All the scandals were caused by Robert, who was just watching the drama unfold.
On Monday morning, the rain had just stopped, and the sunlight was thin but bright.
After the flag-raising ceremony at Huiwen High School, the principal, holding the microphone, said: "Everyone, the senior year is a tough battle. I'll just say a few words..."
He can be concise, but he often has a long story to tell.
The playground was surrounded by camphor trees. Class 1 of the senior year happened to be in the shade, but the other classes were not so lucky. They were all drooping in the sun, with sweat dripping from their foreheads.
Lin Shiren stared at her toes, seemingly listening, but her gaze was unfocused. She had cried last night and had been knocked out by a bottle of RIO; the swelling on her face and the dark circles under her eyes were clearly visible.
Suddenly, a round of applause and a small commotion arose around her, bringing her back to her senses.
The school spared no expense in awarding him the prize, not only creating a custom-made trophy but also awarding him 50,000 yuan in cash.
All eyes were on the stage. Zhou Lin stood beside the principal, a head taller than him. He was a natural clothes hanger; the school uniform looked even more stylish on him, making him appear clean-cut and handsome. He took the microphone from the principal, and his pleasant voice echoed throughout the playground.
The group was filled with restlessness, with many people whispering among themselves, and the whispers gradually drifted over on the wind.
"Zhou Lin got into some kind of messy affair somewhere and got killed!"
"There was nothing wrong with dating him, so it's not worth posting about him online after breaking up..."
"I don't think we need to resort to conspiracy theories; it's all baseless."
"It depends on whether Zhou Lin will pursue the matter. If he chooses to let it go, it's probably true."
After Lin Shih-jen sensitively picked up a few keywords, he was first stunned, then gasped, and his expression changed from doubt to surprise.
Are they talking about Zhou Lin?
His house collapsed?
The sheer volume of information and the sheer number of questions momentarily overwhelmed her, causing her to forget all her negative emotions. She focused intently on the sensational gossip they were discussing. Perhaps the commotion in the group was too great, for the head teacher's gaze swept over them with a fierce intensity, silencing the gossipy crowd. Lin Shiren could only give up her own thoughts as well.
Meanwhile, the flag-raising ceremony concluded.
As the line in front began to move, she subconsciously searched for Zhou Lin's figure. He was still on the stage, watching the principal leave. Suddenly, he glanced at the playground. Across four or five classes, their eyes met in an instant, and Lin Shiren immediately looked away.
The moment she looked away, she regretted it.
What's there to feel guilty about? Besides, you're so far away, you weren't even looking at her.
It has to be said that the top student in the grade has a strong mentality. Even though her scandals have been almost dug up, she still acts like nothing happened. However, in that brief half-second of eye contact, she seemed to see a scrutinizing look in Zhou Lin's deep eyes.
It's an illusion, it must be an illusion, this has nothing to do with her.
The seats in Class 3-1 are rotated every week.
Lin Shiren moved to the row by the window. She liked this spot; the sunlight streamed in, and she could occasionally peek at the scenery outside. However, the drawbacks were obvious: she was allergic to ultraviolet rays, and it was too far from Shen Xuqing, turning her from an aisle into being at opposite ends of the classroom.
There was no morning self-study session today, so there was very little time to catch up on homework. The classroom was filled with the rustling sound of writing. Dong Rui took a gift bag out of her schoolbag and placed it on her desk.
"Renren, here's your birthday present, I'm making up for it."
Lin Shiren had a terrible birthday yesterday, and she was easily moved to tears. She sniffed and said, "Thank you."
Dong Rui had never seen anyone so moved to tears by a gift, so she mimicked her tone from yesterday: "No need to thank me, just give me a smile."
Lin Shih-jen smiled, and the two of them laughed.
She gently opened the box, revealing a star-shaped wishing bottle filled with pink thozoite, crystal clear and with a faint fruity scent. Her eyes sparkled. "I love it!"
When Lin Shih-Jen says she likes something, she really does. She puts the wishing bottle on the windowsill and goes over to smell it every time get out of class ends, like she's addicted to something.
Lunch break at Huiwen Cafeteria.
While eating, Lin Shiren entered the forum's search bar and typed in "Zhou Lin's" name. Hundreds of posts popped up, but none of them were about his scandal. The administrators were quick enough.
pity.
