Chapter 302: First authorisation

'Mr Moore, in yesterday's Premier League, our Brighton rugby team defeated our arch-rivals the Nets. They're in great form this year and I think they're very capable of challenging for the Premier League trophy! This is today's sports newspaper, I think you'll want to read it, Mr Moore.'

'Mr Moore is giving a public lecture at the Archdiocese of Massachusetts this weekend, at Trinity Church in the city centre. The church was handing out invitations yesterday, and I took two for Mr Moore. Mr Moore can go at any time.'

'Mr Moore, I saw yesterday that there seems to be a crack in the water pipe behind Colland Hall. If it is not dealt with in time, I'm afraid it will cause the pipe to burst, which will affect the water supply to the entire dormitory building. That would be bad.'

'Mr Moore, I brought my chess set today. I've been learning recently, and there's a saying in my country that you can only improve by playing against the best. I know you're a chess master, Mr Moore, so I hope you can play with me.'

'Mr Moore...'

So, ever since the first day Li Yang waited for Moore at the door with the help of the warden, Li Yang would come to see Moore every day. Of course, Li Yang also abided by the rules and did not go inside the dormitory building, but just greeted and talked with Moore at the door. In the first few days, Moore still criticized Li Yang severely as usual, and then arrogantly listened to Li Yang taking away his newspaper, or listened to Li Yang's suggestions. Li Yang would also report the situation every day to Zhou Ming.

This continued for a week. After reporting to Zhou Ming, Li Yang said, 'Teacher, I don't want to doubt you, but I don't think there has been any progress with Mr Moore.'

'But I think the opposite of what you think,' Zhou Ming said, 'Don't you think you are just one step away from success?'

Li Yang was stunned for a moment. "What do you mean by that?'

'Don't you think you are about to successfully win over Mr Moore?" Zhou Ming asked in return.

Although Li Yang understood what Zhou Ming meant, he still felt that something was wrong. However, the most important thing was still the problem with Moore, so Li Yang immediately asked, 'Teacher, do you mean that Mr. Moore is accepting me more and more?'

'That's right. Can't you feel it yourself? From the beginning, Mr. Moore just kept driving you away and resenting you, but now he has started to have more verbal exchanges with you. Don't you think this is a big improvement?' Zhou Ming asked.

Li Yang suddenly realised: 'So that's it. Now that I think about it, it really is like that. In that case, I should continue to persevere.'

Zhou Ming nodded and said, "Yes, but I think you'll probably have to turn over new cards.'

Li Yang's eyes lit up. Of course he understood what Zhou Ming meant by turning over new cards, so he immediately said, "Is that what you mean, teacher? So you'll be with me next? I'm afraid I won't be able to handle the next move alone, in case I lose everything...'

Li Yang's words did not finish, but it was clear what he was going to say next, but Zhou Ming shook his head without any haste.

'Li Yang, I think no matter what happens, you still have to face it yourself. Since you did all these things before, whether it was going to Moore for the first time, convincing the warden later, and now persistently chatting with Moore every day to gradually get closer to each other, you did all these things, then I think you should also do the rest yourself. Only in this way can you really be on your own,' Zhou Ming said.

'But I'm afraid I won't be able to get it done.' Li Yang was still a little worried.

'It's right to be worried, but there's no need to worry too much, especially since you're the vice-class monitor of my finance class, you must have more confidence in yourself!' Zhou Ming said, 'Even if you don't get it done this time, what's the big deal, you can try again next time, so what are you worried about?'

Zhou Ming's words woke Li Yang up like a clarion call, making him think: Yes, what are you afraid of, just start again from the beginning!

Then Li Yang said to Zhou Ming, 'Teacher, I'm very sorry for my attitude just now. I believe I can succeed. I will take this business on myself and convince Mr Moore to accept my project to open a convenience store in the dormitory at Collande College!'

Zhou Ming nodded in satisfaction, and later the facts proved Zhou Ming right. It was the day after Zhou Ming had spoken to Li Yang that Li Yang finally came forward. Moore could not stand it anymore and said to him first, 'Li, what exactly do you want? God, if you have any purpose, please tell me, don't torture me like this every day!'

It was obvious that Moore's words were his unadorned heartfelt thoughts. After all, Li Yang was looking for him every day without mentioning any requests, which did make him a little crazy.

Compared to Moore's panic, Li Yang appeared very calm: 'Mr Moore, you're wrong to say that. I just want to be good friends with you, and that's all.'

Li Yang's words were rudely interrupted by Moore: 'You're lying! You obviously don't have any reason to do that. I know you must be doing it for your dorm convenience store project. That's always been your approach!'

