October 14, Monday, the third day after the media conference.
Zhao Chen was reviewing the third-quarter position adjustment plan sent by Chen Xi when the office door was knocked twice.
Shen Zhiyi opened the door and came in, holding an official invitation letter stamped with Zhengfa University Law School.
She wore a dark blue suit and skirt, and her hair was cut shorter than at New York.
He looked smart and neat, but when he placed the invitation on Zhao Chen's table, his fingers paused on the cover.
"Law School Dean personally signed it."
She sat down opposite him, with a solemn tone unique to her alma mater,
"The school has been waiting for you to return home.
Last time you were at New York, they wanted to contact you through me. I said it was not urgent and we would wait until you came back.
Now that you are back and the media conference has been held, they think the time is right.
The dean asked me to tell you that the time, topic, and format of the lecture are all decided by you.
I only have one request - I hope you can set aside time to communicate with the junior students at school."
Zhao Chen opened the invitation letter and glanced at the signature of the dean of the signature office.
The wording of the invitation is formal and restrained--
"Mr. Zhao Chen, as an outstanding alumnus of our school, has made outstanding achievements in the field of financial investment.
The school sincerely invites you to return to your alma mater to share your growth experience and career insights with your classmates."
He put the invitation on the table, raised his head and looked at Shen Zhiyi, and suddenly smiled.
"You go back this time not just as an alumnus.
She is the companion of the most talked-about alumni in the entire school in recent years.
He is also the key lawyer of the Henglong Legal Department, and one of the dean's most admired students back then.
They asked you to deliver this letter for a purpose."
Shen Zhiyi did not deny it, but raised the corner of his mouth slightly.
"The dean did ask me on the phone - 'Zhiyi, do you think Zhao Chen will be willing to come back?'
I told him he would come back."
Zhao Chen was silent for a few seconds, then folded the invitation and put it back into the envelope and placed it in the desk drawer.
"Tell them I don't need a podium,
No PPT required, no title required.
Just a classroom, a table, and a chair.
I want to talk to them - not about how much I earned, but about the years I spent at Zhengfa University.
If someone had told me back then,
A young man studying law will earn nearly 8 billion US Dollar on Bitcoin in the future,
I wouldn't believe it myself if I were to have a hunting battle with Short Sellers, the largest US Stocks in the Wall Street market.
But I have walked this road successfully. I want them to know that I am not the only one who can walk this road."
October 18, Friday.
Zhengfa University Most of the ginkgo leaves have turned yellow, and the campus is covered with golden fallen leaves.
When Zhao Chen and Shen Zhiyi got off the car, the dean and several teachers were already waiting at the door of Law School.
When Zhao Chen stepped out of the car, he looked past the dean and several teachers and landed on the gray-white Law School building behind them.
Shen Zhiyi got off the car from the other side, walked next to him, and followed his gaze towards the building.
"Do you feel like nothing has changed?"
"Nothing has changed." Zhao Chen looked away, walked towards Dean Zhou, stretched out his hand and shook it with him.
The dean held his hand and shook it vigorously, with a hint of unnoticeable excitement in his voice.
"Zhao Chen classmate, welcome home."
He did not use the title "Zhao Zong" or any title.
This is not a polite statement - Zhao Chen's student status files are still stored in Law School's archives.
"It means a lot to the whole Law School that you can come back this time.
Not only because of your subsequent achievements, but also because you are willing, as an alumnus, to talk candidly with your fellow students about the path you have taken.
This is the most essential thing of education--
It's not about teaching them how to succeed, it's about telling them how much struggle there is behind success."
Zhao Chen let go of the dean's hand.
The lecture will be held in Law School's largest lecture theater.
The classroom, which can accommodate 800 people, was packed with seats, and the aisles were packed with students sitting on the floor.
There was still a row of latecomers standing at the door, looking in on tiptoes.
There is no PPT on the podium, no LED screen, no high chair on the podium--
There was only a lecture table covered with a dark gray tablecloth and an ordinary wooden chair.
Shen Zhiyi is sitting in the first row by the window, which was her favorite seat in class.
She did not wear business attire today, but changed into a light gray sweater, and her long hair was draped casually over her shoulders.
The dean stood in front of the podium and introduced Zhao Chen with the briefest opening remarks.
He did not list any titles, did not mention Era Vanguard, did not mention Forbes ranking, he only said one sentence:
"Classmate Zhao Chen is back today to chat with you as an alumnus. Welcome classmate Zhao Chen."
The applause started from the back row and rushed to the podium in waves like breaking waves at high tide.
Zhao Chen stood up from the first row, walked to the podium, and pressed the microphone down a little.
He looked at the young faces in the audience and was silent for several seconds.
"Thank you, Dean Zhou. Thank you all.
My name is Zhao Chen. When I stand in this classroom today, when I see you, I see who I was a few years ago."
He took the microphone off the stand and walked to the podium.
He sat down on the edge of the podium and put his legs casually on the side of the podium.
There is less than two meters between us and the students in the first row of the audience.
"I'm not going to talk about investment today, I'm not going to talk about Bitcoin, I'm not going to talk about the numbers you may have seen on the news.
What I want to talk about is - a student of Zhengfa University, how he got to where he is today."
He switched the microphone to his other hand.
"..." He looked at the hundreds of pairs of eyes in the audience,
"... So, don't let your imagination be limited by your major. But don't let your imagination replace your major either.
What you learn will be used one day.
But when that moment will occur, no one can tell you in advance."
The classroom was quiet for a few seconds, and then the applause surged up like a flood.
Shen Zhiyi, who was sitting in the first row, didn't applaud, she just leaned back on her chair,
Looking at the man on the stage wearing a dark gray suit, sitting on the edge of the podium with his legs hanging on the side of the stage.
What he said just now is exactly the same as what he said to her in New York Suite.
Those words once belonged only to the two of them,
Now he gave those words to hundreds of young people in the audience who were just as confused and persistent as he was back then.
When I left Zhengfa University, all the street lights on campus were already on.
Zhao Chen and Shen Zhiyi walked side by side through the ginkgo forest, the golden fallen leaves making a slight crisp sound under their feet.
Shen Zhiyi suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at the Law School building--
The ivy on the west wall has completely blended into the night, with only a few windows still lit.
She said softly:
"You did it, not with money, but with every word you heard while sitting in this classroom."
Zhao Chen stretched out his hand, gently picked up a ginkgo leaf from Shen Zhiyi's shoulder, and then continued walking forward.
Shen Zhiyi stood there for a moment, watching his back being stretched under the street lights, and then chased after him.
The two people walked side by side through the campus, and the street lights lit up one by one behind them.
Ginkgo leaves fell silently in the night, covering the path from Law School to the school gate.