Chapter 35 He bent down slightly, getting closer to her…

Night falls.

As the streetlights gradually dimmed, the moon climbed over the hill, taking their place and illuminating the way for those walking at night.

Ning Yao stumbled back to her home, followed by Sun He'an, Yan Sifan, and the others who were worried about her.

I'm home.

Ning Yao turned around and thanked each of the people who had escorted her back, saying, "I'm home now, thank you for bringing me back."

Yan Sifan: "Alright, then we'll head back now."

Originally, she and her brother were just going to escort Ning Yao back, but Sun He'an insisted on seeing her off because he felt that it was his photo that made Ning Yao cry.

Even Chen Hao felt embarrassed not to see him off.

And so, this scene unfolded: the group escorted Ning Yao home.

Seeing Yan Sifan say this, the group dispersed and went home one after another.

Ning Yao watched them leave, then turned and pushed open her own front door. There were no lights on in the courtyard.

The moonlight, like a thin veil, enveloped the courtyard, and Ning Yiwen walked towards her under this watery moonlight.

A cool breeze swept by, and the faint scent of cedar grew ever closer.

Ning Yao took a step back, which blocked the already closed door.

"What? You won't let me out?" a mocking voice rang out.

Ning Yao finally came to her senses. The person in front of her was dressed in a long black robe, almost blending into the night, with sharp eyes like an eagle, and carrying a small box in his hand.

He looked like he was about to go out.

Even after she saw him clearly, the person in front of her did not stop walking until they were only half a step apart, the scent of cedar surrounding her.

"Brother Ning...it's so late..." Ning Yao murmured, leaning back tightly against the door.

Ning Yiwen looked at her nervous and helpless appearance, yet unable to escape, and felt a surge of tenderness in his heart. His gaze slid over her rosy and full lips, then quickly moved away.

He said with a smile, "Just kidding. You're back just in time."

He bent down slightly, close to her ear, his figure looming over Ning Yao, and spoke in a low but rapid voice:

“I have an urgent matter to attend to in Beijing. You stay home and take good care of yourself. I’ve instructed Xu Zheng to have two patrol officers patrol the area day and night. If you need anything, just shout. If… if you really need to find me, just light a kerosene lamp and put it by the door. The people I have arranged will see it and send me a message.”

After speaking, he raised his hand, paused in mid-air for a moment, and finally landed on Ning Yao's head.

Feeling the soft touch of her hair, he said gently but firmly, "Ning Yao, wait for me to come back."

Ning Yao had already come to her senses, but she still didn't move aside. She advised, "Brother Ning, it's getting late. Why don't we... wait until dawn before we leave?"

Ning Yiwen shook his head and chuckled, "Some things can only be done at night. Don't worry, I should be back before the debate."

The debate competition is in about twenty days.

After speaking, Ning Yiwen looked at Ning Yao quietly.

Ning Yao moved her feet, reluctantly watching Ning Yiwen open the door, then left without looking back.

The house suddenly felt empty.

This was the first time she had been separated from Ning Yiwen since she came to Shanghai.

"Brother Ning..." Ning Yao called out softly, knowing that no one would reply.

She looked around; it was empty. Her heart, too, was empty.

*

The following day, Ning Yao began living her life alone.

She got up early and made herself breakfast.

As you eat, you'll instinctively look across the table, only to find it empty.

After finishing breakfast, she carried her bag and went to school alone.

The road from home to school isn't long, and her gaze would always wander around unconsciously.

I always followed behind the tall man in the blue shirt in front of me, until he turned onto a completely unfamiliar route, and then I suddenly realized what was happening, and felt a sense of loss.

After school, Ning Yao went home early.

Following the routine, I ate, studied, and slept.

I've lost much of the desire to meet up with friends.

There are only two things that can cause her emotional fluctuations.

One was that she learned from Bu Shuli the very next day that the school had sent several people to exchange with other schools in Beijing.

Among them was her brother Ning.

