This class on the Leadership Experiment was the first experimental course for the new cohort of students after entering Hongru Academy. The teaching outcomes of this class could, to some extent, determine the short-term planning for the students’ futures, making it an exceptionally important lesson.
The seemingly random groupings were, in fact, the optimal combinations meticulously matched by dozens of professional teachers based on various student conditions.
Take the group of Xia Shuyue and He Ying as an example.
Xia Shuyue was exceptionally outstanding, ranking first in overall quality not only among Special Admission Students but also earning high praise even when evaluated across the entire school.
However, Xia Shuyue’s shortcomings were also evident—she was overly restrained.
This restraint was not reflected in her personality but rather in her malleability.
Xia Shuyue suffered from a common ailment among most students graduating from ordinary schools: she accepted all opinions and evaluations from teachers, whether right or wrong, without question, even treating their words as gospel.
This had both advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage was that following teachers’ guidance could yield quick rewards. The disadvantage was that if she lost her capacity for independent thought in the process, once she left the school environment where teachers served as guiding lights, she would struggle to choose the right path in a life filled with both falsehoods and truths.
All of this assumed the presence of a good teacher. If she encountered a teacher with questionable character, their influence during her formative years could even be enough to ruin a child.
Earlier, the psychological expert told Xia Shuyue that a watch was a symbol of a person’s economic status and social standing, so she should familiarize herself with such matters. In reality, this was a misleading statement.
Leaving aside whether Xia Shuyue truly needed a watch as a symbol of her identity, if she followed this advice, she would gradually develop different thoughts while learning about those brands.
Studying the brand histories of items she could hardly ever afford, accepting the cultural indoctrination crafted by capital to bundle and sell brands—far exceeding the actual value of the products themselves—and finally discussing watches eloquently in front of those who could easily afford them would be a case of putting the cart before the horse, inviting humiliation upon herself.
Yet Xia Shuyue failed to discern this and accepted the teacher’s opinion.
He Ying, on the other hand, was the complete opposite.
All of this was also within the teachers’ expectations.
Before the psychological expert arrived, he had thoroughly familiarized himself with Xia Shuyue and He Ying. Naturally, he understood that simple materialistic pressures like watch brands would have no effect on He Ying.
He merely wanted to see whether He Ying would speak up to remind her when a fellow group member fell into a predicament due to the teacher’s erroneous words.
This experimental class aimed to test Xia Shuyue’s “skepticism” and He Ying’s “benevolence.”
The ability to question would signify that a leader always maintains their own principles and pace, refusing to be led by others—something Xia Shuyue needed.
As for benevolence and virtue, the moral influence on subordinates, aside from being shaped by their group’s environment, is also influenced by the leader’s mindset.
The He family wielded immense power, and the teachers unanimously agreed that the first priority was to assess He Ying’s character and worldview before considering other aspects of her development.
The fact was, He Ying did speak up. Not only did she remind Xia Shuyue and help her out of the awkward situation, but she also subtly mocked the “Expert’s” watch.
This unrestrained way of handling matters stood in stark contrast to Xia Shuyue’s restraint.
Although the psychologist had spoken earlier for professional reasons, he still felt sad that his watch wasn’t recognized by the young lady.
My watch, I’m sorry for you. I haven’t achieved enough success to showcase your beauty through my status!
Watch: It’s okay, keep striving in the next life. I believe in you.
He Ying’s words inflicted real damage on the psychologist, yet her gaze remained fixed on Xia Shuyue, quietly awaiting her response.
Xia Shuyue looked at the psychologist, then at He Ying. Her upbringing had always taught her to listen to teachers—teachers were always right. But just now, He Ying had casually exposed the lies in the teacher’s words and shattered the constraints that had long bound Xia Shuyue’s thoughts.
She should be obedient, she should listen to the teacher. From childhood to now, she had relied on being sufficiently obedient to get where she was.
But, faced with He Ying’s question, she still wanted to answer.
“Student He Ying, you are not at all embarrassing.” It’s me who is embarrassing.
“Raise your head. You didn’t lower your head when admitting you didn’t recognize the watch. I just asked one question—why are you lowering your head?”
Xia Shuyue suddenly woke up as if from a dream. Something flickered in her eyes, her spine gradually straightened, and a somewhat relieved smile appeared on her face: “Nothing, just feeling there’s still so much I should learn.”
He Ying gave a faint “hm” and didn’t continue the conversation.
But now, anyone could see that He Ying was the leader between the two.
Judging whether the teacher’s words were correct—this was her decisiveness.
Speaking up to help a fellow student out of a difficult situation—this was her benevolence.
Quickly noticing others’ emotions and guiding them—this was her influence.
The psychologist marked several S’s on He Ying’s evaluation sheet, marveling that the He family’s heir was indeed not to be underestimated.
Just one sentence had made him sweat profusely.
Thinking that he still had to spend over ten minutes with this little ancestor, the expert felt that money was hard to earn and life was tough.
If there were another experimental class about He Ying, he would definitely pass this “fortune” to other colleagues.
But now, he had to persevere alone.
“Student He Ying, even though what you said earlier was phrased as a question, it carried a strong commanding tone. In your daily life, do you often feel unable to empathize with others, while others only deal with you superficially without sincerity?”
What a statement.
If He Ying were still the love-addled He Ying, she would surely think of Shangguan Mingyu at this moment, with Background Music playing in her mind, murmuring “Deep Love in the Drizzling Rain” while saying, “Shangguan Mingyu wouldn’t treat me like this!!”
But now, He Ying’s gaze was cold and firm, her lips slightly upturned, speaking with a hint of a smile: “No.”
Her voice was clear and melodious, like heavenly music.
Her words carried a trace of barely noticeable disdain, making people feel a sense of pressure, yet her demeanor remained very elegant, clearly well-educated.
The psychologist continued writing and sketching, as if casually chatting: “Then, can you empathize with me now?”
He Ying nodded: “Yes.”
“The feeling should be something like this… Thank you for adding a bit of anger to my mundane life. To earn this little money, my heart is about to stop.”
What is it like to use a delicate and beautiful face, an impeccably serious expression, and a righteous, solemn tone to say such words?
It probably feels like the kind of collapse you experience when a sweet-looking girl suddenly shouts “Sabang.”
The psychologist fell into a rare silence.
Instead, Xia Shuyue stepped in to lighten the mood: “How does the young lady even know about this?”
He Ying casually stroked the index finger of her right hand: “I can empathize because I’m angry too.”
“Xia Shuyue, you need to understand that when we’re in the same group, embarrassing you means embarrassing me too.”
In that moment, Xia Shuyue’s heart pounded like a drum, and the silence around them seemed to roar.