By the time Lin Wei left the bureau that afternoon, the sky had turned a somber gray. The winter wind knifed through his coat, stealing warmth from his skin and courage from his heart.
His notebook.They wanted to see all of his notebooks.Every page of notes he'd written under the system's accelerated learning.
It wasn't that he hadn't studied.He had—obsessively, every night, until his fingers cramped and his eyes stung.
But would they believe it?Would the committee accept the truth, when the truth looked impossible?
The wind howled through the alley.
He tightened his scarf and began the long walk back to the siheyuan.
At the Courtyard Gate
The sound hit him before he stepped inside—
Raised voices.Arguing.Crowds gathered.
Lin Wei's heart dropped.
Please don't let this be another courtyard fight…
But as he rounded the corner, he froze.
A thin, nervous young boy stood in the center of the courtyard, clutching a cloth-wrapped package to his chest. He looked barely fourteen, maybe fifteen.
Uncle Chen towered over him, face red with anger.
"I said GET OUT! You can't trespass here!"
"I—I'm not trespassing," the boy stammered. "I came to see Lin Wei-ge…"
Lin Wei blinked.
"…Me?"
Everyone turned.
The boy lit up instantly.
"Lin Wei-ge! You're back!"
The entire courtyard stared at Lin Wei as if expecting him to explain the sudden appearance of a long-lost relative.
Auntie Zhang narrowed her eyes.
"You know him?"
Lin Wei approached slowly.
"No.I've never seen him before."
The boy flinched—but quickly forced a smile.
"R-right, of course you wouldn't remember! You're so busy now… but I came because—because—"
He thrust the cloth bundle forward.
"I brought your notebooks for the bureau!"
…
…
The courtyard fell silent.
Lin Wei's blood ran cold.
Danger in Plain Sight
"…My notebooks?" Lin Wei repeated cautiously.
"Yes!" the boy said, too quickly. "The ones you forgot! The bureau sent me to fetch them!"
Lin Wei stared at him.
He hadn't forgotten anything.The bureau didn't send children to retrieve official documents.And none of his notebooks should have left his room in the first place.
Liu Fang rushed out of her home then, breathless.
"Lin Wei! Are you okay? I heard shouting—"
When she saw the boy holding the bundle toward him, she frowned.
"Who is he?"
"I'm his assistant!" the boy blurted.
The courtyard erupted.
Auntie Zhang: "Assistant? Since when does an apprentice have an assistant?!"Old Lady Sun: "He must be lying!"Uncle Chen: "Trying to trick him, eh? I'll throw him out myself!"
The boy immediately shrank behind Lin Wei.
"Don't let them hit me! I'm really here for you, I swear!"
Lin Wei took the bundle carefully.
Inside—neatly stacked—were his real notebooks.
Every single one.
The blood drained from his face.
"Who sent you?" Lin Wei asked quietly.
The boy froze.His throat bobbed.
"I—I don't know."
"Don't lie."
Lin Wei's voice struck sharper than he intended.The boy trembled, eyes stinging.
"I don't know!" he burst out. "A man outside the courtyard gave them to me! He said to deliver them to the bureau through you!"
Liu Fang paled.
Someone had entered Lin Wei's room.Taken his notebooks.Sent them out.
Someone inside the bureau?A neighbor?Or—
Someone watching him.
Liu Fang stepped closer, her voice stronger than usual.
"Lin Wei, your door—did you lock it this morning?"
Lin Wei thought back.
No.He hadn't.
He hadn't thought anyone would steal notes—only a fool would take textbooks and diagrams, right?
His mistake.He wouldn't repeat it.
Liu Fang turned to the boy.
"What did the man look like?"
The boy sniffed.
"I never saw his face. He wore a long coat and gloves. He didn't talk except to give me this bundle. He gave me one yuan to bring it here!"
Uncle Chen snorted.
"So someone watches your house, steals your notebooks, and pays a child to deliver them? Hah! That smells like bureau politics."
Auntie Zhang nodded vigorously.
"Someone wants to sabotage you."
The courtyard buzzed with anger, indignation—all directed on Lin Wei's behalf.
It shocked him.
He wasn't used to being defended.But before he could process the warmth swelling in his chest—
Liu Fang stepped between him and the others.
She lifted her chin, voice unwavering.
"Everyone, please. Lin Wei had a difficult day already. Crowd him later, if you must—but not now."
The courtyard fell silent.
She turned to Lin Wei.
"Come. Let's go inside and sort this out."
Her hand lightly touched his sleeve, steadying him.
Without realizing it, he let her guide him.
For the first time, the entire siheyuan watched them with new eyes—not nosy curiosity,but understanding.
Inside Lin Wei's Room
Once the door closed behind them, the noise faded.
Lin Wei set the notebooks on the table.
The bundle had been tied carefully.Professionally.
Someone wanted the notebooks intact.Someone wanted them evaluated.Someone wanted him exposed.
"What will you do?" Liu Fang asked quietly.
Lin Wei scanned the pages.
His handwriting.His diagrams.His nightly study summaries.
No missing pages.No tampering.
They were real.
He exhaled shakily.
"I'll bring them to the bureau."
"You trust them?" Liu Fang asked.
"No," he said honestly."But I have no choice."
She stepped closer.
"Then… be careful."
Her voice trembled—not from fear for herself, but for him.
And something inside Lin Wei softened.
"I will," he said.
They stood in silence for a moment, close enough that he could smell the faint scent of soap and winter air on her clothes.
Liu Fang swallowed.
"If… if someone tries to harm you, tell me," she whispered. "I can't help much, but… I'll try."
He smiled— a real, gentle one.
"You help more than you think."
Her cheeks warmed, and she quickly stepped back.
"I'll go before the neighbors start rumors," she mumbled, flustered.
She slipped out the door.
Lin Wei looked down at his notebooks.
Someone had sent them not to protect him—
but to corner him.
The bureau would analyze these pages.Every line.Every calculation.
If they found his accelerated learning suspicious…
Everything could crumble.
He sat slowly, letting the chill creep into his bones.
"System," he whispered, "what should I do?"
A soft chime answered.
[Recommendation: Continue forward. Do not hide.][Heaven favors those who persist despite obstacles.]
"…That's not an answer," Lin Wei muttered.
But he stood anyway.
He would face the bureau.Face the suspicion.Face the shadows gathering around him.
Because hard work demanded courage—and heaven would not reward a coward.
Tomorrow, he would bring the notebooks.Tomorrow, he would face the evaluation committee.
Tomorrow, the real trial began.