Chapter 47 Follow Your Heart

This was a tea party with love as its theme, and everyone who came knew it well. Lin Guantang seemed to have asked a question that was too unnecessary.

However, as the initiator of this tea party, Zhu Hechang fell silent, as if he was really stumped by this question. After a moment, he said with a half-smile:

"Questions always come in a first-come, first-served basis. After Lin answered my question, it was my turn to answer Lin's question."

Sure enough, there is an ulterior motive——

Lin Guantang also chuckled, not intending to fall into his question-and-answer trap:

"But whether the intention is good or bad is the premise of everything, isn't it? I always have to confirm what the sir's intention is first, to confirm whether he is genuinely curious about the answer to this question, or just wants to use this tea party to play a trick on all of us."

What does this mean? !

The onlookers looked at Lin Guantang in confusion and shock, with puzzled expressions swirling between the two people in front of them. They still didn't understand how the conversation between them had implicated everyone present.

Zhu Hechang sensed his intention, and felt that this Lin student looked innocent and harmless, and didn't seem to have an overly sharp personality. So, even though he knew the outcome might go in an uncontrollable direction, he still chose to take a gamble and said casually:

"Isn't Lin being too sensitive? I'm just curious about Lin's choice, but I don't plan to do anything. It's just a question. But Lin is saying such exaggerated words. It's really not a joke."

"I don't think this is a joke. Rather, let me ask everyone here: if you were to ask a similar question to everyone here after me, who would think this is a joke?"

Lin Guantang stared straight at him, not only was there no smile on his face anymore, but his eyes were also sharp, as if his ice-blue pupils had really turned into sharp blue ice cubes:

"Let's get back to the original topic, sir. If the theme of this tea party is simply to explore the longing for love, then the question you're asking me has gone beyond the scope of the meeting. In reality, whose love can be separated from the dealings of money? Who doesn't know that fantasy and reality are completely different things? Only by abiding by the rules of this tea party can we tacitly ignore the influence of reality and wealth and simply imagine the longing related to love. So, forcing speculation about choices related to money into this tea party is not only extremely boring, but as the host, you are actively violating the rules. Given this, it is difficult for people to trust your integrity."

"If your purpose in hosting this tea party was to test love with wealth—then, as the host, you concealed from everyone the fact that you would force people to choose between love and money. Could it be said that you deliberately concealed this crucial clue in order to play a trick on us? After letting everyone freely express their beautiful yearnings for love, you would then maliciously burst everyone's bubble, making them look like clowns who have broken their promises, just to satisfy your own amusement?"

"Regardless of which possibility it is, the fact that you asked me this question clearly indicates that you are adept at breaking the rules. If you host a banquet again, I will first consider whether I am qualified or not, to see if you will break the rules again and overturn the table midway, embarrassing everyone."

...This is a completely merciless criticism.

However, in this situation, it is obviously you who overturned the table midway, right, Lin?

Zhu Hechang's expression gradually became complicated.

Until Lin Guantang finished speaking, Zhu Hechang was still somewhat surprised that he would say such sharp words.

Of course he knew that he should have interrupted Lin Guantang earlier to minimize the losses and ensure a successful conclusion of the tea party, but after thinking it over several times, he finally chose to remain silent, wanting to see what surprising words Lin Guantang could say and how much impact he could cause.

The result can perhaps be described as "too good".

Lin Guantang spoke from the heart, and Zhu Hechang's deliberate targeting of him was witnessed by everyone, so it was easy for people to empathize with him. For a while, they felt uneasy and had all kinds of bad speculations about the intentions of Zhu Hechang, the organizer.

Seeing that Lin Guantang had fallen silent and no one around him spoke, Yuan Wenjun, as a good friend, immediately stood up to support him and said:

"Mr. Zhu, as a successful boss, it's not a glorious thing for you to embarrass a student in front of so many people."

Pu Xinglan tried to stop her from speaking, but she couldn't. Under everyone's gaze, he sighed and said:

"Mr. Lin might have gone a bit too far, but it's also human nature. Mr. Zhu, you come from the relatively advanced Fugan District, but your words and actions today are no different from those of an old aristocrat. You think that because you're older, you can arbitrarily control and embarrass young people, forcing them to do things they don't want to do. This is the most traditional dregs, and it's completely inconsistent with the freedom and indulgence that Fugan District is known for."

Then someone else raised his voice and said:

"What this student said is a little off. You haven't been to Fugan District, so you wouldn't know. They take pleasure in making people suffer. It's even popular to pay people to bark like dogs. This is a very common thing in Fugan District. If you were to ask where people are most likely to use money to humiliate others, it would be Fugan District."

