Everything I bought on online shopping platforms was genuine.

Chapter 1222 Zhao Tingting's Invitation

On the afternoon of June 3rd, outside the defense room, Lin Mo ran into an acquaintance, someone he had almost forgotten, someone he thought he might never see again in his life: Zhao Tingting.

That's right, it's the goddess that Wang Chu had a crush on for the first three years of college. After he opened his restaurant last year, she disappeared from the school. He didn't even know if she left through the school's fall recruitment.

Not many people knew about that incident back then; it was suppressed. When she moved out of the dormitory, the class monitor and two other girls even talked about it.

He and Chuanmei had previously advised Director Wang to avoid Zhao Tingting if he ran into her these past few days, but unexpectedly, Director Wang didn't run into her, but he did.

What he didn't expect was that the other person would actually take the initiative to greet him. If he were in the other person's shoes, he would definitely avoid everyone, graduate quietly, and then either go back to his hometown or go to another place, disconnect from his college classmates, and find a new place to start over.

After all, the world is so big, not everyone will know you.

"Yes, you are here to defend your thesis too?" Lin Mo said with a smile.

Although Director Wang acted like a sycophant back then, and Zhao Tingting neither took the initiative nor refused him, nor did she take responsibility, in reality, it wasn't her fault. The greater responsibility actually lay with Director Wang.

When Wang Chu first entered university, he noticed Zhao Tingting. At first, the other three in the dormitory were supportive. After all, they were young and naive, and they thought that Zhao Tingting was like their goddess in high school. If they liked her, they liked her; if they didn't, they didn't. At worst, Wang Chu would just be rejected. But in just two months of university, the three of them realized that Zhao Tingting was something else. She was not someone that ordinary men could win over, at least not Wang Chu.

They tried to persuade him during this time, but Director Wang wouldn't listen, so they stopped trying.

So strictly speaking, back then, it was a case of one party willing to give and the other willing to receive, and there was no question between him and Zhao Tingting.

Since there's no Guo'er, there's no question of dislike, let alone anyone looking down on anyone else. He's not even very familiar with the girls in his own class, let alone those from other classes.

Seeing that his expression was calm and there was nothing unusual, Zhao Tingting breathed a sigh of relief and then smiled, "That's right, I should still be a little ahead of you!"

"Really? It's been an entire afternoon, and I didn't even notice you," Lin Mo said with a smile.

Zhao Tingting nodded in response: "I've been outside the whole time, but you're quite conspicuous now. Just standing there attracts a lot of attention."

Indeed, society really does toughen people up. You've changed so much since we went out for our internships last year and returned to school.

If you were like this when you first entered university, you could easily date girlfriends from several nearby universities.

"It's alright. I didn't understand back then either. But it's all fate. If I had dated so many people back then, I probably wouldn't have met my current girlfriend. It's all the same," Lin Mo replied calmly.

Besides, what he said wasn't entirely false. If he really had that much dating experience, Liu Ruyan might not have had any feelings for him at all.

"Besides, if we're talking about changes, who has changed as much as Chuanzi!" Lin Mo continued.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tingting smiled as if she had thought of something amusing: "Indeed, I often see news about you online. Are you both working at Li Shiya's studio now?"

"Well, the pay is pretty good, the work is relatively easy, and most importantly, my friends are all around me, so I don't have to go out and adapt to a new environment," Lin Mo replied.

Zhao Tingting laughed and said, "That's not right. You're a rich second-generation. Didn't Li Shiya even advertise for your hotel?"

The hotel incident was also posted online; it wasn't a secret.

"Hi, she's my cousin's. I helped act as a go-between," Lin Mo said.

He denied the hotel incident, only saying that he was helping out at the Sichuan girl's studio. After all, what's the point of saying those things? He still has to explain.

Hearing his refusal, Zhao Tingting was silent for a long time before finally speaking:

"Director Wang and the squad leader."

Lin Mo nodded: "Yes, they got together, it went very smoothly, and their relationship is very good. Didn't you say that Director Wang isn't your type? Old Wang can't just not find a partner, can he?"

As he said this, there was a hint of sneer in his tone. If everyone were doing well, that would be fine. He and Zhao Tingting had no past relationship, so he didn't dislike her. But you rejected Director Wang before, and now Director Wang is with the class monitor, has found a job, and has a higher income. It would be a bit unethical for you to inquire about her now. He would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tingting opened her mouth to explain, but suddenly someone inside called her name, and it was her turn to defend her thesis.

Seeing this, she didn't explain further and ran straight in to take the final step of her university life.

After Zhao Tingting left, Lin Mo took a deep breath and thought about reminding Director Wang not to wander around outside so much. He told him to wait until the graduation photos were taken on the 5th and all the classmates had left before he went out to have fun.

He then left the spot and went inside to wait. He stood in the corner watching Zhao Tingting come out of her defense, without going up to speak to her, and continued to wait.

