so much so that the university has now become a place to sell certificates. As long as you spend some money, you can get a university diploma. Some nouveau riche from other places come to "study", which can be regarded as a "unique feature" of Sabine City's education sector.
As for private colleges... that's not a good place, at least not for Catherine.
"Public University are the best choice, but I prefer State University because the environment is better and the academic atmosphere is also very good," Lin Qi said, offering his opinion.
Many people believe that Public University are far inferior to private universities, especially some prestigious private universities, in all aspects, particularly in terms of faculty strength.
They not only have various Student Union and secret societies that have been entangled in conspiracy theories in the lower classes for hundreds of years, but they also have ample funds to allow students to research any topic that interests them.
However, only two types of people can have a relatively comfortable time at private universities. The first type is the true top students, the bookworms, who will protect the school academically and are also the main recipients of full scholarships every year.
Even teachers and professors should have their opinions and views respected in academic matters, and no one would be so foolish as to humiliate them.
Yes, humiliation—that's commonplace in private universities, and a key characteristic of the second group.
The second type of people mainly come from powerful and wealthy families. Their fathers and mothers are either presidents of a Group Company, regional councilors, state hospital staff, or even members of Congress or important and influential politicians and big capitalists.
They never worry that their excessive behavior will cause any problems; on the contrary, many people will allow them to humiliate them at will in order to curry favor with them.
Many of the founders of student organizations like fraternities and sorority are these same people. Their purpose in forming these student organizations is to get lower-class students to provide them with services in all aspects, while also satisfying their desire to humiliate, oppress, and dominate others.
Private universities do have many excellent resources, and if you can get into a relatively private society, you can indeed become a social elite immediately. However, those places are never prepared for ordinary people.
Even if Lin Qi manages to get Catherine in, she will eventually become just an ordinary person, spending her entire college years in a cycle of dating, pregnancy, being dumped, and rebirth.
Therefore, for ordinary people, or those without social influence, Public University are actually the most suitable place for them. At least there, they can maintain a semblance of equality and fairness, unlike in Private School where they are isolated, humiliated, and dominated.
People can only ever see the most beautiful side of the blooming flowers, and never see the rotten and decomposed remains in the soil that nurtured them.
After lunch, Lin Qi and Catherine briefly stopped by the girl's house. Lin Qi didn't get out of the car; the girl's absence all night would surely worry her family. Fortunately, they didn't call the police, otherwise it would have caused more trouble.
The girl briefly explained what had happened. The couple even came out to see Lin Qi off, but they didn't dare get too close. They just looked at the intimidating car from afar with ingratiating smiles on their faces and kept waving.
After Catherine returned to the car, she did not show any negative emotions. She was pretty much the same as before. In fact, ordinary people, especially those at the bottom of society, don't have so much melancholy. Just like the girl said, life is already hard enough, why make it harder on yourself?
Over the course of the afternoon, Lin Qi took the girl to visit all three universities in Sabine City. In exchange for the money, some of the people there talked to them about the realities of the schools, which made Catherine realize that Lin Qi's earlier suggestion that she choose a public school was not malicious.
When the Assistant Instructor at the Private School talked about bullying at the school and showed the burn marks on her arm, the girl shuddered and then completely lost hope in the private school.
She felt she could not become a flower here, but only nourishment for the flowers.
The next day, Lin Qi and the girl went to the State University in Kuli Lan City. The environment there was obviously much better than that of Sabine City College, and the girl liked the atmosphere there very much—quiet and peaceful.
After friendly discussions with the school administrators and after Lin Qi commissioned the school to develop a small integrated radio circuit, Catherine received an invitation to enroll at the State University. The letter not only smelled of ink but also had the freshly signed, still-spotting signature of the principal, and a very peculiar odor.
It smells like money! =①, College Admission Insurance: From the perspective of an ordinary family, a child receiving a college admission invitation is as unlucky as being hit by a car, so they can buy this kind of insurance when their child is in high school. Once the invitation is received, the insurance company will provide them with financial assistance according to the standards of local public schools.
However, even with insurance, many families still cannot afford the expensive tuition fees, and only Middle Class families are the main buyers of College Admission Insurance.