Love Me in Another Universe

Chapter 105. Xuchen's Father (3)

May 11, 2001, Friday. During the fourth period of the afternoon, English majors of the 1999 cohort at Guangzhou Yixian University (GYU) were attending their required course on "Ideological and Moral Cultivation" in the lecture hall of the Third Teaching Building."

Professor Zhao, the instructor for this course, was a refined and scholarly middle-aged man whose lectures were consistently witty and humorous, often filling the classroom with laughter.

This particular class focused on "Views on Love". Professor Zhao illustrated several key points from the textbook with examples before adding with a smile, "We can see that sexual liberation in the West is not true love, as it violates the purity and solemnity of love."

He paused, scanned the students below the podium, and added with a tinge of sarcasm, "Many Western sexual concepts sound 'open-minded' when put nicely, but 'bizarre' when described bluntly. For instance, they actually believe two men or two women can marry—utterly inconceivable. So, when we used to call Westerners 'barbarians', it wasn't without reason."

The students burst into laughter. Guan Xuchen forced himself to laugh along, though an inexplicable tension gripped his heart.

Professor Zhao wore a look of satisfaction. After the room had quiet down a bit, he continued, "This past April, China removed homosexuality from the list of mental disorders. I'm not a psychiatrist. But even if homosexuality isn't a mental illness, it's still nothing good."

A few students chuckled, while the rest listened with solemn expressions.

Noticing their lukewarm response, a hint of disappointment flashed across Professor Zhao's face. But he quickly regained his composure and pressed on, "As English majors, do you know what these four letters stand for?"

Turning around, he wrote "LGBT" on the blackboard.

"It stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender!" A male student blurted out without raising his hand.

Professor Zhao turned back, not reprimanding the student but offering a slightly peculiar smile, "My English isn't as good as yours, so I don't know the exact meaning of these letters. But I think what this young man just said reflects Western values. In my view, LGBT should stand for 'Luan Gao Bian Tai' in Chinese, that is, perverts who mess around!"

The students erupted in laughter. At that moment, Guan Xuchen felt like he was experiencing a split personality. The rational part of his brain urged him to laugh along with his classmates, while the emotional part screamed for him to flee the classroom and find a place to cry. Ultimately, his rationality prevailed.

Guan Xuchen, laughing heartily in class, resembled Ah Q in Lu Xun's novella, who raised his right hand and slapped himself twice across the face. But while Ah Q felt a sense of triumph after slapping himself, Guan Xuchen felt even more miserable after his laughter.

After the bell rang, Guan Xuchen stood up to gather his things, his mind still heavy with Professor Zhao's words. Beside him, Wen Yuwei gently patted his shoulder and asked with concern, "Tommy, you don't look well. Are you worried about your dad? Has Uncle not yet been discharged?"

Guan Xuchen shook his head, answering with a bitter smile, "Not yet. He had a CT scan today. I don't know how the results turned out..."

"Don't worry too much. Uncle will be fine." Wen Yuwei comforted him, then added with an encouraging smile, "You made it to the finals of the English major group in the College English Competition. Let me treat you to lunch today."

"I made it to the finals, so I should be the one treating you to lunch." A smile returned to Guan Xuchen's face.

"Tommy, congratulations on making it to the finals. Why not treat me to lunch while you're at it?" Ying Congyun walked over, grinning.