Chapter 15: The Second Round of Trials (Please Bookmark, Vote for Recommendation)_1

Chu Xu didn't seem to want to talk again, and although Jiang Yu tried to console her a few words, it didn't seem to have any effect. The two just sat staring at each other, waiting for the seminar to end.

That evening, Jiang Yu thought of Chu Xu's smile and suddenly realized that it seemed to be a sign of her showing weakness.

The vulnerable her had already seen through the rules of the adult world. If she wanted to survive, she could only show weakness or try her best not to be noticed.

At the same time, this was her strongest weapon. Many times, the most difficult punches to dodge were the ones hidden behind a smiling face.

While thinking about this, Jiang Yu hypnotized himself to rest as soon as possible.

He couldn't even take care of himself now, let alone care for others.

The next day Ye Wenjie hurried to the next speaking engagement. Today, without Yang Dong in the car, Ye Wenjie's expression seemed much more solemn.

She earnestly asked Jiang Yu, "Xiao Yu, what do you think about modern society?"

Here it came, Jiang Yu felt a small thrill of excitement, Teacher Ye's second round of testing had finally arrived.

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Yu said, "Teacher Ye, I do have some opinions, but they are not suitable for public discussion."

"But it doesn't matter," Ye Wenjie said with a warm smile returning to her face, "There are just the four of us in the car, little Chu and Driver Xiao Liu are both trustworthy people."

Jiang Yu pretended to put aside his doubts, "Well then, if there's anything incorrect in what I say, please correct me, Teacher Ye."

His expression became serious, "Teacher Ye, modern society could be said to be a thoroughly bad society.

"It's somewhat better domestically, but the international order, dominated by the West, is nothing but a predatory system that maintains a facade of basic decency.

"Based on current trends, it's only a matter of time before the West shows its ugly true face.

"Sometimes I feel very desperate, why do we bring so much poverty, disaster, and war to our own people?"

Ye Wenjie took a deep breath, "Xiao Yu, I don't know whether I should be happy for you. You're so young and yet you've seen through so much of the essence. Facing these cruelties prematurely might not be good for you."

Jiang Yu smiled and shook his head, "I've been prepared for a long time and won't be knocked down by these things."

Ye Wenjie smiled with relief and continued the conversation, "Then what do you think is the reason humanity has constructed such a terrible society? And why, knowing it's terrible, do they not think to correct it?"

Something stirred in Jiang Yu's heart, and as he recalled, he said, "Maybe the relationship between humanity and evil is like that of the ocean and the icebergs sitting atop it, they're actually composed of the same substance, a vast body of water.

"True moral awareness in humanity is impossible, just as they can't lift themselves by their own hair off the earth.

"To achieve this, one must rely on a force outside of humanity."

After saying these words, Jiang Yu gave a sheepish smile, "I've made Teacher Ye laugh, 'relying on a force outside of humanity' and so on, it's just some fantasy of mine."

However, Ye Wenjie said seriously, "Your thought is quite reasonable!"

These words of Jiang Yu had really touched the core of her heart!

How could they not? What Jiang Yu had just said were some of the thoughts of the original Ye Wenjie character.

When Jiang Yu was reading the book, he thought these metaphors were very interesting. He had placed a bookmark there and would often glance at it.

So he had a deep impression of those words and could now recall the gist of them.

Ye Wenjie looked at Jiang Yu with a gratified gaze, and to him, that look felt just like a mother's gaze upon her son.

Jiang Yu felt uneasy, wondering if he had gone too far?

After two or three seconds, Ye Wenjie seemed to regain control of her emotions, "Xiao Yu, since humanity is so disappointing, do you think we should give up on humanity?"

Jiang Yu was well aware that Ye Wenjie was assessing his thoughts, trying to determine his lean towards either the Adventists or the Redemptionists.

He replied, "Why should we give up? To give up on humanity is to give up on ourselves!

"I believe humanity still has hope, it's just that we haven't found the direction of this hope yet."

Ye Wenjie nodded, "You should know that you're not the only one in the world who understands these fundamentals.

"As far as I know, there's a group in Beijing that meets regularly to discuss such matters. Would you be interested in attending?"

"There are such meetings?" The excitement on Jiang Yu's face was genuine; the meetings Ye Wenjie mentioned were clearly organized by the ETO Redemptionists.

Ye Wenjie's mention of the meetings indicated that Jiang Yu had passed her test and she was ready to introduce him to the Redemptionist circle.

Ye Wenjie was pleased with Jiang Yu's excited expression, "I can introduce you to some members who attend the meetings."

Jiang Yu quickly stood up; despite the low height of the carriage, he still bowed respectfully to Ye Wenjie, "Thank you, Teacher Ye!"

Ye Wenjie nodded with satisfaction at Jiang Yu's politeness, "We'll have to wait until we get back before I can make the introductions."

Jiang Yu laughed, "A day or two won't make a difference."

Afterward, Ye Wenjie continued her lecture, and that evening, she told Jiang Yu to rest well and went out with Chu Xu.

Jiang Yu guessed that Ye Wenjie's activity that evening was her main purpose for coming to Beijing this time.

After some thought, Jiang Yu decided not to follow her. Someone as experienced as Ye Wenjie would surely take precautions against him. If she noticed something amiss, his efforts would be in vain.

Besides, the Redemptionist actions were generally more subdued, unlike the Adventists who preferred bloodshed. Even if there were actions, they were unlikely to cause too much harm.

...

Jiang Yu and the others returned to Beijing on Wednesday night. After dropping Ye Wenjie home, Jiang Yu also prepared to head back to the dorm to rest.

Before coming back, he had considered that it wasn't the right time to seek out Kong Xiang; perhaps Ye Wenjie's observation of him was still underway.

After returning to the dorm, he played a couple of card games with his classmates before going to the restroom to send a message to Kong Xiang, informing him that he had gained Ye Wenjie's trust and that she was going to introduce him to the Redemptionists.

Jiang Yu believed that he would be under surveillance until he became an official member of the Redemptionists, so in the meantime, he would communicate with Kong Xiang via text message.

Kong Xiang's reply came quickly, first congratulating Jiang Yu on his progress, and then advising him to be careful.

Friday afternoon arrived in the blink of an eye, and Jiang Yu, as usual, was cleaning in the faculty and staff residential area.

An SUV slowly parked below the building. Yang Dong first emerged from the passenger side, followed by a slim man with slightly long hair and stubble from the driver's seat.

Yang Dong saw Jiang Yu and greeted him with a smile, "Xiao Yu!"

"Is Sister Dong back?" Jiang Yu smiled back, then felt the man's scrutinizing gaze.

Yang Dong gave a brief introduction, "Ding Yi."

Jiang Yu was thrilled, My god, I'm meeting another big shot!

Ding Yi took Yang Dong's small suitcase from the trunk, ready to follow her upstairs.

Yang Dong suddenly said to Jiang Yu, "Why don't you come up too? I've brought you a gift as well."

Jiang Yu casually responded, "Sure," then felt Ding Yi's scrutinizing gaze on him again.

He felt a little uneasy, Big shot, why are you looking at me with such a hostile gaze?