384: Chapter 384 The Beast That Shatters its Shackles

Inside the office of the main building,

Professor Liu Zuoqing held his phone, which had already been hung up, hearing only the busy signal from the receiver.

But Lin Que's military pledge to "return the guaranteed admission status with both hands" made his eardrums buzz.

He stood by the window, watching the thickening darkness outside, dazed for a full ten seconds.

The astonishment that had originally arisen from his student's transgression faded away completely,

replaced by an unreserved appreciation.

In his decades of teaching,

he had seen too many arrogant geniuses who, after being dismantled in the lecture hall, either collapsed or obediently bowed their heads.

But Lin Que not only refused to bow his head, he wanted to personally tear a hole in the rules of Tsinghua and Peking University after class.

"Good kid, wild enough!"

Professor Liu Zuoqing cursed with a laugh.

He walked to his desk, didn't even touch the freshly brewed tea, grabbed his coat, and headed out.

He urgently wanted to report this crazy move to Dai Shengzong.

The sensor lights in the hallway lit up one after another following his hurried footsteps.

Professor Liu Zuoqing strode to the Dean's office,

knocked heavily twice, and pushed the door open before there was even a response from inside.

"Dean..."

Just as Professor Liu Zuoqing spoke, Dai Shengzong, sitting behind the desk, immediately raised his hand in a gesture to interrupt.

Dai Shengzong smiled and pointed toward the guest area, his voice carrying a hint of mystery:

"Old Liu, you've come at just the right time. Look who's here."

Professor Liu Zuoqing looked in the direction Dai Shengzong was pointing.

On a large leather sofa sat a silver-haired elder.

The elder wore an exquisitely crafted Tang suit with a front opening, his hands folded in front of him.

He exuded a calm aura as steady as a deep pool or a high mountain,

as if by simply sitting there, the center of gravity of the entire room naturally shifted toward him.

The moment he saw the other person's face clearly, Professor Liu Zuoqing cried out on the spot:

"Oh! Elder Su! What wind blew you here!"

The elder on the sofa was none other than Su Mubai, a true legendary recluse of the Chinese Literary World.

This old gentleman, who had laid the foundation for contemporary rural and historical narratives in his early years,

was someone even Dai Shengzong and Chairman Xue Hongchuan of the Writers Association had to treat with the utmost respect as juniors.

Hearing Professor Liu Zuoqing's voice, Su Mubai gently propped himself up with one hand on his polished red sandalwood cane.

His movements were very slow, but his back was ramrod straight.

A gentle smile appeared on the elder's wrinkled face as he teased Professor Liu Zuoqing:

"Zuoqing, it's been a long time.

That impulsive nature of yours hasn't changed a bit; you didn't even greet me when you walked in."

Professor Liu Zuoqing hurried forward in a few quick steps and firmly supported Su Mubai's arm with both hands.

His voice was full of excitement and surprise:

"Elder Su, I heard that ever since you stopped writing, you've been living in seclusion in the coconut groves of Hai Province to enjoy your retirement,

and you don't even attend the Writers Association's year-end meetings. Why did you travel all this way to the capital today?"

Dai Shengzong came out from behind the desk, lifted the purple clay teapot from the table, and refilled the tea cup in front of Su Mubai with hot tea.

He smiled and chimed in:

"To invite Elder Su out of retirement, I teamed up with Chairman Xue and spent a long time pleading with him. This training camp is being closely watched by the higher-ups. With Elder Su here as a special guest professor, these little fellows have really struck gold."

Su Mubai patted the back of Professor Liu Zuoqing's hand and sat back down with his support.

He gazed at the rising steam in the cup and sighed softly:

"I've been retired for eleven years, and I thought only artisans who carve flowers and leaves were left in this literary world.

Shengzong said on the phone that this batch has produced a few outliers who can break the mold.

My old bones couldn't resist after all; I wanted to come and see these new sparks."

Professor Liu Zuoqing nodded repeatedly from the side.

He pulled over a single sofa and sat down, his tone becoming solemn:

"It's truly a blessing for these kids that Elder Su could come.

Were you just discussing the situation of this batch of students with the Dean?"

Su Mubai picked up the purple clay cup and took a sip, bringing the topic back on track in a gentle tone:

"I was just talking with Shengzong about that boy from the Xu Family.

I've practically watched this child grow up.

