[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981":3,"chapter-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-251":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","That Year, the Flowers Bloomed in 1981",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2294669,4489,"Chapter 251: Nonsense","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-251",251,"\u003Cp>Li Ye joined the 82 Economics debate team, greatly boosting the confidence of Zhen Rongrong, Pu Xianghe, and Sun Xianjin, who had little to begin with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, compared to the veteran teams from the 80th, 81st, or even 79th cohorts, Zhen Rongrong and the others were truly outmatched in verbal sparring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Ye was an oddity in the 82 Economics cohort, because he often teamed up with seniors like Li Huai and Yang Yu, occasionally tossing out some “bizarre logic” that always led people astray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Li Ye’s reputation as a “famous debater” was inseparable from his knack for taking unconventional paths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when the draw results came out, the already obscure 82 Economics debate team instantly lost all morale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re just that unlucky—we drew the most controversial topic, and we’re the affirmative side? How are we supposed to win?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It doesn’t matter if we’re affirmative or negative—the problem is, I don’t even know what love is! How can I debate this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Ye, what do we do? This time, we’re all counting on you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye laughed bitterly. “What do you mean ‘counting on me’? How can one person argue against four mouths?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eeeeee~~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eeeeee~~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone chorused in disdain—they all knew each other well enough to know Li Ye was a man with a girlfriend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who else could possibly understand love better than Li Ye?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye felt embarrassed and reluctantly took the draw result from Zhen Rongrong, reading the debate topic: Love Is Selfish (Affirmative).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, any debate topic about “love” had been outright banned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is a place for learning, not for dating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But where there is suppression, there is resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If in the hearts of 1980s college students, “serving the motherland” came first, then the longing for “love” was undoubtedly second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t argue—argue and you’re just broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So after countless students fiercely protested, the school finally allowed one love-related debate topic during its selection phase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when Li Ye saw the topic, he felt nothing but malicious mischief—as if some jaded old man, having seen through the world, was smirking slyly at a group of teenagers just sprouting their first hairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Come on, prove to me that love is selfish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So when they learned this topic existed, no one wanted to draw the affirmative side, fearing they’d be drowned in the crowd’s contempt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Look at all the love poems flooding around—full of beauty, nobility, purity—how could anything as vile as selfishness possibly creep in?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Li Ye knew very well that love really was selfish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But could he say that outright?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he did, even without others, Wen Leyu would sneak off and bite him hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We can’t directly argue against the negative side on this topic—we must set up an invisible trap, lure them onto a battlefield where we hold the advantage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye organized his thoughts, took a sheet of paper, and began sketching out assignments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Split up and gather materials—especially historical records on the transition from primitive communal ownership to private ownership. Oh, I heard Zhu Yonghe’s debate team switched a member. Anybody know the details?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pu Xianghe said: “The new debater’s name is Lu Gang—he’s from the 81st Physics Department. He went to the same middle school as me, but one grade above. Smart, great at speaking, and never lets an advantage slip.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pu Xianghe, being from Beijing, had that typical Beijing chatterbox flair and rattled off a lot about Lu Gang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he subtly criticized Lu Gang’s temperament, he never denied that Lu Gang was a genuine “academic god.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Note: academic god—not just a top student, but a god above even the academically gifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After detailing Lu Gang’s academic divinity, Pu Xianghe pursed his lips and lowered his voice: “And Lu Gang has already dated two girlfriends.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So he’s very skilled in love—he’s excellent at writing love letters. Li Ye, can you handle him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pu Xianghe, what are you talking about? What does Lu Gang dating two girls have to do with Li Ye?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhen Rongrong immediately frowned—Li Ye had a girlfriend, sure, but constantly teasing him like this was just sour grapes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Ye’s focus was entirely different. He exclaimed: “Lu Gang? Which Lu Gang? Are his parents auto parts workers?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pu Xianghe blinked in surprise. “Yeah! How did you know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye stared blankly for several seconds, then muttered: “Oh, I don’t remember who told me—he’s just a good student.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Confirmed: this Lu Gang was the same Lu Gang Li Ye knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This guy was a real monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He single-handedly shattered the Western academic world’s perception of Chinese overseas students as “kind, warm, and gentle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Gang graduated from Peking University in 1985 and went abroad to the United States; in 1991, he shot five people, then killed himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the five were his Ph.D. advisor, the university’s vice president, the department head, and another outstanding Chinese Ph.D. candidate who had already passed his dissertation defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Gang’s actions gave malicious forces overseas a chance to launch vicious attacks on China’s efforts to integrate into the world, causing severe damage to its image.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his previous life, Li Ye had watched a film called “Dark Matter,” which introduced him to this physics prodigy from Peking University—and later, through further research, he discovered even more shocking Peking University students, nearly shattering his worldview.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The 1980s were not entirely an era of peace and purity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye had always assumed 1980s college students were more idealistic, sensible, energetic, gentle, and well-mannered than students of later generations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the truth was, not entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Students of later generations learned to navigate interpersonal relationships in high school, each had their own understanding of “social philosophy,” and mostly held the belief that “don’t force others.