novelODS Chapter 218: The Society's Death Was Not in Vain
Chapter 218: The Society's Death Was Not in Vain
Jiang Feng isn't socially anxious, but he's definitely not a social butterfly either.
He could smile and face the millions of viewers in the live broadcast room with ease, but standing on the stage of this large lecture hall, facing dozens of pairs of eyes and all those phone cameras raised in unison, he felt extremely uncomfortable.
Especially in areas where one feels insecure or is not good at.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Fang Ningxue and An Ke in the back row, both holding their phones, their smiles barely concealed. If it were any other time, they would probably start a live stream right there and then.
Given his current popularity, any slight mistake he makes on stage will instantly spread across the internet, becoming a meme, a GIF, an emoji, and a dark history that people will still talk about seven or eight years later...
Jiang Feng was utterly despondent at that moment.
The teacher stood beside him, smiling as she handed him the microphone:
"Don't be nervous, just read it normally."
The arrow is on the string, and it must be released.
Jiang Feng steeled his resolve, gripped the thesis paper, and took the microphone.
It's just reading a paper, no big deal.
He can read!
Jiang Feng cleared his throat and began to speak:
"My Global Perspective, author, Cao... cough cough cough—"
As soon as the last word was uttered, Jiang Feng's pupils dilated violently, and he stared intently at the three bright characters "Cao Xumin" on the paper.
He abruptly closed the paper.
The teacher, who had just taken a sip of water at the podium, suddenly looked up, put down her water cup, and glanced at him with a puzzled expression.
"Does your throat feel sore? Would you like some water to soothe it?"
"No, no need."
The river wind kept waving its hands, shaking its head like a rattle drum, its cheeks flushed.
I'm sweating!
"Actually, you don't need to read the author's name or the title; just read the main text."
The teacher's ambiguous smile made Jiang Feng feel doubly embarrassed, and the hairs on his body almost stood on end.
In his heart, he cursed Lao Cao eight hundred times—you old Cao, you dared to write your own name as the author when helping to write a paper!
Do you want him to die on the spot?!
Inverted!
Do you not want to work in the industry and commerce sector anymore?
Jiang Feng's cheeks burned and went completely numb.
He composed himself, gritted his teeth, skipped the author's name, and started reading from the main text.
Fortunately, he didn't make any more mistakes while reading, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He even sped up his speech, hoping to finish reading quickly and get off the stage to end this torturous ordeal.
Old Cao remembered this debt.
Next time Lao Cao scans accounts, I'll delay the live stream by ten seconds and make him claim the accounts. If he doesn't, I'll destroy the accounts for him!
Of course, it was just a joke; Jiang Feng was still very grateful to Lao Cao for helping him write his final paper.
He read the paper more and more smoothly, the words flowing out naturally, but the next second, the words suddenly froze in his throat, as if someone had grabbed his neck and he couldn't utter a single word.
"For culture to go global, we must first have cultural confidence, and cultural confidence requires, first and foremost, a strong culture..."
"In this regard, there's Operation Delta Force and top-tier anchor Jiang Feng..."
By the time he realized what he had said, it was too late.
Jiang Feng's voice abruptly stopped, the last few words seeming to be cut off in his throat, frozen in the center of the podium.
He stared intently at that line of text on the paper, his pupils contracted sharply, and his brain momentarily went blank—Old Cao! You really dare to write this!
To his utter surprise, this guy not only put himself as the author of the paper, but also used the material about his recent overseas live stream going viral, which boosted the popularity of Delta Force overseas and was hailed by some media as a "new calling card for Chinese FPS culture going global" as the core argument in the paper!
For him, the person involved, to stand on the podium in front of dozens of students and personally read out his own glorious deeds and boast about his overseas influence is a million times more embarrassing than misreading the author's name earlier!
Spicy!
I'm going to write a paper and use myself as a positive example to brag about? If that got out, people would laugh their heads off and say I'm ridiculously narcissistic!
What's the difference between this and writing an essay, using famous quotes, and saying your own words?
The air fell silent for half a second, then deafening laughter erupted in the lecture hall, nearly blowing the roof off.