Fortunately, discussions about him were still everywhere. She had lunch with a few girls she didn't know, and they chatted as they ate, from popular male stars to summer movies. Lin Shih-Jen focused on eating and didn't make any eye contact with them.
The topic somehow veered back to Zhou Lin, with some people expressing curiosity about the deleted comments on the confession post, their voices tinged with wonder: "Who do you think leaked this information? I'm so curious!"
"Someone dug into it, and this person never posted anything or left any comments..."
"It's also possible that they deliberately hacked him by registering a new account."
The girl who said this, Ye Ling, has a neutral appearance and dresses in a neutral style. She especially likes to talk about the private affairs of influential people to show off her connections. Many people call her "loudmouth" behind her back.
She lowered her voice, her expression inscrutable, and whispered a few words. The others listened, their eyes widening in disbelief: "Really?"
They really seem to thrive on chaos.
"Clang!"
The stainless steel plate landed heavily on the long table. Lin Shiren's hand trembled, and the wontons in her spoon fell out, splashing soup everywhere. Her perfectly good white T-shirt was now covered in scallions and oil stains. She reached into her pocket for a tissue.
The other girls all looked up, and Ye Ling blurted out, "What are you doing?"
The girl who was rebuked was named Ruan Ya, the class's arts and literature representative. She always spoke bluntly: "If you like talking badly about others behind their backs so much, why don't you go to the disciplinary office and speak your mind?"
Ye Ling put down her chopsticks and retorted forcefully, "I thought you were so capable, but it turns out you just tell the teacher right away."
Her gaze swept casually behind Ruan Ya, a slight sneer playing on her lips: "Besides, what's it to you? Are you talking about your husband?"
Lin Shiren followed her gaze and saw Xu Yiqiao standing there. She slowly smoothed her long hair, walked from behind Ruan Ya to the front of her, and asked sharply, "Who are you talking about?"
She exuded an arrogant aura. Her tone wasn't harsh, but her expression was completely different from usual, clearly showing that she was very angry. Ye Ling felt a little intimidated because even though Xu Yiqiao's feelings for Zhou Lin were almost an open secret, there were still plenty of boys willing to be drawn to her like moths to a flame.
"Just kidding."
Xu Yiqiao pressed on relentlessly, asking, "Where's the humor?"
On a sweltering midday, with eyes stinging from the cold and sweat pouring down, the air thick with heat, Lin Shih-ren frantically wiped his clothes on a side seat two meters away, like a fish caught in a net, barely daring to breathe.
"Xu Yiqiao, your English teacher is looking for you," Shen Xuqing said, trying to smooth things over.
Xu Yiqiao stood still until Ye Ling's gaze faded and she whispered "I'm sorry" before turning away. Her long hair fluttered in the air, leaving everyone with a carefree silhouette.
At 12:26 PM, Lin Shih-Jen was cleaning the oil stains off his T-shirt in the bathroom, rubbing them very hard, as if he were venting his frustration.
Her phone vibrated continuously. She turned off the tap, shook the water off her hands, and swiped the screen with her fingertip. Dong Rui sent a screenshot—the post that had been deleted by the administrator.
"You know you've made me angry? I'm sorry, but I won't change."
"Zhou Lin, you ugly groundhog! You pervert! You horrible weirdo!"
"He's only good-looking, okay, and has some grades too. Other than that, he's incredibly hypocritical. I hope girls won't be fooled by him."
"Victims can join the chain here..."
"I curse him to get a zero on his exam and have to delay his graduation."
"Does the curse need to be applied once a day? Please tell me."
What a load of nonsense.
Lin Shih-ren frowned as he looked at it. This...? Is it really worth two groups arguing in the cafeteria?
Although the guess was not far off from the truth, Zhou Lin's emotions were still quite complicated as she was being watched, discussed, and criticized in this way.
The internet is like a giant convex lens, reflecting all sorts of demons and monsters. The moment the spotlight collapses is more like a celebration for those who want to vent.
At the same time, he was also cursing to himself, "Why was I so careless? I just booked a hotel room and everyone knows about it..."
She swiped her fingertips across the screenshots one by one, then scrolled through them from back to front. When she finally scanned the commenter's ID, her pupils dilated instantly, as if a nuclear bomb had been dropped into her brain.
Commenter ID: "Robert the Melon Eater"
...
