Asking Questions
"Any questions?" he saw tens of students raise their hands. "No questions? That's good. Have a nice day. Your lesson starts now".
The students were stunned. Their hands are up, why did he pretend to not see them? A bold student stood up and said "Sir, I have a question…" She was mercilessly cut off.
"You don't have any questions. All you need to know, I have already said. The only thing you would want to ask now as a lady is why I didn't speak about makeup" he paused and looked at all the students. The ladies to be precise.
"Do you still have time to apply makeup when you will be woken up by five in the morning for exercises? No right? And if yes. What happens after your makeup is ruined by sweat? Do you think there will be time for you to reapply makeup after going back to your dorm to shower?" he took a deep breath.
"let me make things clear to you. You wake up before 3:00 am. Exercise starts from 4:00- 6:00 am. Have breakfast by 7:00 am and resume class before 8:00 am on dot. The few minutes between 6-7 will be used for trekking back to your dorm to take a shower, getting ready for school, and walking to the cafeteria. Where do you still have time for makeup?"
The girls awkwardly put their hands down with ugly faces. How could rich brats like them do without makeup? Unwilling to give up, another girl asked.
"Why did the school provide us make-ups if we can't apply them?"
"No one said you can't apply them. If you have the time on your hands, then go ahead. The school bought you those things to remind you that you are still ladies who should look beautiful no matter how busy your life has become.
Applying makeup should be done on the days you are going out for excursions, maybe an alien in the skies will fall in love with you, or the nature on land would find you attractive and also fall in love with you"
His sarcastic remark got the student's mouth sealed. 'This man is so mean' they thought.
"Thank you so much Teacher Li Tan" Miss Veronica said as the other teachers left for the lessons to start.
"We are already late by thirty minutes, but let me quickly brush through self-introduction.
Like teach Li Tan said earlier, I am Veronica Williams, Thirty-five years old, an American citizen. I graduated from this school ten years ago as a Ph.D. holder in Lingua Franca. I think that should be enough for you. Now, bring out your laptops." She opened her laptop on the podium and continued.
"In today's class on lingua Franca, we will be starting with the most popular language, English as you all know, then dive into other popular spoken languages as the class progresses. It doesn't matter if you don't belong to those nationalities, we aim to broaden your views and make you know all the most spoken languages in the world and their history.
A lot of you must have known two to five languages due to the lessons received at home, but how well do you understand those languages? How fluent are you? That's what this class is for. Now let's start."
"Ma, I have a question" A student raised his hand.
"Go ahead, but next time you don't have to open your mouth, pressing the button on the left corner of your desk is enough for any teacher to know you have a question. Press the button and see how it works" she said.
The student pressed the button. An interface showed up on the whiteboard, displaying the boy's profile.
His picture, name, country, height, Health status, dorm number, and an empty comment box on the lower part of the screen.
Above his picture was a beeping question mark.
The students looked confusedly at the whiteboard, then Miss Veronica started to explain.
"That's your profile. The question mark above your head shows you have a question to ask and the comment box below that is blank holds the possible questions you are liable to ask.
You find it empty now because I haven't started teaching yet. Once I start, then questions you could possibly ask will show up there.
And when I ask a question and you want to answer, the comment box will become empty and only takes in your command. Take it like you are using a Google voice." She stopped when she saw the students were nodding their heads which means they understood.
"The importance of you answering questions when asked and asking questions when you don't understand is that any contribution you make in any subject will be recorded in your results which will also help you get a long life in this school.
For instance, when a student gets the maximum number of detentions that will warrant him being sent away, if such a student has contribution points from questions and answers sessions in class, it can be converted to points that can be exchanged to buy back the detention days for that student.
Every question a student answered correctly, and every good question a student asks is ten-point. One-day detention is fifty points.
Points can also be exchanged for the weekly challenge. When a student is challenged to a duel and they know they cannot fight that duel, they can transfer their points to the Challenger. A hundred points for avoiding a challenge."
