Top-notch Master Masquerading As Cannon Fodder Female Companion

241-250

Chapter 241: Scholarships

The longer she knew them, the better she knew them. She had just told them that she was the scriptwriter for "Legend of Wei and Jin". They were astonished, but none of them blamed her for keeping it from them once they knew the reason why.

"I know that you are afraid of trouble. You always try to stay out of things, but things seem to come to you by themselves. I guess you are the busiest one out of all of us." Wang Yuemu laughed.

The more one is afraid of trouble, the more work one gets...

"Legend of Wei and Jin" was the main topic of discussion throughout the entire summer. Even after summer ended and classes started, Tan Mo could still hear her classmates discussing it.

Time passed by slowly...and it was summer, then suddenly autumn was coming to an end, and winter was approaching.

The day that the scholarship awards list was finished, Counselor Hong came into the classroom with the list of scholarship winners, and he said, "This year's scholarship winners list is out. It is based on the grades from your previous two semesters, extracurricular activities at school and outside of school, and any awards and nominations you've earned have also been taken into account."

Counselor Hong laughed as he said, "This time, our class did very well. There are two scholarship winners in our class, which is a good portion of the total."

"First is the national-level scholarship, only given to one student in our school, and that student is in our class." Counselor Hong smiled brightly and said, "Tan Mo, congratulations."

The other students looked toward Tan Mo and congratulated her. Lin Fuxi was the only one who didn't speak. Her head was down, and there was fury in her eyes.

"Next is the top university scholarship, and the winner is Tan Mo again, congratulations," Counselor Hong said. "Everyone knows that at our school, the national scholarship doesn't coincide with our university scholarship. Also, only those who have achieved a university scholarship are considered for the national-level scholarship, and the best of the university scholarship winners is chosen for the national scholarship."

Everyone nodded in compliance; they knew that already.

After receiving their acceptance letters from Beijing University, everyone had already done plenty of research to understand the criteria they needed to meet to win a scholarship.

Of course, that was before they knew Tan Mo's level of expertise. After they found out about her, they were very clear in their hearts. They were out of luck for the scholarships.

Lin Fuxi was the only one who had challenged herself to win a scholarship. She lost every single time, but she surely had determination.

Her determination was touching.

Counselor Hong continued, "Next is Lin Fuxi."

Lin Fuxi came back to attention and looked at Counselor Hong with anticipation.

Originally, Counselor Hong had thought that it took Lin Fuxi more determination and effort than anyone else to come here: to leave a small suburb to come to the city of Beijing. He had had a good first impression of Lin Fuxi and had tried to the best of his ability to provide her with some more opportunities.

Which is why he had chosen her as the temporary head of class. If she had done a good job, then in normal circumstances, she should have been the head of class for the next term. But things didn't turn out as expected. When the formal head of class election took place, no one voted for her.

Everyone here was already an adult...of course, with the exception of Tan Mo.

But Counselor Hong was still concerned that the students might be discriminating against her, so he secretly kept an eye on everyone for a bit.

He realized that everyone was polite to Lin Fuxi, and that there was no discrimination happening in his class. But none of his other students were close with her. They didn't do anything bad to her, but it seemed like they had no intention of becoming friends with her either.

He also got a closer look at Lin Fuxi's personality. She was a bit antisocial.

That wasn't something he could interfere with, so he decided to let it go.

Counselor Hong smiled and said, "Lin Fuxi, you earned a third-level university scholarship, congratulations."

Lin Fuxi felt her expression harden.

She wasn't given a top university scholarship?

The national-level award was given only to a few of the best. It was understandable that she was not chosen for it. She'd feel a bit better with herself if she earned the top university scholarship...

But they gave her the third-level university scholarship?

"Professor Hong," Lin Fu stood up and asked, "I...I just wanted to know, why did I get the third-level scholarship?

"Tan Mo got the national award already, why should she also be given the top university award? I'm in the same class as Tan Mo, so I know what classes she is taking.

"She takes the core classes, and, out of all of us, she is the one with the least number of electives. She does just the number of electives required and nothing more. I've never seen her at any of the activities hosted by the finance school nor have I seen her at any of the university competitions. She didn't do anything outside of school either. So, aside from her core and elective class grades, she has nothing else on her resume.

"So how did she get the national-level award and the top university award?" Lin Fuxi questioned. "I know, you guys don't like me; you guys probably think, because we are all classmates, we shouldn't say things so clearly and harshly.

"But this has to do with the fairness of these awards. If no one here wants to speak up, in fear of being disliked, then I will say it myself." Lin Fuxi bit her lips and said, "I am not making trouble on purpose because I only received the third-level award. It doesn't matter what type of award or how many awards I received. I received an award, and it is a gift from the university to students of excellence."

Tan Mo's mouth had opened slightly in astonishment. She was surprised surely...Lin Fuxi was so good at flattering herself.

"But I can't tolerate injustice," Lin Fuxi said in a lowered tone. "I know that Tan Mo's family is rich...

"Tan Mo, you were born to a wealthy family. The scholarship money from the national award and the top university award combined is probably less than a month of living expenses that you get from your parents, not to mention the additional allowances that you get," Lin Fuxi said in a thin voice, with a pitiful look on her face.

Everyone looked at her dramatic change of face.

"There are a lot of students at our school who come from impoverished families, and they rely on scholarships as part of their living expenses, so why steal the scholarship from them? This scholarship is nothing to you. You would spend that amount of money for a single meal. To you, it is a middling amount of money. But to those who come from less fortunate backgrounds, and those who rely on the scholarships for their living expenses, this money is very important. To them, that money is a matter of life and death.

"Even if you want the honor, because it'll look good on your resume and others will praise you for it... you don't have to steal the scholarship money that is so important to those impoverished students. You don't need it anyway..." Lin Fuxi had a pitiful look on her face. Her eyes were red when she finished talking, and she quickly lowered her head, as if hiding her tears.

Everyone in class was already used to seeing her do that, so they were unmoved. But some classmates frowned at Tan Mo, because what Lin Fuxi had said made sense to them.

They were all in the same class, so they knew each other's schedules well.

Just as Lin Fuxi had said, Tan Mo didn't attend a single activity hosted by the Finance Department.

Just based on her class grades, even if she got a full score for all those classes, she shouldn't have gotten the two highest level scholarships.

And, honestly, Tan Mo was always away doing her own thing. She didn't spend a lot of time at the Finance Department.

Meng Yuxi frowned, she wanted to say something.

Tan Mo spoke instead. She turned to Lin Fuxi and said, "Head of class..."

"Oh, wait, you're not head of class anymore. Sorry, I forgot." Tan Mo lowered her head, as if she was sorry for accidently saying the wrong thing.

Chapter 242: Beijing University's Reputation

Lin Fuxi was offended by what Tan Mo had said.

It pained her as much as if Tan Mo had just stabbed her in the heart. Lin Fuxi still remembered the feeling she had had that day. The day that they elected a new head of class, and she got zero votes and lost by a landslide.

The moment she'd known the election results, Lin Fuxi had burst out in tears and run back to her dorm room. It was absolutely one of the saddest moments of her entire life.

Tan Mo didn't stand up as she spoke to Lin Fuxi. If Lin Fuxi wants to stay standing, she thought, then let Lin Fuxi stand.

"Lin Fuxi," Tan Mo called her out again, but this time she didn't call Lin Fuxi head of class. Lin Fuxi glared at her, and Tan Mo continued, "Who is the one you were talking about, the one from an impoverished family who relies on a scholarship for her living expenses? Who did I steal from? I recall that those from below-average income families can apply for a stipend, and the university will give them a monthly allowance. Beijing University has always been good in this respect. They are considerate to their students who are in need of financial aid.

"Beijing University decides to invest in the student the moment they send out that acceptance letter, and the university does their best to make sure their students can focus on their studies, rather than struggling to earn living expenses. Beijing University has a myriad of financial aid programs for its students, including work-study programs, student loans, stipends, and other allowances. That way their students can continue to stay in school... even if they didn't earn a scholarship award.

"Also, based on what you said, the scholarship should only be earned by those from impoverished families? Financial aid is there for those who need it, but scholarships are for those who earn it; they are not stolen from poor students. Those poor students that you speak of didn't even say anything themselves, isn't it a bit out of turn for you to speak for them like that?

Tan Mo continued slowly, "I've never heard those students say such a thing themselves. The way you said it... it was as if all that you said came from their own mouths. If someone outside heard what you'd said, not knowing the truth, they might blame those students for making such a...thoughtless comment.

Tan Mo blinked her eyes hard until they turned red. "That's not so nice of you: making those students your scapegoat.

"Lin Fuxi, if you are unhappy that I got the scholarship, you can just say so. Say that you aren't happy...you don't have to pull those innocent students down with your irresponsible commentary. You said it yourself, everyone is here to study, and everyone is already trying hard to do well in class, but...now you have made them your scapegoats. You shouldn't have done that.

"If you hadn't said all that those students would still be determined to make something of themselves. They might not have affluent backgrounds, but they can rely on themselves. They are not pitiful, and they don't need your pity." Tan Mo's voice wasn't loud, but her words had strength in them.