Time proceeded as usual, and Lin Shiren was in a daze all afternoon. Her temples seemed to be injected with anesthesia. She tried to recall the timeline of last night over and over again, but she still had no memory of leaving a message on the forum.
I never imagined I'd make such a huge mess. My hands are shaking, both from fear and because things have escalated far beyond my wildest dreams.
Is this considered spreading rumors? How will the school and teachers handle this? Will Zhou Lin pursue legal action against her?
After thinking about it until my head ached, I still couldn't find a solution.
The news of Xu Yiqiao and Ye Ling's argument spread, reigniting the gossip that had cooled down. It finally reached its peak during evening self-study. Every mouth and every phone in the playground, corridors, water rooms, and restrooms was still enthusiastically discussing the matter. Unfortunately, Zhou Lin, who was at the center of the storm, was nowhere to be found all afternoon. It was said that he had been invited by several media outlets to do interviews off-campus, leaving Xu Yiqiao unable to find anyone to apologize to.
During such a sensitive period, will the media seize upon any dirt on him and escalate the situation even further?
The school bell finally rang.
The composing of schoolbags always makes a lot of noise. Dong Rui finished packing three minutes early. Seeing that she was still sitting, she frowned and asked, "Aren't you going to catch the 6:40 subway today?"
The ballpoint pen clicked away at her slender fingertips. Lin Shiren looked up at her, trying to keep her expression natural: "There are a lot of people, and I've only done half of this problem. I'll finish it before I leave."
Dong Rui waved to her: "Okay, I'll be going now."
Okay, see you tomorrow.
After finally managing to get rid of everyone, she withdrew her furtive gaze, walked heavily down the corridor with a guilty conscience, stuffed the apology letter into Zhou Lin's desk, and then quickly left the classroom.
She had thought it over. Rather than being dragged into this by him, it would be better to take the initiative to apologize and admit her mistake, since the two situations were completely different. Now she just hoped that the public opinion could calm down quickly.
However, she wasn't entirely without guile. Her apology letter was anonymous, and she used a little trick, hoping that Zhou Lin would be magnanimous and not pursue the matter any further, treating it as an unintentional joke and letting the matter pass quickly.
Everything was proceeding according to plan, but an unexpected situation occurred when leaving the school through the back gate: wisps of bluish-gray smoke were seen rising from the base of the wall.
Huiwen High School is stricter about smoking than about dating, but smoking still happens all the time. In the past, Lin Zhiyuan would hide on the balcony to smoke whenever he argued with Xin Xiaomei, saying that smoking could relieve stress.
Lin Shih-jen secretly tried it once when he was in junior high school.
It was awful to smoke; her whole tongue tasted bitter. Because she couldn't tell whether to breathe through her mouth or nose, she coughed constantly, and the smoke got into her eyes from the wind, making them sting.
The winter night was pitch black, with only a tiny red glow on my fingertips, like clutching a star.
She was discovered after returning home. Xin Xiaomei had her hand raised, but seeing her trembling with fear, she finally softened. After escaping that ordeal, she never tried it again.
Relieve stress?
It's a lie.
Lin Shiren didn't want to confront the smoker directly, so he turned and walked in the opposite direction. A familiar male voice entered his ear: "Okay, then send me a screenshot of the group member list."
Lin Shih-jen paused, his scalp tingling instantly, and he even restrained himself from breathing too deeply.
It's Zhou Lin.
Why is he here? Who's the person smoking? What shady deal are those two up to? So many questions flooded my mind.
My first instinct was to run away. Although my mind hadn't quite figured it out yet, my body had already made the honest choice.
As luck would have it, a new notification suddenly popped up in the CH(4) group. Song Ci @everyone: "Zhou Lin, why did you block me?"
Even through a wall, a cell phone message kept ringing.
Lin Shiren was extremely nervous, her heart was about to jump out of her mouth. She heard a boy's voice behind her, but she didn't dare to turn around and quickened her pace.
Half an hour had passed since school ended, and the school was deserted. She walked all the way to the end of the corridor before the feeling of impending death began to subside.
She relaxed for no more than three seconds before a force suddenly wrapped around her slender wrist. Lin Shiren turned pale with fright and involuntarily screamed.
She turned around abruptly and saw Zhou Lin standing there, looking down at her, his dark eyes fixed on her, his voice sinister: "Why are you running?"
"Have you done something wrong?"
A note from the author:
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50 t red envelopes~
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