Chapter 284 The Man in the Mirror

The day was June 1994, 6.

Taboo: Everything is inappropriate.

Suitable for: bathing, plugging acupoints, and praying.

The sound of a woman crying came from the living room, and the police interrogated him without emotion. Lin Zihao sat in the bedroom, staring at the calendar on the desk in a daze. He suddenly had a question that he couldn't figure out. Didn't it say that everything was not suitable? Why did the "suitable" column also say bathing, plugging the acupuncture points, and praying?
Perhaps, this is just like the world, it looks like this, but is actually like that. Just like the spider-tailed viper in the Varzaneh Desert. Its existence is deception and lies.

There are osmanthus flowers outside the window.

The fragrance of osmanthus flowers in the window is refreshing.

In the bookcase in front of him, Sega Saturn, Super Nintendo and PS1 game consoles and various game discs occupied an entire floor, and there were even more boxed CDs and genuine tapes. On the desk, there was a computer host and a computer monitor equipped with an old CRT picture tube. Under the pencil case was a thick stack of high school test papers. The Sony MD player on the corner of the desk was something that his peers dreamed of and was also Lin Zihao's favorite.

On the wall beside the bed, there is a poster of a classic moment of Michael Jackson dancing at the 1988 Grammy Awards, "Man·In·The·Mirror", whose Chinese name is "Man in the Mirror". Lin Zihao still remembers the first time he heard this song, Gao Ming gave him a small disc. The man on the box had a weird nose, curly hair and an overly pale face. He put on earplugs, pressed the PLAY button on the MD player, and then entered the world of the man in the mirror.

In the days that followed, Lin Zihao kept thinking, appearance is determined by the heart, so what kind of heart is behind the person in the mirror?
Lin Zihao looked at the mirror in front of the window.

At this time, the whistling sound of sirens was heard downstairs, taking away the policemen in uniform. Neighbors gathered in the community to watch the excitement. Two people who were cracking melon seeds were laughing wildly. Old men playing chess in the pavilion next door were cursing at each other. The mother in the living room was crying for her husband who was in prison.

Lin Zihao knew that from this moment on, all the bright colors that should have been in life and studies would fade away, and what would remain was darkness, confusion, and despair.

In fact, this moment did not come too early. On the afternoon when he met Zhang Yunqi at No. 1 Middle School in the city, when his father Lin Yongqiang told him everything, the world had already collapsed.

Some people do business that will get them killed, but no one does business that will make them lose money. Because the cost was too high, my father was unwilling to lose money, so he came up with the idea of ​​giving away the prize that accounted for 50% of the amount. Although the winning envelope was sealed under the supervision of the notary office, it was kept by Xiao Lijun, the director of the Sports Lottery Center. When he kept it, he used a 100-watt light bulb to shine on the envelope and easily found the note with "Santana". Then, my father would take the "Clover K" that other winners of the previous period had redeemed and give it to a pre-selected agent, who would directly enter the second round of the lottery.

In the second round of lottery, he took out a few more envelopes, one of which contained a "Santana note". He would hint to others to draw this envelope, so as to win the grand prize. When the winner who actually drew the "Club King" went on stage, he would take out envelopes without prizes, so he would not be able to draw the Santana.

The scam seemed flawless and could not go wrong, until Chu Dapeng, the father of Chu Jian, went on stage for the second round of lottery draws. Xiao Lijun remembered the wrong envelope number, and the staff took out the envelope containing Santana, which was drawn by Chu Dapeng. It happened that the clover K collected that day was a hit, and after verification, it was found that one was fake. Xiao Lijun was sure that Chu Dapeng had forged the lottery ticket, which triggered a series of accidents.

For Lin Zihao, Lin Yongqiang's story destroyed all his beliefs. He had never thought that his father, who was omnipotent, wise and had always taught him to be positive, was such a cold-blooded and greedy person. He had never thought that his Super Nintendo game consoles, computers, Sony MD players and affluent life were all built on the hard-earned money of countless lottery players.

He was just scared. Helplessness and panic about his fate surged into his heart. He realized that he was about to lose everything in front of him. Almost instinctively, he asked his father in a crying voice: "The police, the police have found out..."

Dad said, "No."

He immediately pleaded as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw, "Dad, then we should obey the law in the future, right? Why do we have to turn ourselves in?"

"Because of Zhang Yunqi." His father hit him hard on the chest with the awl again: "I know you hate Zhang Yunqi. You are strong-willed and arrogant. You don't take him seriously and think he is just an ordinary student. However, sometimes the world is not what you see on the surface. Zihao, do you know? There is a unique venomous snake in the Varzaneh Desert in Iran, called the spider-tailed viper. Its skin can be disguised as rocks, and the movable scales on its tail have undergone mimicry evolution, which can disguise itself as a spider at the bottom of the food chain. , exactly like the real thing, but once a migratory bird flies over to eat it, it will reveal its brutal and ferocious side in a matter of seconds and eat the migratory bird alive. Zhang Yunqi is such a spider-tailed viper. He looks like an ordinary student, but in fact, he is not simple and has amazing power. He wants to stand up for Chu Jian and seek justice for Chu Dapeng. As for whether Chu Dapeng's lottery ticket is forged, even I don't know now, but the identity information of those who won the lottery in the past is all fake. As long as the police check the information, they will be exposed..."

