Hanlu Ling’s resting room was located in Building 2 of the Foreign Language Institute, just a narrow path about five meters wide away from the library. Unless there was a special arrangement, she would visit the periodical reading room every workday before leaving work. “Especially after becoming a widow.

　　Here was a place not only suitable for delving into work but also conducive to her meditation.

　　The table she liked was constantly bathed in the evening sunlight, except on rainy days. She would sit with her back to the setting sun, closing her eyes to meditate in tranquility. However, there were times when she would be interrupted.

　　"This place is not only suitable for delving into work, but it is also conducive to her meditation.

　　The table she likes was always bathed in the glow of the sunset, except on rainy days. She would sit with her back to the sunset, closing her eyes to meditate in tranquility. However, there were times when she would be interrupted."

　　The administrator， Xu Shuping is several years older than Ling Hanlu and has a son and a daughter. She is a cheerful and optimistic person who enjoys studying and practicing beauty and skincare secrets. Although she seldom interacts with Ling Hanlu, Xu Shuping always nods and smiles when borrowing books and magazines. However, in the past year, she has become Hanlu’s only "friend" in the outer court and can be considered her best friend.

　　After the gunshot, Xu Shuping took the initiative to approach Ling Hanlu. At the time, there was a widespread belief in the entire Foreign Language Institute that Ling Hanlu was an inadequate wife and that her husband caused trouble outside. It was believed that Ling Hanlu's perceived inadequacy as a wife led to her husband's behavior, which eventually made her a widow.

　　Ling Hanlu found the rumors and gossip circulating within the Foreign Language Institute amusing. Despite the fact that many of the faculty and students were well-educated and eloquent, she pitied them for their mental and behavioral constraints, which were reminiscent of the traditional foot-binding practice in feudal China.

　　In the face of slander, reason could help, but inner indignation was unavoidable. Ling Hanlu was a reserved person, to begin with, and her sense of isolation compelled her to engage in more solitary activities, such as spending time in the library, through which she became acquainted with the librarian.

　　Xu Shuping was an excellent soup maker, blending various beauty-enhancing ingredients in her health pot. She worked alone in a small office, which doubled as her backyard and kitchen unless she had to cover up during sudden inspections.

　　Xu had entered the Foreign Language Institute library as a military wife. Her husband had connections in the military and political circles, and her family background was also impressive. Working in the teachers' reading room was relatively easy, and she had a small nanny to help with household chores during work hours. Thus, she had almost no worries and enjoyed a carefree life.

　　When people are happy and content, they tend to become kind. Xu Shuping sometimes fed herself beauty-enhancing soup with a small spoon while glancing at Ling Hanlu, who sat alone in front of the window under the setting sun. The more she looked, the more she felt that this woman had a hard life. Her hair and fingertips bore the marks of hardship. Xu thought that Ling was a beauty with a tragic fate, and even her red dates lost their sweetness after Xu had watched her a few times.

　　However, Xu Shuping did not completely reject those rumors. In fact, she had once felt embarrassed to imagine that a beautiful and educated woman like Ling Hanlu might have failed to satisfy her husband in some way, which led him to go outside and cut the young girl's ass with a craft knife.

　　"Thank you, thank you! I'm actually not hungry," Ling Hanluo said.

　　"Don't be polite to me. The soup is very nourishing. Women should take good care of themselves!" Xu Shuping pushed the small bowl forward again.

　　"Okay."

　　At 8 o'clock in the evening, Xu Shuping and Ling Hanluo left the library together. On the way, Xu Shuping reminded "Lulu" not to eat after 8 o'clock to avoid getting fat. She also promised to add more ingredients when making soup in the future.

　　Xu Shuping always keeps her promises. She turned her initial impulsive decision into a long-lasting friendship with "Ling Hanlu". For Ling Hanluo, Xu Shuping's appearance was the most tangible human emotion she could feel outside of her father. She didn't expect more. At the age of 34, she was ready to live a quiet life until dead lonely. What she didn't expect was that someone would slap her and disrupt her peaceful life.

　　Ling Hanluo removed her concealer, revealing a faint red fingerprint on her left cheek that had been there for three days.

　　Three days prior, on Children's Day, Ling Hanluo was attacked outside a display window for children's clothing and was later "rescued" by a child. She believed that with a little imagination, this incident could easily be turned into a novel, whether it was an adult fairy tale, a story of life and death, revenge, rebellious growth, or palace time travel. However, what Ling Hanluo least wanted was for the drama to happen to her, even if it was just fiction. She didn't like being the center of attention or becoming a character in someone else's dramatic story.