Others in the class listened carefully, and just then they also felt something determined in their hearts.

"You can ask those students themselves right now, whether what you said was true." Tan Mo had a determined look on her face, "They don't need you to speak in place of them."

"That's right." Meng Yuxi was the first to speak. "Lin Fuxi, I know that you wanted the top scholarship, and you are angry that you didn't get it. But you didn't have to bring those students into all this. Speak for yourself if you want, but don't bring them into this, because how could you know what they are thinking? They are here to study, not to be taken advantage of by people like you."

"I agree!" Other classmates who had listened to the whole thing quietly spoke up, nodding in a flurry.

"Also, you just told everyone that I'm rich...what does that have to do with earning a scholarship? Just as you said, this is a gift from the university, and it is based on what I have done at school and outside of school. Since my grades warrant it, why shouldn't I take it? I earned it by my own hard work and intelligence.

Tan Mo said, "That's like saying...if your family is rich, then you should work for free, because you already have money to spend. Instead that money should be divided among your poorer colleagues. Your argument is unreasonable. Those who work should get money for their work.

Lin Fuxi was thinking, You are just trying to argue with me. That is two completely different things. Tan Mo was just trying to make everyone confused with her circular reasoning.

"Also, Lin Fuxi, did you say all that because you felt wronged? You think I was the one who stole your scholarship?" Tan Mo didn't reply to what Lin Fuxi had said, and she continued, "If so, then just say so, and I'd be happy to explain to you why I earned this scholarship. If not, then perhaps you are trying to tell me...that I stole another poor student's scholarship? If so, they don't need you to speak for them. You may be the only one who finds it unfair.

Lin Fuxi opened her mouth. She wanted to refute what Tan Mo was saying, but Lin Fuxi had nothing to say.

"By the way, the scholarship is totally fair." Tan Mo wasn't about to let Lin Fuxi pick at her words.

"Lin Fuxi, as far as I know, you came from a suburb. The suburb isn't a big city, but your family is not impoverished. Your parents named you Fu and Xi. To them, you are a joy and a blessing. You are an only child, and your parents dote on you a lot. Your parents may not be extremely rich, but they are not so poor as to make you rely on scholarships for your living expenses."

She was head of the class, and she was clear about Lin Fuxi's background.

"How is it not unfair? Just now you said a whole bunch of random stuff, but you never said what your grades were. Why should you get the scholarship?" Lin Fuxi asked in a hurry.

"I believe I can have some say here," Counselor Hong spoke. "You were all immersed in a discussion earlier, so I didn't want to disrupt you guys. But if it is a question about grades, I can answer your questions.

"Tan Mo received full scores in both her core and elective classes," Counselor Hong said. "The professor who graded your papers looked at Tan Mo's answers over and over again, but couldn't find a single mistake. It is true that a full score is rare, but Tan Mo did earn it.

"Of course, just as Lin Fuxi said, that alone wasn't enough for Tan Mo to earn the top scholarship," Counselor Hong continued. "But Tan Mo had additional points from other activities.

"It's just that her activities are unrelated to the school of finance." Counselor Hong looked at the paper with all his students' grades and said, "Freshman year, Tan Mo represented the school of language and attended the Ancient Text Competition where she was the winner. So for this she got additional points.

"She joined the research teams of Professor Guo and Professor Zhao and did research, so she earned additional points there. If any of you can join a research team on campus, you can get additional points as well.

It was difficult to get in a research team as a sophomore... Tan Mo was an exception.

"Additionally, I must say, Tan Mo joined the two research teams because both professors invited her personally. Our school has been around for more than a century. If nothing else, we have character, and we don't do anything behind the scenes. We won't kiss-ass a wealthy student, nor will we discriminate against one who is not." He said that to Lin Fuxi.

Because Lin Fuxi was hinting that the school gave Tan Mo the scholarship because she was from a wealthy family. If the public heard her irresponsible commentary, Beijing University's reputation could be damaged.

"Professor Guo and Professor Zhao are highly reputable and respected. They have their minds only on research, and they would not do anything behind the scenes."

Everyone nodded. They believed what Counselor Hong had said.

Lin Fuxi bit her lips in embarrassment as she said, "I didn't mean that."

Counselor Hong ignored her as he continued, "What I meant to say was that Tan Mo joined those two research teams by means of her own ability and expertise. That can be proved by the award she brought home from the language competition.

"In matters of history, if anyone is still suspicious of Tan Mo, then feel free to bring someone over here from the school of history. Find anyone, and see if anyone is better than Tan Mo."

Chapter 243: Pitiful Lin Fuxi

"I'm quite confident that Tan Mo won't lose. She had the expertise to join Professor Zhao's research team."

They are suspicious...?

If they were suspicious, then just let them find someone to compare with Tan Mo.

"These additional points were more than enough for Tan Mo to earn the top two scholarships. However, during her winter break, Tan Mo also joined the production crew of 'Legend of Wei and Jin' as their historical consultant, and thus earned some more points.

"There have been a lot of discussions going on about 'Legend of Wei and Jin'. I'm sure that many of you have seen it. Those who have seen it should understand, and those who have not seen it have probably heard. I've also seen it myself. Some popular historical bloggers and video streamers have commented on the show, proving that every small detail in the show: its costumes, dialogue, manners, comes from a reliable historical context. That's why 'Legend of Wei and Jin' is considered the best historical series of the past decade.

"And all of that was possible because of Tan Mo's expertise. All of the historical details in the show were carefully thought out and organized by Tan Mo." Counselor Hong said, "It is true that Tan Mo didn't earn additional points from activities hosted by the school of finance, but she got points from the school of language and the school of history. That is why the university awarded her the two highest scholarships.

"There is no rule against earning points through activities outside of the school of finance." Counselor Hong asked sternly, "Lin Fuxi, have I answered your questions regarding Tan Mo?"

Lin Fuxi didn't say anything.

Counselor Hong didn't react to her silence. He found the student GPA ranking list and brought it over to Lin Fuxi and showed it to her.

"Here is the detailed ranking list. Yours is here as well. There are many students above you, that is why you got the third-level scholarship." She should see clearly where she stood academically. She had a lot of competition, and honestly he didn't know where her confidence about getting the top scholarship came from.

Of course, the third-level scholarship was an honor as well. It was just that Lin Fuxi didn't like it, and she was a bit overconfident about herself.

Lin Fuxi looked at the ranking list, and the scores of those above her.

Did she really...lose by so much?

"This is a copy, so if you want to look through it carefully, you can keep it." Counselor Hong left the paper at her desk.

"Okay, end of class. Tan Mo, Li Fuxi, remember to provide your bank account numbers to receive your scholarships." Counselor Hong reminded them, then he turned around and left.

Lin Fuxi held tightly onto the rankings list, crumpling the corner of the paper.

Now she remembered, President Mu had mentioned very briefly that they could earn points toward their scholarship if they won an award at the Ancient Text Competition. He said that just once, during the freshman introduction ceremony. Lin Fuxi had forgotten about it completely.

She had had no clue about the other additional points that Tan Mo had gotten.

And Tan Mo didn't even get any points for the scriptwriting, because she didn't want to make it public.

Also, Beijing University didn't have a school of theater...maybe it could be counted as an activity for the school of language or history.

But even without the additional points from scriptwriting, Tan Mo had more than enough points to earn the top two scholarships.

President Mu had asked Tan Mo for her opinion about why she didn't want to add those points.

"Tan Mo, why didn't you tell me that you had so many additional points?" Lin Fuxi was furious. She had lost all her rationale.

"That's a strange question. Why should I tell you? Do I have to report to you about everything that I do?" Tan Mo asked curiously. "Also, if I told you, wouldn't you think that I was bragging? I didn't tell you, and now you think I hid it from you on purpose. Regardless of what I do, you think that I am in the wrong. Seriously, what do you want from me?

"Also, I didn't participate in those activities for scholarship points. I didn't even know I could get scholarship points from those activities." Tan Mo tilted her head and smiled, "You're right. My family is quite well off, so I wasn't going after the scholarship. In the future, I won't need these honors to find a job either. You were right in saying that the scholarship is not a big deal to me. I did well, so I earned it. If I hadn't done well, I wouldn't have earned it, and I wouldn't go mad with jealousy either."

"You...are you trying to insult me?" Lin Fuxi clenched her fists.

Did Tan Mo think that she was jealous of her?

"I just want fairness," Lin Fuxi said.

Tan Mo pointed to the rankings list that Lin Fuxi was holding and said, "There you go, that's fairness for you."

PFFT! Meng Yuxi had tried hard to hold back her laugh, pressing her lips together tightly. But after a bit she accidently laughed out loud. She couldn't hold it back anymore.

"Tan Mo, this is your private business. It is your decision whether or not you want to tell anyone about it." The head of class spoke up for her, continuing, "Also, this isn't such a big deal. Why make a big fuss about it? Look at everyone in class, who cares whether she tells us or not? Even if Tan Mo didn't plan on telling us, we know it now anyway, and none of us is making a big deal out of it."

