They are still close to me today despite their negative feelings

The atmosphere in the back of the car had finally started to lighten up, but it was quickly extinguished by a bucket of cold water.

"Damn it, so noisy! Are you guys sick?! The whole bus is filled with your incessant chatter, isn't it annoying?"

"Wu Sui'an" is the kind of egoist who doesn't allow others to make a sound when he's asleep, but can go crazy without restraint when others are asleep. At this moment, he took off his blindfold and glared fiercely at everyone in the back row.

A deathly silence fell over the car. The girl with the bun was clearly frightened, lowering her head and not daring to speak. The girl with long, straight black hair, though disdainful, simply turned her head to look out the window. The bespectacled boy looked at the chairman with some timidity and helplessness.

"Sorry for disturbing your sleep, senior. We'll be more careful..."

"Pay attention my ass, I'm fucking awake. You guys are really making me speechless."

"Wu Sui'an" cursed and glared at the girl with the bun hairstyle, "We're almost there, stop whining."

The girl with the bun haircut jumped at the glare and lowered her head even further. The girl next to her, with long, straight black hair, secretly grabbed her hand from below.

"This really won't do." The woman with long, straight black hair whispered to the chairman through the still frightened girl with her hair in a bun, "This is too much."

"...Me, me."

The girl with the bun hairstyle was still trembling when the bespectacled boy next to her suddenly spoke in a low voice.

"I plan to leave the association after this competition."

"!" The young man, who was the chairman, widened his eyes.

"...I'm sorry. The association used to be really fun. Even someone like me could offer opinions and analyze with everyone how to reach a consensus." The bespectacled boy seemed to have made up his mind. "But ever since Senior 'Wu Sui'an' became an instructor, I feel like I'm not up to the task anymore."

"The discussion atmosphere has deteriorated, and everyone is becoming restless. The so-called 'seniors' that the senior students bring from time to time make people feel very uncomfortable. Also, some of the new members recruited don't seem to be here for debating. Whenever the discussion falls apart, they are very enthusiastic about encouraging the girls to smoke, drink, and have dinner together at night."

The bespectacled boy scratched his head. "I was already close to taking the CET-6 exam, and I was also planning to pursue a master's degree—sorry, Chairman."

The young man, who was the chairman, opened his mouth, but ultimately managed only a bitter smile.

What could he say? Dry words of comfort or a dreary promise that tomorrow will be better? Nonsense. Words he himself didn't believe.

He knew that his teammates had actually been enduring this for a long time. Ever since senior "Wu Sui'an" came to the debate club, he had seen the girl with the bun haircut cry many times because of being blamed; he had seen the girl with long black hair glare angrily when she was harassed; he had seen the boy with glasses being mocked and bullied many times, and even had his first speech script torn up in public.

He could only cower in fear. What could he do? He had mentioned it to senior students, even complained to the former president and others. But, "He's 'Wu Sui'an' senior." This phrase had been repeated time and again by the former president, senior students, and even the advisor. He finally realized there was nothing he could do.

Everyone says that Senior Wu Sui'an is righteous, conscientious, and responsible, and even his stubbornness is for everyone's good. But after actually getting to know him, do his words really not matter at all? How long must a person be trapped by preconceived notions and subjective perspectives before they can set aside others' opinions and arrive at their own viewpoint?

"Actually, I've been thinking about leaving the club too," the chairman really wanted to say. Isn't the point of debate to arrive at your own viewpoint and ideas? But it turns out that whether it's a debate where the stance is already predetermined, or being bound by past impressions of the seniors around him, the young chairman felt for the first time how ridiculous his insistence was.

Ultimately, do people really have their own thoughts? Is a debate about expressing one's own ideas, or about using any means necessary to forcefully prove something in order to win?

Of course, in the end, he still didn't utter that "declaration of leaving the club." Whether it was because the expectations of his seniors had turned into pressure, or because he felt responsible for the present, or simply because he selfishly wanted to have some connection with the student council president who had indeed caught his eye—he was ultimately not the kind of hero who could stand up now and punch that smug bastard.

"Yes, I respect your decision."

When he said those words, he saw a hint of relief, as well as a trace of regret and disappointment, in the eyes of the bespectacled boy.

He did what a club leader should do, but ultimately he didn't do what a teammate should do.

So he could only close his eyes.

[Next chapter preview: An Yu asked me a question with tears in her eyes.]

Felines are indeed ferocious.

It's really frustrating when your first speaker is too strong.

"Just tell me, isn't the drama club lively right now?"