Ning Yao was surprised. She certainly didn't believe that Ning Ge had left in such a hurry that night for something as legitimate as exchanging ideas with other schools.

But she really didn't expect that Ning Yiwen would be in such a hurry when he left home, yet still be able to get the school to cooperate with him.

However, she still outwardly appeared as if Ning Yiwen had already told her about the exchange trip.

Then, seeing that she had been alone recently, Bu Shuli wanted to invite her to stay at her home for a few days.

The purpose, they say, is to better prepare for the debate.

Ning Yao was grateful, but ultimately declined. She knew that Bu Shuli was just worried that she wouldn't be able to take care of herself on her own.

But Brother Ning said he had arranged for people to patrol the area near her home, so if she didn't go back for a few days, he might find out.

She didn't want Ning Ge to be distracted and worry about her even after he left the house.

Another thing is that Ning Yao has been staring blankly at her camera from time to time lately.

Every night, after she finished her schoolwork, she would start wiping her camera.

As he wiped, he fell into deep thought.

The photos she saw at Sun He'an's house were truly shocking to her.

If they hadn't just finished reading that article in the Jianghe Daily, she would have immediately taken out a pen and written down her feelings.

In the past few days, although she had spent a lot of time describing the tremors at that time, Ning Yao still felt it was not enough.

She had a feeling that she wanted to see it for herself.

But to go see for herself... Ning Yao knew very well that this was a crazy idea.

She was still suppressing this thought.

Even if you go to the scene, what good will it do? What's the point?

But the more you try to restrain yourself, the more your thoughts run wild.

Ning Yao had no choice but to devote herself even more actively to preparing for the debate competition.

She needed to keep herself busy; only by being busy could she stop thinking about that crazy idea and ignore the restless desire in her heart.

Days fly by, one after another.

The day of the debate arrived quickly.

The debate will begin at 9:00 AM in the school's backyard.

In the backyard of Yumin Public School, there is a large open space. In the northeast corner of this open space, there is a platform that is half a meter high.

The platform is round, neither too big nor too small, and can accommodate twenty people standing on it together.

The school has been preparing for this debate for quite some time. Yesterday after class, many students were organized to move benches from the classrooms to the backyard.

Seats large enough to accommodate over a hundred people were arranged around the circular platform in the northeast corner.

A banner with a red background and black lettering read "Yumin Public School Debate Competition" was also hung above the round platform.

The topic for the debate was given a month ago: which is superior, Chinese or Western knowledge?

As the saying goes, there is no first place in literature, but there is a second place in martial arts.

Knowledge itself is neither superior nor inferior; the school simply chose this topic from dozens of options in order to help everyone gain a deeper understanding of the differences between Chinese and Western knowledge cultures.

However, there were simply too many applicants, so the school had to set up a few simple questions to filter out many students who did not have a solid foundation or little knowledge of Western knowledge.

Ning Yao and the others had made extensive and thorough preparations, so it was impossible for them to be eliminated at this stage.

After that, there were only about twenty people left. Ning Yao's group was the only one from the advanced primary school class; the other five groups were all from middle school classes.

Ning Yao arrived at the backyard early with Bu Shuli and the others to make the final preparations.

At this moment, the four of them sat around the round platform, dressed in neat blue long gowns and blue schoolgirl uniforms.

Ning Yao even braided her long hair into two braids, which hung down in front of her chest.

Bu Shuli doesn't like braiding her hair, but today she did the same, separating her long hair into two braids.

Although they are not sisters, they look more like sisters when they sit together.

Bu Shuli was a little unaccustomed to it, and would often fidget with her braids that hung down in front of her chest.

“Ning Yao…” Bu Shuli looked up at Ning Yao. She noticed that Ning Yao kept glancing towards the judges’ table.

"Nervous?" Bu Shuli took Ning Yao's arm and looked in the direction of her gaze. Of the five judges' seats, only three were seated at the moment.

