The author said if you aren’t interested in the debate, you can skip the next few chapters. He himself is a big fan, which is why he wrote about it.
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Lu Yu, the judge from the Departnt of Finance, looked at the debate topic and then at the teams on both sides. He turned to Zhao Lu with a smile. “The situation seems pretty clear, doesn’t it? It’s just a matter of how long the affirmative team can hold out.”
“That’s hard to say.”
Before Zhao Lu could respond, Lin Jingwen smiled and said, “I’m rooting for the affirmative team~”
“Are you rooting for the handso guy?” They were all mbers of the school’s debate team, so the three were quite familiar with each other. Lu Yu could easily tell what Lin Jingwen was thinking at a glance. “What if the handso guy loses?”
“If he loses, I can go comfort him,” Lin Jingwen said mischievously, winking.
“Then you’ll be disappointed.” Zhao Lu lazily leaned back in his chair and yawned. “He’s already taken. Stop thinking about it.”
“Ah~” Lin Jingwen sighed in disappointnt. “Sure enough, it’s not the turn of senior sisters to get top-quality young hunks, huh?”
“It’s not that it’s not a senior sister’s turn. It’s that it’s not your turn.” Zhao Lu smiled and discreetly pointed at Su Huaizhou on the left. “Look, that junior brother’s girlfriend.”
“Isn’t she his team leader?” Lin Jingwen had a strange expression before imdiately feeling vexed and envious. “You guys have it too good. The Departnt of Foreign Languages is like a nunnery…”
“You need to broaden your horizons.” Lu Yu pointed at himself. “Isn’t there a ready-made one here?”
“Sorry, I like handso.” Lin Jingwen grinned at him, showing her teeth. “If you were at Zhao Lu’s level, I guarantee I’d give instead of take.”
“Ahem…” Zhao Lu coughed. “My wife is sitting right there. Don’t talk nonsense.”
Lu Yu and Lin Jingwen looked at each other and rolled their eyes at Zhao Lu.
They had been invited by Zhao Lu to be judges, but before the match even started, they were already stuffed with dog food.
“Brother Zhao, when this is over, don’t forget to settle my work-related injuries.” Lu Yu sighed faintly.
“Yeah, and throw in so compensation for my broken heart,” Lin Jingwen added teasingly.
“You two should just get together already.” Zhao Lu yawned again. Then he looked at Qi Lianyue, who was sitting in the team leader position on the right. All he wanted was to end the match as soon as possible so he could go for a walk with his girlfriend.
At this mont, the moderator finished explaining the rules of the debate and announced the official start of the match. “Please welco the first speaker from the affirmative side to begin their argunts. You have three minutes.”
Before the moderator finished speaking, Ding Ning had already stood up with the first speaker’s script in her hand. Her gentle yet firm voice clearly reached the audience’s ears.
The first speaker’s script was the foundation of the team’s argunts, and the most common format followed the structure of introduction, body, and conclusion.
First, the introduction would clarify important terms in the debate topic, define them, and then outline the team’s main argunts and objectives—what the team needed to prove.
After completing the introduction, the first speaker would move onto the body, which connected the three main argunts, set the battlefield, and established the direction of the team’s offense.
Finally, the conclusion would summarize the common thes of the argunts, emphasize the key points of the debate, and highlight any details that were easily overlooked, providing a final, comprehensive reinforcent.
In Jiang Miao’s opinion, the affirmative side was at a disadvantage from the start, and the three main argunts were actually not particularly important. The focus was on the right to define the terms at the beginning.
Especially when it ca to the concept of ‘freely trading lifespan’, it was essential to explain the underlying chanism clearly.
“The principle of this black technology is selling the ti just before the seller’s death to the buyer. This ti is added to the end of the buyer’s lifespan.
“For instance, if a young person sells a year of their life and their expected lifespan is eighty years, it is essentially selling the year they would have lived at age eighty to the buyer.
“If the buyer’s expected lifespan is also eighty years, after purchasing the year, the additional ti will be added to the end of their original eighty years, extending it to eighty-one years.”
In order to clarify this definition, the affirmative side didn’t mind spending more ti on it and even gave simple examples to make it easier to understand.
Even if it ant compressing their subsequent argunts, they wanted to make sure this definition was clear.
“Interesting.” Lu Yu nodded while making notes on a piece of paper. Then he asked, “Did she co up with this definition herself, or was it decided when you agreed on the debate topic?”
“It was decided beforehand. There’s no dispute about this.” Zhao Lu nodded. The paper in front of him was still clean. “Otherwise, the affirmative side wouldn’t have a chance.”
