He's fallen for someone else.

Lin Shih-jen had never expected his connection with Shen Hsu-ching to be like this. He had been thinking about what Shen had said all afternoon.

Chen's mother is sick. She says she's fine, but she's losing weight very quickly, and her hair is falling out in clumps in the bathroom. Chen's father has reduced his workload a lot because of this. No wonder Chen Xuqing is sensitive; the situation may really be not good.

The white pills in her palm were stolen from her home. She carefully wrapped them again with a tissue and stuffed them into the hidden compartment of her pencil case.

On the podium, the chemistry teacher raised his voice a little.

Zhou Lin glanced to his side. Everyone around him was writing furiously, but Lin Shiren was staring at some empty space, as if in a daze or overwhelmed with sorrow. He gave her a subtle reminder with his elbow: "Teacher Sun is looking over here."

These words startled her quite a bit. Almost instantly, she grabbed her pen and instinctively started writing on the test paper. After a while, she realized what she had done, wrinkled her small nose, and asked in a whisper, "Which question are we on?"

The boy's long, slender fingers came into view, and his fingertips tapped softly on the row for the second multiple-choice question. He said, "Why are you spacing out?"

Lin Shiren shook his head, indicating that he still possessed the basic professionalism to keep the patient and their family's secrets.

Zhou Lin lifted his eyelids and said, seemingly casually, "I saw you having lunch with Shen Xuqing at noon..."

Despite it being a perfectly natural statement, Lin Shiren felt a little guilty. She didn't control the pressure of her pen properly and accidentally poked a hole in the exam paper. She gasped softly in surprise.

Her reaction was a bit strong, so Zhou Lin simply cut to the chase: "Are you two very familiar with each other?"

Lin Shih-jen stammered for a long time without giving an answer, then pursed his lips and changed the subject: "Why not choose D for this question?"

After a long silence, he suddenly chuckled and said, "The answer to this question is D. There are four types of oxygen-containing functional groups."

"..."

Whether it was Lin Shiren's imagination or not, Zhou Lin seemed to be in a low mood all afternoon.

His brow bone was hard and cold, and his aloofness emanated from within. No matter who came to talk to him, his tone was always low and drawn out. After being rebuffed twice, Song Ci was also deterred by his sarcastic attitude.

A huge question mark slowly appeared in Lin Shiren's mind: Just how bad was the tomato and beef brisket in the cafeteria that it could make him so angry?

Before evening self-study, she took out the last grape-flavored gummy candy from her bag and awkwardly comforted him: "Sweets can make the brain secrete dopamine, and can also synthesize neurotransmitters that make people feel happy."

Zhou Lin lowered his eyes, then coldly looked away: "Deceiving your brain is also deceiving yourself."

The other person's logical thinking was so meticulous that Lin Shiren didn't know how to respond for a moment. She sighed and said, "It's pointless for you to be sulking right now. The chef who cooked for you doesn't know. Only me and Tomato Beef Brisket know that you're angry. Don't you think that's a loss?"

She's a complete novice; she can't even coax people properly. She's just a coward herself, yet she tries to brainwash him with her pathetic, self-deceptive mentality.

Zhou Lin thought he was relatively calm, but his blood pressure was really about to spike. He twitched his eyelids and said, "Who said I was angry?"

She pointed at his face: "You have five big words written on your forehead, and I'm very unhappy."

Zhou Lin slammed the book down and moved closer to her: "Since you know everything, don't you know how to comfort people?"

Lin Shiren stared blankly at him, looking particularly aggrieved, and said, "Don't make me complain about the chef with you. Taste is subjective; just because you don't like it doesn't mean others don't..."

The people around him were still chattering noisily, but when Zhou Lin saw her gentle, almond-shaped eyes, he suddenly calmed down.

He laughed as if he had just made a move, his Adam's apple even trembling slightly: "Lin Shiren, Earth is dangerous, hurry back to Venus."

"..."

That evening, Lin Shiren handed the small pills to Xin Xiaomei.

For the next three days, she lived a peaceful life. Pang Ziyi seemed to have completely disappeared. Not only did she not appear in front of her, but she also did not harass her on WeChat. So she stopped bothering Zhou Lin to take her home from school.

Besides not wanting to bother him, there was another worrying factor: rumors about them were already circulating on campus, and she didn't want her quiet life to be ruined by gossip.

