The library at No. 12 Middle School is always open to facilitate teachers' lesson preparation and research, with several librarians taking turns on duty.
The caretaker on duty today was an elderly woman wearing glasses. When Lin An entered, she was sitting at her desk, diligently repairing books. Lin An's gaze swept over her gray hair, and he felt a little strange. Shouldn't she be retired at this age?
Lin An arrived at the spot where he had placed the box last time, only to find it empty, which made him feel disappointed.
"What book are you looking for, classmate?"
It was the grandmother on duty who came over; her voice had a lightness that didn't belong to someone her age.
"I saw two boxes of books here before, have they been dealt with?"
"Yes, useless books are always disposed of quickly, and so are people."
Lin An felt that this was a bit strange and confused, and whispered, "There are also some very good books in there."
The old woman looked directly into Lin An's eyes. Her wrinkled face had clear eyes like a young girl's, and she said softly, "By chance, you get lost and that's it. Most of the time, even God doesn't want to listen to the complaints of the unfortunate. God only softens occasionally."
Lin An was a little confused and saddened by what she said. It was true that what was lost was lost. His thoughts were pulled back to the countless moments when he was abandoned by the Lin family. When the family went out for a meal, when they went on a trip, and even on the day Lin Zhe held his wedding with his fiancée, he was alone at home, praying that God would help him have a home and family who cared about him.
The old lady gave a kind smile: "Don't be sad, student. This is for you. It's a bookmark I made myself. Please don't mind it."
Lin An composed himself, smiled, and accepted the bookmark: "Thank you, Grandma."
"You're welcome."
It was a handmade, palm-sized, long bookmark with two lotus flowers painted on the front and the words "Knowing one's destiny without fear, one should renew oneself every day" written on the back.
"Yes, to live a new life."
Inside the Lin family villa, the Lin father and his two daughters returned home.
Seeing the three of them looking unhappy, Lin Zhe slunk into his room. Ever since he failed his last exam, he had been acting very hurt at home, which made Zhang Wanru and his sisters feel very sorry for him.
Zhang Wanru brewed some tea and handed it to Lin Haoran: "Honey, what's wrong? You look so pale."
"Isn't it because of your good son? I don't know if he said something to President Zhou, but I tried to get close to President Zhou several times today, but he didn't give me the chance."
“Mom, you have no idea how cunning Lin An is. Now President Zhou is completely fooled by him. We have to teach him a lesson.”
Lin Haoran found her nagging annoying: "Alright, Wanwan, how did your talk with him go today? Did he apologize and beg you to come home?"
"No, he doesn't want to come back at all. He just asked us to stop bothering him."
“He…” Lin Haoran was stunned.
Looking at the shocked Lin family members, Lin Wan continued, "Haven't you noticed that Lin An has changed?"
Yes, Lin An is really different now.
The Lin An who used to fawn over everyone, be submissive, and desperately want to integrate into the Lin family is gone. The current Lin An is decisive, calm, and has a strong sense of self.
Lin Wan's voice trembled slightly: "Have we always treated him differently from Xiao Zhe? No matter what he does, he can't get our approval. What did he do wrong? He probably just wants to fit into this family. Besides, he's only just come of age and is still a child."
Lin Haoran and Zhang Wanru both fell silent, feeling a little guilty. Ever since Lin An came to this family, they had asked themselves if they had ever treated him like an outsider. He had lived so cautiously at home, it must have been very difficult for him.
Lin Zhe pressed his face against the bedroom door, listening to the conversation outside. Hearing a change in the tone of the conversation, he couldn't help but come out: "Dad, Mom, sister, it's all my fault. It's because I'm in this family that you've neglected my brother. It's all my fault."
Lin Rou quickly reassured him, "Xiao Zhe, you're such a good boy, what could you possibly have done wrong?"
"I saw my brother steal your pearl bracelet before, but I didn't dare to stop him," Lin Zhe said, his voice choked with emotion.
"What? You saw it and didn't tell your sister? I knew he must have stolen it." Lin Rou was furious.
The guilt that Lin Haoran and Zhang Wanru had just felt vanished.
"Xiao Zhe, you should tell your mother about this kind of thing next time. Lin An is just too undisciplined."
Lin Zhe pretended to have let something slip, his eyes darting around in a panic: "No, Mom, my brother probably just hasn't seen anything this good before. He definitely didn't do it on purpose."
Lin Rou let out a cold snort: "He's just a spoiled brat raised in the countryside. I'm going to call the police and have him arrested."
"Enough! Family scandals shouldn't be aired in public!" Lin Haoran roared.
Because of her father's intimidation, Lin Rou dared not scold Lin An anymore.
"Xiao Zhe, did you really see Lin An steal the bracelet with your own eyes?" Lin Wan asked seriously.
Previously, Lin Zhe had confidently claimed that Lin An had cheated in the exam, but he couldn't find any evidence. In fact, Lin An even got a better score in the next exam. Recently, Lin Wan felt more and more that she couldn't believe Lin Zhe's one-sided story. Perhaps this adopted younger brother wasn't as well-behaved as the family imagined.
Lin Zhe froze for a few seconds, his expression becoming unnatural. What was wrong this time? Why would his older sister question him? He had often framed Lin An before, and they always believed whatever he said.
"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes. I didn't say anything because I was afraid that people wouldn't like my brother."
"What do you mean by asking that, sister? Are you doubting Xiao Zhe? That wild child must be up to no good. Before he came, everything was normal at home, but after he came, there hasn't been a single day of peace. Who else could it be but him?"
Lin Wan felt a tightness in her chest, and a voice rose from the bottom of her heart: Lin An is not that kind of person.
Lin Rou kept cursing Lin An, and Lin Wan felt a headache coming on.
"I'm going to my room to rest now."
Lin An also returned to the old house.
Lying in bed, I took out my phone and saw a friend request: "Liu Ruyun requests to add you as a friend."
If it were in his past life, the school beauty would have taken the initiative to add him as a friend, making him so excited that he couldn't sleep all night.
Now, he takes a more detached view of relationships. He silently closed WeChat and picked up a math competition problem set from his bedside table to read.
In fact, Liu Ruyun had sent a friend request that morning. She had managed to squeeze into the top five in this exam and also got a spot in the competition. She had witnessed Lin An's strength. If Lin An had been willing to help her in the exam, she might have been able to get a place in the competition and be admitted to Tsinghua or Peking University without taking the entrance exam.
She kept checking WeChat, but when she still hadn't received a friend request, looking at the night outside, she reluctantly added the friend again.
Sitting on the pink princess bed, she angrily muttered to herself, "He must be busy and didn't see it. How could anyone reject my friend request?"
Inside the Zhou family mansion, Zhou Shengren caressed the wooden box Lin An had given him, admiring it dearly. "A fine thing, truly a fine thing." He wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt as if his broken leg had regained some strength.
Zhou Shengren carefully placed the box beside his pillow and fell asleep contentedly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com