Volume 1: The Happy Life in the Ivory Tower Chapter 14: Who Knows the Mysterious Tao

  Sleeping is a technical job, and it's one of the three compulsory courses in college, along with eating and dating.

  That's why it's called a living skill, because you have to be able to fall asleep even when you don't want to, and not be able to get out of bed when you can sleep. Otherwise, this subject is not considered qualified. Wen Qingxian once summarized that the lucky ones are pigs and the unlucky ones are humans, but Shuang Ge and Lei Ge are lucky, at least they sleep like pigs.

  He smiled and let it go, came to a school he didn't like very much, a major he didn't like very much. If he didn't sleep, the confusion of having nothing to do would be more unbearable than the drowsiness that made him rub his eyes. But sleeping was different, many chaotic thoughts would disappear softly as he lay down and fell asleep, especially in the afternoon sun now, the sunlight had passed through the south-facing window, quietly lying on the bed, feeling the warmth in the air and the quietness of the afternoon, making people unknowingly spend time in this lazy atmosphere until sunset.

  Four years of youth have unknowingly passed by, and what has been learned is hard to say. What will be done in the future, Shanyong can't think of either. Even when it comes to what he can do in the future, Shanyong can't say anything. The stories heard and seen about graduates having no job opportunities and no way out seem to contradict the saying that knowledge changes fate. Moreover, for a second-rate university like Luzhou College, most graduates will have their so-called university knowledge changed into this tragic fate.

  Every time he thinks of this, Dan Yong's eyes will become melancholy, and he will miss the big house on Hero Road where his family used to live. He will miss the Crown car that his father bought when he first made a fortune, and he will miss the Donkey Temple Restaurant that was once open on August 1st Road. These were all capital that could be shown off to others in the past. If they could have continued until today, perhaps his fate would have been different.

  He remembered that when he dropped out of the aristocratic school, he ran out of the sight of others' disdain as if he was escaping. The friends and classmates who had surrounded him were left with only one brainless Lei Dapeng. He remembered that the sudden misfortune struck down his father, who seemed invincible in his eyes. The car was sold, the store was rented out, and the house was sold. A family collapsed. He remembered that he almost didn't get out of that huge psychological gap either. Maybe he could accept the reality of going from rich to poor, but he couldn't accept the disdainful, mocking, and pitiful eyes of others.

  When hard work becomes a way of life and tolerance becomes a daily habit, the feeling towards many things will become very dull. Just like now, even if there is really some tragic fate waiting ahead, although melancholic, I am not panicked, because I couldn't think of anything more unfortunate than that incident years ago.

  Thinking, he gradually fell asleep, and in a daze, he seemed to see that figure again, with red clothes and long hair, floating like an immortal on the shore of Zhangze Lake. Xian Yong stretched out his hand, but couldn't reach it. It was a figure that had been silent for many years, and once again made him so moved.

  With a loud crash, the door was kicked open. Danyong, who was lying on the bed in a daze, didn't move, sleeping very soundly. Only Leidaipeng or those athletic thugs would enter in such a manner, and he couldn't be bothered to deal with them.

  It really was Lei Dapeng, and he had returned with Simu Xian. He rushed into the room, climbed up to the top bunk, and grabbed Sun Yong, who turned around lazily and spat out a single word: "Scram!"

  This guy is a typical manic-depressive, whatever comes to his mind he says. Suddenly, he's pulling on Shanyong and shouting: "Quick quick, Egg Brother, get up quickly, look at the beautiful woman leaving."

  "I'm not even interested in anything when I'm naked, let alone when I'm wearing clothes. Just take a look yourself, don't disturb my sleep." Dan Yong lazily lay down on his back, ignoring him.

  Unexpectedly, Lei Dapeng suddenly blurted out: "You really aren't going, are you? Just yesterday I went to your house for dinner and that chick was there. And that old man with a single strand of messy hair on his head is also coming."

  "Huh? Turning his head, Shanyong was shocked and sat up with a start, looking at the two of them in astonishment: "Don't tell me you're kidding me? What a coincidence?"

