Chapter 36
"Thump, thump, thump"
There was a knock on the door. Lin Mian knew that only Lin Mei would come at this time, so she ran to open the door herself.
It was indeed Lin Mei.
"Mom, what do you want to talk to me about?"
"Mom is going somewhere tomorrow, but I want you to come with me, okay?"
Even if he has plans for tomorrow, Lin Mian’s answer to Lin Mei is always “Okay”.
After closing the door, Lin Mei sighed softly. She knew that Lin Mian had something to do tomorrow. Chen Xiaoqiu had told her in advance that Lin Mian would practice boxing with her friends tomorrow.
She has never refused her, but Lin Mei doesn't want Lin Mian to be like this.
She hoped that her daughter would say no to her, that she wouldn't be so sensible, that she wouldn't have to worry about her so much, and that she could tell her everything like other children, whether good or bad, instead of only reporting good news and not bad news.
The next morning, after Lin Mian called Wu Bingxia and the boxing coach, Lin Mei drove Lin Mian away herself.
She didn't take the driving test before because of her poor sense of direction, but she still took the test after the divorce. After all, situations like today's would happen, and she couldn't be called over again when Chen Xiaoqiu was on vacation.
Lin Mei drives slower than Chen Xiaoqiu, especially when Lin Mian is sitting in the passenger seat.
Lin Mian didn't expect that Lin Mei would take her to a university.
She had seen all kinds of books in Lin Mei's study, but Lin Mian didn't want to pry into her mother's privacy. Lin Mei also didn't tell her that she had been admitted to university. Being a part-time student allowed Lin Mei to hide it from Lin Mian even if she didn't want to.
She just felt that Lin Mei had been very busy in the past year since she came to Beicheng, and she didn't want to cause her any trouble.
Until this moment, when she arrived at the university, Lin Mian was a little confused. She didn't know why her mother asked her to come here.
"This is where Mommy is studying now. Guoer's university will be better in the future, but why not let Guoer see what Mommy's university is like?"
"Where my mother studied..." Lin Mian murmured to himself.
North City is a place where every inch of land is valuable. Even for a university, it is not that big.
Lin Mei didn't take Lin Mian around, but asked her to attend class with her.
Since it is a part-time university, it is normal to have classes on weekends.
Sitting in the classroom, Lin Mian was a little stunned. She turned her head to look at her mother sitting there listening to the class attentively. Her mother was completely different from the mother she remembered.
Her eyes are focused, and even in a crowd, people will always notice her because of her serious attitude.
The fine lines at the corners of her eyes give her a mature charm.
A forty-year-old woman does not live the life of "taking care of her husband and raising children" as advised by the world. She still does not believe in fate, is still striving forward, and is still walking a path that is not understood by outsiders.
She is still reading and learning.
Lin Mei took Lin Mian to the cafeteria for lunch. There were many energetic young people in the cafeteria. One of them was forty-nine years old and the other was nineteen years old. They looked out of place, but here, no one would feel out of place.
"Universities are very tolerant. Many seemingly meaningless or even silly behaviors are actually meaningful. University students do such things. They are always very tolerant, and new ideas are always generated in universities."
Lin Mian stared at Lin Mei blankly, and bit off the ginger slices without noticing.
Who is eating this shredded ginger potato?
Lin Mian felt the spiciness and Lin Mei handed her some water.
After she recovered, Lin Mian looked up and saw Lin Mei looking at her with a smile on her face, supporting her chin.
"So you understand what I mean?"
Um?
Lin Mian’s brain froze for a moment. Was she required to do reading comprehension?
"Does it mean that college is good? Or does it mean that studying is good?"
Lin Mei smiled. "You're always told you're a genius, but don't you understand this? You're clearly just a child, so don't pretend you know everything and can endure anything. You're still a child, you can cry, you can make a fuss, you can do whatever you want. Don't suppress yourself, and don't force yourself."
“I didn’t suppress myself.”
In front of Lin Mei, Lin Mian didn't feel like he was forcing himself.