"How inhumane! This is the Imperial Capital, not your Fugan District!"

"Mr. Zhu, since you plan to establish yourself in the Imperial Capital, I hope you can adapt to its customs and not use the rules of the Fugan District to wantonly trample on and play with the people of the Imperial Capital."

…

The noise of dissatisfaction in the crowd gradually rose. It was undeniable that some people were really angry because of what Lin Guantang said, but the source of the anger of another part came from the contempt of the imperial capital itself for the Fugan District.

Or perhaps the Imperial Capital and Fugan District had always looked down on each other, so after a little provocation, the people from the Imperial Capital present began to make rude accusations.

But at this moment, Lin Guantang still did not understand the feud between the Imperial Capital and the Fugan District, so the chaos that broke out at the scene was within Lin Guantang's expectations, but it was more intense than he had expected.

It was even more chaotic than Zhu Hechang had expected. Perhaps he was also surprised that "I knew that people in the imperial capital were prejudiced against the Fugan District, but I didn't expect they would be so prejudiced."

In the end, he failed to appease everyone's emotions, causing the tea party to end in a bad mood. Perhaps the impact was even more far-reaching. I'm afraid that after tonight, word will spread in the imperial capital that he is a person who does not keep his word and likes to break the rules.

But this was the consequence of Zhu Hechang's own carelessness, his failure to stop himself halfway, and his indulgence to the end, so he could only swallow the bitter fruit.

On the other hand, most of those who left in anger came to greet Lin Guantang, praising his bravery and fearlessness, and inviting him to get together if they had the chance.

If you put yourself in their shoes, anyone would feel unhappy if they were deliberately embarrassed, but everyone is used to maintaining the mask of peace. Even if they encounter some bad treatment, most people choose to endure it, but will not retaliate directly like Lin Guantang.

However, just because everyone chooses to endure due to various concerns does not mean that they will not appreciate those who dare to stand up.

But inevitably, Lin Guantang felt helpless...

He really just didn't want to be led by the nose, so he couldn't help but want to refute. It's not that he didn't think about causing chaos, but he really didn't expect it to cause such a big crisis.

Although in the eyes of most people, he deliberately wanted to cause this irreversible result and was a ruthless character who would "take revenge for any slight."

At least that's what Zhu Hechang thought.

After the most emotional group left, he sighed, "The people of the Imperial Capital really have a deep misunderstanding of the Fugan District."

Then, with mixed emotions, he said to Lin Guantang, who was still standing there:

"You have a gift for stirring people up."

Lin Guantang disagrees with this assessment:

"I just don't like to passively endure when I know I'm going to be embarrassed. Sir, it seems there's no need to continue this tea party. In that case, I'll take my leave."

After he finished speaking, he nodded slightly and leaned forward as a courtesy, then turned and left.

Yuan Wenjun and Pu Xinglan also left.

Zhu Hechang stood there, watching him walk farther and farther away, until he was completely out of his sight. Then he laughed to himself, confirming that this classmate Lin was not a pitiful little white rabbit, but a hedgehog that would raise its sharp spines when it sensed danger.

Hidden beneath the gentle and beautiful appearance is a sharp soul, and she is definitely not an object that can be manipulated by anyone.

Then he suddenly felt a little regretful about the sudden test he had decided to give him today, because it was obvious that he had left a bad first impression on Lin Guantang. If they had the chance to meet again in the future, it would probably be difficult to get closer to him.

***

I don't know when it started raining outside. It wasn't heavy, but it was continuous and dense, like a cloud of smoke covering the sky and earth, blurring my vision.

After the three of them walked out of the door, Yuan Wenjun started shouting excitedly. Even after returning to school, he excitedly said that he would post his performance today on the fan page to share with others. Lin Guantang did that in the heat of the moment, but he didn't intend to let this become a topic of conversation.

But facing his friend's request, it was difficult for him to say no. Besides, Pu Xinglan also told him that there were many students from O College among the participants today. Even if Yuan Wenjun didn't say it, others probably wouldn't keep it a secret.

"Because it's really handsome, even I will remember it for a long time."

This kind of evaluation coming from the usually aloof Pu Xinglan made Lin Guantang feel even more embarrassed, so in the end he just let them do whatever they wanted.

After returning to the dormitory, Lin Guantang had the opportunity to check the terminal messages, and then he found that he was not the only one who had an exciting experience today.

A big disturbance also broke out at the Central Military Academy today.

It all started with two people at the Central Military Academy arguing in the cafeteria over a meal. It was a perfectly normal thing, but both of them had bad tempers and didn't want to back down. They also happened to have some close friends, and it was the weekend, so there were more students free.