Twenty minutes later, it was his turn to go in for the defense. As soon as he entered, Lin Mo saw four teachers sitting inside.

He didn't have a mentor; he'd only met them briefly, not become acquainted, but it was certain the mentor was a lecturer at their school. "Hello, teacher, my name is Lin Mo."

He didn't try to be unconventional; he simply followed the traditional middle way in his defense, starting with a self-introduction and personal statement, followed by questions from the four professors on the opposing side, which he then answered on the spot.

It went very smoothly. There were no deliberate attempts to make things difficult or any unexpected events. In fact, I had already memorized the questions the teachers asked, so I completed my graduation defense very smoothly.

They were well-dressed, presented themselves with confidence and politeness, and there were no unexpected incidents such as bursting into laughter.

After answering, he politely left the room. The panel of teachers scored the presentations, and what happened after that was beyond his control; he just had to wait for further notice.

The moment Lin Mo stepped out of the venue, he was a little stunned. Had he really completed his thesis defense just like that? It seemed like he was really about to graduate.

As he walked out of the teaching building, he immediately spotted Zhao Tingting outside.

"Hey? Didn't you already finish? Why haven't you left yet?" Lin Mo asked.

Zhao Tingting smiled upon hearing this and didn't hide anything: "No, I waited for you on purpose. I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that we're about to graduate, and there's a high probability that we won't see each other again. I wanted to find someone to talk to."

You know, last year... Anyway, I thought about it and realized I don't have anyone I can talk to. How about I buy you a cold drink and we chat for a bit?

Seeing her calm expression and considering her situation, Lin Mo thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Okay, I want lemonade, with ice!"

"No problem!" Zhao Tingting smiled when he agreed.

Ten minutes later, Zhao Tingting sat on a bench by the school's artificial lake, while Lin Mo leaned against the railing in front of the lake. The area was lush and green, with willow trees providing shade for the two of them behind them.

The two held a cold drink in their hands, but neither of them spoke, maintaining an eerie silence.

After a long silence, Zhao Tingting finally spoke, "I only asked about Director Wang and the squad leader's matter afterward, and I didn't think about it anymore. Don't misunderstand, I was just reflecting on my past behavior!"

Zhao Tingting held the lemonade in both hands without drinking it, her expression somewhat forlorn. She then continued, "Regarding what happened last year, please help me apologize to Wang Bo. After that incident last year, I went to work in another city. Then one night, I suddenly started to examine myself and realized how wrong I had been. I thought about sending Wang Bo a message to apologize, and even wanted to return the money he spent on the gift he bought for me to you, but you both blocked me."

Although not many people know about what happened last year, most people in our field know a little about it, and I haven't contacted them since.

You know, my family was poor when I was young. I grew up in a single-parent family, and my mother worked to raise me. That's why I longed for success so much.

However, in junior high school, perhaps because I was pretty good-looking, I accidentally discovered that I could take shortcuts based on my appearance.

Then I grasped at this as if it were a lifeline and started to take advantage of it. You know, people are not immune to the temptation of getting something for nothing, until that incident happened last year.

I was terrified. I was afraid that the matter would become public knowledge, that the other party would contact my parents, and that Wang Bo and Li Chuan would gossip about it. So I ran away. Yes, I ran away.

Even after I moved to another city and started over, the men around me still tolerated me because of my appearance.

But their gaze was too blatant. Some of them were quite well-off, while others just thought I was naive, but I knew everything.

One day, after finishing a drinking party, I returned home and thought about Wang Bo's feelings for me back then. I admit I was a little overwhelmed, especially when I saw online that you guys were doing better and better.

At the time, I was even very jealous. Then one day I saw a boy and I fell in love with him instantly. It was a genuine, heartfelt liking. Even though I tried my best to pursue him and even tried to win him over, he still kept his distance from me and even bluntly said that he had no feelings for me.

At that moment, I felt as if a boomerang had hit me; so this is what it feels like to be suspended like that.

Lin Mo, do you think I'll face retribution for betraying someone who was so affectionate and kind to me?

Hearing this, Lin Mo did not turn around, but continued to look at the artificial lake in front of him. He then took a sip of iced lemonade, and as the cool liquid slid down his esophagus into his stomach, he said, "To be honest, I don't know either, but I do know one thing. In this lifetime, you may not meet someone like this. If you do meet someone and then let them down, then what you missed is a once-in-a-lifetime ceiling in your life."

The reason you so easily let things go is simply because you lack the ability to perceive and cherish them. And the fairest thing about fate is that such a divinely granted opportunity will never happen a second time.

Once it's over, you should let it go. There's no such thing as retribution; it's just a return to the mean. A person's luck won't always be good, nor will it always be bad. Your luck will return to its original level.

The reason you were lucky before was because you met a kind person who shared their good fortune with you, nothing more.

Now that we've parted ways, each returning to our own original paths, I think it's as if from now on, the mountains and roads will be far apart, and the two parallel lines that will never intersect will never meet again, right?

(End of this chapter)