This is so outrageous!

The steamy air drifted from the bathroom into the bedroom. Xin Xiaomei was still nagging about not answering the phone or replying to WeChat messages last night. Lin Shiren sat at his desk, his long hair half-dry and half-wet, draped behind his head. His beige pajamas were soaked through, and a math workbook lay in front of him. Zhou Lin's words echoed in his mind again—

“Sign your confession.”

The signed confession, which included nonsense about having a crush on him, is definitely a dark history!

No! She has to find a way to steal it back.

Just as I was lost in thought, Xin Xiaomei came in, with clothes she had brought back from the balcony draped over her arm. As she hung them in the closet, she nagged, "You don't still see your dad and me as your fallback plan, do you? I'm just trying to remind you, the path ahead is already paved, and that's getting into a top university. Don't think about anything else, it's not your concern."

Seeing that she didn't react for a while, he poked her with his finger: "I'm talking to you, did you hear me?"

Lin Shih-jen turned his head away to avoid the knocking, ignored her, grabbed the isolation headphones and put them on, not looking at her or responding, as if he were playing a game of "Red Light, Green Light".

You can block out the noise from Xin Xiaomei, but you can't block out the voice in your own heart.

Some divorces are like "a shallow pond where fish hurt each other," while others are like "a vast ocean where they can't even swim out of the water." They can leave whenever they want and start over whenever they want, making all their choices with such ease.

Indeed, they both became better off after the separation, but she became the only sunk cost in the failed marriage.

The only saving grace is that the public opinion surrounding Zhou Lin has finally subsided.

That evening, the school administrator pinned a post outlining the forum rules. While not mentioning the incident itself, they swiftly dealt with several old posts, emphasizing the school's strict enforcement against privately created groups for spreading rumors and slander. Immediately, the most vocal group of people felt insecure, and many quickly left the group, fearing the backlash would fall on them.

It was 11:30 p.m., half an hour before the new day began. The curtains were drawn tightly shut, and a soft snore could be heard from the next bedroom. The light from the phone screen shone on Lin Shiren's face.

Today's events left her exhausted. Lying in bed, she opened her browser and searched: What should I do if I accidentally insulted someone while drunk? How much of the content needs to be shared to constitute a crime? Is it mandatory to sign an apology letter? Is being forced to sign an apology letter an infringement? How much would it cost to hire a lawyer to sue him?

The answers she found didn't match her situation, and the amount of lawyer fees seemed beyond her means. Lin Shiren hugged the blanket and stared blankly for a while before logging into her Weibo side account and finding Shen Xuqing in her following list.

Shen Xuqing: Sharing a playlist |> Under Mount Fuji (Eason Chan)

He seems to be in an even worse situation than me. The girl he likes stood up for another guy. He must be very sad too.

She bit her lip, leaving a faint mark, then opened the music app and added the week's songs to his playlist.

The comment section was quite quiet. A cartoon avatar with a string of English words left a message saying that it had been a long time since they last met and inviting him to study at "Wuyu Bai" on Sunday.

Lin Shih-Jin had heard of this shop; it's a cat-themed cafe that's been very popular lately.

He replied: I'll go if it rains.

...

At 7:09 a.m., the sunlight was clear and bright. The tree-lined path of Huiwen High School was filled with the sound of noisy footsteps. They were all students rushing to their early morning self-study sessions.

There was still some distance between the main gate and the teaching building. Lin Shiren ran through the campus, panting, a thin layer of sweat already covering her nose. Her legs were aching, and people kept passing her; even the wind they stirred felt hot.

I simply couldn't run anymore.

Perhaps because the matter was resolved, she slept exceptionally well last night, so well that her alarm clock and biological clock both failed her. While she was hurriedly washing up, she saw Xin Xiaomei wearing gloves taking freshly baked egg tarts out of the oven, and the aroma of boiling milk wafted from the table.

Xin Xiaomei had already gotten up, but she coldly watched Lin Shiren being late, leading Lin Shiren to suspect that she had secretly turned off the alarm clock.

A childish act of revenge.

Just then, a slightly faster footstep came from behind her, and her schoolbag suddenly felt lighter. She subconsciously turned around and saw a hand with distinct knuckles.

For some reason, Lin Shiren always felt that men's hands exuded hormones. This hand was particularly beautiful, with slender, long fingers, clean and neat edges, and thin skin with visible veins on the back.

