Chapter 15: First Encounter with a Beauty, Many Thoughts

  "Philosophy is a study of wisdom, its sacred mission is to enlighten the people, raise the intellectual level of humanity, and give the real world ideal and value significance. We just discussed Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, from which we can understand that our Chinese philosophy's wisdom is actually closest to our lives, seemingly useless but in fact greatly useful... The French philosopher Pascal said, man is a weak reed, nature does not need to use all its power, even a single drop of water can kill a person's life, yet man is also the highest existence in nature, because man is a thinking animal, human dignity lies in having thoughts, philosophy's great usefulness lies in giving people the meaning and dignity of living... What I want to say lastly is, I don't expect everyone to study philosophy, but I hope that each student here, whether in school or entering society, can find the meaning and dignity of living."

  With a wave of his hand to the left, he ended this hour-long lecture. The sudden burst of applause was like rain, from Confucius and Lao Tzu to the thirty-two marks of Buddhism, from poetry and painting to philosophical language rich in implication, from Plato and Kant to Wittgenstein. It was as if a feast of wisdom had been laid out before them, and yet the lecturer seemed so effortlessly in control that it left these hundreds of teachers and students in awe.

  Zuo Xiying gently closed the DV, turned around to look at Shan Yong, and Shan Yong's gaze was no different from that of the students present, clapping hard with his eyes following her father's figure until the teachers and leaders of the department came forward one by one to shake hands with Zuo Nanxia. There were also many students who crowded forward to ask for autographs. When he slightly came back to his senses and inadvertently met Zuo Xiying's gaze, Zuo Xiying said with a few points of pride: "Deafened, huh?"

  "Wow, impressive." Shanyong gave a thumbs up, sincerely saying that being able to stir up the passion of hundreds of people wasn't something an ordinary person could do. Moreover, even Shanyong himself felt that Lao Tou's speech was quite good, without any pretentiousness, yet extremely pretentious at the same time. Just this aspect alone made him a masterful speaker.

  "It sounds like this is the only sentence that comes from your heart. So, it's my turn to say thank you now."

  Xie Ying packed up her things, picked up the DV, stood up, smiled and said goodbye to Quan. The smile was very bright and friendly.

  At this time, Shan Yong also discovered a change. The focus of attention in the whole field shifted from Zuo Liuyi and himself to Zuo Lao's body, almost surrounded by people going out. Many girls were still chasing after Professor Zuo asking something, while Zuo Nanxia answered and signed his name with one hand, even neglecting his daughter.

  But Dan Yong's gaze never left Zuo Xiying, her slender figure, her long hair tied up in a bun, her long legs light and airy as she walked, her smile like an orchid when she turned around, it was as if she herself had some kind of philosophical implication, seemingly very reserved, yet making people feel that every move was a temptation; seemingly not very prominent in the front and back, but somehow making people feel that she was beautifully beyond compare.

  Yes, temperament, single bravery eyes lit up, thought of an abstract word. Like philosophy, intangible, yet omnipresent.

  Yes, it's temperament, a temperament that makes people unbearable to gaze at, a temperament with poetry and books in the belly and elegance on the outside. Even when walking together with students of the same department, that kind of unaffected intimacy can always win smiles from both men and women. At this time, Dan Yong suddenly realized that his previous aesthetic view of admiring beauties with prominent breasts and slender waists was how shallow.

  This time he was really stupid, staring blankly at Zu Xiying and several female students from the same department chatting and laughing, that figure, that smile, that long hair as black as ink, that temperament like jade and orchid seemed to solidify, fixing Shanyong's gaze.

  "Hey, stupid?" Someone blocked the line of sight, Shan Yong came back to his senses, it was Si Mu Xian. Xian also poisoned, excitedly said: "Boss, how do you feel? Listening to Zuo Lao's words, winning ten meals from you... Listening to him talk about knowing heaven, same heaven, doing heaven, happy heaven, he spoke very well, I think Zuo Lao is intentionally waking you up, the world and the out-of-world are very interesting, exactly explaining your heart's hesitation. Also awakened my confusion."

  "Go to the side and be sour, don't block me." Danyong pulled over Wen Qingxian's younger brother, but lost the shadow of Zuo Xiying in his eyes, not happy anymore. Simu Xian was stunned, understood, and smiled: "Boss, I feel like you're thinking about that person, even more unreliable than Da Peng chasing Wang Huating?"