"Zihao, why are you tilting your head? Don't cry, this won't solve the problem. Do you know why I'm telling you this? Because whether it's a few days earlier or later, you have to face this result. I don't want you to watch me go to jail for no reason and then become a person full of hostility. It's me who caused this situation. You don't have to hate anyone except me. Because this will only hurt yourself. You've grown up and should look at problems like a man. After I go to jail, life at home may be very hard. You have to take good care of your mother and study hard. Don't be like me. You have to be a promising person."

The rain outside the window is falling.

The sky was filled with black clouds, surging northward like a tide.

It was exactly the same as the day Lin Yongqiang surrendered himself.

Lin Zihao felt suffocated standing in front of the window. His eyes in the mirror were bloodshot and filled with hatred, but he did not forget what his father said.

From then on, he began to learn how to wash clothes, cook, save money, no longer wasting money, no longer went to restaurants outside to eat stir-fried dishes and always only drank half of his drinks, and the days of discussing which girl was prettier in the corridor after class completely bid farewell to his life. Those people whom he should not think about or hate were deleted from his memory. He always went home the first time after school, studied harder than before, often staying up until two or three in the morning... He silently tried to move his gloomy life into a new track, but his life was still filled with a sense of coldness.

After the police came, word spread that people often went to his neighborhood to make trouble and demand money. One day, more than a dozen lottery players rushed into his house and smashed it from top to bottom. There was no money, and all the valuables were taken away, including his beloved Sony MD player. His mother just wiped her tears, and he quietly cleaned up the pots and pans. He cooked a pot of white rice porridge for dinner, and the bowls were all broken. He took an iron spoon and ate directly from the iron pot. His mother looked at him blankly, her eyes full of sorrow, and later, she ate with him.

After dinner, the night outside the window was clear and there were stars. He sat in the messy living room all night. All the people he should not think about or hate came back. In his mind were his father, Chu Jian, and Zhang Yunqi who destroyed everything for him.

After the sky cleared, he heated up the white rice porridge that was left over from last night. It was hot in summer and the refrigerator had been moved away. The white rice porridge in the pot had a sour smell. He held an iron spoon and ate until his stomach was full. Then he poured out the rest, boiled a small pot of white rice porridge again and put it on the dining table, then went downstairs to school with his schoolbag on his back.

There were already people walking on the street in the neighborhood early in the morning. Two little boys pointed at him in surprise. He thought they wanted to see him for something.

"His dad is a swindler!" they laughed.

At dawn, the light blue sky was cleared by the wind.

A few small silver stars and a scimitar-like moon were nailed obliquely in the sky.

Lin Zihao turned around and went home to get a fruit knife!

When he arrived at school, he went directly to Class 156 of Grade .

Zhang Yunqi was eating Qifengdu fish noodles at his desk, his head was sweating and his mouth was full of oil.

"Looking for me, right?" Zhang Yunqi saw him, wiped the red oil off his mouth with a piece of paper, walked out of the classroom and came to him: "What's going on?"

"Do you know why my father turned himself in?" Lin Zihao's voice was a little hoarse.

"I don't know." Zhang Yunqi said.

"You forced me to do it."

"Then who forced Chu Dapeng to die?"

"His lottery ticket is a fake."

"Whether it is forged or not, only the police can decide." Zhang Yunqi could clearly feel the strong aura of revenge from Lin Zihao. This guy had already blamed him for his father's imprisonment. This kind of hot-blooded young man would be unreasonable when he gets angry. It would be fine if his behavior was exposed openly, but it's easier to dodge an open attack than to guard against an arrow from the dark.

Zhang Yunqi said patiently, "We are all adults, so we should look at the problem as rationally as possible. The police will give an explanation as to who is right and who is wrong in this matter. In short, everyone must bear the consequences of their actions. Your father has turned himself in now. As long as he is honest, explains the problem clearly, and actively cooperates, he will be released in a few years. Of course, if you think this matter is my responsibility, then I can give you a suggestion. Get good grades in the college entrance examination this time, go to a good university, and make a name for yourself before you come to trouble me again."

"Do you really have to educate me from such a high position?"

"How about you come and teach me a lesson?" Zhang Yunqi knew that his elaborate words were in vain. Lin Zihao couldn't even hide his emotions. After school at noon, he had to ask Ma Shi to find someone to keep an eye on this dangerous person. He waved his hand and turned back to the classroom: "Come and talk to me when you are clear-headed. You can come to me if you have any questions."

Regardless of whether Zhang Yunqi's words were sincere or false, when they fell into Lin Zihao's ears, there was only humiliation, the kind of humiliation that was shown in the face of someone who didn't take him seriously but still showed him kindness!

He stared at Zhang Yunqi's back, holding the fruit knife in his pocket, feeling his blood boiling! However, he didn't know whether it was because of his remaining rationality or his cowardice, but he couldn't pull his shaking hand out. The opportunity was fleeting. Zhang Yunqi had already sat back in his seat, and he had lost the good opportunity to attack. He ran downstairs.

At that moment, he felt that he, a coward, had lost even the last bit of his dignity. He felt that he was superfluous in this world! He was as worthless as air, and anyone could trample on him! But what made him even more desperate was that at the corner of the boulevard, he met the girl he least wanted to meet at that moment.

The girl was wearing a white cotton skirt, a ponytail, a pair of sneakers, white socks, and holding a copy of Walden in front of her chest. She walked towards me. The midsummer morning was particularly quiet. There was light in the sky, and the light shone on her body, making her skin and the white cotton skirt seem transparent.

******
(End of this chapter)