"That's right. What she does herself is what she does herself. In bigger terms, that is called privacy. We're not her family, nor are we her parents, so why should she have to report to us what she does?" Another classmate continued the conversation.

"Some people just like to make a fuss. Not only is a certain someone sour and jealous, that person also wants to be the center of attention." Someone smirked.

"You guys..." Lin Fuxi looked at her classmates, all of them, every single one of them was standing by Tan Mo's side. They were all helping Tan Mo by attacking her. Lin Fuxi said furiously, "It is because she's rich? Because she's rich, all of you are rushing to kiss up to her? You're all kissing up to her. Did you get anything good from her yet?"

HMPH! Lin Fuxi held her head high and proudly, like the only one in the world who could withstand the enticement of money. "You guys didn't get anything good from her yet, but you are all showing your disgusting, greedy faces already."

In just a couple of sentences, Lin Fuxi effectively offended every single student in the classroom.

Now they were truly unhappy and they weren't going to let her off the hook.

Lin Fuxi still had that strangely pitiful look on her face, as if she was Aristotle and they all thought that the earth was flat. She left the classroom with her head held high.

Even after Lin Fuxi had left, everyone in class continued discussing what she'd just said. Obviously they were angry.

"Thanks, everyone, for speaking up for me." Tan Mo thanked them genuinely. "Good thing that you guys saw through what she was saying."

Some people may have been guilt-tripped into believing what Lin Fuxi had said.

Good thing the students in her class were clear thinkers.

"We are already adults. We can discern what is right and what is wrong." The head of class smiled.

"Yep, we were all at the top of our classes, to be accepted into Beijing University. We are, at the very least, clear thinking."

Tan Mo thanked them again, and they continued the conversation with her.

Originally, during freshman year, Tan Mo had been too busy, and she hadn't had a lot of time to communicate and network with her classmates.

Today she'd said more words to them than any other day since she had come to the university.

After talking with her, her classmates also realized that she was an adorable little genius. She was a genius, but she wasn't antisocial or excessively proud.

They all talked to her, and she was literally able to continue any type of conversation.

After that day, they all became closer.

...

Today, Tan Mo was in Professor Zhao's research room.

Everyone was working when the professor walked in.

"Tomorrow, Tsinghua's History Department is sending a team of students here," he said.

"With that look on your face, I thought something serious had happened." Zhang Honghai laughed and looked up at him.

Chapter 244: Sophomore Exchange

"Don't they always exchange sophomores? Surely it has nothing to do with us."

Sophomores are unlike freshmen. Sophomores have already taken some of the core classes, and they have a certain level of understanding of the subjects, although they still have a lot to learn.

And they are unlike juniors. Juniors are about to graduate, and most are already planning for work or for graduate school.

The difference between sophomores and seniors are even more obvious.

Exchanging sophomores is the most productive thing to do, because a lot of discussion takes place, and the discussion helps in securing the fundamentals.

Of course, the exchange program is also meant as a sort of competition.

Tsinghua University and Beijing University have been longtime competitors in all fields. Their rivalry has never ceased.

"But we have Tan Mo and they don't," Professor Zhao said with confidence. "Tan Mo, I've put your name on the exchange list. Tomorrow, you attend the exchange group and go with the other second-year students as part of the exchange."

"Another competition?" Tan Mo wanted to ask because she was a peaceful person and disliked competition.

"Not a competition." Professor Zhao laughed. "Just an exchange to discuss and share ideas about the subject of history. You will be able to discuss one on one, or you can also discuss in small teams. Of course, everyone will, in their own minds, compare what you know to what they know. So in an inconspicuous sort of way, you will be competing with students from the other school."

She knew it before he said it. Tan Mo thought to herself, otherwise the professor wouldn't have asked her to attend the program.

"Professor, I am after all a student from the school of finance, so is it proper for me to join an activity like this from the school of history?" Tan Mo chimed in again, in an attempt to change his mind.

"So what? You are in the Finance Department, but you attended the Ancient Text Competition last year." The professor wanted to flick Tan Mo on the forehead out of frustration. "What do you mean by that? In your heart, am I not as important as Professor Guo?"

"Of course. Of course." Tan Mo waved her hands hurriedly and said, "I'm just afraid the Tsinghua students will jabber about it. That for an exchange between students of the school of history, you all had to find help from a student from the school of finance."

Professor Zhao caught his breath for a moment.

What a thing! She sure was good at saying things that angered him.

"Then transfer to the school of history, and everything will be fine. Isn't that a good idea?" Professor Zhao wanted her to transfer to the school of history, but Tan Mo wouldn't.

Tan Mo wasn't sure how to respond. "......"

...

Last time they had to travel to Tsinghua for the exchange, but this year the exchange was happening on their own campus, which was a lot more convenient.

The time of the exchange happened to coincide with Tan Mo's finance classes, so she had to request an absence.

Professor Zhao took her to the exchange location himself.

There weren't a lot of students. Including Tan Mo, there was only 15 students.

After just a little bit, the Tsinghua exchange students arrived at Beijing University, brought to the exchange location by Professor Hu of Beijing's History Department.

As they were walking, the Tsinghua students chatted without lowering their voices, as if they weren't afraid that others might hear what they said.

"Last time, during the Ancient Text Competition, our school lost badly. This time we are just discussing and exchanging ideas, but it is a sort of competition," said Yang Guangyuan, a young man with some white hair. He continued, "This time, we've got to get back at them no matter what."

"That's right, we've got to make up for that loss this time. Last time, we lost by such a huge amount, and it was so embarrassing," said a girl with a high ponytail. She wore a pair of round glasses, and her name was written on a name tag around her neck: Hao Yidan.

"How could their school of language compare with our school of history? Our school of history has always been ranked number one. Our school of history is unlike our school of language. Sometimes it's first, and sometimes it's second. They are always changing rankings," said a boy named Qu Yuanqi.

On the road, they discussed all of this without lowering their voices, as if they weren't afraid that others might hear what they said.

Professor Hu listened as they discussed all of that without lowering their voices, without heeding those around them, and she frowned. These students seemed to be very full of themselves, and they seemed confident that they would win against Beijing University.

Those Tsinghua students are excessively proud, Professor Hu thought to herself, every single one of them.

So I guess it's not only Tsinghua students from the school of language, but also from the school of history, she thought.

"I heard that one of Professor Zhao's students was hired as the historical consultant for 'Legend of Wei and Jin'. Who was it? Is that student here today?" said a boy next to Yang Guangyuan. The boy's name was Luo Xiangwei, and he continued nonchalantly, "It's so boring to exchange with Beijing University's second-year students. They aren't good enough to exchange with us. Discussing history with them will have no benefit for us because they hardly know anything. But I am interested in that historical consultant of 'Legend of Wei and Jin'. If there is an opportunity, I'd like to discuss history with that student."

Professor Hu looked toward the Tsinghua professor leading these exchange students.

Wasn't he going to say something to his students? Professor Hu thought to herself again, those Tsinghua students are so full of themselves!

Beijing University and Tsinghua University had been competitors for a long time, and their students were also very competitive with one another. In private, a lot of them said bad things about the other. That is understandable.

But that is in private. It's fine to gossip like that in private, but right now they are on the campus of Beijing University. Isn't it too much for them to gossip about Beijing University students on the Beijing University campus?

These students have no character.

So what if they had good grades? Professor Hu thought to herself, good character and judgment were more important than good grades. Was it really okay for them to talk like that?

She thought it was so weird...for some reason, Tsinghua students all seemed to be of poor character and judgment.

Confidence was different from being impolite. The two are completely different.

The Tsinghua professor saw the look on Professor Hu's face, but pretended not to see anything and continued walking as if he had heard nothing from his students.

Professor Hu's face sank and she made a quiet HMPH.

Then she heard Yang Guangyuan say, "What you said was right. I also want to see that student. That historical consultant is pretty darn good. I've also watched 'Legend of Wei and Jin', and I paid particular attention to the details. Everything was done according to the right historical context.

"Seeing how refined the tv series was, I guess the historical consultant is from Professor Zhao's team. I heard that he is a mentor to all his research students, so maybe that student got help from him."

Qu Yuanqi raised his voice and asked, "Professor Hu, do you know who was the historical consultant for 'Legend of Wei and Jin'? If that student has time today, could you invite her to come to the exchange event? I'd like to discuss ideas with her."

Professor Hu is a teacher from the school of history, so of course she knew who he was referring to.

Tan Mo got the two highest scholarships partly because of her work on "Legend of Wei and Jin".

Once she had been hired as a historical consultant, word spread around film circles by Director Liu, so everyone knew that Tan Mo was from Beijing University. This was even featured on headline news...although the article didn't specify who she was, everyone knew that she was one of Professor Zhao's research students.

Beijing University was very proud of her.

It took an entire two weeks for "Legend of Wei and Jin" to finish airing, and every single day of that two weeks, Principle Mu had a big smile on his face, and now his face was even more wrinkly than before.