  "It's really not a surprise to me, I saw Professor Song accompanying them to the third floor staircase classroom, that old man is called Zuo Nanxia, a retired professor from X'nan University, who was specially invited by Professor Song to give us a lecture in the Chinese Department." said Simu Xian.

  "The key is not the old man." Lei Dapeng emphasized: "Originally, more than 60 boys, one-third of them didn't show up. But when they saw a beautiful girl coming, after a phone call, I swear, in less than five minutes, all the boys went to the staircase classroom to report, and even those from other departments came to take a look."

  "Unbelievable? So exaggerated?" Dan Yong was stunned, unable to understand how the coincidence had occurred.

  "Let's go, he won't come if we don't drag him out. Don't say I didn't notify you, the guy sleeps with his phone off, and I'm exhausted from running an extra trip." Lei Dapeng dragged Si Mu Xian away, not bothering to chat with Shan Yong anymore.

  "Wait... who said we're not going!?"

  Shan Yong suddenly jumped out of bed, put on his shoes, pulled up his pants and chased after him.

  At this point, whether it's a boy or a man, they are all the same, let alone that beautiful woman who made Shanyu unforgettable.

  ………………

  ………………

  They almost ran to the teaching building, and once they started running, Lei Dapeng fell behind, grumbling and following. They entered the teaching building, went up to the third floor staircase classroom, and Yun's footsteps stopped. The two people behind also caught up and stopped at the door of the classroom. Department Head Wang Hengbin, Professor Song from the department, and the class teachers of each class were surrounding that old man they saw yesterday, chatting and laughing. Seeing that Class Teacher Ren Qun was also there, Yun and the other three prepared to slip into the classroom along the wall corner, but unexpectedly, the department head discovered them and scolded with great displeasure: "It's you three again? You might as well not come at all."

  Three people smiled awkwardly, not saying a word, but also without any shame. Suddenly, Li Nandou took a glance at the three of them and his eyes widened in surprise, he gasped and was stunned for a moment. Ren Qun thought that Old Professor was displeased with them, so he hastily waved his hand and said: "Shan Yong, Da Peng, go to the classroom to move some chairs, there are no seats left."

  It was as if they had been granted a great amnesty, and the three of them turned around and ran, running to the classroom on the second floor, each carrying a chair. As they exited, Dan Yong asked uncertainly: "How come we didn't see that chick? It's not like we can't see beautiful women, but instead we're stuck listening to old men spouting nonsense philosophy, it's so depressing! The department leaders are all here, and it would be embarrassing to slip away."

  "I don't care, I'll just sit with Wang Huating. Ah, Egg Brother, how do you think I should break the ice between us?" Lei Dapeng asked as he walked. Ci Muxian chimed in, "Directly, it's your personality, being subtle isn't your style. After class, go to her and gaze at her with deep feelings for 10 minutes, then directly say 'I love you'".

  "Damn it, you only know this one trick, can't you come up with something new? What if it doesn't work? Last time I chased after that English major Zhang Meng, using the method you taught me, she spat at me and ran away. And not just that one time, every time she saw me afterwards, she'd run." Lei Dapeng cursed.

  It seems that Lei Dapeng has been fooled and is now on his guard. Shan Yong and Si Muxian are giggling, running quickly ahead, leaving Lei Dapeng chasing after them but unable to catch up. When they reach the classroom door, the class has already started. The three of them carry their chairs in, making a commotion, and suddenly burst into laughter, which is interrupted by the teacher. Many male students from their department are waving and shouting: "Lei Ge, come sit here!" Lei Dapeng chuckles and carries his chair to the aisle, placing it down with a thud, sitting down at an angle, about two people away from Wang Huating. Si Muxian is quick-witted and carries her chair to the back of the classroom, joining a group of male students. Shan Yong looks stunned. The department leaders are all seated in the first row, and one of them glances over to the left front, where a girl is holding a DV camera, looking puzzled at the three newcomers. It's likely that she didn't expect these three little troublemakers to be university students.

