Boss Lu: A reborn life is destined to be without regrets!
Chapter 324 - 243. The Fall of Free Will_2

Chapter 324: 243. The Fall of Free Will_2

Guan Yongyi: "So you’re arguing that this love has deteriorated because it came too easily, right?"

Zhong Ruixi: "Not just that."

Guan Yongyi: "Okay, then I’d like to ask the opposing debater, do you think the extent to which love is cherished is directly proportional to the difficulty of obtaining it?"

Zhong Ruixi: "I can only say there’s a certain correlation."

Guan Yongyi: "So, in order to cherish love, should we torture each other in the process, opting for actions over words, preferring to break a finger rather than speaking kindly?"

Zhong Ruixi: "Today’s question isn’t about how much suffering equates to how much love, but rather that your side completely lacks this experience. What we want isn’t zero."

The two verbally sparred, matching each other tit for tat without falling behind.

Ding-ling-ling!

The bell rang, and He Ying signaled to the two that the questioning time was over.

"Guan Guan is so amazing..."

Down below, Zhou Sinin and Lin Lifeng sat together, whispering to each other.

It was the first time she saw her best friend shining so brightly on stage, that unpretentiously composed and eloquent demeanor, which made people secretly envious.

"The girl on the other side isn’t bad either."

Lin Lifeng was still her usual self, stingily sparing with praise for her own daughter.

The next segment was still a questioning round, but this time with a different pair of team members going head-to-head.

This round it was Chang Yuanshan and Ni Jiayun’s turn.

Ni Jiayun’s angle was particularly tricky; she used "the use of superpowers" to do things against morality and law to further bolster her side’s argument.

Chang Yuanshan was left stammering and at one point choked up.

The questioning time ended, and the competition continued amid applause.

"Next up, the teams will summarize, starting with Jiangcheng University of Finance and Economics Law School."

As soon as the chairman’s voice faded, Guan Yongyi grabbed the microphone passed by her teammate and stood up.

As the captain, she did not start speaking immediately, but instead, buttoned up her suit jacket while standing up.

Her actions were full of ceremonial significance; her confident demeanor and the poise of her every move were awe-inspiring.

Not to mention the audience, silent in anticipation of a surprise; even Lu Jincheng from the opposing team couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Before speaking, Guan Yongyi habitually adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of her nose, her bright eyes hidden behind the frames, a flicker of emotion passing through.

She began to speak.

"Let’s first review the questions that the other side asked us during the questioning. Did you notice their cunning?"

"Their questions were designed to provoke disdain: If you had this superpower to steal someone’s lover, would you? If you had superpowers to break the law, would you?"

"But opposing debater, when you ask these questions, you’re actually opposing the use of this superpower to commit immoral and illegal acts, not the superpower itself."

"Conversely, if we use superpowers to rescue those who are misled, wouldn’t that be acceptable?"

"So, all the disadvantages your side is talking about haven’t touched on the superpower itself. The only disadvantage you tried to discuss is that you believe our superpower must involve mentally brainwashing the opposition, forcibly depriving him of free will, in order to achieve our unspeakable goals."

"Here are two points. First, your side has set a premise."

"That in the matter of love or the lack thereof, humans can decide based on free will. But is it really so?"

"Is love, this emotion, something that can be carefully thought out and decided by the free will to enact?

"Think carefully and consider this sentence."

"’I choose to fall in love with you.’ Doesn’t it sound like an incorrect sentence?"

"After careful consideration, I decide to feel my heart skip a beat for you."

"There’s no such expression, right?"

"What is being compelled by emotions? What is being unable to restrain feelings? Why do we describe the sensation of being in love as ’falling in love’ instead of ’jumping into love’?"

"Because love itself is the descent of free will."

Guan Yongyi paused deliberately at this point, politely looked towards the opposition’s bench, and rested her gaze on Lu Jincheng for a few seconds.

Allowing the microphone’s sound to echo in the auditorium.

The audience fell into a silence so profound, one could hear a pin drop, as everyone pondered the meaning of those words.

Good heavens, wasn’t that well said?

Best friend Zhou Sinin clenched her hands tight, her eyes filled with little stars of admiration.

How could she understand love so well?

Love is the descent of free will.

This sentence hit the nail on the head.

Yes, that’s the feeling!

Of course, it wasn’t only Zhou Sinin who felt this resonance—most audience members with past romantic experiences shared the sentiment.

"So far, the opposition has not demonstrated to us just what role free will plays in the realm of love in your world."

Guan Yongyi continued.

"What you’ve been discussing is whether we should respect someone’s free will when we want to enter into a relationship with them, but having a relationship and having feelings of love are two different things."

The debater paused here as Qiang Zhihao carefully turned his head to glance at Jiang Yu beside him, contemplative.

"When I want to marry him, should I respect his free will? But, getting married and being in love are also two different things."

"So, on the first level, you have not succeeded in your argument."

"And on the second level, we tell you the reason for this superpower’s mechanism of action is not at all as you say it is—I’m not simply brainwashing through mental manipulation."

"Can brainwashing really bring about true love? What we’re debating is whether this superpower can make the person you love, love you back—a mechanism that requires both sides to fulfil the condition of love."

"You just told us that with this superpower, love can easily deteriorate because you feel that at this point, love comes too easily to you, and it lacks novelty."

"Isn’t that a strange thing to say?"

"Do we truly treasure our loved ones in a romantic relationship based solely on the novelty between us?"

"What about those who have been together for years and years?"

"If you think the degree to which we cherish love is directly proportional to the difficulty of obtaining and sustaining it, then isn’t love at first sight some kind of original sin?"

"Based on what you say, the best way to keep love fresh would be to have a tumultuous relationship full of conflict and mistreatment—doing whatever makes you uncomfortable, so you will cherish me more. Is that really the case?"

"It is not. What determines whether you cherish your partner in the course of love?"

"You cherish someone based on how seriously you take the relationship. And today, in this debate topic, the fact that you would choose to activate this superpower shows that you truly love the person across from you. And it is exactly as you say, in the process of falling in love, the possibility of being with someone better than me is sacrificed."

"That’s true in any love, where any relationship might deprive one of other possibilities. But for that reason, we should cherish it even more."

Guan Yongyi’s summary ended and immediately, a surge of applause broke out from the audience.

Well said.

Teammates, as if inspired, began clapping vigorously and nodding.

Jiangcheng University of Finance and Economics’ team, which had been slightly on the back foot during the interrogation session, regained morale through Guan Yongyi’s summary.

In the judges’ panel on the stage, several senior judges also frequently exchanged glances of affirmation.

"Now, it’s the opposition’s turn to speak."

He Ying said.

The opposing team from Nanhu University Management College, represented by fourth debater Lu Jincheng, took the microphone.

He stood up and spoke.