Chapter 343: A Different Closing Speech!
The performance was still going on.
Zhang Ye began to vex.
A male intern teacher exclaimed, "Closing statement?"
Professor Zeng asked Zhang Ye, "Can you do it?"
"I don't know what to say." Zhang Ye was quite helpless. He really did not want to do it, but Vice President Wu Zeqing had given the order, so he could not shirk from his responsibility.
Su Na said hurriedly, "If you can't do it, don't go. Without a script, how are you going to talk about it. There are so many cameras recording. If you don't do well, the responsibility is on you. Teacher Zhang you must think carefully."
Zhang Ye threw up his hands, "The few Presidents have already named me. I can't not do it."
Su Na said, "How many more programs are there?"
"There should be one more. I saw the rehearsal." A Chinese department male intern teacher said.
Professor Zeng suggested, "If you can't do it, go with Professor Yan's line of thought. The main thing is to teach the children. Since it is on a topic of primary and secondary school students, you can put them down or give them a berating. Teaching them would do too. It has to do with youths, and cannot be too general."
Youths?
Oh youths?
Zhang Ye's eyes suddenly lit up. Got it!
Su Na said helplessly, "Why are you laughing at such a time?"
"Hur Hur. I just got an idea of what to say. I'm going." Zhang Ye got up and bent his back as he walked out the third row. He walked to the side of the stage and waited patiently. If it was not mentioned, he would not have thought about it, but with it mentioned, Zhang Ye had a flash of inspiration. He thought of a speech and then looked at Yan Jiantao again. He felt this was most suitable here. Yan, you want to find trouble with me, right? Sure, today I'll teach you a lesson!
"Eh?"
"Is that Teacher Zhang Ye?"
"Why is he going there?"
"Is he going on stage? He also has a program? That's impossible!"
Yao Mi, Senior Zhou, and Senior Song were all stunned. They looked at Zhang Ye with a confused look. What was he standing there for? A few Peking University teachers also did not understand the situation when they saw this. They were all sitting in the back, so they did not hear what the leaders had been discussing in the first row.
A few minutes later.
The final song and dance program ended.
Everyone immediately gave a warm round of applause!
Following that, the two hosts, Yan Jin and Zhao Xuan stepped onto the stage.
Zhao Xuan chuckled and said, "This brings us to the conclusion of the program for today's National Primary and Secondary New Year Gala. Next, it will be the final segment of the gala."
Yan Jin followed up and said, "As the President of Peking University isn't feeling well, he is unable to be present. The closing speech will be taken over by Peking University's Chinese department lecturer and famous host, Teacher Zhang Ye. Now, please give a warm round of applause to invite Teacher Zhang Ye on stage to give the closing statement!"
Bba Bba Bba.
The applause was quite good!
......
"Mengmeng! Mengmeng! It's your bro!" A boy shouted.
Cao Mengmeng also widened her eyes. "My bro is delivering the closing speech? That's great!"
Teacher Leng said worriedly, "It looks like Teacher Zhang was given the order last minute. He was not given any time to prepare. This closing speech won't be easy to deliver. If he doesn't do it well, it can lead to trouble!"
Cao Mengmeng tsked, "Impossible. Who is my bro? He will definitely do well! All the teachers in Peking University added up can't even match my bro's talent!"
......
Yao Mi exclaimed, "Aiyah, so that's the reason!"
"The President can't come?" Senior Song frowned.
Senior Zhou felt a bead of sweat drip down his forehead, "Can Teacher Zhang do it? He did not prepare anything. He even got into a conflict with Professor Yan this afternoon. Many people are paying attention to this matter. Professor Yan had adequate preparations and his opening speech from before was pretty good. How can Teacher Zhang surpass Professor Yan in an unprepared state? If he doesn't do well, people will keep harping on this matter in the future, mentioning how he's inferior to Professor Yan. Honestly, what is there to compare between Teacher Zhang and Professor Yan? One is in the realm of poems and literature, while the other does education of literature. It doesn't match!"
Another Chinese department student said, "That's right, in the field of poetry, ten Professor Yans would not be Teacher Zhang's match, but in the literary insights in education, ten Teacher Zhangs might not be Professor Yan's match. Furthermore, Teacher Zhang Ye did not prepare a script!"
Yao Mi said worriedly, "Could he have received the President's script?"
Senior Song began to speak. "Definitely not. If there's the President's script, those Vice Presidents would have gone up to deliver the closing speech. Why would they need Teacher Zhang Ye to save the situation?"
"That's right. It's reasonable, but what can we do now?" Yao Mi said.
Senior Zhou was at a loss of whether to laugh or cry. "What can we do? All we can do it wait and see."
Senior Song blinked and said, "Don't look down on our Teacher Zhang. It's not like we do not know his literary talent."
Yao Mi said, "But this is a closing speech. Teacher Zhang has never done it before, and it has to be educational in nature. Teacher Zhang does not know this! His usual poems are all for cursing others or about emotions!"