  "Who thought of that!?" Dan Yong said disdainfully, but immediately reacted and slapped his forehead, saying: "Right, why am I just thinking about it? I have to chase after him."

  Another epiphany, Dan Yong shot out like an arrow off the string, whizzing away with a whoosh.

  "Hey, who's sending the chair?" Si Mu Xian didn't expect his reminder to have an opposite effect. He shouted for someone, and Shan Yong replied, "You send it, I'm busy."

  As they were talking, the person had already run away. Simu Xian shook his head and smiled. He picked up a chair with one hand and was about to send it out the door when Lei Dapeng rushed back in, not even giving Simu Xian time to react. This guy grabbed him, looking like he wanted to fight, and asked: "Where's Wang Huating?"

  "Shall we go now?" Simu Xian said with a smile.

  "How could I have missed it?" Lei Dapeng stretched his neck to take a look inside the classroom, didn't see anything, turned around and ran off. Looks like he's gained confidence from studying philosophy and is going to confess while the iron is hot. Si Muxian didn't stop him, reminding: "Be sure to shout 'I love you' loudly!"

  Lei Dapeng didn't even have time to respond, and rushed downstairs. Si Muxian smiled and helped the two brothers who had forgotten their friendship due to a girl, sending them off twice before finally finishing sending the chairs.

  …………………

  …………………

  Shan Yong rushed out of the building, out of the small square, and onto the campus's shaded path, where he saw two school leaders, a group of teachers, and the Left family walking and talking together. Not far away was the stretched-out Benz that had gone to Xiangma Village earlier, looking like they were about to head out together; two cars from the school side had also arrived.

  Go or not go?

  Shan Yu slammed on the brakes and stopped, hesitating for a moment. In his haste, he couldn't think of an excuse to strike up a conversation, especially with so many leaders from the system and school around. However, when he saw the stretched Mercedes-Benz, his eyes lit up, and he quickly came up with a plan. He rushed over, dodging the crowd, and reached the front of the car, knocking on the window and asking the driver with a smile: "Hey, do you still recognize me?"

  The car window shook, and the little mustache driver took a glance and laughed, pointing at Dan Yong: "Hey, turtle egg."

  "Brother, it's 'jade is full of halls'." Dan Yong corrected.

  "Oh, oh, yeah, the food is great, and don't even get me started, our Hilton Hotel's head chef said it's of high standard. Hey brothers, are you... a master chef from school? What brings you here? Want to come work at our hotel? We're hiring, and even dishwashers make over 1,000 yuan. If you can really cook a few decent dishes, we won't mind paying several thousand yuan per month." The driver was more talkative than Dan Yong, but his eyes were not very good, he didn't even notice Dan Yong's school uniform, and directly took him for a master chef.

  Dan Yong didn't bother explaining and simply nodded, interrupting with a question: "Brother, what was the name of that chick we had dinner with yesterday? Do you know?"

  "Huh? You're a big shot, daring to think about Lao Jia's daughter?" The driver was puzzled.

  "I want to get to know you, is that not allowed?" Dan Yong said, with an expression as if it was only natural for a toad to eat swan meat.

  "Great!" The driver gave a thumbs up, very appreciative. But after a moment's thought, his tone changed: "But I really don't know what her name is. As soon as I started driving, how could I ask?"

  It seems that the driver is more reliable than Shanyong, and he has a good understanding of himself. As they spoke, Lao Zuo led his daughter over to the car, which had stopped steadily after reversing slightly. Lao Nanxia and the school leader got into their respective cars, while Shanyong stood beside the car, gave a welcoming bow, opened the door politely, and supported the roof. Lao Nanxia smiled and asked, "Shanyong, what are you doing here?"

  "See you off, you're so great at lecturing. If I had listened to your lectures earlier, I wouldn't be in such a mess now." Zhanyong flattered excessively, while Zuonan teased and asked: "Did you really understand?"

  "Uh-huh, got it." Shanyong nodded and smiled: "That's good then."

  Lowering her head as she entered the car door, Li Xiangying smiled and was about to get in when Shan Yong slightly stopped her, thinking of a title: "Shifu jie, wait a moment."

  "Sister Shi!?" Zuo Xiying was confused by this sudden title.

