The Eighties: A Fake Overseas Student Serves His Country in His Own Way

Name: The Eighties: A Fake Overseas Student Serves His Country in His Own Way
Author: Zhanjiang Red

八零年代：冒牌留子另类报国

by Zhanjiang Red (湛江红)

Status: Ongoing
Length: 920k Words
Genre: Urban
Subgenre: Urban Farming
Updated: 1d ago
English: Request a translation

Read on Fanqie

Synopsis

Xu Zhiyuan, from the 21st century, was hit by a truck and sent straight to the 1980s, where he became an international student studying in America.

The top student Xu Zhiyuan majored in mechanical engineering, a field that desperately needed engineers back home.

His soul was replaced, and a layabout who’d barely scraped through school took the place of the academic ace. A third-rate punk really couldn’t make sense of all those technical terms. He couldn’t even keep pretending. In reality, Xu Zhiyuan had just gotten by with a jack-of-all-trades finance degree.

Xu Zhiyuan called the old principal in tears. “I’ve let the country down after all the support it gave me. I haven’t learned a thing.”

The old principal was startled, but quickly thought it through. He figured Xu Zhiyuan couldn’t adapt to the education system overseas. That was all right. He knew this student had an excellent academic record and character, so he could come home and continue his studies.

Xu Zhiyuan, however, gave the old principal no time to react and said bluntly, “If what we need is knowledge, does it really matter whose head that advanced knowledge is in?”

The old principal thought, “I don’t know why, but it feels like this has gone off track.”

Half a month later, a country that had been pushed out by foreign institutions received an engineer at one of its schools.

A month later, a veteran pilot joined a domestic airline.

Three months later, a professor was sent over...

Apparently, after that, whenever the country was short of a particular kind of talent, it would place an order. Naturally, the cut he took along the way goes without saying.

The main thing was that Xu Zhiyuan was too audacious. He’d make money in finance, then bring back wave after wave of talented people. That was how you found talent through unconventional means.

Stats

393Chapters

123.4kReads · 30 days

1.6MReads · all time

11.5kShelf adds, last 14 days

8.9Score

6 ch/weekPace

In booklists 120

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Reader comments 126

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Five stars so far!!! It's truly a unique way of serving the country, hahaha. The protagonist's personality is incredibly unique and eccentric. Placed in Amei's context, it's a classic case of the wicked getting their comeuppance, hahaha. Just a heads-up: focus on the protagonist's career, ideally with a single female lead or no female lead at all. It's not that I can't stand seeing the protagonist achieve both love and career success, it's just that I've had too many romantic storylines lately 🤦
107 likes7mo ago
I've read up to chapter 56, and it's been fantastic from start to finish! 👍👍👍👍👍 Unlike the AI novel I read yesterday, this one is brimming with life. The main and supporting characters are all logically sound, lively, and interesting. It's like watching a TV series where the protagonist is a government-sponsored student who travels back to 1982 in the US.
105 likes7mo ago
I initially thought I'd wait for the next installment because of the low ratings and short update schedule. But the subject matter was so captivating that I couldn't resist reading it. It's a fast-paced, refreshing story with a protagonist who doesn't suffer from internal conflict at all—his mental state is amazing, and he's a character with impeccable values.
68 likes7mo ago
It's a great read, a patriotic and satisfying story set in an era without substitutes for meals. The male lead is exceptionally brilliant; his intellect is his biggest advantage. I've read the latest chapter, and I think the best approach would be to open a luxury boutique, prioritize hiring Chinese students at the embassy, and have them work part-time while simultaneously transforming them…
52 likes6mo ago
A satisfying read! No unnecessary details! The protagonist's positive mental state deserves praise! Author, keep updating, please don't abandon this story. Stats max!
41 likes7mo ago
I couldn't wait to comment after finishing the latest chapter! I'm so satisfied! One word: awesome! This isn't just ordinary awesomeness, it's the kind of awesomeness every Chinese person would experience!! The male lead's character is very novel, and his mental state is incredibly beautiful, haha.
41 likes7mo ago
This is absolutely fantastic! I've also read the argument from "Prison A" before—that studying abroad now is a chance to lure those old professors back to China before they die, using their knowledge to arm the country. It's a pity this book hasn't covered that yet, but the first 50 chapters are already incredibly captivating.
33 likes7mo ago
From an entertainment perspective, this book is quite good, a decent "feel-good" novel. It follows the general logic of such novels, with a smooth plot. The entire book is characterized by its brevity, simplicity, speed, and enjoyment. However, the characters lack depth; Old Zhou is just Old Zhou, Master Niu is just Master Niu—the characters are flat, everything serves the plot.
23 likes7mo ago
It's a good, fast-paced story with no system; the protagonist fights anyone who disagrees, which is very interesting. It's different from previous stories about rich protagonists or those focused on technology. The only downside is that there aren't enough updates.
23 likes7mo ago
I haven't read such a satisfying story in ages! 🥰 Although the plot is a bit too smooth, and some of the ugliness and darkness are toned down, I still love reading it!! Who gets to enjoy this kind of blissful life where personal development is integrated into the era's trends and you can even lend a hand to the country?!
20 likes1mo ago