  Without waiting for the department head and class teacher to urge him, Dan Yong moved a chair all the way to the front left, in front of all the seats, under the astonished gaze of that girl, and put the chair beside her seat with a big smile, then sat down with a flourish. Suddenly, the two became the focus of attention for everyone present. A group of boys behind them started booing and making noise, while Lei Da Peng didn't expect Egg Brother to be so direct, and even Wang Hua Ting gave him a displeased sideways glance without noticing.

  The large Chinese department is a big department, with over 400 people. Normally, there are only two or three classes at a time, so a gathering of the entire department like this is rare. Originally, everyone was already discussing and evaluating the beautiful woman brought by Professor Zuo, and after much discussion, it's clear that she can't be compared to the school flower of Rong Institute. Not only were the boys staring, but even the girls couldn't help but take a few extra glances. As soon as Shuang Yong walked in, he sat down next to this beautiful woman who was sitting in the front row preparing to record video, and it seemed like they actually knew each other. This immediately caused many of the girls to whisper to each other and exchange knowing glances.

  Shanyong is a handsome guy in the Chinese department where there aren't many boys, he's the kind of handsome guy that it wouldn't be surprising if he had an affair with anyone. But to have something to do with this girl today, that's a bit unexpected. As for the boys who can't help but feel envious and jealous, they asked Simu Xian questions one after another, what's strange is: isn't Egg (Shanyong) good at fishing? How did he become an expert at picking up girls too?

  How did he end up flirting with the beauty? Actually, there was nothing much to it. Yu Rong simply sat down beside Li Xiang and whispered a polite phrase in her ear: "Thanks."

  "Thank you!? What for?" Zuo Xiying was taken aback, turned her head and asked, only to be hit on.

  Shan Yong glanced at the hundreds of pairs of eyes staring at him, and said with satisfaction: "Thanks for not rejecting my advances earlier! Because of you, I've gained the envy of almost everyone here."

  Zuo Xiying was slightly stunned, and when she turned her head, she found the problem. The eyes of many students on the scene were intentionally or unintentionally glancing in this direction, and it seemed that she and Shan Yong's seemingly intimate words might cause speculation. It turned out to be intentional flirting.

  However, she didn't seem to mind much, and wordlessly glanced at Shanyong, who had just jumped out of his astonishment. She was actually superimposing the impression of this wild boy by the reservoir with the one in school uniform now, and even she felt that this encounter was too coincidental. After scanning around in surprise, she said softly, "Well, congratulations then."

  "What's the congratulations for?" asked Dan Yong.

  "Congratulations, you've finally found an opportunity to show off to your friends." Zuo Xiying said with a smile.

  I didn't expect Zuo Xiying to be so open-minded and generous, Dan Yongle was delighted, and he asked in a low voice: "So, may I have the pleasure of knowing the name of this beautiful lady who gave me the opportunity to show off? Otherwise, I won't even know her name, how can I brag about it when I go back?"

  "Since it's a name worth boasting about, I won't let you know that easily." Zuo Xiying's eyes widened and she smiled with pursed lips, looking like a mischievous ghost face. However, Danyong's heart skipped a beat as he felt a ticklish sensation, his heart racing wildly as they stood so close together. Fortunately, the lecture began, and Zuo Xiying started filming with her DV camera towards the podium. Danyong was about to say something, but the crowd fell silent, and he didn't dare make any noise.

  The man was old, but his eyes were not. He carefully sized up the woman's summer outfit: a white tank top, light green pants, and casual shoes. At first glance, she was more attractive than those young girls from the dormitory. After stealing glances for a while, Single Courage tried to figure out what it was about her that attracted him the most - was it her curves? Her face? Her eyes? Or something else? He couldn't quite put his finger on it, and he didn't find an accurate answer. But he discovered that none of those things were particularly outstanding on their own, yet somehow they all came together to create a sense of perfection. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to captivate the attention of dozens of men who loved looking at beautiful women.

  …………………

  …………………

  The lecture began, first with Professor Song speaking. He is the only real celebrity in Ruan Institute who has made significant contributions to the study of Redology. After retirement, he was often invited back by the department to give a few lectures. The old man briefly introduced Professor Zuo Nanxia, a philosophy professor and master's thesis supervisor from Nandaxue University, who is visiting Ruanzhou this time and was specially invited to hold a lecture.