  "Yes, one day to learn the way, a lifetime as a teacher. Lao Zu is my teacher, so you are naturally my Shifu (teacher's wife)." Zuan Yongqiang forcibly pulled the relationship, looking at Zuo Xiying being teased into a smile, and hurriedly took advantage of the situation to ask: "Can I ask Shifu a question?"

  "It's possible, but only in an academic context." Zuo Xiying raised an eyebrow, setting a boundary for Shan Yong, suppressing a smile. She had seen him coming from afar, but didn't expect him to find another opportunity to hit on her again, and in such a slightly shameless way.

  "Hmm..." Shan Yong thought for a moment, "This is clearly an academic issue, but it's also a bit embarrassing to say. However, I'll just ask... To be honest, I've been feeling very lost about my life and future, and I've always wondered what's wrong with my life. But today I realized... Wow, it's because I didn't study philosophy early on! If you don't study philosophy, you can't discover the dignity and meaning of being alive... That's what I mainly want to ask..."

  I'm afraid this guy, apart from eating and drinking, is really a total failure in his studies. He talks about philosophy but his eyes are fixed on himself. Left Xiying was amused by Duan Yong's exaggerated and pretentious tone and couldn't help but laugh, knowing he definitely wasn't a philosopher. As expected, Duan Yong changed the subject, nodding towards the road behind him: "Look, we don't have much time now, and it's not a good opportunity either. Why don't you leave me your phone number, I'll invite Teacher Jiao and Teacher Zuo later."

  Zuo Xiying looked at him with a sly smile, knowing that Shan Yong was up to no good. The conversation had stalled and the car couldn't move forward, but they couldn't just keep everyone waiting while they talked. Shan Yong also sensed this and thought to himself that someone as well-mannered as Zuo Xiying wouldn't humiliate him by storming off. His guess was correct, and after a brief moment of consideration, Zuo Xiying rummaged through her bag, smiled, and said: "Hold out your hand."

  Shan Yongle stretched out his hand, and saw that Zuo Xiying was writing on his palm. The phone number was written in an instant, and then Zuo Xiying smiled and curled up Shan Yongle's hand, reminding him: "I know you're confused, I'm waiting for your call, don't be too late, the day after tomorrow I'll leave Lushan City."

  Shan Yong nodded in response, and his face lit up with a smile. He didn't expect to have such close contact, nor did he expect to hear the beautiful female teacher's gentle reminders while holding hands. Zuo Xiying got on the car, Shan Yong locked the door, and several cars drove out of the school gate in a row. Shan Yong was still basking in the glory of his clever plan, especially when the car left, he saw Zuo Xiying sticking out half of her face from the window, smiling and waving goodbye. That smile seemed to have some kind of philosophical implication, what was it... Ah yes, it made people think indecent thoughts.

  But just as he was delighted to see the number written on his left palm, his smile froze, and in an instant, he was struck by a silent thunderbolt, standing stupidly in place, watching the car's shadow get farther and farther away. For a long time, he couldn't come back to his senses.

  Good things are worth waiting for, and Xiao Yan looked far away, couldn't wait to rush up, came up, gave a thumbs up: "Not bad, boss... how is it? Got the phone, dare you make an appointment outside?"

  Shan Yong's eyes deeply looked at his younger brother, this time he was really bewildered, and didn't say a word. He gloomily put the palm of his hand in front of Si Mu Xian, who took one look and burst out laughing.

  Dan Yong's hand indeed had a phone number written on it, but the eleven-digit phone number had four digits replaced with "X". It seemed that Lao Da had been toyed with. Xiao Mu Xian laughed until he was out of breath and helped Lao Da calculate: "This combination isn't difficult at all. With each digit having 10 possibilities, from 0 to 9, the four-digit combination ranges from 0000 to 9999, totaling exactly 10,000 combinations. The probability is roughly the same as winning a 100,000 yuan jackpot... Haha, Lao Da, this isn't just a matter of being careless, it's a clever trick! She silently rejected you with a thousand-mile distance."

  "Ah, I easily thought of flirting with her again, but ended up getting soaked in cold water. Actually, my desire wasn't that strong, I just felt she was quite attractive." Dan Yong said dejectedly. Si Mu Xian smiled and said: "Don't think you're the only romantic one, all sixty plus of us were attracted to her."

