This thing looks pretty intimidating. I'll take it back to my mom.

She'll probably be able to hang that red banner up until next year's Spring Festival.

On the stage, Zhou Weiguo, Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Education, personally held the trophy and certificate.

She waited for him with a big smile on her face.

Standing next to him was Gu Changfeng, the chairman of the Provincial Writers Association.

That old man who always smiled like Maitreya Buddha,

At this moment, he was scrutinizing Lin Que with a meaningful gaze.

Lin Que walked up to the two of them and bowed slightly as a sign of respect for his elders.

Zhou Weiguo handed over the heavy trophy, not in a hurry to let go.

Instead, he lowered his voice and spoke in a volume that only the two of them could hear:

"Lin, your article is quite wild. However, Professor Jian Shen asked me to pass on a message to you."

Lin Que raised an eyebrow, finding it amusing to himself.

I'm sending myself a message? How come I didn't know that?

But he still maintained the demeanor of a well-behaved high school student, and blinked:

"Director Zhou, please go ahead."

Zhou Weiguo leaned closer, a mischievous glint in his eyes:

He said, "It's okay to write about demons, but don't live your own life as a demon."

The older members of the marking team all have heart problems.

Lin Que was taken aback.

This was clearly not something "sharp-eyed" said, but rather Zhou Weiguo jokingly.

Is this old fox implying that he saw the immersive "madness" in the article?

Lin Que smiled faintly and accepted the trophy.

She replied softly:

"Strong medicine cures all ills. A scare is all it takes to wake up those who are pretending to be asleep."

Zhou Weiguo was taken aback, then burst into laughter and patted Lin Que's shoulder forcefully.

"Good lad! I like him!"

This sudden burst of laughter was amplified throughout the venue via the microphone.

This left the teachers and students below completely confused.

What exactly did Lin Que say that made the usually serious Director Zhou laugh like that?

Gu Changfeng stroked his beard, smiling without saying a word.

The host handed over the microphone at the opportune moment:

"It seems that Director Zhou greatly admires our top prize winner."

So, Lin Que, you've won this only top prize!

With such high praise from Professor Jian Shen, is there anything you'd like to say to everyone?

The entire room fell silent.

Everyone pricked up their ears.

I'd love to hear what kind of profound insights this "prodigy" would offer.

Should I thank my teachers? My parents? Or should I talk about my creative inspiration?

Lin Que held the microphone with one hand, not in a hurry to speak.

A silence spread, silencing all the noise in the room.

His gaze swept across the dense crowd below the stage.

He saw the excited Shen Qingqiu, the complicated Zhao Zichen, and the ashamed Liu Yi with his head bowed.

I also saw more eyes filled with curiosity, jealousy, and inquiry.

He suddenly felt a little bored.

This occasion is like a masquerade ball.

Everyone plays a role assigned by society and speaks appropriately.

Since everyone is being so proper, someone has to go and cause some trouble.

Lin Que took a deep breath and spoke.

"Actually, I don't have much to say."

The host was stunned by the first sentence.

"I didn't expect to win an award when I wrote this essay."

I was even prepared to get zero.

The audience erupted in uproar.

Lin Que's voice was calm, without any inflection.

"Everyone was just discussing 'waiting'."

Some people wait for the flowers to bloom, some wait for the rain to stop, and some wait for their dreams to come true.

These are all wonderful, truly.

He paused, then changed the subject.

"However, literature should not only be beautiful."

"When we sat in the bright classroom, reciting 'Facing the sea, with spring flowers blooming,'..."

A homeless man under the bridge is fighting with a stray dog ​​for a single steamed bun.

When we sing praises of 'human nature is inherently good' in our essays,

In the hospital corridor, someone was kneeling and kowtowing because they couldn't afford medical treatment.

"Light is precious because darkness is everywhere."

Lin Que's gaze turned somewhat cold.

"The crow I wrote about, he's a bastard."

He robs, he curses, he's greedy.

But he saved people.

Why?

Because for those who want to die, gentle words of comfort are sometimes ineffective.

Only pure malice can ignite their survival instincts.

It was anger, resentment, and a savage desire to prove, "I can't just die like this!"

"Therefore, don't treat literature like a flower in a greenhouse."

Lin Que raised the trophy in his hand and waved it in the light, as if he were wielding a knife.

"It should be a scalpel."

Even if it hurts and bleeds when it's cut open,

But only by cutting open the abscess can the wound heal.

"This award is not for me."

He looked at Shen Qingqiu below the stage, then at the distant void.

"It's for the crow under that bridge, for all the 'evil spirits' who struggle in despair but still choose to live on."

"Thanks."

After Lin Que finished speaking, he shoved the microphone back into the hands of the stunned host and turned to leave.

There were no impassioned platitudes, no tearful expressions of gratitude.

Decisive and straightforward.

The entire room fell silent.

A full five seconds passed.

Yan Zheng, the stern judge who had once given a zero score, was the first to stand up.

His face flushed red, and he clapped his hands forcefully.

"good!"

The roar sounded like a signal.

Immediately afterwards, Gu Changfeng clapped, and Zhou Weiguo clapped.

Shen Qingqiu wiped away her tears while clapping.

Zhao Zichen clapped his hands until they were red.

The applause erupted like thunder.

It even drowned out the music from the awards ceremony.

Lin Que walked down the steps, listened to the noise behind him, and rubbed his ears.

I should have said less.

I'm sure I'll get another heart-to-heart talk from Teacher Shen when I get back.

He just wanted to get back to the hotel and take off that damn school uniform.

Then, in the capacity of "sharp insight",

Add a little more shock to these stunned people.

...