Transforming into a Trickle of Water

This is a story about Gu Lin feeding his backbone to the dogs.

Back in college, at Su Xinyu’s recovery party, the bottle pointed to Gu Lin during Truth or Dare.

Before Gu Lin could choose, Qin Zhao helpfully chose truth for him.

“Brother Lin, say you’re in a relationship and your girlfriend does something wrong, crossing your line, but she wants you to be the one to back down. Would you?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Gu Lin replied, “No. If she’s crossed my line, why should I be the one to back down? I have principles.”

Qin Zhao admired him. “Whoa, what a backbone.”

Jiang Wei, sitting off to the side eating watermelon, heard that and thought to herself, Thank goodness…

Years later, at a classmate’s wedding, with a crowd of onlookers watching,

Gu Lin lowered his head and bent his back without the slightest hesitation.

He kept his eyes fixed on Jiang Wei, afraid she might run off if he looked away for even a second.

In a cautious, ingratiating voice, he said, “Baby, I was wrong. It was all my fault. Whatever you do, you’re right.”

“Come back, okay? Please?”

Imitating the tone Gu Lin had used all those years ago, Jiang Wei said coolly, “I’d better not. Since you have principles, I wouldn’t want to make you do anything against them.”

“No, no. You’re my principle.”

Qin Zhao sighed. “Brother Lin, what happened to that backbone you promised you had?”

Gu Lin: “I fed it to the dogs.”