Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Dormitory Was Practically Heaven, and Students Across the Internet Lost It

Liu Jianguo’s rough, calloused thumb hovered over his phone screen for a long time.

His fingertips, hardened into a thick layer of keratin from years of working with steel and concrete, were trembling slightly.

On the screen was his old phone, which he had used for five years. The camera lens was a bit blurry, yet it still clearly captured the room behind him—a dormitory so brand new it felt surreal.

He just wanted to record a short video to show his daughter back home. He wanted her to know that her father was doing well out here—very well.

He gently pressed the "Record" button.

The camera began to pan, following his slightly unsteady arm.

"Daughter, look, this is where Dad is living now," Liu Jianguo said, his voice a bit stiff, carrying an irrepressible, prideful excitement, as if he were showing off a treasure.

The camera swept across the room.

It wasn't the dim, damp construction shed he had imagined, nor was it one of those prefabricated cabins where a dozen people were crammed together, the air thick with the stench of sweat and feet.

Here, it was bright and clean.

The walls were snow-white, the floors polished and gleaming, and there were two separate single beds. When he pressed down on the mattress, it was so soft that half his palm sank into it.

"Look at this bed; it’s softer than the one we have at home."

The camera then wobbled toward the air conditioner in the corner. On its brand-new casing, the logo shimmered under the light.

"Air conditioning, see that? It’s a big brand. It can run twenty-four hours a day, blowing out a nice, cool breeze."

He walked to the corner of the room and pushed open a frosted glass door.

"And this, a private bathroom. I can take hot showers here."

He turned on the showerhead, and a stream of warm water splashed onto the pristine tiles, sending up a cloud of mist.

He didn't use flowery language; he simply used the most honest words possible, like a child showing off a beloved toy, to record it all.

At the end of the video, he pointed the camera at himself.

His weather-beaten face crinkled into a smile, revealing a set of teeth slightly yellowed by tobacco.

"Don't worry about me. Dad is living here like it's heaven."

He sent the video.

Without giving it much thought, he shoved his phone under his pillow and drifted into a deep sleep, accompanied by the comfortable, cool breeze of the air conditioner.

It was the most peaceful sleep he had had in the twenty years he had spent working away from home.

The next morning, before the construction site whistle had even blown, Liu Jianguo was awakened by the frantic vibration of his phone.

He fumbled for the device, eyes bleary, and unlocked the screen.

The next second, he froze.

The screen was flooded with so many notifications that the phone nearly crashed. His short-video social media account had, overnight, been inundated with tens of thousands of likes, comments, and shares.

His follower count had skyrocketed from seven to over 100,000.

"Old Liu! You’re famous! You’re damn famous!"

The dormitory door was pushed open violently, and several coworkers rushed in, their faces filled with incredulous excitement.

"Holy cow, Old Liu, your video is trending!"

"Look at these comments, everyone is so jealous of you!"

Liu Jianguo’s mind went blank. He stared blankly as he scrolled through the screen, watching the comments roll by, his heart pounding uncontrollably.

The video's comment section had completely collapsed.

The dormitory, which rivaled university faculty apartments and was more comfortable than some budget hotels, created a massive cognitive gap with the public's impression of "dirty, chaotic, and substandard" construction sites.

This sharp contrast was like a bombshell, detonating in the online world.

Countless netizens were stunned by what they saw.

"Whoa! This is a construction site dorm? Are you sure it's not a newly built doctoral apartment at some university?"

"These conditions are too good! I'm jealous, truly jealous!"

"Hey blogger, is your site still hiring? I’m a 985-university graduate, I can handle hardship, and I know how to lay bricks!"

Having tasted the sweetness of viral traffic, and encouraged by his coworkers, a dazed Liu Jianguo started his first-ever livestream.

"Brothers, I’m... I’m live."

He spoke to the lens, his palms sweating from nerves, unable to get his words out smoothly.

Yet, the viewership in his livestream instantly broke through 50,000.

The comments flooded in like a breached dam.

"Don't be nervous, streamer, show us the dorm again!"

