221: The light will shine on you on its own—<The Morning is Not White Anymore> Title-Sponsored Bonus Edition

The oak doors of the grand auditorium slowly closed.

The night wind of the capital carried a hint of chill, blowing away the heat from Lin Que's body.

He stood on the steps, and just as he was about to unlock his phone, a thin and tall figure appeared before him.

Shen Qingqiu was wearing that dark trench coat, hands in her pockets, her back to the noisy entrance of the auditorium.

The streetlights stretched her shadow long; hearing footsteps,

She turned around, and her shoulders, which were usually tense, finally relaxed at this moment.

"Teacher Shen."

Lin Que put away his phone and greeted her.

Shen Qingqiu looked at the youth before her.

Not long after the school year started, he had been bleary-eyed in class, his pen producing eerie words that made her skin crawl.

And now, he was holding a trophy representing the nation's highest honor and that heavy official document,

His back as straight as a green bamboo shoot that had just broken through the soil.

"Good speech."

Shen Qingqiu's voice was still indifferent, but the tense string in her tone had loosened.

"Though you still have that lazy air and those twisted theories about 'clocking in and out,' at least..."

She paused, her gaze falling on the document in Lin Que's hands.

"...that suffocating sense of darkness is gone."

Lin Que smiled and didn't argue.

"Alright, don't just stand here in the wind."

Shen Qingqiu raised her hand to check her watch, returning to her vigorous and resolute style as a class teacher.

"Go back to the hotel and pack your things. I've already rescheduled the flight; we're leaving tonight."

Lin Que was stunned. "So soon? Wasn't the flight tomorrow morning?"

"Tomorrow morning?"

Shen Qingqiu glanced at him, her eyes filled with the certainty of someone who had seen it all.

"You think it's over just because you won the championship?

Believe it or not, by tomorrow morning, the doors of the Wenjin Pavilion Hotel could be torn down by those reporters.

Add to that the university admissions offices looking to recruit you, publishers wanting to sign commercial contracts... Do you want to be trapped in your room and unable to get out?"

Lin Que imagined that scene and instantly shuddered.

"I'll listen to you. Let's go then."

The two of them walked one after the other toward the private car waiting by the roadside.

Shen Qingqiu watched the youth's back as he climbed into the car, her heart filled with emotion.

She remembered that afternoon when he had argued his case in her office, and her past worries about him 'going astray.'

She couldn't help but chuckle.

What 'going astray'? This was a sharp blade hidden in a scabbard, finally honing its peerless edge in the fire.

"Driver, to the Wenjin Pavilion."

"You got it~"

Shen Qingqiu closed the car door, hiding that pride deep in her heart... As the window rolled up, the enclosed space completely blocked out the noise of the outside world.

Lin Que let out a long breath and leaned back against the seat, finally turning on his phone screen.

"Buzz—!!!"

The phone continued to vibrate incessantly in his palm.

The red dot on the Green Bubble icon had completely given up, shrinking into an '...' representing infinity.

After a brief lag, countless messages surged out like a flood breaking through a dam.

The vibrations merged together, making Lin Que's palm go numb.

Before he could even open WeChat, a video call request popped up dominantly.

Contact: [Empress Dowager].

A smile touched Lin Que's eyes as he pressed the answer button.

Wang Xiulian's signature loud voice immediately pierced through the speaker, exploding in the narrow car.

"Son!!!"

On the screen, Wang Xiulian's face was almost pressed against the lens.

The background was the large projection screen TV at home, which was replaying the scene of Lin Que receiving his award.

"Mom watched it! I watched the whole thing! Oh my goodness! Our Little Que is really successful."

Wang Xiulian was flushed with excitement.

"Give it to me, let me say a few words to our son!"

After some noise, Lin Jianguo's serious face appeared in a corner of the screen, clearly fighting Wang Xiulian for the phone.

"Son, that..."

Old Lin tried his best to maintain his fatherly dignity, but his trembling voice betrayed him.

"Good performance, you didn't embarrass the Lin family. Is that trophy heavy? Later, I'll have your mom buy a glass cabinet specifically to display it..."

"Dad, Mom."

Watching the two elders bickering on the screen, the sense of emptiness Lin Que felt after winning the award was instantly filled, replaced by a solid warmth.

"The flight was rescheduled; I'm coming back tonight. I should be home after midnight."

"What? Returning tonight?!"

Hearing this, Wang Xiulian became even more energized and snatched back control of the phone.

Leaving Lin Jianguo beside her saying, 'Hey, hey, hey.'

"Good, good, good! It's good to be back! How can outside food be as good as home cooking? You look even thinner than on TV!

Mom is going to stew those two pounds of ribs in the fridge right now. You can eat as soon as you walk through the door!"

"Um, I'll also go buy some braised pig trotters..."

Lin Jianguo's voice came weakly from the background.

"Beep."

The call was decisively hung up by Wang Xiulian, who was clearly busy heading to the kitchen to prepare the midnight welcome feast.