Well, it looks kind of familiar...

Lin Shih-ren raised his head and met the gaze of the person next to him.

It must be said that Zhou Lin's features are quite outstanding; a simple white T-shirt on him always gives off a refreshing and elegant feeling.

He must have run there too; his breathing was a little disordered, and his bangs were blown around his forehead by the wind. He touched his lips slightly and uttered her name: "Lin Shiren, run a few more steps, there's only one minute left."

Those who were once avoided at all costs have once again descended upon us like ghosts.

His expression was completely normal, as if it were just the care from an ordinary classmate. And since they were both carrying backpacks, why did his backpack seem like a fashionable accessory, so light and airy?

Lin Shiren subtly pulled his backpack back and quickened his pace, making it seem as if he was perfectly capable of handling the task: "Thanks for the reminder."

Her voice was soft and gentle, with a weak and feeble tone, like a dragonfly's wing brushing against his ear. Zhou Lin's eyelids trembled, and he let go of her hand without a care.

Scattered sunlight streamed overhead, and the distance between them was less than a meter. Zhou Lin walked in the light and shadow, while Lin Shiren walked in the shadow. From behind, the height difference between the two was surprisingly harmonious.

Li Pengfei, the sports committee member walking behind, wasn't worried about being late anymore. He slowed down, winked, and patted Song Ci's arm. "Damn, what's going on?"

Song Ci was also puzzled. Zhou Lin's spirit of helping others was far from this. Moreover, this person was completely inhuman. He still had half a bun in his mouth and dragged out a disdainful tone: "Maybe he has done too many bad things and needs to do some good deeds to offset it."

The bell for early morning self-study rang on time.

As they entered the classroom, Chen Mo happened to be coming from the east side of the corridor with the test papers in his arms, catching them red-handed for being late. The four of them ended up having to do cleaning duty for three days.

Lin Shih-jen felt numb all over, his body was weak and exhausted, his heart was pounding, and his back was soaked with sweat.

Why is it that nothing good ever happens whenever I run into Zhou Lin?

The people who were late the last few times only received verbal warnings, right?

Her voice was soft and gentle, with a hint of pitifulness: "Teacher Chen, I'm sorry, I won't do it again next time."

With a good attitude and no excuses, this child is so well-behaved and sensible.

As an outstanding homeroom teacher of a top-performing class, Chen Mo treats all students equally. He says, "Zhou Lin, Song Ci, Li Pengfei, and Lin Shiren are your duty group leaders. The three of you should listen to her."

"..."

Lin Shiren looked up at him: "?"

After the first get out of class ended, Song Ci rushed ahead of Li Pengfei and ran up to her in a servile manner: "Group leader, who's going to erase the blackboard this class?"

Li Pengfei, nudged by his elbow, winked like a monkey: "Team leader, assign me!"

"He can't clean it properly, choose me."

"Nonsense, I'm practically the chosen one to erase blackboards."

They portrayed the roles of concubines vying for the emperor's favor so convincingly that a crowd of onlookers crowded around them. Lin Shih-jen could only cover her face, having no way to defend herself: "Whoever wants to wipe it can wipe it."

Alright!

The two of them playfully fought over the blackboard eraser, as if they were playing some kind of wicked betting game.

After this absurd scene played out twice, Lin Shiren learned her lesson. As soon as the bell rang, she would sneak out of the classroom with lightning speed.

I'm speechless.

I finally made it out of school, and I'd only packed half my schoolbag when those two little devils showed up again.

With a lollipop dangling from his lips and hands in his pockets, Li Pengfei grinned and asked, "Team leader, how's the duty roster going? Let's get to work early and finish early, shall we?"

Song Ci was particularly mischievous, even using scrap paper to attack Zhou Lin who was writing, and shamelessly teasing him: "Still studying, bro? Are you trying to kill us with this?"

Zhou Lin completely ignored him, writing furiously until a soft female voice called his name. He twirled the pen between his fingers and then suddenly gripped it tightly, looking up.

Lin Shiren placed his hands on the table and cleared his throat: "Do you want me to wait until you finish the questions?"

He put down his pen and closed the book: "No need."

Song Ci's jaw nearly dropped in astonishment.

This is Zhou Lin, who, once he focuses on something, studies so intensely that he loses all sense of time and doesn't even realize when his friend dies beside him.

