Chapter 188, anti-infuriation

She had never given her father's company too much attention. She would only ask about it occasionally.

Most of the time, she didn't really mean anything by asking about it.

Shuishui fell asleep peacefully. On normal days, she focused on her studies. Soon, her team got together again for the second round of the debate competition. This time, they would be given the topics in advance, but they weren't sure if they would be on the affirmative side or on the negative side. However, because they were given the topics in advance, they had more time to prepare.

The topic that they were given was about being in support of homosexuality. Shuishui was speechless. How could there be such a topic? Many people would find the topic offensive. Foreigners were more open-minded in the treatment of homosexuals, and there were some people who were more conservative. All of the judges were foreigners. Who knew if one of them was a homosexual? It was easier to be on the affirmative side.

Qian Shuishui thought about the topic as she and her team member huddled together before the debate. Luo Ming said, "Shuishui, do you think it's going to be easy to argue for the affirmative side?"

"Although it seems like the arguments on the affirmative side are easier to come up with, they're actually not. It's only slightly easier to talk about than the negative side. We need to prepare for both sides. Let's use some obvious areas as examples. Also, we need to calculate the ratio of each side." Shuishui looked at the topic again. She was conflicted. She was not good at talking about such topics. She was conflicted about how to craft solid arguments for each side. Personally, her opinions about the topic were neutral. She was neither for it or against it.

Ma Yue obviously liked the topic because she felt that she could present many good arguments.

Luo Ming, being a man, feared that if he presented arguments in support of homosexuals, others would doubt his mental stability.

Shuishui did her best as they studied the topic and tried to come up with arguments. She didn't really care anymore about losing or winning the round, as long as she did her best.

On Saturday morning, they gathered at the school gate at nine thirty in the morning.

The three of them wore more formal clothes. Ma Yue and Shuishui both wore black dresses, while Luo Ming wore a black suit. Their coach was also dressed more formally. It was a more important event, as only those who had passed the first round were invited to go. At least a dozen schools would participate. The winning school would be able to participate in the national debate competition. It was basically a larger competition. High schools from the neighboring towns flocked to the city to participate in the debate competition.

The pressure was also greater since not all schools got the chance to participate. Any school that wanted to join needed to have a debate team that had exceptional debate skills.

The competition among debate teams from the key schools and universities was very stiff because everyone was good. A debate team had to be exceptionally good to really stand out.

Luo Ming took out some snacks for Ma Yue and Qian Shuishui. "Come. Let's eat something. Are you nervous?"

Ma Yue shook her head. "I'm very excited now!"

Shuishui was fine and didn't feel very nervous. She was busy with their notes. "Thank you. I ate something when I went out. I can't eat now."

"En, if we win this round, we qualify for the third round of the finals. Just thinking about it makes me very excited." Luo Ming was also very nervous because he heard that there would be many people watching.

Shuishui nodded. "It's quite exciting. As long as we enter the finals, it seems that we will get extra points for the college entrance examination."

Ma Yue hoped that her opponent would be a little weaker. She decided that this time, she would perform well.

Their coach realized that they were about to arrive at the convention center, so he stood up and said, "Are the three of you ready?"

"We're ready."

"Then, let's fight with our backs against the wall today. Although the topic is a little strange, we'll definitely succeed if we work hard. Ma Yue, this time, don't be as anxious as you were last time. You won't be able to interrupt later. Luo Ming, this time, you just have to remain as calm as you were the last time. As for Qian Shuishui, you are the lead debater and everyone can attest to your strength in the competition. However, when you speak, you have to consider whether your teammates will understand your words or not. You tend to speak too fast, and your teammates are unable to keep up with you."

Shuishui nodded. "Let's try our best. Let's see how our opponent does."

"Teacher, don't worry. We have been practicing in private. We have probably gotten used to the way Qian Shuishui speaks. It shouldn't be a big problem," Luo Ming said. They had already understood that speaking fast to confuse the opponent was also a trump card. It would be a little mysterious if Qian Shuishui changed her manner of speaking because of what their coach had advised.

Their coach looked at them. "I can't help you, so you have to rely on yourselves. Do your best. Don't be defeated by fears."

"Okay."

When they arrived at the convention center, they saw that the first few rows were already filled with people.

When they entered, a staff member gave them a sign to carry. "Third high school? Please bring this purple sign. Let me explain it to you a little. Those with white signs are all outsiders who had come to watch, and each school's color is different. If you carry the purple sign, the staff inside will know which school you represent."

The teacher accepted the sign. He felt that it was a good idea. "Okay. Thank you."

