He walked along the edge of the corridor, passing by Shen Huaixue. As they brushed shoulders, Shen Huaixue turned her head slightly to look at him.
Lin Jianqing walked quickly. He had tried hard to act calm, but the redness at the tips of his ears still hadn’t completely faded.
Shen Huaixue watched his back and took a slow sip of her coffee.
The bitterness spread across her tongue, but inexplicably, she felt in a good mood.
At least Lin Jianqing today was far more interesting than in the past few days. Even when he was clearly unhappy, he still tried to maintain that little bit of pathetic dignity.
Shen Huaixue withdrew her gaze, a faint smile on her lips, and turned to go back to her office.
In the afternoon, by the time Lin Jianqing rushed back to school, there were less than ten minutes until class.
He jogged all the way to the teaching building, strands of hair sticking to his forehead from sweat. When he sat down in the classroom, he was still a little out of breath.
Today was Guan Ju’s class. To be precise, besides being the counselor for Lin Jianqing’s class year, Guan Ju also taught some professional courses. She usually spoke gently and didn’t put on airs as a teacher, so the students weren’t particularly afraid of her.
Lin Jianqing sat by the window. After opening his textbook, he stared at the words for a long time but couldn’t take any of it in.
The morning’s work hadn’t been heavy, but he still felt tired.
Mentally exhausted. For Lin Jianqing, dealing with a woman like Shen Huaixue left him feeling like his spirit had been repeatedly crumpled and then forcibly smoothed out again.
From clocking in this morning, to Shen Huaixue’s office, to being forced to learn things he didn’t want to, and finally being teased by Shen Huaixue in the hallway about removing his makeup.
Each of these things, taken individually, didn’t seem like a big deal.
But piled together, they made Lin Jianqing feel as if he were being led by a thin thread. He knew very well who held the other end of that thread.
He didn’t like this feeling, but what was worse was that he found himself gradually getting used to it.
Even just now, when she had teased him until his ears burned, his first reaction was no longer fear, but embarrassment and mortified anger.
After realizing this, Lin Jianqing’s mood soured even more. He lowered his head and scribbled aimlessly on his notebook with his pen.
When Guan Ju walked into the classroom, the first person she noticed was Lin Jianqing. He sat by the window, and his back looked quieter than usual.
Lin Jianqing had never been a very lively student, but today’s quietness was different from before. In the past, he was just introverted; though he didn’t speak much, his eyes were always clear and alert.
Moreover… Lin Jianqing’s frail, delicate appearance naturally made women want to protect him.
But today, Lin Jianqing seemed completely absent-minded. There were faint dark circles under his eyes, and his complexion was paler than usual. Though his sitting posture was still proper, his whole being radiated a forced exhaustion.
Guan Ju’s gaze lingered on him for a few seconds. Then, as if she hadn’t noticed anything, she opened the courseware and began the lesson.
This lesson was about composition and expressing character emotions.
Guan Ju put up several student assignments on the podium as examples, including a practice sketch that Lin Jianqing had submitted earlier.
It was a black-and-white character sketch. The person in the picture sat by a window, half their face buried in shadow, with large areas of blank space around the body. There were no chains or cages drawn, yet inexplicably, it conveyed a suffocating sense of being trapped.
Guan Ju didn’t name names; she just used the image to discuss character posture and spatial relationships.
“Sometimes, a sense of oppression doesn’t have to be expressed through specific props. The distance between the character and the space, the body’s orientation, the proportion of light and shadow—all of these can convey emotion.”
When she said this, her gaze unconsciously turned to Lin Jianqing. Lin Jianqing kept his head down, as if he hadn’t heard.
The pen in his hand remained motionless on the paper for a long time.
Guan Ju frowned slightly. This wasn’t like the usual Lin Jianqing. In the past, no matter how busy Lin Jianqing was with work, there wasn’t so much fatigue in his eyes.
But today, he was clearly distracted. Guan Ju couldn’t help feeling a little worried. After the bell rang, the classroom quickly became noisy.
The students packed up and left in twos and threes. Lin Jianqing slowly closed his textbook and was about to leave when he heard Guan Ju’s voice from the podium.
“Lin Jianqing, stay for a moment.”
His movements stopped. He didn’t know why Guan Ju wanted him to stay. Thinking back, he hadn’t done anything against school rules these past few days, had he?
A few classmates nearby glanced at him instinctively, but soon they all left. Before long, only the two of them remained in the classroom.
Guan Ju didn’t speak immediately. She turned off the courseware, tidied the materials on the podium, and then looked up at Lin Jianqing.
“Have you been very tired lately?”
Lin Jianqing stood by his seat, his fingers lightly gripping the strap of his bag.
“It’s okay.”
This was a very standard answer, so standard that it was almost devoid of any emotion.
Guan Ju looked at him, her tone still gentle.
“Is it not going well at Lingqi Network?”
Hearing the words “Lingqi Network,” Lin Jianqing’s fingers paused almost imperceptibly. This subtle reaction did not escape Guan Ju’s eyes.
“No,” Lin Jianqing said quickly. “My colleagues are all nice, and the work isn’t too hard.”
“Then is it something at home?”
Lin Jianqing was silent for a moment.
“My mom… her condition has stabilized a bit.”
This was true. His mother had received better treatment and had a caregiver. From the results, everything was indeed getting better. But precisely because it was getting better, he was all the more aware of what he owed.
Guan Ju softened her voice.
“Jianqing, I’m not trying to interfere in your personal affairs. It’s just that I’ve noticed your state hasn’t been right these past few days. If the work pressure is too much, or if there’s a problem with the internship, you can tell me.”
Lin Jianqing looked up at her. Guan Ju’s expression was very gentle.
It wasn’t the kind of gentle with scrutiny and amusement like Shen Huaixue’s, but genuine concern.
This left Lin Jianqing momentarily uncertain how to respond. He hadn’t heard such pure concern in a long time, but precisely because of that, he couldn’t say anything.
Not to mention anything else, his current relationship with Shen Huaixue could not see the light of day, and even if he said it, it wouldn’t help.
Moreover, the Lingqi Network internship was originally arranged for him by Guan Ju. So in the end, Lin Jianqing just shook his head.
“Teacher, I’m really fine. Maybe I just haven’t been resting well lately.”
Guan Ju looked at him. She didn’t fully believe him, but she didn’t press further.
“Then make sure to rest these few days. If the internship time conflicts with classes, or if they’re scheduling you too heavily, be sure to tell me.”
Lin Jianqing nodded.
“I understand. Thank you, Teacher.”
When he said this, his voice was very soft.
Completely different from the prickly tone he used when facing Shen Huaixue, Guan Ju watched his departing back, her brow slowly furrowing.