After Li Ye took the stage, he merely gave Principal Chang and the others a slight nod before walking up to the microphone.
This was markedly different from Lu Jingyao's smiling greetings with the teachers when she had taken the stage.
He couldn't help it. He was annoyed.
Even though Li Ye had made a dazzling entrance in full military posture, blinding the dog eyes of several hundred high school students, being dragged out for a walk without even a heads-up was bound to leave a bad taste in anyone's mouth.
It was only because Li Ye had clawed his way through society in his previous life and knocked around countless people. If he had truly been an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old high school student of this era, being pushed onstage without any preparation and turning red-faced and tongue-tied would have been perfectly normal.
"Ahem."
Li Ye cleared his throat and tested County Second High School's old sound equipment. It distorted the sound a little, but it was decent overall. At least it wouldn't broadcast a seven when you said a five.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Li Ye. Since I didn't know beforehand that I'd be giving a speech today, I didn't prepare a draft.
"If I happen to say something inappropriate later, please don't take it to heart! Just treat it as a blockhead talking nonsense."
"When I was writing that novel—"
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHA!"
After Li Ye finished his first two sentences, the entire venue was silent. Only when he was halfway through the third did waves of laughter suddenly erupt from below the stage.
It was as if someone slow to get the joke had finally understood the comedian's punchline.
Li Ye was first taken aback, then smiled. After waiting for everyone to laugh their fill, he asked again, "Is