Undercurrents in the ivory tower
On Monday morning, Mo Xiaoyu was invited to give a speech at her alma mater, Tsinghua University. Walking along the familiar tree-lined avenue, she couldn't help but recall her youthful self, backpack-saddled, wandering the campus over twenty years ago. The auditorium was packed, and even the aisles were filled with students.
"Hello, students," she began with a smile. "Standing here, I feel as if I'm seeing myself from over 20 years ago. Back then, like you, I was full of hope for the future, but also filled with anxiety about the unknown."
The speech went smoothly, and the students showed great enthusiasm for this outstanding alumnus. During the question-and-answer session, a woman sitting in the front row raised her hand and asked, "Senior Mo, what do you think is the biggest psychological challenge facing today's college students?"
Just as Mo Xiaoyu was about to answer, there was a sudden commotion in the back row. A girl fainted.
Mo Xiaoyu immediately stopped his speech and quickly walked to the back row. The girl who had fainted was pale, with faint scars visible on her wrists. While waiting for the school doctor, Mo Xiaoyu noticed the constant pop-up reminders for payment on the girl's phone.
"This is..." Mo Xiaoyu's heart sank.
After the school doctor arrived, Mo Xiaoyu helped send the girl to the hospital. Outside the emergency room, she met the girl's counselor, Teacher Zhang.
"This is the third case this semester." Teacher Zhang pushed his glasses up wearily. "It's all because of campus loans."
Back at the foundation, Mo Xiaoyu immediately assembled his research team. "I want to know the true state of campus loans."
The results of the subsequent investigation were shocking. Li Xiaoyu and his team visited ten universities in Beijing and brought back shocking data:
"According to our sample survey, nearly 15% of college students have come into contact with campus loans. Among them, the proportion of female students is as high as 70%."
"Lending platforms have formed a complete industry chain, from 'beauty loans' to 'training loans' to 'job-seeking loans,' which are all interconnected."
"The most frightening thing is that these platforms all claim to be 'supporting dreams,' but in reality, their annualized interest rates are as high as 300% or more."
Mo Xiaoyu flipped through the research report, her brow furrowing ever deeper. The real-life cases in the report made her heart ache:
Some girls fell into debt crisis in order to buy the latest mobile phone;
Some students took out high-interest loans just to enroll in training courses;
Some people are forced to take nude photos as collateral because of competitive spending...
"These kids are so stupid," Li Xiaoyu said indignantly. "They're ruining their future for a few thousand dollars."
Mo Xiaoyu shook his head. "It's not stupidity, it's fragility. In this materialistic age, young people are too easily deceived by glamorous appearances."
She decided to delve deeper into more cases. In the counseling room, she met Xiao Yang, the first girl who had fainted. After several sessions, Xiao Yang finally opened up.
"At first, I just wanted to buy a dress for a fraternity," Xiao Yang said, her head bowed, her voice choking with sobs. "Then I discovered my roommate's cosmetics were better than mine, so I borrowed more. By the time I realized I couldn't pay it back, I owed 50,000 yuan..."
Mo Xiaoyu gently held her hand: "Tell me, why do you feel you must use these things?"
"I'm afraid... afraid of being looked down upon." Xiao Yang's tears fell on the back of her hand. "My family wasn't well off, so I worked so hard to get into Tsinghua University because I wanted to make a name for myself. But after coming here, I realized that some gaps can't be made up for by hard work alone."
These words made Mo Xiaoyu fall into deep thought. That night, she repeatedly read the research materials in the office until late at night. Shen Que pushed the door open and handed her a cup of hot milk.
"Still thinking about that student today?"
Mo Xiaoyu rubbed his temples and said, "I'm thinking, our generation strives to make life better for the next generation. But these children now have much better material conditions than we did back then, so why are they so much less happy?"
"Because desires run too fast, the mind can't keep up." Shen Que hit the nail on the head.
The next day, Mo Xiaoyu decided to personally understand how campus loans work. Accompanied by Li Xiaoyu, they visited the commercial areas around several universities.
At a beauty salon, the clerk enthusiastically recommended a "student discount" to them: "You can pay for this project in installments now, with no down payment. It's especially suitable for you students."
