The next morning, Qinglin’s campus television station aired a special program.
A male and female host, both in Qinglin uniforms, sat upright before the camera. Compared to their usual energetic demeanor when reporting campus news, today they looked much closer to the professional news anchors they dreamed of becoming.
After the opening remarks about the date and weather, the male host began, “Recently, First Love Paradise has sparked a movie-watching craze across the country. At the same time, the question of how to solve the Lin Qi problem has become a central topic of public discussion.”
The female host continued, “To our pleasant surprise, the students of our school’s art club have provided their own answer. They have collaborated with the school to organize the ‘Care for Lin Qi’ charity event, which will be the only event in our school’s history without an end date. Furthermore, the core objective of this event is to protect the Lin Qis around us. To all the Lin Qis out there, don’t feel helpless, don’t feel alone. Qinglin will always have your back.”
The male host turned a page of his script, subconsciously holding his breath. Even after several rehearsals, he couldn’t contain his excitement. “Additionally, the members of our art club have invited the star of First Love Paradise, Ms. Gao Yiren, to film a promotional video. Now, let’s see what the award-winning actress has to say about her interest and expectations for this event.”
After two seconds of a black screen, Gao Yiren’s figure appeared on the television. Students in many classrooms screamed. This was Gao Yiren, after all. To quote a famous line from a certain paparazzo: Everyone loves Gao Yiren.
Gao Yiren wore a simple white turtleneck sweater, her voluminous, curly hair cascading over her shoulders and back. She looked like a completely different person from the struggling, weary mother in First Love Paradise. Now, she resembled the kind of mother everyone imagined having as a child.
In a gentle voice, Gao Yiren slowly recounted a story from her school days. She spoke of a “Lin Qi” she once knew, who had suddenly grown silent, then disappeared. It was only years later, through the words of others, that she learned the girl had been molested by a teacher. Unable to bear the psychological pressure, she had no choice but to drop out. This, she explained, was her original motivation for starring in First Love Paradise.
At this point, Gao Yiren paused, her gaze softening as she looked into the camera. “So, that night, when my daughter—yes, the very same Song Zhiqing you all know—told me she planned to help the Lin Qis around her, I felt both proud and regretful. Proud, because my daughter has grown up enough to protect others. Regretful, because I wonder if my friend’s outcome might have been better if I had shown more concern for her back then.”
“I don’t know how many Lin Qis are out there in the crowd, but I believe every one of them needs a light. So, children, are you willing to light a torch for them?”
The video ended with a website address, with a line of small text below it: Come here. We will help you.
After the video finished, the entire Qinglin campus fell silent.
Then, the female host’s voice returned. “For the duration of the event, all Qinglin students can watch the movie for free at the four cinemas near our school by presenting their student ID. Lin Qi, we are by your side.”
The head teacher of Class One, Year Two, was the first to applaud. Then, as if by a strange resonance, applause erupted in one classroom after another. Not everyone had seen the movie, and not everyone had shed tears over its hardships, but at this moment, they all shared in a warm and sincere sentiment.
And a vague feeling began to dawn on them: Maybe I can protect others, too?
Song Zhiqing was one of them. Although she was the organizer, she hadn’t been certain she could pull this off. Perhaps people would remain indifferent; perhaps the suffering of the Lin Qis couldn’t be solved by the concern of a few students. But standing amidst the thunderous applause, a sense of conviction bloomed within her: The world will become a better place because of us.
Because right now, people were clapping.
Thinking this, Song Zhiqing turned to look at Ye Yuhuan, who still had that pensive expression, as if countless questions were always swirling in her mind.
Noticing Song Zhiqing’s gaze, Ye Yuhuan snapped out of her thoughts, smiled, and gave her a thumbs-up.
In that second, Song Zhiqing was overcome with the urge to hug her.
Shen Wei was also lost in thought. She had already seen the video yesterday, and it had left her feeling adrift. Since her rebirth, she had been driven by a desire for revenge, determined to bring down the Shangguan family and make those who had humiliated her suffer the consequences. Shen Wei didn’t think she was wrong for doing so.
She still didn’t. But a thought suddenly occurred to her: if she spent every day living with hatred and resentment, what was the point of being reborn?
After all, when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.
Everything she was doing now was to avoid future pain, but the only seed of happiness she had was Shangguan Xianxian.
She wasn’t a real teenager, so she knew how terrifying it was to stake all of one’s hopes for life on a single person—and that was exactly what she was doing to Shangguan Xianxian. They had grown much closer lately, and there were even hints of something more, but Shangguan Xianxian was still unwilling to take the next step. Besides the issue with the Shangguan family, could it be that she had sensed the weight of this affection?
