RBCT Chapter 21 Will you?
Chapter 21 Will you?
This week, Lin Chen was sent to the provincial capital training base to take the advanced qualification certificate exam.
I registered at the beginning of the year, but wasn't notified of the exam until the end of the year.
With such a long scheduling period, people who don't know the situation might think it's the Olympics.
Water industry professionals generally know the value of an advanced qualification certificate. Having it is like having a stepping stone to becoming a leader. Even if you don't become a leader, it's more than enough to become a technical expert or trainer.
After all, in this system, ability is all just a facade; the piece of paper is what truly matters.
The company's so-called expert lecturers give lectures that are utter garbage, yet they supposedly get 500 yuan per lecture—it's practically robbery. Lin Chen listened to a few lectures and thought he could do it too.
The advanced certificate is not easy to obtain.
You have to pass the beginner and intermediate levels before you can challenge the advanced level. It's like leveling up in a game. The written test covers a wide range of topics, like finding a needle in a haystack, and there isn't even a question bank. The practical test is even more dangerous, involving climbing high places or going into the water.
What's even more impressive is that the company also controls the pass rate, keeping the number of people who pass at around 20% each year.
Controlling the pass rate is a good thing; otherwise, everyone in the company would be a senior technician, and this skill would become worthless. Lin Chen was precisely controlled; he took the exam twice, felt good both times, but when the results were announced, they were both appalling.
In Suicheng, a county-level water company, there are only a handful of people with advanced professional qualifications, and only a few leaders have them, which is probably not a coincidence.
Before setting off, Tang Yuwei came over to encourage Lin Chen: "Class monitor, good luck, I believe you can definitely pass."
Lin Chen smiled and said, "Don't be silly. I never planned on it. I just wanted to go out and have some fun." This was his true thought. He had failed the exam twice, and this time he didn't prepare at all. He was just taking the exam without any preparation and wanted to go out and relax. He had been feeling too depressed lately.
Tang Yuwei retorted, "If someone of your skill level can't pass, then someone must have cheated."
Cheating? He'd heard that cheating existed, but Lin Chen had never witnessed it himself. He simply replied, "There are always people more capable than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding. We're just frogs in a well; there are plenty of geniuses and experts out there."
Tang Yuwei simply stuck out her tongue.
Normally, the company can provide a car for me to go out for an exam, but when I asked the office, they replied that they don't provide cars for people below the level of specialist when they go on business trips; only specialists and above can be provided with a car.
Although I was annoyed, I had no choice but to accept it. Who the hell told you not to be the boss?
The exam was scheduled for three days, with a written exam on the first day and practical exams on the following two days. Accommodation was in pairs, and Lin Chen was even fantasizing about whether a female roommate would come. But when he opened the door, he saw someone lying on a bed wearing socks.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be an old acquaintance, Chen Lei, my roommate from four years of college.
Chen Lei is now a project specialist at Xinhai Group's Ningcheng City branch, a rank significantly higher than Lin Chen, who is a team leader at the county branch. Back when the group was recruiting, Lin Chen achieved top marks in both the written and oral exams and received scholarships every year, yet he was assigned to the county branch. Chen Lei, on the other hand, failed his exams every year but was promoted to the city branch.
Chen Lei is indeed a remarkable person, and his skin is so thick it could stop a bullet. Back in school, he liked a girl from another department, but she didn't like him and publicly rejected him many times. But he didn't give up; he relentlessly pursued her, creating chance encounters and telling everyone that she was his girlfriend.
Two years later, the girl, unable to bear the harassment any longer, said she would agree to try being his girlfriend.
He returned to the dorm and proudly boasted to everyone, "Actually, I don't like her anymore, but I'm going to get her and have some fun."
When it came to electing class officers, he took everyone out for a nice meal and drinks, but in the end, he didn't get elected. So he asked everyone to return the money to him, saying it wasn't appropriate to accept money if the task couldn't be accomplished.
While everyone else was racking their brains day and night to write their graduation theses, he simply spent two thousand yuan to have someone else write them for him, and then he easily got an excellent graduation thesis.
All I can say is that he's an extremely eccentric person, but he definitely has a way of doing things.
Over the years, the two have met a few times, but nothing much has happened; at most, they've just talked about the girlfriends he dated back then.