On Friday evening, when Lin Shiren arrived home, Xin Xiaomei was standing in the living room with her hands on her hips, making a phone call. After hearing the door open, she hung up the phone after a few words and went to the kitchen to bring the meal to the table: "Perfect timing, the food is still warm, go wash your hands."

"Um."

Since their birthdays, their relationship has been like a veil between them, with their conversations remaining lukewarm.

Xin Xiaomei, propping her forehead with one hand, watched her eat with her head down and couldn't help but ask, "The classmate you asked me to ask about the medicine for..."

The chewing sound stopped abruptly, and Lin Shiren looked up at her: "The test results are in?"

"They're out."

Xin Xiaomei picked up her chopsticks and helped her pick up some food: "Tell me first, what's your relationship like?"

He continued chewing the rice in his mouth: "Just an ordinary classmate."

Perhaps it was because the answer was presented in such a roundabout way that Lin Shih-ren suddenly understood, and she asked softly, "Is it a very serious illness?"

Xin Xiaomei stated frankly, "The drug is ribocyb, a targeted therapy for malignant tumors."

The wind howled outside the window. After hearing the answer, Lin Shiren's mind went blank for a few seconds. Because she didn't hear Xin Xiaomei's follow-up, she bit her lip and asked, "So it's cancer?"

"right."

Xin Xiaomei's expression remained calm: "It's generally used for patients with early-stage breast cancer, but given your classmate's mother's specific condition, we can't determine it based on just one pill."

I lost all appetite at that time.

Lin Shiren was caught in a dilemma. No wonder Shen's mother wanted to keep it from Shen Xuqing. The college entrance examination was only a few months away, and telling the truth would definitely affect Shen Xuqing's mood... But if she didn't tell the truth, she didn't know how to lie to him.

Seeing her silent expression, Xin Xiaomei immediately guessed what she was thinking: "Your classmate probably knows that he came to you just want a definite answer. Having something on your mind all the time is not necessarily a good thing. My personal opinion is that patients don't necessarily need to have complete knowledge of their condition, but their family members must."

This is Xin Xiaomei's style of doing things. She always mistakes being straightforward for being sincere and never gives others any emotional buffer. Lin Shiren didn't say anything more and let her continue to nag and lecture her, telling her not to take on such difficult things in the future.

The light from her phone screen shone faintly in the bedroom. Before going to bed, she checked Shen Xuqing's Weibo and WeChat Moments as usual. She wondered if it was because of his mother's illness, but he hadn't posted anything new for a week.

Lin Shiren is prone to getting caught up in indecisiveness and internal conflict, and this is such a big matter, so even after a whole night of pondering, he still couldn't figure out how to bring it up with Shen Xuqing.

Saturday morning, the air was heavy and oppressive.

Before the bell rang, the classroom was already buzzing with excitement. Chen Mo stood in the aisle, enthusiastically encouraging everyone: "Our class is really doing great this year! We've signed up for every single event in the sports meet. People outside are saying that our class is good for nothing but exams. I don't like hearing that. This year at the sports meet, we'll show them what it means to be well-rounded in moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education..."

Lin Shih-jen did not sign up for any projects and remained completely detached from the process, focusing on memorizing English vocabulary.

With the imperial sword in hand, Li Pengfei scurried around discussing the sports meet. When it came to Zhou Lin's turn, he came to confirm again that if someone canceled the men's 1500-meter event at the last minute, there would be no one to replace them.

After Li Pengfei left, Lin Shiren took the tuna sandwich out of her bag and asked seriously, "Did you sign up for 1,500?"

"Mmm." Zhou Lin took it without hesitation, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth.

Today wasn't school uniform day, but he wore a navy blue shirt over a white T-shirt, and his legs, wrapped in sweatpants, looked long and straight. He also had a new haircut, with the bangs on his forehead shorter, making him look unexpectedly neat and handsome.

Despite his sunny appearance, he exuded a cold aura, and Lin Shiren suddenly had a wicked thought.

I really want to see the top student in the grade run against the last student.

Just having this thought made her feel guilty, and she unconsciously nibbled on her slender white fingers: "You signed up for the 1500 meters? Is long-distance running your forte?"

Zhou Lin, unaware of her ulterior motives, seemed to be in a good mood: "What, are you worried that I'll come in last place and embarrass myself?"

Worried? She'd be more than happy about it.

Lin Shiren didn't understand what sentence had given him such a fatal idea. After thinking for a while, he said, "I don't think it's necessary to waste time on the sports meet. We're already in our senior year of high school. The college entrance examination is more important."

Zhou Lin: "The college entrance exam isn't important either."