  He walked away, this time coming with enthusiasm but leaving in disappointment. All the way, he couldn't help but sigh and lament. Si Mu Xian didn't mean to mock him, but it was rare to see their class leader so serious about pursuing a girl. On one hand, he had been busy, on the other hand, maybe there were family reasons or perhaps his standards were just too high. Today, he finally worked up the courage, only to choose someone as elusive as a moon in the mirror or a flower in the water. After walking past the teaching building and covering a considerable distance, Si Mu Xian tried to console him with a tentative tone: "Class leader, it's just a brief encounter, no need to be so disheartened, right?"

  "But I don't think it's necessary to reject me from a thousand miles away, is it? If not, then just say no and be done with it, why tease me so much? Hmm, what does she mean by that? Could she be playing a little joke on me? But this makes it hard for me to ask her out."

  "Big brother, you're not stupid to the point of being on the same level as Da Peng, are you? This is a polite rejection, can't you see?" Si Mu Xian asked in surprise. As soon as he mentioned Da Peng, he remembered something and pulled Dan Yong: "Let's go quickly, Lei Da Peng has chased Wang Hua Ting to the girls' dormitory."

  At this point, footsteps quickened, if a person who has lost love sees another person who has also lost love, the pain might be alleviated a bit.

  Si Mu Xian pulled Singleton, wanting to let the old man reduce his mental burden a bit. They rushed to the girls' dormitory building not far away. Still, it was Singleton who was tall and sharp-eyed, pulling Si Mu Xian and pointing to the distance. In front of the dormitory building, under the willow tree, Lei Da Peng was indeed facing Wang Hua Ting and confessing...

  ………………

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  "What are you following me for?" Wang Huating angrily asked Lei Dapeng.

  How infuriating! This guy chased her from the teaching building to the office building, and then from the office building to the girls' dormitory, following closely behind her like a tail. Wang Huating didn't dare return to her dormitory, fearing that this guy would really chase her into the girls' dormitory and cause trouble.

  "Ah... Ah..." Lei Dapeng scratched his ear and cheek, it seemed that he couldn't get the words out. It was clear that speaking was difficult for him, especially when he saw Feng's eyes gleaming with warning and her eyebrows furrowed in anger. As a result, many of Lei Dapeng's words were stuck in his throat. It turned out that the usually uninhibited Lei Ge was still inexperienced in this aspect, clearly not having gone through such an ordeal before.

  "This won't do, humming and hawing for half an hour, just to say one word... what exactly do you want to say? Are you thinking of asking me to post a marriage notice for you?"

  Lei Dapeng was so startled that he straightened his neck, and his two eyes were almost bulging out. Wang Huating also knew that Dapeng was a bit silly, chasing after her like this, definitely... definitely not with good intentions. However, logically speaking, he shouldn't be so bold. As soon as Wang Huating thought of this, she looked around cautiously. Normally, Lei Dapeng was someone who only had three words in his mind: eating, sleeping, and playing. If he really had a purpose for doing something, he must have been instructed to do so. Just then, she saw Shan Yong and Si Muxian sneaking over, hiding behind an electric pole and pretending to be nonchalant.

  At this moment, Wang Huating was furious. It seemed that she was not lightly angry, and there were many things in the class and student union these two days. One strike caused a storm throughout the school, and it still hasn't been resolved until now. Most of the boys in the class are afraid that the world is not chaotic, and none of them support her as a class cadre and student union worker... Especially Shanyong, many things were his behind-the-scenes manipulation, maybe today too.

  With this breath, her chest rose and fell, her face changed color, and Lei Dapeng was startled, tensely saying: "Don't get angry, I haven't said I love you yet?"

  The sound choked Wang Huating, it turned out that she hadn't been able to get the words out for half a day. At this time, she was even more certain that Lei Dapeng had been instructed, and the person who instructed him wanted to make fun of her, and couldn't escape those few troublemakers in the class.

  She was furious, and when she glanced at Shan Yong, she couldn't help but think that he must be waiting for her to make a fool of herself, waiting for the whole school to spread the joke tomorrow and make her embarrassed. This made Wang Huating so angry that she had an urge to hit someone. However, looking at Lei Dapeng in front of her, who seemed to be ready to say "I love you" with a tender expression, she was so angry that she couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.