“That’s true.” Lin Jingwen nodded while also taking notes. “Otherwise, people might look at the topic and think that buying ti ans it can be used imdiately. But actually, the bought ti only takes effect once people’s own ti runs out.”
“Therefore, our team’s task is to explain the benefits of this black technology and prove that its drawbacks are outweighed by its advantages, thereby supporting our position.”
After finishing the introduction, Ding Ning began outlining the affirmative side’s main argunts.
Since she had already spent over a minute on the introduction, the subsequent parts were simplified considerably.
In essence, selling ti could provide young people who were unable to pursue their dreams due to financial constraints with the necessary starting capital, creating new possibilities.
And buying ti could give terminally ill patients extra ti to fulfill their unfinished wishes.
When balancing ti and money, the value of each depended on a person’s stage in life.
At stages where ti was less valuable and money was more valuable, exchanging ti for higher-value money could help in personal developnt. Conversely, at stages when ti beca more valuable and money less so, exchanging money for higher-value ti optimized the allocation of both resources.
This was the value of this black technology.
“The argunt is a bit weak.” Lin Jingwen continued writing, shaking her head when Ding Ning finished outlining the argunts and moved to the conclusion. “I feel like it can break with a poke.”
“Well, it’s a topic that favors the opposition side. Let’s see how the rest plays out.” Lu Yu also shook his head, understanding the affirmative side’s argunts.
“Ti is up.” After three minutes, the moderator stopped Ding Ning’s speech and said, “Next, let’s invite the fourth speaker from the opposition side to question the first speaker from the affirmative side. You have one and a half minutes.”
As soon as the moderator finished speaking, Wang Xin adjusted his glasses and stood up.
Seeing Wang Xin’s calm expression, Ding Ning imdiately recalled his formidable and sharp performance last week and beca nervous.
“Hello, my fellow debater. First question.” Wang Xin picked up a piece of paper on the table and asked calmly, “Do you think young people who easily acquire money from selling ti are more likely to use it to develop themselves or to squander it?”
“According to our definition, because the ti traded is only from the period right before death, the price of ti will gradually settle into a reasonable range. The money earned from selling ti isn’t enough for—”
Ding Ning tried her best to defend the argunt, but Wang Xin had raised his hand.
During the questioning, if the responding party spoke for more than five seconds, the questioning party had the right to directly interrupt to prevent ti from being wasted maliciously.
“Easily acquired money is clearly more likely to be used for imdiate gratification,” Wang Xin summarized briefly before asking the next question. “Now, may I ask, if rich and poor people co to the market to buy ti, who is more likely to get it?”
“Our stance remains the sa. The price of ti won’t be expensive, and within normal market rules, there will definitely be a reasonable price range, so—”
“Thank you. Clearly, the rich have an advantage in purchasing power. As for the price issue you ntioned, please provide logical reasoning in your later argunt.” Wang Xin skillfully cut off the response and continued with the next question. “Third question, can organs and blood be sold?”
“Sorry, I believe organs and blood cannot be compared to the ti humans have and therefore cannot be likened in the sa way.” Ding Ning struggled to maintain her composure, her expression visibly strained.
In the audience, Chen Haoshang observed Ding Ning, who was struggling under the pressure, then glanced at Wang Xin across from her and fell into deep thought.
Wang Xin looked at the ti. Only about ten seconds left. He decisively nodded at Ding Ning and returned to his seat. “Thank you. My questioning is complete.”
“Amazing. Is the opposition side’s fourth speaker so fierce?” Lin Jingwen suddenly beca interested in this fair-skinned and elegant junior brother. “It looks like the affirmative side’s argunts are going to be dismantled.”
“There’s no chance of winning.” Lu Yu shook his head. “If the opposition side weren’t so powerful, there might be a chance for a coback. But from the fourth speaker’s questioning, I don’t think there’s a chance.”
“Let’s continue watching. It’s just getting started.” Zhao Lu rested his chin in hand, his paper still completely blank, with no notes taken.
The moderator said: “Next, let’s invite the first speaker from the opposition side to present their argunts. You have three minutes.”
Song Huanhuan stood up in response. Seeing the tir on the screen behind the moderator start ticking, she imdiately began the opposition side’s argunts.
The opposition side didn’t compete for the right to define the ‘ti trading chanism’. After all, it was a preset condition of the topic.
Therefore, after briefly outlining her team’s stance and task, she began laying out the opposition side’s argunts.
In summary, there were three argunts.
First, humans were short-sighted, especially young people. Once they beca addicted to selling their ti, it could easily lead to their downfall.
