"Malicious infiltration by Western superiority consciousness? Li Ye, aren't you going a bit too far?"
"Exactly! Lions and tigers are both kings among fierce beasts. Either one could be stronger, couldn't it?"
"."
Li Ye's words drew doubts from Li Dayong, Jiang Xiaoyan, and Sun Xianjin.
Although Li Ye had always instilled in them the awareness to "guard against foreign cultural infiltration," and they agreed with his view, using tigers and lions as an example still felt like making a mountain out of a molehill to them.
But Li Ye asked solemnly, "Have you ever seen a lion and tiger fight? Or have you seen any accurate, authoritative report saying that lions and tigers have fought?"
"This..."
Li Dayong and the others hesitated. Even in zoos, lions and tigers were kings who never met kings. How could ordinary people like them possibly have seen the two fight?
Li Ye continued, "Then have you heard the claim that 'tigers can't beat lions'?"
The three of them froze again, then answered one after another, "I have heard that before."
"I've heard it too."
"I think I've heard it too."
"See? You've all heard it, right?" Li Ye smiled. "Then think carefully. When did you first hear that claim?"
Jiang Xiaoyan and the other two sank into thought.
After a moment, Jiang Xiaoyan said gravely, "It seems it was only in the past few years. The earliest was probably when we were in university."
"Yes, it was in recent years."
Sun Xianjin and Li Dayong also expressed their agreement.
Li Ye spread his hands and said, "Look. There's clearly no substantive evidence that tigers can't beat lions, yet all of you unknowingly accepted that idea. So how did such widespread talk come to be?"
None of the three spoke.
Where there was fruit,