And the most important reason - the head of the discipline department, Huo Shizhen, was not in school, so the quarrel between two people developed into a fight between a group of people, and finally evolved into an offensive and defensive battle between the two forces around the cafeteria. There were even people laying out the battlefield, and there was even a traitor!

Specifically, in the small group of seven people led by Lin Guantang, as S-rank, the four freshmen in the group also shouldered heavy responsibilities. They would send each other battle records, mocking each other, and racking their brains to trick each other...

Even Lin Guantang, an unrelated person, was watching intently, his blood boiling. He was so engrossed in reading the chat records that he temporarily dispelled his unhappiness at being targeted at the tea party.

When I turned to the end of the chat history, I saw Sikong Tan, who was originally very enthusiastic about reporting on the battlefield. When the battle was almost coming to an end, he suddenly said: Did you all have fun? Then I have better news for you. Huo Shizhen will rush back to the imperial capital tonight and is about to enter Qingluan Avenue. He should be able to come back to school in time to watch your battle results and put an extremely perfect and surprising end to today's battle^^.

The results of the battle refer to...

The cafeteria with chairs and benches scattered everywhere, or the red and green blisters and bullet marks, or the students who were still wandering outside long after curfew, making a lot of noise on the entire campus...

Senior, the perfection and surprise you mentioned seem more like shock the more I think about it.

There was an immediate uproar in the group, accusing Sikong Tan of having a bad conscience. He had known that Huo Shizhen was coming back but he didn't tell them in advance, and had to wait until now. It only took more than half an hour to drive from Qingluan Avenue to the Central Military Academy. Even if manual and automatic cleaners were all running at full speed, they would not be able to clean the scene in time.

But what does that have to do with Lin Guantang? He is not a student of the Central Military Academy and can't help at all. He can only encourage them politely and hope that they can create a miracle within half an hour.

On the other hand, Lin Guantang was surprised by what Sikong Tan said. He also didn't expect that Huo Shizhen would actually come back to the imperial capital. Thinking about it, Huo Shizhen had said before that he would be away for a month, it felt like not much time had passed, but when he calculated the time carefully, it was indeed such a long time.

Normally, he had never thought about meeting him, but when Sikong suddenly mentioned that he was coming back, Lin Guantang wanted to see him again, especially when he saw Sikong Tan said that Huo Shizhen was currently at Qingluan Avenue. Isn't that where the O Courtyard is...

So Lin Guantang couldn't help but wonder if he could have a chance encounter if he went there now.

Especially when Lin Guantang privately messaged Huo Shizhen and asked about his current location, the other party directly sent the location, which was only one street away from the main gate of O Hospital. If he ran as fast as he could from his dormitory, he might not be able to make it in time to see him.

Lin Guantang was not a person who liked to be entangled. He had the idea of ​​going out to find someone, so he made a decision after thinking about it for less than a minute. He asked Huo Shizhen to walk slower, and then hurriedly ran out with an umbrella.

It was not until he had run to the boulevard, with only the overwhelming rain and fog and the dim street lights illuminating him, and the road was already empty, that Lin Guantang began to regret. He had not asked Huo Shizhen which intersection he would pass by, nor when he would arrive, and he had not even waited for Huo Shizhen's reply before running out. It was too rash.

But I've already come out... should I turn back?

Lin Guantang opened the terminal, and the interface remained on the private chat interface with Huo Shizhen. As expected, he did not reply to him with any answer, but sent him a location sharing.

So Lin Guantang's wavering heart completely turned to Huo Shizhen's side. After joining the location sharing, he gripped the umbrella handle and walked in the rain as quickly as possible.

About twenty minutes later, Lin Guantang stood beside the deserted street, watching the falling rain. Then, as if sensing something, he looked in a certain direction and saw lights moving towards him at a constant speed in the dark night.

——That must be Huo Shizhen’s car.

He took out the terminal and saw that the two dots in the location sharing were very close to each other, so he waved towards the light in an almost excited mood.

Then the pitch-black vehicle stopped smoothly in front of him.

The car window was half-rolled, revealing a young man in a floral shirt and orange hair in the driver's seat. He looked over at him with a look of obvious surprise in his eyes. He then whistled and said to him with a grin:

"My dear, I don't drive a taxi. If you're in a hurry to go back, I can call a car for you. I'm afraid you might be afraid to get in a stranger's car. Or you can walk two or three hundred meters further and there's a bus stop."

Although he seemed rather frivolous and spoke frivolously, he did have good intentions.

