They are still close to me today despite their negative feelings

"But Ling Qingxue is too strong! The way she answered with a smile made me feel like I was the one who got tricked." The fourth debater looked in my direction in the video, "Junior, you just questioned her too—it was terrifying, wasn't it?"

"...Although I really don't want to admit it."

Looking at the smiling Ling Qingxue, I felt utterly exhausted. Digging pits and burying people is this guy's forte. Let alone being a debater who only needs to defend, even in other debate positions, given his cunning, he could probably handle it all with ease very quickly.

Putting aside personal subjective factors, this guy is indeed the most suitable member candidate—damn it, this is the episode where I least want to put aside subjective factors.

"Although I sense that my darling has some reservations about me, it seems I really am the best choice~"

When she spoke, anyone who had experienced that summer's events, whether it was An Yu or Xiao Xin, would show a hint of wariness and unease.

Given Ling Qingxue's personality, it was impossible that she hadn't noticed this slight wariness and hostility. However, the girl merely glanced around casually before continuing to speak as if nothing had happened.

"What a shame, the rival is so weak, even the match was boring. But it's okay, I guess I'm the one most worthy of my darling~"

"Your personality is really awful," I finally couldn't help but say sarcastically.

After she said that, even the cat, who had no idea what had happened between her and us, showed hostility.

"Oh dear~ My darling has a terrible personality too, I'll just take that as proof that we're a good match." Ling Qingxue laughed. "Since we've already decided, why don't we get started? Although I really enjoy flirting with my darling, let's save our intimacy for the celebration banquet, shall we?"

Before I could retort, Ling Qingxue looked at Wu Yuehua. "So, President, I just went with you to submit the materials, so I didn't hear their discussion—what's the topic of this debate?"

Wu Yuehua glanced at me subconsciously, and I nodded helplessly.

"The debate topic we drew this time is—Should we uphold justice within our capabilities or act recklessly?" Wu Yuehua took the draft paper that Chen Di and I had just written down and showed it to Ling Qingxue.

"We are in a difficult position to fight. The opposing side should fight with all their might."

Wu Yuehua said this. Upon hearing the topic of the debate and our stance, even someone like Ling Qingxue, after a brief moment of thought, chuckled and sighed.

—Thinking about it, even in the Kingdom of Jiuhua, after becoming a top-tier power, society was swept up in the tide of development, with refined self-interest and self-preservation becoming the mainstream. No one would find it strange, nor would anyone think it inappropriate.

For a selfish person like me, this is a perfectly reasonable attitude. But now, if I'm forced to speak from this righteous and noble perspective, honestly, I find it hard to convince myself of it for the time being.

"If you really don't have any ideas, just put them aside for now. The drama club's first act is about to start, so we can go over there to prepare and think about it at the same time."

Senior Wu Yuehua made this suggestion.

The drama club also has an innovative approach to this year's "Battle of a Hundred Troupes". Unlike in the past when a play was performed from beginning to end and then circulated for several days, this time the drama club adapted Qiu Luxi's script into three episodes, in the form of a TV series. They plan to perform the first episode on the first day, the second episode on the second day, and the finale on the third day to attract more viewers.

The advantage of doing this is that it increases audience engagement and avoids the embarrassing situation that used to occur when a play ran out of audience members by the third day.

However, the downside of turning a series into a drama is that it's harder to get hooked. Even if a recap is distributed before viewers watch the show, it's unlikely that viewership will increase significantly on the second and third days if the operation is normal.

...For example, a work featuring a swordsman who "didn't need to be a swordsman".

To avoid unleashing a torrent of swords and spears, I also had a brief discussion with the shy club president about this matter, especially regarding the arrangements for the second day.

After all, it was under the guise of a collaboration between the literature club and the drama club... and it was related to my 1.5 credits.

"So, is our literary society too busy? School magazine, acting, and debate competitions."