Professor Hu was surprised. Those Tsinghua students were rude, but they still wanted to exchange ideas with Tan Mo. If they knew that Tan Mo was one of the exchange students, she wondered what expression they would make.

She was already anticipating it.

Professor Hu had a devious look on her face. She said, "I'm not so sure. Professor Zhao likes to keep things to himself, so he doesn't go around talking about this much. He doesn't say, and we don't ask."

The Tsinghua students were suspicious.

"Professor Hu, you are a history teacher at Beijing University, and you don't even know who the historical consultant of 'Legend of Wei and Jin' is?"

"It isn't such a big deal anyway." Professor Hu smiled nonchalantly.

"Beijing University and its students and staff are rather modest. Besides, students at Beijing University are used to getting honors like this. For others, this would probably be a big deal, and they would brag about it wherever they went, but we are used to it already, so we didn't make a big deal out of it."

Chapter 245: A Common Enemy

She was so done with them. Did they think they were the only ones who knew how to be rude and excessively proud?

Although she had no desire to be confrontational with them, she could surely say some things to make them feel small.

It was just as she'd expected. Upon hearing what she said, the Tsinghua students got embarrassed looks on their faces.

The Tsinghua professor even turned to look at Professor Hu. He wondered to himself why Professor Hu had become so strong-tempered all of a sudden.

Was it because of their history consultant?

Professor Hu held her head high and proud and thought to herself that she wasn't going to tell them that the history consultant of "Legend of Wei and Jin" was Tan Mo.

Aren't those Tsinghua students excessively proud? Ha! Let them embarrass themselves!

After the brief interchange between the Tsinghua students and Professor Hu, they arrived at the location for the exchange program on campus.

The two teams were here to exchange ideas, so they shook hands and introduced themselves to one another.

Tan Mo trailed behind the group of Beijing University students, and she was hidden by the crowd.

Soon the other Beijing University students had finished introducing themselves, and it was Tan Mo's turn to introduce herself.

The Tsinghua students looked at Tan Mo: "..."

They were all silent for a moment.

It was a dead silence.

It was an awkward silence, like an unexpected meeting between enemies.

Everyone in Tsinghua knew Tan Mo, because she had been the common enemy to all of them. During the Ancient Text Competition, Tan Mo had been the one who—single-handedly—had defeated the entire Tsinghua team.

So even if they weren't from the school of language, they recognized Tan Mo's face. In fact, it was more than that; they were very familiar with her face.

That competition had been a huge defeat, and it had been extremely embarrassing to every single combatant and to every single Tsinghua student.

Those Tsinghua combatants weren't even the typical students from the school of language. Every one of them had been the top of their classes, and they represented the best of the entire school. Those students had been the top ten in the entire school of language from Tsinghua.

And they had been defeated by Tan Mo single-handedly, and it had been extremely humiliating.

They hadn't even been in the same league. Tan Mo had fooled with them as she liked, just because she could; just because she was that much better than they were.

It was as if...she had been in control of the entire competition. Those Tsinghua combatants could only answer the questions that she allowed them to answer. If she didn't feel like it, then they wouldn't even have a chance to press the answer button.

So every single student from Tsinghua, regardless of which school they were from, recognized Tan Mo and regarded her as a common enemy.

Since that competition, Tan Mo had become the most hated student from Beijing University by students of Tsinghua—without exception.

Especially the Tsinghua students from the school of finance...knowing that Tan Mo was in the school of finance, they were all itching to compete with her, hoping that they would have a chance to get back at her.

Tan Mo had given them all a resounding slap in the face, and they wanted to return one to her.

The Tsinghua students who had come for the exchange program were not expecting to see her here. Why was Tan Mo everywhere? They ran into her no matter where they went.

"What's up?" Tan Mo asked, with an innocent look on her face.

How come they were all looking at her like that? As if she had slapped them in the face...like she was their enemy?

Their faces were extremely pale.

Tan Mo turned to the history professors with an innocent look on her face.

"I haven't done anything," Tan Mo explained. "I haven't even said anything yet."

She was a peaceful person.

"Why are you here?" Yang Guangyuan was surprised, and he looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"I'm here to discuss and exchange ideas." Tan Mo was confused about why he was singling her out.

Why did he ask her that?

Of course she was here as part of the exchange program... Did they think she was bored enough to stop by here to get a look at what was happening?

"Aren't you from the school of finance?" Hao Yidan asked her in a raised voice.

"Although I am from the school of finance, I am interested in history, so I came here to discuss and exchange ideas and to learn," Tan Mo said with a smile on her face.

"Beijing University has quite a strange practice," Qu Yuanqi said with a mocking tone as he laughed. "You are a student from the school of finance, yet previously you were sent as a representative of the school of language for the Ancient Text Competition, and now you are meeting us as part of an exchange program between the schools of history. Is it because there is no one better at Beijing University's school of history? They had to ask for help from someone in the school of finance?"

Tan Mo blinked her eyes innocently and thought to herself, Professor Zhao was surely good at keeping her busy.

She sighed to herself and then said, "I don't agree with what you just said. I'm not sure how it is at Tsinghua. Are the schools at Tsinghua so separated that the students in different schools don't interact with one another? That seems to me like segregation."

"So what you all at Tsinghua think is that: this is a program that belongs to the school of history, so no one outside the school of history can join in this program. This is knowledge that belongs to the school of history, so no one outside the school of history can learn this knowledge?" Tan Mo asked, her eyes widened as if in shock. Then she retreated a couple of steps to express her astonishment and turned to the history professors from Beijing University and exclaimed, "Tsinghua is such a strict university!"

It was as if her face was saying, Tsinghua is so scary!

The Beijing University professors had nothing to say...

The professors were thinking to themselves, you are the one who is scary. You just gave them all another resounding slap in the face!

After slapping those from the Tsinghua school of language, it was now the turn of those from the Tsinghua school of history.

But...great job!

"Of course it's not like that!" Luo Xiangwei was furious. That girl had such an infuriating voice, and she was so good at the manipulation of logic. With that mouth of hers, she could talk them into believing that a white person was black.

"At Tsinghua University..." Luo Xiangwei started to explain.

But Tan Mo wasn't about to give him the opportunity to explain.

"Beijing University is different from Tsinghua," Tan Mo said. "We are a very inclusive university, no matter which school a student is from, we are all considered peers. If someone from another school joins our school activities because she wants to learn something, then we are always welcoming to her. Just like me, although I am from the school of finance, I am interested in language and history, so Professor Guo and Professor Zhao have allowed me to join their research teams, and to listen in on their lectures."

Um, maybe she should change the order of that...

But anyway, those details aren't so important.

"No matter which school they are from, they are a student of Beijing University. No matter which school is hosting an activity, if the student is willing to, then the student can attend that activity," Tan Mo said smiling. She continued, "I am interested in history, so I attend Professor Zhao's lectures in addition to teaching myself some of the material. And Professor Zhao told me about this exchange program and I asked him if I could attend. He allowed me to come here as part of the team from Beijing University. Professor Zhao knows that I was from the school of finance, but seeing that I have such a great interest in history, he applauded me for loving to learn. And he told me right then that I could join the exchange program."

Good thing Professor Zhao wasn't here, she thought to herself.

If he was here, he'd be shaking his head...nope! I never said that! That lazy girl! It would be great if she actually loved to learn and attended his lectures.

"Actually I am a little bit worried, because, after all, I am not from the school of history. I'm afraid that I'll drag my teammates down because I did not learn this material systematically like they did." Tan Mo had an admiring look on her face as she spoke of Professor Zhao. "But Professor Zhao told me that it was fine. He told me that all of the students here are sophomores, and they've only had an year of experience in the subject. Even if they were good, how could they possibly be better than him? He didn't even complain about the professors at Tsinghua yet. It would be so weird if Tsinghua students complained about a student from the school of finance."

The Tsinghua students thought to themselves: "..."

Why are you bringing the Tsinghua professors into this?

"Also, he told me that this is a relatively casual exchange. Beijing University doesn't make a big deal out of this exchange program, and they didn't even do a formal audition or anything like that. They got a list of history students and randomly chose 15 students. After all, we have a lot of other activities and opportunities at Beijing University. Everyone will have a chance. Even if they can't attend one activity, they can attend some other activity. Everyone takes turns, and everyone will have their turn! The most important thing is to learn and improve and obtain more knowledge. Winning or losing is not the main objective."

She didn't say it directly, but they all heard it from what she said: it's true that Beijing University students have lost in the past, but it wasn't because their top students were no good. It was because Beijing University didn't send their top students here.

The Beijing University faculty and students just stood there and listened to Tan Mo as she rambled on and made up stuff along the way.

Chapter 246: Listen to Tan Mo as She Makes Stuff Up

She was literally making stuff up on the spot!

And she had such a serious face when she said it. She was so persuasive that they almost fell for what she was saying.

The truth was that Beijing University always sent out the top of their classes for exchange programs like this.

They'd lost in the past. They had actually lost, and it had been a fair playing field.

What Tan Mo said about them being chill about events like this—and sending random students to attend—was completely false.