She asked cautiously, "Is it because of too much pressure? It's okay, those judges are all very nice people."

Ning Yao shook her head; she was just a little worried.

Ning promised to come back before the debate competition when he left, but now the competition is about to start and he still hasn't returned.

"It's okay," Bu Shuli comforted her. "Besides, even if we lose, it doesn't matter. Look, we're the only ones from the advanced elementary school class; the other groups are all from the middle school class. What does that mean..."

Before he could finish speaking, Russell Dong added, "We are already the strongest group among the higher elementary schools, the uncrowned kings."

Liu Yi couldn't help but laugh, "An uncrowned king...you're really shameless."

With these people joking around, Ning Yao smiled and said, "It's okay, I'm really fine, don't worry. I'm not nervous."

As she spoke, she composed herself and focused her attention back on the debate.

By this time, the venue had gradually filled with people, creating a noisy and chaotic atmosphere. Some people, realizing they were late and there were no seats left, simply stood up.

The human wall was built one after another.

The scene was very lively.

Soon, the debate began.

The principal, now in his fifties, wore a black Zhongshan suit, leaned on a cane in his right hand, and walked slowly up the round platform with a slight hunch in his back.

He turned around to face everyone.

He had small eyes, was very thin, and only five feet one inch tall. He stood upright, exuding an invisible aura.

His face was weathered, and the corners of his mouth were turned up in a high smile.

The first thing he said as he raised his hand was, "I'm so happy, students. I'm so glad to see so many of you here today, all of you who love knowledge..."

The principal didn't say much; he finished speaking in less than fifteen minutes.

A round of applause erupted from the audience.

Then, Mr. Chen took the stage and briefly explained the rules of the debate.

The rules of the debate are simple: the first principle is fairness, impartiality, and transparency. Personal attacks and favoritism are prohibited.

Each group draws lots to choose their topic—whether Chinese or Western knowledge and culture is superior.

Then, the arguments of both sides were explained and refuted.

Since the number of participants selected for this school debate competition was 24, which was divided into six groups, the school decided to adopt a free debate format.

The five judges present scored the participants based on the questions they asked and the arguments they presented. The final score was calculated for each group, and the group with the highest total score won.

The six groups are simply named Group 1, Group 2, Group 3, Group 4, Group 5, and Group 6. The group names are not in any particular order.

The way to win is very simple and clear. It's not just about understanding the topic, but also about how quickly you can react and how well you can express your knowledge in concise and clear language.

Ning Yao's group was the first group. Bu Shuli represented them and drew lots. They were on the affirmative side—the Chinese side had the advantage in knowledge and culture.

They didn't show it on their faces, but they secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, they are still preparing for the debate, and they are focusing more on preparing arguments from the perspective of the Chinese side.

In this way, one can say that one has obtained what one sought.

Coincidentally, groups one, three, and five drew the affirmative side, while the other three groups drew the negative side.

After drawing lots, the next step was to go on stage and introduce oneself.

Everyone unanimously chose to form a group of four and step onto the round platform together.

Ning Yao's group was the youngest, and she was also the first to go on stage and introduce herself.

When they said they came from a higher primary school, thunderous applause erupted from the audience, and many people even jeered.

The loudest cheers came from their own class.

Especially the chubby Geng Yunrui, who took the lead in calling out Ning Yao and the others' names.

When the other groups went on stage to introduce themselves, there wasn't as much jeer, but there was still quite a bit, especially when a male student named Chen Yi stood up.

In fact, among these groups, Bu Shuli had already done her homework for Ning Yao and the others.

There are three people who need the most attention, and they are in three different groups.

The first one was Chen Yi, who, like Ning Yao and the others, drew the affirmative side, and was also the fifth group standing on the platform at this moment.

Chen Yi had studied in Japan for three years. After hearing about the unequal treaty proposed by Japan at the beginning of the year, he returned to China in anger and enrolled in Yumin Middle School. He shone brightly at Yumin Middle School, proving himself to be a quick-witted and patriotic young man.

