Chapter 452: It Was Tan Mo He Wanted
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Faced with the teachers from Beijing University and Hua University, Zhang Zhipeng could not help but feel a little nervous.
The principal smiled and said, “Sit, Zhang Zhipeng. Don’t be nervous. The teachers and students from Beijing University and Hua University came all this way because they value you. You can talk to them to better understand both the schools and courses, and then you’ll know what suits you best.”
Mr. Gu introduced himself first. “I teach at the Department of History at Hua University. You can call me Mr. Gu. This is Guo Xiaohui. She’s an upperclassman from the Department of Chinese Literature at Hua University, and this is Qu Yuanqi, an upperclassman from the Department of History.”
“I heard you were intending to choose between one of these two majors,” Mr. Gu said. “Please feel free to ask any questions you may have regarding these courses. The upperclassmen will be able to help you better understand Hua University from the perspective of a student.”
Mr. Sun suddenly chuckled and said, “Zhang Zhipeng, I’m a teacher from the Department of Chinese Literature at Beijing University. My surname is Sun.
Mr. Sun motioned toward Ms. Hu. “This is Ms. Hu from the Department of History at Beijing University.”
“As you know, both Beijing University and Hua University have repeatedly been ranked top two in the past years, with one topping the other each year. So our two schools are very much comparable in terms of overall strength.”
The principal, students, and teachers of Jiaoyuan First High School all nodded their heads in agreement.
“However, when it comes to the Department of Chinese Literature and Department of History, Beijing University has always been ranked number one,” Mr. Sun said with his chest puffed, brimming with confidence.
“That’s not true,” Mr. Gu said. “There were times when the Department of Chinese Literature of Beijing University came in second.”
“Huh?” Mr. Sun waved his hand and voiced out his disagreement. “That’s ancient history! Let’s not talk about the distant past. For three years, Beijing University has continuously been ranked number one.”
Mr. Gu hesitated for a moment.
“Please. Don’t tell me you don’t know the real reason why Beijing University has been getting number one lately,” Mr. Gu retorted in dismay.
This had started only three years ago, right?
That was all because three years ago, Tan Mo entered Beijing University.
Relying on a student from the Department of Finance to win first place for the Department of Chinese Literature… Wasn’t that just shameful!
“Of course, I’m well aware. It’s all because of our dear Tan Mo, Beijing University’s pride and soul!” Mr. Sun was not embarrassed at all. “Besides, Beijing University has been awarded champion for three consecutive years in the Ancient Text Competition held among the Six Prestigious Schools.”
“Tan Mo?” Zhang Zhipeng exclaimed excitedly as soon as Mr. Sun finished speaking.
Mr. Sun saw Zhang Zhipeng’s reaction. Perhaps, he might even be a fan of Tan Mo.
“Do you know Tan Mo?” Mr. Sun asked with a cheerful gaze.
Mr. Gu felt a bad premonition.
“Of course, I do!” Zhang Zhipeng exclaimed extremely excited. “She’s the scriptwriter and advisor for ‘Legend of Wei and Jin.’ It was actually after watching that film that I developed a strong interest in history. I may have learned quite a bit in the past, but if I’m being honest, I only learned them for exams at the time because I needed to score.
“However, after watching ‘Legend of Wei and Jin,’ I realized what I learned in the textbooks was hardly enough. Even with reading up on extracurricular materials, it was still not enough. History is such a vast topic. There’s much to be researched and verified. According to the director, even parts of the plot in ‘Legend of Wei and Jin’ were taken from historical archives. Also, the scenes relating to Taoism were reenacted from actual history.”
Zhang Zhipeng’s expression slowly became distant and dreamy. “Only then did I know that all that I’ve learned, including my extracurricular studies, was merely the tip of the iceberg. Our history is so unbelievably captivating.”
Mr. Gu and Mr. Sun were both taken by surprise.
Tan Mo had not even begun to speak.
“Indeed.” Tan Mo nodded with a smile. “Our teacher, Professor Tang, loves students like you who thirst for knowledge. Only with real passion can we truly learn.”
“Zhang Zhipeng, if you come to Beijing University, then we’d be able to have proper in-depth conversations,” Tan Mo said.
As his eyes lit up, Zhang Zhipeng replied, “But, upperclassman, you’re from the Department of Finance. Will I really have the chance to interact with you?”
Mr. Gu was lost for words.
This was just perfect.
He even straight out called her his upperclassman.
Tan Mo said with a smile, “I may be in the Department of Finance, but I’m on Professor Tang’s research team.”
“Of course, the bar is set pretty high to enter Professor Tang’s research team,” Tan Mo said. “Nonetheless, as long as you study hard and pass Professor Tang’s assessment, you’ll be part of the team. Then, we’ll be colleagues and partners, and we can study the vast river of history together.”
Zhang Zhipeng nodded his head in acknowledgment. “That makes complete sense. After all, Professor Tang is a longtime professor who is highly regarded in the field of history.”
Zhang Zhipeng was driven by motivation with just the thought of being a part of Professor Tang’s team and becoming Tan Mo’s partner.
Even his face was emanating the words, “I want to go to Beijing University.”
Qu Yuanqi could not help but speak up. “Hua University has professors as renowned as Professor Tang too.”
Mr. Gu felt emotionally drained.
It was obvious Zhang Zhipeng was not keen on Professor Tang.
Rather, it was Tan Mo who he had set his sight on.
If only there was someone in the Department of History with talent as exceptional as Tan Mo who could bring honor to Hua University. Then, Zhang Zhipeng would not be as taken as he was with Tan Mo right now.
The principal and both the teachers from Jiaoyuan First High School were dumbfounded.
“Zhang Zhipeng, did you say Tan Mo is the scriptwriter and advisor of ‘Legend of Wei and Jin?’” The principal was also a huge fan of ‘Legend of Wei and Jin.’
“Yeah, Upperclassman Tan is a disciple of Professor Tang.” Zhang Zhipeng beamed with glee.
“That’s not all.” Song Mingqi smiled as she stomped all over Hua University’s Department of Chinese Literature. “We have a tradition between Beijing University and Hua University. Each year, we select a representative from the sophomore year and host an interactive symposium. Originally, it started with good intentions, but students from Hua University are always so competitive. They turned the fun and friendly symposium into a competition. In the end, the students who were carefully chosen through painstaking effort were all single-handedly defeated by Tan Mo.”
Mr. Gu interrupted, “I wouldn’t exactly call it painstaking effort.”
Song Mingqi pretended not to hear his remark. “Since Beijing University always genuinely respects the symposium, our school doesn’t select the best student. Rather, we try to let everyone take turns in participating to enrich every students’ experience. Since the participating student isn’t necessarily the brightest, naturally, we’d sometimes lose to Hua University.”
Zhang Zhipeng asked, “Beijing University doesn’t select their best student to participate in activities?”
“Not necessarily,” Ms. Hu replied. “If we’re talking about a competitive event, we tend to select the best because we want to make our school proud. For other interactive activities, allowing everyone to make progress together is the main intention. We try our best to give everyone equal opportunities.”
Song Mingqi chimed in. “For example, if I’m good at something but bad at the other, I’d want to practice more in the aspect that I’m weak at.. If only the best students were selected to participate in all activities, then I’d have zero chance of exercising my weakness.”