Lin Guantang waved at him awkwardly, indicating that he was not taking a taxi.

But when he looked inside again, he saw the person in the passenger seat of the car. Against the backdrop of the dark night, his long silver hair was particularly eye-catching.

If it’s not Huo Shizhen, then who else could it be?

When Huo Shizhen turned around and looked at him, Lin Guantang couldn't help but tilt his head and smile at him.

But before he could say hello, Huo Shizhen turned around and even withdrew his gaze.

No way!

Doesn't sharing your location mean you're going to meet me? Did I misunderstand?

Lin Guantang opened the terminal and took a look at their chat content:

[Haitang]: Senior, where are you now?

Huo Shizhen: [Location]

[Huo Shizhen]: [Location sharing has ended]

Sigh... If I have to say it, it seems that I really don't see the intention of coming out to meet...

But then again, since we have already "met by chance", why pretend not to know each other? Is it embarrassing to let people know that you and I know each other?

The smile on Lin Guantang's lips gradually faded, his excitement subsided, and another feeling called grievance surged up.

Fortunately, Huo Shizhen did not intend to let the car drive away and splash him with mud. Instead, he spoke:

"Call a car to pick someone up."

The driver, a young man named Luo Fan, uttered an "oh" and subconsciously pulled out his phone to look for a nearby friend. After finding someone and greeting them, he finally remembered to ask while waiting:

"Where are we taking her to? Boss, do you know this little beauty?"

Huo Shizhen curled his lips, with a hint of ridicule:

"Since he doesn't dare to get in a stranger's car, you called the car yourself and picked him up without having to worry about any accidents."

Luo Fan: ...

This seems to make sense, the boss is indeed the boss...

wrong--

What the boss meant by this sentence was that the person who was going to be picked up was not the beautiful girl who stopped the car on the roadside, but him, the driver.

How could I, the driver, be kicked out of the car? Is this right?

Luo Fan looked at the boss in disbelief, suspecting that he had heard something wrong, but the boss's expression told him that he was right.

Luo Fan immediately felt heartbroken. He never expected that his loyalty to the boss for many years was not as good as a little beauty he met on the roadside. It turned out that the boss who had never been interested in women could not resist the temptation of beauty and abandoned his brothers for beauty. It really disappointed him.

Wait—this seems to be O Hospital.

The boss had just specifically let him pass through this road, and there was a little beauty waiting here—

Luo Fan's eyes lit up, and he felt that he understood everything...

Could it be that the boss is really feeling the effects of love, so he's planning a spontaneous date in the rain with his partner?!

Oh, the boss has finally fallen in love with O, and he can’t miss the opportunity to spend time with her because of me.

As a suitable younger brother, Luo Fan consciously got out of the car and waited, and took away the gifts that the boss in the car brought back for him and his friend. The fact that Huo Shizhen could win the hearts of the people despite tormenting them in various ways was partly due to the fact that he would often prepare various gifts for his younger brothers.

Under Luo Fan's relieved smile - but Lin Guantang always felt that his smile was very evil, Lin Guantang still sat in the passenger seat with a bit of fear, and then Huo Shizhen drove away.

In fact, Lin Guantang was still a little hesitant about whether to go in. After all, he really just ran out to meet him on a whim, and didn't say he would go out to play with them.

But the people had already gotten off the car very enthusiastically, so he couldn't just refuse and say that he didn't mean that.

So in the end, Lin Guantang got into the car tremblingly.

Until his friend drove over, Luo Fan still had a silly smile on his face, as if he had bumped into something, and his friend almost thought he was stupid because of the rain.

Not long after Luo Fan got in the car, he suddenly remembered another thing -

If this beautiful girl I met by chance on the road is really the spouse that the eldest brother has his eyes on, then my initial words and actions would be like teasing my eldest sister-in-law in front of my eldest brother... What's the difference between this and seeking death!

Luo Fan's eyes went dark and he collapsed in despair.

The friend glanced at him and asked casually:

"Why, did you lose three games of cards?"

"No, it's something more desperate than that—I've never been so unlucky. That's not what I want to talk about. This is a serious matter, don't be funny."

Luo Fan turned his head and asked with little hope:

"What if—I mean what if—someone teases my sister-in-law, what will be the consequences?"

"First, I need a sister-in-law, and secondly—"

The friend smiled gloatingly and looked at him with pity:

"If this is really done, then this 'someone' should choose a burial site with good feng shui in advance, so that he won't be such an idiot in his next life."

Luo Fan tilted his neck and looked at the rain outside the window. He felt infinite sadness in his heart and felt that his future was as dark as this rainy night.