An Yu, having regained his spirits, muttered to himself.

...She's right!!

I think I joined the literary society just to slack off, albeit nominally? Why do I feel like I'm getting further and further away from that goal? Where exactly did things go wrong?

"I have to remind you here that I was forced into acting by someone." Chen Di looked at me with a somewhat cold gaze. "I'd also like to know why you're so busy."

"You jumped into that debate yourself, so I'm not taking the blame for it," I immediately protested.

"I see." Chen Di nodded. "Junior Ning Ruoxin, I have something I want to tell you about your brother's life at school."

"Hmm? Okay." Ning Ruoxin walked over seriously.

"Hahaha, really, don't joke like that with someone's sister... You guys are joking, right?!"

No. This kid actually started talking about some private incidents that happened within the gang. Didn't they say that the porn incident was a misunderstanding?!

"I really don't know if it's optimism or just being oblivious..."

The second debater, who hadn't turned off the video yet, complained through the screen, glancing at Wu Yuehua before hesitating to speak.

“Isn’t it great?” Wu Yuehua smiled, though she lowered her voice, I still heard her clearly. “It’s like what we’ve always said but never actually done: not to be obsessed with winning or losing, but to enjoy the game. I also want to not care about winning or losing this time, but to cherish this once-in-a-lifetime experience with them.”

The second debater on the screen seemed somewhat shocked, while the fourth debater smiled.

"It's good that you think this way, Xiao Wu... You've changed a lot too."

Senior Wu Yuehua tilted her head in confusion.

"Well, it gives off a feeling that she's finally stopped forcing herself," the fourth debater said with a smile, her gaze falling on me from the screen. "Oh dear, could it be because of that very different junior? Is wanting to enjoy the competition also because of him?"

"Really, don't talk nonsense."

Senior Wu Yuehua turned her head away reproachfully, but her eyes met mine, which was listening nearby.

...I smiled awkwardly, and the senior student looked slightly surprised and looked away.

"Did I see wrong?" "Oh! That's quite a discovery." "You're blushing, Little Crow~"

*Snap.* The video call was abruptly ended, and the tablet was slammed shut with its protective case.

Feeling the scrutinizing gaze from Senior Wu, I avoided eye contact to ensure my safety.

I didn't hear or see anything, and I don't understand what the senior students were joking about.

[Next chapter preview: "Do we need to negotiate this kind of trivial matter? Aren't we guests from out of town? Don't they know to let us through?"]

Will we win this time? We're guaranteed to win.

"You really don't understand? Or do you actually know but are deliberately... um, sorry."

"I... I didn't say anything about cute or beautiful, did I?!"

"Yes, I respect your decision."

Interlude: They were a bit annoyed today despite having a high level of affection for each other (4k).

"Senior Wu, Senior Wu!"

Sitting on the bus wearing an eye mask, "Wu Sui'an" took it off and frowned as he looked at the guy next to him who had interrupted his sleep.

"Our next stop is Linwai High School, shall we get ready?"

"It's okay, let the car drive in. Otherwise, why would we spend so much money to hire a car?"

"Wu Sui'an" still had a bit of morning grumpiness left, and said impatiently.

"Did you already discuss this with Linwai High School in advance?" the boy next to me asked in surprise.

"Do we need to negotiate something like this? Aren't we guests from out of town? Don't they know to let us through?"

"But..." the boy looked somewhat troubled, "After all, we were the ones who suggested this exhibition match. Shouldn't we let you know about the schedule?"

"Inform me my ass." "Wu Sui'an" clicked his tongue. "Stop babbling. Are you even a college student? What kind of manners are you talking about with a bunch of underage brats? Didn't we win the last competition? We're giving them face by coming here to play an exhibition match, understand?"

The boy frowned, but ultimately answered, "Okay."

Wu Sui'an nodded in satisfaction, put his eye mask back on, adjusted his posture, and seemed to be preparing to catch up on sleep during the last bit of time.

