Research Group

Murong Feng woke up in the glaring sunlight. The floor-to-ceiling windows in the bedroom had no curtains, and the morning sun was shining intensely on the bed. For a moment, Murong Feng felt disoriented, but then he slowly remembered the drunken night and the vague figure in the driver's seat. Who had brought him home?

Murong Feng called Wang Yizhi, who answered with a teasing tone, "Hey, Murong, how was last night? Did anything happen?" Murong Feng was puzzled, "What do you mean, did anything happen?" Wang Yizhi's voice grew louder, "No way, nothing happened? Murong, you're such a letdown!" After a round of meaningless banter, Murong Feng learned that it was Ye Zi who had taken him home.

Murong Feng suddenly recalled some fragmented images—a pair of gentle, beautiful eyes gazing at him with deep emotion, a delicate figure struggling to lay him down, considerately removing his shoes and socks, and covering him with a quilt. It seemed he even felt a soft touch on his lips...

Murong Feng sighed deeply. The hardest thing to repay is the kindness of a beauty. Remembering Ye Zi's fresh face, her sunny smile, and charming demeanor, he wondered if it was time to start a new life now that Nian Nian was gone.

In any case, he had to thank Ye Zi. He immediately called her to thank her for taking him home and mentioned that he would be back at school the day after tomorrow to join Professor Chen's research group discussion. He asked if they could have dinner together. Ye Zi agreed.

Ye Zi gently put down the phone, and the sadness that had lingered since the previous night suddenly dissipated. It was a sunny day outside, and Ye Zi smiled.

Two days later, it was the day Murong Feng had promised to participate in Professor Chen's research group discussion. Early in the morning, Murong Feng arrived at the university. Professor Chen's office was on the third floor of the Chinese Language and Literature Research Building. Murong Feng was walking upstairs, head down, and just as he reached the corner, he came face to face with a girl carrying books down the stairs. He quickly stepped aside to let her pass, but the girl exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, it's you!?" Murong Feng looked up to see that it was the girl he had met at the tea room, Cheng Shanshan.

Murong Feng smiled and nodded, "What a coincidence, junior sister." Cheng Shanshan wrinkled her nose and pouted, "Junior sister sounds weird, just call me Cheng Shanshan." Murong Feng laughed, "Didn't you call me senior brother at the tea room? Calling you junior sister is just right." Noticing that she was holding a thick book on classical literature, he asked curiously, "You're here so early to ask the professor questions? Shanshan, you're really a diligent student!" The third floor was where the Chinese Department professors' offices were, so Cheng Shanshan must have just come out of one of them.

Cheng Shanshan smiled, "I wanted to ask Professor Chen a question, but the door was locked." Murong Feng was surprised, "Really? Professor Chen isn't here yet?" With no other option, Murong Feng and Cheng Shanshan went back downstairs together.

In the university campus during the morning, the roads were filled with students hurrying to their classes, creating a bustling scene. Seeing a student skillfully balancing a cup of soy milk in one hand, a plastic bag with buns in the other, and a few notebooks under his arm, Murong Feng couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. It had been years since he had rushed between classes.

Standing together outside the Chinese Language and Literature Research Building, waiting for Professor Chen, Murong Feng asked curiously, "Don't you have classes this morning?" Cheng Shanshan blushed, not wanting to admit she had skipped class to avoid an annoying pursuer, and softly said she had no classes that morning. She had originally planned to go to the library to read but decided to stay and talk to Murong Feng.

"By the way, Murong Feng, your performance as Chu Fan in the play the day before yesterday was amazing!" Cheng Shanshan suddenly remembered, excitedly. Murong Feng smiled, "You watched it too?" Cheng Shanshan nodded, "I don't usually watch plays, but my dormmates dragged me along that night. I didn't expect it to be so good. Especially your play, 'Youth.' I cried when you and the girl playing Wen Hui separated." She glanced at him shyly.

Murong Feng thought of Ye Zi and couldn't help but sigh. Ye Zi, that sunny girl, that kind and affectionate girl. Thinking about having dinner with her that night, he suddenly felt a sense of anticipation.

From a distance, Professor Chen Xuebin approached. Seeing Murong Feng waiting downstairs, he laughed warmly, "Little Murong, why are you here so early? Come on up to my office... You must be Cheng Shanshan, right?" He noticed the girl standing next to Murong Feng and kindly asked.

Cheng Shanshan quickly answered, "Yes, Professor Chen, I'm in the second class of the third year. I love your lectures and wanted to ask you a question today." Professor Chen nodded and smiled, "Good, good. Let's go upstairs and talk."

After they went upstairs, Professor Chen first kindly answered Cheng Shanshan's question. Realizing they had other matters to discuss, she excused herself but not before giving Murong Feng a shy smile as she left.

Professor Chen, amused by the young students, laughed, "Little Murong, you still attract the girls!" Murong Feng felt a bit embarrassed and said, "I met her at a tea house. She's impressive, working part-time while studying." Not wanting to dwell on the topic, he quickly asked, "Professor, what's the theme for today's research group discussion? It's my first time attending, and I'm not sure what to prepare."

Professor Chen waved his hand and smiled, "No rush. We'll wait for your other senior brothers. Besides me and Ruoyun, there are professors from Nanjing University, Zhejiang University, and Sun Yat-sen University involved. Here, I'm mainly supervising three graduate students. With you, there will be four. Since I'm leading this project, your participation will be more intensive. When they arrive, I'll introduce you. In the initial research phase, there's plenty for you to prepare. For now, just get acquainted and listen."

Murong Feng nodded, understanding the composition of the research group.

Soon, there was a knock at the door, and three people entered—two men and a woman. Murong Feng recognized two of them immediately.

