Despite all our precautions, we couldn't stop these big shots from talking.
He never dreamed that his request for Shen Qingqiu to keep it a secret would be exposed by Chairman Lü today.
"Chairman Lü, you're putting me on the hot seat."
Lin Que gave a wry smile, but there was little fear in his tone.
"If you have the ability, what's there to be afraid of?"
Lu Songran stood up, walked up to Lin Que, and patted him heavily on the shoulder.
"True gold fears no fire. Alright, I've only come to see you all today."
"Do your best on the exam next Monday. Don't embarrass No. 1 High School or our Provincial Writers Association."
Li Yuanchao also stood up.
He walked up to Li Bowen, who was still sitting on the ground, and kicked his grandson's shoe with a look of exasperation:
"Get up! Isn't it cool on the ground?"
"Go back and tear up that expository essay and rewrite it! This time, you'll let me see it, right?"
Li Bowen scrambled to his feet in a fluster, responding with a disheveled face, not daring to even lift his head.
They saw off the two large Buddha statues.
Fei Yuncheng looked at Lin Que with a complicated expression.
"Lin Que..."
Fei Yuncheng's tone became exceptionally gentle, even tinged with a hint of caution:
"Um, does the principal know about the Writers' Association membership?"
"I think... I know."
Lin Que shrugged, looking completely innocent.
Fei Yuncheng took a deep breath, as if to digest some huge amount of information.
He waved his hand, his movements somewhat stiff:
"Alright, you guys go back to class. This matter... cough, let's handle it discreetly. We must keep it discreet."
The three walked out of the administration building.
It was already getting dark outside.
The streetlights weren't on yet, and the campus was filled with the aroma of food from the cafeteria—the smell of everyday life.
They remained silent the entire way.
Only the sound of footsteps echoed on the empty concrete ground.
The suffocating silence wasn't broken until we reached the corner of the second-year high school building.
"that……"
Li Bowen stopped in his tracks.
He kept his head down, shuffling his toes along the ground, almost wearing down the moss in the cracks of the floor tile.
Lin Que and Zhang Ya also stopped.
"What happened today..."
After holding it in for a long time, Li Bowen finally raised his head.
Behind those thick-rimmed glasses, a pleading light flickered in his eyes:
"Could you please not tell anyone?"
"You mean the fact that you're Professor Li's grandson?"
Zhang Ya crossed her arms and looked at him with a half-smile, finally regaining some of her composure.
"What's there to hide? Having a professor as a grandfather is such a blessing; it's a resource that many people would kill for."
"Would you like this good fortune?"
Li Bowen wore a pained expression, his features scrunched up in a frown:
"If you lose one point on your essay, they'll nag me all night."
"If I were to write an explanatory text under the title 'Li Yuanchao's grandson',
My grandfather could sever all blood ties with me on the spot and even publish a statement in the newspaper.
He paused, glanced at Lin Que, and said with a hint of sourness in his voice:
"Besides, the way my grandfather looks at Lin Que is more affectionate than the way he looks at me."
If I told people, they'd think I was adopted.
Lin Que was delighted.
He walked over, hooked his arm around Li Bowen's shoulder, and patted him on the shoulder like a buddy:
"Alright, Lao Li, every family has its own problems. I'll keep your secret."
Li Bowen breathed a sigh of relief and gave Lin Que a grateful look.
"but……"
Lin Que changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over the two of them, his eyes showing a hint of seriousness:
"You have to help me with my affairs too..."
Zhang Ya raised an eyebrow and replied:
"Honorary member of the Provincial Writers Association?"
Lin Que nodded:
"I don't want to be too flashy right now."
As you all know, there are many gossips in school, and if word gets out...
"I'll probably have people watching me when I go to the toilet from now on; the sight is too gruesome for me to bear."
What he was more worried about was that once his identity was exposed, many things would become difficult to manage.
For example, the dual identity of "dream weaver" and "insightful".
If someone with ulterior motives follows the clues, then we'll be in trouble.
"make a deal."
Zhang Ya looked at Lin Que walking ahead, her feelings somewhat complicated.
She used to think that Lin Que's writing was dark and sensationalist.
Some even felt that he was deliberately spreading anxiety.
But now, she suddenly realized.
Perhaps it was because he had seen true darkness,
That's why he could remain so calm and composed when faced with such immense wealth.
This guy...
It doesn't seem so bad.
Even, there's a certain profoundness that's hard to fathom.
"Is this... a hostage exchange?"
"Consider it a pledge of allegiance."
Lin Que smiled and started walking.
Li Bowen pushed up his glasses, his eyes showing a newfound determination:
"Lin Que, even though you are a member of the Writers' Association, I will not admit defeat."
"For this preliminary round, I will try to... throw my heart into the snow and roll it around."
"Just don't get a cold."
Lin Que waved his hand without turning his head.
"Let's go back to the classroom and prepare for the match."
The three walked side by side toward the classroom.
The afterglow of the setting sun stretched their shadows long, intertwining them.
On this evening, the estrangement between the boys quietly melts away because of the two secrets that were exchanged.
Zhang Ya was walking in the middle when she suddenly seemed to remember something.
Turning to look at Li Bowen, a sly glint flashed in his eyes:
"Hey, since your grandfather is Professor Li, do you have a lot of rare and out-of-print books at home?"
"Yes, it's piled up all over the basement."
"Can I borrow a couple of books to read? I want to get a feel for it."
"Sure, but we'll have to wait until after the match."
I need to go into seclusion these next few days to work on my writing and get rid of that expository tone.
...
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