Chapter 120: Final Pre-Match Preparations

I'm wondering, when we catch "Wu Sui'an," is it better to punch him first and then stab him in the abdomen, or slap him first and then stab him in the abdomen?

This is a question worth discussing. If it's the latter, I'll have to ask An Yu, since she's more familiar with the issue of slaps.

"Um, An Yu, about the force of the slap... Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, what are you doing!?"

I quickly squatted down to support the girl who was about to kneel down, making us look like we were performing a grand ceremony in feudal society.

I don't know if I'll perform a grand ceremony, but if I really kneel down and someone sees me, I'll be incredibly lucky. Like, incredibly lucky to get a car.

"Do I have to kowtow three times? Do I have to put my hands together in apology beforehand?"

An Yu asked me a question with tears in her eyes.

"I've finished all the snacks I brought today, so I can't make it up to you. Next time I come to school, I'll give you all the snacks first."

"...I have absolutely no idea what you are saying."

I sighed and helped her up.

"You don't need to kneel down at the mere mention of being slapped. That's too sensitive. Didn't I already say I don't care?"

I admit I deliberately asked her the question to tease her, hoping for a reaction like embarrassment or a slight complaint after being teased. But this was too extreme; I won't dare to be so provocative next time…

People really shouldn't play pranks on others just because they're bored; this time they've learned their lesson.

"You may not care, but I can't..."

An Yu said softly. "I don't want to dwell on something that happened more than half a year ago," he waved his hand.

"Actually, I was thinking about the argument for the debate. For example, if you encounter a very evil person, you can imagine them as someone who stole your snacks."

“That’s really too much.” An Yu nodded, but then frowned. “Wait a minute, you always steal my snacks too.”

"Do I have any?" "The spicy strips from last time, the shrimp chips from before, and the chocolate I just used to make Xiaoxin happy."

I glanced at Ning Ruoxin, who was eating chocolate next to me. My sister noticed my gaze and gave me a sweet smile.

I rubbed my head. Damn it, this leaves me with no room for argument!

"Honestly, he can't even give an example." Chen Di couldn't help but speak up from the side. "An Yu, suppose you meet a bad guy who breaks Ning Ruoyu's leg."

"Your legs are the ones that got broken!" I glared at the guy. He shrugged.

“…I understand.” An Yu thought for a moment, then his tone suddenly turned somewhat cold.

"Then, if you encounter someone like that, even if you can't beat them, but out of a sense of justice, do you try your best to punch them, even if you might get killed by them; or do you give them a light slap or even curse at them, and then run away quickly?"

That's roughly the idea, but it sounds so strange coming from Chen Di.

My initial idea was to use a biased questioning approach to elicit the consequences of reckless and realistic actions that harm public morality.

"Break his legs."

An Yu said something terrifying in a very cute tone.

"No, no, you probably didn't understand." Lian Chen Didou subconsciously wiped away cold sweat. This seemed a bit too extreme.

"The other person is a very scary person; even Ning Ruoyu couldn't beat them. So, which action do you think is more..."

“I know. So we have to try our best to break his legs.”

An Yu continued calmly, his eyes like a deep pool, undisturbed.

Chen Di sighed in resignation, then turned to look at me seriously, "If everyone on the other side had the same idea as An, we would have already won."

I twitched my lips. Won? Won in what way?

This is no longer a question of whether upholding justice requires selfless courage or acting within one's capabilities. This is a plan to destroy everything in the process.

"If that day really comes, should we just run away?"

"No." An Yu shook his head stubbornly, a rare occurrence for him. If only you had been this resolute when you were being questioned during your first defense.

"Don't believe me? Ask other people. Xiao Qiu, if Ning Ruoyu's leg is broken by bad guys, and you can't beat them, what will you do?"

A typical screenwriter, Cat, who was just passing by, paused for a moment before answering.

"Try to break his neck."

"..."

Felines are indeed ferocious.

“Look on the bright side, although we members are completely useless in the debate discussion,” Chen Di laughed, looking at my lifeless eyes, “we are steadfast and resolute in supporting our viewpoints.”

"I'm going to ask the most angelic senior, Chu Guyin."

"Senior, if..."

The senior student, who was lost in thought, pondered for a long time. After I confirmed that she understood what I meant, she clenched her fist slightly.

"Fight him...!"

so cute!

—But it was completely useless when it came to questioning.

I nodded. "Senior, please continue looking at the sheet music. Sorry to bother you."

Senior Chu Guyin tilted her head and then nodded blankly.

Should we ask anyone else?

