Chapter 112: Chairman Gong Has His Hands Full (Fourth Update—Please Subscribe)

"Hello, Old Gong."

"Don't call me Old Gong. It makes me feel uneasy."

"Oh, Little Gong, then."

"Little Gong? What part of me is little? Huh? In terms of seniority, you should be calling me Uncle!"

"Listen here, Gong Yingjie, have I given you too much leeway? Are you going to keep whining at me like this? Do you believe I’ll fly to Wuling City tomorrow and teach you a proper lesson?"

On the other end of the phone was a vibrant and beautiful young woman, currently gritting her teeth as she spoke into the receiver. Had it not been for the fact that she needed to find out some information, she would have hung up on him immediately.

"Look, Miss Liu, we haven't spoken in years. Just say what you need to say; I have work to do!"

Gong Yingjie looked helpless. His phone hadn't stopped ringing for days, and every call was from an "old" friend he hadn't heard from in years.

"It’s like this: I’m asking about someone."

The woman on the other end gathered her thoughts, but just as she was about to continue, Gong Yingjie cut her off ruthlessly.

"Is that person's name Zhao Jie?"

"Huh?"

The young woman froze, her sexy red lips slightly agape. I haven't even said anything yet—how did he know I was asking about this Zhao Jie?

"Listen closely, Liu Qingqing, I’m only saying this once."

"That's right, the Zhao Jie you're looking for is a student at Wuling No. 1 High School. His Digimon is an Agumon. Xiangnan University already reached out to him in March, and it is highly likely he will join them. That’s all I know. Bye, see you, goodnight."

*Beep, beep...*

The dial tone echoed, leaving the woman on the other end stunned. Why did he just hang up?

"Hello? Old Gong—pfft, I mean, Little Gong! Could you try to reach out to him on behalf of our academy? We can negotiate the terms; you know the reputation of Shanghai University."

Gong Yingjie: "..."

What was bound to happen couldn't be avoided. Looking at the list of academies in his notebook, he felt like crying but had no tears.

***

Over the past few days, Zhao Jie had deeply felt the change in his mother.

The first day he was home: "Son, you rest well. I’ll take care of these things."

The third day: "Get up! You're so big now, don't you feel sorry for your mother? You're just going to watch me do all these chores? Can't you lend a hand?"

"Hello, Teacher Li? Haha, everything is great. I was actually planning on bringing Agumon to visit you in a few days."

"What? President Gong wants to meet with me? He has something to discuss? That’s great! I’m free, I’m free. How about today?"

"Okay, okay. See you at the Digimon Association!"

Zhao Jie hung up the phone and looked at BlackAgumon, who was playing a game on his phone. BlackAgumon was currently in control of the body.

Unlike Agumon, who loved to eat, BlackAgumon loved gaming. It was currently in the middle of a slaughter...

Err...

Zhao Jie glanced at the score: 0/15/0.

It was being slaughtered by everyone else.

Zhao Jie waved at Agumon and then turned his gaze toward Gatomon, who was chasing something. On the phone screen, a magical girl was busy sealing Clow Cards.

Gatomon was watching *Cardcaptor Sakura* today.

*There is a sparkle in its eyes!* That was Zhao Jie’s first thought.

"They’re all weirdos," Zhao Jie muttered to himself before clapping his hands. "Guys, wrap up what you’re doing. Let’s head out for a bit."

"You go ahead," BlackAgumon replied. "I still need to finish this game."

Zhao Jie: "..."

Were they all planning to rebel? But thinking about it, maybe it wasn't so bad if they stayed behind; it wouldn't draw any unwanted attention.

"Fine, see you later."

Seeing his mother walking toward the room, Zhao Jie gave them a look of sympathy. Time to bolt!

Just as he reached the doorway, he heard his mother’s voice.

"What do you think you're doing? We’re doing a deep clean today! Both of you, put those phones away!"

Gatomon: "..."

BlackAgumon: "Is it too late to take that back?"

***

When Zhao Jie arrived at the Digimon Association, he was greeted at the door by his old friend, Li Ping.

"What is the President looking for me about?"

Zhao Jie cordially handed over some gifts he had bought for the middle-aged man while probing for information. He didn't have much of a connection with President Gong, so he was genuinely curious why the man would suddenly want to see him.

"I’m not entirely sure, but it should be related to the universities," Li Ping said, scratching his head. He didn't know the specifics; President Gong would have to explain it himself.

"By the way, how is Agumon doing..."

"He has fully recovered."

The two chatted as they walked, soon arriving at Gong Yingjie’s office.

"Hello, President."

Zhao Jie looked at President Gong with curiosity. When they first met, the man’s Woodmon had left quite an impression on him.

But now?

It was no big deal, considering both of his own Digimon had already achieved Super Evolution. In terms of pure strength, they were likely no worse than that Woodmon.

"Please, sit."

Gong Yingjie gestured for Zhao Jie to take a seat, his eyes scanning the young man incessantly. *He looks so ordinary,* he thought.

Clearing his throat, Gong Yingjie spoke. "I brought you here today for no other reason than to ask: with the final exams less than a month away, which university are you planning to apply to?"

So it was about the universities, and it seemed he was a lobbyist for a certain school.

"Does the President have any suggestions?"

Logically, since he had already agreed to join Xiangnan University, and this man likely knew that from Li Ping, the fact that he was still acting as a lobbyist—and using his authority as the Wuling City Association President to do so—meant the university behind him must be significant.

"Ahem. As far as our Digimon science universities in China go, only a few produce true talent. Shanghai University is top-tier in both faculty and resources. How about it? Any interest in studying in Shanghai?" Gong Yingjie looked at Zhao Jie expectantly.

*Shanghai!*

It was unexpected, yet reasonable.

"President, I’ll be blunt. Xiangnan University has offered me great benefits, and I have already decided to attend there," Zhao Jie said, looking at Gong Yingjie apologetically.

Not to mention anything else, Director Zheng had traveled a great distance to rescue him not long ago. If he switched to Shanghai now, wouldn't he be letting Director Zheng down? That was something Zhao Jie couldn't bring himself to do.

A person cannot stand without credibility; integrity is the most important thing.