Translator: 549690339
Whether they liked it or not, everyone walked down the hillside along a small path, half a meter wide, running through the middle of the grassland.
The Inspector stood by the long table, seemingly kindly reminding them: “When making a decision, be resolute and firm, for when the sun goes down, those beautiful flowers will go to sleep.”
Everyone quickened their pace.
— The most beautiful flower should, of course, be picked at its most stunning bloom.
This game seemed quite easy right now, just involving picking a flower. Anyone of normal aesthetic judgment could differentiate between beauty and ugliness. Picking a beautiful flower should be pretty effortless. But, such an apparently easy game had around a 50% elimination rate.
Of the 18 people, only 10 would remain.
“In the story of Socrates, the ending was that nobody picked an apple they were satisfied with.
Shen MO pushed Bai Youwei’s wheelchair, walking steadily through the bushes, his voice as calm and composed as his steps.
“Some students find a good apple, and because they want to find one even better, they continue moving ahead, only to discover at the end of the orchard, that the first apple they saw was the best. Some students pick the apple they think is the best earlier on, only later to find a better one, leading to regrets. They ask Socrates for another chance to choose, and Socrates tells them, life is a one-time irreversible choice.”
They walked into the woods, and the dense branches and leaves darkened their surroundings, making the scent of flowers in the air gradually stronger.
Shen MO asked Bai Youwei, “What do you think, referencing Socrates, what could be their intention?”
“Their intentions…” Bai Youwei rested her chin in her palm and contemplated, “There are many versions of this little story, choosing apples, wheat ears, trees, all of them essentially teaching us to be cautious when making choices.
However, I don’t think the Inspector would kindly give us a philosophy lesson.”
“Hmm.” Shen MO nodded, “Maybe it is to mislead us, after all, the way to choose apples and the way to choose flowers are completely different.” Choosing a big and good apple, the criteria are clear-cut.
But selecting the most beautiful flower, “beauty,” is a word inherently subjective.
Bai Youwei thought of the Inspector’s golden hair, blue eyes, and long limbs, and felt uncomfortable all over, “That guy’s aesthetics must be terrible.”
Shen Mo: “…Okay, this isn’t the time to discuss this.”
They walked in the woods for about a quarter of an hour and then out into the open where the fragrance of flowers hit their faces.
It was a vast valley.
A long, low depression naturally formed between two mountains—a straight path led into the depths, and the end couldn’t be seen. Both sides were full of colorful flowers!
Whether it was the snow lotus from the frigid regions or the cactus from the tropics; whether it was the magnolia blooming on the trees or the water lily growing in the water; whether it was the kerria blooming in March or the osmanthus blooming in August! They were all there! There was no scientific reason for it!
Everyone was stunned by the spectacle before them.
The seemingly endless sea of flowers left everyone flabbergasted!
“There… are so many flowers…” Wu Lili gazed in shock, and when her eyes fell upon a bunch of violets just by her side, she couldn’t help reaching out, “Are these flowers… all real…?”
“You can only choose once!” warned Zhang Qi, frowning.
Wu Lili froze, turned around, and laughed awkwardly, “I know, I just wanted to touch it, I can’t believe these are real flowers…
Still nursing a grudge over her pretending to injure her leg, Zhang Qi ignored her, keeping a straight face and moving on.
Everyone moved slower, afraid of missing the most beautiful flower.
Walking and discussing:
“There are so many flowers… how do we choose the ten most beautiful ones….”