This can't be blamed on him. After all, the organization's recent efforts seem to have been constantly encountering obstacles. Although it's still unclear who's behind the other side, "Wu Sui'an," for the sake of prudence, has temporarily defined the opponent as a coalition between small black and gray internal organizations.

This proposal was ridiculed several times by the ignorant Japanese members, who called it cowardly and overly cautious. Black, white, and gray have always maintained a clear distinction; let alone cooperation, avoiding conflict and even death is considered peace. "Wu Sui'an" himself felt his guess was a bit far-fetched, but he still preferred to think of a stronger opponent.

After all, that's Ning Ruoyu, the "King of the Silver Night".

Although he says he's past his prime, "Wu Sui'an," who once listened to his legends and fantasized about being his fanboy, considers himself the person who understands him best in the world.

Using his abilities and his own dissatisfaction with the dark side, he managed to bring the two sides together—something others couldn't do, but he certainly could.

"Damn it, I didn't even have time to enjoy myself." He mumbled a complaint in his sleep, while "Wu Sui'an's" breathing became heavier.

Will we win this time? We're guaranteed to win. "Wu Sui'an" had been planning for today's debate exhibition match for a long time, and couldn't even imagine himself losing.

The deal with those sellers has been settled. As long as the competition proceeds as scheduled, it means that the white side has not been informed and has not interfered. By organizing "special care" for the other contestants except for the cheap sister who couldn't find a spot, the victory of the competition is in our hands. When the celebration banquet arrives in batches tomorrow evening, who would have thought that a high school competition would turn into a trade fair?

After the transaction is over, maybe we should put some in the campfire. This new product has an aphrodisiac effect; enjoying the tender young bodies of a few JK girls in this excitement would be a worthwhile experience of reincarnation. That cheap little sister is quite nice; she seems a bit aloof and ascetic. It's more interesting when a woman like that falls into depravity, since we're not related by blood anyway.

But the Japanese side is really useless; they've been failing in everything lately. Even their mother's plan to kidnap the contestants during the chaos didn't work out. Luckily, the fire was started... It's a real shame they can't relieve their pent-up desire by finding a few high school girls beforehand...

On the other side, the boy who had just reminded "Wu Sui'an" returned to his seat.

"Chairman, what did Senior Wu Sui'an say?"

The first girl to ask a question to the boys was a lively girl with a bun hairstyle.

"Well, he said the car would drive directly into Linwai High School, and we could just keep sitting there."

"Hey, that's not what I meant. What I meant was, were those strange people who entered Linwai High School in batches yesterday, and those in the front row today, really the senior's friends?"

"Shh! Keep it down." The boy sighed. "I didn't ask. It felt too rude to ask such a question. He looked pretty tired just now, so let's not talk about it."

"...Chairman, don't you think it's a bit strange that our senior came back this time?" Another girl with long black hair frowned. "When I enrolled, our senior had already left the school, but from what you've said and what he's like now, he seems like a completely different person."

"Well, maybe the senior encountered some problems during his graduate studies or after graduation?"

"So what exactly is our senior doing right now? Why did he suddenly come back to school, acting like he's instructing us?" The girl with long, straight black hair said coldly. "This just doesn't make sense, does it?"

"The same thing happened in the last exhibition match. Although it was said that the former chairman and others jokingly asked the senior if he wanted to come back to play in the match, the fact that he actually participated and played in the official match gave people the feeling that he was cheating and using connections."

Another boy wearing glasses complained.

Looking back now, they realize that the appearance of "Wu Sui'an" was indeed somewhat inexplicable. The former chairman and alumni who had already graduated were eating in the cafeteria when they suddenly encountered "Wu Sui'an" wandering around.

After a warm greeting, "Wu Sui'an" took the initiative to say that he had some free time at work recently and wanted to come to his alma mater to help out more. The former president and others then suggested that he become the instructor of the debate club.