In the face of Moore's words, Li Yang nodded without denying it, saying, 'Yes, I have always hoped to bring the dormitory convenience store to Collande Academy, but at the same time, I also hope to make friends with you, Mr. Moore. Or is it that there has never been any conflict between the two?'

Moore was silent, and Li Yang continued, 'Mr. Moore, I know you have your own convictions, and this is something I respect very much. However, sometimes persistence requires flexibility.'

'Insistence is insistence, where is there any flexibility?' Moore said very unhappily.

'I have a request, I don't know if Mr. Moore dares to allow me to walk around the Collande Academy with you? After eleven o'clock at night,' asked Zhou Ming.

'There is nothing to be afraid of, just come after eleven o'clock at night,' said Moore.

'Mr. Moore is indeed generous, then I won't say anything more, I will come find you again tonight,'

Li Yang said goodbye to Moore and came back to see him at 11pm that night. When Li Yang arrived at the door of the office, Moore was about to scold Li Yang when he suddenly remembered that he seemed to have broken his vow and wondered why he had allowed Li Yang to enter the dormitory. But now that the words had already been spoken, he would not do well to slap his own face and take them back, would he?

So in the end, Moore could only grit his teeth and say to Li Yang, 'Chinese Li, you are so calculating. That's just how you Chinese are, you'll stop at nothing to achieve your goals. You've ruined everything that's good about this place, and I'm sick of it!'

Li Yang wasn't angry, and just said calmly, 'Mr Moore, I don't want to argue with you. I just came here to show you around this Collander College. Maybe after you've seen it, you'll change your mind.'

'That's impossible. I have my own convictions, and I'm incredibly proud of them!' said Moore.

'I'll speak the truth,'

said Li Yang, and with that he led Moore out the door. Li Yang casually knocked on a dorm room door that was still lit, which was a Harvard tradition. The lights were not turned off to force students to be more disciplined, but rather to give them the freedom to study at night if they wished.

'Are you still awake this late, classmate? Hello, I'm from the student union. I'm here to conduct a survey, and I hope you can cooperate. Are you reviewing today's lessons, or preparing materials for tomorrow's class? Won't it be inconvenient for you to stay up so late?'

Li Yang asked a bunch of questions directly, and also forged his identity as a student union member, because this would cover up the suspicion of asking questions in the middle of the night.

As expected, the student did not suspect anything and answered, 'The course has been moving quickly recently, and I was away for a while, so I missed a few classes. I think I can catch up, but as for the inconvenience of staying up so late, I just want to say that it's really inconvenient. You know, we finished eating at 6 pm, and it's been like that ever since. I have nothing in my dorm room, and I feel like a stray dog right now, I'll eat anything.'

'It would be great if there was a convenience store in the dorm building, so you could eat something,' Li Yang said.

'Yes, it would be great if there was a dormitory convenience store!' The student said happily, but his eyes soon dimmed. 'But unfortunately, how could a convenience store possibly open in the dormitory? If it were another building, I would believe it, but our teacher, Mr. Moore, would never allow it. We can only treat ourselves like hamsters and hoard things in the dormitory, whether it's food or something else.'

'Thank you very much, and have a good study!'

Li Yang said goodbye and left, while Moore came out from the shadows next to him. This was what they had discussed beforehand: after all, if Moore didn't show up, Li Yang would be able to ask more honest questions.

'I don't believe it. This is just an exception. I believe that my classmates are still very supportive of tradition,' Moore still insisted.

Li Yang didn't say much about this either, but simply led Moore away again. He knocked on another dormitory door and asked the same question. In the face of these questions, the student also replied, 'It's not convenient. How could it be convenient? The convenience store is far away outside, and it's closed now. If we get hungry or have anything else at night, we won't get any help at all. This experience feels incredibly bad!'

'If there were a convenience store in the dormitory, I would definitely support it! I've had enough of the days when my stomach is rumbling like a pigeon in the square!'

'Tradition doesn't mean rejecting everything. That would be completely inflexible and outdated. And the dormitory convenience store project is a very positive thing. There's no need to oppose it!'

Li Yang knocked on the doors of several more dormitories, asking the same question and getting almost the same answers. As he listened to the answers, Moore sat in his chair, scratching his hair in agony. 'Am I really wrong? Is the dormitory convenience store project something that all the students need, and is it not anti-traditional?'

'I'm sorry, Mr Moore, I can't answer that question, but I can say that God will forgive you because you are doing this for the good of your students,' Li Yang said.

Only then did Moore nod: 'I understand. Thank you very much, Li. I promise you, I will give you the authorization to open a dormitory convenience store.'