  First startled, then laughed, Lei Dapeng's heart was racing wildly, his hands were tense and helpless. He thought to himself that this girl's mind was really hard to guess. However, for Lei Dapeng, not being rejected outright when confessing his love was already a huge progress, especially since it was the party flower, Tang Hua. Lei calmed down and said: "Don't be angry, okay? If I don't say I love you, that's fine... or should I say it in English? I... uh... forget it, let's just drop it for now..."

  Lei Ge stuttered and stammered, expressing his own opinions with trepidation, always prepared to be spat in the face or kicked in the foot. He was thick-skinned and didn't care about anything that happened, but he was a bit worried that Wang Hua Ting would storm off, this hesitant and stumbling speech was quite awkward.

  The president of the student union is not a vegetarian, listening to Lei Dapeng's nagging, looking at those two hiding and dodging, suddenly smiling: "Who got angry, you have the right to choose who to love and freedom, and you think you are braver than most boys in Lu Institute."

  "Right, right, right... I, I, I..." Lei Da Peng saw a glimmer of hope, his words were stuck in his throat, and he was stunned by the sudden feeling of happiness. It turned out that there really were people who appreciated Ge's courage.

  "You've been chasing me for so long, are you thinking of inviting me...?" Wang Huating said with a sly tone, enunciating each word slowly, drawing Lei Dapeng's embarrassed gaze, then suddenly had an idea and said: "To eat? Thinking of inviting me to eat, Professor Zuo has said that you're quite skilled at eating."

  "Ah, right, let's eat." Lei Dapeng also found a way out and was delighted to see the dawn of victory, but his thinking was controlled by others. Not to mention eating, even eating millet porridge is not casual.

  "But I've already arranged for our dorm to go together... You're inviting me, and I don't want to decline. How about this, I'll invite a few more beauties, and you can treat us all?" Wang Huating smiled mischievously, testing the waters. Lei Ge, being a man of his word, immediately patted his chest: "No problem, it's all on me. However many come, it's all included."

  "Wait a minute, I'll be right down." Wang Huating said with a smile, covering her mouth and running quickly towards the dormitory.

  She left, and Lei Dapeng couldn't take it anymore. He started to itch all over his body, twisting his neck and swinging his hips high in the air, like a big bear that had eaten Viagra. One moment he was doing the moonwalk, the next he was breakdancing. Watching from afar, Sima Xian exclaimed: "Boss, don't do this again, you'll drive Dapeng crazy!"

  "Impossible, that guy is so reckless, he can only be stimulated to see a ghost." Dan Yong was also puzzled, not knowing what this singing was all about.

  "Then look, this is..." Si Mu Xian pointed, a bit worried, originally waiting for Lei Da Peng to roar "Hua Ting, I love you", looking at Wang Hua Ting's happy face, but unexpectedly quiet and soundless, instead Lei Ge became silly.

  "It's over, he doesn't seem to be stimulated at all, this looks like excitement, once he gets excited, he becomes like this, what kind of soul-stirring medicine did Wang Huating give him?" Dan Yong said with understanding of Lei Di.

  "Impossible? Wang Huating is so arrogant, she wouldn't even give us a kind word, let alone him?" Si Mu Xian said, and as soon as the words left his mouth, their eyes widened in unison, both of them almost popping their eyeballs out.

  Wang Huating came down, beaming with joy, smiling all over her face, waving at Lei Dapeng, and holding a rice bowl in one hand. She wasn't alone; there were several others with her, including some from their department and some from other departments. Roughly counting, there were eight of them, each with their own unique features. The eight girls surrounded Lei Dapeng, who was leading the way, gesticulating as he talked about something. Before long, the group of girls was laughing together, and this lively scene unfolded right before Si Mu Xian and Shan Yong's eyes, heading straight for the cafeteria.

  The handsome Egg Brother is disappointed, but the second Lei Brother who has fallen into the dregs is satisfied. This world is indeed unpredictable.

  Si Mu Xian looked at Shan Yong with sympathy, and Shan Yong, who was surprised beyond words, chased after him. The two of them stood outside the large glass door of the cafeteria, looking in. There were not many students eating inside. Lei Da Peng sat in the middle, diligently serving rice to the girls. After a while, he sat down, with two girls on his left and two on his right, and four opposite him. They ate and chatted, having a great time.

  "Done, Da Peng has also fallen for the beauty trap."

  When Shan Yong saw Wang Hua Ting throw a triumphant glance at the door, as if she knew someone was eavesdropping, Shan Yong somewhat understood and said helplessly.