Chapter 18: The Glowing Firefly!

"How do you write these two characters?" Jiao Yuheng was clearly very interested in the only student among the more than a hundred freshmen who could recite the school motto, although his expression remained stern, his voice had become much gentler.

"Tang from Tang Zong Song Zu, and Zhong from weight," Tang Zhong explained. At this moment, he had to stand up to answer the question. It was inappropriate for him to sit while the dean was standing.

Fortunately, he had put on a baseball cap when he left home, with the brim pulled down low, so no one could see his handsome face clearly.

"Since your parents gave you such a 'heavy' name, it shows they have high hopes for you. But do you know that your performance might disappoint them?" Jiao Yuheng's tone became stern again. He was not praising but scolding.

This made many people secretly pleased. They thought, "Thank goodness I didn't know the school motto. Otherwise, if I had said it just to show off, I might have been scolded by this strange old man too."

Tang Zhong was speechless. Wasn't this a bit too much?

Moreover, he never felt that his father had high expectations for him.

Otherwise, he would have definitely made him study popular subjects like law or economics, instead of letting him choose the obscure psychology major.

"Are you不服气 (unconvinced)? Do you think I'm putting a big hat on you?" Jiao Yuheng stared sharply at Tang Zhong's face, as if he could see through him completely. "Why didn't you answer my question earlier? Why didn't you answer when I asked the first time? Why didn't you answer when I asked the second time? What were you waiting for?"

"What? Don't want to explain? Alright. Let me try to analyze your psychological changes," Jiao Yuheng said. "When I asked the first time, you thought other students would know the answer, so you didn't want to outshine them. When I asked the second time, you realized no one else knew, so you were even more reluctant to stand out, fearing that you would be envied by other students. It wasn't until I expressed disappointment in the overall quality of this year's freshmen that you felt provoked or insulted and finally answered. Am I right?"

Tang Zhong opened his eyes wide, looking at the domineering old man on the podium, feeling both surprised and delighted. He was surprised that the old man understood his psychological changes so well, and delighted because he knew he would become such a person in the future.

He became increasingly interested in psychology. This subject was truly amazing.

"Living is not just about learning knowledge, but also about learning how to be a person. If this is your way of dealing with things, I have to say, as your teacher, I am very disappointed. Honor is earned, not waited for. If you always try to be like the mediocre, you will soon become one of them."

"I will give this advice to you and all the freshmen here." Jiao Yuheng scanned the room. "If you want to avoid the envy of the mediocre, you must outpace them so far that they can't even see you."

Clap, clap, clap

Although Jiao Yuheng's words were not very pleasant to hear, they made a lot of sense. He ruthlessly exposed the thin veneer of hypocrisy between people, teaching them to be bold and to forge ahead, leaving the mediocre far behind.

Thus, the freshmen's passion was instantly ignited, and they gave him enthusiastic applause without hesitation.

"This old man is pretty cool."

"Exactly. His words are rough but true. I will leave you all behind."

"Ha! I will leave you all behind."

Jiao Yuheng patted the table, signaling everyone to quiet down.

He was extremely authoritative. Just two taps, and the large lecture hall became silent, so quiet that a pin could be heard dropping.

"Of course, as the only student who answered the question, I will still reward you," Jiao Yuheng said, looking at Tang Zhong. "Starting today, in addition to the courses arranged by the department, you will also study practical psychology techniques with me—assuming you consider this a reward."

Boom

The entire room was in an uproar!

Although everyone found it strange that Tang Zhong was scolded by Jiao Yuheng for answering the question, they could accept it. What they didn't expect was that Jiao Yuheng would take him as a disciple right there.

After all, Nanjing University was a prestigious university in China, and its psychology department was one of the most famous in the country. Jiao Yuheng was the dean of the psychology department and a renowned clinical psychology expert nationwide. His influence and connections were extremely deep and formidable.

If Tang Zhong became his student, as long as his performance wasn't too poor, he could directly become his graduate student, then stay at the university to teach or start his own business in society. No matter which path he chose, Jiao Yuheng's reputation would ensure a smooth road ahead for him.

This was such a huge gift that the other students couldn't help but feel jealous.

"How did this guy get such good luck? It's just answering a school motto, is it really that big a deal?"

"Is there some kind of backroom deal? Is this old man related to that guy? Maybe he's an illegitimate child? Or an illegitimate grandson?"

"Heavens. If I had known, I would have memorized those two lines of the school motto. I regret it so much!"

Jiao Yuheng ignored the other students' reactions. In his eyes, honors should be given to outstanding students.

"I hope you all study and live happily in the psychology department. That's all I have to say."

With that, he walked off the stage and out of the classroom.

By the time the students realized to clap, he was already gone.

The other department leaders also followed him out, just as they had come, running along the way. Clearly, Jiao Yuheng had great authority in the department, and even the teachers respected him.

Li Qiang, the department counselor who had met Tang Zhong once, walked up to the podium and looked at the students with a smile. "Are you all envious of him?"

"Envious," the students answered in unison.

"I am envious too," Li Qiang said jokingly. "Dean Jiao takes in one student every year. Those who become his students all become experts and authorities in our field of psychology, with limitless prospects. Just mentioning a few names will make you understand. If you have studied psychology, you should have heard of Li Xinsheng, Wang Jikui, Cai Guangzhao, and Zhu Xiaoxiao. Yes, all of them are Dean Jiao's students."

Rustle

The students were in an uproar again.

They regretted it, they were angry, they were envious and jealous.

Originally, everyone was on the same starting line, but that guy, by answering a simple question, was pulled to the middle of the race before the starting gun even went off. This was too hateful, too infuriating.

Especially Liang Tao, who was sitting behind Tang Zhong. His emotions were fluctuating wildly, making it very intense.

When Tang Zhong answered Dean Jiao Yuheng's question, he was very angry.

When Jiao Yuheng scolded Tang Zhong, he was very happy.

When Jiao Yuheng took Tang Zhong as a student, he didn't know what to feel.

He had been thinking about how to deal with him and isolate him, but now, what was the point of isolating him?

If what Li Qiang said was true, with his unstoppable future prospects, was it wise to offend him now?

Hua Wuque secretly glanced over and saw that Liang Tao's expression was dark, and his body was trembling slightly. His hands were tightly gripping his thighs.

"But, there's nothing you can do about being envious," Li Qiang said. "Why didn't you pay more attention? For us studying psychology, the most important basic quality is attention to detail. If you had been a bit more careful, how could you have forgotten the eight-character school motto on the big stone at the school gate? The students Dean Jiao takes in every year are all very meticulous. Their great achievements are partly due to Dean Jiao's cultivation and partly due to their own qualities."

Li Qiang looked at Tang Zhong and said, "Tang Zhong, congratulations. Since you have such a good start, work hard."

"Thank you, Teacher Li," Tang Zhong said gratefully.

He felt a bit excited and a bit worried.

He knew that Bai Su had specially talked to him for a long time yesterday because of his first day of school. She had repeatedly instructed him to be low-key, low-key, and even more low-key during his time at school.

But he was the only firefly that glowed in the dark night. What could he do?

PS: Glowing fireflies, follow Old Liu and charge ahead!!!