Lin Que leaned against the door frame, his posture relaxed.
The ending syllable of "I heard you were looking for me?"
With a slightly hoarse, magnetic quality unique to young people,
The sound echoed softly in the quiet office.
How deeply Shen Qingqiu was immersed in the warmth of "Miracles of the Namiya General Store"?
The sense of disconnect that comes from being pulled back to reality at this moment is just that strong.
She composed herself, subtly closed the copy of "New Tide" magazine, and placed it on the corner of the table.
Lin Que walked into the office and closed the door behind him.
He didn't wait for Shen Qingqiu to speak.
He pulled out the chair he had sat in several times before.
He plopped down on the floor, his posture relaxed.
This composed demeanor caused half of the lecture Shen Qingqiu had prepared to be swallowed back.
She took a deep breath.
Force myself to ignore that inexplicable sense of passivity and get straight to the point:
What are your thoughts on the essay competition?
"Well, an award of excellence is good too."
Lin Que answered casually.
"You really think so?"
Shen Qingqiu tapped her fingertips lightly on the desk, her gaze fixed on him.
"Because of an essay, I offended the chairman of the city's writers' association, and now it's almost impossible for me to continue down this path."
"You really don't care at all?"
She felt conflicted when she asked that question.
She hoped to see him show regret or resentment.
That way, she can naturally play the role of a "guide".
Tell him how to temper his sharpness and how to reconcile with the world.
But deep down, a voice was faintly saying...
If he really cared, then he wouldn't be Lin Que.
Lin Que smiled upon hearing this.
He didn't answer immediately, but leaned forward slightly.
With his elbows resting on his knees, his eyes, which were always half-asleep, were unusually clear at this moment.
"Teacher, I have a question for you."
His voice was very soft.
What is hope in your understanding?
Shen Qingqiu was taken aback by his seemingly random question.
Hope? Isn't that the title of his essay?
"Hope is sunshine, motivation, and the power that keeps us moving forward."
She blurted out those answers almost without thinking; they were the most standard and correct answers from the textbooks.
"Look."
Lin Que shrugged, his smile widening.
Yet it carried an inexplicable mockery.
"Even you can only come up with these vague, predefined words."
How can you be sure that what I write isn't hope?
"Is that hope? That's despair!"
Shen Qingqiu's voice unconsciously rose a little.
The ending of the story that Li Yuanchao described lingered in her mind.
That's because you only know that fireflies fly into the darkness.
Lin Que's eyes were deep and unfathomable.
"But have you ever thought about why only fireflies are left in this world?"
Where did the sun go? Who stole the sun?
When only one voice remains in the whole world, telling you what light is...
Could that very light be a greater form of darkness?
A series of questions dissected all of Shen Qingqiu's preconceived notions.
She stared blankly at Lin Que, her mind completely blank.
These words have completely exceeded the scope of critical thinking that a high school student should have.
She suddenly understood why Li Yuanchao had described him as a "monster".
He wasn't writing a story; he was constructing a thought experiment.
He is not subverting hope; he is questioning the right to define hope.
"As for that award..."
Lin Que's tone returned to its usual languidness.
He leaned back in his chair and stared lazily at the ceiling.
"Teacher, do you think an award whose value needs to be proven by others' approval is worthwhile?"
How much value does it actually have?
What I care about has never been whether they give it to me or not, but whether I want it or not.
A long, deathly silence fell over the office.
Shen Qingqiu felt that her worldview,
It is being shattered, piece by piece, and then reassembled by this seventeen-year-old boy.
She always thought she was clear-headed, someone who stood on high ground looking down on him.
But it was only at this moment that she realized,
Perhaps I am the one standing at the bottom of the well, thinking I can see the whole sky.
She wanted to argue, but found herself unable to utter a single word.
Seeing Shen Qingqiu's dazed expression,
Lin Que felt that mischievous pleasure of succeeding in his prank resurfaced.
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