The Beijing University sophomores at the exchange program today were all here for the first time, so they didn't actually know whether Tan Mo was telling the truth or not.

They looked at one another with confused looks on their faces.

Was what Tan Mo said true?

They'd all thought they were at the top of their classes...

Had they actually been chosen at random?

These top students started questioning themselves. Were they actually the best in their classes?

The Beijing University professors saw the questioning looks on their faces, but they didn't say anything.

They sighed to themselves.

But, at the same time, everyone from team Beijing lifted their heads high and proud.

That's how good they were!

Beijing University was the role model of top universities, because they encouraged the sharing of knowledge and education.

The Tsinghua team had nothing to say.

According to what Tan Mo had said, Beijing University sent random students to the exchange program, and those students had varying degrees of history knowledge.

But every year Tsinghua sends out only its best students.

So, according to what Tan Mo had said, the playing field was not fair, and it seemed as if Tsinghua was inferior to Beijing University.

At Beijing University, the exchange program was considered an activity of little importance, and its students didn't pride themselves on being a part of it. Tsinghua, however, took it extremely seriously, and they only sent their top students to the exchange program.

It seems that they took it too seriously, and those who take things too seriously are kind of a joke.

In terms of attitude, they'd already lost against Beijing University.

The Tsinghua professor scoffed loudly. He had been suspicious for just a moment, but then he'd come back to reality, and he scoffed as a reminder to his students.

"So President Mu doesn't take this seriously?" The leading Tsinghua professor said with a smile, but his smile expressed no joy or friendliness.

The Tsinghua team came back to themselves after hearing what their professor had said.

That's right!

President Mu wasn't one to take things lightly. President Mu was extremely competitive, and he wanted to be first in everything. What Tan Mo said couldn't possibly be true. This exchange program was surely a big deal at Beijing University.

They had almost been tricked by Tan Mo.

"Ha! Whatever you say! You can say whatever you like," Qu Yuanqi said, laughing coldly. "Everyone knows the truth in their own hearts."

Tan Mo was astonished. She was astonished that Qu Yuanqi knew Shen Jingyi's catchphrase.

She almost blurted out, "Are you Shen Jingyi's relative?" But Tan Mo held it in, and she didn't ask him what she wanted to ask.

Yang Guangyuan said with a proud and arrogant look on his face, "You all had to get help from someone from the school of finance. What a disgrace. It seems that Beijing University's school of history is no longer what it used to be...not to say that it was ever much good."

"Listen to what you are saying. We are all just sophomores, and we have only scratched the surface of this subject. Why are you all so proud of yourselves? It seems that you all consider yourselves the best in the world at history, and you go around looking down at people." The Beijing University students were angered by the attitude of those from Tsinghua, and they didn't plan on holding back anymore.

Before the Tsinghua students had arrived, Tan Mo had been introduced to all the sophomores from Beijing University in the exchange program.

The boy who just spoke up was Song Mingqi.

"You are right. Sophomores don't know a lot compared to professionals in the field, but right now we just have to be better than you all," Yang Guangyuan said to the Beijing University students. "Professors, we were just asking Professor Hu on our way here: who is the history consultant of 'Legend of Wei and Jin'? Would it be possible for her to join the exchange? We would all benefit a lot if given the opportunity to exchange and discuss ideas with her."

The Beijing University professors and students were silent for a moment...

They turned to Professor Hu and thought to themselves, what a surprise that Professor Hu would trick them like that.

Professor Hu turned her head to the side as if she couldn't feel their gazes. They couldn't blame her for doing that anyway, she thought to herself. They had just seen how arrogant these Tsinghua students were. She was annoyed at them, and she was about to get back at them with this surprise.

The other schools in Beijing University might not know, but everyone in the school of history knows who was the history consultant of "Legend of Wei and Jin."

It didn't matter that she was from the school of finance. She was a part of Beijing University.

Besides, Tan Mo is Professor Zhao's research student, so technically she is part of the school of history.

Not such a big difference.

"What do you mean? Do you think our sophomores are not good enough to be part of this exchange program?" One of Beijing University's tenured professors asked in a low voice.

"Of course not. It's just that we came here all the way from Tsinghua, so we want to discuss ideas with the best students. That way we can all benefit the most," Luo Xiangwei said. "We've wanted to meet that consultant for a long time, but we've never had the chance. Since she is a student at Beijing University and since we are here today, we'd like to take advantage of the opportunity to meet her."

The Beijing University students listened quietly as the Tsinghua students expressed their admiration for Tan Mo.

Honestly, they felt kind of bad for those Tsinghua students...

They only knew that the history consultant was a female student from Beijing University, but they didn't know who she actually was.

They were the ones who'd jumped to conclusions, so they were the ones to blame.

But still, they felt kind of bad for those Tsinghua students.

"We don't know either. Professor Zhao never said, and we never asked," Professor Yuan smiled and said. "It's not a big deal anyway. Being a history consultant is not such a great accomplishment compared to what others students at Beijing University have done, so no one cares about it much."

Professor Hu turned and looked at Professor Yuan. They hadn't discussed this beforehand, but they had arrived at a tacit understanding of what they should say.

The Tsinghua group didn't say anything.

Although they didn't believe what Professor Yuan had just said... But, maybe it was true that those professors didn't know who the history consultant was?

"Why don't you send a student to ask Professor Zhao?" Professor Yuan recommended.

He wasn't about to trouble Professor Zhao himself.

The Tsinghua students looked at one another, and then the Tsinghua professor said, "Okay. Could we please have someone to direct us how to find Professor Zhao?"

Professor Yuan said, "Song Mingqi, why don't you be their guide?"

Song Mingqi was a smart kid; he should know what to do.

"Okay," Song Mingqi nodded and replied.

The Tsinghua group chose Yang Guangyuan to go, and the two of them left together.

On the way, Song Mingqi listened as Yang Guangyuan complained about the Beijing University campus.

"Your campus doesn't look good. Tsinghua's buildings and its scenery were built hundreds of years ago."

"Your campus doors aren't very nice. They're too small and hard to find."

Song Mingqi laughed dryly and said, "That door is small because it was built hundreds of year ago, but it is regularly maintained, so it looks new."

Beijing University was also an old institution. Where did Yang Guangyuan's sense of superiority come from?

After this conversation, Song Mingqi didn't feel like talking to Yang Guangyuan anymore.

Yang Guangyuan continued talking, and when he said something that needed a response, Song Mingqi just nodded nonchalantly.

They finally arrived at Professor Zhao's office.

Song Mingqi knocked on the door and heard Professor Zhao's voice saying, "Come in!"

Song Mingqi opened the door and was astonished to see Director Liu there as well.

Because of "Legend of Wei and Jin", Director Liu had been receiving a lot of publicity and had been giving a lot of interviews.

He was already pretty famous before "Legend of Wei and Jin". Most people had heard of his name, but were unfamiliar with his face.

But after "Legend of Wei and Jin", everyone recognized Director Liu's face.

"Director Liu!" Song Mingqi came in with a big smile on his face. "You're here as well."

Song Mingqi came forward excitedly and said nervously, "Over the summer, I watched 'Legend of Wei and Jin' three times! It is so good! When you are filming your next series? Will it be another historical series?"

Director Liu was here to thank Professor Zhao, and he also wanted to visit Tan Mo while he was on campus.

But just as he arrived, Song Mingqi came to the door.

Ever since "Legend of Wei and Jin" had aired, Director Liu had been besieged by a lot of fans, and many of them young like Song Mingqi.

Director Liu was used to seeing excited fans, and no matter how many times he ran into them, he still got a kick out of it every time.

Chapter 247: Shameless Person

He took everything as a compliment to him.

Director Liu laughed heartily, then said benevolently, "Thank you for liking my television series. Are you a student from the school of history?"

Director Liu made that conjecture because they were in Professor Zhao's office.

"Yes!" Song Mingqi was excited, and he nodded his head vigorously, "I am a sophomore in the History Department."

"I am flattered that my work was liked by a young professional. It surely means a lot to me," Director Liu said happily.

This meant that Tan Mo's script was so good that even professionals could find no mistakes in it.

Not only was this television series liked by history students like Song Mingqi, even professional historians had loved it and praised its accuracy.

This all made Director Liu very happy.

"No, no...I am just a sophomore, not a professional yet. I still have a lot to learn and study." Song Mingqi shook his hand.

"'Legend of Wei and Jin' is truly a great series, the plot, the dialogue, all the other small details. Everything in that show is correct according to its historical context, and a lot of it is also what I didn't know yet because I haven't had the opportunity to learn it. After seeing the series, I did some research on my own and realized that all the details are true. But for a lot of other details, I couldn't even find any data." Song Mingqi scratched the side of his head, confounded.

"I'm unsure whether it was an artistic effect by the scriptwriter or if it was taken from actual historical text," Song Mingqi said. "But I think that this scriptwriter was very focused on detail, so it's likely that the scriptwriter didn't make up those details out of thin air. Even if there was some artistic license used, I'm certain that it was all based on history. I suppose, if I did some more research in the library database and read more history texts, I may find something to explain it."

