Chapter 36

The results of the match will be announced one hour later.

Wen Zhiling and Lin Li's group found 4 origami cranes, Zong Linhan found 4, and Li Xu and Li Wan each found 1. The Lu siblings found none. Lu Qin was lazy, and Lu Siyi, feeling dizzy and with a sore foot, went back to the villa in a daze and lay down to enjoy the air conditioning.

After all that fuss, it was past nine o'clock. Lin Li said there was still plenty of time and suggested organizing another island knowledge competition. This time, the production team didn't give the veteran any face and politely suggested planning it for tomorrow. The double-length day came to an end.

The bathroom door opened, and Wen Zhiling came out drying her hair, then sat down on the small sofa behind the coffee table.

The room was dark, with only faint moonlight filtering through the curtains. The girl's neck was pale, her wet hair clinging to it. Her white cotton nightgown barely reached her knees, and as she curled her legs up, the fabric slid up, revealing her fair thighs and delicate skin.

Her pointed chin rested on her knees, her dark eyes fixed intently on the wardrobe. The third drawer was tightly closed, secured with a small silver lock. Inside were two strips of medicine, now only one and a half strips remained. The dosage was a maximum of one pill every two weeks, and she had taken four pills in one go today.

The towel patted her half-dry hair, leaving the ends resting on her neck. Through the thin towel, Wen Zhiling pressed three fingers against the carotid artery. The pulse beneath her fingertips was strong, steady, rhythmic—one, two, three beats—indicating healthy bodily functions.

Wen Zhiling felt conflicted. She had a vague feeling that something was wrong with Lu Qin, and she knew she should discuss it with Zong Linhan, but her body made the decision to take the medicine.

Should we discuss this with Zong Linhan?

The night breeze billowed the curtains, and Wen Zhiling looked over. In the moonlight, the man's figure was tall and slender. He nimbly leaped into the room, as light and elegant as a wildcat. He did something as shameful as thief climbing over a wall with such openness and honesty, his every move exuding a unique charm.

Wen Zhiling: "..."

Zong Linhan looked up. "What?" Wen Zhiling glanced at the time. "Do you really have time to sleep?"

Zong Linhan sat down on the small sofa. "I thought you were going to say something. I only need three hours of sleep a day."

Wen Zhiling: "..."

When she was risking her life for money, she still slept at least five hours a day.

His physical strength is amazing.

Zong Linhan looked at Wen Zhiling without speaking, a slight smile playing on his lips, as if he could read the words "amazing physical strength" in her eyes.

He smiled playfully, about to speak, when Wen Zhiling spoke first, "No harassment allowed."

Zong Linhan: "..." Fine.

The small sofa was so small that two people had to sit with their shoulders and arms touching. Wen Zhiling's nightgown was being held down by Zong Linhan, and she struggled to pull it off.

Zong Linhan: "The scores should be announced tomorrow, and we'll be told we got the free spots. We'll apply for the activity time the day after tomorrow morning, and I'll take you to Guangquan tomorrow night."

Wen Zhiling: "Mm."

Zong Linhan: "How's it going today?"

Wen Zhiling: "It has no impact."

Zong Linhan hesitated: "We can go in a few days."

Wen Zhiling interrupted, "It's really nothing, you can see for yourself."

She stretched out her hand, her fair wrist placed in front of Zong Linhan, indicating that he should feel her pulse. Zong Linhan lifted his eyelids slightly, his eyes as dark as a deep pool, as if he harbored doubts about her frank honesty.

The air froze silently for a moment.

"Too hasty." Wen Zhiling remained outwardly calm, but inwardly thought, "Sure enough, only those with a guilty conscience are in a hurry to present proof of their innocence."

Zong Linhan knew where she had put the medicine. He tilted his head slightly, as if he wanted to look at the wardrobe.

“Cherry tomatoes…when you gave me cherry tomatoes today, I felt very at ease,” Wen Zhiling said softly, “like I was being protected.”

Zong Linhan's gaze lingered on her profile, her eyelashes drooping and trembling slightly, her slender white fingers twirling the lace trim of her pajamas. "Do you remember a long time ago, there was a convenience store owner who kept harassing me, the one you later helped me get revenge on?"

Zong Linhan was slightly taken aback. "When did you find out?"

Wen Zhiling: "I've always known. I went there that day and happened to see it."

At that time, Wen Zhiling had just left the Li family with only a little money left for rent, and had been working odd jobs and wandering around for two years. Without identity, education, or support, finding suitable work and a fixed place to live was a very difficult and risky endeavor.

