Going back to 18, demanding 30,000 yuan in compensation from the school beauty.

Lin Zhao's words left An Meng frozen in place, unable to react for a long time.

"Lin Zhao... what did you say?" she asked.

Lin Zhao smiled casually: "As for me buying milk tea, there's QQ record proof. I was hit by a car, and although the driver was primarily responsible, you bear secondary responsibility. I won't ask for much; medical expenses, nutrition expenses, compensation for emotional distress, all the miscellaneous things add up... 30,000 yuan, not much!"

His nonchalant tone shocked all the students.

Although Lin Zhao is used to playing domineering CEOs, she is actually a goofball in private, and now she is letting loose.

Sun Jiajun, who sat next to him, was also dumbfounded.

I held my breath and stood to the side, silently giving my brother a thumbs up in my heart.

At the bedside, An Meng's big eyes instantly filled with tears.

This scene made a classmate named Hu Yubo, who was standing nearby, feel heartbroken. He immediately shouted, "Lin Zhao, are you out of your mind? Your car accident was an accident, no one expected it. How can you blame An Meng and make her pay your medical expenses..."

Lin Zhao looked at him and sneered, "An accident? She wouldn't let me buy milk tea, so I just went straight to the dinner party. I wouldn't have gone out of my way to that street! You call that an accident?"

"Classmates should help each other out. And even if An Meng asked you to bring her milk tea, you agreed, didn't you? Now that something has happened, it's unreasonable to demand that An Meng take responsibility." Hu Yubo said indignantly.

The students all agreed with what he said.

Even Sun Jiajun felt that his brother's logic was untenable and was now just sophistry.

However, Lin Zhao remained calm and nodded emphatically, saying, "That's right~~"

Hu Yubo was stunned, suspecting that the kid had been driven mad by the truck.

"About what?"

"You were right about your last sentence, I really am unreasonable!"

Hu Yubo was taken aback.

Lin Zhao tilted his head, pointed to the bandage on his head, and said with a forced smile, "My head's practically cracked open, I've been on the verge of death, and I was unconscious in the hospital for five days before I woke up... Even in this state, you still expect me to reason with you? What the hell are you talking about?!"

His foul language stunned all the students.

This tone and this demeanor were completely different from Lin Zhao's previous image as an honest and dull good student.

Even if Hu Yubo wanted to step forward, he was immediately stunned by Lin Zhao's imposing aura and was speechless on the spot.

Lin Zhao's gaze fell on An Meng's face again.

The school beauty's eyes were brimming with pitiful tears, and her white dress was spotless, without a single stain.

Her hazy, broken appearance is so pitiful.

Lin Zhao, however, did not react.

Do I pity her? Who pities me?

More precisely, who pitied the original owner of this body?

If Lin Zhao wasn't mistaken, her parallel universe self should have already died in a car accident, otherwise she wouldn't have inexplicably transmigrated after taking a nap in the nanny van.

Admittedly, this car accident has no criminal connection with An Meng.

But Lin Zhao is not a judge.

They disregard legal principles and only recognize cause and effect!

A life was lost, and the person was injured; An Meng should compensate them. 30,000 yuan is already very lenient!

Faced with Lin Zhao's sudden aggressiveness, the classmates felt unfamiliar with her, and no one dared to speak up for An Meng anymore.

The atmosphere in the ward was somewhat eerie.

At that moment, the door was pushed open, and a middle-aged man stood in the doorway.

The man had dark skin, and his yellowed white shirt was soaked with sweat. He had an old briefcase tucked under his arm with the words "Huai'an No.1 Middle School" printed on it.

Eyes facing each other.

A glint flashed in the man's eyes, but he quickly calmed down.

"This is...my dad?"

Lin Zhao tried hard to make sense of the numbers.

In his own time and space, his memory of his father, Lin Haidong, stopped at age 6, the summer after kindergarten ended.

The incessant chirping of cicadas has echoed in my ears for twenty-eight years.

The tired, greasy, and obviously overweight middle-aged man in front of her was completely different from the young and handsome father in Lin Zhao's memory.

Let's not even talk about the huge difference in appearance.

As a father, when you see your seriously injured and comatose son wake up, even if you're not so excited that you cry tears of joy, you should at least say a few words of concern, right?

But Lin Haidong didn't say a word, his reaction was surprisingly calm!

Lin Zhao was puzzled.

During this brief interval, Teacher Lin had already learned the whole story and finally spoke.

"Nonsense!"

Two words define Lin Zhao's claim for compensation.

Lin Haidong seemed to realize that his tone was too cold and hard. He licked his dry lips and saw his classmates out with a sullen face.

Sun Jiajun stayed.

The ward fell silent.

The atmosphere, however, remained somewhat awkward.

"Are you hungry? I'll go get some millet porridge..." Lin Haidong broke the silence in a muffled voice.

Before Lin Zhao could answer, her father had already taken the thermos and left.

The door was gently closed.

There were only two people left in the room for a moment.

Without the pressure from Teacher Lin, Sun Jiajun immediately let loose: "Wow, President Lin, you were amazing just now! I didn't expect you to be so tough today, you're so different from before!"

