The imperial university, starting from the establishment of the "Imperial University," gradually developed and improved over time.
The First Emperor placed particular emphasis on education, focusing on cultivating independent thinking among college students while not neglecting their foundational knowledge.
Thus, the empire boasts top universities like Tsinghua University and Yenching University, which rank among the world's top five, as well as other world-class institutions like Beijin University and Fuhua University...
In this era, the importance of universities has been deeply ingrained in the hearts of the empire's citizens.
Although universities in this world are not as highly focused on as they are in Li Chenchan's other timeline, and many people choose not to attend university but instead enter society after high school, it is extremely rare for a top student to skip university. In the history of the empire, there have been no more than a dozen such cases...
And now, Li Chenchan has become one of them!
Moreover, unlike other top students, Li Chenchan has gained significant fame due to his participation in "The Voice of China" and "Those Things in the Ming Dynasty." Any news about him quickly spreads widely. Therefore, his decision not to attend university is undoubtedly a major news story...
Many people have been drawn into this heated discussion.
Whether a person should attend university is not a mandatory decision in this world. There are no legal or social norms that enforce it—so, even if some people choose not to attend university, many others understand their decision.
However, in Li Chenchan's case, it is quite surprising, as he is the top humanities student from the educationally prestigious Tianfu Province!
Moreover, he has written a best-selling book and advanced to the semi-finals of "The Voice of China"!
While people are paying attention to him, they also have a general opinion about this news—does Li Chenchan feel that his success in "The Voice of China" and his best-selling book make him indifferent to university? This idea, once it spreads, becomes very influential.
After all, the easiest rumors to believe and spread are those that people can relate to...
This particular idea is especially believable—young people, full of passion, thinking they have enough strength to face the world without needing university...
But is this really correct?
Can a person really skip university?
Many people have expressed their opinions on this issue. Some support Li Chenchan, believing he has his own ideas and is brave and proactive, making him a very good young man. However, the majority think Li Chenchan is getting too carried away, and his current achievements have made him overly confident, bordering on self-inflation.
"Being young, they often see things in a narrow way. Sometimes they think attending university is unnecessary, which could lead to a decision they might regret for life!" Some old scholars and educators expressed deep concern about Li Chenchan's situation.
"Li Chenchan needs to calm down, focus on his studies, and temporarily set aside all his honors. He should complete his university education before discussing other matters. I believe this is the path he should take. Right now, he is really getting too self-inflated."
... Many critical and accusatory news stories emerged, further increasing the already high attention Li Chenchan was receiving.
Regardless of the timeline, exposure is crucial for a public figure. Li Chenchan's current level of exposure is not exaggerated; it is very high. As a result, in the past few days, the topic of Li Chenchan has been extremely hot. Among the four remaining contestants in "The Voice of China," he is undoubtedly the most popular, and the combined attention of the other three might not even match his.
But Li Chenchan himself would rather not have such high attention...
Because, on this day, as soon as the media was allowed to interview him, a large group of reporters appeared before him, thrusting microphones to his mouth.
All kinds of questions came one after another.
"Li Chenchan, why did you choose not to attend university?"
"Why did you drop out? Do you think your achievements make university unnecessary?"
"Do you really believe that Chinese universities are useless?"
The reporters' questions became increasingly outrageous, causing Li Chenchan to frown. These questions were designed to provoke and trap him with their own imagination.
But he certainly wouldn't fall into their trap...
Otherwise, the news might be twisted by the reporters into "Li Chenchan criticizes the empire's university education system"!
Li Chenchan thought for a moment, clarified the issues, and then answered the reporters: "First, I want to clarify that I have not dropped out; I am only taking a temporary leave of absence. As for the reason for my leave, I am not ready to disclose it. I am not skipping university because I think my achievements make it unnecessary, nor is it due to self-inflation. It is because of other reasons... University is very useful. It is an excellent place where many students can gain better knowledge and skills through their years of study... Universities are not useless..."
Although Li Chenchan's subsequent answers were not entirely airtight, they did prevent the reporters from achieving their goal of framing him to boost their media sales...
Li Chenchan insisted that he was on leave, not dropped out, and that he believed university was very useful. He chose not to attend for other reasons. This stance made him like a hedgehog, leaving the reporters with no way to attack him! So, the reporters, out of frustration, had to temporarily retreat.
Li Chenchan finally achieved a阶段性胜利...
In reality, Li Chenchan was almost exhausted from the conflicts with his family... Therefore, he did not want to give the reporters any leverage.
The tree wants to be still, but the wind will not stop!
Soon, the Rongcheng Literature and Art Publishing House felt they had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—Li Chenchan's decision not to attend university was like self-destruction! They believed they now had the perfect conditions to turn the tide in the sales of their new novel!
PS: I just got back to Kunming, tired and sleepy, so I won't thank the supporters for now. I'll fix the chapter disorder this afternoon and set a more reliable update schedule.