May 26th.
“Xiao Xi, are you done?” Liang Yunfei, who had already tidied up, stood at the door watching Qiu Xi by her desk.
A few days ago, the academy had announced that their defense dates were set for May 30th.
With four days left until the defense, both of them had been called in by Teacher Yan for a lecture.
It wasn't strictly necessary, but old Yan was a bit worried and very responsible, so he simply called in a few people from the group.
“Done, let’s go.” Qiu Xi shoveled everything she needed to bring into her bag.
“Okay, let’s go.”
With that, the two headed to the office together.
...
“Teacher Yan, we’re here.”
The office door was ajar. After knocking twice, Qiu Xi and the others walked in.
“Qingqing, you two are so fast~”
Seeing Fang You and Lu Qingqing already seated, Qiu Xi and Liang Yunfei greeted them with smiles.
“Not really, we just came in and sat down too,” Lu Qingqing replied with a smile.
“Alright, stop chatting and have a seat. We can talk after I’ve finished speaking.”
“Okay, teacher.”
Saying that, Qiu Xi and Liang Yunfei found seats opposite Lu Qingqing and Fang You.
Seeing all four seated, Yan Baitao sat down with his notebook.
“Your defense is on the 30th. How are you all preparing?”
“Teacher Yan, if you didn’t say anything, I’d think we were pretty well-prepared,” Qiu Xi said with a light smile.
She genuinely had no worries.
“You, I won’t say anything about you. I called you here for something else.” Yan Baitao nodded, then looked at the other three. “Fang You, Lu Qingqing, and Liang Yunfei, what about you all?”
“Teacher Yan, we… are just okay, I guess.” Lu Qingqing forced a smile and nodded.
She was a bit nervous and wasn’t sure if her voice would shake when she stood up that day.
After Lu Qingqing spoke, the other two also nodded blankly.
“…” Looking at the three, Yan Baitao sighed and shook his head.
Never mind, he would just take the lead.
“Come, I’ll go over it with you,” Yan Baitao said, taking out his notebook.
“First is your opening statement. You all have PPTs. I’ll tell you about these few key points…”
“Mm, and finally, there’s the dress code. The teachers don’t require you to be overly formal; just dress appropriately for your student status…”
“Mm, alright, that’s about it.”
After rambling for about ten minutes, Yan Baitao clarified things for them.
“Take a look and see if there’s anything you want to ask me, and I’ll explain it all at once.”
“Okay, thank you, Teacher Yan.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Qingqing started asking questions.
With the defense just around the corner, clarifying everything for a smooth graduation was the current priority. Any shyness had to be put aside.
For the next half hour, the three of them took turns asking Yan Baitao questions. Qiu Xi sat nearby, occasionally joining the conversation and offering a few thoughts.
“Teacher Yan, we’ve finished asking all our questions. Thank you for your hard work.”
Fang You, after asking the last question, put away his notebook and thanked Yan Baitao.
“Mm, if there are no other questions, you can all go back. Prepare well for the next couple of days, stay relaxed, and don’t be nervous.”
“Okay, goodbye Teacher Yan~”
“Alright, good luck~”
With that, the three of them left first, leaving Qiu Xi alone.
“Teacher Yan, are you going to talk about my thesis?”
Qiu Xi had mentioned her thesis revision to them earlier, and she couldn't think of anything else Teacher Yan would need to discuss privately.
“Mm, yes, it’s about that.”
“I’ve read your thesis and spent some time compiling it. I’ve marked down any minor changes you need to make. After the defense, you can look it over yourself and let me know when it’s ready.”
As he spoke, Yan Baitao handed Qiu Xi a printed copy of her thesis.
“I’ve marked everything on this hard copy. I’ll look at it after I’m done with everything else.”
“Mm,” Qiu Xi replied, taking it.
“Alright, you should head back too. I believe in your abilities, keep up the good work.”
“Thanks, Old Yan~”
“Okay, go on back.”
With that, Qiu Xi walked out of the office.
...
“Xiao Xi, did Teacher Yan talk to you about your thesis?”
Qiu Xi had told them about revising her thesis beforehand, and it was the only thing Old Yan would likely bring up privately now.
Qiu Xi nodded, “Mm, he just mentioned it. I still have to revise it myself.”
“But the defense is more important right now, so this has been scheduled for after the defense.”
“Mm, Old Yan’s consideration is right.”
“Even though you don’t have much to worry about, you still need to put in your best effort.”
“Mm…”
“Have Dai Yao and the others arrived? Should we head straight there?”
To avoid any issues on the 30th, they had agreed to have a rehearsal. The time was set for this morning.
The timing was just right.
“I’ll ask.”
As soon as she sent the message, she received a reply.
“They’ve just arrived. We can go over.”
“Okay, let’s go then.”
“Mm.”
...
“Xiao Xi, you’re here.”
“Quickly, let’s start preparing.”
They had specifically found a vacant classroom, which was convenient for the four of them.
“Alright, let’s begin directly.”
Having attended their seniors’ defenses in their sophomore and junior years, they had a general idea of the procedures and potential questions.
Because of this, they had also prepared some questions to ask.
The four of them went through the process perfectly.
First, their own statement, then waiting for questions, followed by waiting for revision suggestions, and finally nodding in thanks before stepping down.
Unlike what others often described as “only defending, not debating, and apologizing profusely,” the four of them chose to “debate” within a certain scope.
As a result, the process took a little longer.
“Yanyan, you need to speed up your presentation. If not, make it a bit shorter, otherwise, you might go over time.”
“Mm, I know. I’ll revise the outline of the script later.”
“Okay.”
“Also…”
After the four of them finished their rehearsal, they gathered again to discuss collective issues before leaving.
“Alright, we’re done. Let’s go get something to eat.”
Their morning was spent on this task, and they still had to continue revising when they returned today…
For the four days leading up to the defense on May 30th, Qiu Xi didn't go anywhere, staying between her dorm and the cafeteria, just waiting for the defense time to arrive.
In a blink of an eye, the waiting time was finally here…