　　After all, she had already experienced enough drama in the first half of her life and didn't need any more of it.

　　However, she couldn't help but wonder what kind of person the child who "saved" her was. The only piece of information she had was that he was a freshman in college.

　　"Heh," Ling Hanluo muttered to herself about the child, and then fell asleep smoothly, without any dreams, for the night.

　　The next morning, as Ling Hanluo was getting ready, she leaned in to take a closer look at her left cheek. She noticed that the blemish had faded to the point where she almost didn't need to conceal it. Feeling relieved, she left the house and without any expectation of becoming the center of small-scale conversation once again.

　　The Wutong Avenue in the foreign language college was long and straight, but what was peculiar was that it was located on a slope. Therefore, every time she went to or returned from the teaching area, she had to undergo double training in physical and balance.

　　"However, on this day, the path seemed noticeably more hazardous than usual."

　　Three girls were climbing ahead of Ling Hanlu. They were panting, but still discussing a post on a Tieba forum on their phones.

　　"Superman is quite handsome," said one of them.

　　"What Superman? He's brainless! Saving those people..." replied another.

　　"Which kind of person is she? Professor Ling is great. She lectures Western Literature History so amazingly! She's my goddess!"

　　"Give it up! She's recognizing a thief as her father, and what do you call that? Anyway, I think she's an angelic-looking person with a snake-like heart."

　　"I think she's not wrong. You know, if that child is born, he will be the descendant of a murderer and will have a miserable life."

　　"Yeah, that seems true... but, have you noticed that her facial features and temperament, which seemed pure and ethereal at first glance, are actually fake? She's a bitch, haha..."

　　"I think your opposition to her is mainly because that handsome guy is not holding onto your shoulder, right? Jealousy makes people hysterical!"

　　"Don't talk nonsense. Weren't you the first one who got infatuated?"

　　"Okay, I admit it! By the way, I saw someone in the comments section saying that the identity of the handsome guy was exposed."

　　"The internet is too powerful, right? He could be recognized even though he was wearing a low-brimmed hat?"

　　"They said he's from the next-door school of management and should be a freshman."

　　"Really? What's his name?"

　　"They didn't name him. Keyboard warriors should have some conscience, right?"

　　"Oh, that's too bad."

　　"What's too bad? I heard he has a girlfriend. Someone saw him riding a bike with a girl. Give up, will you?"

　　"I don't understand. Do you think he did it to become famous in public?"

　　"What kind of fame can he get? It's just a topic in the online forum of the outer campus for a few days, and it's not even interesting enough. Has this caused any sensation at all? No. But if that murderer is exposed to be infertile, then this would be interesting."

　　"What do you mean by 'interesting'?"

　　"Oh, why are you so insensitive?"

　　"Just think about it. If the husband is infertile, then where did the fetus come from? It must have been from outside. So, isn't the identity of the guy who rushed out to save the girl even more intriguing?"

　　"Hahaha, that's right! This story is getting interesting!"

　　"Oh come on, you guys are just making things up!"

　　"Hahaha..."

　　Ling Hanlu let out a soft chuckle and deliberately slowed down her pace. She felt that, judged by the standards of a law-abiding citizen, she had not committed any major wrongdoings. However, from the perspective of being a teacher, the question of whether her behavior was appropriate was open to interpretation. While she might be knowledgeable, her moral behavior was subject to differing opinions. So, how could she have the confidence to prevent others from expressing themselves freely?

　　"She chose another path and went around from the side."

　　Two hours later, Ling Hanlu finished class and instead of clearing her mind like she usually did, she reminisced about the conversation of the girls from earlier. "What kind of child is he? In the first year of the School of Management..." On her way back to the office building, Ling Hanlu intentionally walked slowly. This allowed her to think more clearly in the bright and open outside world.

　　Perhaps this child grew up listening to stories of helping the weak and being brave. Maybe he had good home training but wasn't too strict. He knew how to view good and evil from a dialectical perspective and didn't blindly follow or believe in anything... In short, he was a product of successful education and a good child.

　　Two hours later, Ling Hanlu finished class and instead of clearing her mind like she usually did, she reminisced about the conversation of the girls from earlier. "What kind of child is he? In the first year of the School of Management..." On her way back to the office building, Ling Hanlu intentionally walked slowly. This allowed her to think more clearly in the bright and open outside world.

　　Perhaps this child grew up listening to stories of helping the weak and being brave. Maybe he had good home training but wasn't too strict. He knew how to view good and evil from a dialectical perspective and didn't blindly follow or believe in anything... In short, he was a product of successful education and a good child.