Chapter 1527: We All Have a Straightforward Personality
The moment he said that, everyone from the National Film Academy instantly got angry.
It was one thing to be upset about being mocked by them and wanting to prove themselves.
But Howard had said such words and even pointed out Lu Man directly. What right did he have to do that?
Why should they listen to the words of these bunch of foreigners?
Everyone went silent.
Lu Man stood up.
“Lu Man!” Dean He and Teacher Hong almost called at her at the same time, thinking that Lu Man had lost her cool.
Yet they did not expect Lu Man to say in fluent English, “We are having class right now. How we should perform, who should perform, all these had been prepared and arranged by our teacher in advance. The students who just went up to perform did so because they wanted to find out what they were lacking. The way the teacher arranged this was also to let the students understand their own shortcomings and thereafter correct them.
“Teacher Hong prepares for class every day and always teaches based on what the students are lacking. The topics she’d give are all directed at the students’ shortcomings, so it is very normal for them to perform worse than expected. Who would look outstanding when comparing their own weaknesses with the strengths of others?”
The two girls who’d felt so ashamed of themselves previously instantly looked a little better when they heard Lu Man’s words.
The knot in their hearts disappeared as well.
What Lu Man said was right too!
It was precisely because of this that they now had a deeper understanding of what they were lacking.
It is not an easy thing to correct one’s own shortcomings. It is a process that needs time and practice. There would surely come a day when they would be able to correct them.
Even though there may be some difficulties in that, it was much better than always being blind about one’s own shortcomings.
Instantly, both of them felt immensely grateful to Teacher Hong.
Teacher Hong never explained it. It was inevitable that her students would misunderstand her and think that the topics she gave were always too hard, or that her standards were too high, or that she purposely picked on them, etc.
Yet she did not expect Lu Man to actually know what her intentions were.
She did not know if Lu Man knew from the start or guessed it afterward.
But no matter what, Teacher Hong still felt especially touched that there was someone who understood her efforts and the lengths she went to.
Her expression, which had hardened from when she heard the banter of the exchange students, softened again.
“It’s a must that we understand our own shortcomings. This is so that when it comes time for the real performance, we would know how to avoid them. There is a saying in China that goes, ‘Yang chang bi duan.’ It means ‘to promote and foster one’s strengths while avoiding one’s weaknesses.’” Lu Man raised her eyebrow and continued, “Words as refined and rich in meaning like these are probably absent in the English language.”
Howard had an old grudge with Lu Man to begin with.
Of course, this “old grudge” was a one-sided belief of Howard’s.
Lu Man did not even respect Bourbotte. Why would she bother with him?
She had never even heard of this person.
But this did not stop Howard from saying angrily, “You can just say what you want to say. What right do you have to insult our language? Uneducated!”
“There is another Chinese saying that goes, ‘Li shang wang lai.’ We will treat you the same way you have treated us. You guys requested to come and observe our class. As the host, we agreed out of courtesy to our guests. But you guys didn’t honor your promise to watch quietly and not disrupt our class. On the contrary, you guys were criticizing us on the sidelines and nitpicking at our classmates’ performance with utter disdain. If you guys can say so bluntly and rudely that you look down on the actors from our country, then, I think, I can also say very bluntly what is lacking in your language.
“After all, we all have a straightforward personality,” Lu Man said half-jokingly.
At first, the other party could still use the excuse that people from their culture all had straightforward personalities and say whatever came to their minds. This line from Lu Man solidly blocked their excuse.
