For many years, Lin Shilan had no experience opposing teachers.

The first time she went to argue with a teacher, it was to stand up for someone else.

Her conversation with Su Ge’s homeroom teacher cost Lin Shilan her afternoon classes.

Lin Shilan first explained Su Ge’s family situation to her homeroom teacher: Su Ge’s mother had remarried several times. Her previous stepfather had spent the longest time with Su Ge, but after divorcing her mother, he no longer cared about her. Su Ge’s mother abandoned her during elementary school, and her biological father’s whereabouts had long been unknown; the only person accompanying her was her grandmother, who had been bedridden for years. Her grandmother passed away the day before yesterday, leaving Su Ge deeply devastated.

Her family situation was very complicated. Su Ge couldn’t get a parent to come to school—not because she was guilty and making excuses, but because she had genuine difficulties.

After hearing her explanation, the homeroom teacher still had many questions about Su Ge’s family situation. Lin Shilan told her that once Su Ge was discharged from the hospital, she could conduct a home visit to verify it herself.

Afterward, Lin Shilan and the homeroom teacher together found the exam proctor and obtained from her the small cheat sheet found on Su Ge’s desk. Then, from Class Two of Senior Year’s homework, Lin Shilan pulled out the homework notebooks of Su Ge and her two deskmates—the one in front and the one behind.

In front of the teachers, she compared the handwriting in the three notebooks with that on the small cheat sheet. After examining them, the teachers had to admit that the handwriting on the small cheat sheet more closely resembled the handwriting of the other two students.

Lin Shilan’s credibility greatly increased. The students who had accused Su Ge of cheating during the exam were called out by the homeroom teacher for another conversation. Under questioning by multiple teachers, all three students who had accused Su Ge of cheating changed their stories without exception; two students said they “couldn’t remember very clearly,” and one student said, “Looking at how Su Ge usually is, I don’t need to see it to know—she must be the one cheating.”

Finally, after an entire afternoon, the homeroom teacher compromised and chose to believe Lin Shilan’s account—Su Ge had not cheated.

Before leaving the office, the last thing Lin Shilan said to the homeroom teacher happened to be overheard by Tan Jin, who was waiting for her outside.

“Teacher, this incident isn’t just about Su Ge being framed and wronged. It’s enough to reveal that the collective ostracism and dislike of Su Ge by the class has been going on for a long time. As the homeroom teacher of Class Two, you must understand what I mean.”

Lin Shilan walked out of the office, and Tan Jin touched her arm with a face full of admiration: “Wow! Little Lan, you’re kind of awesome!”

She remained serious: “You’re younger than me, you can’t call me Little Lan.”

“Hmph,” Tan Jin said sourly: “So only my brother can call you that?”

“That’s right.” She deliberately teased him.

Tan Jin froze.

“Little Lan Little Lan Little Lan Little Lan Little Lan…”

He said “Little Lan” countless times in one breath, continuing until he ran out of breath, then stopped with a flushed face.

“I’m going to call you that! I’m going to call you that!”

She glanced at him with an expression like she was looking at a silly dog running around the house with a slipper in its mouth: “Then call me that.”

“You can only say it once a day, and you’ve already used up the next month’s worth.”

“What?! Why didn’t you tell me in advance!”

Tan Jin grudgingly accepted this loss, secretly delighted in his heart: from now on, he could also call her “Little Lan.”

After school, they were going to visit Su Ge at the hospital together.

Lin Shilan was in a good mood, walking toward the school gate while telling him the details of finding the teacher that afternoon.

Sharp-eyed Tan Jin spotted the figure outside the school before she did: “Wait! Isn’t that person standing over there your mother?”

She looked in the direction he pointed, her heart sinking: it really was.

Seeing Lu Xiaorong, Tan Jin immediately grew nervous: “Why did your mom come? She didn’t find out about you skipping class this afternoon and come to confront you, did she?”

“I didn’t skip class, I asked the teacher for leave.”

Lin Shilan thought calmly and guessed why her mother had come.

“Today is Friday. My mom signed me up for a college entrance exam intensive class. I told her I wouldn’t go and to cancel the course. She probably didn’t cancel it and wants to personally come pick me up for class.”

Another one of these things—just hearing about it made Tan Jin feel suffocated: “Are you going to listen to her and attend that intensive class?”

“No.”

Lin Shilan had already made up her mind: “I need to completely resolve this matter. You go to the hospital to see Su Ge first. Buy a fruit basket and bring dinner. I’ll come find you at the hospital in a bit.”

Tan Jin nodded.

After parting with him, Lin Shilan walked toward her mother’s electric scooter.

Watching her back, strangely enough, this time Tan Jin didn’t feel the usual worry in his heart.

He had once racked his brains trying to persuade her to “live for herself and no longer be bound by her mother,” and witnessed her being forced to compromise again and again after being suppressed by her mother.

The power Lin Shilan possessed to “break free from her shell” was very small.

Her path to finding herself was very difficult.

But she had already set out, heading in the direction she wanted to go…

Yesterday, Lin Shilan had ventured alone into the foul-smelling garbage house to rescue Su Ge.

Today, Lin Shilan went to the teachers’ office herself and eloquently helped Su Ge “overturn her case.”

Miraculously, she still looked as calm as before, appearing no different, yet in her chest no longer beat that numb heart from the past.

