A campaign event is taking place in the auditorium of Royce Hall at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Two-thirds of the seats in the 1,800-seat auditorium are empty, partly because it's a Monday, and the people who come to the event are either not in class or are enthusiastic about participating in the event.

Either way, there aren't too many people. It's a lot of people in the hundreds.

The purpose of the event is to provide an opportunity for candidates to publicly promote their platform.

There are five seats vacated for this year's election, and there are 15 candidates running, including only one woman.

Needless to say, that woman was none other than Linda Sproul.

On the podium of the auditorium, a second-year student was impassionedly talking about his election platform, and the audience applauded from time to time to express their support.

Linda stood on the side of the stage, out of sight of the audience, with a script in her hand, quietly watching the performances of her competitors on stage.

Virginia and Elizabeth, who were two members of the campaign team, accompanied her. They didn't say anything, but as long as they were there, Linda didn't feel nervous at all.

After a while, in the warm applause, the candidates on the stage finished their speeches and walked off the stage in style. As they passed by the three women, the man looked at them with a smile on his face, and then walked away without saying a word.

Elizabeth said coldly, "He's ignoring us. ”

Virginia said, "Do you still need to say this?"

The two women looked at each other, then looked at Linda, the youngest of the three.

Linda smiled and said, "It's time for me to play, look at it!"

As he was talking, the host on the stage said: "The next person on the stage is Linda Sprout, a second-year student in the Department of Economics of the College of Literature and Science, please!"

As soon as the words ended, the audience burst into enthusiastic cheers.

It was a group of female students who showed support for Linda.

They are not very numerous, but they are not small.

With the help of Virginia and Elizabeth, Linda slowly walked onto the stage after finally confirming her makeup.

Looking at the audience, Linda was smiling and her heart sank.

At this moment, the whole stage belongs to her alone.

This was her starting point.

She will never allow failure.

……

On the other side, Evan, who had been investigated, returned to the office and found that there was one more person in the office.

Dean Dubridge also arrived.

He beckoned to Evan, and when Evan walked up to him, he asked, "How, there's nothing wrong with it?"

Evan pulled up a chair and sat down, smiling, "What could be the problem?"

He looked around at his students, and after a pause, he reassured, "Don't be nervous, just answer truthfully......

After a while, Evan looked at Dubridge and asked, "Dean, shouldn't we need a security clearance to enter our lab in the future?"

The relevant authorities in the United States have established a strict system for confidentiality, and security clearances are required to access confidential information. At Caltech, access to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory requires a security clearance.

Evan asked Dubridge this question to find out how important the level of the lab really is in the eyes of the Department of Defense. If it does get to the point where security clearance is needed, it's not a good thing for Evan.

He didn't want to be followed and monitored by a bunch of people every day.

Dubrich shook his head at Evan's question and said, "Not yet. ”

"We're doing basic research, and in terms of importance and danger, it's not enough to be so heavily guarded. ”

"Of course, the necessary scrutiny is inevitable. ”

Dubridge looked at Evan, who had softened his expression, and asked, "Evan, your involvement in the Department of Defense...... Disgusted?"

Evan paused for a moment and said, "It's not disgust, it's just uncomfortable......"

He suddenly turned to look at Professor Watson and asked, "Professor, how would you feel if someone broke into the class while you were in class?"

Professor Watson replied without thinking about it: "Of course it's a big scolding and driving people out." ”

Evan shrugged his shoulders and said, "yes, that's how I feel." ”

Dubridge felt the same way and nodded, but he was the dean, and it was inconvenient for him to say something clearly, so he could only divert the topic and say, "Evan, you don't have to worry about this, it shouldn't be too troublesome." ”

Evan nodded disapprovingly.

Seeing this, Dubridge raised his wrist to glance at the time, and then said, "I have something to do, I have to go first, Professor Watson, and I'll leave this matter to you." ”

Dubridge got up as he spoke, then looked at Sherman, the agent who was left behind in the office, and asked, "Sir, Evan doesn't need to stay here anymore, does he?"