Shen Wei thought to herself that she needed to clear out the dust and poisonous weeds from her heart and let in some sunlight and flowers. That way, when Shangguan Xianxian wanted to come in and take a look, she wouldn’t feel too suffocated. Love was something between the two of them, wasn’t it?
Just then, Shangguan Xianxian took Shen Wei’s hand—a level of intimacy she could now perform naturally. A small flame seemed to flicker in her cool eyes. “Weiwei, joining the art club was the right decision.”
Shen Wei squeezed Shangguan Xianxian’s hand back, warmth passing between their palms.
“I think so, too.”
Because I feel like I’m letting flowers and sunlight into my heart.
By noon, the members of the Cosmic Beauty Garden were running on pure adrenaline. Forgetting all the high-class etiquette their parents had spent a fortune to teach them, they shouted with more enthusiasm than vendors at a clearance sale.
“Please pay attention to the ‘Care for Lin Qi’ event! Every bit of your kindness will become a light for someone else!”
“Hey guys and girls, come over and check out the ‘Care for Lin Qi’ event!”
“Light a fire for others today, and they will light a lamp for you tomorrow! ‘Care for Lin Qi’ is about filling the world with love!”
Under this promotional blitz, a crowd began to gather. Some were drawn not by the campaign itself, but by the beautiful girls at the front. A tall, thin boy asked, “What can we do? Do we need to donate money?”
In fact, they didn’t. After much discussion, Song Zhiqing and the others had unanimously agreed that any material aid would corrupt the event’s original purpose. What the Lin Qis needed was care, not money. The idea that simply giving money was enough to help someone might apply to adults, but not to teenagers. The Lin Qi in the movie wasn’t short on money; she lacked emotional support.
So, Song Zhiqing shook her head. “This event isn’t accepting any financial donations. We just need you to help us film a video. You can say whatever you want to encourage the Lin Qis, and all the videos will be posted on our website and the school forum.”
The boy lowered his head in thought for a moment before saying, “I’ve got it. Where do I go to record?”
“Follow the arrows on the ground. It’s the first classroom you come to.”
The boy nodded, thinking to himself that the art club had really put a lot of effort into this. Before turning to leave, he remarked, “I’ve seen that movie, too. Afterwards, I wanted to do something, but I didn’t know what would be useful. Seeing your event today, I think this is probably what I should be doing.”
Song Zhiqing kept a smile on her face. She was a radiant person—to put it dramatically, she was like a little sun, the kind of person who always inspired others to act.
Today, however, she didn’t deliberately play up that side of herself. She even imitated Ye Yuhuan’s proper and gentle demeanor, because she knew that was the right tone for this event. It wasn’t about reckless action, but about waiting.
So she answered earnestly, “I was also very lost at first, feeling angry and powerless. Later, with the help of my friends, we organized this event. Looking at it now, maybe one of the purposes of this event is to bring people like us together.”
The boy nodded and left.
Qinglin really feels a lot more human today than it used to.
After the lunch break ended, the Cosmic Beauty Garden posted an email address on the school forum with a notice. It essentially said that any students who didn’t have time to record a video today could record one on their own later and send it to that email.
Like the event itself, there was no deadline.
In a dark room, devoid of light, time was imperceptible. A slender hand appeared in the faint glow of a computer screen, then clicked on a video that had been uploaded to the art club’s website.
The first was Song Zhiqing. Like her mother, she wore a turtleneck sweater, her usual school tyrant aura completely subdued. She said softly, “Lin Qi, if you’re out there, you need to know that none of this is your fault. The wrongs are waiting for us to correct them. I hope you can have a happy life.”
The second was Ye Yuhuan. Usually cool and distant in front of others, she had, for once, softened her expression. “You are not alone. If there’s no one you can tell, you can tell us. We will help you.”
Next was Shen Wei. To maintain her persona, she offered a string of warm and comforting words. Only at the very end did a sliver of her true self seem to slip out. “The bad guys will all be punished,” she said.
Shangguan Xianxian, for her part, explained the methods for defending one’s rights through legal means—just like her, both cold and warm.
The hand clicked through the videos one by one. All the members of the Cosmic Beauty Garden had uploaded their own. Some were enthusiastic, some passionate, some gentle, some calm.
What a lively world this is,
the hand’s owner thought silently, pressing a hand to their stomach.
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