Hu Tianhan had originally thought that saying this would make Liu Sandao lose his composure.
To his surprise, Liu Sandao said, "You're right, but do you know where that sentence comes from?"
This question stumped Hu Tianhan. Many people, including some professors, were guessing its origin.
"It's from... it's from... I've referenced so many articles, how could I remember every single source?" Hu Tianhan's words seemed to hold some logic.
"It comes from Chapter 5, Page 15 of Professor Cao Dehui's 'Market Marketing Methods'," Liu Sandao stated.
This remark placed Cao Dehui in a dilemma, unsure whether to be happy or angry. Happy that a student's thesis could cite his work as a reference, but angry that his paper contained such a sentence. However, Liu Sandao's well-substantiated claim left Cao Dehui unable to retort.
"In my paper, Chapter 3, Page 15, and Chapter 5, Page 12, as well as Chapter 7, Page 3, each contain this sentence," Liu Sandao continued. His words shocked everyone present. It was not a central theme, and no one could clearly recall the exact locations within their own papers where specific sentences appeared. Bai Suxiang was also surprised by Liu Sandao's performance, which surpassed that of a top student.
"On Page 5 of Chapter 4, Page 10 of Chapter 7, and Page 3 of Chapter 9 of my paper, the phrase 'The True Face of False Charity in Economics' appears. Teachers, if you don't believe me, you can compare our papers." Liu Sandao pressed his advantage, mentioning several other instances of the phrase. Hu Tianhan suspected Liu Sandao had memorized everything beforehand, but Liu Sandao continued to cite his references, even down to the page numbers.
The entire large lecture hall erupted. "If someone like this can't pass their graduation defense, then who can?" "Exactly, exactly!"
The graduation defense was so spectacular that Cao Dehui could not proceed entirely according to his plan. Thus, Liu Sandao escaped. What about Fu Ruhai? He couldn't possibly use the same method to resolve his situation. After all, no one had plagiarized Fu Ruhai's thesis. Fang Zonghai and Mei Ziqi were worried for him, but Fu Ruhai remained calm. As Liu Sandao watched, Fu Ruhai took a "blessing fruit" from his "Fu De Handbook" and ate it. Liu Sandao, who had been relatively calm, was stunned by this action. It seemed blessing fruits could be used in such a manner. Perhaps his own consumption of blessing fruits in the past was acceptable. He wondered whose blessing fruit it was.
Compared to Liu Sandao's fiery graduation defense, Fu Ruhai's was calm, almost less engaging than that of other students. Had he truly been abandoned? This was what Mei Ziqi and Fang Zonghai had previously believed. However, to their surprise, Cao Dehui asked few questions. Wu Dazao did ask, but only about topics relevant to the thesis. Fu Ruhai answered fluently and passed his defense. This opened Liu Sandao's eyes. Fortune was truly extraordinary. It turned out that one blessing fruit was enough for a defense. Given Fu Ruhai's personality, one could only imagine how many other hidden treasures he possessed.
The following students all passed smoothly. Everyone knew there was a quota for academic failure. The two predetermined spots had been nullified, meaning those later in the sequence were in greater danger. Mei Ziqi began to worry about himself. Fang Zonghai had no need to worry, with his advisor Wu Dazao present. Mei Ziqi's advisor was neither Wu Dazao nor Cao Dehui, but an associate professor. However, that professor was not qualified to be on the panel. Undoubtedly, the most prominent professor that day was Cao Cai Zhu Cao Dehui. He was a man who valued money above all else, hence the nickname "Cao Cai Zhu" (Cao the Rich Man), as everything he dealt with seemed to be related to money, especially student graduations. Over the years, none of his students had ever passed cleanly. Many, even if not his students, still had to go through the defense. In such cases, it became a matter of probability and luck.
In fact, Cao Dehui had not recovered from the incidents involving Liu Sandao and Fu Ruhai. It was too far beyond his expectations. When it was Mei Ziqi's turn, he did not speak, and therefore, Mei Ziqi also passed his defense. With the elimination probability, Cao Dehui ultimately chose two unknown students and awarded them medals, encouraging them to start anew at Qingkong University. This defense left Cao Dehui somewhat displeased. That evening, he went out alone for a drink. Before the thesis defense, drinks were always hosted by others. After the defense, such gatherings were fewer, if any. Cao Dehui cursed, "Such fair-weather friends! If I weren't in this position, you brats probably wouldn't even give me the time of day!"
Drinking alone was unrestrained, but also a bit bleak and lonely. He had indeed restrained himself for a few days after being hospitalized last time, but the temptation of alcohol was ultimately irresistible. Therefore, this time he resolved to drink in moderation, just a small sip, no more than 2 liang. He chose a small restaurant near his home, paying for it himself. The establishment was not high-class, but as a regular customer, the owner knew Cao Dehui's drinking habits well. Cao Dehui sat, as usual, alone in private room 23 by the window. This window faced the Tang Lake, not the road. Although this small restaurant was modest, it had good business due to the scenic Tang Lake in its backyard. The water in Tang Lake came from the Guazi River and was flowing. At night, there was also a decent light show, so many small restaurants near the lake did well in the evenings.
The moment Cao Dehui's 2 liang of wine touched his lips, a "hissing" sound escaped his mouth. It seemed all the delicacies of the world were nothing compared to this. He picked up the wine bottle with his right hand, preparing for another glass, when he hesitated. 2 liang of wine was indeed too little; however, the hospital stay had been quite unpleasant. As he picked up and put down the wine glass, and then put it down and picked it up again, the door rang.
"Dang, dang, dang!"
"Who is it? So impolite!" Cao Dehui sharply rebuked.
There was no answer from outside the door, but the "dang, dang, dang" sound could still be heard. Cao Dehui became enraged and immediately stood up, pulling open the private room door: "Damn it, who is knocking on my door!"
A young face stood outside, smiling at him: "Cao the Rich Man, you're living quite well!"
"Who are you? I don't know you! Stop grinning at me, and if you know what's good for you, scram!" Cao Dehui shouted, in no mood for pleasantries. The person remained unfazed and continued with a smile, "Think carefully, you'll surely remember!"