Official historical texts always belong to the victors. Most were written in later dynasties, as a record of what happened in the recent past.

In a new dynasty, the main powers have changed. In order to portray the wisdom and benevolence of the current dynasty, official historical texts often record the previous dynasty with a negative connotation.

So, official history may not be the complete truth.

Non-official history is not useless either, and it is often worth reading.

Of course, it all comes down to individual judgment.

Professor Zhao nodded his head. He liked Song Mingqi's attitude toward research.

But after all, Song Mingqi was just a sophomore right now.

There were way too many students in the History Department.

Professor Zhao didn't know Song Mingqi before today, and he didn't even know that Song Mingqi was part of the exchange program.

But he seemed a promising young man, Professor Zhao thought to himself. He decided he would pay more attention to this young man and see how he does in his classes. Then he will make a decision about him in another couple of years.

At least, Professor Zhao remembered Song Mingqi's name this time, and Song Mingqi left a good impression on him.

The Tsinghua student thought to himself, Beijing University did indeed have some renowned history professors.

And he was also a fan of "Legend of Wei and Jin".

On their way here, Song Mingqi hadn't said much, so he'd supposed that Song Mingqi was not an eloquent speaker.

He was totally surprised that Song Mingqi was so good at talking.

Since coming in here, he hadn't been able to say much himself. He just listened as Song Mingqi continued talking on and on... Song Mingqi ended up saying everything he'd wanted to say.

Before he had the time to say a word, Song Mingqi had already said all that he'd wanted to say.

He hadn't been able to get a word in edgewise.

Now, Yang Guangyuan said in a hurry, "Me too! Director Liu, I am your fan as well!"

Yang Guangyuan tried kissing up to Director Liu. "Since this series aired, everyone has been discussing the consultant and the scriptwriter. They are all saying that they were the ones who created this series and contributed all the details: everything from dialogue to costumes. But actually, I don't agree.

"No matter how good they were, Director, you were the one who made the final call. You were the one who filmed this series. You were the one who found the consultant and the scriptwriter. You were the one who portrayed this story through film, and it was very well done. Every single member of the audience felt it. They were all immersed in the story, and they were all brought back to the past, and they all saw the story for themselves as if they were a part of that history.

"Your determination to make a quality film and your attention to detail were what made this film possible. Without you, this series wouldn't have been possible."

Song Mingqi listened to Yang Guangyuan's *ss-kissing speech and felt goosebumps crawl up his spine.

What a shameless person.

*ss-kissing words just poured out of his mouth.

He thought to himself, Yang Guangyuan shouldn't have been in the school of history. He should have majored in literature or theater.

He was surely good at talking.

Even Director Liu felt that what he'd said was somewhat overblown.

Director Liu was used to interacting with those he was familiar with—famous actors and directors, investors and managers.

They were all successful people who had no need to kiss up to him.

"Director Liu, do you have any plans, any upcoming films? Could you tell us?" Song Mingqi was curious like a reporter.

"I have no plans as of now," Director Liu smiled and said. "I plan on taking a break, then I will see if some other good scripts come my way. Planning for a new film is a lot more work than people think."

"Of course it is a lot of work." Yang Guangyuan said, wanting to continue his *ss-kissing.

Professor Zhao didn't give him the chance to continue. He interrupted and asked Song Mingqi, "What are you here for?"

Song Mingqi remembered why he was here and said in a hurry, "Professor Zhao, I am a sophomore from the History Department. My name is Song Mingqi. I am part of the exchange program."

Professor Zhao nodded his head. Now he knew.

Then that meant that Song Mingqi was among the top in his class.

Professor Zhao made sure to remember his name.

"This is Yang Guangyuan, an exchange student from Tsinghua." Song MIngqi introduced him.

"Hello, Professor Zhao," Yang Guangyuan greeted him.

"And you two are here for...?"

"The Tsinghua exchange students think we are not good enough for them, and they said that they want to exchange only with the best." Song Mingqi didn't plan on keeping Yang Guangyuan's attitude a secret.

Those Tsinghua students had already said that. This wasn't going to be a friendly exchange.

There was no point in saving face for Yang Guangyuan in front of the Beijing University professor.

Yang Guangyuan's face got tight for a moment.

He wasn't expecting Song Mingqi to say that outright.

Professor Zhao didn't say anything for a bit...

"Isn't Tan Mo there?" Those Tsinghua students were surely full of themselves. Even Tan Mo wasn't good enough for them?

"We haven't even started the exchange yet," Song Mingqi said. "The Tsinghua students complained that Tan Mo is from the school of finance, because they didn't know that Beijing University is such an inclusive university in terms of sharing knowledge."

"Tan Mo told them that," Song Mingqi repeated what Tan Mo had said, to make sure that Professor Zhao knew exactly what was going on.

Professor Zhao was quiet for a moment.

That little girl was sure good at making things up.

Bu it was a good call. This made it seem like Tsinghua was inferior to them in terms of inclusiveness and tolerance.

Very good!

Director Liu didn't show anything, but now he suddenly had a different impression of Yang Guangyuan.

At the outset, Director Liu just felt a bit awkward, being showered with words of praise by Yang Guangyuan.

But Director Liu wasn't such a stern person, and he didn't hold anything against people like that. He would just listen, but he would consider again before becoming closer acquaintances with someone like that.

Those who relied on *ss-kissing aren't extremely reliable. He had to consider that person's character and personality before becoming closer acquaintances.

Because if he could be *ss-kissing you today, tomorrow he could be doing it to another person, while saying terrible things about you.

Director Liu was careful around people like that.

"The Tsinghua students heard that the consultant of 'Legend of Wei and Jin' is a student at Beijing University, so they wanted to get a chance to meet her and discuss ideas with her," Song Mingqi said.

Chapter 248: Director Liu Could Have Been Ruined

HMM? Professor Zhao found this whole situation strange.

Wasn't Tan Mo there?

The students from Tsinghua University didn't want to interact or socialize with Tan Mo, yet she was the consultant of "Legend of

Wei and Jin".

Professor Zhao understood what was going on now. He rubbed his chin.

Things were getting interesting.

Song Mingqi saw how Professor Zhao was beginning to act and hinted to him. "You didn't really inform us who the consultant was. It wasn't as if our teachers knew when everyone else from school was asking. That's why I got sent especially with Yang Guangyuan to come and ask you about it."

On their way here, Song Mingqi had been thinking about it. Perhaps the reason why the teachers said nothing about it was because they didn't want to make the students from Tsinghua University feel cheated. And if they did talk about it, maybe the students wouldn't have believed them and would've thought that Beijing University was lying to them.

Now Director Liu was smart.

He had a thriving career in the entertainment industry. Not even thinking about what made him a good director, he was already a master at calculating people and relationships.

Seeing Song Mingqi's reaction to Professor Zhao saying that Tan Mo was around, obviously those from Beijing University knew that the consultant of "Legend of Wei and Jin" was Tan Mo.

Yet they had said nothing despite knowing and had even brought along an idiot from Tsinghua University to ask Professor Zhao about it.

Director Liu decided to get involved in the situation.

He faked a shocked expression and said, "Tan Mo is with you?"

Song Mingqi smiled to himself. Director Liu wanted to cooperate with them?

What a great director!

They've got so much ammunition to destroy the students from Tsinghua with.

"Yes," Song Mingqi nodded. "Tan Mo is part of our exchange program. As as student of Professor Zhao, he allowed her to come along."

At this moment, Song Mingqi wasn't pretending anymore.

Yang Guangyuan was here, and he was soon going to have some message to deliver to the others at the exchange event.

Everything would be cool as long as he kept a close eye on Yang Guangyuan and made sure that he didn't take his phone out.

Yang Guangyuan's face turned pale.

Tan Mo was Professor Zhao's student?

Not only was he shocked, but before he knew it, he said it out loud.

Song Mingqi said with a surprised look, "Didn't Tan Mo tell you that already? She was interested in history, so she became a student of Professor Zhao. We're that welcoming at Beijing University."

Tan Mo had a pretty good line there, and it was good to use it.

No wonder, since she was also a student of Professor Guo.

Yang Guangyuan had become speechless.

Now, who do you think you're able to lie to?

With a professor like Professor Zhao, there's no way someone could just stroll up and become his student.

If that really were the case, how come he has so few students right now?

Those people outside the History Department at Beijing University, there's no way that if you decided to take History you could just go and find Professor Zhao.

Yang Guangyuan was in such disbelief that he couldn't hide it. It was written all over his face, and Song Mingqi was able to read it.

He shrugged at him and said, "It's up to you whether you believe it or not. Anyway, Tan Mo is a student of the Finance Department who was interested in History and Professor Zhao took her in.

"Not only was it Professor Zhao, but this occurred with Professor Guo too. She was interested in ancient Chinese so he took her in." Song Mingqi shrugged his shoulders. "Do you all have that kind of opportunity at Tsinghua University?"

Professor Zhao was trying hard not to laugh, but he was already shaking.

This Song Mingqi, what a man!

He was now paying attention to him closely.

As long as he had good character and a decent amount of knowledge, he could train him for a few years and have him become his disciple.

