ue to this alignment. Even at work, he often found himself isolated. Although Wang Weiwei didn't say anything after that incident, everyone unconsciously developed an impression: those who openly oppo...Chapter 31: Debate on Freedom (Part II)

"So you're a young master, enjoying your privileges without knowing how lucky you are. It's no wonder everything about travel trends is seen as luxurious by you, yet you squander your father’s money and still dare to complain. Your desires know no bounds," Xiao Xu said sarcastically.

Guo Su cycled a deep breath, rummaging through his mind for relevant information that would hold weight at this stage of the debate. After some thought, he concluded that he had nothing more to slip up on and stated, "Since the opposing side has brought up Zero Point Company and Fortune Magazine as examples, I have my own example: in 2001’s Forbes China Rich List, chairman Liu Yonghao of New Hope Group mentioned that it was wealth that gave him the freedom to pursue forty research projects. Freedom is like the watch on our wrists; when we take off the watch, our wrist gains unrestricted freedom. When we put it back on, we gain control over time. True freedom means pursuing higher goals instead of lower ones. While your father creates value for society, you feel constrained and miserable simply because he can’t be with you. If my opponent insists on distinguishing between minor freedoms and true freedom, I have nothing more to say."

The audience was silent; this was the critical stage of the free-for-all debate where both sides would attack and counter each other fiercely.

Guo Su became the main target of the opposing team's onslaught, yet he managed to handle the pressure from multiple debaters. This freshman certainly had talent.

The Nan University debaters were providing him with all possible support; Dong Xiaojia stood up and said, "Looking at our nation’s top few billionaires, I sometimes admire their wealth and status. If I had an endless fortune, I would fill my mansion with LV handbags, Prada shoes, and Cuccini clothing. But in reality, these people are not as free as we imagine; they represent a collective interest, and behind them lies society, employees, friends, companies, and markets — all part of the complex world of wealth. Can they truly do whatever they want Every action they take has consequences to consider. The report on Chinese entrepreneurs' growth and development states that an entrepreneur's average working time is fourteen hours a day; some even sacrifice their lives for it. Does my opponent still think this is freedom Do you have any further arguments"

"Sorry, but can I understand your argument as implying that pressure equals lack of freedom, when in fact they choose to face such pressure voluntarily Could we then say that the most free people are the beggars on the street who own nothing and thus feel no pressure besides begging"

Lin Luoran stood up to challenge her opponent: "Voluntary choice Every married person here chose marriage voluntarily, but does this mean they all enjoy freedom after tying the knot If so, why is it often said that marriage is a chain”

A Nan University debater rebutted, “Marriage is a sweet shackle. I’d like to point out that Miss Lin Luoran is a girl; women marry when they grow up. Could you ever be willing to choose this sweetness and enjoy the freedom of being in a relationship"

Lin Luoran was taken aback, then smiled: "Yes, marriage is indeed a chain. I yearn for true freedom. While this voluntary choice seems like it grants freedom, it is actually restrictive. If one day I have the option to choose not to marry, that would be genuine freedom."

Such girls choosing not to marry could wreak havoc on society; with fewer women than men already, wouldn’t such choices collapse marriage institutions These words immediately sparked a chorus of "Let's comfort you" from within Nan University’s audience.

Su Can stood up and stared straight at Lin Luoran without hesitation. Furrowing his brow, he said, “Does my opponent's argument represent genuine freedom or is it merely an attempt to refute our stance Is this the kind of freedom that respects reason and social responsibility The freedom we are discussing isn't just about personal time and space but about making sacrifices for greater freedom. Li Bai once wrote a poem: 'The fine steed, the thousand gold robe—call the boy, trade them for wine to drown our sorrow.' This is an embodiment of boldness in pursuing freedom."

"If I like a girl but due to various reasons she transfers schools and leaves me behind, unable to reach out, my actions are restricted by lack of wealth. Without this freedom, I lose the ability to pursue love. Consequently, today's post-70s and post-80s generations, when considering relationships, also find their choices limited."

Su Can’s gaze turned somber as he thought about how his life changed before and after rebirth; it was somewhat melancholic.

Tang Wu held her hand tighter, knowing that this had stirred her thoughts as well.

"So we start considering our partner's family background, whether they can accept a long-distance relationship, if they can afford to raise children. We consider their spiritual and material wealth, the gaps between us growing over time. Our relationships are no longer simple; we must weigh wealth—whether spiritual or material—and keep it up constantly. This requires us to strive continuously. The future is our battlefield."

"The opposing first debater mentioned that in pursuit of wealth, we would spend a great deal of time as a cost. However, if this time is not spent here, where should it flow Should it be wasted One might say 'when you're in the江湖 (underworld/city), but Mr. Jin Yong said, 'where there are people, there is江湖'. Living in this world, one has to face these things; there's no place to run."

