Chapter 83 - 62: Absolutely Cannot Let Him Go
"Finally, I have one more thing to say."
His voice cut clearly through the applause, amplified by the sound system.
"I ask that Yang Han of Jiangcheng University formally apologize to Shen Yan, and to our Yannan University, for your baseless and unwarranted accusation!"
With that, he stood silently on stage, his gaze like a torch fixed on that corner.
All one could see was Yang Han slumped in her seat, her face deathly pale, her eyes vacant, as if all her strength and spirit had been drained from her.
...
The host, having seen her share of big scenes, quickly recovered after a brief moment of shock.
She hurried to Chen Lin’s side, a professional yet admiring smile on her face, and skillfully took over. "Thank you so much, Chen Lin, for that brilliant answer!"
She gently patted Chen Lin’s arm and guided him in a soft voice, "Please return to your seat and rest for now. The organizing committee and the faculty from both universities will handle what comes next."
Her words were flawless. They gave Chen Lin a graceful exit and prevented the situation from spiraling out of control, shifting the conflict from a public spectacle to a matter for private resolution.
Chen Lin knew when to quit while he was ahead. He had forced Yang Han into the spotlight when everyone’s attention was at its peak, preventing her from fading quietly into the background. His goal was achieved.
Afterward, whether it was the netizens carrying out their own brand of justice or Principal Chang Kai using his own methods, Chen Lin could just sit back and enjoy the show.
He gave the host a polite nod and turned to walk off the stage.
Below the stage, Shen Yan was standing there, quietly waiting for him. Her eyes, usually as cool and clear as autumn waters, now seemed to hold brilliant fallen stars, twinkling with an unprecedented light.
She watched him approach, wanting to say something to thank him, but felt that words would be too hollow.
Chen Lin walked up to her. Seeing her adorable expression—a mix of excitement and helplessness—the corner of his mouth lifted into a playful smile.
He lowered his voice, asking in a whisper only the two of them could hear, "So, how much are you planning to pay for this consultation?"
"Huh?" Shen Yan froze for a moment. She couldn’t believe that at a time like this, with all eyes on them, this was what he was thinking about.
But this time, she didn’t shyly avert her gaze as she usually did.
She lifted her head to meet his gaze, her eyes sparkling, her voice carrying a hint of charming coyness and shyness she herself hadn’t noticed.
"I can treat you to a big meal."
"You think you can get rid of me with just one big meal?" Chen Lin feigned dissatisfaction, raising an eyebrow.
Shen Yan’s face turned red again. She bit her lower lip as if having made up her mind, and her voice grew even softer. "Then... many meals."
Seeing her like this, Chen Lin was secretly delighted. He stopped teasing her and gave a brisk nod. "Alright, you said it. I’ll hold you to it, so don’t even think about backing out."
They looked at each other, smiled, and walked back to their seats side by side.
The moment they sat down, Li Zihan, Zhang Rong, and Sun Jing swarmed them like three excited little birds, chirping away with excitement.
"Chen Lin! You were so cool! Absolutely epic!" The way the two girls, Zhang Rong and Sun Jing, looked at him was with the pure adoration one would have for an idol.
"Totally, totally!" Li Zihan was even more worked up, clapping Chen Lin on the shoulder and excitedly waving his phone. "Let me tell you, I was live-posting your heroic moment on stage to our school’s forum the whole time! The forum is blowing up right now!"
Chen Lin’s mouth twitched as he listened.
He wasn’t too concerned about the so-called exposure, though.
He silently calculated in his head. ’With so many reporters here today, so many bigwigs from academia on the judging panel, and this being the age of social media, I’d probably end up trending tonight anyway, even if Li Zihan hadn’t posted anything. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.’
’The only real benefit is that for the homework-writing and tech consultation services I post online, I can finally list them openly under my own name.’
’I’ve been using Shen Yan’s acceptance letter and transcripts as my golden signboard all this time. This time, it caused a bit of a mess and almost got her into trouble.’
’Plus, I can use my newfound fame to raise my prices a bit. I still need to plan carefully for setting up a company, but for now, every bit of money I can earn counts.’
A few minutes later, while the group was still talking excitedly, their faculty advisor, Qu Chengfeng, strode over.
"Chen," Qu Chengfeng’s voice was also thick with excitement that hadn’t quite subsided. "Um, Principal Chang asked me to come tell you that he’s waiting for you in the reception area outside—the one from this morning. He’d like you to go see him."
...
...
「A few minutes earlier, at the very moment Chen Lin walked off the stage to thunderous applause.」
In the audience, Principal Chang Kai had clapped his hands red, his face beaming with irrepressible excitement.
He turned his head to look at the equally stunned Gu Ming beside him, his voice trembling slightly. "Gu! Did you see that? Did you see that?!"
Gu Ming nodded forcefully. He adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, as if trying to conceal the storm raging within him, but the sharp contraction of his pupils behind the lenses betrayed his extreme agitation.
"Gu," Chang Kai’s excitement subsided slightly. He immediately recalled Gu Ming’s meaningful words from earlier and asked urgently, "You said before that we absolutely cannot let this kid, Chen Lin, get away. Can you tell me why now?"