Chen Di looked at me with a smile.

I glanced at my sister and Ling Chuqing chatting next to her, and shook my head.

I don't really want to know the answer.

“I’ve realized our team members are inadequate. They’re completely unable to provide any reasonable assistance with our questions,” I said seriously to Chen Di.

"Then, darling, would you like to ask me?"

Ling Qingxue and senior student Wu Yuehua walked in carrying a stack of documents. As the first debater, she didn't have to perform in the drama club, so she had time to collect various materials to polish and revise her speech. At this moment, she was returning with the senior student who had just finished her performance.

"You... never mind, fine then." I sighed. "If a bad guy were to commit violence in the street and hurt your friend, would you risk your life to restrain him or act according to your own capabilities and let your friend get hurt?"

"Oh dear, that's sophistry. Being reckless doesn't mean I can restrain others, and acting within my capabilities doesn't necessarily mean I'll abandon my friends. My dear, you're substituting a possibility for a certain outcome; this question is completely meaningless."

Ling Qingxue said with a smile.

"Damn it, you were born to be the first debater, the one being questioned." I exclaimed, my eyes wide.

It's really frustrating when your first speaker is too strong.

“However, this problem might be better after revision. For example, going all out means leaving no regrets, while acting within one's capabilities is more likely to lead to regret afterward.” Wu Yuehua said thoughtfully, “Although we cannot use probability to replace the comparison of results, comparing probabilities is still valuable.”

"That's true, let's keep it as a backup question." As the first person on our side to take action, I planned to prepare as many questions as possible. If some questions were not asked, they could be passed on to the second and third speakers who would take action next.

"Okay, let's discuss it a little more. The match will be in about an hour or two," Senior Wu Yuehua said gently. "Don't be nervous, relax."

I looked at my teammates. First speaker: Ling Qingxue; second speaker: Chen Di; third speaker: Wu Yuehua; fourth speaker: myself.

...I really can't imagine anyone feeling nervous.

"By the way, I just asked the president of the drama club. I was worried that there might be personnel issues after our competition, but she smiled and said it was fine. She also told me to ask you, junior—what did you do?"

Senior Wu Yuehua asked curiously.

"A limited edition special edition featuring Senior Sister Chu Guyin," I said with a smile. "Commonly known as 'Let's Watch Dramas with Senior Sister Chu Guyin'—a limited-time special offer!"

"???"

In reality, it was just about having Senior Sister Chu Guyin go on stage and play a piece of music that had been composed for this stage play, followed by a video montage of highlights from yesterday and today. It was ostensibly a final warm-up and recap before the grand finale.

This isn't a remake. It features music by Chu Guyin and a "secret" message from the director, a cat, in the video intro. Yesterday's internal ticket sales almost caused the group chat to explode. That's right, this is *Linwai Fantasy 4 Remake*.

I know you're not keen on getting into the Trails series, but what if I put a clip of Risha dancing, Alisa in her office lady outfit, and Black Rabbit in her little cotton-padded jacket here?

If all else fails, there's Estelle wielding a staff and my senior sister wielding a katana... How could you not be tempted?!

"More importantly, after she finishes playing the piano, she can leave immediately and still come to watch the competition with us—it won't interfere with anything." I smiled slyly. "In the dark, everyone will think she's backstage. It doesn't matter, they're just enjoying the fantasy of watching the competition with her anyway."

"...Are you a devil?" Chen Di's lips twitched.

"The rumor that Senior Sister Chu Guyin will watch the whole show with everyone is just a rumor circulating online, although I'm the one who started it." I said matter-of-factly, "We can't really leave Senior Sister all alone there, that would be so pitiful."

"Sometimes I don't know whether to praise your kindness or your wickedness." Chen Di touched his forehead.

"Tell me, isn't the drama club lively right now?"

Although it was a pre-recorded video, most viewers felt it was well worth the price because they could see both the real Chu Guyin and the three girls from the first tier on screen at the same time.

The male lead? The male lead is just a bonus, hahaha... (sighs)

"After all, darling isn't exactly lying, she's just trying to get everyone to think that way~" Ling Chuqing said with a smile, "Why don't we make good use of darling's good intentions and have a good discussion to achieve an indisputable victory?"

"I noticed before that you're actually quite serious about important matters... no wonder you're a good student, right?"

"Oh, you caught me!" Ling Qingxue laughed at me, but a glint of seductive light flashed in her eyes. "Am I different from others? Given this initial prejudice, only such mature behavior can make my darling feel dependent on and fond of me."