Senior Song looked at her and said, "Teacher Zhang Ye might not really be bad at it, right? We may believe he isn’t good at it only because we have never heard Teacher Zhang Ye give his thoughts on education publicly. It doesn't mean Teacher Zhang doesn't know. Well, let's see."
Yao Mi turned worried and clasped her hands in prayer, "Hocus Pocus, Uncle Zhang please do f**king well!"
Li Ying burst out in laughter, "Little Mi, why does your prayer include a curse!?"
......
"Professor Yan." An old lecturer chuckled.
Yan Jiantao also shook his head. This Zhang Ye was being too presumptuous.
Beside him, an old professor who had good relations with him, added, "I heard this Little Zhang is very articulate. I really don't believe what I've heard. Today, I want to see if he really has the ability."
"Why did they let Zhang Ye do it?"
"The closing statement is such an important thing, it should be left to anyone but him!"
"That's right. He lacks the qualifications. We have been in education for decades!"
"The school's leaders sure trust him. Let's see how he screws up!"
"With Professor Yan's highly educative speech at the beginning, what does he have to say? There's no way to end it. He will appear too weak. The closing statement usually has to be better than the opening speech!"
Many Peking University teachers began discussing!
Especially some older professors and old veterans in education. They all did not think highly of Zhang Ye.
A few Vice Presidents looked up at the stage in worry. They had only gotten Zhang Ye to save the situation as they were out of options.
Only Wu Zeqing looked calm as usual. She looked at Zhang Ye at the podium and nodded at him.
......
Whatever the people off-stage said was useless.
Everyone's moods and expressions were different.
Zhang Ye walked to the stage and took over the microphone from Yan Jin. He smiled and then faced the thousands of students and teachers from the various provinces. "Hello everyone. Tonight's gala has come to an end. The performances were all very successful. I saw everyone's vitality and in my heart, that is what youths should be like!"
What he said was very banal.
Professor Yan and many teachers scoffed.
When the students heard this opening statement, they also turned sleepy. Previously, that Professor Yan's opening speech had ruined their mood, causing them to not enjoy the gala. Now that it was the closing speech, another guy came to talk? Even though Zhang Ye was a celebrity, they lacked the interest. Who didn't know the importance of studying diligently? They were long tired of hearing their seniors drone on about this. They no longer wanted to hear anymore of it!
"So meaningless!"
"Can we leave now?"
"That's right. It's time to leave, right?"
Many children spoke in murmurs, but were stopped by the teachers beside them. Only then did they fall silent and endured in silence.
Only the eyes of those reporters lit up. The cameramen, who wanted to switch off the cameras, did not need their colleagues to remind them. All of them became attentive!
Why?
There was no why!
It was because this person was called Zhang Ye! Wherever he was, there would always be news!
Sure enough, Zhang Ye's next sentence caused the atmosphere to change without warning. This was because Zhang Ye had said a closing statement no one would have thought of.
"Today, I will be representing the President to deliver the closing speech. I am very honored and the closing speech should be scripted and go accordance with routines and rules, but I won't be doing it today. Well, of course, even if I wanted to just read ad verbatim, I can't do it now without anything on hand." Noticing people laugh, Zhang Ye carried on. He sounded very casual in his speech. Not having a script had its benefits. "Furthermore at today's gala's opening, Professor Yan Jiantao's speech gave me a thought. Professor Yan said the society today is comprised of adults, and as youths, your duty is to study diligently. You should diligently follow the path that they think is right based on their experience, and eventually become them. Then, succeed them many years later! Youths should not have any doubts because they are people with experience. They know which paths are shortcuts and which paths are the important ones! You just need to do as they did!"
That was what was said. Professor Yan's general meaning was probably that. The final goal was just to 'encourage education' from a different perspective.
The old Vice President frowned. "What's Little Zhang doing?"
Yan Jiantao's face turned ashen. What do you mean by this?
Many people did not understand what Zhang Ye was saying. These words gave them a fright. After all, Zhang Ye had many notorious deeds in the past!
In the next moment, Zhang Ye let everyone know that the Zhang Ye, who caused trouble everywhere he went, had never f**king changed. "I know there are many people who agree and admire Professor Yan's perspective, but as far as I'm concerned, I am totally against it!"
There was an uproar!
"Holy sh*t!"
"Zhang Ye has fired his cannons again!"
"Is this because of the conflict with Professor Yan this afternoon?"
"I knew it! I knew never to let Zhang Ye give the speech! He has no fear with that mouth of his! If a microphone is given to him, he will dare to even scold the entire world!"
The Peking University teachers were all flustered. This was a gala that was political in nature! No one could save the situation if something went wrong!
However, many primary and secondary school students brightened up. This was really a different closing speech. They had never seen a closing speech reject the opening speech before!
The rumors were true!
This Zhang Ye was really different from others!