Lush returned to Shaw's office.
Shaw smiled, "Actually, I felt you wouldn't be able to handle this. Dealing with women... sigh, it's just too difficult."
Lush sat down, not treating himself as an outsider, and poured a cup of tea casually.
"As the saying goes, 'shoot the messenger before the horse, capture the thief before the king.' I've already thought about it. We need to first deal with the front-runners promoting 'Q&A', and the others will naturally scatter."
His words had a feeling of being the mastermind behind the scenes.
Shaw teased, "The more I look at you, the more you seem like the villain... And isn't 'Q&A' your poem? They helped you gain fame, and now you want to deal with them."
It was indeed gaining fame, but considering the fangirls blocking the door outside, it felt more like an unwanted favor.
Lush chuckled, "Who said I'm dealing with them? I just think the students are energetic, so I'm planning to give them some tasks."
Suddenly, Shaw straightened up and stared at Lush.
"Professor Lush, do you want to teach at our school long-term?"
If Lush agreed, it would be a boon for the London School of Political and Economic Science, and even for the British Empire.
Lush waved his hand and said, "So far, the London School of Political and Economic Science has not awarded undergraduate degrees. Most students are studying general courses in economics, and there aren't many social subjects. Even if I wanted to teach, I couldn't."
Shaw couldn't help but sigh. "It's only been five years since the school was founded. I can't do much about it."
The school lacked sufficient faculty, and Shaw, as the superintendent, couldn't make bricks without straw.
Lush circled back to the topic, "At the time, I agreed to be a visiting lecturer and made two requests. Do you remember, Superintendent?"
Shaw nodded.
Lush's requests were:
Only lecturing, no other duties.Needing students' help with some tasks.
Shaw asked, "So, you have work to assign to students? In a way, that's also considered long-term teaching."
According to the rules of mentorship, teaching students could indeed be considered long-term teaching.
Lush smiled and changed the subject, "Does our school have a student named Solomon?"
Solomon...
Shaw pondered and suddenly remembered who it was, introducing, "Tim Solomon. He also has a good friend, Nick Tate."
Lush was somewhat surprised. "Indeed, Superintendent, you are very familiar with the students."
Shaw blushed. He still remembered why he recommended Lush to Lord Kimberley that day. It was because he was rebuked by two students. Later, he specifically checked the names of the two students, and they turned out to be Tim Solomon and Nick Tate.
Of course, Shaw would never admit to "holding grudges."
He smiled and explained, "Do you remember the first time you guest lectured? There was a student who asked you nineteen questions?"
Lush was astonished. "Was that Solomon?"
Shaw shook his head. "No. That student was Nicoliche, a Spaniard. I saw his seriousness in asking questions and thought he was a talent, so I carefully inquired about his situation and learned about Solomon."
This reason was acceptable, but Lush still felt something was a little off.
The two looked at each other in a strange silence.
After a while, Shaw, feeling awkward, looked away, pretending as if nothing had happened, and asked, "What activities are you planning for them?"
Lush hesitated slightly.
After a long while, he said, "I've been in contact with Scott and Cooper, the editors-in-chief. I want to... um..."
He wasn't sure how to phrase it.
Shaw misunderstood, nodding, "Are you planning to start a newspaper? Hmm, that's a good choice. You're very good at writing novels and poetry, and you're the founder of modern historical studies. Writing editorials shouldn't be a problem. Indeed, you can be the editor-in-chief. Let's start with a niche..."
Lush interrupted, "No, I'm planning to conduct public opinion surveys."
From the literal meaning, it wasn't difficult to understand what a public opinion survey was, but what did it have to do with the media?
So Shaw still asked, "What do you mean by 'public opinion survey'?"
Lush explained, "A public opinion survey is based on a topic, asking relevant questions to some citizens to 'precisely' reflect public opinion trends."
"This..." Shaw still didn't quite understand. In his eyes, a survey was objective, statistical, and summary-based, while the media was full of lies. How could a survey be linked to the media?
Seeing Shaw's confused expression, Lush realized he was still unclear. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Mr. Superintendent, what do you think is the current hot topic in Britain?"
"Your 'Answer.'"
"Ah!"
Lush burst out laughing.
He wiped his face and said, "No no no, I mean political hot topics, not gossip."
Shaw said, "It's about women's suffrage, protective tariffs, military expansion and conscription, the Anglo-Boer War... And recently, there's been a lot of discussion about the United States."
Lush nodded.
"Then let's say conscription."
According to history, it wasn't until the end of 1915 that the British government passed conscription due to World War I.
But this kind of discussion had been going on for decades, as Britain had always been at war.
Lush said, "Public opinion surveys can make citizens both support and oppose conscription."
Shaw was puzzled, "You... what are you saying?"
Lush grinned and said, "I'll ask, you'll answer. Are you worried about increasing unemployment among young people?"
Shaw nodded.
"But..."
"Are you worried about the rise in juvenile crime?"
"Yes, but..."
"Do you think young people like to face challenges?"
"Yes."
"Do you believe young people should avoid being idle?"
"Yes."
"Do you support conscription?"
"..."
"Yes or no?"
"Yes."
Lush spread his hands and said, "Of course, you said 'yes' so many times before. You can't say 'no' to the last question. Otherwise, it's like slapping yourself in the face. Especially when the questioner is a beautiful woman, you're even less likely to slap yourself."
Shaw hadn't yet reacted. He had always been against military expansion, so why did he voluntarily surrender after a series of questions?
It was extremely absurd!
Shaw asked, "What about opposing conscription?"
Lush said, "You can use the same method. Same rules apply: I ask, you answer. Firstly, are you worried about war?"
"Yes."
"Do you think it's dangerous for young people to learn to kill with guns?"
"Yes."
"Do you disagree with forcing people to take up arms?"
"Yes."
"Do you oppose conscription?"
"..."
Shaw was shocked.
Completely, utterly shocked.
He stammered, "H-how... How could... I didn't... I just..."
He couldn't articulate his thoughts.
Lush patted Shaw's shoulder with a smile. "It's okay, Superintendent, it's not your fault."
Looking at Lush's smile, Shaw finally understood why Lush classified public opinion surveys as media tools. With proper use, this thing could produce any desired data.
Shaw couldn't help but think of a joke:
In the middle of the night, thunder kept roaring.
Little Jack asked weakly, "Dad, why is it thundering outside?"
The father replied, "Because someone is lying."
Little Jack asked, "But it's late at night, who would be lying so much?"
The father said, "Silly child, it's the newspaper printing toilet paper overnight~"
Shaw felt that Lush's public opinion survey was somewhat similar in essence.