(Why do I always suck? Why do I have to go to such an asshole professor? Wei thought bitterly.)
Small beads of sweat appeared on Chen Wei's forehead as he walked toward the lecture hall. Although he had earphones in his ears, there was nothing playing; he used the silence as a shield against the outside world. When he reached the door of Room 402, a sudden chill ran through his body. He paused for a moment, then pressed the door handle with slightly trembling hands and entered.
As soon as the door opened, all eyes were fixed on him. Wei froze in the crossfire of their gazes. He quickly glanced around and spotted an empty seat at the back. He forced himself to walk toward the safety of the dark corner, but then a sharp voice stopped him.
"Mr. Chen!" Li Na snapped from the lectern. "If you're done looking around the room, I suggest you take a seat."
Her hand pointed to an empty chair in the front row. Wei took a deep breath and started down the stairs. In his rage and shame, he clenched the bottom of his jacket so tightly that his palms were red and throbbing.
He sat down, the metallic squeak of his chair echoing throughout the room. He could feel the mocking glances of the others on the back of his neck, as if he were being pricked by a thousand tiny needles. Li Na, however, did not wait for him to calm down; as soon as Wei took his seat, she began writing on the board.
"Today's lesson is about power dynamics and the psychology of silence," the professor began, as chalk dust floated around her like a fine cloud. "Many people believe that power lies in loud words. But the truth is that those who cannot control their own silence will never control others.
What could this woman possibly know about my silence? Wei thought, feeling the rock in his throat blocking his path again.
Li Na suddenly turned to him and looked him straight in the eye.
"Mr. Chen, what do you think is the surest sign of fear?"
The air in the room stood still. Wei tried to answer, but the negative effects of the past few minutes had built an impenetrable wall in front of him.
"The... the..." he began, but the word died halfway.
"Enough," Li Na interrupted. Her voice was not sarcastic now, but rather relentlessly factual. "The sign of fear is unnecessary tension. Relax your shoulders, Mr. Chen. There are no enemies here, only ignorance."
Wei completely withdrew into himself. The fact that Li Na didn't even let him finish his sentence humiliated him even more.
("I'd like to go over there and throw you out the window, you irritating woman," he seethed inwardly. "You say there are no enemies, when everyone here is an enemy, and you are the biggest one of them all.")