"Talking in my sleep? What did I say?" Bai Bufan looked a little confused.
Lin Li finally let out a sigh of relief—he had survived.
Saying those things in front of the guys was no big deal, but if the whole class of girls had heard them... Lin Li felt like he wouldn't want to exist anymore.
"So why is everyone staring at me?" Lin Li suddenly turned his head. The English teacher wasn't standing behind him giving him the death stare anymore.
Then he glanced toward the door. "Is there a senior outside confessing to me?"
"Something like that," Bai Bufan nodded.
"For real? Holy sh*t, did my hair get messed up from sleeping?" Lin Li instantly perked up and started getting nervous.
Hopefully, it's a 5'9" deep-loving, devoted, 36D rich beauty of a senior.
"Close enough, except it's not a senior—it's the principal calling you. As for whether it's a confession, that's still uncertain." Bai Bufan shook his head.
Lin Li: "?"
"How the f*** is that anywhere close? No, seriously, what does that old man want from me?" Lin Li, in the middle of fixing his hair, froze, his teeth gritted.
And almost as if to confirm Bai Bufan's words, the school broadcast repeated the announcement:
"Student Lin Li from Class 4, please report to the principal's office. Student Lin Li from Class 4…"
At that moment, their homeroom teacher, Xue Jian, appeared at the front door. He didn't enter the classroom, just waved at Lin Li from afar, who was sitting in the back by the window.
There was no time to ask what was going on. Lin Li swallowed hard and silently stood up.
"Bao Wei, I wouldn't want you to reincarnate into my aunt's family, but Lin Li, if you don't mind, maybe after you die, you can talk to King Yama about it? I'll forever cherish your memory." Bai Bufan's eyes welled up with tears.
"What did you do to get Old Jian to personally escort you to the principal's office?" Zhou Baowei asked curiously.
…
"Sir, what's going on?" Lin Li obediently walked up to Xue Jian, who was the same height as him, and asked weakly.
"I just got the notice too. The principal wants me to bring you over. You don't know what this is about either?" Xue Jian shook his head.
"Nope."
"I see."
And then there was silence.
Damn, Bai Bufan, I totally get your pain now. Can't some old guy come pick him up too so I can return the favor?
Nansang High School was divided into two sections: one campus for freshmen and sophomores, and a separate campus for seniors. The political and disciplinary building was on the freshmen-sophomore side, so it wasn't a long walk.
But the thought of heading straight into the principal's office made Lin Li's heart race.
At the door of the principal's office, Xue Jian knocked. "Principal Wang."
"Lin Li and Mr. Xue? Come in, come in!"
The door was only slightly ajar, and before Xue Jian could push it open, someone on the other side pulled it open instead.
A bright light hit Lin Li square in the eyes, stunning him.
Crap, an intimidation tactic.
It's over.
But soon, Lin Li realized he was mistaken.
It was just the morning sunlight reflecting off the principal's bald spot.
"So this is Lin Li? Not bad, not bad. Handsome young man, very good." Principal Wang's face bloomed into a wide smile. He patted Lin Li's shoulder approvingly, clearly pleased.
His tone was as warm as a spring breeze, but the mixed scent of tea and cigarettes coming off him made Lin Li instinctively hold his breath.
What the hell is happening?
Lin Li turned to look at Xue Jian, who also seemed a little surprised.
"Good kid, come in and have a seat. Come on, come on." Principal Wang put an arm around Lin Li and led him into the office.
And then Lin Li froze.
Because he saw someone he had met just a few days ago—the Demon Suppression Officer, Yang Liang.
Next to him stood another person, a woman Lin Li didn't recognize, but she was also in uniform.
"Officer Yang, is this the student you mentioned?" Principal Wang gestured for Lin Li to sit on the guest sofa beside Yang Liang and smiled at the officer.
"Yes." Yang Liang nodded, then turned to Lin Li, his voice warm and friendly. "Lin, we meet again."
His voice was so warm and friendly that it made Lin Li feel weirded out.
Just a few days ago, this guy hadn't been like this at all. Was it because there was a female officer present and he wanted to act like a gentle and refined man?
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
This is what men do.
Lin Li, who had already seen through it all, wasn't bored enough to call him out on it. So he nodded. "Hello, Uncle Yang."
"I'm Sun Ying." The female Demon Suppression Officer smiled and introduced herself.
"Hello, Sister Sun."
Then Lin Li hesitated before cautiously asking Yang Liang, "What brings you to our school today…?"
Something clicked in Lin Li's mind, and his face darkened. He leaned in close to Yang Liang's ear and whispered:
"Uncle, I admit I was a bit cocky the other day, but do you really have to report me to the school? I swear I won't mess around anymore, okay?"
Why was this guy so petty? He had only cracked a few jokes—it wasn't like he had caused any real trouble.
And besides, Yang Liang wasn't exactly blameless either, was he?
Unbelievable. The world has so much bias against a seventeen-year-old prodigy.
Please, I beg you.
"Kneel down, I need a favor from you."
"No, no, Lin!" Yang Liang quickly shook his head.
Lin Li's absurdity was his only armor. If he took that away, would he even be human? Yang Liang didn't want to lose sleep again.
"Being absurd is great! Young people should be absurd! The more absurd, the better! Keep it up, go as absurd as you can!"
Lin Li: "?"
Uncle, you're even more absurd than me.
What the hell kind of advice is that?
Lin Li had to put in effort every morning at 4 AM, memorizing memes under his covers, to be this absurd. But this guy, Officer Yang Liang, who had managed to land a government job…
It seems that everyone who makes it into the system has their own unique talents.
Yang Liang realized Lin Li might be misunderstanding him, so he quickly explained:
"Didn't I mention it before? You helped us take down a major criminal hideout. Of course, we have to return the money to you, and the department is also giving you an official commendation.
Today, we're here on behalf of the Public Security Bureau to present you with a letter of commendation, a banner, a gift, and a cash reward. This is a good thing! Definitely a good thing!"
"Phew—scared me for a second." Lin Li let out a long sigh of relief.
So that's what this was about.
No wonder Principal Wang was smiling like a blooming flower and being so nice to him.
"Exactly! Of course, it's a good thing!" Principal Wang was still standing beside Lin Li, beaming.
"Lin Li is an outstanding representative of our Nansang High School! The fact that he could assist the police in solving a case is fantastic! Truly excellent!"
"This also speaks to our school's educational values and mission! I believe every student here, regardless of gender, will be just like Lin Li—when the time comes, they'll step forward with determination to help others, just like him!"
Principal Wang's enthusiasm was genuine.
This was a huge achievement!
This student, Lin Li, had just brought great honor to Nansang High School.
And to him personally!
His career prospects might even get a boost from this—after all, a principal is rarely just a principal.
He had already made up his mind. This needed massive publicity.
Official school posts, teachers sharing on social media, public notices, news interviews—the whole deal!
They'd act all casual about it, and then, boom, viral.
As Lin Li listened, he started feeling a bit uneasy.
Not because of Principal Wang's blatant self-promotion—schools celebrating their students' achievements was normal.
But…
Was it really appropriate for every student to "help the Demon Suppression Division solve cases" like this?
Lin Li turned to Yang Liang and whispered, "Uncle, did you actually tell the principal how I helped you solve the case?"
Yang Liang fell silent.
And kept silent.
Still silent.
Yang Liang averted his gaze.
Yang Liang has stopped responding.
Lin Li: "?"