"..."

Lin Shih-ren gripped his pen tightly, silently looked away, and secretly rolled his eyes from an angle where Lin couldn't see him.

Chen Mo gave a ten-minute pep talk, telling everyone they could use PE class to practice their events. Then, he brazenly took over the morning self-study period and gave everyone a twenty-minute physics lesson, making everyone feel like a concubine in a cold palace, full of resentment.

During the break between exercises, Lin Shiren finally understood what Zhou Lin meant when he said that morning, "The college entrance exam isn't important."

He was admitted to the Yao Class at Q University through a special admission program.

The principal personally announced the news on the podium, and everyone became excited. Class 1, Grade 3 had never been so lively. During breaks, the front and back doors of the classroom were crowded with enthusiastic onlookers. More than a dozen posts appeared on the school's online forum, all of them related to Zhou Lin.

Some lamented that they would never see their idol again, while insiders revealed that Q University had already started classes and that going there now would only allow them to study preparatory courses. There were also rumors that Zhou Lin was going to accompany his girlfriend to take the college entrance examination... Various rumors continued to circulate.

Amidst the commotion, it was lunchtime. During this time, many people came over to inquire about the news, making Lin Shiren feel extremely uncomfortable. When Song Ci approached again, she got up with her vocabulary book, intending to find a quiet place to hide away and have some peace and quiet.

As they reached the door, they bumped into Shen Xuqing, who was coming in. He had just washed his face, and his hair was still wet. He seemed to be lost in thought as he walked, and the two almost collided. He subconsciously apologized.

At such close range, their eyes met silently. After three seconds, Shen Xuqing tilted his head, giving her a look that suggested they go outside and talk.

Finally, the moment of no return arrived. Lin Shiren lowered his head in a somber mood and followed him out of the classroom.

At that time, all she could think about was how to tell Shen Xuqing in a tactful way. She didn't know that Zhou Lin had been sitting there observing them for a long time. His eyebrows were slightly lowered, his eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyes, and a black pen kept turning on his fingertips.

Song Ci was in a particularly good mood and joked, "I think you should issue a statement. There are all sorts of rumors circulating outside right now."

He opened the Dianping app and swiped his finger across the screen: "We have a half-day off tomorrow, shall we go out and celebrate?"

Zhou Lin listened but didn't reply. He had a natural air of single-mindedness, and even when he was daydreaming, he gave the illusion of deep thought.

Song Ci waved her hand in front of his eyes: "Hey, what are you thinking about? Did you hear me?"

A gentle breeze drifted into the classroom, but it couldn't quell the restlessness in Zhou Lin's heart. His expression remained unchanged as he calmly replied, "Tomorrow won't work; I have plans."

"Who did you meet up with without me?" Song Ci's tone was laced with gossip.

Zhou Lin didn't answer who it was, but instead asked another question: "If a girl has a crush on you, but later she gets very close to other boys, what does that mean?"

The topic changed so quickly that Song Ci didn't react in time and blurted out instinctively, "Who has a crush on me?"

Zhou Lin was even more annoyed, not understanding how he could have made such a friend who had no self-awareness at all.

"I mean, if..."

"oh."

Song Ci dragged out his words lazily, pondered the question for a moment, and finally understood. He raised an eyebrow maliciously: "If a girl originally had a crush on you, but then gets close to other guys... then she must have fallen for someone else!"

Zhou Lin's brows furrowed, and a morbidly inquisitive thought suddenly surfaced: "Can someone who likes another person really fall for someone else so quickly?"

"That's nothing special. My little cousin, who just started junior high, has changed four crushes in one semester."

Song Ci put down her phone and continued to add fuel to the fire: "Besides, you're so out of touch with reality. The girl will definitely think that having a crush on you is pointless and will go for someone else who can reciprocate."

Amidst this bewildered state of mind, Zhou Lin's voice remained calm: "How am I out of touch with reality?"

Song Ci sighed: "At the right time, you have to learn to show weakness, don't you understand?"

Zhou Lin was slightly taken aback, then reminded him not to speak carelessly: "I have no weaknesses."

"..."

Song Ci was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly felt that talking to him was just humiliating. He craned his neck to look out the window: "Damn, the basketball court is empty. Let's go play some basketball."

-----------------------

Author's Note: Sorry, everyone. Although I had the National Day holiday, I still worked a lot, so I've been even busier lately. Those of you who are struggling to keep up can wait until more chapters are released before continuing.

50 red envelopes~