Hearing about his performance in 'Fu Zhi Yao Competition' today, he indeed didn't let his grandfather's cultivation go to waste; he's quite capable himself."

At the mention of Xu Changge, Professor Liu Zuoqing's expression turned serious.

He raised his eyebrows and pointed directly to the core issue:

"The foundation of this boy from the Xu Family is indeed top-tier among his peers.

When I dismantled his final work in class today, his attitude in admitting his mistakes was extremely open; such a temperament is very rare.

But the problem now is also obvious.

He's too proper; the wall in his heart is built so tightly that not even a breeze can get through.

He values the dignity of a noble family's son too much, and the things he writes are always too stiff."

Dai Shengzong agreed deeply:

"My view is consistent with Elder Su's.

That child from the Xu Family has been immersed among great scholars since childhood and has seen all the finest things.

His aesthetic upper limit is far higher than ordinary people, but this has also precisely become his greatest burden."

Su Mubai put down his teacup, and his cane tapped lightly on the expensive carpet.

The old man's gaze became extremely sharp, as if he could see through people's hearts:

"Changge is good in every way, but he lacks a bit of wildness.

He's used to carving words within a safe framework, not daring to reach his hand into the mud to grab those thorny things.

He needs to find an unreasonable 'beast' to give him a hard bite.

Only by completely crushing the lock in his heart and letting him feel the pain can he go further."

Hearing the word 'beast,' Professor Liu Zuoqing's movements paused.

In his mind, the scene from a few hours ago—of someone coldly dissecting underlying logic in the lecture hall—immediately surfaced.

That seventeen-year-old youth,

standing in the aisle, using the words 'survival cost' to smash his classmate's sociological model to pieces.

He unashamedly acknowledged Old Knife's numbness, laying the cruel reality bloody before everyone.

Professor Liu Zuoqing laughed, excitement showing in his eyes:

"Elder Su, the 'beast' you're looking for has probably already been found."

Dai Shengzong's hand holding the teapot stopped mid-air as he turned to look at Professor Liu Zuoqing:

"Are you referring to that Lin Que?"

"Who else could it be but him."

Professor Liu Zuoqing stood up abruptly and paced twice in front of the sofa:

"Dean, Elder Su, you'll never guess what kind of promise this beast just made to me on the phone!"

Under the curious gazes of Dai Shengzong and Su Mubai,

Professor Liu Zuoqing briefly explained Lin Que's application for off-campus living and his military pledge involving his guaranteed admission status.

He didn't repeat it word for word, but a few keywords were enough.

'Off-campus living,' 'narrative machine,' 'seven days,' 'return the guaranteed admission status with both hands.'

With every word that landed, Su Mubai and Dai Shengzong's expressions shifted another layer.

The office was quiet for two seconds.

Dai Shengzong set the teapot down heavily on the coffee table with a crisp clink.

He praised loudly:

"Hmph, if nothing else, this boldness is very rare!

To dare use a guaranteed admission spot for Tsinghua or Peking University as a bargaining chip just to trade for an undisturbed creative environment.

This kid just wants to write that article through and through!"

Su Mubai didn't speak immediately, a strange light shining in his eyes.

The elder rubbed the handle of his red sandalwood cane with his withered fingers and softly confirmed:

"Zuoqing, you just said that this child named Lin Que is currently staying in the same dorm as Changge?"

"Yes, Dorm 303." Professor Liu Zuoqing nodded.

"The two of them clashed as soon as they entered. Changge's 'ancient wall' had its fatal crack pointed out casually by Lin Que in the dorm last night.

In class today, Changge even admitted it in front of everyone."

After hearing this, Su Mubai suddenly burst out laughing.

It was the kind of hearty laughter where the corners of his eyes were full of wrinkles and even his cane bounced twice on the carpet.

"Good, very good!" Su Mubai tapped his cane lightly, a look of deep interest in his eyes.

"If that old fellow Old Xu knew his precious grandson was being tormented like this, his beard would probably be crooked with rage.

This little beast, I really want to meet him now.

I want to see exactly what kind of teeth he has grown."

Dai Shengzong leaned back against the sofa, laughing with profound meaning.

He looked at Professor Liu Zuoqing, his tone filled with absolute expectation:

"Elder Su, there will be an opportunity.

Since this kid has made a military pledge,

let's see what kind of narrative machine he can build."

...