Lately, Professor Zhao had really been traumatized by the Shen Jingyi situation.

He decided he needed to observe his students' characters before making any judgments.

Yang Guangyuan had nothing to say once again.

They didn't have this at his university.

"But you all only have one Tan Mo?" Yang Guangyuan thought that Song Mingqi was just fooling around.

"That doesn't matter. This is just the way it is at Beijing University." Song Mingqi shrugged his shoulders again.

This had started to annoy Yang Guangyuan to no end.

Director Liu laughed. "I came this time not only to see Professor Zhao, but also to see Tan Mo. Now that I hear that she's here, do you mind if I come over and mingle with the crowd?"

"Of course not!" Song Mingqi was touched. "If you were to go, I'm sure our teachers and students would be overjoyed! They all watched 'Legend of Wei and Jin' and have been discussing it all this time."

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. All right then, I'll follow along with you." Director Liu laughed.

Professor Zhao rubbed his chin. "Then it's settled. I'll come along too."

Originally, it had just been Song Mingqi and Yang Guangyuan coming over to ask a few things.

Where did this initiative from these two come from?

Yang Guangyuan was completely dumbfounded.

They'd only come to ask Professor Zhao about the consultant of "Legend of Wei and Jin".

Why are he and Director Liu now both heading back with them?

It was all quite surprising with these two around.

Halfway there, he suddenly felt that something was off.

A little later, he thought of just exactly what was wrong.

"Professor Zhao, you still haven't told me who the consultant of 'Legend of Wei and Jin' is," Yang Guangyuan said. "Additionally, we really would like to talk to her if we could get the chance. Would that be possible?"

"Rest assured," Professor Zhao said, "you'll have the chance to."

Yang Guangyuan didn't say anything else.

What did that mean?

But if Professor Zhao had left it like that, then he shouldn't keep pestering him.

The four of them continued walking to the venue.

Song Mingqi and Yang Guangyuan walked in first.

Professor Zhao and Director Liu followed closely behind.

Seeing Professor Zhao made the crowd go wild.

Professor Yuan wanted to ask Song Mingqi just how had he gotten Professor Zhao to walk over here.

Before he was able to open his mouth to ask this, everyone saw Director Liu enter behind the professor.

The crowd was stunned.

They weren't hallucinating, were they?

They needed to make sure that they were seeing properly.

It was indeed Director Liu.

"Director Liu?" Professor Yuan asked in shock.

Song Mingqi ran over to Professor Yuan and whispered, "While I was there, Director Liu was in Professor Zhao's office. Hearing that Tan Mo was here, he came with us to see her."

Professor Yuan understood immediately.

It was because of Tan Mo.

That wasn't strange.

Indeed, she had been the consultant for "Legend of Wei and Jin", and now that the show had done so well, it did prove that her hard efforts had paid off.

Director Liu came over to a few teachers and smiled. "Since I was just shooting a historical drama, I've come over to just take a look as I'm interested. Is that okay?"

Not seeing the errors in Yuan Qishan's original script had almost caused a disaster. He would have made a huge cultural mistake and suffered a shameful and financial loss.

He had almost been ruined in terms of his reputation and his finances by Yuan Qishan and Shen Jingyi.

If he'd followed their script, just how well would his show have done?

He would have been lucky if it had only been criticized.

He could only imagine how people would've taunted him after seeing it.

That would have been horrible. He would have become a joke.

He initially hadn't seen any problems with the script written by Yuan Qishan.

But Tan Mo had spotted the problems in an instant.

And that was why Director Liu had decided that he needed to improve his knowledge of history.

Chapter 249: Tan Mo Unmasked

What he did know was that all this was knowledge accumulated from studying at university. It had obviously not come from a professional source.

"Legend of Wei and Jin" had achieved immediate success with its debut. Even though Director Liu had told Song Mingqi that he didn't have any plans for a new series yet, he actually had decided to take the chance to shoot another historical drama, riding on the coattails of this huge success.

Director Liu had even been thinking about contacting Beijing University, asking them to allow him to audit some classes in order for him to learn more history.

At the start of this year, in fact, there were quite a few actors and directors entering schools to improve their knowledge.

And now Director Liu was considering it.

"Of course, we would welcome you," Teacher Yuan responded immediately.

The students from Tsinghua University all looked at Director Liu with many mixed emotions.

This is the director who shot "Legend of Wei and Jin"!

Who would've known that they were going to get the chance to meet him in person and interact with him?

"Director Liu, would you be able to participate and get involved in this exchange program? We actually have many questions we'd like to ask and discuss with you," Qu Yuangi asked passionately. "We never thought that this chance would come along. Now that the chance has come, we must make good use of it."

Director Liu waved his hands and laughed. "You don't want to talk to me about it. I don't actually know that much about it. Most of the story and the details all came from the scriptwriter and consultant. All I did was direct. I can direct and put things into action from paper. But if you're talking about history itself, I wouldn't dare to pretend to be knowledgeable.

"Actually, there was another version of 'Legend of Wei and Jin' before this current version everyone is watching. There were huge problems with that version, but I didn't realize that until Tan Mo pointed them out. If she hadn't managed to rewrite the script on time, we would have suffered an enormous loss," Director Liu said.

Director Liu was saying that the script had actually been written by Tan Mo.

Of course, everyone was completely surprised and way too taken aback to analyze his words carefully.

Those from Beijing University were shocked.

Those from Tsinghua University were feeling much, much worse about this situation now.

Did Director Liu just say that it was Tan Mo who had discovered problems with the script?

That was the only part of the sentence they had truly paid attention to.

"Tan Mo?" Luo Xiangwei was shocked. "She's read the script of 'Legend of Wei and Jin'?

"Of course." Director Liu nodded. "She wrote it."

Director Liu's expression made it blatantly clear that he didn't understand why Luo Xiangwei had asked such a question.

"Tan Mo was the consultant on 'Legend of Wei and Jin' and she had direct participation in its production too." Director Liu carefully laid this bombshell on them.

He looked at the students from Tsinghua University questioningly. "Didn't you all know this?"

They were speechless.

They were dumbfounded and bewildered by the news.

Their minds went blank, and none of them knew how to react to this.

Yang Guangyuan was the first to get his senses back.

He thought about when they had been back in the professor's office and how Professor Zhao and Director Liu had reacted, and he suddenly came to a realization.

No wonder Director Liu had wanted to come over and see Tan Mo.

Tan Mo was the reason for his success!

No wonder Professor Zhao didn't answer his question about the consultant.

It seemed like these two were kind of ganging up on them.

They'd come over just to make fun of them.

And looking back, no one from Beijing University was surprised at all.

They had known this entire time, and had just pretended not to.

Yang Guangyuan looked at Song Mingqi, who was nearest to him.

Song Mingqi shrugged again. "I don't know why you're looking at me."

He was innocent.

"You all knew this entire time!" Yang Guangyuan clenched his teeth. "And you all purposely kept this from us and had us go look for Professor Zhao, just to embarrass us."

"Oh my, you all from Tsinghua University are so small-minded." Song Mingqi shrugged his shoulders again.

"Stop shrugging your shoulders!" Yang Guangyuan was getting more annoyed by the second.

Song Mingqi didn't say anything.

Did he have to be that aggressive? He was just shrugging his shoulders.

"You can't even let me shrug my shoulders? You all from Tsinghua University are so mean," Song Mingqi said. He continued, "We from Beijing University aren't surprised at all, not because we knew about Tan Mo being the consultant. We're just open-minded and simple people. We don't have things like this on our minds constantly. Why are you all so shocked? It's like you all don't know how the world works."

Yang Guangyuan had nothing to say to that.

I really fell for you guys' evil schemes!

"Tan Mo!" Director Liu waved at her enthusiastically.

He looked as if he had seen his own daughter.

"Director Liu, what are you doing here?" Tan Mo asked.

"Well, I came to thank Professor Zhao first. He's supported me so much, and it was only because of him that I managed to have you as my consultant. That's what led to my drama being this successful," Director Liu announced loudly. "Obviously, I wanted to see you too, and when I heard that you were here, I followed along."

"Tan Mo, let's make a deal. Do you want to come help me out with my next historical drama?" Director Liu was brimming with excitement. "You can set your price."

Tan Mo knew that the help Director Liu was asking for wasn't as simple as being a consultant.

What about the scriptwriting?

Knowing an accomplished scriptwriter like her, there was no way that Director Liu would want anyone else.

Not only was she a scriptwriter, she was also a consultant. Was there a better combination?

Tan Mo scrunched up her face. "Director Liu, I was going to take a rest first."

"There's no rush! 'Legend of Wei and Jin' was a special case, so the timing had to be quick. But the next drama I'm shooting will have plenty of time for you to do your thing, so don't worry," Director Liu said.

Tan Mo didn't say anything.

HMM. Tan Mo said quietly, "Director Liu, my brother wants to shoot his own drama too. If you two clash on schedules, I'll still have to write for him first."

"That's not a problem." Director Liu waved his hands. "Didn't I promise you that I'd let your brother be my assistant director? We would have to be separated anyway."

