105: Is this the punishment you're talking about?

The revolving door of the Zijin Mountain Villa hotel lobby turned slowly, keeping the biting cold wind of Jinling's deep winter outside.

It was already late at night, and the lobby was empty, with only the receptionist at the front desk struggling to stay awake.

Shen Qingqiu, however, could not sit still at all. She paced back and forth on the marble floor tiles at the entrance, the sound of her high heels striking the ground sounding exceptionally sharp and restless in the silent hall.

She would lift her wrist to check her watch from time to time, and occasionally glance toward the pitch-black driveway outside the hotel.

Several hours had passed since Lin Que was picked up by that black Audi.

A few hours might not be long for a casual chat over tea.

But for a high school student who had just "wrecked" the Provincial Writers Association's event in public and was then personally "hauled away" by the Chairman of the Writers Association, every minute felt like a Sword of Damocles hanging over his head.

Shen Qingqiu had already mentally rehearsed countless terrible outcomes.

Such as being sternly criticized and lectured, being required to write a profound self-reflection, or even having his first prize winner qualification revoked...

Although Chairman Gu and Chairman Liang seemed amiable, they were titans of the literary world and the people who set the rules.

Just as Shen Qingqiu's anxiety was about to reach its breaking point, two blinding beams of headlights cut through the night.

That familiar black Hongqi sedan slowly drove into the hotel portico and stopped steadily in front of the steps.

Shen Qingqiu's heart jumped into her throat, and she hurried forward to meet it.

The car door opened, and Lin Que climbed out from the back seat.

He was still wearing that slightly thin school uniform, with a black down jacket over it, his hands in his pockets, and his expression looked... surprisingly even more relaxed than when he left?

"Teacher Shen, you haven't slept yet?" Lin Que saw Shen Qingqiu and raised his eyebrows in some surprise.

"It's windy outside. If you catch a cold, I'll have to take care of you, and I'm just a kid."

Shen Qingqiu ignored his glib tongue, her gaze scanning him like an X-ray.

But immediately after, the stern authority of a homeroom teacher returned.

"Stop being so cheeky with me!" Shen Qingqiu said with a straight face, lowering her voice.

"That... Chairman Gu and Chairman Liang, they didn't give you a hard time, did they?"

The car had already driven away silently, leaving only a faint red glow from its taillights.

Lin Que shrugged, walking into the lobby while saying nonchalantly: "Nope. The two elders were quite amiable; they invited me to drink a pot of Dahongpao. The tea was good, just a bit hot for the mouth. Then we chatted about life and ideals, and they happened to give me a little... well, let's call it a 'punishment'."

"Punishment?" Shen Qingqiu's footsteps faltered, and her face instantly turned pale. It really had come!

She knew it! How could "flipping the table" in such a situation be without a price?

"What punishment?" Shen Qingqiu's voice sounded tight. She had even started mentally drafting how to write an appeal for Lin Que.

"Is it a circular of criticism? Or revoking your award? Lin Que, let me tell you, no matter what it is, don't be afraid when we get back to school. As long as it's not a fundamental error, the school will definitely..."

"It's not that serious." Lin Que reined in his smile and sighed, a rare look of gravity appearing on his face.

He slowly pulled an envelope from the inner pocket of his down jacket and handed it over.

"Chairman Gu said my thinking is too wild and I'm prone to going astray. To prevent me from talking nonsense in the future, he specifically gave me this 'tightening headband' and told me to behave myself."

Shen Qingqiu looked at the large red envelope imprinted with the national emblem and the words "Su Province Writers Association," and her heart skipped a beat.

She had only ever seen this type of red-headed envelope in the education system under one circumstance: the issuing of the highest-level red-headed disciplinary document.

It was over. Was it really a province-wide circular of criticism? Or even... an industry ban?

Her fingertips instantly turned cold, and even breathing felt painful. She took a deep breath, prepared herself mentally, and with trembling hands, took it and pulled out the document inside.

However, when her gaze fell upon the bolded black text in the center of the document: [Notice Regarding the Admission of Lin Que as an Honorary Member of the Su Province Writers Association]

Shen Qingqiu's fingers holding the paper froze. As if she hadn't clearly seen the words on it, she squinted, brought the paper closer, and then held it further away.

After confirming it three times, she slowly lifted her head, her eyes looking somewhat vacant.

Below was the bright red official seal and Gu Changfeng's sweeping, handwritten signature.

That's right. Su Province Writers Association. Honorary Member. Lin Que. These words strung together caused an impact on her, a Chinese Language Teacher, no less than Mars colliding with Earth.

How high was the threshold of the Provincial Writers Association? Two representative works, three director recommendations, layer upon layer of political vetting—that was a hurdle many writers couldn't cross even after going gray.

As for an "Honorary Member," that was usually a retirement position for old department heads willing to write a little something, or for titans renowned across the country.

As for a high school student? A high school student who had just cursed out an Editor-in-Chief on a forum? Not only was he not punished, but he became an Honorary Member of the Provincial Writers Association instead?

How was this a punishment! This was clearly a protective talisman! This was the highest-level recognition from the entire Su Province literary world!

"This... this..." Shen Qingqiu's hand holding the document began to tremble violently. She looked up, staring blankly at Lin Que. "Is this what you called... a punishment?"

"Yeah." Lin Que sighed with an innocent expression. "Chairman Liang said that to make sure I could 'be cautious in speech and conduct' in the future, he specifically put this tightening headband on me. He said that if I dare to talk nonsense again, it would be the Writers Association losing face. You tell me, how much pressure is that?"

Shen Qingqiu: "..." Looking at the youth before her who had benefited and was still feigning ignorance, she only felt a surge of blood rushing to her chest.

If this was called a tightening headband, then how many writers across the province would be crying and begging to wear this headband and still couldn't get one!

"Lin Que." Shen Qingqiu took a deep breath, trying to calm her wildly beating heart, carefully tucked the document back into the envelope, and then solemnly handed it back to him.

"Keep it safe. Make sure you keep it safe." Her tone was unprecedentedly serious, even carrying a hint of awe.

"With this, in the future, in the Su Province literary world, no one will dare to bring up your qualifications to criticize you again. Fang Zhenyun... when he sees you in the future, I'm afraid he'll have to call you Teacher Lin."

Lin Que took the envelope, casually shoved it into his pocket, and smiled: "Teacher, you're overstating it. I'm just a student who writes compositions; what teacher or not teacher. This thing is just a certificate that lets me stand tall when fighting for food in the cafeteria."

Shen Qingqiu looked at his nonchalant appearance, her mood complex to the extreme. She suddenly realized that she truly couldn't see through this student.

He was like a bottomless well; you think you've seen the bottom, but when you throw a stone down, you can't even hear an echo.

"Alright, it's very late, go upstairs and rest quickly." Shen Qingqiu rubbed her throbbing temples, feeling that everything she had experienced tonight was more stimulating than the ten years she had spent teaching.

"We have to rush back to Jiangcheng early tomorrow morning. This matter... don't tell the other students for now, so as to avoid causing unnecessary commotion."

"Understood, keep it low-key." Lin Que made an "OK" gesture.

The two walked into the elevator. Looking at the reflection on the elevator door, Shen Qingqiu suddenly felt that the youth beside her seemed to have grown up overnight, growing into a big tree capable of withstanding the wind and rain alone.

And all she, as his teacher, could do seemed to be to stand behind him and applaud silently.