I Want to Be a Scientist

What Lu Zhou hadn't expected was that after someone tagged him beneath the Weibo post reposted by Shunfeng's CEO, what he had taken as a joke actually resulted in him receiving an offer from Shunfeng Group.

Since they didn't have his email address, the offer was sent directly to the school mailroom, naturally through SF Express.

And most unfortunately, when the mailroom called his phone and told him to pick it up, he hadn't connected it with any offer at all. He opened the package right there, and several upperclassmen collecting deliveries nearby saw it.

Perhaps some of them had applied to Shunfeng before. In any case, someone recognized the offer.

Thinking back to the incident that had pushed him onto the trending searches a few days ago...

Now everyone knew that President Wang of Shunfeng hadn't been joking after all!

This time, Lu Zhou had not only made a splash on Weibo, but had also taken over everyone's Moments at school. All kinds of reposts saying "Worship the genius" and "Worship the top student" made it impossible for him to keep a low profile.

Although top students weren't uncommon at Jin University, hardly anyone had ever seen one this ridiculously outstanding!

He had landed an offer with an annual salary of five hundred thousand in his freshman year. Once this monster graduated, who knew how terrifying he would become!

Even some alumni who had already graduated were lamenting that they had wasted their four years in college. They had studied the hottest fields, earned stacks of certificates, struggled in the workplace for three to five years, changed jobs seven or eight times, and in the end only earned pre-tax monthly salaries of twenty to thirty thousand.

Then they looked in the mirror. Middle-aged, and almost bald.

An annual salary of five hundred thousand was a figure most people could only look up to.

Yet Lu Zhou was feeling rather unsettled.

He was torn over what to do with this offer.

Ever since receiving it yesterday, he had read it over several times. He had to admit that the terms offered by Shunfeng Group were extremely tempting: an annual salary of five hundred thousand, equity incentives after three years, and more.

To be honest, Lu Zhou had indeed been tempted by that salary.

How could he not be? Five hundred thousand a year, with raises and equity incentives to come. Work three to five years, and he would have a house and a car. Then he could find some rich, beautiful woman worthy of his handsome face, and he would be a guaranteed winner in life!

But when he thought of that damn system of his, Lu Zhou suddenly fell silent.

Though the system had screwed him over countless times, he still felt that with it, his value should be far greater than this.

At the very least, he wasn't someone who could be bought out for a mere five hundred thousand...

"Elb... Brother Lu, have you decided what to do with that offer?" Liu Rui had originally wanted to call him Elbow, but for some reason, when the words reached his lips, the aura of a winner in life radiating from Lu Zhou suppressed him, and he unconsciously changed how he addressed him.

Lu Zhou looked at Liu Rui, fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Are you very envious right now?"

Liu Rui froze, then said, "Isn't that obvious... Who wouldn't be?"

Did that even need asking?!

Lu Zhou sighed. "But I... plan to turn it down."

Liu Rui: ???

Though he knew Elbow was about to show off again, he still couldn't control his mouth and couldn't help asking.

"Why? It's such a great opportunity."

Lu Zhou looked up at the sky and said, "Because this isn't the life I want."

Seeing Liu Rui, he suddenly figured it out.

An annual salary of five hundred thousand was enough to make many people look up in admiration, but in the end, it was merely an ordinary person's goal. Forget five hundred thousand—even a million a year, even an offer from one of the world's top hundred or top ten companies, was fundamentally the same.

Now that he had a system, why would he work for someone else?

Lu Zhou had completely figured it out.

Working for someone else was out of the question. He would never work for someone else in this lifetime.

Liu Rui was speechless for a while, then asked, "What kind of life do you want? No, I mean, once you have money, what kind of life can't you live?"

"I want to be a scientist."

Liu Rui: "..."

Damn it, Fat Tiger really wants to fight.

After all, they had formally sent him an offer.

Lu Zhou felt that replying through the email address listed on the offer would seem insufficiently formal. After thinking it over, he finally decided to call the number listed on the offer during lunch break and politely express his refusal.

After listening to him, the person on the other end fell silent for about ten seconds before suddenly saying, "Think it's too little? Come to Shenzhen. I'll reimburse your round-trip airfare, and we can talk face-to-face."

Lu Zhou: ???

Were HR people this domineering these days?

Seeing that Lu Zhou didn't speak, the person on the other end cleared his throat and said softly, "Let me introduce myself. I'm Wang Wei."

Holy shit?

The phone number left on the offer wasn't from the Human Resources Department?

How idle was this CEO...

If Wang Wei knew what Lu Zhou was thinking at that moment, he wondered whether he would be angered enough to cough up blood.

Lu Zhou wasn't intimidated just because the person calling him was a big shot on the Forbes Rich List. He took a deep breath and continued, "It isn't a matter of too much or too little money. I feel that my knowledge and abilities are still lacking, and there is much I need to learn. So although your proposal is very tempting, I currently have no plans to seek employment. I'm truly sorry."

However, the other side did not give up. In the tone of an elder, Wang Wei continued, "There are many things you can learn through work and in society. You don't necessarily have to remain in an ivory tower. I believe that if you come here, you can learn more things that interest you. And honestly, if you can already write an algorithm like this, there isn't much university can still teach you. What you need are resources and opportunities for practical experience. Those are things a school can hardly provide, but I can."

At this point, he paused, smiled, and continued, "If you're worried that your academic qualifications might become an obstacle to future promotions, you don't need to worry at all. Academic credentials are used to screen out mediocrities; they don't apply to exceptional talents. I value ability and results more than GPA."

Lu Zhou sighed inwardly, secretly impressed.

As expected of an extraordinary man who had built himself up from nothing and fought his way onto the Forbes Rich List. That bearing, that eagerness to recruit talent... If it had been him two months ago, he would probably have been moved by such appreciation, bowed his head, and acknowledged Wang Wei as his big brother.

It seemed there really was still much he needed to learn...

"Sorry." Lu Zhou shook his head and said calmly, "Although I'm very grateful that you think so highly of me, I have no plans to seek employment now or in the future... I hope that when we meet next time, it will be as business partners."

The person on the other end was clearly taken aback, then laughed without bothering to hide it.

"Hahahaha, then I'll look forward to it."

With such a thorough rejection, there was naturally nothing more to say.

After hanging up, Wang Wei smiled and shook his head, tossing his phone onto the desk.

"That kid speaks interestingly."

Become a business partner of Shunfeng Group? He sure had a big mouth.

If he wanted to get that far, he should first think about how to survive angel funding!

There were far too many technicians starting their own businesses, and far too many who had died on the beach. Without capital's favor, having technical skills alone gave them no chance to put those skills into practice.

He had already seen who knew how many resignation letters submitted under the banner of entrepreneurship.