"I know you're always worried about me. Even if you don't say it, your eyes can speak for themselves. I'm your mother. I can tell what you're thinking just by looking into your eyes. You can't hide it from me."
"You've been following me all morning today, so you can see how Mom lives her daily life. It's all very good, very good. You don't need to worry about me at all. Mom is in college, constantly accepting new ideas, and she's no longer as stubborn as your dad."
Lin Mei paused, and her hand touched Lin Mian's brow, gently smoothing out the brows that were always inadvertently wrinkled.
"I support you no matter what you do, even if you do nothing, so don't always frown where I can't see."
"My only hope is that you grow up well, and that wish is the same as your hope for my happiness. I will hold on to my own happiness. Look, didn't I get into college without you knowing? Lin Mian, I have my own life to live, and you have yours to live too. You are not my appendage, so don't treat me as something fragile. I am much stronger than you think."
"I don't have any other expectations for you. I just want you to grow up well. Don't give up those expectations that you created for yourself just because of others. You are still a child. You can do whatever you want. You always have the right to be willful."
Before Lin Mian came to her senses, her eyes were already filled with tears. With a blink of an eye, tears flowed down like a flood.
"Mom won't always be watching you. Mom has her own things to do, so don't keep watching Mom. You also have your own things to do."
"Like now, after dinner, go find your friend. You guys agreed to practice this afternoon, right? Mom can hear your friend's frustration over the phone. Since it's an agreement, let's do it."
Lin Mian wiped away her tears and uttered a muffled "hmm".
Lin Mei looked at her daughter who looked embarrassed. She took out a tissue and carefully wiped away the tears on her face.
"Mom believes in you, so no matter what you do, Mom trusts your own judgment. As long as you are happy, Mom will think it is very meaningful."
Lin Mian held Lin Mei's hand tightly and warmly.
"Thank you, Mom."
"We are family, what is there to thank for?"
Lin Mian made up her mind, her eyes flashing with determination.
"I want to continue learning chess and piano."
She will no longer give in to other people's gazes, because she already knows that the brightest gaze will never change and it will always support her.
"good"
Lin Mei smiled happily, even happier than when she knew her daughter was a genius.
If her daughter was only smart, she would never be at ease. Only when Lin Mian continued to grow like now, could she feel at ease. She knew that her daughter would become a strong person one day.
Become a strong person who is brave, determined and smart.
When Wu Bingxia saw Lin Mian coming to the boxing gym again, she was a little happy, but when she thought of the phone call in the morning, she didn't want to show it so obviously.
Lin Mian handed the bag in his hand to Wu Bingxia and then handed another bag to the coach.
Wu Bingxia opened the bag and found a cup of milk tea and a hairpin with two fists colliding inside.
She was a little confused, and Lin Mian looked at her with a smile, "Didn't we say we should become stronger together? This is my determination."
Wu Bingxia put the hairpin on her head, her cheeks slightly red. "Then go change your clothes quickly."
When Lin Mian came out of the locker room, Wu Bingxia was practicing with the coach.
That face, so beautiful that it might be called ostentatious, is made up of unyielding mouth corners, a resolute nose, and brave eyebrows and eyes.
Even if she was constantly tripped by the coach during teaching, she would stand up quickly.
No matter how old a woman is, she can refuse to give up or accept her fate, and can continue to burn herself for herself.
Just like now when Lin Mian stood on the stage, she no longer wore those glasses without prescription, revealing her eyebrows that were a little too sharp.
There was a calmness in her eyes that was not expected for someone of her age. Even though so many people's eyes were focused on her, she was not afraid.
"Hello everyone, I am Lin Mian from the Grade 7 (1) class. Perhaps you have heard of this name. I am very lucky to be able to speak on stage as a student representative. I hope to continue to speak as a student representative in the future."
With the help of the microphone, the originally noisy hall became quiet.
Everyone looked at the girl quietly. Her voice was just like her, too sharp, yet everyone could hear it.
Next, Lin Mian's words were so powerful, as if she was born with the ability to convince people.
He Xintong was sitting on a stool. He needed to look up at her at this moment.
