Sign your confession.
When Zhou Lin came out of the TV station, only dim patches of clouds remained on the horizon.
He was wearing the Huiwen High School uniform, with his white shirt buttoned up to the top and his brown tie tied meticulously. He was eye-catching and looked like a good student.
When Zhou Lin came out of the TV station, only dim patches of clouds remained on the horizon.
He was wearing the Huiwen High School uniform, with his white shirt buttoned up to the top and his brown tie tied meticulously. He was eye-catching and looked like a good student.
The taxi driver glanced at him in the rearview mirror and started a conversation as if they were old friends: "Young man, why are you going to Huiwen High School at this hour? Shouldn't the school be on summer vacation?"
To save fuel, the driver didn't turn on the air conditioning. Zhou Lin rolled down the back window, his collar fluttering in the wind: "I'm a senior in high school, and school starts on August 1st."
"Students these days have it so tough. We didn't have any extra classes back then..."
As he was reminiscing about his high school days from the driver's seat, Song Ci called, jokingly asking, "Little Zhou Zhou, should I ask you for your autograph beforehand? What if you become famous someday and then turn your back on me?"
Zhou Lin leaned back in his chair and moved the corners of his lips in a nonsensical way: "Get lost."
"I advise you to be kinder and cherish me as a friend. You've been exposed on the forum; your reputation isn't good at all!"
Song Ci's voice was too loud, so he moved his phone a little further away.
No wonder the campus communication administrator sent him a message asking him to finish the interview and come to the school; this must be the reason.
"There aren't many ways left for you to clear your name. You can either reunify Taiwan, conquer cancer, or research antimatter, dark energy, superstring theory, and vacuum decay. Or you can lead humanity to interstellar migration. Choose one."
After saying that, he sent over a few screenshots of a group chat. Zhou Lin clicked on them and found a group of strangers making comments about him, and the discussions were quite unpleasant.
Song Ci seemed even more anxious than him: "Think of something quickly, what should we do?"
Zhou Lin: "Let it cool down, the heat will subside in a couple of days."
That means doing nothing.
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the line. Song Ci's tone was cryptic: "Could they have guessed right? Who is that girl? You're with me every day, how did you find the time? Did you meet her at the IPO in Switzerland? What does she look like? Oh, by the way, Xu Yiqiao and Ruan Ya stood up for you today and got into a fight with a girl from another class..."
Zhou Lin had a headache from his nagging, and touched his temple with his finger: "Apple Daily is hiring paparazzi recently, why don't you apply?"
"I've been exhausted by your situation, and you still..."
Zhou Lin wouldn't listen anymore, forcibly hung up the phone, and also blocked his WeChat messages.
After a series of coordinated attacks, the world finally quieted down.
The wind outside the window blew against his forehead. He loosened his tie and then remembered that he hadn't called the administrator teacher back. So he dialed a number: "Teacher Ding, are you still at school?"
...
At the end of the corridor, the boy's shadow loomed over her. Lin Shiren wanted to run, but her feet felt like they were weighed down by a thousand pounds, and she was frozen in place, unable to move.
Zhou Lin simply looked at her, his expression as indistinct as the thin mist in the mountains.
She knew she couldn't show any weakness at a moment like this, and although her mind was clear, her body was trembling uncontrollably. Her palms, gripping the phone, were sweaty, and her rebuttals were broken and fragmented: "What did you say? I... I don't understand..."
Lin Shih-jen is prone to tearing up; she feels like crying as soon as she gets emotional. She held back the soreness welling up in her nose.
In the night breeze of the corridor, her wispy hair was lifted by the wind, and her long eyelashes fluttered softly, making her look like a harmless kitten trying to minimize her presence, her whole body screaming "You can't see me."
Zhou Lin was a little dazed, and then even more confused.
The person who runs away at the sight of him, how did he get the guts to post about him on the forum? It was obvious that if he had raised his voice any louder, her tears would have fallen.
There was a three-second silence. Zhou Lin, as if he had finally finished observing, suddenly said something completely unrelated: "Do you know why I'm here?"
The boy's voice was clear and deep. Lin Shiren didn't dare to look up, only staring at his toes and shaking his head slightly.
"Someone is publicly defaming me online, causing me to be cyberbullied and suffer great physical and mental harm. I just contacted the administrator and have obtained the information of the person spreading the rumors. I am now preparing to report it to the police..."
Lin Shih-jen's heart nearly stopped, and she blurted out, "Don't call the police!"
He approached the administrator and explained that the school was already aware of the situation, and it wouldn't be long before the teachers and others found out; things were heading in the worst possible direction.
She had completely forgotten the script in the apology letter and blurted out in a panic, "I didn't mean to smear you. I really posted those comments myself. I only drank one bottle of Rio and I don't remember anything. Even if you are a jerk, I won't tell anyone..."
His incoherent words also included a curse at him.
Zhou Lin stared into her eyes, suddenly remembering their chance encounter at the convenience store a dozen days ago, and interrupted her: "You hung up on me on purpose because you saw something, didn't you?"
"no."
A few seconds later, seeing that he remained unmoved, Lin Shiren bit his lip and emphasized again, "It's really not."
Zhou Lin held a letter in his hand and casually waved it in front of her: "What's this?"
Lin Shiren shrank his neck, staring at the slender fingers fiddling with the envelope, his whole body tense: "Apology letter."
If she had known she would be caught red-handed, she would never have written that letter, even if you killed her. But Zhou Lin didn't seem to understand. He glanced at her nervous expression and said, "You know this is a serious matter. An apology letter isn't enough."
