Chapter 15: So-Called Debate

Feng Yan woke up, he slowly opened his eyes, then got up and went to wash up. He mechanically went through his daily necessities. In his mind flashed the image from yesterday's dream; in an instant, the expression on the villain's face before him changed from arrogant to terrified. He began to like this game.

At the same time, he wondered: "Are we actually in a dream? Or is reality the illusion?"

Feng Yan returned to the classroom and sat down; Chen Hao was also thinking about something. Feng Yan asked him, saying, "What are you thinking about?" Chen Hao replied, "I'm thinking about what the teacher said to me yesterday—whether that's something a teacher should say." Feng Yan said, "What is the teacher's role? To answer questions and dispel doubts, right? We can't get those answers; we hope to get a reasonable explanation from the teacher. The teacher's meaning is to impart knowledge, but wasn't the teacher originally here to resolve people's doubts?" Chen Hao fell silent. He didn't know what to say next, nor did he know whether the teacher's words that night were meant to comfort him or to comfort the poor students. Until the bell rang, the teacher entered the classroom, and Chen Hao stopped thinking, picked up his language textbook, turned to the lesson to be studied. However, the teacher did not write the lesson content on the blackboard; she directly said to the classmates: "Classmates, we are going to have the midterm exam; our new course is temporarily suspended. This is your first midterm exam in senior year one. I hope everyone will show their true level, and also hope everyone gets an ideal score. By the way, we will also hold a class meeting to decide whether phones should be allowed on campus; the school will follow everyone's opinion to decide."

Feng Yan heard the word "phone" and seemed to understand something. He said to Chen Hao, "Are we going to discuss phones at the class meeting?" Chen Hao answered, "Yeah, if we win, the phone will be allowed to stay on campus." Feng Yan countered, "What if we lose?" Neither spoke; they seemed to grasp something. Everyone opened their books, reviewing the teacher's material, while also looking forward to the midterm exam, hoping to achieve a score they could show to their parents or grandparents. At the same time they worried about the phone issue; students all wanted phones to stay at school, while the school wanted a phone-free campus. They were moving in opposite directions. Feng Yan opened his textbook, preparing to review. He was a struggling student, and in the homeroom teacher's eyes, someone who needed to be reformed into listening to the teacher, a top-performing honor student. Feng Yan smiled and thought: "Maybe I'm really crazy—would this make everyone study better? Esports entering as a competition event, and the martial arts genre once seen as a major obstacle to study has been incorporated into textbooks. It seems every student era has something to blame for poor study habits; now it's the phone, right?"

In the classroom, classmates nervously reviewed; Feng Yan absentmindedly flipped through his book. The teacher walked to his side, stopped, and looked at him. Feng Yan didn't notice anyone watching behind him; he took out his notebook, opened it, flipped it open, and reviewed the book. After looking, the teacher left. Feng Yan picked up his pen and wrote on it: "I don't know what the so-called goal of learning is? To get into college, then enter society? Afterwards, to engage in the so-called adult business of making a living? I don't want that. I have always imagined an ideal state in my mind—perhaps Plato's ideal nation—but why did the New Harmony Commune fail, merely because it was utopian? We struggling students, what should we do? What belongs to us? Perhaps it's having no regrets in heart; we have strived, we have given up; the time we spent striving remains, ultimately our most precious memory; in the end, we are people heading into society."

Feng Yan kept writing, his heart surging. They were all students; what they would ultimately do, they themselves didn't know. Feng Yan only wanted to get through high school without regret, but he also hoped for even a single word of praise from the teacher. As he thought, the bell rang; everyone stopped reviewing and prepared for the next lesson. Feng Yan muttered to himself: "Regarding this phone matter, are we absolutely forbidden to bring phones onto campus?" "That's natural." Feng Yan looked up—it was Zhang Xiaobo, who continued: "Regardless of whether we support or oppose it, phones are absolutely banned; that affects the so-called grades." Feng Yan fell silent, thinking of the outcome: "Is this really what they expect?" Chen Hao had fallen asleep slumped over his desk. Feng Yan went out alone, leaned on the outside balcony, the breeze lightly brushed his cheek. Feng Yan closed his eyes: "Is this a pre-decided ending? Can our discussion not become the decision of those in power? Well then, tonight we will hold the so-called discussion—no, it should be a debate—but for what purpose?" The bell rang, and Feng Yan returned to the classroom.

After he entered and disappeared, a group of people stood at his seat, seemingly looking at something. Do they know something? Or are we all supposed to go into society wearing masks, playing our roles well? Feng Yan thought; he slowly returned to his seat, the group slowly left, Feng Yan prepared, let's begin the so-called debate. Feng Yan knew the outcome of this matter, but still held hope—what if? What if it could be? Haven't we already passed? Then we could stay in school, right? So Feng Yan still prepared his speaking material; he slowly wrote the draft for tonight's speech, he began preparing, he began to write a miracle he thought impossible would appear. "Do things first, then talk about whether they can be done; you won't know the outcome of things." Feng Yan thought.

After school, Feng Yan and Chen Hao ate together and returned. The girls behind them were talking, their discussion full of worries; some said, "It would be fine to sneak phones in, as long as they aren't discovered, right?" The girls nodded. Feng Yan lowered his head but continued writing his manuscript. He thought this was the only way to preserve their after-school leisure time, and also the last resort. Until the bell rang, the host of our class meeting and debate, Huang Jia Hui, walked to the podium and said to the classmates: "Today we will hold a special class meeting; the homeroom teacher will also be present. This is a debate organized by the school, to decide by us the fate of our belongings on campus. Now everyone has five minutes to discuss; each group of four, two pro and two con; after that we will hold the debate. The pro side supports banning phones on campus; the con side supports allowing phones on campus. Okay, everyone, hurry up!"