The two had known each other since childhood, always getting into mischief together, but he was the one who always got beaten. Zhou Lin had maintained a reputation as a good kid for so many years, seemingly upright and innocent, but in reality, his cunning was deeper than the sea. The only person who could make this seemingly invincible man put down his books and willingly do his chores was—

I really want to read Song Ci.

Li Pengfei also became a fence-sitter, nodding vigorously: "That's right, you need to balance work and rest."

Stared at by six pairs of eyes at the same time, Lin Shiren looked flustered: "Is there anything you don't want to do? We can discuss it."

Song Ci didn't know what was there to discuss. She and Li Pengfei exchanged a knowing glance, their eyes darting around. "Pengfei and I will do the work in the classroom. Picking up leaves is your job."

Picking up fallen leaves is a new duty activity this semester. Recently, the head of the teaching department has been acting strangely, insisting that the fallen leaves around the playground are affecting the school's appearance and making each class take turns cleaning them.

The fallen leaves were mainly concentrated on the playground, which was only a four or five-minute walk from the classroom. Lin Shiren and Zhou Lin walked one in front and one behind, about a meter apart. Zhou Lin took long strides, and the two quickly walked side by side.

"Go home, I'll pick up the leaves."

Lin Shih-ren wished he could do all the sweeping, mopping, and blackboard wiping himself, so he wouldn't have to be alone with him in such an awkward situation. He replied absentmindedly, "It wouldn't be good if the teacher found out."

Are you afraid of the teacher, or are you afraid of me?

Who's so blunt? She clenched her fingers, constantly reminding herself to be natural; it wasn't like she really had a crush on him.

The garbage bags rustled in the wind. Lin Shiren said calmly, "Being late means you should be punished. That's fair to everyone."

This is the season when camphor trees are lush and verdant. New leaves are sprouting, old leaves are turning red, and fallen camphor leaves cover the ground, rustling underfoot and casting long shadows.

Zhou Lin looked at her and said, "Doesn't it have to be this fair? Do we have to pick the same number of leaves?"

At that moment, the light of the setting sun shone down on him, making his ears appear transparent in the light, and he exuded a refreshing bath fragrance, giving him a youthful look.

Lin Shih-ren also resented his act of making him sign and put his fingerprint on something, his soft tone concealing his scheming: "Yes, that's the only fair way."

The fine downy hair on her face was also coated with a faint halo. Zhou Lin's lips curled up slightly, whether indulging or helpless, it was hard to tell: "Okay, whatever you say."

Dusk gradually deepened.

In the classroom, Li Pengfei put the mop back in its place and, at Song Ci's prompting, leaned over, both heads looking towards the playground.

"Everyone says that men and women working together makes the work easier, but picking them up from both ends of the playground seems a bit too far apart."

"Only those with a guilty conscience would avoid suspicion. Besides, what's the rush? We'll be meeting up soon."

As they were talking, they saw Zhou Lin jump up from the spot. The camphor tree swayed slightly, and the hem of his T-shirt fell down a little slower, revealing a section of his well-defined abs.

Both of them were shocked; this was too outrageous.

On the other side, Lin Shiren had long forgotten how many he had picked up. At first, he was counting them, but after squatting for a long time, he became a little dizzy. He looked up in a daze and saw Zhou Lin coming towards him against the light.

The night breeze blew through his T-shirt, outlining the boy's shoulder line, his prominent collarbone, and his Adam's apple. He had collected leaves from two-thirds of the playground, and the trash bag was almost full.

He asked her, "How many did you pick up?"

Lin Shih-ren remained silent.

A gust of wind swept by, leaving the vast playground spotless. She tentatively asked, "How much did you pick up?"

Zhou Lin was even more adept at probing than she was: "I asked first..."

Lin Shiren found it unbelievable that he would argue with a girl over such a trivial matter. After pursing his lips for a long time, he finally managed to say, "Whoever asked first, answers first."

Zhou Lin looked down at her as if he had heard a joke: "347, can you tell me yours now?"

She suppressed her guilt and avoided his gaze: "348."

This time, Zhou Lin couldn't help but burst out laughing. His casually given number was suddenly outdone. He nodded slightly, "I picked one less piece, what should I do?"

Lin Shiren secretly brought up old grievances to get revenge for himself: "You can only wait here."

"Wait for what?"

"Wait for the leaves to fall."

A note from the author:

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50 red envelopes