"How is the interest calculated?" Li Xiaoyu asked with pretended interest.
"It's very low, only a few hundred dollars a month." The clerk was vague.
Leaving the salon, Li Xiaoyu angrily said, "They don't even dare to tell us the real interest rate!"
What shocked Mo Xiaoyu even more was that in another so-called "vocational training institution", they openly used the banner of "investing in yourself" to induce students to take out loans to enroll in high-priced courses.
"These are all carefully designed traps," Mo Xiaoyu said gravely on the car ride back home. "They exploit young people's anxiety and uncertainty about the future."
That evening, the lights in the foundation's conference room were brightly lit. Mo Xiaoyu stood in front of a whiteboard filled with questions he had discovered during his research.
"We can't simply accuse these children of being vain," she told her team. "We need to see the problem for what it is—it's a systemic societal problem."
She began to analyze the underlying reasons:
"First, there is the rampant consumerism, with social media being filled with materialistic values;
The second problem is the education system. We teach our children to get high scores, but we don’t teach them how to face temptation.
The most important thing is the lack of a support system. When children encounter difficulties, they cannot find the right channels to seek help.
Lin Wei raised her hand and said, "So where should we start?"
"Three-pronged approach." Mo Xiaoyu wrote down three directions on the whiteboard:
"First, immediately launch anti-online loan campaigns on campus;
Second, establish an emergency relief fund to help students who are already in trouble;
Third, promote values education to address the root causes of the problem.
After the meeting, Mo Xiaoyu was alone in her office drafting "A Letter to College Students." Under the desk lamp, her pen scratched on the paper:
Dear students,
When you read this letter, perhaps you're struggling with a material desire, or perhaps you're feeling inferior to your peers because of their glamorous appearance. I want to tell you that these emotions are perfectly normal..."
Halfway through writing, she received a call from the hospital: Xiao Yang tried to cut his wrists and was being treated.
Mo Xiaoyu rushed to the hospital. Outside the operating room, she met Xiao Yang's parents. The rural couple, dressed simply, their faces etched with anxiety and helplessness.
"We really didn't know our child was having such a hard time in Beijing..." Xiao Yang's mother burst into tears. "Every time she called, she said she was doing well and she always sent us money..."
At this moment, Mo Xiaoyu became even more determined to solve this problem.
The next morning, Xiao Yang woke up. Seeing Mo Xiaoyu standing by her bed, she was stunned for a moment before tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm sorry..."
"Don't apologize," Mo Xiaoyu gently held her hand, "change."
She helped Xiao Yang develop a detailed debt repayment plan and arranged for the foundation's lawyers to assist in negotiations with the loan platform.
"But," Mo Xiaoyu looked at Xiao Yang seriously, "paying off your debt is only the first step. You have to learn to truly accept and like yourself."
Encouraged by Mo Xiaoyu, Xiao Yang began to participate in the foundation's volunteer activities. Surprisingly, her experience has become a great example for helping other students.
A week later, Mo Xiaoyu held the first "Conscious Consumption" lecture at Tsinghua University. Xiao Yang bravely took the stage and shared his story.
"I used to think I could earn respect by carrying designer bags and using high-end cosmetics," Xiao Yang's voice, trembling at first, gradually became firm. "Now I understand that true respect comes from inner abundance and personal independence."
The audience burst into applause. Mo Xiaoyu stood in the back row of the auditorium, looking at the girl who was being reborn with satisfaction.
After the lecture, a professor approached Mo Xiaoyu and asked, "You've done a great job. But can lectures alone change the current situation?"
"No." Mo Xiaoyu said frankly, "But this is just the beginning."
That night, she wrote in her work log:
"Seeing Xiao Yang radiate on stage today, I am even more convinced: every lost soul deserves to be saved, and every dusty heart can shine again. Our job is to be that beacon that guides them on the way home."
Outside the window, the moonlight was like water. Mo Xiaoyu knew that in countless campuses across this city, countless other Xiao Yangs were struggling in the darkness. And she had to hurry, faster, to light up more lights.
The deepest hurt is often hidden beneath the brightest surface
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