Feng Yan took out what he had written today and said to the group leader, "This time, I'll go—opposing side, anyone else?" Chen Hao directly told the group leader, "Opposing side, me and him together." The group leader frowned but still nodded. Feng Yan handed his notebook to Chen Hao, saying, "This is your draft; it contains various tricky questions. When the time comes, you look at my later speech and just revise accordingly." "So thorough! You've put in effort!" Chen Hao exclaimed in surprise. The sound of the blackboard eraser hitting the desk rang out, and the host said, "Alright, now our pro and con debaters should come up!" Everyone was astonished to see Feng Yan actually step up, and Chen Hao as well! While the crowd gaped, the host spoke again: "We'll temporarily use the front row; let the students in the front row move back to make room, thanks for cooperating!" The front-row students all moved back; the people from the podium came down and sat in the front row. Feng Yan and Chen Hao arrived at the front row, and Feng Yan said, "The front row has the special function of not only looking good at the blackboard but also eating chalk dust."

After everyone was settled, the host began speaking: "The debate starts! Phones have become an indispensable part of everyone's life; we can't live without them. We use phones for entertainment, learning, and communication. Now we hold a debate about phones—whether they should stay on campus. Pro position: phones must not stay on campus. Con position: phones must not stay on campus. Now let's begin with the pro side's viewpoint."

From the pro side, a small, bespectacled student stood up, his eyes hinting at a bit of arrogance, and said: "I think phones shouldn't appear on campus; phones are a major human invention that changed people's communication, but in school days one should focus on hard study and seeking knowledge, with undivided attention, to enter a good university." "Good, the pro viewpoint is clear; let's strive for our university." The host said: "Now the con side begins speaking." Zhang Xiaobo stood up directly and said: "Are phones the harm of student life? As students now, we should balance work and rest, not just rote memorization. Is it merely for a so-called university? What is life ultimately for? To enrich our after-class time, only by balancing work and rest can we learn better."

Then the pro-side students continued to stand and speak: "Phones are a poison harming students' learning; they have shifted the previous internet addiction from computers to phones, causing students' grades to plummet in a straight line, and because of excessive internet use leading to staying up late, they have no energy for class the next day, and it also affects the teacher's mood for teaching?" Feng Yan slowly stood up and said: "This is quite intense; I'll add a couple of sentences too—I came for this as well. I think bringing phones to school is mainly for staying in touch with family, and using the internet during free time is perfectly fine. It affects learning, but everyone uses phones; those who play phones sometimes score better than those who just grind studying. We shouldn't blame our grades on phone issues. My father back then had martial arts, had the Golden Hero; they said the reason for poor study was merely finding an excuse for not studying well. Now the Golden Hero's novels have entered the textbooks, the teacher's mention of electronic heroin has entered the sports events; my view is that phones can appear on campus, just with time limits."

After Feng Yan finished his remarks, everyone fell silent; the opposing side looked at Feng Yan, and Huang Jia Hui looked at Feng Yan. After a moment, they regained their composure. The host said, "Excellent speech; does the pro side have anything else to say? Then I announce: the winning side is the con side! And phones still cannot appear on campus." The host, looking helplessly at Feng Yan, his eyes full of sympathy, and even more admiration or reverence. Feng Yan and Chen Hao returned to their seats—though it was only a few steps away, it felt long to Feng Yan. He thought: "Deceiving me, that's right—how can I trust the school's words? Last time they said something and hadn't fulfilled the promise; although I already knew the outcome, why still…" Chen Hao said to Feng Yan, "I really didn't know you had this trick; you gave me the notebook, return it." Feng Yan mechanically took it. At that moment, the homeroom teacher walked in directly, asking Huang Jia Hui, "Finished?" Huang Jia Hui nodded. Feng Yan held the notebook, clenched his hands, and the notebook was squeezed into a crumpled wrinkled ball.

The homeroom teacher cleared his throat and said: "Well, let me say a few words—about the phone issue, in short, it's one word: cannot bring!" Feng Yan directly retorted: "That's three words!" The teacher felt a bit embarrassed, then continued: "In short, one conclusion: cannot bring; regarding phones, my requirement for you students is three words: must absolutely not bring!" Feng Yan this time stood up directly and said: "That's five words!" The teacher lost his temper, shouting at Feng Yan: "Get out!" Feng Yan directly replied: "For this debate, I prepared a lunch break and self-study period; just tell me this result!" Feng Yan tore his notebook into pieces, threw them onto his own seat, and also walked outside.

The homeroom teacher didn't know what to say; earlier, Feng Yan's words he had already heard clearly outside, until the end, after thinking, the teacher still went out. The teacher looked at Feng Yan and said: "Go back." Feng Yan said: "Must students obey whatever the teacher says? Isn't that wrong?" "I'm telling you to go back now," the teacher said, half-angry, half-amused. Feng Yan remained motionless, saying: "This is my punishment for talking back to the teacher; the teacher is always right." The teacher, helpless, returned to the class.

The bell rang; school was over. Chen Hao and Feng Yan returned to the dormitory together. On the way, Chen Hao asked him: "What did the teacher say?" "Nothing, just told me to go back," Feng Yan replied. "Let's hurry back to the dorm; we should go check out that new world."