The grand auditorium of Tianyao Academy was packed to the brim, lights glittering from every angle.It was the school's annual Youth Public Forum Presentation Day—a showcase of eloquence, critical thought, and rising minds.
The host stood center stage, voice ringing clear:
"Up next, our final presentation of the evening—on Public Opinion and Cognitive Bias in the Digital Age—please welcome Su Qingyu and Lu Chen!"
Applause followed.But murmurs also rippled through the crowd.
"Su Qingyu? Makes sense. But… who's Lu Chen?""Didn't his family go bankrupt or something?""He went head-to-head with Zhao Qi this morning. Dude's got guts."
In a quiet corner of the auditorium, Lin Wan'er sat cross-legged, tapping her fingers against her knee.
"Alright, Mr. Final Act. Show me what you've got."
Su Qingyu stepped up first, her voice clear and composed:
"Let us begin with a story."
She outlined a recent campus incident—how an anonymous confession wall turned into a witch-hunt, eventually pushing a student into forced withdrawal.
"And the most common line among all the comments?" she said, pausing."'I heard it was true. That's enough.'"
With that, she turned and gestured toward Lu Chen.
He stood, walked to the mic with no dramatic flair, dressed plainly—but his posture was unshakable.His gaze steady. His voice calm, yet razor-sharp.
"Let me ask you a question," he began."When you hear something… what does your brain actually do?"
He picked up a marker and wrote on the whiteboard:
Herd MentalityEmotional TransferLabeling Effect
"When we read a rumor or a comment online, we no longer ask if it's true—We ask if it feels right."
"We don't seek truth.We seek validation."
He let the words settle, then swept his gaze across the room.
"So it no longer matters what is being said.What matters is who is saying it.Whether we like that person.Whether we agree with the tone."
"And that… is cognitive bias."
The auditorium fell silent.
One of the teachers in the front row nodded slowly.
"This kid… he's got something."
In the shadows, Lin Wan'er leaned forward slightly, rare seriousness glinting in her eyes.
Beside Lu Chen, Su Qingyu glanced at him, her gaze softening.No longer just professional respect.
It was… genuine admiration.
Maybe even something deeper.
Suddenly, a voice shouted from the audience:
"Easy for you to talk big—if it weren't for Su Qingyu, you wouldn't even be up there!"
All eyes turned.
Zhao Qi.
Murmurs rippled again.
But Lu Chen didn't flinch.He turned calmly toward Zhao Qi and said:
"Thank you, Zhao Qi, for helping demonstrate our third fallacy of the day—Ad Hominem Circumstantial."
He wrote it clearly on the screen:
Ad Hominem (Circumstantial): Discrediting an argument based on the speaker's background, instead of the argument's merit.
"If what I say is invalid because my family went bankrupt—Then are we saying only the wealthy can speak the truth?"
"Are we here to discuss ideas—or to compare bank accounts?"
He looked directly at the audience.Voice steady, words like arrows:
"If we judge a statement by who says it, instead of what's said—Then this isn't free speech.It's informational tyranny."
There was a pause.
Then applause—slow at first, then rising.Until it thundered through the auditorium.
Zhao Qi's face twisted. He sat down, seething—but speechless.
The presentation ended.Three seconds of total silence.
Then another wave of applause—louder than before.
The host stepped up, voice excited:
"That was one of today's most powerful presentations!"
Teachers nodded to each other. Students whispered:
"Which class is Lu Chen in?""He's kinda hot… how come I never noticed him before?""His delivery's so sharp. He's smooth, too…"
Lin Wan'er smiled faintly, murmuring:
"You're… a lot more interesting than I thought."
And Su Qingyu stood beside him onstage, not just as a partner—But for the first time, she felt something else.
Not admiration.
Not curiosity.
But a sense of… standing shoulder-to-shoulder.
As true allies.
Backstage, Lu Chen had just taken off his mic when Gao Yuan ran up and clapped him on the shoulder, eyes shining:
"Bro! That last part—legendary. You killed it!"
Lu Chen gave a relaxed smile, about to reply—When a familiar voice echoed in his mind:
"Tch. So a few fancy words are enough to stir a crowd…Your world really is primitive."
Ye Guming.
His voice was as lazy as ever, echoing from the Sea of Consciousness.
Lu Chen didn't answer aloud.He just replied in thought:
"In your world, it's all about soul force and cultivation."
"In mine—we fight with logic."
"And today… I didn't need you to win."
Silence followed.
Then—for the first time—Ye Guming gave a faint chuckle.
"Good. That's how it should be."