With laughter echoing throughout the venue, Li Si finally brought his speech to an end.
"All right, I'm sure you've all figured it out by now: Lee Stein wasn't trying to encourage everyone to slack off. He was saying that we should turn laziness into motivation to improve. Let's give him a round of applause for his brilliant and uniquely insightful speech."
The teacher hosting the graduation ceremony stepped forward to take over from Li Si and deliver a few closing remarks, then led the applause himself.
A moment later, the entire venue burst into enthusiastic applause. Even the school leaders seated behind the podium joined in.
The applause finally died down, and then the graduates' names were called out in order, one by one, as they went up to collect their diplomas.
"Peter, what happened to you? Don't tell me last night..."
Just after walking down from the podium with his diploma, Li Si spotted Peter Parker hurrying through the crowd toward him.
But Peter Parker looked awful. Deep, dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his face was deathly pale. He looked as if he'd spent the whole night going at it a dozen times and was now thoroughly drained.
"It's all your fault!"
Peter Parker shot him a resentful look. His words made Li Si's heart jump.
Fortunately, Peter Parker continued, "That hot pot you made yesterday gave me diarrhea all night. My butt's still burning."
"Could you please not split your sentences in two like that? You're bound to cause misunderstandings."
Li Si looked utterly speechless.
"I'm having to split my bathroom trips into several rounds right now. Keeping my sentences to two parts is already doing you a favor."
As if recalling the misery he'd suffered the night before, Peter Parker said with deep regret,