NOVPUB"Thank you, Wang Xin, for that brilliant performance,"
The host had not expected a simple oath to turn so embarrassingly awkward for Wang Xin.
Fortunately, the host was a pro.
Everyone might feel awkward, but not him.
He let Wang Xin step down to rest, and while Wang Xin was making his way off the stage, the host read Wang Xin’s resume again and then praised him from various angles.
From below the stage, Song Bing couldn’t help but exclaim, "No wonder he’s a top host, with that attitude, he deserves the money!"
Compared to the earlier Wang Xin, the host was much more brief when introducing Wu Bin.
"Next, please welcome Wu Bin, a student from the Finance class of the Agriculture University, to speak to us."
Having said that, the host stepped aside.
Song Bing’s mouth twitched in anger.
"That’s it? The host interacted with Wang Xin for so long, and now when it’s my brother Wu’s turn, it’s just one sentence?"
Never underestimate the power of a host.
Wu Bin might be hot on the internet, but not everyone knows him.
Especially most high school seniors, whose parents expect them to become dragons and thus keep them on a tight leash.
They even time their bathroom breaks, not to mention playing with their phones.
Wu Bin walked to the lectern while the audience buzzed with discussion.
"Who is this guy? How come I’ve never heard of him?"
"Seems like the recently popular ’Crispy Skin College Student’ from the Agriculture University, the one who often gets sick."
"Are you kidding me? A college student who’s often ill can give a speech?"
"The Agriculture University is really slacking off, letting anyone on stage. Do they even have standards anymore?"
For those parents fixated on their children becoming successful, academic performance is of paramount importance.
Wang Xin had earned these parents’ approbation because he was the epitome of a good student in their eyes!
He had the family background, the grades, and the looks.
Wasn’t he the ideal child they dreamt of?
So now, as Wu Bin took the stage to speak, many parents were quite displeased.
Wang Xin sat below the stage, also wearing a look of disdain.
All those parents down there are my fans, how could you compete with me?
Just as Wang Xin was smug with self-satisfaction, Wu Bin began to speak:
"To be honest, standing here makes me quite nervous, as my grades have never really been stellar. Managing to get into the Agriculture University was already pushing my limits."
At these words, the parents in the audience grew even more dissatisfied.
What is this?
A student with poor grades is allowed to speak at a motivational conference?
Wu Bin didn’t pay heed to the parents’ disapproving looks but continued:
"But what does that matter?"
"As you can see, although my grades may be poor, I am still on the same campus as Wang Xin."
"My grades may be poor, but I still haven’t become a menace to society, nor have I done anything bad."
"Today, I am standing here to tell you one thing."
"The college entrance exam may be the most important turning point in your lives, but it is definitely not the sole purpose of your years of hard study."
"The education we have received since we were young taught us to become people useful to society, and I firmly believe that we learn not for exams, but to increase our knowledge, to become smarter, to better understand this world in a more comprehensive way!"
"Therefore, I hope you won’t feel anxious or tense, embrace the concept of lifelong learning, treat the college entrance exam as just an ordinary test. If worse comes to worst, we can always do a retake, right?"
Wu Bin said this and, with a sweep of his arm, continued.
"Fellow students, don’t forget the original aspiration of our studies!"
"To learn in pursuit of truth!"
"To learn for the rise of our great nation!"
Wu Bin’s voice was deafeningly loud.
The silence of the students below was thunderous.
Wu Bin felt that the speech he had just delivered was quite motivational, but why was there no reaction from the audience after he had spoken for so long?
This was a major embarrassment.
Wu Bin placed the microphone on the lectern and returned to his seat.
Watching Wu Bin approaching from a distance, Song Bing couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up,
"Old Wu, I didn’t see that coming. You actually have such awareness!"
Wu Bin gave him a glare.
"Don’t even mention it, it was mortifying."
"Mortifying? Not at all!"
Song Bing said earnestly, "I think what you said was excellent, your values are spot on. Your speech completely overshadowed Wang Xin’s ranting oath."
Wu Bin naturally didn’t believe him.
If what he had said was really that good, why didn’t anyone clap?
Just as Wu Bin was entertaining this thought, someone in the audience started clapping, and then everyone joined in. The applause and cheers exploded in volume, soaring up to the heavens!
The students below were moved to tears.
Some even shouted Wu Bin’s name, treating him as a true idol!
Seeing this, Wu Bin was somewhat stunned.
Zhou Tong looked down at the audience with disbelief.
"Have these students gone mad? This is an oath-taking ceremony, and they are crying and laughing—have they all gone crazy?"
Zhou Tong couldn’t understand, but Xu Wenyao was nodding in satisfaction.
"Right, Wu Bin’s speech was indeed very well delivered; he hit the nail on the head with every sentence."
"Nowadays, students are under immense pressure. They have to learn at school during the day and then take extra classes and practice problems at home at night, all for the sake of achieving good grades."
"But have these parents ever considered what their children should do after the gaokao is over?"
This problem had in fact already emerged in universities.
Many freshmen, upon entering the university, would begin to indulge in excessive pleasure as a form of retaliation.
Gaming, hotpot, dating—anything they had not tried before, they would give it a go.
Attending classes and studying were relegated to last place.
What’s more interesting is the attitude of the parents. As strict as they were before the college entrance examination, they become as lenient once their children are in university, even to the point of laissez-faire.
This year, the Agricultural University had admitted many such freshmen.
Otherwise, Xu Wenyao wouldn’t have capitalized on Wu Bin’s fame to organize two major school-wide rectification campaigns in succession.
The first was to tackle gaming, where they caught a bunch of internet-addicted youths all at once.
Another time, they restricted excessively intimate behaviors between male and female students, so much so that dating in the Agricultural University has almost become an impossible dream.
Zhou Tong had initially thought that these two actions were concocted on the fly by Xu Wenyao and were just bumbling initiatives.
Who would have known they were all part of an interconnected plan!
No wonder they say the older, the wiser. With this interlinked planning, it’s brilliant!