One was Chen Ke, a classmate from his undergraduate days, and the other was Zhao Jianning, a senior from the Chinese Department, who had always looked out for him.

The girl, whom he didn't recognize, was in her early twenties, about 1.6 meters tall, wearing a white floral shirt and blue jeans. Her short hair barely covered her ears, and she wore black-framed glasses that didn't detract from her beauty. Her snow-white skin and delicate features made her stand out, with a slightly proud look on her pursed lips. She glanced at Murong Feng, guessing he was the new graduate student joining the research group.

Chen Ke rushed over to Murong Feng, giving him a bear hug and laughing, "Murong, still as handsome as ever after all these years!" Murong Feng chuckled, "Chen Ke, even if I am that handsome, don't be so straightforward. It makes me shy." Zhao Jianning laughed, "Murong, you've finally arrived. The professor has been talking about you for days."

Chen Xuebin knew that they all recognized each other. After they finished reminiscing about the past, he smiled and introduced Murong Feng, "Little Murong, this is my doctoral student, Li Suyan. She graduated from the Chinese Department at Shuimu University. You should get to know each other." Murong Feng was stunned—she was a doctoral student! And who said Shuimu had no beauties?

Murong Feng quickly smiled and nodded, "Hello, senior sister!" Li Suyan frowned slightly but then smiled and said, "Don't call me senior sister. It feels like we're in a martial arts novel. Just call me by my name. Nice to meet you!"

Murong Feng agreed verbally but thought to himself that this Li Suyan seemed a bit difficult to approach.

The three of them chatted briefly, and Murong Feng learned that Chen Ke had been admitted to Professor Chen's master's program a year after graduating, and Zhao Jianning was in a combined master's and doctoral program. When the discussion turned to the research group, Chen Xuebin gave a brief introduction, stating that there were a few main research directions.

The first direction focused on corporate culture research, aiming to explore how traditional Chinese culture and morality play a role in promoting and regulating economic development through extensive surveys of successful domestic enterprises.

The second direction involved the analysis and study of cultural exchanges and infiltration between China and foreign countries. By selecting cases where foreign cultures have had significant influence, they aimed to explore how to enhance the global influence of traditional Chinese culture, especially in the context of China's relatively small impact from the global financial and economic crisis.

The third direction was more oriented toward education and training. It aimed to better popularize traditional culture among the younger generation. In this economic society, children are exposed to various cultural and ideological influences, but traditional culture is mainly promoted through television programs like "Lecture Room," which is clearly insufficient. Educational reform is too broad, so this research direction combined economic means to explore whether traditional culture could be integrated into early childhood education and private training institutions. Currently, there are countless English and overseas training programs but none for traditional culture, which is puzzling given China's historical emphasis on family, private, and state education systems.

However, this also involved the current status of traditional culture in an economic society. Without tangible benefits, it is hard to generate interest. This was a long-term research topic.

After some thought, Murong Feng felt that the corporate culture research suited him best. After all, he had started his own company and could use this opportunity to seriously understand how to shape the internal spirit of his company through corporate culture. He expressed his willingness to join the corporate culture research group.

Chen Xuebin assigned Murong Feng a task: to review the relevant materials and write a report on well-known domestic companies noted for their corporate culture and the characteristics of each company's culture. He also encouraged Murong Feng to discuss any questions with Li Suyan, who he then found out was the leader of the corporate culture research group. Murong Feng wondered if she got the position solely because she was a doctoral student.

The discussion was lively, and they had a quick lunch at the cafeteria before returning to the office to continue. Before they knew it, it was already past 5 PM. When Murong Feng glanced at his watch and realized it was almost dinnertime, he awkwardly mentioned that he had an appointment and asked if he could leave early. Professor Chen reminded him to have his report ready for the next week's discussion. Chen Ke and Zhao Jianning gave him knowing smiles, with Chen Ke winking suggestively, clearly thinking he had a date with a girl. Murong Feng repeatedly apologized before leaving with an embarrassed smile.

Ye Zi had been anxious since the afternoon, unable to settle down. She had tried on several outfits, but none seemed right. Her roommates, exasperated, commented, "Ye Zi, it's just a dinner. Do you need to be this nervous? It seems like Murong Senior is really something, making our innocent school flower fall into the trap of love."

Blushing, Ye Zi retorted, "Don't talk nonsense. We're just good friends. ...Oh, come on, help me pick. How about this dress?" The girls laughed and teased her.

When Ye Zi received the call and ran downstairs, Murong Feng, despite being accustomed to her beauty, was still amazed. Ye Zi wore a blue bubble-sleeve dress that revealed her snow-white calves, making her look incredibly cute.

Her silky hair flowed naturally like a waterfall, her bangs neatly cut at her eyebrows. Her snow-white face was flushed, either from excitement or the run downstairs, making her look as radiant as a pearl or jade. When their eyes met, Murong Feng felt her joy and naturally smiled, "Ye Zi, you look beautiful today!"

Ye Zi was naturally pleased, thinking about how her roommates had insisted she wear this cute bubble-sleeve princess dress, saying men liked cute girls. It seemed they were right. She smiled, "Thanks for the compliment! Murong, shall we go?"

Walking side by side, Murong Feng's handsome and upright figure, paired with Ye Zi's radiant beauty, naturally became a stunning sight in the early autumn evening on campus. Ye Zi's roommates crowded by the window, watching their retreating figures and commenting, "Actually, if Ye Zi and Murong Senior became a couple, they'd be a great match!" Another added, "Of course, not only is Murong Senior handsome, but he's also super rich. I even saw him driving a black Mercedes jeep to bring Ye Zi back last time!" "Silly girl, that's not called a Jeep, it's an SUV!" "Alright, you're just showing off because your boyfriend likes cars..."