Tan Mo had nothing to say once again.

She suddenly felt as if she had hit her own foot with a rock.

She had lost concentration again.

"All right," Tan Mo said reluctantly.

"No way! Tan Mo isn't even part of the History Department. Is she really that good?" Someone from Tsinghua University questioned.

Director Liu had leaned down to talk to Tan Mo, and now he stood up, straightening his back. "You think I would lie about something like this? How would it even benefit me if I lied to you all?"

They all choked on the silence.

They all knew that there was no reason for Director Liu to lie to them.

But this was also really hard for them to accept.

"Also, Tan Mo has never really cared about all the fame," he said coldly.

If so, she wouldn't have remained anonymous all this time.

He knew that Tan Mo had just wanted to help him achieve his dream.

Even a mature person like him would have found it hard to hide something this huge.

With a chance like this to get famous, she hadn't taken it.

This kind of heart seemed too rare to be true.

But of course, as "Legend of Wei and Jin"'s scriptwriter, the fame seemed to be the most important thing on other peoples' minds.

Chapter 250: Tan Mo Astonishes

More attention was now being paid.

Being a history consultant was just like being an adviser.

The scriptwriter, on the other hand, actually had to link everything together in a logical manner and had to link it in such a way that it became an interesting story that would be loved by an audience.

The scriptwriter had to actually understand every part of the history in order to portray it accurately in the script.

Not to mention the dialogue... Some of it could be traced back to historical texts, but most of it had been created by the scriptwriter herself.

After all, only a few lines were recorded in historical texts.

How could they record every word that was spoken?

Even if there ever had been a more complete dialogue, it must be gone by now. This was the history of antiquity.

The consultant might be able to inform the scriptwriter of a bit of dialogue that was recorded in antique texts.

But the large part of it is up to the scriptwriter herself.

So the history consultant of "Legend of Wei and Jin" was definitely good, but the scriptwriter was even better and had been showered with words of praise.

Tan Mo was a patient girl.

The Tsinghua students weren't expecting this. Director Liu obviously thought highly of Tan Mo.

That was the truth, and it wasn't up to them to decide whether they wanted to believe it or not.

Before, Tan Mo had slapped their school of language by beating them so badly in the Ancient Text Competition.

Now it turns out that she is also an expert on history.

Remembering their previous words of praise, they all felt extremely awkward.

Before, they had looked down on Tan Mo, but now they had just been told that Tan Mo was the actual expert.

"So do we have enough credentials to exchange with Tsinghua now?" a Beijing University sophomore asked in a mocking tone. He was called Lei Junxing.

The whole Tsinghua group had contorted looks on their faces.

Hao Yidan looked irritated, and she asked Tan Mo, "Tan Mo, since you are the consultant of 'Legend of Wei and Jin,' then when we asked earlier, why didn't you say anything? You made us go to ask Professor Zhao instead."

Tan Mo hesitated for a moment and then said with a questioning look in her eyes, "If I had said that I was the consultant of 'Legend of Wei and Jin' earlier when you asked, would you have believed me?"

The Tsinghua students were quiet for a moment.

No, they would not have believed her! Not for a moment!

She was from the school of finance. Who would believe that she was the history consultant of "Legend of Wei and Jin"?

"If Director Liu hadn't been the one who said it himself, even if Professor Zhao had said it, wouldn't you all have thought that Professor Zhao was lying to you?" Tan Mo held onto her little shovel and dug another hole and waited for them to fall in themselves.

"Quit making things up!" Qu Yuanqi said quickly. "We never thought that."

Although Professor Zhao was a professor at Beijing University, that didn't mean that they wanted to get on his bad side.

"But even after Director Liu told you guys, you all seemed like you didn't want to believe it still." Tan Mo lowered her head sadly.

"No, we didn't!" Hao Yidan's voice was raised high, to the point that it became sharp.

Tan Mo hid behind Director Liu and said, "Whatever you say..."

Hao Yidan's face hardened.

How could there be someone like her? She was so irritating!

Professor Zhao looked on silently.

How come that sounded somewhat familiar?

Tan Mo hid behind Director Liu and sneaked a look at Professor Zhao. When they made eye contact, Tan Mo winked and mouthed the words, "Shen Jingyi."

She'd learned it from Shen Jingyi.

She wasn't the one who'd made it up.

Professor Zhao had nothing to say.

"Now, should we still continue the exchange?" Professor Hu asked quietly.

Yang Guangyuan stepped forward and said to Tan Mo, "Tan Mo, since you are the history consultant of 'Legend of Wei and Jin,' it is obvious that you are good at the history from the Wei and Jin periods. So I won't ask you anything regarding that period of time."

He paused for a moment and continued, "Weizi was the eldest son of Emperor Ying, stepbrother of late Emperor Zhou. Zhou succeeded to the throne, and soon the country's system of government fell, but Zhou continued in his foolish ways. Weizi attempted to advise Zhou, but Zhou would not listen. Meanwhile Bo Cang of West Zou, in the name of government reform, took over the Li State. Weizi feared that the destruction would soon spread to themselves, so he told Zhou what had happened in Li State."

"This is the excerpt on Song Weizi from Shiji," Zhou said. "'It is Destiny! The heavens are those who decide whether or not tragedy befalls the Shang Dynasty!' Then Weizi realized that Zhou could not be helped. He left irately, unsure what to do, so Weizi asked the Grand Preceptor and his son. The young general said, 'Shang Dynasty has a corrupt system of governance, and its king doesn't have his mind on governance. I am a descendant of Chen Yushang, and our family has been the king's advisers.' Zhou wasted his days away in the royal harem, and he enjoyed wine and goods as the system of governance fell and as the country was being torn apart. As the state fell, no one would be left out, the entire court and the entire congress were perpetrators of the state's failure, and they would all mourn for the fall of the Shang Dynasty!" Tan Mo spoke at a slow pace. "Should I continue? Ask for any chapter and any line of 'Shiji,' and I can repeat it for you."

Hao Yidan said in a hushed tone, "'Shiji' is the most famous of historical texts. Let's not test her on that."

"But 'Shiji' has 130 scrolls. Did she actually memorize it all?" Qu Yuanqi asked in a low voice.

"Test her on something else! She is just one person. She wouldn't know more than all of us combined," Qu Yuanqi said. Then he stood up and spoke in a raised voice. "During the reign of Emperor Wen, the Marquis of Dongyang, Zhang Xiang, resigned from being the royal tutor of the crown prince. The courts had to elect the next royal tutor, and they all attempted to place one of their own in that seat of power. Until Xiao Jing ascended the throne."

"'Shiji,' excerpt on Wanshi Zhangshu, ninth section: the day arrived soon, and the coronation ceremony ensued, and the emperor received the formalities from his court and the congress. Fen was named the Grand Minister. The eldest son of Fen was Zijian, the second son Zijia, the third son Ziyi, the fourth son Ziqing. His sons came forth in service of the state and the emperor," Tan Mo replied without a pause.

She didn't think she was great at historical analysis, but she'd read a lot, and she had a good memory.

"Shiji" was a book she'd read a long time ago. Her teacher had read it to her.

"She's not going to be tricked by 'Shiji.' She probably knows the entire book from beginning to end. After all, it is the most famous of historical texts," Yang Guangyuan said in a low tone. Then he continued, "Twenty-four Histories, let's choose something else, something that is not so well known. Nothing related to the time periods of Wei and Jin."

"How about 'History of Jin'? I've been learning that recently," Luo Xiangwei said, and the Tsinghua group's eyes lit up.

"Yes! That's it!"

Luo Xiangwei stood up and said, "During the reign of the emperors, the emperors' relatives were given titles, and Guanglu Daifu was named King of the Ge and became minister of the army. At the beginning of TianDe, Ning Mu was indicted..."

After speaking, Luo Xiangwei retreated into his group and said to Yang Guangyuan and the others with a proud look on his face, "I took out the beginning and end on purpose and repeated only the middle part. There is so much content in 'History of Jin' that it's not possible for Tan Mo to have memorized it all. Even if she did memorize it all, I don't believe that she could think of the right content in such a short period of time. She has a human brain. She's not a computer."

"That's right. Look at her. She isn't saying anything now," Hao Yidan said, raising her brows.

"Are you all finished?" Tan Mo waited until they had finished their hushed talking and said, "Since you are all finished, I can talk now."

The Tsinghua students looked at Tan Mo.

'Is it possible that she actually knows the answer?'

Just as they were questioning her in their minds, Tan Mo said, "The following year, the minister of Da Zhong was indicted, and another was named to guard the capital. The name of the capital was changed to Yan, and then afterward, the name was again changed to Nanyi. At the beginning of the year of Zen Yuan, the capital was moved to West Jing. Then in three years, the capital was moved to East Jing. Then the king of Zhao ascended..."

The Tsinghua students stood there, dumbstruck.

Tan Mo turned to Professor Hu and the others and asked, "Professor Hu, in previous years, was the exchange program also just like this?"

"Yes, that's about it." Professor Hu nodded.