The playground was exceptionally quiet at night. Two people walked leisurely on the playground. The street lights on both sides of the playground were not turned on. The silhouette of the sky and the city blocked the stars, and there was no light on the horizon. Most of the light sources on the playground came from the lighted teaching buildings. The interweaving of dim light and light with a hint of book fragrance was quite artistic, but it was not very stable. The light was fleeting, making the faces of the people around them always hidden in the interweaving of light and shadow.
I can only say that this kind of mood is specially prepared for young couples. If there is ambiguity in their hearts, they deceive themselves and make themselves think that they can deceive the eyes of others and no one can see it, hold hands, and their emotions will warm up.
Or they can hide it more secretly and do some secretive body fluid exchanges through mouth-to-mouth communication.
Although he was accompanied by a beautiful woman, it was a pity that Chen Tinghan and Wang Jinling were not doing anything behind the scenes as Xu Jingwen had guessed. Instead, they had their own thoughts and were at odds with each other.
The two walked to the east side of the playground, to another teaching building far away from Class 8, which was the classroom for the international class.
The classroom on the first floor facing the playground is the music activity room, which is basically the territory of art students. The melodious chorus coming from it is suitable as a background for conversation, so the two stopped.
But Chen Tinghan didn’t know how to start, he had too many concerns.
If the world were so simple, Chen Tinghan really wanted to ask her directly: Are you back too?
A strange silence lingered for a moment, and Wang Jinling was the first to speak. She smiled and said, "It's said that eight out of ten pairs of boys and girls who walk together on the playground at Haiyi Middle School in the evening are lovers."
"We should have gone to the same high school as them, and studied the same math textbook, regardless of liberal arts or science. We should have all studied the statistics chapter before the college entrance exam."
Chen Tinghan calmed down his stiff mood, put on a smile, pursed his lips, and said, "Talking should be done after investigation and with evidence. And eight out of ten couples are right? What bullshit."
Wang Jinling laughed pleasantly and said, "That's right. These are all, uh, bullshit rumors."
It was obvious that she was not used to swearing. After she finished speaking, she stuck out her tongue cutely and said, "You think that we should pay attention to evidence and conduct thorough investigation before doing anything."
He said, "Yes, after all, the world is so complicated. If you act recklessly based on your own will, no one can predict the consequences if you make a mistake."
Chen Tinghan sighed and said, "It's not just as simple as just hurtful words."
Wang Jinling still maintained her flawless smile and said abruptly, "Ji Yanghai is still in Wanghai City."
The topic and context changed so quickly that Chen Tinghan's eyes twitched and the smile on his face faded. He said coldly, "Where is it?"
Her tone was calm and nonchalant as she asked, "Is this important to you?"
"It's very important to you." Chen Tinghan said, "You know what he has done and what he has learned over the years, and how dangerous he is. You should know what it means to let someone like him act freely and get away with it.
So I really want to know how you knew him and through what channels did you get to know this person."
"This is all thanks to you." Wang Jinling said softly.
Chen Tinghan's pupils shrank, and after a moment of silence, he said, "What do you mean?"
"You only approached me because you knew who Zhang Keqi was, right?"
Zhang Keqi… Could it be that the problem lies with this Zhang Keqi? Chen Tinghan quickly reviewed the entire history of their interactions in his mind, tracing it back to when he had just been reborn and was eager to find out more about Wang Jinling. Then he brought up Zhang Keqi's name, hoping to test Wang Jinling's reaction.
This left Chen Tinghan at a loss as to how to respond.
Wang Jinling asked, "Where should I begin?"
Chen Tinghan casually said, "Tell me about your family."
"Okay, let's be frank." Wang Jinling said this and responded.
The empty playground at night is not silent. In the distance, the music students who are about to perform are singing the practiced songs with passion and enthusiasm. The girl nearby is describing her family in a distant and indifferent way, as if she is talking about something that has nothing to do with her. Soon, the outline of a secret family that is never told to outsiders emerges.
"A 'social big brother' like Zhang Keqi has always had a close relationship with my family. To be more precise, he has been serving our family since I was in elementary school, and he always follows my father's lead."
"So when I heard this name from you, I was very surprised and very alert. I suspected that you might have ulterior motives." Wang Jinling said.
"That's why you agreed to let me approach you, because you wanted to find out what I'm up to." Chen Tinghan said.
“That’s one of the reasons.”
Chen Tinghan asked, "What is the second one?"
Wang Jinling didn't answer. She simply looked at Chen Tinghan, gave him a vague yet meaningful smile, and continued, "I investigated not only you, but also Zhang Keqi and Liu Huawei. If I hadn't, it would have been hard to imagine a 'businessman' secretly having an affair with a school teacher. But after finding out, I'm relieved. This isn't the first time."
"Not the first time what?"
"Surveillance." Wang Jinling uttered this disgusting word.
"Most people probably haven't experienced the feeling of being monitored by their own family. Apart from the basic privacy protections such as my own room and bathroom, I don't feel safe anywhere."
"I couldn't laugh when I was happy, or cry when I was sad. My voice couldn't exceed a specified decibel, and my body movements couldn't exceed a certain amplitude. As I grew older, these 'instructions' became more and more detailed. They were like cement, sealing me into a man-made mold of perfection."
"If I don't meet any of the requirements, what kind of punishment will I receive? Actually, if I think about it carefully, there isn't any substantial punishment. Even corporal punishment and whipping are things that happened when I was a child. But he doesn't need that. He knows where the human heart is most vulnerable."
"Have you ever wondered what kind of environment could create someone like me? This is the answer."
Chen Tinghan fell into a long silence, and the singing stopped at some point, and the two of them sat there in silence.
After a while, Wang Jinling suddenly said, "I was afraid you would sympathize with me. Now it seems I can rest assured."
Chen Tinghan shook his head and said, "Sympathy is an insult to you."
Wang Jinling smiled happily. She found that she liked this boy more and more.
"I'm not complaining to you, or praising so-called suffering. However, I've endured what ordinary people can't, and it's indeed brought me quite generous rewards. I've learned a lot, and I'm finally able to break the cement that sealed me. Do I need sympathy?"
"No, I just don't think identities like being a woman, a student, or a victim can be exchanged for value."
"I will be prepared to use the methods he taught me against him."
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