"Yeah, yeah! I want to see that private bathroom!"

Under the guidance of his coworkers, Liu Jianguo took a deep breath, raised his phone again, and showed the audience every corner of the dorm in detail.

The cool breeze from the AC, the hot water from the shower, the bed so soft one could sink into it...

Every real detail struck the nerves of everyone watching.

After the dorm tour, it was time for breakfast.

"Come on, brothers, let me show you the food at our site!"

Liu Jianguo held his phone up and marched with his coworkers toward the cafeteria.

When he pointed his lens toward the serving area, the entire livestream fell into a three-second deathly silence.

Then, a volcanic eruption of comments followed.

In the shot was a massive cafeteria that could rival a star-rated hotel buffet.

On the long warming counters sat dozens of stainless steel trays.

Golden, crispy fried dough sticks, steaming hot freshly ground soy milk, plump meat buns, pure milk, boiled eggs, millet porridge, stir-fried rice noodles, pan-fried dumplings...

Chinese style, Western style, staples, side dishes, drinks—everything one could want was there.

A professional catering team in clean white uniforms was busy in the back kitchen.

Workers lined up with trays, faces full of smiles, taking whatever they wanted and as much as they liked.

Liu Jianguo picked up a tray and served himself a fried dough stick, two meat buns, a bowl of soy milk, and a fried egg.

He found a seat, aimed the camera at his hearty breakfast, and said, "Brothers, digging in!"

He took a bite of the crispy dough stick, which made a loud "crunch."

It was that sound.

It completely shattered the psychological defenses of countless college students across the country.

Countless students—who were currently lining up for cafeteria food often mocked as "swill," living in eight-person "dog kennels" without air conditioning in the summer, and without heating in the winter—were completely broken.

They poured into Liu Jianguo’s livestream like madmen.

The comments shifted instantly from curiosity and envy to naked, bitter jealousy.

"I’m broken! I hereby announce I’m dropping out. Is the Longhai University construction site still hiring? I don't need a salary, just food and housing!"

A user with the ID "Tsinghua Student" posted this tearful accusation.

"People really can't be compared! Our school stuffs eight people in a room, and we even have to buy our own fans, while the workers' dorm looks like heaven!"

"I'm crying. My mom keeps telling me to eat more, but the buns in our cafeteria aren't even fit for dogs! Look at their breakfast—I suspect I’m not attending a university, but a prison!"

"To the person above, you're not alone! Our dorm doesn't even have a private bathroom; we have to go to a public bathhouse a kilometer away, and the water is always fluctuating between freezing and scalding!"

"These conditions are a hundred, a thousand times better than my college dorm!"

"Stop, stop, I’m going to have a breakdown! I’m currently waiting in line to buy a three-yuan steamed bun from our cafeteria that doesn't even have a filling!"

Amidst the frenzy of comments, sharp-eyed netizens quickly spotted a blind spot.

As a close-up shot swept past the cafeteria entrance, a site map hanging on the wall flashed by.

Though it was only for a second, the words "Valley of Hope" and "Longhai University" were clearly captured.

"Holy crap! Brothers! I recognize this!"

A gold-colored, bolded comment instantly grabbed everyone's attention.

"Look at the background! This is the construction site for Longhai University! The one that President He is building—the university for everyone!"

This comment was like a drop of water in a pot of boiling oil.

The entire internet exploded!

Longhai University!

The name itself carried massive, million-level traffic and attention.

The news spread like wildfire. Countless students, netizens, and donors who were already following the progress of Longhai University flooded into Liu Jianguo’s livestream through various channels.

The popularity of the stream began to soar at a terrifying speed.

One hundred thousand!

Two hundred thousand!

Three hundred thousand!

Five hundred thousand!

Liu Jianguo looked at the jumping numbers on his screen, his hand gripping the phone shaking more violently than ever before.

He, an ordinary construction worker, had only wanted to share his joy with his family.

He had never expected that, unintentionally, he would push this feast known as "someone else’s construction site life" right before the eyes of every young person on the entire internet.