Her soft voice trembled with tears: "Then what do you want? I can compensate you, but I don't have much money..."
Zhou Lin was so angry he laughed. He bent down, his handsome face magnified: "Do I look like a robber?"
The unique scent of youth also invaded her, carrying a faint smell of smoke. Lin Shiren leaned back, but unfortunately, there was a wall behind her, leaving her nowhere to retreat. Complex emotions churned within her, and her eyelashes trembled even more violently.
"Can I post on the forum to clarify things for you?"
"Explanations will only make things worse."
Zhou Lin wasn't usually a fussy person, but for some reason, the cotton sprayer in front of him suddenly piqued his curiosity.
Have you seen "Let the Bullets Fly"?
His voice turned cold, and his expression returned to its indifferent tone: "The onlookers don't care how many bowls of noodles Xiao Liuzi ate. They only care about whether they can watch a farce and satisfy their own emotional needs."
Lin Shiren stared blankly at him. In fact, she was a very timid person. She often suffered in silence and comforted herself with the ostrich mentality that "suffering a loss is a blessing." This was the first time she had accidentally hurt someone, and she really didn't know what to do to make up for her mistake.
Zhou Lin's fingers twitched, like a declaration before a campaign: "Let me see the sincerity of your apology letter first."
Lin Shiren was too weak to speak. He wanted to stop him, but he had no right to do so.
Time stretched on endlessly as he read the letter. He opened the envelope in front of her, read it word by word, and when he looked at her again, he seemed a little out of place.
"Unrequited love?"
"Love turned to hate?"
He gave her a cold look and said, "Your way of having a crush on someone is quite unique..."
Lin Shih-ren spent the entire afternoon preparing this apology letter.
During the noisy break, she buried herself behind a pile of books, refusing to go to the restroom. When Dong Rui returned with water, she glanced at her, and she immediately covered the letter with her hand. Dong Rui winked knowingly and mouthed, "A love letter?"
Lin Shih-ren shook his head.
She searched online for "how to appease a guy and get his forgiveness." The most upvoted post said that a novice's apology is simply admitting defeat, while a master's apology is about taking control of the situation. She thought about it carefully for a while, and then put pen to paper.
"Zhou Lin, hello: "
I'm so annoyed and regretful. Just because of a little alcohol, I posted my crush online. It was such a big mistake! You're like a dazzling pearl, attracting so many girls' admiration, which made me extremely jealous and led me to do something irrational.
Lazy Sheep from the Green Green Grassland once said, "Don't lower yourself to the level of an ordinary sheep."
I'm just a little lamb who loves but can't have, and whose love turns to hate. You must feel much better after you cursed me with those words: "rotten durian!" "rotten banana!" "big winter melon!"
Therefore, there is no need to investigate or search for my identity!
Your happiness is more important than perfection!
August 13th, "The little lamb hoping to be forgiven by you."
By the time Zhou Lin saw the last word, Lin Shiren had already closed her eyes. She kept her head down for a long time, hoping that he would refrain from scolding her too harshly, considering that they were at school.
In the midst of the silent standoff, footsteps approached from the direction of the security room. Before anyone could see who it was, a mature male voice came from a distance: "Which class are you from?"
Lin Shih-jen sincerely thanked the security guard at Hui-wen High School for pressing the end button on this tense standoff that had made his palms sweat.
Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the old man's next words plunged her into an icy abyss: "Why aren't you home so late? Are you hiding there having a romance?"
"..."
When they came out of the school, it was already dark. The air after nightfall was humid and sticky, making it very uncomfortable.
Since Zhou Lin didn't say anything, Lin Shiren didn't dare to leave, and followed behind him, holding back her tears.
The sound of an engine grew louder as the delivery guy on his motorcycle passed by. Zhou Lin suddenly turned around, grabbed her arm, and felt a sharp pain. Her senses returned to normal, and she was led unsteadily to the billboard.
"Aren't you going to look at people?" Zhou Lin glanced at the deliveryman casually.
That glance was colder than the night wind. The deliveryman quickly slammed on the brakes and asked her with annoyance if she was hurt. Lin Shiren sniffed and said she was fine.
School had long since ended, and there were few vehicles on Nanyang Road in front of the school gate. The bus stop was deserted, with only two long shadows visible.
Her pale, soft body looked as if she might shatter at any moment. Zhou Lin suddenly laughed, his voice low and deep: "Fine, I won't pursue this further."
"ah?"
Lin Shiren felt her mind was a jumbled mess. Just a moment ago, the discussion had escalated to the level of onlookers and Xiao Liuzi, so how did it suddenly become so lenient? She blinked, unable to believe her ears: "Really?"
He teased her, "You can take responsibility if you want."
She shook her head vigorously: "No, no."
In the dim light, the wind blew through her long hair, carrying with it her soft scent.
Zhou Lin said casually, "It seems your apology wasn't very sincere."
One sentence brought a new turning point to the events. Lin Shiren was about to cry. He regretted not speaking up. They say a woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea. He, a man, was too fickle. He was filled with mixed emotions.
"I was originally going to turn the page, but since you saw something you shouldn't have, I'm still a little worried." He was quite the actor, his brow furrowed, looking very troubled.
"I won't tell anyone..."
She lost her confidence halfway through her sentence, and Zhou Lin curled up a slight sneer: "Yes, all you do is post it online."
Lin Shih-ren lacked the smooth negotiation skills, and given his criminal record, he asked blankly, "Then how can you be at ease?"
Zhou Lin took another half step toward her, his voice calm and unhurried: "Sign your confession."
A note from the author:
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50 red envelopes!
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