Lin Zhao leaned against the headboard, her tone indifferent: "How is it different?"

"It's different everywhere!"

Sun Jiajun clicked his tongue twice. "You used to be the most honest person in the whole class, never uttering a sound even when bullied. But today, you went and made the school beauty pay you money, and you asked for 30,000 yuan right off the bat! You were so cool just now, you were practically the epitome of that saying..."

Which sentence?

"Don't be obsessed with me, I'm just a legend!"

Sun Jiajun spoke with an expression of admiration, while Lin Zhao listened with a look of utter confusion.

I always feel like I've been hugged by those words.

"Everyone was terrified by you just now, and An Meng's face turned pale with fright..."

Sun Jiajun was so excited that he couldn't contain himself; it was even more satisfying than when he had beaten a dog when it was down.

"Help me up, I need to go to the restroom."

Lin Zhao couldn't bear to interrupt him; she simply couldn't hold it in any longer.

Sun Jiajun quickly reached out to help him up, his posture obsequious: "Slow down, Brother Chuanshuo, slow down, slow down. Your head is still very fragile, don't break it."

"It's okay if one head is ruined, as long as the other head isn't ruined!" Lin Zhao casually replied.

"Uh-huh?!"

Sun Jiajun almost didn't react.

……

After two days of observation at the hospital, all indicators were normal, and there were no major problems.

The doctor announced my discharge. I need to come back in a week for a dressing change, and the stitches should be removed in about another week.

"Okay, thank you, doctor."

Lin Haidong spoke with extreme composure.

After seeing the doctor off, he packed his luggage and then, with his slightly overweight body, ran around handling the formalities.

Sun Jiajun exclaimed with admiration, "Your dad's really something! His son went through a brush with death, but he didn't react at all. No wonder he's a high school homeroom teacher; he's truly cold-blooded and ruthless!"

Lin Zhao raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying.

After completing the formalities, I packed my bags and was discharged from the hospital.

The taxi drove into the height of summer in Huai'an County.

It was already noon, and the sun was blazing.

A gentle breeze caressed my cheeks, carrying the unique humid heat of this southern town. Everything I saw was simple, leisurely, and unhurried.

The shop owner was fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan under the parasol at the entrance.

The melon seller wiped the sweat from his face and flicked the melon rinds onto the scale to weigh them.

Several children, dressed in tattered yellow shirts and drenched in sweat, chased each other, played, and ate popsicles in the sunshine.

Lin Zhao stared intently out the car window.

For over twenty years in Shanghai, his life has always been fast-paced, and it became even faster after he started acting in short dramas.

They could be locked in a life-or-death struggle one second and then kiss each other passionately the next.

Such long, meaningless empty shots.

It's been a long time since I've seen this.

Ten minutes later.

The taxi stopped at the entrance of the faculty and staff residential building behind Huai'an No. 1 Middle School.

Get off the bus, enter the courtyard, and go upstairs.

This is a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment, less than 60 square meters in size, with simple and outdated decoration.

The living room wall is covered with Lin Zhao's certificates of merit from childhood to adulthood, with the words "Three Good Student" standing out in particular.

Lin Zhao was engrossed in watching.

I don't know why, even though I've never lived here, a feeling of "home" suddenly welled up inside me.

"What are you daydreaming about, bro? Come on in! Aren't you tired enough with Teacher Lin and me already?"

Sun Jiajun, carrying large and small bags, complained irritably.

Lin Zhao then entered the room.

Lin Haidong put his things down, told Sun Jiajun to have lunch at home, and then hurried downstairs to buy groceries.

Sun Jiajun plopped down on the liver-red armchair: "My god, I'm exhausted! How the hell are you so heavy?"

Lin Zhao threw a banana at him: "I was unconscious for five days, and after I woke up, I've only had porridge and vegetables. I lost seven or eight pounds in a week in the hospital. You call that heavy? If you're weak, just admit it!"

As soon as the topic of male dignity came up, Sun Jiajun immediately jumped up, his face red and his neck thick with anger, ready to refute.

But he was put down by having his shoulder put on.

"Let's get down to business!" Lin Zhao said, raising an eyebrow.

Sun Jiajun looked at him suspiciously: "The college entrance exam is over, and you've been discharged from the hospital. What important business could you possibly have?"

"Damn it, isn't getting money the important thing?" Lin Zhao said, exasperated.

"You want money?!"

Sun Jiajun paused for a moment, then came to his senses, pushed up his glasses, and exclaimed excitedly, "You're really planning to ask An Meng for 30,000 yuan? I thought you said that just to annoy her and kick her out!"

Lin Zhao smiled coldly: "I'm not that free! Do I need to say so much to kick her out? One word is enough!"

"What?"

"--roll!"

Sun Jiajun was speechless, almost not recognizing his best friend anymore, and after a long while, he gave him a thumbs up.

"How do you plan to get this 30,000 yuan?" he asked.

Lin Zhao smiled slyly and put his arm around his shoulder: "That's where we need your help, brother!"

Sun Jiajun pointed at himself, looking incredulous.

"Who? Me...me?"