Sherman thought for a moment and replied, "Yes, he can move freely." ”

Hearing the expected answer, Dubridge nodded with satisfaction, then beckoned to Evan and said, "Evan, can you give me a ride?"

Evan knew that Dubridge had something to say to him, so he said, "Of course, it's my pleasure." ”

After that, the two left the lab together.

After walking out of the building, Evan asked, "Mr. Dean, where are we going?"

Dubridge pointed to the east and said, "It's almost time for lunch, you should go back to the BlackerHouse...... We're all in this together. ”

Dubridge walked ahead, and Evan followed.

The Olive path leading to the dormitory building is lined with shady trees, and a lot of leaves are dropped by a gust of wind.

Dubridge suddenly sighed: "It's autumn again!"

"Evan, do you like autumn?"

Evan said, "Like, autumn is the season of harvest. ”

"Harvest," said Dubridge, "Yes, it's a wonderful season." To be honest, Evan, I was surprised that growing up in the city you would love the fall. ”

Evan smiled: "My second favorite is winter, because I was born in winter, and it was also in winter that I fell in love with the person I liked. ”

Dubridge smiled, "Winter is the season of gloom and slaughter, and it is the time for farmers to rest in the agricultural era. ”

"Evan, you run your own factory and may know some about workers, but do you know anything about farmers, especially those outside the United States?"

Evan wanted to reply, but he could only shake his head and ask, "Dean, what do you want to say?"

Dubridge stopped and looked at Evan, "Yes, Evan, you're a smart boy, you don't have to beat around the bush. ”

"Evan, I don't care whether you have been exposed to the theories of Marx and others, and what your attitude is towards them, I just want to remind you, don't have anything to do with them. ”

"Their ideals are good, but they don't work in the United States. ”

"The world is free and cannot have only one voice. ”

……

"UCLA needs to have women's voices, and I will speak for them!"

This was the last sentence of Linda's speech, and she walked off the podium with enthusiastic support.

As soon as she stepped off the stage, she couldn't wait to ask, "Elizabeth, how is the response?"

Elizabeth said: "You are condescending, you should see it clearly." ”

Linda stroked her hair and said embarrassedly, "I didn't look at the ...... below."

Linda looks strong on the outside and has excellent grades, but it is the first time she has actually participated in this kind of social activity.

To be honest, Linda herself was a little surprised to not make a mistake on the podium.

Elizabeth smiled lightly and said, "The response is very good, the emotions of the female compatriots have been fully mobilized, and I believe that you will definitely have a share of those five positions." ”

Linda asked uneasily, "What about the other people's reactions? Do you see a strong sense of rebellion?"

Virginia said, "No, don't worry! We've taken care of our speeches...... If we can't stand it, it won't be our problem!"

Linda breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest, there are still five days of publicity in the future, as long as there are no major mistakes, it should not be a problem to be elected.

If you are elected as a director, you can't relax, and there is a chairman behind you.

This step is more difficult, but it's worth a try.

The improvement of ability cannot be achieved by reading books without practice.

It's all worth it to stand by his side.

……

At about four o'clock in the afternoon, Evan returned to the laboratory again, by which time everyone's audit and laboratory inspection were over, and the men in suits had already evacuated. Naturally, Evan didn't know, so as soon as he entered the office, Evan approached Leyden and asked.

"What about the results of the audit, and did they leave anything to say when they left?"

Layton replied, "There should be no problem, everyone is innocent." ”

"They said they would come over and give lessons to them. Professor Watson negotiated with them and asked them to come back over for the weekend. It's only available on weekends......"

"I've missed a lot of people's classes today......"

Evan asked, "They answered?"

Layton nodded.

After a while, Evan whispered, "Layton, do you know what they're coming for?"