  With a brief introduction, amidst applause, the old man Zuo Nanxia strode confidently from his seat to the podium. Zhuan Yong looked at him in surprise, then glanced sideways at the beautiful woman who was intently recording with her DV camera, and felt a pang of sourness in his heart: "Damn, people really can't be judged by appearance! They're all foodies, but what's with this huge difference? Our group of foodies are all bumpkins, while this foodie is actually a professor!"

  But it can't be denied that the foodie's demeanor is quite good, with a head full of silver hair, a brisk pace, and an air of confidence. If he were a bit younger, he would have no problem winning over most of the young women who are inexperienced in the ways of the world.

  He stood on the stage, waving his hand to signal a pause, and smiled as he began with an opening remark: "There's a saying that's been passed down through the ages, 'literary people belittle each other.' But we haven't belittled each other; instead, we've praised each other. The reason is that Professor Song and I are friends, but he has praised me too highly... Haha, don't be estranged from me because of my identity. In fact, I was dragged here by Professor Song. Professors like me who study philosophy aren't worth much; wherever we give lectures, our appearance fees aren't even as high as those of singers in a bar. So I haven't talked about philosophy for many years."

  The whole audience burst out laughing at the opening sentence, and Zuo Nanxia's relaxed tone immediately narrowed the distance between him and the students on site. I thought it would be another boring topic like dialectics or positive and negative theories, but unexpectedly it was so relaxing and pleasant that many students couldn't help but applaud for Old Zuo. Shanyong carefully observed the leaders of the department in the front row, whose faces showed a hint of displeasure, as if something that should have been elegant had been made coarse and unrefined by Zuo Nanxia, with a suspicion of misleading students. However, Shanyong secretly enjoyed it and somewhat liked Old Zuo's unconventional style.

  "What is philosophy?"

  An abrupt question, and the old man bowed his head and said: "This question... I can't answer."

  Below, hehe smiled and continued on the left, with twists and turns, listening to people's interest coming suddenly, another turn of events said:

  "In today's philosophical and cultural market, which is increasingly declining, philosophers are being pushed to the periphery of culture, having fallen to the point where they have to compete with thousands of other professions for survival. They have lost their former confidence, grandeur, and elegance... Modern people like to talk about business, if we look at philosophy from this perspective, then philosophers should be doing the soul's business. Unfortunately, the civilization driven by industry and technology is driving away human souls. The great, sublime, heroic, warm, kind, pure, and other such things that were once highly praised have become historical relics that are no longer suitable for our times, and are being despised and discarded. As a result, there are fewer and fewer souls, making it harder and harder to do business. This is also why philosophy is increasingly declining. In this materialistic era, everyone cares about high salaries and rice bowls, rather than ideals and beliefs... So I say, I cannot provide answers, even if I could, no one would believe me."

  The topic gradually became heavy, evoking resonance. Many students stared intently, listening attentively. In the blink of an eye, Zuo Nan's impression of Shuang Yong had taken a drastic turn. The words seemed to have touched a chord in him, something he could vaguely grasp when he was bored, but wouldn't have been able to articulate so clearly. Moreover, what the old man said was more captivating to him than the beautiful woman beside him. For a while, he listened attentively, forgetting his wandering thoughts.

  "What is philosophy? Or rather, this question... I don't know how to answer." Zuo Nan turned back, pointing with his fingers, and suddenly changed the subject: "Actually, there's no need for me to answer. Although it has declined, it doesn't mean it has disappeared. The factors of culture are like seeds, deeply rooted in every person's bones. You can ignore them, but you can't deny their existence. In fact, philosophy is among us, and everyone will have more or less philosophical thinking. For example, when I entered the gate of Luoyang Institute, I found that the philosophical atmosphere was actually very strong... even the security guards understand philosophy."

  The old man's expression was flying, and he threw out a suspenseful question. Many people were guessing what would come next, but they couldn't guess the direction of the old man's thoughts. Xianan smiled and dispelled their doubts: "The security guard stopped us and asked three questions: First, who am I? Second, where did I come from? Third, where am I going?... These three questions are precisely the ultimate problems that philosophy tries to solve. Even the security guard is thinking about philosophical problems, do I still need to explain?"