Gasps and murmurings broke out among the students who felt that was too much.
"So work hard and avoid troubles if you want to get a better life in this school. Now what's your question?" she asked the boy who has been standing since for his question to be answered.
"We were not given notebooks and pens," He said.
"You don't need them right now. Your laptops are your notebooks. You will only be given books and pens in your calligraphy and painting classes. Let's begin".
...…
In the Tang cooperation in china.
Su Tang was sitting on her office chair reviewing documents. She just flew into the country some minutes ago. She is one of the privileged outsiders allowed entry into Hassride university and the only outsider allowed to use their private jet for an exit.
The far journey took a toll on her, causing her fatigue but her workload was piling up and needed to be finished before doing the important things that needed to be done.
Seconds later a "knock" sounded on the door before it was pushed open to reveal a tanned-skinned lady with hair tied in a donut, wearing a black straight skirt and white short sleeve shirt with a slim tie around the collar tied into a bow and black heels to match.
"Ma'am, Mr. Lu Feng is here to see you" Assistant FeiFei reported.
"Let him in" answered Su Tang as she tried to compose herself and not make her fatigue show.
"Yes ma'am" Assistant FeiFei walked out and came in later with a tall fair guy with a reserved personality.
He walked well composed to the seat opposite Su Tang and sat down before he was given the invitation.
"I tried calling you for five days but your line couldn't be reached. Your assistant wouldn't give away your location" he said ever so calmly like it didn't matter to him if she was dead or alive.
Su Tang raised a brow, sat with her back resting on the chair, and placed one leg over the other. She spurned the fountain pen on her fingers as she turn the rolling chair from side to side. "So?" She asked.
"You shouldn't have done that. Where is Ruolan? I couldn't reach her too" He stared into her purple eyeballs, hoping to find something.
"Why? You want to marry her?" She smirked, Making her look very arrogant.
"I don't like her that way. She can be my sister-in-law if only you will agree to our union" His eyes still holding hers without breaking off eye contact.
"Ha!" She let her leg down and leaned closer to the desk, unknowingly seducing the man sitting well-refined opposite her. "Dream on. As for her whereabouts. She is my sister, not yours. Keeping tags every day, you will not find anything to your liking on her. You can see I am very busy. I won't see you out" She sat upright and turned her head back to her documents.
Lu Feng smiled faintly, his smile hiding something unknown. He got up, straightened his suit, and dropped a card on the desk. "An invitation to a charity organization. I will be picking you and Ruolan up by six pm. Be ready by then"
Su Tang took the card and glanced at it, seeing the date was this evening, she put the card back into the envelope and dropped it back on the desk. "Not attending"
"Then have Ruolan attend in your place. I told the media you and Ruolan will be attending it with me" Lu Feng said.
Su Tang raised her gaze from the document and looked at him. "You didn't ask my consent," she said calmly.
"Your line couldn't be reached, and neither could Ruolan's"
"That is why I have an assistant." she snapped. He would rather disrupt her peace than call her assistant.
"I wanted to see you. You have been ignoring me for days and I wasn't comfortable with it. If you aren't coming, I will assume my guess is right. You took Ruolan away" He stared at her and Su Tang locked eyes with him.
"What if I did, what if I didn't?" she asked.
"Then there won't be a problem. You are not hiding anything from me are you, Yue Feng?"
"My name is Su Tang!" She snapped.
"To others, but to me your beloved brother, you are Yue Feng"
"My father never had a son"
"You are right, but he considered me one. He raised me to look after you two"
"Feifei, escort him out," Su Tang said annoyingly. Only a few people could ruffle her feathers and he was the leader of them all.
"Young master Lu," Assistant FeiFei said awkwardly. The both of them have never had a decent conversation over the years she knew them.
"It's fine, I was already on my way out. You shouldn't be getting worked up, you have an event to attend later" he said and walked out calmly the way he came in.