In the spacious, brightly lit tiered lecture hall, the noise rolled like waves, pushing the slightly stuffy air out through the doors in layer after layer. The crowd drifted with the flow like squid in a rising tide, while one figure cut through them like a hot knife through butter, heading for the podium at the front.
The moment Schiller looked up, he saw Charles's face. He lowered his head to gather the lesson materials from the desk, then smiled at Charles. "What is it, Professor? What brought you here today?"
"So as not to disturb you, I listened to half a lecture on Interstellar Sociology from outside. Your teaching was excellent—lively and engaging, perfectly suited to these children. May I borrow a little of your time now?"
Just as Charles finished speaking, two girls hurried over. One was Asian, while the other looked like an American girl. Arm in arm, they rushed to the podium so quickly that they pitched forward and nearly plunged headfirst onto the desk.
"God, Dean, you were hard to catch! Charlotte told me that nine times out of ten, she couldn't find you in your office." The Asian girl spoke first.
"What is it, Wen? Do you and Charlotte need something?"
"It's like this, Dean. Charlotte and I were classmates in high school. We looked over New York University's admissions details and learned that they'll be opening a General Sociology department next September, with sixty additional places. That means both Charlotte and I will have a chance to attend New York University."
"That's good news." Schiller nodded, looking at them warmly. "I heard both of you had excellent grades in high school and won several awards. Applying to New York University shouldn't be a problem, should it?"
"Yes, but I heard the new department