"Hey, Lin, the top student! It's you, old classmate." Chen Lei put his arm around his shoulder in a seemingly enthusiastic manner as soon as they met. "I thought my roommate would be a stunning beauty, what a pity."
Lin Chen gave a fake smile: "I'm disappointed too." He really was disappointed; there was nothing to talk about with him.
Chen Lei feigned concern: "I heard you're doing quite well at the Suixian company? You're a team leader now?"
Lin Chen knew he was being mocked, but replied nonchalantly, "Yes, but it can't compare to the prestige you had as a specialist at the city company, Commissioner Chen."
Chen Lei: "Damn, let's not talk about these things since we're classmates. Which bed are you sleeping in? Mine is 1.8 meters, and that one is 1.5 meters. If you want to sleep in this one, I'll give it to you, but the 1.5-meter one faces the air conditioner, and I can't stand it."
When he said this, he was already lying on the 1.8-meter bed, not intending to move at all. Lin Chen knew that he had no intention of giving way at all, and was just pretending to be polite. Damn it.
Lin Chen didn't bother arguing with him: "Whatever."
After packing his things, Lin Chen lay on the bed playing on his phone. Since he was just slacking off anyway, he was too lazy to study.
Chen Lei, hiding under the covers, was secretly looking at the questions, which surprised Lin Chen. It seemed he really wanted to know.
About ten minutes later, this guy slithered over like an eel and said in a very sticky tone, "Hey Lin Chen, what preparations did you do for this exam?"
Lin Chen: "What preparation did I make? I took the exam without any preparation."
Chen Lei: "No, it's not that. Did you get the written test questions or anything so I could refer to them?"
Lin Chen sensed something amiss: "How could I possibly have this? Do you have it?"
Chen Lei seemed a little nervous: "No? How could that be?" He then shrank back.
After a while, he climbed over again, folded a test paper into a quarter, and only let himself see a corner: "Hey Lin Chen, you know how to do this question, right? Tell me how."
This is ridiculous! Being this cautious? Could it be...?
Lin Chen looked at the problem: A reservoir has a volume of 240 cubic meters, with two inlet pipes, A and B, and two outlet pipes, C and D. Pipe A alone fills the reservoir in 10 hours, and pipe B alone fills it in 15 hours. Pipe C alone empties the reservoir in 20 hours, and pipe D alone empties it in 25 hours. Initially, the reservoir contains 60 cubic meters of water. Pipes A and C are opened simultaneously for 3 hours, then pipe B is added and opened for 2 hours. After that, pipe A is closed and pipe D is opened. For the remaining time, pipes B, C, and D are kept running simultaneously. How many more hours will it take for the reservoir to fill completely?
It has to be said that this question was indeed a bit difficult; it took Lin Chen two minutes to figure out the answer.
Chen Lei, a poor student, probably couldn't even understand the questions.
"I need to take a good look at the questions; I can't see them clearly with them in your hand," Lin Chen said, reaching out his hand.
"Just look at it like that, don't move." Chen Lei held the exam paper tightly.
Lin Chen sneered and lay back down: "Forget it then, I won't watch it."
Want him to solve the problem but not let me see the whole question? There's no such thing as a free lunch. Anyway, I never intended to pass.
Chen Lei immediately became anxious when Lin Chen lay down.
"Hey, old classmate, please help me out." Chen Lei brought the test paper closer, "Did you see it clearly?"
Lin Chen closed his eyes and pretended to doze off: "How am I supposed to read this? What if I misread a number? Wouldn't that be bad for you?"
Chen Lei gritted his teeth, as if he had made a huge decision, and finally handed the test paper to Lin Chen: "Is this alright now?"
Lin Chen squinted and deliberately frowned: "This question is indeed complicated. I need to get some paper and pen to calculate it."
"I have some here!" Chen Lei quickly handed over paper and pen, waiting eagerly.
Lin Chen slowly and methodically listed out the equations, deliberately pausing when he reached a crucial step: "By the way, where did you get this test paper? Did you make any mistakes...?"
Chen Lei retorted, "It can't be wrong; it was all done by experts."
Lin Chen: "Expert, could it be tomorrow's exam questions?"
Chen Lei's expression changed, and he stammered, "No, how could that be? It's just ordinary review material. Do you know how to use it? If you don't, forget it."
Lin Chen, seeing that it was almost done, wrote down the answer for him directly, revealing that one step was wrong.