Leyton looked directly at Evan with both eyes, and suddenly laughed: "Evan, if they ask the same question, then you must know it." ”

Evan bowed slightly.

Although most Americans don't care much about the region outside the United States, and it is not certain that the United States would have entered the war if it had not been for the attack on Pearl Harbor in World War II, Evan is certainly not this kind of person who is indifferent to the international situation.

Leyton saw this very clearly.

The passage of the Taft–Hartley Act and the increased frequency of activities of the Committee on Non-American Activities indicate that Cold War confrontation has spread to the country.

This kind of ideological confrontation is very cruel on either side.

Thinking of this, Evan suddenly remembered someone.

After sitting in his office for a while, Evan left the school.

In the evening, at a restaurant near Inglewood, Evan and Girard sat opposite each other for dinner.

"Girard, the work has been handed over, do you find it difficult?"

Girard replied lightly: "It's nothing, the marketing strategy for electrical appliances is actually much simpler than toys. ”

Evan said, "It's good if you have faith. ”

Girard wiped his mouth with a napkin, picked up the goblet and touched it with Evan.

Juice inside.

Girard suddenly said in a deep voice, "Evan, do you have something you want to tell me today?"

Evan was stunned for a moment and asked rhetorically, "Why do you ask that?"

"Am I acting obviously?"

Girard smiled, "Evan, you don't seem to have invited us to dinner alone, did ......you?"

"Okay...... You guessed it right......" Evan looked around, and said, "I'll take you back to where you live in a minute, we said in the car." ”

Ten minutes later, the back seat of the Ford.

Evan said with a serious face: "I won't talk nonsense, Girard, I'll just ask you one question......"

Girard unbuttoned the first button of his shirt and said, "Excuse me!"

Evan said word by word: "You... At... New York... After reaching out to those people, did you join them?"

Gerard's face sank when he heard this, his breath stagnated, and he looked at Evan in a daze.

Evan's question reveals a lot of things, for example, that someone is "watching" him......

After a long time, Girard let out a long breath and said, "Evan, I'm surprised!"

"Why did you ask me directly, do you believe my answer?"

Evan nodded and said, "Of course, surprised. If it were me, I wouldn't want to be treated like that. ”

"As for why I asked you personally, because I trust your answer. ”

"Huh......" Girard looked at Evan, "do you think I'll still believe you?"

Evan didn't flinch his eyes and said, "Why not?"

After a while, Girard shook his head, sighed, and said, "I don't know why you are so blunt about such things. ”

Evan explained, "Because, I don't think I've done anything wrong. ”

"They were all sent for security purposes, and almost all of the executives in New York at the time were secretly following them. ”

"After all, with that manager's example in front of me, I'm not at ease. ”

"Your business was just an accident. ”

"Okay...... I believe in you!" Seeing that Evan's words didn't look fake, Girard hesitated for a few seconds and replied, "I didn't join that organization." ”

Evan solemnly suggested, "If you can, I hope you don't contact them again." ”

"In the United States, they have no future. ”

Girard thought for a moment and asked, "Why?"

"Because the environment has changed," Evan said. ”

Girard was puzzled: "I know that their ideas are not well received in the United States, but ...... Is it necessary to be so cautious that you can't even make contact?"

"The United States is a free society, free political parties, freedom of belief, freedom of religion ......"

Evan interrupted: "But any freedom has a boundary......"

When Girard was about to retort, Evan added: "A few years ago, the Japanese lost even their personal freedom, let alone them?"

Girard said: "It was a time of war, and the other side was *** ......"

Evan said, "Who told you the war is over?"

Girard was stunned.

I don't know when, the car stopped on the side of the road. Girard leaned back in his seat, tilted his head, closed his eyes in contemplation.

Evan waited quietly.

"Horn!"

A car honked its horn as it sped by, and Girard opened his eyes.

He looked at Evan and said, "Thank you, Evan." ”

"I know what to do. ”

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