She sat on the bus, leaning against the window. Around her were students chatting about exams and their crushes, office workers making phone calls to arrange dinners or complaining about their bosses, and elderly people chatting all the way home from school with their grandchildren. She sat in the corner, free from all those worldly worries and concerns.

She later found a job working the night shift at a small convenience store. Across the street was a hot pot restaurant with a TV screen outside. The owner was a fan of Zong Linhan and often showed his movies.

Late at night, with few customers, Wen Zhiling leaned against the door watching a movie. The movie she watched most often featured Zong Linhan, who played a public official framed and burdened with a criminal case, much like her, a petty rat scurrying through the shadows of the bustling city. However, unlike her own precarious situation, Zong Linhan in the movie still cared for those around him and helped the weak. The winter wind brushed against her cheeks like tiny, sharp knives, not comfortable, but his superb acting and nuanced performance acted like a small stove, becoming the source of her initial, hazy affection, giving rise to a liking that transcended time and space.

Later, the convenience store owner returned to his hometown to retire, and the store manager became the owner's son-in-law, a middle-aged man in his forties. After repeatedly making unwanted advances, Wen Zhiling finally broke off all pretense and threatened to tell his wife about it.

She lost her job without a second thought. On the day she stormed out, clutching her money, the hot pot restaurant was still playing that same movie—the same plot, the same actors, the same performances. What had once been a source of warmth had, in that instant, become a knife in the cold wind. Wen Zhiling suddenly realized that the movie was fake, and in the real world, no one would come to her rescue.

She suddenly hated him. The process of going from a casual fan to a complete hater was abrupt and inexplicable, and had nothing to do with Zong Linhan himself.

Later, she unexpectedly brought him home. The two spent every day together and couldn't stand each other. When Zong Linhan discovered that Wen Zhiling had browsed his anti-fan forum, a fierce argument broke out.

That day, Wen Zhiling had just lost her new job. The convenience store owner's wife discovered that he had sexually harassed the employees, but he twisted the truth and blamed everything on Wen Zhiling. His wife went to her new workplace and made a scene.

"You didn't even come to save me!"

In short, Wen Zhiling was extremely aggrieved that day, crying her heart out, which completely stunned Zong Linhan.

Aren't they arguing that she's his hater and he's interrogating her about her ulterior motives?

Seeing the girl cry so heartbrokenly for the first time truly terrified Zong Linhan. He answered the second harassing phone call from the landlady, hung up, took Wen Zhiling's phone, and went outside to strike back, playing the role of an anonymous good Samaritan. Wen Zhiling, who followed him out, witnessed a heroic tale unfolding in real life.

Wen Zhiling lowered her eyes, avoiding Zong Linhan's gaze. "When I was eating cherry tomatoes, I suddenly remembered this incident, so I wasn't afraid when facing Lin Li."

She raised her face. "Don't worry about me. Let's proceed according to plan, okay?"

I don't know how much Zong Linhan believed.

Wen Zhiling lay on the bed reviewing her performance, wondering how well she had fooled the professionals.

But before he left, he promised to stick to the original plan and sneak out to find the aperture the next night.

It shouldn't be a big problem...

Exhausted and feeling weak and heavy in her limbs, Wen Zhiling couldn't fall asleep. She drifted in and out of sleep, alternating between dreams and reality. One moment she was watching a movie outside a convenience store, the next she was searching for job postings on telephone poles in the streets and alleys, calling each one. Then she was back in her room, seeing Zong Linhan standing by the wardrobe, holding an empty medicine box.

Everything around her suddenly shrank. She stood in the corridor, facing a half-open door with the doorknob at eye level. Wen Zhiling realized that she had shrunk. Looking down at her hands, she saw that her wrists were thin and her fingers were small.

"...The information has been found, but my family has already noticed it. Tsk, I'll have to find another place..." A very pleasant young man's voice came from the room.

There were people playing pool in the room. She walked over and pushed open the door, and the sound of the pool balls clashing immediately stopped.

Two tall young men stood around the pool table, their features indistinct, as if shrouded in a hazy halo. One wore glasses and was slowly wiping his cue. The other leaned against the table, his white shirt clean and tidy, but not properly worn; the top four buttons were loosely undone. He had a cigarette between his teeth, but didn't light it, and glanced casually at the small figure by the door.

For a moment, no one spoke.

The young man wiping the golf club hesitated for a moment, then put it aside and reached into his pocket to take something out. Wen Zhiling felt startled by his action, tightened her grip on the doorknob, and trembled.

The young man in the shirt burst out laughing, his gaze towards his companion filled with undisguised mockery. The bespectacled man paused, his hand clutching a handful of candies, now awkwardly placing them all on the pool table, unsure whether to offer them or not.

