My whole family is involved in diplomacy, so you dare to flex your muscles?

Director Frank looked at Gu Yun in front of him and had only one thought in his mind: This guy is a monster.

He barged in all alone, without bringing a single person with him, only to be confronted by the menacing Japanese diplomats and the highly respected Cambridge professor.

Far from being tense, he cornered the other party with just a few words and regained control of the conversation.

This ability to control the situation, this airtight logic, is simply terrifying.

Counselor Watanabe's lips trembled for a long time, but he couldn't utter a single word.

His face, which had been flushed with anger, had now turned a deep liver color, and a fine layer of cold sweat had beaded on his forehead.

Professor Hamilton's expression was also extremely unpleasant.

Gu Yun's words just now, seemingly a question to him, actually put him in a very difficult position as well.

If he says Yamamoto's behavior is civilized, then what about his reputation as an internationally renowned scholar?

Is acknowledging the falsification of history a civilized act?

If he says that, he'll never be able to work in academia again.

But if he says that Gu Yun's rebuttal was civilized, wouldn't that be tantamount to completely denying the protest from the Japanese side and siding entirely with Gu Yun?

This is also inconsistent with his status as a "neutral" judge, and would offend Japan and the Western forces that support them.

"Mr. Gu, I think you've misunderstood me." Professor Hamilton wiped the sweat from his brow, attempting to struggle.

"I didn't say your rebuttal was barbaric; I just said that your approach... was a bit too intense and emotional."

Diplomacy, after all, is an art of compromise, isn't it?

He invoked the widely circulated Western saying, "Diplomacy is the art of compromise," in an attempt to occupy the moral and theoretical high ground.

Gu Yun suddenly laughed when he heard the words "the art of compromise".

He leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms on the table, and looked at Professor Hamilton with a leisurely air, asking, "Professor, you study sociology, so you must also have a great deal of knowledge about history."

Can you tell me, in human history, has there ever been a time when true peace was achieved through "compromise"?

Hamilton was taken aback: "This..."

"The peace of ancient Rome was established by the Roman legions crushing all the disobedient tribes with their iron hooves and short swords."

"The so-called 'Victorian peace' of the British Empire was maintained only by the Royal Navy, the most powerful navy in the world, bombarding ports of countless countries."

"The post-World War II world order was barely maintained for decades of 'cold peace' thanks to the two atomic bombs and the nuclear arsenals of the two major camps, which were enough to destroy the world countless times."

Gu Yun gave Hamilton no chance to think; he spoke slowly but powerfully.

"Professor, the 'compromise' you're talking about only ever happens in one situation—when both sides are evenly matched and neither can do anything to the other."

"When one side has an absolute advantage, that's not called compromise, that's called charity, or even command."

"When one side is at a significant disadvantage, that's not called compromise, that's called surrender, that's called submission."

Gu Yun leaned forward again, his gaze fixed intently on Hamilton: "More than a hundred years ago, when we were weak..."

Have you ever talked to us about "the art of compromise"?

No. You only told us about the range of the shells and the amount of reparations.

"Now, on this small stage, I've only gained a tiny, insignificant verbal advantage, and you're already coming over to lecture me on the 'art of compromise'?"

Gu Yun's lips curled into a mocking smile.

"Professor, don't you think...this is ridiculous?"

"You're not teaching me art; you're telling me—I can hit you, but you can't hit back, and even if you do, you have to do it gently in a way that I allow."

Otherwise, you are barbaric, you don't understand art.

"What kind of bullshit art is this? This is called hegemony! This is called double standards!"

"Snapped!"

Director Frank accidentally dropped his coffee cup, which shattered on the ground.

He was completely dumbfounded.

He originally thought that Gu Yun had already reached her limit after criticizing the contestants and judges.

Unexpectedly, he was even harsher and more merciless in the meeting room!

Professor Hamilton's face flushed red and then turned pale; he felt like he was about to have a heart attack.

His proud academic theories were shattered and rendered worthless in front of this young man.

Counselor Watanabe didn't dare to breathe loudly; he just wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

He finally understood that trying to play logic or debate with Gu Yun was simply asking for humiliation.

"So..." Gu Yun's gaze slowly swept over everyone present, finally landing on the trembling director, Frank.

"Now, can we return to our original question?"

"Didn't Yamamoto violate the rules by openly provoking and humiliating me and my country on stage using a fabricated history?"

"And I fought back with facts to defend my dignity. Wasn't my action justified?"

Please answer me, yes or no?

Frank looked into Gu Yun's smiling eyes, but felt more terrified than when facing the devil.

He swallowed hard, and under Gu Yun's gaze, uttered a single word in a voice barely above a whisper.

"……yes."

Gu Yun's smile instantly brightened.

"Very well." He stood up, straightened his shirt, and said, "In that case, this farce should come to an end."

"Director Frank, I hope that when I return to the stage, I will hear a fair verdict."

After saying that, he turned and left gracefully, no longer looking at the dejected people in the conference room.

All that remained was a room full of mess and three men questioning the meaning of life.