Taking a deep breath, Tan Jin withdrew his gaze.

He believed in her.

When she finished handling things, she would come find him.

Getting on his bicycle, he went to do what Lin Shilan had asked.

On Lin Shilan’s side.

As expected, Lu Xiaorong had come to the school gate to catch her because of the intensive class.

“Rui Rui, have a tea egg. You still have class tonight.”

Her mother handed over a small plastic bag.

The eggs still had warmth. Lin Shilan said nothing and took the bag.

“Ah, do you think being a mother is easy? You’re taking a class, I paid money for it, and I still have to coax you to go. But there’s no helping it—who told me I’m your mother? I care about you.”

Lu Xiaorong mounted her little electric scooter, calling for her daughter to get on while grumbling a few complaints.

Lin Shilan didn’t respond to her words and sat on the back of the electric scooter.

She peeled the egg and ate it bite by bite.

By the time she finished the egg, they had arrived at the tutoring center.

“Go up by yourself.” Lu Xiaorong thought her daughter was cooperating and assumed her task was complete, planning to drop her daughter off here and go home to cook.

Lin Shilan put down the electric scooter’s kickstand for her, and tightly gripped her mother’s bag in her hand.

“You need to go up with me, otherwise how can we get a refund?”

“…”

Lu Xiaorong truly hadn’t expected Lin Shilan would go this far.

The tutoring center’s front desk was bustling with people. The town was only so big—everyone coming and going had familiar faces.

The front desk staff said they couldn’t handle refund matters.

Lin Shilan told them to call someone who could handle it—they would wait here.

“Enough, stop making a scene. Don’t you feel embarrassed?” Lu Xiaorong tried to pull her away.

Passing students and parents cast glances at them. Lin Shilan stood straight at the front desk, and her mother couldn’t budge her no matter how hard she pulled.

“Embarrassment is fine,” she spoke without hiding from anyone, letting others watch: “It’s better than taking unnecessary classes and spending unnecessary money.”

Lu Xiaorong was furious: “If you like being embarrassed, I don’t want to be embarrassed with you! You ask here all you want, but asking won’t help. How could a tutoring center possibly agree to a refund?”

“If they can’t refund the money, then we’ll just forfeit it. Either way, I won’t come to class.”

Lin Shilan looked at her: “Consider it buying a lesson for you.”

Lu Xiaorong’s eyes widened: “What do you mean?”

“From now on, Mom should know: when I say I don’t want something, it means I’m unwilling. Even if you force me to come, it won’t work.”

She remained composed, her tone even.

Lu Xiaorong’s anger was completely ignited by her, and she was about to explode…

A middle-aged man in a dress shirt walked toward the front desk.

The middle-aged man was the person in charge of the tutoring center. From his very first sentence, Lin Shilan knew he was in the same camp as her mother.

“Student, I heard you arguing with your mother from far away. How can you not appreciate your mother’s intentions? You’re being so inconsiderate.”

He smiled at Lu Xiaorong and patted Lin Shilan’s shoulder.

“Look how good your mother is to you. This intensive class isn’t cheap, and your mother paid without batting an eye, without any hesitation. How many students want to join intensive classes, begging and pleading to come, but their families won’t pay. Your mother loves you and is willing to spend money on you—how can you still blame your mother? Do you know how many students envy you?”

Lu Xiaorong stood to the side, raising her hand to wipe away tears, as if she had countless grievances with nowhere to express them.

“That’s right, that’s right. I’m good to her, but she doesn’t appreciate it. Teacher, please talk to her for me.” She kept echoing the middle-aged man as they looked at her with reproachful gazes.

Even if there were two people facing her, three people, twenty people, Lin Shilan would not be afraid.

“Being willing to spend money on a child’s tutoring means you love her?”

She loudly questioned them: “The child has said she doesn’t need it. For her studies, tutoring is an extra burden, and you still want to spend money to tutor her. Does that count as loving her?”

The middle-aged man made a heavy “tsk” sound, immediately trying to suppress her words: “You say you don’t need it, but it’s possible there are aspects of your studies that need improvement that you yourself don’t know about.”

“Do parents understand a child’s needs better than the child herself? Don’t you think saying that is arrogant?”

Lin Shilan was a head shorter than him, but her voice was louder.

“I’ve already said I won’t come to class, but you still dragged me here. What I say has never been valued; my wishes have never been respected. Being willing to spend money on tutoring looks like it’s for me, but actually, it’s for that good-looking report card.”

Lu Xiaorong couldn’t help but respond: “When your grades improve and you get into a good school in the college entrance exam, isn’t that for your future? How is that not for you?”

They were no longer talking about the same thing.

She was talking about “autonomous choice,” while her mother was talking about “for your own good.”

Knowing full well that continuing would only lead them into a quagmire of talking past each other, Lin Shilan withdrew in time.

“No one understands my future better than I do!”

She couldn’t convince her mother, but she could use actual actions to do what she needed to do.

Without waiting for them to speak, Lin Shilan turned and walked away directly.

—That’s right! I have no manners!

—That’s right! I’m a lunatic!

—I’d like to see who can stop me?!

The voice in her heart shouted so loudly.

Lin Shilan’s departure was abrupt.

Her stride was bold and fearless, acknowledging no one.

Before anyone present could react, she had already swaggered out of the tutoring center.