Without a doubt, aside from a tiny handful of people—probably no more than twenty in total, or four hands' worth—who knew Annie's true identity and therefore weren't too surprised that she could become a "Wallfacer," everyone else found it hard to believe or simply absurd that a little girl like her could become one. That included the four Wallfacers onstage, more than ninety-nine percent of the people attending the meeting, and almost one hundred percent of the audience watching the live broadcast around the world.
At any rate!
After Annie's unexpected selection, even Luo Ji—who had been chosen as a Wallfacer himself and had been feeling dazed, frightened, and indignant—gradually regained his composure amid his shock.
Then he joined everyone else in staring at Annie with the same look of utter astonishment, even disbelief. He had completely forgotten that he, too, had become a "Wallfacer" with a heavy responsibility on his shoulders.
And when you thought about it...
If even a mere eight-year-old girl like Annie could become a Wallfacer, then what was so remarkable about a university professor of sociology like him, Luo Ji, becoming one?
No matter how useless he was, surely he couldn't be worse than a little girl who was apparently someone's second or third generation, right?
So, after that thought and comparison, Luo Ji's mind—which had been anxious, confused, uneasy, and dazed, and had found the whole thing absurd—cleared up in an instant. He no longer wanted to refuse the heavy responsibility of being a Wallfacer in front of everyone, or say any of the other inappropriate things he'd been considering.
Because the entire meeting hall was still in chaos. Onstage and off, almost everyone—including the security personnel from the PDC who had been ordered to maintain order—was baffled by Secretary-General Sai's announcement that a