"That's fair!"
"Correct!"
"Fengshen is awesome!"
Fang Ningxue and An Ke in the back row were laughing so hard they couldn't stand up straight.
Jiang Feng stood on the podium, and he became famous—truly famous!
His hand holding the microphone froze in mid-air, his knuckles turning white from the force, and his toes were digging frantically into the ground inside his shoes, carving out a three-bedroom apartment.
He wanted to swallow the rest of his sentence, but the words had already been spoken, and the whole class had heard them clearly. It was too late to cover it up.
The teacher by the podium was laughing so hard he could barely stand up. It took him a while to catch his breath before he looked up at Jiang Feng, his teasing tone barely concealed:
"Oh? Why did you stop? Keep reading, it sounds pretty good to me."
He paused, then tilted his head, feigning confusion:
"Wait a minute, how come the top-tier livestreamer Jiang Feng mentioned in this paper shares the same name as you?"
These words only amplified the laughter from the audience, with some even shouting at the top of their lungs:
"Teacher! That's him! Jiang Feng—the number one in the Delta!"
"That's not it…"
Jiang Feng blushed and hurriedly tried to smooth things over, but his mind went blank, and the more anxious he became, the more he stammered.
"This is... a case study... an objective analysis..."
He either admits he didn't write the paper, or...
No matter which way you choose, you're doomed; there's simply no third option.
Jiang Feng decided to just give up and quit altogether.
He forced himself to read the rest of the content. The last half page was filled with his overseas live streaming data, the praise and reviews from overseas players, and his influence in driving the game's overseas expansion.
His voice grew increasingly weak as he read, and his head drooped lower and lower. He didn't dare to look up and meet the eyes of the people in the audience, wishing he could bury his face directly in the paper.
After finally finishing reading the last word, he said, "My sharing is over," and then dashed off the stage at lightning speed, practically fleeing back to his seat in the back row.
Jiang Feng sat in the chair in a daze, unable to hear what the two women on either side were saying, as if he were dreaming.
He wished he could turn back time to the moment last night when he asked Lao Cao to help him write his thesis.
He must have slapped himself hard across the face.
But his social death is far from over.
The teacher on the podium cleared his throat, his joking smile vanished, and he actually took the microphone and earnestly praised him to the whole class:
"There's no need for people to laugh. Being able to include oneself in a paper as a case study shows that this person is extremely confident and exceptionally talented."
"Moreover, I think Jiang Feng's paper was extremely insightful and of very high quality."
"Let's give Jiang Feng a round of applause."
The teacher's voice carried throughout the classroom through the speakers, and as soon as he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted from the audience.
The teacher raised his hand to suppress the applause, and with a touch of wistful experience in his tone, continued:
"Times have changed. When I was growing up and working, I really felt that the grass was greener on the other side, and I felt inferior and insecure all the time."
"Things are different now. You were born in the spring breeze and grew up under the red flag. You have grown up alongside the prosperity of our motherland, and you are confident to the core."
"For culture to go global, the first thing is to have self-confidence and self-acceptance. So, ultimately, the future of cultural export depends on your generation. This is not some pipe dream; our nation's civilization and culture have their own unique features."
"The perfect example is Jiang Feng. How much do netizens abroad admire him? He's technically top-notch yet humble and polite. Even though he could have achieved financial freedom long ago, he's still willing to settle down and continue being a student and pursuing knowledge."
"Isn't this a reflection of our culture's emphasis on education and reverence for knowledge?"
"What's even more commendable is that Jiang Feng also incorporated his personal experiences and genuine thoughts into his thesis. He didn't engage in empty talk or put on a show. This is the unity of knowledge and action, the global perspective that contemporary college students should have, and the future of our industry."
As soon as the teacher finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted from the audience, mixed with cheers that nearly sent Jiang Feng flying.
The more sincere and earnest the teacher's praise, the more uneasy Jiang Feng became, and he was completely dumbfounded.
Is this... about me?
The river breeze seemed lost.
Their own society died, yet they became a model and were praised?
Or rather... was the death of the company not in vain?