  Haha, this must be a joke. With someone like him, security definitely wouldn't dare to stop him. But this joke dissipated the previous solemnity, turning it into a lighthearted atmosphere. Xuan Yong saw Zuo Xiying also smiling slightly, seemingly already used to her father's joking tone. Without needing to say more, he saw Zuo Nanxia lower his head, place both hands on the table, and lean forward saying:

  "With these three questions in mind, let's return to today's topic. I believe that many of you may have had such an experience: when we stand at the top of a high mountain, facing the vast and boundless sky; there is a sense of emptiness, feeling that the world is actually nothing; or when we stand among the steel and concrete jungle of skyscrapers, submerged in the sea of people and cars, thinking to ourselves, we are like grains of sand on the Ganges River, insignificant and destined to follow the trajectory of birth, aging, sickness, and death, losing what little sense of existence we have in the emptiness."

  How people find the meaning of life and get out of the feeling of nothingness is a question that both Eastern and Western philosophies are exploring. The difference between them lies in their transcendent spirit. Western philosophical spirit is more like a religious sentiment. For example, when foreigners encounter something that makes them amazed, their first sentence is: Oh, My god! This reflects their strong religious consciousness, attributing the object of transcendence to a personalized God. Chinese people are different. When they encounter something incomprehensible, their first sentence will be: My mom! This reflects a rational spirit, reflecting a wisdom of life, that is, when something happens, I don't ask for gods or others, I rely on my parents... Hehe, the biggest difference between Eastern and Western philosophies lies here.

  The laughter brought about by the first sentence continued, and gradually, even the leaders of the department in attendance couldn't help but laugh. The witty and humorous topic attracted everyone's attention. When Shanyong inadvertently glanced at Lei Dapeng, he was actually listening intently with sparkling eyes, savoring every word. It was truly unusual for someone to be able to get through to Lei Dapeng like that. Normally, as soon as class started, Lei would fall asleep, more effective than taking sleeping pills.

  Waiting for the laughter to subside, Zuo Nan turned around and changed his tone, pacing back and forth, holding a piece of chalk to write on the blackboard in bold characters: "The Wisdom of Life in Chinese Philosophy". The beautiful calligraphy earned a round of applause. Turning around, the old man with a head full of silver hair said:

  "Let's explore the wisdom of life in Chinese philosophy together. We'll start with a question-and-answer format, interacting with each other, and avoid the traditional teaching method where I talk and you listen... Who will go first? It would be best if someone could put me on the spot, so I can thoroughly give up on philosophy."

  This question was again followed by a wave of kind laughter, and there were not a few people who had a good impression of this old man. Many on the scene were eager to try, but they looked at each other and no one raised their hand to ask questions. After all, philosophy is as Lao Nanxia said, it has declined to the point where few people ask about it, and even normal subjects are not studied by anyone. Who still has the leisure to study philosophy? Lao Nanxia looked around and saw that no one had raised their hand, so he simply called out a name. This time, he directly pointed to Lei Dapeng, who was listening with his neck stretched out and full of interest: "Does that classmate have any questions?"

  Bad, Dan Yong was startled, Lei Dapeng looked around stupidly, stood up in a daze, and then the classroom burst into laughter. Lei Dapeng thought for a moment and said honestly: "I haven't studied it, what question do you want me to ask?"

  The room erupted in laughter and cheers, but Lei Ge's words didn't quite live up to his usual blunt self. Zuo Nan smiled carelessly and said, "Then can I ask you a question?"

  "Look at you, I haven't even learned it, and you're asking me? Can I be bothered?" Lei Dapeng complained, his coaxing laughter growing louder.

  The row of teachers in front covered their faces and laughed, the admission requirements for the expansion were very low, and Lei Dapeng was one of those who didn't even qualify for the expansion, but he had to attend a prep course for an extra year. It's not uncommon to see stupid students, but it's rare to see someone as stupid as Lei Dapeng. Zuo Xiying aimed her DV at Lei Dapeng, and Lei Dapeng was originally confused, but when he saw Zuo Xiying smiling, he smiled too, which made many people laugh again.

