A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

"The map of the modern Middle East was created in those six months. At the conference, Britain ceded the Mosul region to the newly formed Iraq, promising the Kurds state one thing, but then reneged. This led to ethnic and sectarian conflicts within Iraq, and the Kurdish struggle for statehood that has lasted for a century..."

We can say that if we view the Middle East from the perspective of a syncretic civilization, it is a region with numerous sectarian groups, where the ancients had found a delicate balance for coexistence over the years. However, this balance was shattered at the Paris Peace Conference by a group of people who had no understanding of the actual situation.

Journalism requires a professional skill called "investigation."

When faced with a situation, investigation is essential before one has the right to speak. Therefore, while reading this book, I couldn't help but think that the current suffering of people in the Middle East is not simply due to differences in sectarianism and doctrine, as commonly believed.

No, it was propelled into its current form by external forces.

When realistic interests clash with ideals, ideals are torn apart. But to prevent you from seeing the death of ideals, it chooses to assemble a seemingly magnificent emperor's robe using compromise, injustice, and hidden dangers.

The Middle Easterners believed it and ran out wearing the garment, only to find themselves naked when it rained.

You run naked, he runs naked too. As a result, what you can accept becomes what you can't accept, and what you can't accept tries to make the other person accept it… This is one of the true root causes of conflict…

Luo Xiang nodded in agreement with Li Mu's words.

"My views are somewhat similar to Lao Li's, but... I myself studied law, and my approach to research isn't like Lao Li's. I feel that those at the Paris Peace Conference lacked research... Of course, they did indeed lack research. What I want to express is that this book provides a fair and impartial account of the six months of the Paris Peace Conference."

The Paris Peace Conference, however, has a far more direct connection to modern law and the rule of law in society than we imagine. This book tells us that the blueprint and fundamental flaws of our understanding of the "rule of law world" today were both sown simultaneously in the spring of 1919.

In short, the Paris Peace Conference attempted to reshape the world order through law and rules, but its attempt at "rule of law" was incomplete. This incompleteness is precisely a key to understanding the core dilemma of modern legal systems…

After Li Mu finished speaking, he said...

While he was speaking, the other three were flipping through the book, looking at the general contents and some paragraphs.

Li Mu hadn't initially planned to discuss a specific section of the book like he would a thesis lecture, but Yu Feihong set an example by discussing a chapter from *The Wanderer Without Borders* for almost half an hour…

The seniors have set an example; those who come after them can simply follow suit.

Fortunately, he has a good memory and still remembers some of the more memorable passages.

He really enjoys these kinds of gatherings where people share their thoughts on books and explain why they recommend them.

Furthermore, everyone interprets things from a different perspective.

For example, Luo Xiang used the lessons of the rule of law derived from the Paris Peace Conference, taking the Middle East—broadly considered an "uncivilized" region at the time—as an example to raise questions about the law's ability to "restrain the weak," "inability to restrain the strong," and "why the strong cannot be restrained," thus prompting reflection... It was truly excellent.

Most importantly, it's not just about talking; people also ask questions.

For example, Chen asked: Shouldn't the greatest impact of the Paris Peace Conference on us be its enlightenment of the May Fourth Movement?

You see, her question is the same one Li Mu and Luo Xiang discussed downstairs: the general public associates this meeting with the May Fourth Movement.

Li Mu and Luo Xiang then started arguing with her...

The person asking the question didn't feel embarrassed, while the person answering felt a sense of shared experience.

The atmosphere was absolutely fantastic.

As they chatted, the sun began to set.

The Lexin oven beeped with a five-minute timer indicating the end of baking.

"The beef is ready. Let me process it first."

Li Mu temporarily left his seat.

After opening the lid of the stew pot, he smelled the aroma and nodded in satisfaction.

Hmm, not bad.

Then, he glanced at the untouched seafood... and then at Yu Feihong, who was discussing Einstein's theory of relativity with Cheng Hao.

He then turned on the gas stove.

Just as the shrimp heads were being fried in the pan to make shrimp oil, Yu Feihong ran over:

"Oh dear, I forgot. Let me do it."

"It's alright, I'll do it. Just think of it as... letting everyone try my cooking. You don't need to worry about anything, leave it to me."

"...You can do all of these?"

"Hmm, fish soup, risotto, apple pie, right?"

"right."\

"Leave it to me."

Seeing his confident demeanor, Yu Feihong smiled and nodded:

"Alright, I'll leave it to you."

So, it was a little after 6 p.m.

As the aroma of food grew stronger... a group of hungry people who had spent the afternoon chatting about books, eating cookies, and drinking tea couldn't resist any longer.

Before anyone knew it, Chen had reached the kitchen doorway, her beautiful eyes fixed on Li Mu, who was busy at work:

"Old Li..."

"Um?"\

"It smells so good! I can't resist it!"

"Ha, dinner's in ten minutes, the risotto will be ready soon."

"Do you need any help?"

"Need not."\

And Li Mu indeed kept his word.

If I said ten minutes, then it's ten minutes.

Ten minutes later, he personally served a large pot of oxtail first.

The oxtail alone is enough for everyone to eat.

Not to mention the other dishes.

And when the pot lid

Once uncovered...

"Wow!!"\

Chen was taken aback.

Just by smelling it, you can tell it's delicious!

Yu Feihong was also filled with surprise.

The aroma alone is amazing!

"School beauty!"

"Eh!"

"Go get the wine!"

"Okay."

Soon, when the apple pie, which was supposed to be served after the meal but was brought over along with it, was also placed on the table, Yu Feihong looked at the crisp, golden texture of the pie crust... and understood perfectly.

This skill of Old Li's can no longer be simply defined as "knowing how to do it".

They're professionals.

Soon, everyone sat down at the table, including Li Mu, and raised their glasses:

"Cheers."\

Red wine, and a country-style Western meal.

When Chen, who was the most impatient, saw the tender oxtail that crumbled easily with a gentle poke of his chopsticks, he took a bite...

"Um!??"\

"Haha, isn't it delicious?"

Seeing her amused expression, Li Mu smiled and before he could finish his question, everyone gave him a thumbs up in unison.

Clearly, this tastes...absolutely delicious!

Every dish in this meal was absolutely top-notch!

"I've made up my mind!"

Yu Feihong, holding a wine glass, smiled and said:

"From now on, Lao Li will cover all the meals for our book club! Lao Li, what do you say? Is that okay?"

"Haha, no problem!"

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!" \

Everyone's cups clinked together.

Although it was their first meeting, at this moment, they were already completely familiar with each other because they shared the same hobbies, topics, and even feelings.

(First of all, after reading the comments, I realized everyone has a lot of opinions about Luo Xiang. Please forgive me, my impression of him is still from the Zhang San – the outlaw. After he and Luo Yonghao filmed the Volvo GG, I stopped paying attention. But it's not important; his storyline is actually a small legal subplot, optional. The main point is that I need to use this to introduce the Cheng Hao – Nankai – Zhang Yiming storyline. Since everyone doesn't like it, I won't write about it, since it's not that important anyway. Finally… it's the beginning of the month, please vote with your monthly tickets, thank you so much!)