Chapter Thirty: This Is What University Should Truly Be Like!

[#LonghaiUniversityDivineConstructionSite#]

This hashtag, like a lit stick of high explosive, violently tore through the rankings of every social media platform within a few hours, claiming the number one spot on the trending list with an irrefutable dominance. Its popularity even eclipsed the scandals of A-list celebrities and major international news.

The deluge of traffic was so overwhelming that the technical staff overseeing the backend of He Yu’s livestream watched the concurrent user count graph—which was nearing the breaking point—with palms slick with cold sweat. The servers were screaming.

The number of viewers flooding into the livestream had soared from hundreds of thousands to millions, and it continued to climb at a heart-stopping pace. On the screen, the original barrage of comments urging progress or making jokes had been completely submerged. In their place was a storm of text woven from shock, envy, jealousy, and disbelief.

"Holy crap! Double-occupancy dorms! Air conditioning and private bathrooms! I have a PhD from a top-tier university, and my living conditions aren't even this good!"

"Is that cafeteria for real? A buffet with dozens of dishes? I suspect I’m not watching a construction site livestream, but the kitchen of a five-star hotel."

"To the person above, stop being bitter. I work in this industry, and I’ll tell you what this means. It means they actually treat our workers like human beings!"

"This must be fake, right? It’s definitely a PR stunt! A model room! It’s just for the video; I don't believe hundreds of people actually get to live like this!"

Skepticism clashed with praise, and curiosity mingled with envy. The eyes of the entire internet were focused on this tiny livestream, and on the impossibly young university president before the lens. Countless people waited for his explanation, or rather, waited for him to offer a defense for this "fanciful" PR stunt.

However, faced with a tsunami of public opinion that would have sent any PR team into a panic, He Yu’s expression did not change in the slightest. He sat there quietly, his deep eyes reflecting the rapidly scrolling comments, as calm as the eye of a storm.

He did not rush to speak. He was waiting. Waiting for the number of viewers to climb to a new peak, waiting for the emotions of the crowd to reach their boiling point. Finally, he raised his hand and made a downward pressing gesture toward the camera. It was a simple motion, yet it carried an undeniable weight.

He began to speak slowly, his voice carried clearly and steadily to every corner of the internet through top-tier audio equipment.

"Every brick and every tile of Longhai University carries the sweat and hope of our workers."

He spoke with a deliberate pace, leaving enough space between words so that each one could be heard clearly and understood deeply. The barrage of comments in the livestream miraculously thinned out. Everyone held their breath.

"They are not merely builders." He Yu’s gaze pierced through the lens, as if locking eyes with every viewer behind their screen. "They are the founders of this university, and they deserve the utmost respect and treatment."

There was no impassioned tone, no flowery or empty rhetoric. It was straightforward, yet struck home with the force of a hammer.

"Therefore, what you see in the video is not a special favor—it is their standard of living, exactly what they deserve."

*Standard.*

That single word struck like a heavy bomb, detonating in the hearts of countless ordinary laborers. Those voices still questioning if this was just a "show" now seemed pale and powerless.

He Yu’s voice continued, calm and firm.

"This is only the beginning. In the future, every faculty member, and even every student at Longhai University, will enjoy the same, if not better, standards."

As his words fell, the entire livestream descended into a deathly silence that lasted for several seconds. The comments stopped. It was as if time had been pressed to pause.

The next second, the pent-up emotions erupted like a volcano, completely blowing up the entire internet.

The volume of comments reached an unprecedented, terrifying level. Densely packed text completely covered the screen, forming a spectacular white waterfall.

"I’m tearing up... I’m a grown man who has been laying bricks on construction sites for ten years, and this is the first time I’ve ever heard the term 'founder' used for us."

"This is what a boss should be! This is vision! Treating employees like people, not as consumables!"

"Is '996' really a blessing? Can you eat the empty promises your boss feeds you? Everyone, take a look at what true respect for labor looks like!"

"I take back my earlier skepticism. I apologize to President He! I’m sorry!"

"Longhai University, from today on, you are the white moonlight in my heart!"

These words, without a shred of sentimentality, precisely pierced the most sensitive and vulnerable nerve of the current era. In a social climate where "996 is a blessing" is held up as a golden rule and "bosses making empty promises" is the norm, far too many ordinary people have, in their day-to-day toil, long forgotten how to even spell the word "respect."

He Yu and his Longhai University did not spout ethereal, high-minded theories. Instead, through the most direct, blunt, and warm practical actions, they demonstrated a simple yet forgotten truth to everyone:

Labor should be respected.
Laborers should have dignity.

This image reached far deeper into the hearts of the people than any shocking academic achievement or world-leading scientific breakthrough ever could. It touched the broadest segment of society—the silent majority.

At this moment, the reputation and prestige of Longhai University were no longer that of an aloof, mysterious ivory tower of academia. It had been imbued with warmth and given a soul. It reached a brand-new, heart-warming height, earning a broader and more sincere social acclaim than any previous trending topic.

Countless people—whether white-collar workers sitting in bright, clean offices, laborers sweating on assembly lines, or farmers working hard in the fields—felt the same ripple in their hearts when they saw this news.

Countless people sighed with emotion: *This is what a university should look like!*