Lin Que held the hot phone and looked at the darkened screen, feeling an involuntary warmth in his heart.

Flowers, applause, national strategy—

At this moment, none of it was as real as a pot of ribs stewed until the meat fell off the bone.

He continued to tap into WeChat. At the very top,

A rabbit avatar lay there quietly, not drowned out by the 999+ messages.

Unlike the bombardment from others, Ye Xi only sent one photo.

The photo showed a fair, slender, well-defined hand making a playful 'peace' sign in front of a tablet on a music stand.

On the tablet screen was the exact moment Lin Que stood on stage, holding the trophy and saying 'clocking out.'

Followed by a text message.

"Great Writer Lin, congrats on clocking out. At that moment just now, you were glowing, brighter than the spotlights on the stage."

Followed by a [Kitten Peeking] emoji.

Lin Que looked at the line of text, his fingertips tapping lightly on the screen:

"Light that's too bright can be blinding; it's more practical to go home and sleep. Still practicing the piano this late?"

The reply came almost instantly.

"Can't help it, someone is running too fast, even making it into the national team.

I'm still practicing new pieces, otherwise I won't even be able to see your back in the future."

Lin Que smiled and replied:

"Chasing light is so tiring. Just play your piano well; the light will shine upon you on its own."

...After finishing the chat with Ye Xi.

He opened the group chat named [Class 3, Grade 11 (No LS)].

This was a group specifically created without Old Shen.

At this moment, the messages were refreshing so fast it was dizzying.

And the leader of this carnival was undoubtedly his desk mate, Wu Di.

This kid clearly hadn't been idle. Not only did he take screenshots the whole time, but he also utilized his talent as a 'troublemaker,'

Quickly turning various expressions of Lin Que on stage into emojis.

The first one: Lin Que holding the trophy with a calm face.

Caption: [As long as I clock out fast enough, the boss can't catch me].

The second one: Lin Que looking at the 100,000-yuan check board.

Caption: [The trophy is just overtime pay; giving money is the hard truth].

The third one: Lin Que's back as he turned to leave the stage.

Caption: [Prohibit involution, start with me].

Wu Di was spamming the group frantically.

Below were rows of uniform [Worship the Big Boss] and [Brother Que is Awesome].

Even the top students who usually lurked had no academic barriers at this moment, joining the meme war one after another.

Lin Que helplessly pressed his forehead.

His intention was to express a transparent attitude toward life,

But it was deconstructed by these idiots into a 'worker's' carnival.

Besides the student group, there were many heavy-weight congratulatory messages in his message list.

Principal Jiang Changfeng of Jiangcheng No. 1 High School sent a design mockup for a banner.

Red background with gold letters, the font so large it almost overflowed the screen:

"Warmly congratulate our Student Lin Que for winning the Fu Zhi Yao National Championship! Unparalleled Scholar of the Nation!"

It was full of 'rural' taste, yet it showed a sincerity that suggested they wanted to cover the school walls with it.

Fei Yuncheng sent a 60-second voice message. The background noise was chaotic, and he sounded like he had been drinking heavily,

Shouting with a slurred tongue:

"I knew you could do it, kid! I saw it back then with your 'listening to snow'... From now on, if anyone dares say our No. 1 High School has no culture, I'll smash them to death with the trophy!"

While Professor Li Yuanchao of Jiangcheng University sent a short sentence in classical Chinese:

"The young phoenix sings clearer than the old; go forth, proceed, and cherish."

Between the lines, it was all the high expectations and care of an elder for a junior... The plane took off with a massive roar, leaving the capital's night view, which sparkled like a galaxy, behind.

The cabin lights were dim, and Shen Qingqiu had already fallen asleep wearing an eye mask.

Lin Que leaned against the window, watching the clouds recede rapidly, and various scenes from this trip to the capital floated in his mind.

There was Xu Changge, who was as gentle as jade but admitted defeat calmly at the last moment;

There was the mixed-race youth Dan Yi from the borderlands, whose eyes were as cold and hard as a wolf's.

And those peers who, although they didn't make the top three, each possessed unique skills.

Although the literary world of this world was barren, it never lacked seeds.

As long as a little rain and dew were given, these suppressed talents would grow wildly like weeds.

Lin Que looked at the pitch-black night sky outside the window,

His finger tapping rhythmically on the hard cover of the official document.

From today on, the name Lin Que was no longer just an ordinary student, nor was it just a cover for those two aliases.

He had his own foundation, the endorsement of the state, and the qualification to stand in the sunlight and speak with anyone.

On this trip, he hadn't just obtained a pass,

But he had also established a Dinghai Shenzhen for himself in this barren land.

"I guess I've temporarily clocked out."

Lin Que murmured softly.

For this 'high school student,' this exam was indeed over.

But for the Dream Weaver in the shadows and that Jian Shen standing on high, the curtain had only just been raised.

The plane pierced through the clouds, roaring toward Jiangcheng...