Help! My pet supervillain has three personalities!

"Of course, I'm not trying to belittle officials, but rather to tell everyone that social status can be divided into different classes, which is something we can't change,"

"But we can't change society, we can change ourselves. Ask yourselves honestly, if these businessmen hadn't funded this competition, would you still be able to participate? Would you still be able to showcase your talents and shine in the competition?"

"And do those officials care whether you have money to go, whether you have a place to stay, or whether you have food to eat?"

"They only care about results; the process is just a formality. So, are the businessmen who allow you to travel, eat, and stay really not worth a few kind words from you, future officials?"

Tang Yue had never said anything so preachy in both of her lives. She didn't know if her words could change these rigid students' positive perception of businessmen.

The students below were speechless and silently lowered their heads.

Suddenly, cheers erupted from the doorway.

"Good, well said, Tang Yue. I didn't expect you to have such a talent for public speaking, even though you don't have much perseverance in your studies," came the teacher's voice from the doorway, which was actually a compliment.

Tang Yue and the others all tilted their heads to look at the doorway.

She felt a little embarrassed when she heard the teacher praising her. She lowered her head, bowed to the teacher, and then made way for him.

Unlike Tang Yue, who spoke tactfully, the Master was straightforward and confrontational.

"Alright, those who don't want to speak up, just hand over your clothes. If you want to go to the competition, go on your own. I won't stop you. If something happens to you on the way, it's none of our business."

"Now, those who have objections, come up to the stage. Those who have no objections, raise your hands. There are no abstentions. If you don't come up or raise your hand, go outside and run twenty laps before making a decision."

Tang Yue listened from the side, her ears thumping. The teacher... was quite domineering.

The students who had been silent felt a chill run down their spines upon hearing this. Running twenty laps would surely kill someone.

So, everyone below raised their hands in unison.

Wen Changqing glanced around and saw that everyone had raised their hands. He smiled and said, "Alright, since everyone has no objections, when you get to the prefectural city, remember to chat with others about our academy uniforms whenever you have free time, understand?"

"understood,"

"Understood, Master," came the voice, which was broken and disjointed, as if the student hadn't eaten.

Hearing the weak and listless voice, Wen Changqing suddenly picked up the ruler and slapped it with a loud crack.

"Snap!" Too much force was used, and it broke...!

"Understood, Master," came the voice, which was deafening.

"Good to know," Wen Changqing calmly picked up the ruler and put it away. He then saw Tang Yue standing next to the podium, not returning to her seat, and that familiar tone of his voice returned.

"Tang Yue, aren't you going to go back to your seat? Are you going to stand here like a wooden stake?"

Tang Yue was slightly taken aback when she was called, but she quickly came to her senses and turned back to her seat.

Wen Changqing rolled up his sleeves and began his lecture.

"Alright, everyone sit down and listen attentively."

"Yes, Master."

"Today, we won't talk about what's in the textbook; instead, we'll tell you about merchants."

"Now, I'm going to ask you a question. Raise your hand to answer. There's no fixed answer to this question; anyone can answer it."

"I ask you, what is a businessman in your eyes?"

Tang Yue looked at the students raising their hands and tapped the corner of the table lightly. They... seemed to have a lot of insights into businessmen, but she estimated that prejudice accounted for 90%.

Wen Changqing randomly selected a student.

The student said, "Master, I think merchants are just petty people who only care about profit. They will do anything to gain personal benefits and are complete hypocrites."

"Finished?"

"That's it."

"Please sit down now that you've finished speaking."

"Come on, Fatty Zheng, tell me what a merchant is?"

When Zheng Pangpang heard his name called, he immediately stood up and said earnestly, "Master, I do agree with one thing he said, which is that many businessmen are only interested in profit."

"However, people all come and go for profit, except that we merchants seek only financial gain."

"We say that scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants are all scholars. Scholars study for ten years and enter officialdom through the imperial examinations. Isn't that a way to gain both fame and fortune?"

"Farmers work hard for a good harvest, and workers toil for wages."

"Since everyone is seeking profit, why should merchants be devalued?"

"In fact, regardless of whether we belong to the scholar, farmer, artisan, or merchant class, we are all just trying to establish ourselves, survive, and make a living."

"Therefore, I believe that businessmen are lone warriors who use their wisdom to fight for the development of the people, and are also 'despicable people' who are not understood by others."

Zheng Pangpang spoke with great passion, leaving Tang Yue stunned. She thought that if Zheng Pangpang were to travel to the modern world, he would definitely be on par with Bill Gates.

She couldn't help but nudge Shen Zhiyun and whispered, "Ayun, did Fatty Zheng prepare a draft beforehand?"

Shen Zhiyun leaned closer to Tang Yue and asked, "Why do you say that, Yue?"

"Ah, I just thought that Fatty Zheng was... kind of... simple-minded. I didn't expect him to have such profound insights."

Shen Zhiyun's lips curved slightly, and she said in a low voice, "Actually, I didn't expect it either, but it's impossible to prepare a draft in advance. He didn't even know that the teacher would ask him a question."

Tang Yue ruffled her hair and agreed, "You're right, he's only slightly more attentive in class than me."

"So it seems he really likes being a businessman."

The two whispered to each other behind Wen Changqing's back, but Wen Changqing didn't hear them.

He gestured for Zheng Pangpang to sit down before asking, "What did you think of Zheng Pangpang's presentation?"

Tang Yue clapped enthusiastically, exclaiming, "Good, very good, he has the potential to become a great businessman."

Jun Lingmo was intently eavesdropping when Tang Yue suddenly said something that left him speechless.

However, we should still respond.

He forced himself to raise his hand and start clapping, muttering "good." Then it was Shen Zhiyun, Sun Erning, Zhang Sanfeng, Yang Jiu, and so on, until everyone started clapping.

Hearing the applause, Zheng Pangpang was practically floating on air. He quietly turned around, looked at Tang Yue, and gave her a greasy wink.

Tang Yue: ...Suddenly I don't feel like clapping anymore.

Jun Lingmo and Shen Zhiyun were also twitching at the sight.

The applause gradually subsided, and Wen Changqing smiled and said, "Actually, I used to be like you, disliking the profit-driven nature of businessmen. But then I realized that without money, we might all starve to death."