Dong Xiaojia was visibly disgruntled and anyone could see that she now found herself at a loss. The contestants from Fudan University were battle-hardened veterans who could confuse concepts and engage in sophistry even when they had no merit, ensuring that there would never be a deadlock or moment of speechlessness.

However, the fact that Dong Xiaojia couldn't pursue her opponent like a shark but instead had to dodge left and right to avoid being hit where it hurts, with verbal errors cropping up several times in the process, highlighted this Fudan student's remarkable abilities.

If Su Can were one of Fudan University’s top performers, such as someone who participated in national or international university debate competitions, Dong Xiaojia wouldn't have found herself at a disadvantage when facing off against him. After all, he was a high-level player.

Yet the opponent before her was merely a first-year freshman. With such abilities, it was clear that Fudan's prestigious debating team had suffered a loss in reputation this time.

In the multipurpose hall of Fudan University, people started to inquire about the origins of this first-year student.

Li Han and Xiao Xu, who were watching from the stands, began to admire Su Can. Zhang Xiaqiao was secretly surprised; he had never felt inferior to Su Can before since his family background wasn't bad either and he'd been exposed to a broad range of things as a child. But now he found himself lacking in comparison.

In fact, ever since the first day they met, it seemed like this roommate harbored immense potential. Now that he had proven himself, Li Han felt relieved that he hadn’t been too harsh on Su Can during their initial meeting; otherwise, he wouldn't know how to relate to him now. His sense of recognition for Su Can as "room leader" grew.

Cheng Congcong listened intently to the fiery debate below, every word from Su Can resonating in her ears. The expressions on people's faces told her how impressive this speech was.

Deep down, Cheng Congcong felt conflicted. After all, Su Can was someone who could stand up to Shanghai International Studies University’s renowned debaters and represent Fudan with honor.

If she were to cheer along with the crowd like Tang Wu or Deng Siou would do, she wouldn't be able to maintain her composure in front of Tang Wu. Not cheering either was out of the question, so she could only weakly join in with a smile and clap half-heartedly under others' gazes—she felt this wasn’t right.

What she hadn’t said was that her reluctance to cheer stemmed from having dated a guy after a performance. Now she had long since passed the age of writing love letters or getting excited over someone, so all she could think about now was how to take revenge on Su Can.

By this time, Liu Yang, who sat in the last row, had already finished his meal and was contemplating the debate between both sides. He nodded silently as he realized that if it were him facing Dong Xiaojia's relentless attacks, he would probably have to retreat using a strategy of "unloading" rather than standing firm, resulting in a lower score. Yet unexpectedly, this mistake of his had led to such a formidable opponent.

The subsequent debate involved the final statements from each side’s debaters.

Dong Xiaojia sat at her position with spirited eyes. Although Su Can had provoked her several times during the debate, she knew that retaliating with words was pointless at this stage. However, the glare she directed at Su Can seemed like a sharp blade; it left him having to frequently avoid eye contact. Dong Xiaojia refused to accept defeat and wondered why she’d been held back by a mere first-year student in Fudan—her strong personality wouldn't let her reconcile with this.

Lin Luoran sat opposite Su Can, expressionless as if they were strangers, listening attentively to the summary speeches of their debaters.

After both sides concluded their closing arguments, Fan Qiyi nodded and organized his notes to provide an overview of the proceedings. He then asked Nan Dasheng to deliver a summary speech, evaluating the debate based on the judges' opinions and declaring the winning team and best debater.

Nan Dasheng walked up to the stage, took over the list from Quanzhong, and said, "Today's competition was set with a clever topic that was also very engaging. Unfortunately, both sides did not elevate their discussion to a philosophical level, which limited the expression of some insightful viewpoints and understanding of human wealth and freedom. However, it is worth mentioning that Nan University’s second debater gave me a stronger impression in this aspect. She undoubtedly deserves to be named Best Debater. Based on our expert judges' opinions, the winning team is the Red Team from Southern University with a score of 18:16. It's unfortunate that Shanghai International Studies University lost by just two points."

Su Can thought to himself that this was expected; although she was an outstanding student from SISU, compared to him, her experience was lacking. Despite her eloquence and sharp arguments, she lacked the confidence.

The audience熱議ed, with many agreeing it was reasonable for Nan University to win as they were hosting the event at their home ground. However, the loss of SISU by two points and not having Dong Xiaojia named Best Debater shocked those who had been following this debate closely online.

Dong Xiaojia, a star student from SISU with a history of participating in and winning many rigorous debates, was someone everyone knew would shine.