The second one is Liu Yu from the opposing side, who just finished introducing himself and went down to the next room. He is in the fourth group.

Liu Yu was quite a character. Before Chen Yi arrived at the school, he was a studious and competitive student from the middle school, known for his literary debates.

Moreover, they lose less and win more.

It is said that he was behind the scenes in organizing this debate, all in order to achieve a fair and square victory in front of the entire school.

The third one, also from the opposing side, was Tao Sizeng, in the sixth group.

Like Chen Yi, this person had overseas study experience and was the oldest among them, already over twenty-five years old.

Compared to Ning Yao's group, which consisted mostly of people around seventeen years old, she was almost a generation older.

While he may not be the most learned, he always manages to express his thoughts clearly and accurately.

Ning Yao sat there in the audience, watching as several groups took turns going on stage to introduce themselves.

Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of a familiar moon-white color out of the corner of her eye.

He suddenly turned his head to look.

It's the judges' panel.

Two figures discreetly took their seats. One of them was none other than Ning Yiwen.

Ning Yao's eyes lit up.

Ning Yiwen was also looking at her, a smile playing on his lips, and nodded gently at her.

I haven't seen Ning for many days, and he's lost weight. But his eyes are bright and sparkling, and even more expressive.

The two locked eyes, and the surrounding noise vanished.

Ning Yao felt much more at ease.

She turned back, took Bu Shuli's hand, and whispered, "Keep going!"

Bu Shuli and the others were disturbed by her commotion, and following her gaze, they also saw the newly seated judges.

It was Ning Yiwen!

Now, Bu Shuli finally understood why Ning Yao had been so unsettled.

"Alright, Ning Yao, I'll settle the score with you after the match." After saying that, he brought his mind back to the present.

The group introductions for the debate competition ended quickly, and then it was time for the actual debate.

Out of courtesy, Ning Yao's group, the first to speak, began.

Amidst everyone's anticipation, Bu Shuli stood up, first nodding to the teachers and the audience, and then announced in a loud voice:

"Hello everyone. We believe that knowledge itself is neither superior nor inferior. If we must distinguish between them, then we should use practicality as the standard. Knowledge that is suitable for us and can be used is the truly superior part. Therefore, I think that in terms of what is suitable for us, Chinese culture is superior to Western culture."

This was a viewpoint that their group had selected after a long period of deliberation, and they believed that it was also one of the effects the school wanted to achieve in this debate.

As soon as he finished speaking, enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience. "Bravo!"

They didn't have high expectations for the first group, but to their surprise, the first group immediately got to the heart of the debate.

Actually, the school intentionally gave a small point to one group by having them start this, but some stubborn young men who were obsessed with winning and losing didn't see it clearly.

A male student from Group Four stood up quickly, before his companions could stop him, and said, “Group One is mistaken. This viewpoint is far too subjective and arbitrary. If knowledge itself is good, then it is good. If everyone uses the excuse of not being able to use it to deny that knowledge, well, knowledge itself cannot speak, so who can one confide in about all these grievances?”

He paused, looked at the audience, spread his hands, and gave an example: "Just like the 'Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art,' with its chicken and rabbit problem, how many people laugh at this counting method, asking what's the use of learning it? So tell me, is it useful or useless?"

After saying the last sentence, he posed the question to Group A.

Lacking in manners, but possessing depth.

Sparse applause broke out from the audience.

At this moment, the male student stared intently at a group of people, his gaze seemingly asking a question, yet also appearing to be a provocation.

Ning Yao reacted the fastest, standing up and asking a question instead of answering, "Then why did you use our 'Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art' as an example? Why not cite an excellent Western work?"

The male student choked for a moment.

Another round of thunderous applause followed by bursts of laughter.

-----------------------

Author's Note: I originally planned to write a long chapter of six or seven thousand words. However, the debate...orz. I'll just post the beginning first, and there might be minor revisions later.