  I thought it was going to be a mess, but Zuo Nan seemed completely unbothered and smiled warmly, saying: "It's okay, I'm asking something very simple... like, what's your name?"

  "Oh, I'm Lei Dapeng, everyone who knows me calls me Tianlei Ge. We know each other, right?" Lei Dapeng was delighted and immediately responded, followed by another burst of laughter.

  "How's your study going? Don't mind answering?" asked Zuo Nanxia with a smile.

  His face turned even redder, but Lei Dapeng's face turned sour. He bit his finger and muttered in a very embarrassed tone: "It must be not great! My mom said the money spent on my education could have bought a Mercedes-Benz."

  More people burst out laughing, Tianlei's candor often makes people laugh so hard that they're crying on the inside, but Zuonan seemed to appreciate this fool and asked again: "What's the reason? Are others smarter than you?"

  Lei Dapeng felt a bit resentful at this question. He looked around uncertainly and said, "I don't think I'm dumber than others?"

  The laughter grew louder, and someone in the back seat shouted: Tian Lei is the smartest, who said Tian Lei was stupid.

  Because of Leida Peng's words, the atmosphere became even more lively. Someone gave a thumbs up and Leida Peng was overjoyed, turning around to bow and thank them. After a while, he turned his head to gesture for Leida Peng to sit down, revealing a pleased expression. Leida Peng was delighted and smiled foolishly, not expecting the problem to be so simple. And there's more, Zuo Nanxia pointed out:

  "...Maybe Le Dapeng is not the smartest among most of you, but I dare say he's happier than most of you. From him, we can see the shadow of Taoist philosophy, which is an important part of Chinese philosophy. Laozi belittles knowledge, advocates for simplicity and returning to a state of infancy and foolishness. His main idea is to reach a state of 'heaven and man united, forgetting each other'. In this state, the less you care about your surroundings, the stronger your self-awareness will be. The Tao in Taoism emphasizes aesthetics, talking about the universe having its own way, omnipresent yet flowing and impermanent. The greatest joy in life is to quietly observe this Tao, achieving a state of 'Tao being one'. Anything that reaches its extreme can be called Tao, the Great Way is interconnected... for example, I know Le Dapeng likes food, and has a deep understanding of it, that kind of Tao brings him great joy. Isn't that right, Le Dapeng? Do you enjoy eating?"

  "Really? You're a genius, old man! I didn't expect you to figure it out!" Leida Peng exclaimed in surprise, standing up and giving a thumbs-up.

  Everyone in the room burst out laughing. Zuo Nan put down his hand and let Lei Da Peng sit down, smiling and praising: "Keep it up, you have great potential to be a philosopher."

  This will make the whole scene hilarious, and many people will whisper to each other. There is indeed some philosophical thinking that makes people convinced. Most of those who are depressed and suicidal in the hospital are excellent students. Those who live comfortably are often useless people. Moreover, you see, the representative of this kind of person, Lei Dapeng, has a strong sense of self-awareness, and he is so confident that his eyes keep glancing at Wang Huating, Wang Huating smiles sweetly, can't help but make Lei Dapeng feel that he and Wang Huating are simply a match made in heaven, and they can't wait to become one.

  "Alright, next I'll ask another classmate, the one closest to the philosopher, what's your name?" Zuo Nan turned around and asked. It was Shan Yong, who was looking at Lei Da Peng Lezi, suddenly called by the old man, he stood up quickly and said: "Shan Yong."

  "Do you have a problem?" asked Zuo Nanxia with a smile.

  "I...I don't have." Danyong said with a smile, inexplicably liking this witty old man.

  "Then I have a question, would you mind answering it?" Zuo Nan asked politely. Shan Yong shook his head, of course not minding, and wouldn't be worse than Lei Da Peng anyway. The old man smiled and asked: "Do you have faith?"

  Wow! Yun Tong was suddenly speechless, his mouth agape and unable to utter a word. He was stumped by such a difficult philosophical question! Who still thinks about this sort of thing these days?

  "Let me put it another way, do you have ideals?" asked Zuo Nan.

