rnoon, there’s a beautiful pianist who plays here! It's said she plays incredibly well; most people come just to watch her perform!" Another man continued enthusiastically, describing Zhao Yi's tale v...Chapter 89: Escape

Seeing Su Can collide with Li Changlong's trap, Qian Zhongyuan and his group sitting in the front row were the first to start a commotion. They watched with malicious satisfaction as Su Can stood by the aisle, unable to go up or down. With Nankai University having a relaxed atmosphere during lectures, it further fueled Qian Zhongyuan's friends' pointed jeers.

Li Changlong, one of the four literary talents, usually wouldn't lose his temper as an instructor teaching a large class of over two hundred students. However, when he was provoked to his limits and lost his temper, he might tear off your so-called dignity and face completely.

Su Can didn't expect Li Changlong to suddenly challenge him for standing up during the lecture. As a teacher lecturing such a large class, this sudden pause and direct confrontation with Su Can put immense pressure on him, making many of his classmates anxious for him.

Tang Wu also paused her note-taking. It was rare that she shared a major course with Su Can, but she hadn't expected the teacher to already have such an opinion about Su Can.

"As a teacher, I need to teach twenty classes every week and work hard to catch up for the semester's progress. However, my students don't seem to feel any urgency or pressure regarding this situation. Actually, I'm not sad about it," Li Changlong said with a cold voice. "Do you know why Because that can only be an individual student’s personal sadness, a personal tragedy in life. It is the sorrow of a school accepting such students."

The crowd responded with 'oh's', indicating that Li Changlong had truly been provoked.

Su Can naturally didn't know what was going on inside Li Changlong's mind, but he now felt awkward and embarrassed. After all, he was in the wrong, and unfortunately, he had missed several of Li Changlong’s classes recently. This was Su Can's predicament; being confronted by a teacher wasn't an accidental occurrence, but rather something rooted in past events.

Su Can now felt very awkward. Even with his thick skin from two lifetimes, he still felt ashamed and was planning how to apologize discreetly, explaining that he had important matters and had no choice but to leave the classroom.

Li Changlong placed the book on the table in front of him and clapped his hands. Actually, there wasn't any chalk dust on them because generally, he rarely wrote on the blackboard during lectures, but now it was clearly a show of force.

"Do you know what kind of school this is Do you know what type of university this is Do you know how many people take part in the national college entrance examination every year" Li Changlong said. "I'll tell you: This year, there were 46.5 million participants in the nationwide college entrance exam, with this number continuing to rise sharply each year. What does 46.5 million mean"

Looking at Su Can, Li Changlong obviously didn't expect a response. "I believe someone who has no interest in probability theory is also oblivious to numbers. You don't know what the concept of this number is; I'll tell you. I once went to Jincheng area in Shanxi Province, which is the site of the ancient Battle of Changping. Bai Qi killed 400,000 people there, from Skeleton Mountain in the west to Hongjia Gou in the east, and Dan Zhu Ling in the north to Mishan Town in the south, spanning about thirty kilometers. Later generations found countless remains where bodies were scattered across the river valley between the two mountains.

"The 46.5 million participants in this year's national college entrance examination are almost eleven times Bai Qi’s slaughter count. Among them, over 1.5 million people fell short of admission, landing directly into a pit of failure; another nearly 2 million were admitted to second and third-tier universities or colleges. For the students here at one of the top schools, it's like six hundred thousand people falling into a pit of failure. This is enough to create a sea of corpses across the Yellow River valley. Among the few schools that managed to break through, you are fortunate enough to be standing on them now. You are among those who have escaped the great slaughter and come to this school; you should feel proud, but more importantly, understand how cruel the world is outside, filled with countless bodies of people who wanted to enter this school, their blood staining the campus from its gates. And I therefore have reason to tell you to cherish it!"

Li Changlong lives up to his reputation as one of the Four Literary Talents in the north district, speaking with forceful conviction and rhythm, accompanied by gestures that attack directly.