"Take it back," the young man lazily ordered, then looked towards the door and commanded the little girl, "Go back to sleep."

The people at the door didn't move, and the young man ignored her, gesturing for the bespectacled man to hit the ball.

The sound of balls being swished filled the air as the colorful balls shifted positions on the pool table. The candy wrappers along the edge were attractive and glossy.

The bespectacled man was clearly uncomfortable being stared at by the child, and awkwardly tried to make conversation, asking, "Have you given her a new name yet?"

The young man scoffed: "You know how to name lab mice?"

The bespectacled man glanced instinctively at the doorway, a hint of disapproval in his voice, "Don't talk like that."

Perhaps it was her protective gesture that touched the little girl, for she walked to the pool table, stopped next to the man with glasses, and looked at him instead of at the candy.

The bespectacled man tried hard to force a smile, but failed.

"Doctor?" the girl asked softly.

The young man opposite me, unusually in a good mood, explained, "He's not your doctor, he's my friend. You've met him before, remember?"

The little girl didn't say anything, but her gaze unconsciously drifted back to the milk candy.

The bespectacled young man said awkwardly, "I probably don't remember."

Little girl: "Cake..."

The bespectacled man's eyes lit up. He bent down slightly to meet the little girl's gaze, his tone revealing a hint of surprise, "You remember?"

The little girl took two steps back and nodded timidly.

The young man frowned, clearly displeased. "You gave her sweets?"

The bespectacled man sighed: "You don't know, back then, in the whole office, Xiao Zhou, Xiao Wen, Sister Lan, she would smile whenever she saw them, but hide whenever she saw me. Every day, I would be questioned by those guys about whether I had bullied her."

Young man: "Sister Lan gave you the idea of ​​using candy to bribe the kids, right?"

The bespectacled man rubbed his temples. "Stop laughing!"

The little girl's hand quietly touched the table, her fingertips brushing against the candy wrapper. The young man's cold gaze swept over her, and she immediately withdrew her hand, hiding it behind her back with a wronged expression.

The bespectacled man disapproved of the bullying of children, asking, "Is it okay to eat a little bit occasionally?"

The young man sneered, "That's her usual tactic. She does it like this in the orphanage. She seems obedient and pitiful, and she'll follow you with a piece of candy. But she's actually very wary. She's just a little clever and knows that playing the victim is one of the fastest ways to achieve her goals. Don't be fooled by her."

The little girl stood with her head down, looking as if she had done something wrong, her eyelashes trembling slightly, as if glistening tears might slide down her cheeks at any moment.

The bespectacled man said, "It's just a piece of candy. If she wants it, just give it to her."

The young man clicked his tongue. "When she gets annoying, what are you going to do with her? I'm still the only one dealing with her, aren't I?"

The bespectacled man patiently persuaded her, "Eating a piece of candy won't have a big impact on her blood. She's still young, and it's perfectly normal for her to want to eat candy. You can't have never given her candy, can you?"

The young man raised an eyebrow: "Of course not."

The quiet little girl suddenly spoke up: "Yes, it's delicious."

The man with glasses: "..."

The young man, annoyed by the rebuttal, retorted, "I didn't, don't talk nonsense."

The little girl insisted, "It's delicious."

The man with glasses: "..."

The bespectacled man took out another bag of milk candy and placed it on the pool table.

Young man: "...Are you sick? You don't go to the wholesale market to buy candy every time you come to my house, do you?"

The bespectacled man cleared his throat, naturally ignoring the topic, and stuffed a piece of candy into the little girl's hand.

With the youth's tacit approval, the candy packaging was not opened.

The bespectacled man was even more embarrassed. He didn't know why he was so easily embarrassed; he genuinely lacked experience dealing with children. He hesitated and asked, "Don't want to eat anymore?"

The little girl remained silent, stuffed the candy back into the bespectacled man's hand, and then took one from the table herself, as if she wanted them to share it at the same time.

"She remembers you're from the office and is worried you might poison the candy." The young man, having finally had his fill of the spectacle, burst into laughter. "You've taken my kindness for granted."

The bespectacled man covered his face in frustration.

The young man waved his hand and said casually, "Eat up, he won't hurt you."

Just as she unwrapped the candy, she heard the bespectacled man sigh softly: "Can't I?"

The dream faded most of its way, like waves washing over a beach, taking away most of the traces and turning the milk candy into a citrus flavor.

Wen Zhiling buried her face in the pillow, and a faint citrus scent wafted from all directions, or more precisely, from Zong Linhan's room across from the living room. It seemed that even four suppressants couldn't suppress this strong aroma.