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But 1983 college students, perhaps due to emerging from decades of repression only to be suddenly set completely loose, often had blunt, radical, and extreme personalities and ideas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since arriving at Peking University, Li Ye had quietly observed—and fortunately, most classmates were very friendly and kind; the occasional extremists were merely mildly arrogant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, Zhu Yonghe believed Li Ye was best at researching and organizing debate logic, so he naturally assumed Li Ye should join the team to handle research duties and strengthen their squad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logically, there was nothing wrong—official debate teams had more than just the four visible debaters; there were many support staff, and Li Ye truly had a massive advantage in organizing materials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye had a biological hard drive—he was #1 in research, no one else came close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Ye didn’t want to!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m great at research, but I’m also good at debating!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Students decades later had a mindset: Why should I listen to you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhu Yonghe thought: I’m right—why shouldn’t you listen to me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Similar situations happened with He Dazhuang: Li Ye, your study attitude is flawed—why won’t you accept our criticism?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more outstanding a young person, the more confident they become, and the more they believe others should obey their opinions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Conversely, the more outstanding and proud a young person, the less willing they are to follow others’ orders—even their own parents’ advice. Who are you to tell me what to do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every student admitted to Peking University had once been the star of their own school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Were they willing to be a supporting role someone else directed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Li Ye himself was “my territory, my rules.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why so many students argued endlessly in school, but after being beaten down by society, learned to just laugh it off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to later-released documents, Lu Gang was an extremely self-righteous person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he competed as a debater, he’d have advantages—but also fatal flaws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On Saturday’s debate selection, multiple matches ran simultaneously; compared to several powerhouse teams, Li Ye’s group weren’t “seeded,” so they were assigned to a small classroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the number of students coming to watch was greater than for any other debate match—the aisles were packed, and many stood outside in the hallway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, “love” ran deep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly, at Peking University, where gender ratios were severely skewed, this debate drew a huge number of female students—and for some reason, generous male students crowded outside or in the aisles, leaving nearly every seat inside occupied by women.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who could handle this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yonghe’s debate team was wildly encouraged, staring across at Li Ye’s group with the air of: “Bring me some wine—I’ll cut down these pitiful chickens and dogs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhen Rongrong and Sun Xianjin didn’t back down either, glaring fiercely at Zhu Yonghe’s team, trying to overpower them with sheer presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Ye whispered: “Why so tense? Don’t you know how to feign weakness?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhen Rongrong muttered under her breath: “Li Ye, you’re so sneaky.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye lowered his head and murmured like a mosquito: “Don’t stand so close to me, please.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhen Rongrong froze, then understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right in the center of the front row, Wen Leyu sat perfectly upright, her big eyes glistening as they glanced over—every tiny movement was visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The debate is now beginning. The affirmative side will speak first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moderator announced the start of the debate; Pu Xianghe, Li Ye’s first speaker, stood up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good afternoon, professors and classmates. Our position is: Love is selfish.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uuuuu~~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A chorus of female voices erupted in disapproval of Pu Xianghe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pu Xianghe bowed his head shyly, displaying the nervousness of a freshman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Before the era of Yao and Shun in ancient China, primitive tribes practiced communal ownership—people had no private property; all hunting harvests and resources belonged to the entire tribe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, men and women had no fixed partners; they paired temporarily solely for the tribe’s reproduction, and thus, love did not exist.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After just a few sentences, the classroom fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither the negative team nor the audience understood how this related to the topic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Pu Xianghe’s words were undeniably gripping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did he mean by “temporary pairing for tribal reproduction”? Didn’t that mean no one knew who the father was?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But one day, a clever person decided that the game he’d worked hard to catch should go first to his own child and woman, and only the leftovers should be given to the tribe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To ensure his wealth passed to his own bloodline, temporary partners became fixed partners, and families composed of parents and children emerged.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was human selfishness that gave rise to the family; only after families emerged did blood ties come into being.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it was the need for blood ties that gave rise to fidelity and vows of love between men and women—forever inseparable, through life and death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, love is selfish; from the moment private property appeared, love was stamped with selfishness, a mark it can never wash off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was stunned silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Are you guys solving a math problem?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because A, therefore B; because A equals B, and B equals C, so A equals C?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that’s how debate works!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just need to present my proof—you just refute it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone turned to look at Zhu Yonghe’s opposing side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yonghe and the other debaters exchanged glances; they had prepared countless materials, even great poems by world-famous poets, to prove that love was selfless and noble—but now you’re throwing private property at me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re taking a twisted path—this must be Li Ye’s sophistry again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“True. That Li Ye has used this trick multiple times now—seemingly off-track, yet hiding traps, impossible to guard against.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do we do? Directly accuse them of nonsense?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, analyze quickly—where’s their trap?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The debaters on Zhu Yonghe’s side were cautious, endlessly pondering what traps or deceptions might lie in Pu Xianghe’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Lu Gang, the third debater who had just joined, sneered at Li Ye and the others, then slammed his hand on the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Absolute nonsense!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1968,"2026-06-20T05:05:01.382Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","beef0699781e2de9a8f8a0d33988ab2289d1204371209bddbacb86414b19dc73","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-252","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-250",884,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthat-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-cover.jpg"]