终于，轮到居于末位的王美瑛老师发言。

她老娘早就想趁「新官上任三把火」──代理校长刚上任，还没把事搞砸、尚存威严之时──不吐不快：

「as yu kn, i’ lily li’s her teaher, as ell as ariel liu’s language tutr. i kn learly y respnsibilities and bligatins. i have already anifested, nt just ne, i a fully aare f being bligated t d hat i have t d, and ready t take any pratial easures—and even assist in taking legal atins, prvided y presene is neessary. this ittee, nevertheless, kept hindering e fr fulfilling y duty. and n, president, yur hnr, is here. i uld like t reiterate y disappintents t all f yu—」

「说中文，美瑛老师──体谅我们有些老师不讲英文。」

「get yurselves an interpreter, then—i dn’t are—hat i have t say i say it ut lud and lear. and thse h gt y pint gt y pint—hihever language i speak in, 老师。nly if yu hse t listen, nt t ne again hush e by shuting and hissing──ah-uh, here e g again—n please, let e ntinue . . .」

「很失礼耶王老师──」「尊重一下好不好？」「权宜问题、权宜问题！」「主席，立刻将王美瑛赶出去！」

见主席的神情比雕塑的表情更加肃穆，叫嚣的人员只好乖乖闭嘴。

「the hle inident just reinds e f j. d. salinger’s faus nvel, the ather in the rye. ne partiular passage i ant t share ith all f yu—and i assure yu: it deserves yur attentin. n, bear ith e—it ges like this:

「‘i keep pituring all the little kids playing se gae in this big field f rye. thusands f little kids. nbdy's arund - nbdy big, exept e. and i' standing n the edge f se razy liff. hat uld i have t d, i have t ath every little kid if they start t run tard the liff—if they're running and they dn't lk here they're ging, i have t e ut and ath the. that's all i d all day. i'd just be the ather in the rye. i kn that sunds razy, but that's the nly thing i ill have t be.’」

「let e tell yu, y peer and respetful senir ebers, h regretful i a, right n, right here, t have t attend this pintless eeting; nt beause i have t play the little gae ith yu eaklings, r beause i have t sit in this eeting r, disussing se insignifiant issues ver ‘the shl’s prestige’ r the s-alled ‘easures t the urrent pr rises’ and aste y tie—h-h—

「se peple in this r h atually speak english felt seriusly rnged and started—yu d get y pint—this is exatly hy i all the ebers in this ittee eaklings—

「all f yu sa the ‘elephant in the r’ but hse t ignre it pletely. if there is a pink elephant, let us pint it ut ith ur fingers—if there is a big lf hiding in the d, lurking t har ur kids—let’s get it, then! hy—isn’t it ‘a perfet day fr the lf?’ i dn’t see n pints that e still sit here and ait fr a essiah-like figure t save the day, t reve the threat fr us, hile e are still far fr being late t take atin.

「i regretted it, i deeply regretted that i failed t be that ‘ather in the rye’ hen there as a kid, an abslutely lvely seetheart, h just ran straight tard the ‘razy liff,’ hile still ithin ar’s reah—i uld have aught her in y ars [a ath in her thrat]. i regretted that e just let it happen, as she just fell ver the nest, ithut the slightest hane t gr up and learn t flutter her little but brave ings—」

「够了喔，王老师。今天不是来听你发洩情绪──是来解决问题──」

「那前面开好几次会怎么都没看你们解决问题！」

美瑛的反驳令在座的人员，除主席之外，全都愣住了。

没等被震慑的人回过神，美瑛继续质问：

「前面开那么多会，你们哪个有要解决问题──」

「嘘──」「嘘──」「嘘──」

台下开始发出嘘声，随后则是更多附和者加入行列。

「h, h, se peple are seeping aay the persn they disagree ith—fine by e, i kn i a never ele here. the ent i stepped int this shl, i’d already knn yu all hated e t the bne. yu all see e as an utsider, if nt a pariah—hih is fine. i kn the hnest utsider alays gets expelled fr the ity state just beause she speaks the truth.」

美瑛已经起身，气冲冲奔向门口，用力扭开门把。

「sine this eeting gets us nhere, n, please all e t take y leave.」

对着主席说完最后一句话，她愤怒地甩门离去。