You Will Be Found

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#The Male Lead in That Pop-Up Ad Is Actually My Desk Mate

"All youth is like a lamp, knocked over by the rain, soaked through yet still burning"*

When Cheng Sui first started school, his face, which looked every bit like that of a playboy, got him approached by plenty of girls.

His friends knew how popular he was and used his name to organize a social event between clubs.

That night, the villa was packed with people.

A friend nudged him with an elbow. "Not bad. Even the beauty of the Psychology Department at the School of Social Sciences showed up."

At the mention of Lin Zhining's name, Cheng Sui glanced over indifferently and said nothing.

Halfway through the party, a girl confessed to him under the pretense of a game. She pouted and accused him of stealing her heart, even though in the end she had not even gotten his WeChat.

He laughed, pulled out his phone, brought up a QR code, and tossed it onto the table with a flourish.

In an instant, everyone crowded around.

They eagerly scanned it, only to get an app download page.

The boy's flippant voice rang out among the crowd. "It's for our counselor. We still need a few more. Thanks."

Curious, Lin Zhining glanced at the page her roommate had scanned.

An official blue background, a shield in the center, and the words: National Anti-Fraud Center.

Her memories rewound to high school. She still remembered that the first time she met Cheng Sui was in a pornographic pop-up ad. You even do one-on-one chat for money, so why are you pretending, Cheng Sui?

-

After that, the party lost most of its energy.

The girls whispered among themselves that Cheng Sui was rebellious and arrogant, and probably not an easy one to get.

Meanwhile, in a corner where no one could see him, the supposedly hard-to-get guy sent Lin Zhining message after message.

"Send a 1 and I'll comfort you."

"What's the meaning of sitting over there? Is the seat next to me just decoration?"

"I'm sorry."

"I said I'm sorry!"

"Don't be mad."

"Ningning, please don't be mad, okay?"

Her roommate saw her WeChat notifications popping up nonstop and leaned in to look.

At a glance, she saw a contact name that sounded like a playboy's.

The name was completely at odds with Lin Zhining's sweet, meek appearance.

188 cm. Eight-pack abs. Soon-to-be college guy. Three houses at home.

-

On their senior-year graduation trip, Lin Zhining carried a banner up Mount Tai: Youth has no price tag, and college boys are waiting at the foot of the mountain.

Cheng Sui took issue with that.

Later, he wrapped his arms around her from behind and held her hand as he typed out the name he wanted her to save him under, one word at a time.

-

Lin Zhining was a left-behind child. Quiet from an early age, she was rarely noticed.

Looking up at the towering trees on either side, she once wondered: If there were no people in a forest and a tree fell, would it make a sound?

Again and again, she told herself: No.

Then, in her first year of high school, she got a new deskmate.

When everyone attributed her emotional breakdown to teenage rebellion and labeled her a problem student,

Cheng Sui alone stood by her side and challenged the majority opinion.

He said, "Adolescents aren't a problem group. On the contrary, every adolescent is on a journey to find their own identity."

From that day on, the wind vibrated in her ears, and she heard the sound of a tree crashing to the ground.

1. A mischievous troublemaker x a sharp-tongued king

2. Mainly set in high school, with a small portion set at university (the events in the blurb take place at university). Mutual salvation, a touch of ensemble cast, and a coming-of-age story.

3. *Pablo Neruda

Next book: White Citrus Pith

"Liking 'Big Brother' is like the annoying pith between tangerine segments.

It's the web that traps a young girl's secret feelings.

It's an irritating fiber by society's standards."

Half asleep, Chen Ran'er sent a message like this:

"Seven o'clock, 1506. Coming?"

An hour later, the screen lit up.

The person who replied was Zhou Shiqing, with just two words:

"Address."

The moment Chen Ran'er saw the contact name above the chat, she was instantly wide awake, all her drowsiness gone.

-

Later, Chen Ran'er nervously brought up the room number she had sent by mistake.

At the time, Zhou Shiqing was sitting across from her at the dining table, peeling a tangerine for her.

During those few seconds of silence, her heart raced, and she felt flustered and uneasy.

In the eyes of others, he was a proper older brother, an utterly upright elder.

Even Chen Ran'er knew she shouldn't cross the line at all.

She had always thought she was hiding her feelings with great skill.

But she never expected Zhou Shiqing to lay them bare and tell her, "Ranran, you're really not very good at testing people."

He sighed, his eyes plainly showing an all-seeing understanding beneath his restrained, proper facade.

"Whether it was accidental or intentional, I can tell the difference."

A gentle breeze, a purifying flame: one is my thoughts, the other my desire. Both are with you.

Theme: Paying attention to the mental health of adolescents