Second, once the trading market opened, middlen would inevitably erge. They would go to impoverished areas to acquire cheap ti and then sell it at high prices out of ICU hospital wards.
Third, markets needed boundaries. So things should not be freely traded, and ti, as sothing inherently linked to human life, was just as untouchable as human organs and blood.
While Song Huanhuan was presenting her argunts, Jiang Miao kept taking notes. Sotis, he furrowed his brows, sighed, or shook his head, looking rather troubled.
Although Senior Sister had motivated him before the debate, to be honest, the opposition side didn’t have any obvious flaws to attack.
So when the moderator announced, “Let’s invite the fourth speaker from the affirmative side to begin questioning,” Jiang Miao froze for a few seconds.
However, he quickly returned to his senses, stood up calmly, took a deep breath, and beca serious.
“Hello, fellow debater.” Jiang Miao didn’t forget the basic debate etiquette and then asked, “May I ask, since playing video gas can lead to addiction, should video gas be allowed in the free market?”
The first question left Song Huanhuan stumped, but she quickly regained her composure and replied, “Video gas and trading ti are different. At least drugs cannot enter the free market.”
“The reason drugs are prohibited is that they directly target the physiological addiction chanisms,” Jiang Miao countered calmly. “Selling ti, however, does not involve a physiological addiction chanism, so your first argunt is too extre.
“Second question.” He didn’t give her ti to respond and continued, “With this technology, can everyone sell their ti?”
“Yes.” There was no doubt about this. Song Huanhuan could only nod.
“Under these circumstances, there will be an abundance of sellers.” Jiang Miao pressed, “May I ask where those supposed middlen will co from?”
She lost her words at his question.
At this point, he had already achieved the goal of his question, so he didn’t give her a chance to speak and continued asking, “Fourth question. Is working equivalent to selling one’s ti?”
Upon hearing this, Song Huanhuan imdiately perked up.
She had prepared for this one!
“The nature of work is different,” Song Huanhuan responded earnestly. “When we work, we exchange our ti along with the skills, abilities, emotional intelligence, and intelligence we possess in return for money.”
“So you’re adding ti.” Jiang Miao continued, “If you take away skills, abilities, emotional intelligence, and intelligence, can ti alone no longer be sold?”
“In that case, the experience and wisdom you gained during that ti would be lost.”
Jiang Miao shook his head. “But as we stated at the beginning, what we’re selling is the ti counted backwards from the mont before death. When soone is lying on a hospital bed waiting to die, what aning does the experience and wisdom they’ve gained hold for them?”
“No, that’s not right.” Song Huanhuan returned to her senses and imdiately steered the debate back to the opposition side’s argunt. “Just like how organs and blood can’t be traded, ti can be given, but it can’t enter the free market.”
“I look forward to your team’s further argunt on the consistency between ti and things like organs and blood. Otherwise, that analogy won’t hold up.” Jiang Miao shook his head. “Otherwise, we could just as easily point to many items that can be sold, such as hair.”
“Ti’s up,” the moderator said after one and a half minutes, bringing an end to the questioning.
In the audience, Su Huaizhou flashed a gratified smile and threw a triumphant look at Qi Lianyue, who sat across the aisle.
However, Qi Lianyue ignored her and quietly recorded the situation of the debate on her paper.
“Not bad, as expected of a man I fancy.” Lin Jingwen’s eyes sparkled as she recorded Jiang Miao’s argunts. “He’s found flaws in all three of the opposition side’s argunts. While he didn’t completely break them down, it’s already quite impressive for a single round of questioning.”
“Not bad.” Lu Yu nodded in agreent. “After all, the topic itself puts the affirmative side at a disadvantage, and questioning is much easier for the opposition. But he still quickly found angles to challenge them. Although there are still so gaps, for the affirmative side, it’s already quite good.”
“I bet he put in a lot of effort preparing for the match, huh?”
“He probably predicted the opposition team’s argunts and prepared his questions well. Very well done.”
Hearing this praise, Zhao Lu, who had been sowhat distracted, straightened his lazy expression a bit and looked at Jiang Miao.
Although he didn’t manage the departnt’s team much, he had seen the finals list.
Originally, the affirmative side’s fourth speaker should have been a girl nad Pei Jue, but now it was Jiang Miao. Moreover, Zhao Lu rembered it was his first ti going on stage.
He didn’t know if it was a last-minute substitution, but judging by his performance, his preparation probably wasn’t as thorough as Lu Yu had thought.
It seed that his ability to think on his feet played a bigger role…
Thinking of this, Zhao Lu picked up his pen and jotted down a note on his blank sheet of paper.
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