It was also said that the other debater brought along, Lin Luoran, was a prodigy Dong Xiaojia had dug out miraculously. Dong Xiaojia had once said about her: "She will surpass me someday; letting her participate in more debates can't be wrong."

However, these two figures ended up both failing to achieve their goals this time. Some students from Nan University could already imagine the incredulous expressions on SISU's faces upon hearing this news.

Su Can emerged as a surprise character after defeating Dong Xiaojia of SISU.

After announcing the end of the debate, both sides shook hands. When Su Can and Dong Xiaojia shook hands, she turned away from him with pride. That's what being a star is like. Su Can could imagine that she wouldn't be able to explain this result to her supporters back at SISU.

They exchanged handshakes in front of Lin Luoran as well; seeing the displeased look on her face, he thought that she must still be angry over the loss. Women are indeed petty.

Just now when she pressed me relentlessly and left me speechless, I didn't have time to get angry at her.

The icy expression of Lin Luoran made people around her give her a wide berth. While Tang Wu's coldness gave people the impression that she was unapproachable, Lin Luoran’s current stern face conveyed an even stronger sense of danger—she might just pull out a knife and stab anyone who dared to provoke her.

Noticing her troubled expression, Lin Luoran sighed and said, "Su Can, if one day I become your enemy like today, would you still fight back against me without hesitation"

Su Can was taken aback; women are truly tenacious. She even took things to this level of seriousness. No wonder she had been looking at me disdainfully earlier, because I hadn't beaten her.

But madam… How could it be justified in front of so many people that I deliberately let you win

A loss and being looked down upon is one thing, but not respecting your opponent—no, insulting them—is another.

To avoid insulting you, I had to do my best. Besides, even when pushing myself to the limit, it was still a struggle to defeat you; why don't you consider the effort and sacrifice that went into this

Lin Luoran is quite proud, and Su Cen knows this for sure. He also knows that she is actually very優秀，這一點蘇燦也知道。

However, in front of Lin Zhuowu and Wang Weiwei, she was used to concealing her sharpness, assuming the role of a weak woman under their protection. She didn’t overly display her strength in front of them either, so when faced with her overconfident brother and the one she once had a crush on, Wang Qiqi, she maintained their dignity.

She was accustomed to placing herself in the position of the weaker party, quietly cheering for Lin Zhuowu and Wang Weiwei and joining them in making fun of others.

But Su Cen never said that, from a small game perspective, Luoran's talent indeed far exceeded Wang Qiqi and Lin Zhuowu. When they played together, she would always give up hopelessly, relying on Lin Zhuowu and Wang Weicheng to turn the tide. If she truly focused and fought against him, Su Cen wouldn't be so sure of victory.

In terms of chess skills, during several visits to their place in Xia Hai previously, Su Cen barely won more than he lost in xiangqi matches.

This girl possesses considerable talent and a world inside her that flows like dragons and snakes (idiom for highly imaginative).

She might protect everyone's little feelings by deliberately suppressing her emotions and inner thoughts.

In college, without Lin Zhuowu, the latter was confidently enjoying his military school life after being pampered by his sister. Meanwhile, Wang Qiqi might be partying with his Beijing buddies every day but forgot about a girl who quietly watched over him, someone he probably doesn’t wish to remember.

Overall, Luoran, now free from certain constraints, no longer felt the urge to hide her sharpness; she was quickly showcasing her amazing potential and letting many people know that she's not inferior to other women or men in any way.

Facing Su Cen, she truly wondered what expression would cross his thick-skinned face if she managed to beat him.

Thus, this time her ruthless criticism left Su Cen at a loss for how to respond, with his mind being grilled and stewed. Fortunately, he had two lifetimes of experience giving him the upper hand, so it's not fair to say he doesn't respect beauty or grace when faced with Luoran’s straightforwardness.

When facing Lin Luoran's questioning, Su Cen pondered that if anyone else asked such a question, he would have said no one could make him retreat because after failing in his previous life, he couldn’t accept failure again. He only had one chance at rebirth and couldn't afford another.

So he replied, "If there ever comes a day, I think… I will let you win, but only once."

Su Cen knew that although he said this, if the situation arose, he might concede a hundred times.

The people around him, even Dong Xiaojia from Fudan University, looked at Su Cen in astonishment. They were surprised to see him seemingly acquainted with Lin Luoran and wondered what romantic drama was unfolding here.

"So it seems I only have one chance."

Lin Luoran smiled but somewhat forcedly. Holding her smooth left wrist, she looked up at Su Cen and said softly, "If there comes a day when I have no choice but to stand against you, I will let you win, regardless of how many times... it would be the same."轉碼失敗！請您使用右上換源切換源站閱讀或者直接前往源網站進行閱讀！