But usually, in his heart, he always looked up at her.
When she was on the stage, she was no longer like the summer wind that swept through people's hearts as she did when we first met. Instead, she was like the winter wind that made people want to lock their hearts tightly.
Could she really be his sister?
Can he really make her his family?
Would such a person be willing to bow his head for him?
Even someone as arrogant as He Xintong felt frustrated at this moment.
It turns out that not everything can be solved by simply writing a check.
In front of Lin Mian, he didn't even dare to mention the idea of offering her something precious in exchange for becoming a family member.
Once he did that, perhaps Lin Mian's gaze towards him would no longer be warm.
He Xintong's eyes dimmed.
However, he also wanted her to be his sister and a close family member, and he wanted to protect her like a brother, just like his father protected him.
Thinking of this, He Xintong, who was a little sad, was absent-minded when he walked out of the school gate. At this moment, he suddenly heard a "bang" sound, which brought him back to his senses.
He looked at the scene in front of him with wide eyes.
In front of me was a teenager lying on the ground. There were obvious dents on his face where he had been punched, and his face was swollen and bruised.
"I heard your name is Wang Xun, it really is lame."
The familiar voice made He Xintong a little unable to react. He looked over and saw Lin Mian and Wu Bingxia standing together, both of them with their fists retracted. It was not difficult to guess that the fallen man was beaten by the two of them together.
Even though he hadn't figured out what was going on, He Xintong took out his cell phone and wanted to help Lin Mian.
This incident caused quite a big stir. Even though one party was a high school student and the other was a junior high school student, they were both taken to the police station because there were too many witnesses.
But this time Wu Bingxia did not choose to remain silent.
Perhaps it was the moment she defeated him that she realized that everything was not so terrible, and that the haze could be dispelled, just like she was knocking him down at this moment.
However, due to the previous silence, there was no direct evidence, but the lawyer hired by He Xintong was very strong. He found some diaries, medical records, activity records, etc. and submitted them as evidence.
Wu Bingxia's parents wanted to remain silent at first, but after Wu Bingxia's pleading, they gave in, but asked Wu Bingxia to transfer schools.
They didn't know why Wu Bingxia suddenly became so bold, but they felt it was too embarrassing to tell anyone about it. In order to save face and prevent Wu Bingxia from being affected by rumors, Wu Bingxia had to transfer schools.
Because Wang Xun was under the age of 14 when he committed the crime, he was not criminally responsible and only had to attend a work-study school for education.
Compared with the pain suffered by the victims, the punishment received by the underage criminals is far from commensurate. Moreover, in order to alleviate the impact, Wu Bingxia has to transfer schools.
But Wu Bingxia does not regret it. Even if she has to leave Beicheng now and return to her hometown to study, she does not regret it.
Just leaving Lin Mian made her sad.
"I will be admitted to a university in the north city. Then my parents won't be able to restrict me. But now they have taken my phone away. Xiaomian, you must write to me."
"must"
Wu Bingxia smiled after getting a satisfactory answer.
"I will be admitted to Beicheng University of Political Science and Law. I want to be a lawyer and help girls who have been in the same situation as me, so that they no longer have to remain silent and afraid. If I can stand up, they will definitely stand up too. Lin Mian, thank you. Being your friend is the luckiest thing that has ever happened to me."
The bright smile dispelled the last trace of gloom in Lin Mian's heart. She originally thought that letting Wu Bingxia stand up again and clench her fist was a good thing, but the result was so unsatisfactory.
But Wu Bingxia told her that it was not the case, she had come out of the trough of her life and what she did was meaningful.
Jin Zixuan, who initially disliked Wu Bingxia but later became her friend, remained silent for a long time after learning about Wu Bingxia's past.
"If being a lawyer is her dream, then being a judge is my dream. I think this way, there will be fewer cases where people are judged through tinted glasses, and maybe I can help more girls. This is perhaps the ideal I am pursuing."
Lin Mian held Jin Zixuan's hand and said solemnly, "I think this day will come."
Lin Mian also looks forward to finding an ideal that he can strive for throughout his life.
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