"Director, you wanted to see me." Zhou You was called to the management school office building early in the morning.
"I called you here today to discuss something. One of our library science professors has retired. The course he used to teach will now be taken over by you."
"No problem, I'll follow your arrangements. But since I'm your student, I'll need your guidance along the way." Zhou You seized the opportunity to ingratiate himself.
"Alright, you'll be teaching the Introduction to Library Science course. It starts with the freshmen, so it's not too difficult. Just prepare your lessons well, like when you used to substitute for me," Director Wang said casually.
Zhou You had often filled in as a teaching assistant during his graduate studies, so he was quite experienced.
Still, teaching for someone else and teaching on your own are different—at least the mindset shifts.
"Your paperwork is all done. It's a simple process. You'll officially start in July. Alright, you can head back now."
"Okay, feel free to reach out if you need anything," Zhou You said politely.
Leaving the building, Zhou You reflected on how, in this era, not everything was driven by money and self-interest. There was still some human warmth between people, especially from his advisor—an upright, kind old professor with the integrity of an intellectual, willing to help young people. Unfortunately, he hadn't lived up to expectations. In his past life, he rarely kept in touch with his teacher, even though they were in the same city. Too ashamed of his lack of achievements, he couldn't face his mentor.
As times changed and housing prices skyrocketed, people's hearts gradually decayed. Everything became about money—no profit, no action. The relationship between advisors and students mostly turned into a transactional one. With university expansion and employment pressure, even the bond between teachers and students grew strained. It was a complicated story.
With some free time, Zhou You went into the city to open a securities account. Now he just had to wait for the World Cup to start and make his first fortune.
He hadn't watched the World Cup since graduating—no energy for it, and no leisure to enjoy it. This time around, he wanted to go to the stadium a few times to soak in the atmosphere. Watching a match live and on TV were completely different experiences. The crowd's energy would stir your emotions and immerse you completely. Watching on TV, it was better with a group; alone, he sometimes dozed off. A fake fan, no doubt.
The 2010 World Cup. He remembered the opening ceremony, a few of Japan's matches, the semifinals, and the final. The rest was a blur. Those games should be enough to profit from—he couldn't be too greedy. Greed was exhausting.
As time passed, Zhou You grew to love his current life more and more—peaceful, interesting, and fulfilling. No more anxiously checking his phone, no more being jerked around like a puppet all day.
Living according to his own wishes—how delightful that was.
To be human, with no regrets.
Ring, ring, ring.
Zhou You's mother called.
"You, how's it going? Coming home for summer break?"
"Not for now. I'll be busy at school over the summer. I was just about to call you—I've confirmed the teaching position at the university."
"That's great, great. Being a teacher at school is good—not too tiring. Even if the pay is a bit less, don't push yourself too hard."
"Okay, I'll come home for a few days once I'm mostly done with summer work, but I can't stay long."
After a few pleasantries, his mother hung up.
Zhou You's family was in northern Huizhou, near the Central Plains region. His parents were farmers. Him getting into college was a stroke of incredible luck, and he'd have to rely on himself to buy a house and a car. That's why he'd been so eager to make money in his past life—a farmer's child had no safety net, only himself.
Now that he'd been reborn, he was still a bit disoriented. But since his parents were healthy and safe, there was no rush to visit them.
With nothing else to do, he headed to the library to read.
Zhou You read widely, but what he wanted most now was philosophy—both Eastern and Western. In his past life, philosophy had saved him countless times. Whenever he felt lost, he turned to the classics of Chinese sages: Zhuangzi, Laozi, Confucius, the Confucians, Legalists, Daoists, and Wang Yangming's School of Mind.
In his darkest moments, he loved Zhuangzi the most. Zhuangzi was the retreat for Chinese literati, the spiritual home of the Chinese people. His favorite was a line from the "Autumn Floods" chapter:
"From the perspective of the Dao, things have no nobility or baseness; From the perspective of things, each considers itself noble and others base; From the perspective of convention, nobility and baseness are not determined by oneself."
This wasn't chicken soup for the soul—it was a philosophy of life, a law of how society operates. Once you understood that law, you wouldn't blame yourself, because society truly doesn't reward effort alone. Life is full of variables. Many people turn to fate in middle age—out of helplessness, but also out of truth. In doing so, they forgive themselves and others, and that can be a form of release.
In his past life, Zhou You stumbled into philosophy by chance. One afternoon, feeling self-destructive, he went to a bookstore and found an introductory philosophy book. It felt like opening a door to a new world. His confusion—how many people over millennia had explored and popularized these questions? Why hadn't it spread widely?
Because philosophy is full of doubt—questioning the past, present, and future. But the ruling class demands stability and obedient subjects. So philosophy, as a discipline, rarely gets widespread promotion.
Philosophy is the study of fundamental and universal questions, a theoretical system of worldviews. A worldview is a general understanding of the nature of the world, the fundamental laws of its development, and the essential relationship between human thought and existence. Methodology is the way humans understand the world based on that worldview. It explores the nature of the universe, humanity's place in it, and other basic questions.
Of course, defining philosophy is incredibly difficult because philosophers themselves would question it. What we often call worldview, outlook on life, and values are actually guided by philosophy. Only by first understanding and structuring the world can you build a subsequent outlook on life and values. If your worldview wavers, your life wavers.
Take Zhou You's past self as an example. His worldview was hollow, unsystematic, imposed on him by the education he received since childhood. In truth, human nature seeks freedom. His life goal was to read books, write, wander around, and live a leisurely life—not to be endlessly busy meeting basic needs, producing no value for himself or society, with no satisfaction and no passion.
After studying philosophy, his mental state elevated. A simple analogy: driving—the farther you look ahead, the steadier you drive! Life is the same. Focusing only on what's in front of you leads to panic, losing direction, and things getting worse.
Reading is a lifelong pursuit.