Are You Honest

"No, I'm not drunk!" Louis Lee staggered over to Professor Jade Evans, clutching a wine jar. He bent down, blinked, and peered at Professor Evans's face, clicking his tongue. "Not only is Professor Evans brilliant, but also quite handsome. If you ask me, Professor Evans looks almost like a woman! Hm, come closer and take a sniff—why does Professor Evans have a scent, like... a woman's perfume?"

"Louis Lee, don't be disrespectful to the teacher!" Henry Thompson frowned and stood up.

Lola also quietly rose to her feet, positioning herself in front of Professor Evans to shield her.

Louis Lee, tipsy and swaying, seemed to be putting on a drunken act. He raised the wine jar and took several big gulps, then burst out laughing. Turning to Professor Evans, he said, "Professor Evans, do you remember when you first came to Phoenix Academy to select your first batch of personal students? Haha, do you all know how special Professor Evans's student selection was? You don't, do you? Let me tell you!"

Louis Lee hugged his wine jar and spun around the open space in the middle of the banquet. Everyone watched him, curious about the story he was telling about the student selection.

Louis Lee burped, turned to Professor Evans, and said, "Back then, Professor Jade Evans selected students by giving each student at the academy a packet of flower seeds, telling them to go home and plant them. Only those who grew beautiful flowers would qualify to be his student. So everyone took their seeds and did their best, hoping to join Professor Evans's class. On the day of the assessment, the academy was full of blooming flowers—most students brought pots of colorful, beautiful flowers! But guess what happened next!?"

Louis Lee paused, and immediately an impatient minister called out, "Well? What happened? Hurry up and tell us, you're killing us with suspense!"

Louis Lee laughed loudly, pointing at Professor Evans. "But Professor Jade Evans rejected all the students who managed to grow flowers. Instead, he accepted those who didn't! Do you know why? Because the seeds he gave out had all been boiled—they couldn't possibly sprout or bloom! The lesson Professor Evans taught us is one I'll remember for life: the most important thing is character, and honesty! If a person has knowledge but lacks honesty, they become harmful and disgraceful. So Professor Evans accepted only the students who didn't cheat, and those who swapped out the seeds to grow flowers were rejected for lacking integrity! Listen to that—Professor Evans truly is a master of virtue. Even when selecting students, the first thing he tests is honesty!"

Most students at Phoenix Academy already knew this story about Louis Lee's selection, but for the ministers, it was their first time hearing it. They all praised Professor Jade Evans as truly exceptional—a paragon of virtue and a master of his generation.

Yet Professor Evans's face remained expressionless. She looked at Louis Lee, feeling that he wasn't just telling this story for the sake of it.

Sure enough, after finishing the story, Louis Lee threw his wine jar to the ground, pointed at Professor Evans, and shouted, "So, Professor Jade Evans, who always says honesty is the most important virtue—have you been honest with everyone?"

Professor Evans's eyes narrowed sharply. Lola was about to react, but Professor Evans grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

Lola looked at Professor Evans in confusion. Louis Lee was clearly here to cause trouble—why wouldn't Professor Evans let her deal with him before things escalated?