  He asked again, usually not talking less about ideals, no more than earning so much money, picking up beautiful women, and becoming a big official. But in the face of philosophy, isn't it a bit vulgar? This consideration also made him speechless, standing awkwardly on the spot, even worse than Lei Dapeng.

  "It seems you're not as clever as Lei Dapeng, he's already grasped the essence of life, while you're still clueless. Simply put, he knows how to live his life, and you don't. I suggest you learn about philosophy, especially Confucianism's 'extremely high yet moderate' philosophy, which talks about being in the world but also transcending it. It means having a carefree spirit while enjoying worldly pleasures, living freely and effortlessly, that's what 'doing as one pleases without overstepping boundaries' means. Only when you're not trying too hard will you feel comfortable, and only then can you see things from a higher perspective... Please sit down. I've asked so many questions, is it really impossible for someone to stump me? If no one can, my confidence will inflate greatly, maybe I'll even shout 'Philosophical spirit unites Lu Zhou Academy' on the streets, and everyone will become my followers."

  Xiao Nan walked down to the stage, stood in the center, and started with a joke. He spoke about Confucian philosophy in such a light and effortless way that it suddenly sparked great interest among the bewildered students, and many hands were raised to ask questions.

  The questioning began, but the single courage was confused and didn't answer. The few sentences were like a sudden enlightenment, touching the string in his heart, feeling that this sentence seemed to have a hint, but when thinking about it, it was empty and had nothing to do with it, just like an unattainable ideal and longing.

  Gao Ren, at this time, put Lao Tou on his own list of high-ranking people he had met.

  The atmosphere became more lively, and Professor Song also joined the discussion. Many girls brought up their views on love, and even Lei Dapeng was eager to ask a question, but when he stood up, he asked if Professor Zuo had ever eaten ant eggs, and if not, he would invite him next time, which made the whole department burst into laughter.

  In the lively atmosphere, when Dan Yong's eyes fell on the quiet and beautiful Zuo Xiying beside him again, Dan Yong smiled slightly. He thought that Old Zuo had said something very good, people should indeed live a more carefree and relaxed life. For example, Lei Dapeng dared to pursue the team leader Wang Huating, why can't I be bold enough to flirt with this beautiful girl beside me?

  Then, Shanyong leaned in and whispered to Zuohuiying: "Thank you."

  "What else can I thank you for?" Zuo Xiying asked in surprise.

  "Thanks to having such a wise old dad, if he hadn't guided me, I'd still be a lost lamb." Dan Yong said with a smile.

  "You won't be enlightened that quickly, will you? Your qualifications aren't even as good as Da Peng's." Zuo Xiying teased, looking around to make sure no one was paying attention.

  "Hmm, I'm just a little worse than him, but now I've caught up... Listening to your dad talk about Platonic love, real love is imperfect because it's mixed with sensuality, desire and expectation. The lower the concentration of desire, the higher the purity of love. This is the most classic love topic I've ever heard." Sun Yong said seriously, seemingly admiring to the extreme, until Zuo Xiying suspected whether this expression was really admiring or not, Sun Yong leaned in a bit more and changed the subject: "I don't know why, but since seeing you, I've always been thinking about my ideal love."

  There's a lot of teasing in this remark, Zuo Xiying's eyes flashed with anger, and Yan Yong, who was serious, chuckled and quickly explained: "Don't be angry, I'm just talking about pure academic issues, the desire is very low."

  Lefei's eyes sparkled with amusement, and she quickly turned her face away, ignoring Shanyong. However, Shanyong glanced at her from the side and saw a faint dimple on her cheek, indicating that she was still smiling. His heart bloomed with joy, wishing this philosophical lecture would last forever...

  Yesterday, I went to Baidu Tieba and saw that the number of clicks on each chapter is almost as high as it is here. I sincerely invite my brothers from Tieba to come and visit this place more often, collect and click on the chapters, and leave comments in the book review section. Someone said that Lao Chang is a poor and bitter man who has reached his starting point, which made me shed tears. To be honest with everyone, it's really like that. For two weeks, there have been no recommendations for this continuation, and soon I will become a naked and poor bitter man...