They went in and sat in the front row. As the lead debater, Shuishui wanted to go up to the stage to introduce herself. She originally thought that it would be the same as before. The host said, "The debate score is fifty points. Even if you win, scores will depend on how fluent you are in speaking and whether you can be understood. If you are not fluent enough and if you are too hesitant to present your arguments and rebuttals, then you will lose points. Teams will be given five points for the school and team introduction later."

The host spoke in English, and many people missed the announcement because they did not pay attention. Shuishui did not miss it. She wrote everything down, and she decided that she would do her best to be speak more clearly for the introduction.

Those who missed the announcement introduced their school and their teams in a hurried manner. Shuishui, on the other hand, was able to introduce her team well.

She maximized the allotted time by introducing the school and its environment. She also explained how students in the third high school came to love the English language. She also gave a clear introduction of her teammates, including their own unique characteristics.

"Did you notice that Shuishui said a little too much?" Luo Ming asked.

Ma Yue nodded and said, "As long as it's within the stipulated time, it doesn't matter. She wants to leave a good impression on the judges, right? That's fine. At least we were able to give a good impression of our school this early in the competition."

"That's true," Luo Ming said and nodded.

After the dozen or so people had finished talking, the competition started. Each round took about half an hour. The duration of the matches were shortened. It basically depended on the debaters' fluency and how the argument between the opposing teams went.

Unfortunately, they were fighting against one team.

One team was composed of two men and one woman, and three other teams were composed of two women and one man. They sat down, prepared their notes, and waited for the debate to start.

The three people greeted Shuishui and the others in a friendly manner. "Hello. We're facing each other in the next match. It means that we're fated. I hope you can show us mercy."

"Of course not. We only hope that you will not be too ruthless," Ma Yue replied. She always felt that their opponents showed contempt despite the friendliness.

When their coach saw that they were from the first high school, he felt a bit anxious. Someone started to talk about the team from the first high school. "Do you know about that female student? She went abroad to study for a year in junior high school. Initially, it seemed like the eleventh high school was competing with them, but they are incomparable. That girl is a strong competitor. She likes to use difficult words and uncommon words. She has a very rich vocabulary."

When the team leader of the third high school heard this, he thought, 'Not good. I wonder how this will go.' Shushui was the only one among them who was better, but Shuishui had also said that she had never been abroad before, so whatever capabilities she had were honed and strengthened by herself, probably through reading. How could she be compared to those who had studied abroad?

Shuishui looked at the judges. Shuishui's team was assigned to be the affirmative side, while the team from the first high school were on the negative side.

At the beginning, Ma Yue would be the one to speak.

Ma Yue was a little surprised, but she was very proactive. From the beginning, she wanted to show off.

Luo Ming looked at Shuishui. He didn't expect her to let Ma Yue start.

Ma Yue was full of confidence. She spoke very fluently.

The opponents listened and realized that they might have underestimated her.

Both parties began to engage in an intense debate. Shuishui didn't answer because both Ma Yue and Luo Ming had presented arguments and argued with their opponents. When the opponent presented their rebuttals, it became difficult for Ma Yue and Luo Ming to speak. They immediately stood up. "If you think that homosexuality is not right, then you have to question the decisions of several countries. Many countries have already legalized marriage for homosexuals. Their policies and laws concerning homosexuals were given great thought. Decisions were carefully carried out, and researches were conducted to ensure that these laws are beneficial to homosexuals. If you talk consider its implications on religion, then that is religious discrimination. If you consider morality and ethics, you should understand that although it is natural for men and women to marry, laws governing it are limited by our subjective thinking."

"Our outlook on the world, life, and values greatly differ. We should not discriminate against homosexuals. Instead, we should face this issue head-on. Therefore, I hope that the opposite party can treat homosexuals rationally and not treat them like monsters." Shuishui did not give examples. However, by emphasizing discrimination, she somewhat forced the opponent to come up with examples. If their opponent used discrimination for their main argument, she was afraid that they would make repulsive statements.

It was indeed true. The other girl harshly refuted Shuishui. "We don't discriminate against homosexuals in any way, but it is important to consider its impacts on religion. We all have different faiths. Not all faiths and religions allow same-sex marriages. In fact, same-sex relationships are heavily condemned by many religions."

Shuishui also immediately gave her rebuttal. "There are also atheists, and it is true that one religion can be greatly different from another. Those who believe in Satan also claim that as their religion. What can you say about that? You can't say that they are wrong. Beliefs and values differ from person to person. You can't absolve everyone of their beliefs and values."

Shuishui was still as calm as ever. "So, I can conclude that you are against homosexuality because of your religious beliefs, not because of your subjective thoughts." She looked at the time. It had already been twenty minutes. It would probably work out well if she could infuriate their opponents at that point.