Chapter 1

"After the morning run, during the school assembly."

"You just need to read your reflection letter and admit your mistake in front of everyone. This time, you will only receive a warning!"

On the stage, the vice principal, Guo Lichun, adjusted his glasses and said earnestly.

Standing in front of him were two students, one boy and one girl.

The girl, holding the reflection letter, nodded.

The boy, however, seemed dazed, his gaze vacant.

"Lin Cheng!"

"Did you hear that?"

Guo Lichun questioned.

"I heard it!"

Lin Cheng responded, but his eyes were filled with complexity.

He had been reborn!

Lin Cheng quickly organized his memories and understood his current situation.

He was back to being 17 years old, a senior in high school. His female desk mate, Feng Sijia, had written him a love letter during a history class taught by Vice Principal Guo Lichun, and they were caught red-handed.

Beiyang High School was known for its strict academic discipline, and students dating was a major taboo.

Feng Sijia, who was a senior and a prospective college student, was caught in the act during the vice principal's class.

This was undoubtedly a death sentence!

As a result, Guo Lichun required them to publicly reflect and admit their mistakes during the school assembly.

Feng Sijia would take the major blame, while Lin Cheng would take the minor blame.

Both would be disciplined.

However, Lin Cheng knew that, as a top student who consistently ranked in the top five of his class, his punishment was just a formality.

Besides, it wasn't his fault in the first place.

But teachers always had their peculiar logic—“it takes two to tango”!

Why did Feng Sijia write a love letter to him and not to someone else?

There must be something about you, right?

Fortunately, Lin Cheng's excellent academic performance meant that the public criticism and warning were just a formality.

On the other hand, Feng Sijia, a struggling student, received a major disciplinary action, becoming a laughingstock to the entire school and even beyond.

The news spread throughout all the high schools in Beiyang County, and even her relatives found out.

In Lin Cheng's memory, by the winter break of this year, on New Year's Eve night,

This cute girl, who had once blocked him at the school gate and mustered the courage to confess her feelings, would be in her room,

cutting her wrists and leaving silently!

The fragility of a young girl was far beyond what adults could imagine.

Just a word, an event, or even a glance could make her break down.

If only he could have helped her back then!

Wait a minute, isn't this now...

Thirteen years ago!

Looking at Feng Sijia beside him, Lin Cheng's eyes softened.

Perhaps this was all part of fate!

Since heaven had given him a second chance, he would not let this innocent and naive girl suffer and be bullied again!

At this moment, the morning run was over.

All the students were lined up neatly on the playground.

On the stage, the principal, Chen Zhiqiang, was speaking.

"After the principal finishes speaking, you can go up and read your reflection letters!"

Guo Lichun said and then walked away to chat with the vice principal.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry..."

Feng Sijia, with red eyes, bowed her head and repeatedly apologized.

The microphone was turned off, and the principal finished speaking.

It was their turn to go up.

"Teachers, students, I am Feng Sijia from Class 11, Grade 3. Last Friday in the history class, I..."

"I wrote a love, love..."

Feng Sijia bowed her head, her voice trembling, and her face flushed red.

"What did you write? Just say it!"

"What else? A love letter!"

"Damn, impressive, writing a love letter in class!"

"Such boldness, did you sleep with someone?"

"Feng Sijia from Class 11, she's not bad-looking, and she doesn't study. Maybe she was sleeping with someone in junior high."

...

Below the stage, the students whispered and gossiped, their voices growing louder and more vulgar.

When a student was publicly criticized, it was the only time they could speak freely without worrying about discipline.

"If you made a mistake, you must criticize yourself and accept criticism from others!"

This was a rule set by the previous principal.

He believed that the more embarrassing the criticism, the more the student would remember the lesson and not repeat the mistake.

The previous principal had been in office for over 20 years until he retired last year, and the current principal took over.

"I wrote to Lin Cheng..."

"Love, love letter!"

"Next is... the content of the love letter!"

"Lin Cheng, I like you, from the moment I saw you, I... I started to like you..."

On the stage, Feng Sijia read the love letter, her face turning increasingly red, almost to the point of tears.

"I am sorry to the teachers, sorry to the students, sorry to my parents. I will never do it again!"

After reading the thousand-word reflection letter, Feng Sijia was in tears.

The students below, however, continued to mock and hurl insults.

A pretty girl with poor grades.

In high school, especially at Beiyang High School, where only grades and scores mattered, all sorts of rumors would spread.

If she dressed a bit more stylishly or looked a bit prettier, they would say she was promiscuous and had a messy relationship.

If she went to the hospital alone, it must be to have an abortion!

If she got into a car, it must be because she was being kept!

Whether it was girls jealous of her looks or boys who couldn't get her, or even onlookers who enjoyed the drama and teachers who disapproved of her poor academic performance, they all contributed to the rumors.

Rumors spread, and the false became true.

Moreover, since Feng Sijia was disciplined for writing a love letter and had to publicly reflect, the rumors seemed even more credible!

"Ah—choo!"

Lin Cheng sneezed loudly.

Through the microphone and the loudspeakers on the stage, the sneeze echoed throughout Beiyang High School.

This loud sneeze interrupted Feng Sijia's crying and the mocking of the entire school.

The students turned to Lin Cheng and burst into laughter.

At this age, students could laugh loudly over the smallest things.

True humor comes from high emotional intelligence and rich life experience.

These, however, were not yet part of their world!

"Everyone, don't laugh. Sneezing is the body's self-defense mechanism against bacteria."

"There are too many viruses and bacteria here, and my healthy body can't tolerate it, so I sneezed reflexively."

Lin Cheng picked up the microphone from the stand and said naturally.

In an instant, the laughter stopped, and everyone looked puzzled.

Each person felt that he was insulting them, but they couldn't find any fault with his words.

The feeling of wanting to curse but not being able to, and wanting to hit but not daring to, was particularly frustrating!

"Is he insulting someone?"

Guo Lichun's expression was complex.

"This is a good lesson in medical knowledge!"

Principal Chen Zhiqiang chuckled.

"Feng Sijia has finished her reflection. Now it's my turn."

Lin Cheng glanced at his reflection letter.

After just a quick look, he didn't read it again.

He went off-script!