"Perhaps you don't understand your position right now. Some of my college classmates who shared dormitories with me studied so hard here just to achieve excellent grades; they are now very grateful to our alma mater. Why Because this school provides them opportunities to showcase their talents and the knowledge they have acquired gives them a bright future. As a result, some of them live abroad in high society, others hold MBAs sought after by companies, some manage private equity funds with great success, some own businesses that are highly reputable, while those working for foreign firms have climbed to upper management positions, even reaching influential roles within state agencies. All these individuals have achieved a certain level within their respective fields and are moving towards the pinnacle of their industry. Only a few who failed to appreciate this opportunity remain obscure among our reunions! So tell me, Su Cen, with your attitude now, where do you think you'll end up standing"

Li Changlong shook his head in amusement, "Right, I shouldn't be asking you. Since you have something pressing, go ahead and leave the room as grandly as you like because outside there's a pit of many people."

A few others laughed along with this, Qian Zhongyuan and company jeering at Su Cen from all sides; Li Changlong had taken out his frustrations on him. When Su Cen made him look foolish in front of everyone back then, now he too was being ridiculed by Li Changlong, which was what he deserved.

Su Cen came down the corridor somewhat dejectedly and stopped for a moment to think before raising his head and saying, "Professor Li, I have no intention of belittling you or probability theory."

Li Han and Xiao Xu exchanged glances; they felt that what Li Changlong was talking about had nothing to do with their lives.

Li Changlong waved his hand dismissively as if he didn't care, thinking that Su Cen’s words were already meaningless. Who cares

However, Su Cen looked up and said, "But what you're saying I don’t entirely agree with. You say they thank the alma mater for providing them knowledge, but it's not for the intellectual and moral elevation brought about by their education, nor is it gratitude for the joy these studies bring to their lives or the enrichment of their abilities. Instead, it’s because such knowledge guarantees a promising future, a job with good pay, a status at gatherings that makes everyone envious – all so glorious rather than dim."

The entire lecture hall fell silent due to Su Cen's speech; only his last words could be heard: "Power and wealth. That’s what they’re thankful for."

Li Changlong stared at Su Cen, the smile on his face freezing as he felt that many were reflecting deeply after hearing this sentence from him. So, turning serious, he said, "Your point is you have more life experience and insight than me If knowledge doesn't elevate their lives, how could they reach such heights Using knowledge to gain social returns isn’t something shameful! Otherwise, do you think your parents scrimped and saved, using their low-paid labor to support the education of your brain so that after learning all this knowledge, you can indulge yourself like Zhuge Liang tending fields in Nanyang for pleasure alone Without Liu Bei and his resources, Zhuge Liang is just a farmer! Now you, at only nineteen years old and having studied less than a year in college, want to instruct me on what the pursuit of life should be So tell us all with your life experience, right here in front of everyone."

Li Changlong, upon hearing Su Cen’s eloquent response and feeling that he had some talent for debate, was further angered by his audacity. He stubbornly wanted to challenge him directly before the public.

During Li Changlong's time at NanDa (Nanjing University), he excelled in academics and held a high ranking among students, which led to his position as an assistant researcher and lecturer after graduation – a status enviable for someone of his age.

Many exchanged glances, all waiting to see how Su Cen would respond to Li Changlong's challenge as one of the Four Literary Talents.

Ruan Sigu, Tong Tong, Cheng Congcong, and Tang Wu exchanged glances, all seeing the grim expressions on each other's faces.

"I don't mean that, Mr. Li; I'm just saying that the way of exam-oriented education itself has problems because our society and educational institutions value cold statistics." Su Cen saw that Li Changlong wasn't listening to him and had a demeanor inviting everyone to listen.

Su Cen knew he was in a tough spot, facing an audience who were either aloof, interested, or encouragingly attentive. He took a deep breath and said, "I wonder if any of you students can answer my question: Have you calculated how many classes on average you take each day What's your daily life like in this supposedly top-notch school"

It was a simple question but no one answered because it was clear that Li Changlong’s target was Su Cen. Who would dare stand up at this moment to support Su Cen, thereby placing themselves on the opposite side of the Four Talents from the Northern District They might soon be covered in blood

Then Ruan Sigu and others saw Tang Wu gently raise her hand.

