Chapter 150  : Nothing Wrong with the Way They Thought

“No one will need to work hard. If they want to attend our class, they will be able to simply sit in,” someone else added.

“Indeed, Senior Wu, making arrangements to add one more person might not seem like a big deal to you. What’s the difference between lecturing to a class of 20 and a class of 21? An additional person won’t change much. But have you ever considered the possibility that other students might hear about this? Somebody who had not earned a spot could still attend a lecture by sitting in. If other students follow her example, then what will our hard work amount to? Everyone will just sit in. We’d have to have a bigger classroom and organize the lecture on a larger scale.”

“That’s right!” Everyone enthusiastically chimed in.

Wu Xiaoye frowned. He sighed and turned to speak to Tan Mo apologetically. “I’m sorry, I didn’t take care of this well. I didn’t expect everyone to be so strongly opposed to having someone sit in.”

“Senior, you don’t seem to understand why they are opposed to this,” Tan Mo said.

“You understand why?” Wu Xiaoye was very puzzled.

He wasn’t looking down on Tan Mo.

However, Tan Mo was only 15 years old.

Even if her IQ was sky high, she probably wouldn’t be able to fully understand the psychological state of these people, would she?

“To be honest, I completely understand where they are coming from,” Tan Mo said. “Senior Wu, I’m sure you feel that learning is a good thing. You probably think that more people should be encouraged to have this thirst for learning. It doesn’t bother you that other people are learning the exact same subjects. You’ve already gotten used to doing research with Professor Zhao and have devoted all your energy to your academics. You wholeheartedly desire to learn more and unearth the mysteries of ancient history. You want to know more and allow this world to have a better understanding of history.

“You’re in the same position as the professor. Both of you have transcended the need to compete and are at a more advanced stage of life. In your research work, you are concerned with spreading knowledge, rather than accumulating knowledge for yourself. Both of you are responsible for disseminating knowledge, while we are the recipients of such knowledge.

“Your mind is set on the past and future of the world.” History was the study of the past, while leaving records for the future.

“But they are different from you.” Tan Mo did not single anyone out.

Everyone present knew that Tan Mo was referring to the students in the classroom. Wu Xiaoye and the 20 students knew who she was talking about.

“They are still at the stage of life where competition is vital. They want to catch the attention of the professor in order to gain a place on his research team or gain apprenticeship as his mentee. If they succeed at that, they might get a recommendation letter that will enable them to enter the work force in their areas of specialization. In conclusion, they’re doing this for their future jobs and prospects.

“The school established this system in order to motivate the students and remind them that your time here at university involves the survival of the fittest. There is no room for mistakes. After all, Professor Zhao probably doesn’t have that much energy at his age. The seniors worked hard to gain a place in this class, which is considered the fruit of their labors. What if someone took a slice of the pie without working for it? They would naturally be upset. For example, you might hire a tour guide to give you a personal tour. However, you suddenly realize that other people have gathered around to listen. What’s more, they are even getting the attention of the tour guide that you spent real money on, causing you to have difficulty hearing what he’s saying. The person who paid will certainly feel angry.

“You can’t blame the seniors. They’re simply thinking from a different perspective than you are.” Tan Mo had explained everything to Wu Xiaoye solemnly and gravely.

Tan Mo didn’t behave in this way very often.

When she had reminded her three brothers to take care of themselves at all times, she had also spoken with much seriousness.

There wasn’t much difference in her attitude then and now.

Wu Xiaoye was a very clear-thinking guy. Tan Mo could sense a clean aura coming from him.

This was because he was completely free of distractions. His thoughts were simple.

So Tan Mo knew that she could speak in such an earnest manner to Wu Xiaoye.

Wu Xiaoye was stumped for a few seconds, but slowly he finally nodded his head.

He understood.

All the 20 students in the room remained silent.

Their faces looked a little red with embarrassment. It appeared that Tan Mo had hit the nail on the head.

Their intentions were not completely pure, and this is what embarrassed them when they heard Tan Mo speak.

They felt quite humiliated as well.

Even though Tan Mo had hit the nail on the head, were they in the wrong?

No!

They had toiled endlessly in order to gain acceptance to Beijing University. What was it for?

Wasn’t it to secure a brighter future for themselves?

At Beijing University, they had been working hard consistently. This was all for the sake of securing good prospects after graduation.

Was there anything wrong with working hard?

What was wrong with working hard for themselves?

They were ordinary people who couldn’t dedicate their lives to the spirit of academics. So what?

What’s more, if they really could catch the attention of the professor and do research alongside him…

If research could become their job and if they put in effort to complete it, would it even matter if their intentions were pure?

They were resentful. They couldn’t accept this.

Most important, her words had completely exposed them, and it was almost as though she had stripped them of their clothes and skin. They were laid bare by her words, and they could no longer cover up their intentions. This made everyone feel quite uncomfortable, even though they were a few years older than she was.

It was almost as though she had seen through them.

“It’s my fault.” Wu Xiaoye nodded his head. He had finally understood. “I didn’t deal with this properly. It has all been a mistake on my part.”

“No worries.” A voice sounded from the door.

Everyone looked over.

They saw Professor Zhao walking in with a stack of teaching resources in his arms.

First, he placed the teaching materials on the lectern. Then he spoke to the audience, “I was the one who asked Wu Xiaoye to get Tan Mo to sit in. Tan Mo is extremely gifted and I personally went to find her and requested that she join my class.”

At that moment, everyone exhaled deeply.

Some of them had been subconsciously holding their breath.

Now everyone’s eyes were on Professor Zhao.

Some of them couldn’t help but glance at Tan Mo also.

They had worked so hard in order to get selected by Professor Zhao.

It was like a difficult journey that they had to embark on. First, they had to rank top 20 within the major. Then they had to compete among themselves in this class.

In the end, Tan Mo had immediately caught the eye of Professor Zhao.

Wasn’t she a freshman?

She had just matriculated this year and hadn’t attended many classes. Yet, Professor Zhao could tell that she was gifted?

Many people were filled with jealousy, and loads of them were unable to accept this.

“Actually, no one needs to be so concerned about this,” Professor Zhao explained. “Tan Mo probably won’t be able to attend many lessons.”

Professor Zhao had originally intended to pick from this pool of top students.

Even if their current standards were insufficient to become official members of his team, they could still do some trivial administrative work alongside the rest.

What’s more, they were only second-year students. It was still early.

He still needed to observe them for a few more years.

However, he had just heard Tan Mo’s words. Professor Zhao stared at the faces of these students once more.

These students were like little children to him.

No matter how intelligent children were, they were still immature.

Professor Zhao could read their minds just by glancing at their faces.

Tan Mo had been spot on.

However, Professor Zhao had merely given them a cursory glance. He didn’t reveal a trace of any expression.

They were just a bunch of kids. Tan Mo was right, there was nothing wrong with the way they thought.