Lucheng University would not arbitrarily allow students to recruit off-campus personnel as instructors, and the former president and others were just joking. As a result, "Wu Sui'an" actually agreed, and whether it was because he had too many connections or some tricks, he actually obtained the school's informal recognition.

Looking back now, it all seems somewhat deliberate and artificial. It's just that as a legendary figure in the group, "Wu Sui'an's" initial appearance excited everyone, causing them to overlook these oddities.

"...However, his debating skills are genuine."

"Debate? It's more like sophistry and twisting the facts." The girl with long black hair seemed to have been dissatisfied with "Wu Sui'an" for a long time. "Although he can win, it's completely different from the style that the seniors talked about, defeating the opponent with logic and impressing the judges with ideas—I feel it's despicable."

"He's completely different from what the seniors said! Anyway, I hate him now."

The woman with long, straight black hair declared this.

“Xiao Chen…” The girl with the bun looked at her worriedly, and the girl returned her a firm look.

Before actually meeting "Wu Sui'an," this girl with long, straight black hair was the one in the debate club who admired Wu Sui'an the most. Every debate competition was recorded on video, and as a former member, Wu Sui'an naturally had a lot of competition footage.

As the girl with long, straight black hair who was most influenced by his style, she is also the one who is most disappointed in her idol at this moment.

"I dont like it either."

The bespectacled boy weakly agreed. As the first speaker, he had been frequently criticized and ridiculed by the current "Wu Sui'an" (a derogatory term for a certain type of person), with comments like, "What kind of utter nonsense did you write, relying on your thesis defense?"

That arrogant attitude, which showed absolutely no respect for his teammates, had become unbearable for the young man.

The male chairman sighed and looked at the girl with the bun hairstyle.

"...Hey, me too..."

The girl with the bun hairstyle smiled shyly.

"I wouldn't say I like or dislike it, but it just feels weird. It's like we've had an rude guest causing trouble in our own home."

The bespectacled boy and the girl with long, straight black hair are thinking, "Is this what you call 'not really liking or disliking'?" You're the one who described it most vividly among us, right?

"It's the same this time. They said, 'Let the useless reserve team members participate in the opening ceremony first, and the regular team members can go before the competition,' but now the bus is crammed with several people we don't even know. Don't you think that's going too far, senior?"

The girl with the bun puffed out her cheeks slightly. "Everyone is working hard for the club. Even if there are differences in ability, why doesn't he even give them basic respect?"

If Wu Sui'an heard this, he would probably protest his innocence. He was simply wary of running into Ning Ruoyu if he showed up prematurely; deep down, he was somewhat afraid of that guy. As for whether or not he respected anyone in the debate team—he had never respected anyone at all.

"Senior, you're the same. You clearly wanted to have a showdown with that lovely and beautiful student council president from the neighboring school to wash away your shame, but you were robbed of your chance to compete by someone with the same debating position—don't you hate that!"

"I... I didn't say anything about cute or beautiful, did I?!" The male student, who was the chairman, blushed and exclaimed in surprise.

"Ah, blushing!" "It's quite obvious that the chairman has a crush on her." "But she's only a high school student... a bit of a beast."

"How did our conversation turn into this?!" The boy hurriedly interrupted his club member's teasing, "The club president and I are just competitors. We only exchanged pleasantries on the field and didn't even exchange contact information. Don't spread rumors! Let's talk about the competition!"

"...I remember you were the one who went to ask for the number, but the student council president didn't understand what you meant and didn't give it to you."

The girl with the bun hairstyle continues her barrage of attacks.

"You really don't understand? Or do you actually know but are just being deliberately... um, sorry." The girl with long, straight black hair asked bluntly, quickly realizing she had been a bit cruel.

"It's okay, senior." The boy with glasses patted the chairman on the shoulder.

"Shut up, all of you," the chairman said weakly, his shoulders slumped.