Shaw kept his word, and for the next few days, there was indeed no invitation for Lu Shi to engage in dramatic creation.
Lu Shi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
He dedicated all his time and energy to "Guns, Germs, and Steel," and finally completed the final few chapters in early December.
At the same time, it was time to teach the students at the London School of Political Economy.
...
Early morning,
London School of Political Economy,
In front of the school gate.
Nikatich Nikolić rode his bike to school and found the school gate surrounded by people, many of whom were unfamiliar faces.
He pushed through the crowd,
"Excuse me! Let me through!"
No one paid him any attention.
The crowd was like a dense mass of mercury, seemingly flowing, but there was no chance to squeeze through.
Nikolić's attempts to break through were futile.
Just then, Tiri Solomon's voice came from the crowd: "Nikatich, why are you just arriving now!? Professor Lu's lecture is about to begin!"
Nikolić grumbled, "I came all the way from Tower Bridge!"
Tower Bridge had restricted opening hours and wasn't accessible at all times. Moreover, Tower Bridge often experienced inexplicable malfunctions, such as getting raised to let ships pass but then failing to lower again, causing traffic disruptions three or four times a month.
Solomon laughed heartily, "I'll come to get you!"
He made his way through the crowd to meet Nikolić, and together they pushed toward the gate.
There was chatter all around,
"Is that Lu guy really coming?"
"He should be! I saw his photo in The Manchester Guardian. Lu is Chinese, and the Lu who's lecturing at the London School of Political Economy today is also Chinese."
"I heard Lu's real name is Ruth, isn't that a woman's name?"
"No, it should be Lu - Zhi -, you idiot, you can't even pronounce the Chinese name correctly."
...
It was noisy.
Nikolić only then realized why the crowd had gathered and asked Solomon, "Isn't our school going to do anything about this?"
The surrounding noise was too loud, and Solomon didn't hear clearly,
"What did you say?"
Nikolić had to shout again, "I said, why isn't our school doing anything about this?"
Solomon rolled his eyes,
"Have you forgotten that our school is now part of the University of London Union? Among these people, there are students from University College London, Royal Holloway College, the College of Arts and Entertainment, and even King's College."
Nikolić was taken aback,
"The College of Arts and Entertainment is in the University of London Union?"
Solomon was stumped by the question,
"Isn't it?"
"Is it?"
They stared at each other.
Then, in unison:
"There are people from the College of Arts and Entertainment here, they can't come in!"
"There are people from the College of Arts and Entertainment here, they can't come in!"
Instantly, the crowd quieted down for a moment, then redirected their attention to the students from the College of Arts and Entertainment, demanding they leave.
Solomon and Nikolić felt a lot less pressure and maneuvered through the crowd.
They finally made it into the school grounds and breathed a sigh of relief,
"Phew~"
Solomon said, "Originally, Professor Lu's lecture was scheduled indoors, but there are too many people, so it's been moved to the central square."
Nikolić nodded, "As expected."
They continued forward.
The closer they got to the central square, the more people there were,
But strangely, the students were able to keep their voices down, whispering among themselves.
Nikolić asked quietly, "Do you have any questions prepared?"
As he spoke, he pulled out a piece of paper covered in writing and shook it in front of Solomon,
Solomon looked at it and found it filled with questions:
The article mentions pigs, cows, sheep, and horses, but do fish count as domesticated animals? Is there a need to domesticate fish?Is the theory of long-term determinism true?Are germs the fundamental cause of the extinction of the indigenous peoples of the Americas?
...
Nineteen questions in total.
This was too serious!
Solomon couldn't help but chuckle and pointed to his temple arrogantly, saying, "My questions are all stored here~"
Nikolić punched him,
"Stop showing off!"
Just then, the school teachers arrived at the square to maintain order.
The students gradually lined up.
Shaw stood beneath the statue of the queen, hands slightly raised.
The scene fell silent instantly.
Shaw nodded in satisfaction and said, "Today, thanks to the efforts of many, especially Sir Wardhouse, we are fortunate to have the founder of the New History, Lu, also known as Professor Lu Shi, here to give a lecture for us."
As he spoke, enthusiastic applause erupted below.
Shaw raised his hand again to signal for silence.
The applause ceased abruptly.
Shaw continued, "Opportunities like this are rare. I hope that students will listen attentively and think deeply."
With that, Shaw nodded to the side,
"Please, Professor Lu, begin your lecture."
Clap, clap, clap—
Applause rang out.
At first, it was very enthusiastic, but as Lu Shi himself appeared, it gradually petered out.
Nikolić whispered, "Although I knew Mr. Lu was young, but... isn't he too young? Younger than the photos in the newspapers!"
Solomon quipped, "What can you make out from those blurry photos in The Manchester Guardian?"
Not just them, everyone was surprised.
Although the students knew Lu Shi was a foreign student, there were many types of foreign students,
Such as Natsume Soseki,
Born in 1867, he went abroad in 1900 and was already 34.
Moreover, such examples were very common among East Asian students studying abroad, so everyone initially thought Lu Shi must be a scholar around forty years old.
But now, why did he look like a young man in his twenties?
Discussions arose.
Lu Shi coughed,
"Uh... everyone, I know what you're thinking. Actually, I have the same question myself. Why did the headmaster invite me, such a young person, to be a guest lecturer? I'm obviously still so young..."
Laughter erupted from the students below.
Lu Shi shrugged,
"The reason is actually simple. It's because my articles can be published in The Manchester Guardian and have helped The Manchester Guardian rapidly expand its overseas market."
With that, Lu Shi held up a finger,
"Let me tell you a number, 7391."
The students were puzzled, exchanging glances.
Lu Shi continued, "This number represents the increase in overseas sales of The Manchester Guardian after publishing my articles. Moreover, the reason this number is only over 7000 is because The Manchester Guardian's distribution overseas is limited."
Shaw couldn't help but frown,
"What does Mr. Lu want to do?"
Next to him, Chellen also looked puzzled, saying, "Students most detest authority, bringing up newspaper sales, won't it backfire?"
Sure enough, someone fired at Lu Shi,
"Are you saying that because your articles sell well, you're right?"
Lu Shi shook his head, "No, no, no. Newspaper sales only give me the qualification to stand here. If you still don't understand, perhaps you should change your perspective and think about why you can't stand where I am?"
This was like stirring up a hornet's nest.
For a moment, emotions ran high.