"Um, yes, please speak up," seeing that no one was responding, Su Cen felt a bit awkward. Seeing Tang Wu now, he felt relieved but then thought this was a question involving personal privacy.

As expected, under countless wolf-like gazes,

Tang Wu stood up; her slender figure and delicate lips revealed, "Two consecutive elective classes and three professional courses in the morning, sometimes even three subjects per day. There are five classes in the morning, three in the afternoon, and three at night. On average, there are about nine classes a week. After finishing morning classes, I take one to two hours' nap in my dormitory before continuing with the afternoon classes. If there's evening class, I need to have dinner by six o'clock to avoid being late."

There was an uproar. This was Tang Wu’s schedule; many hoped Su Cen would inquire further about details such as which dormitory she naps in or which classroom she goes to in the evenings.

Su Cen felt uncomfortable seeing a group of men perk up upon hearing that Tang Wu napped, but he couldn’t delve deeper into it. He nodded and said, "Thank you; that’s already very good."

Tong Tong admired Tang Wu for having the courage to stand up and told her when she sat down, “You two are working in tandem, making Mr. Li's face pale. It's like a husband-and-wife team, indeed quite formidable.”

Tang Wu smiled without agreeing or disagreeing.

"As Mr. Li just mentioned, you all entered this university with excellent scores. I believe during your middle school years, your parents, relatives, teachers, classmates, and friends were proud of your top rankings and told you that you are the best, always studying in the finest schools and securing good jobs. So you would rather give up what you truly want to do for things others will acknowledge."

Many people are in deep thought, reflecting on their lives over the past decades which they had never truly reflected upon before.

"Teacher Li just mentioned that you have 20 classes per week to fulfill your school's teaching plan. The female student also mentioned earlier that public courses come in back-to-back two-hour sessions and specialized courses in three consecutive hours, sometimes totaling eleven classes in a single day. We are all living busy lives, shuttling from one district to another with hurried faces; we are merely busy fulfilling our tasks for credits and GPA rather than excited about education or gaining knowledge."

"Similarly, upon graduation, many of us scramble to find good jobs to earn generous salaries and marry pretty wives. In foreign enterprises, once we climb to high positions in our careers, people rush to emigrate and obtain US green cards. We look at others enviously when they work abroad. At class reunions, we vie for the most favorable recognition from peers rather than occupying the weakest corner of the room. What are we chasing after The meaning of life No, it's wealth and power."

"All this is due to our educational institutions, teachers, and parents telling us from birth or before enrolling in school what we should study, which university we must get into, whether our chosen major will have a promising future, be sought after by employers, or win over the favor of young women. When dating, girls subtly ask about your monthly income; if it’s too low, you might feel embarrassed to go out with friends."

Laughter filled the room, but many were moved beyond the humor. Some female students even chuckled so hard they cried.

"True education should not be measured by how many mass-produced college graduates there are or by the grandeur of university buildings and campuses. Rather, it should be gauged by whether the study rooms shine brightly on weekends, indicating that each person is learning to enrich themselves and truly grasp knowledge."

This was Su Cen's insight from his rebirth experience; after reincarnating, he temporarily set aside opportunities for great wealth using his foresight advantage in order to accumulate knowledge and improve himself. Not just to score high marks at the top school or enter a prestigious university like Nan University, but because there were things within that could arm him with capital he needed—the deficiencies from his previous life that led to his mysterious death at many hands.

The atmosphere in the lecture hall of over two hundred people froze momentarily.

Su Cen smiled apologetically and said, "Sorry, I have something important to do. But don't worry; I'll make up for the missed classes this weekend in the自習室 (study room). Hope you won't secretly curse me for disrupting class."

Without wasting time—there was no time left—Su Cen slipped out of the classroom and moved four or five meters away before he heard the lecture hall stir into a fervent uproar behind him.

The sun shone brightly as Su Cen walked down that old path for quite some distance.

(To be continued)her dark black ponytail would sway from side to side, adding an indescribable vitality to her cold demeanor. This was the woman he had thought about day and night, who had ended their relationship wit...