This actor is full of tricks.

Days passed by, and Lin Jue's life consisted of only four things: going to school, going to work, studying, and sleeping. It was like a cassette tape playing a certain segment on a loop.

Thirteen days before the college entrance examination, Lin Jue skipped class again, climbed down the wall, and walked to the riverbank.

Sanjiang is a city built on the riverbanks where three major rivers converge. Under the setting sun, the three rivers rush towards the horizon. The river surface is wide and sparkling, and flocks of egrets can be seen skimming across the water.

On the riverbank, there were families of three camping, as well as young couples having a rendezvous. They all had their own relatives, friends, and partners. On the mountain across the river, traffic was heavy, and people were rushing home after get off work.

Lin Jue sat alone on the steps by the river. He didn't know why he had skipped class again. He only knew that the air around him was very heavy, as if it had turned into a swamp. Every breath he took felt like he was inhaling a slurry, which slowly blocked his air and made it hard for him to breathe.

He just sat there, not thinking or doing anything. Everything around him was bustling, but his area was strangely quiet, like a tiny ink dot on a blank sheet of paper.

"Yan Hui!"

Just then, a voice suddenly sounded behind him, and Lin Jue came to his senses and turned around to look.

Zhou Yue was walking down the steps when he saw Lin Jue. A smile appeared in his eyes: "I thought I had mistaken you for someone else. I didn't expect it to really be you."

"It should still be during class time, right? Why are you here instead of being a senior high school student?"

Zhou Yue approached Lin Jue, his smile carrying a hint of questioning.

Lin Jue stammered and couldn't give a clear answer. For students, studying is their primary responsibility, and skipping class is indeed a very wrong thing to do. Zhou Yue is a doctor he respects very much, and he doesn't want to leave a bad impression on him.

But Zhou Yue didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he sat down next to him and watched the egrets flying over the river with him: "Have you been too tired lately?"

"I don't know, I guess so." Lin Jue shook his head and then nodded. "I recently found a part-time job. I work for two hours every day after school, and then I have to study when I get home. Every minute of my time is filled up. I'm probably exhausted."

"So how have you been feeling lately?" Zhou Yue asked again. Lin Jue glanced at him, but Dr. Zhou was still staring at the flock of egrets, as if he were just asking casually.

"Not particularly good." Lin Jue lowered his voice, making it almost impossible to hear unless you listened carefully.

“If you feel tired, it’s okay to take a break now and then.” Zhou Yue stood up, stretched, and glanced at his watch. “It’s a little past five now. I’ll take you somewhere. You don’t need to do your part-time job today.”

"Where to?" Lin Jue was a little surprised. He thought Zhou Yue would criticize him, but the other party did not react at all. But thinking about it, it made sense. The other party was just a doctor and patient, and they were not related. There was no need for him to be disappointed or angry about his mistake.

"I was supposed to go on a blind date nearby today, but the other person turned around and left as soon as they heard I was a clinic doctor." Zhou Yue said this without any change in his emotions. He has always been a very gentle person, and he remains calm even when looked down upon. "I even bought two tickets to an exhibition specifically for this blind date. Now that no one is going with me, why don't you come with me?"

"An exhibition? What kind of exhibition?" Lin Jue had never been to an exhibition before, so this was a completely new concept to him. Zhou Yue pulled out two paper tickets from his pocket, printed with the words "Sanjiang Art Museum": "An art exhibition. This is the largest art exhibition in Jiangdong Province since the beginning of the year, bringing together the best works of artists from all over the country. It will last for three days. Although I'm a mundane person, I still need to cultivate my taste occasionally. I wonder if you, Yan, are interested?"

Lin Jue was somewhat tempted. He had been living a monotonous and dull life, and now a different kind of color had appeared, so he naturally wanted to go.

But he already owed Zhou Yue a lot of medical expenses, and now he's trying to freeload off Zhou Yue's exhibition tickets, so he owes Zhou Yue even more.

After thinking it over, he still refused: "I think I'd better not go. It's not easy for a part-time worker like me to take time off..."

“It’s okay, just give me the boss’s number, and I’ll say he’s your uncle and ask for leave for you today.” Zhou Yue took out his phone and handed it to Lin Jue, gesturing for him to enter the phone number.

Touched by the other person's words, Lin Jue entered his boss's phone number as if possessed. Because his home had recently experienced a power outage and his only cell phone had been switched off, he had memorized many people's phone numbers.

After the call connected, Zhou Yue went to the side to talk to his boss, and returned in less than a minute: "Done, let's go."

"Thank you, Dr. Zhou." Lin Jue didn't know how to express his feelings. In this era, it's rare to see someone as warm-hearted as Zhou Yue.

Zhou Yue patted him on the shoulder without saying much. When they arrived at the Sanjiang Art Museum, it was already 5:30, an hour and a half before closing time, so there weren't many people in the exhibition hall.

After having their tickets checked, the two entered the museum one after the other. A wide variety of artworks were on display. Zhou Yue was very accomplished in art, and under his explanation, art, which is sometimes boring for ordinary people, became interesting.

As he passed by the sculpture gallery, Lin Jue stopped for some reason. Looking at the sculptures on display, he asked, "May I go in and take a look?"

"Are you interested in sculptures?" Zhou Yue asked curiously. Although Lin Jue had been listening attentively to his introduction of the artworks, he hadn't shown any interest in anything. Now, however, he was actually asking to go to the sculpture gallery.

"I don't know either." Lin Jue shook his head. "I just felt that I should go in and take a look."

“That means you’re interested, and it’s a good thing to have something you’re interested in.” Zhou Yue put his arm around his shoulder: “Let’s go in and take a look.”

As Lin Jue walked into the sculpture gallery, he looked around. The sculptures were indeed very exquisite, and one could see the superb carving skills of each sculptor. However, none of the sculptures could attract his attention. He didn't know why he suddenly had the urge to come in.

When he reached the farthest corner, he finally stopped and stared intently at the sculpture in front of him.

This is a sculpture of a man's head. Compared to other sculptures, this one is not refined; it's very abstract. The nose is crooked, the eyes are slanted, and the features look as if they've been crushed. The sculpture's mouth is wide open, as if it's silently screaming, seemingly venting some long-suppressed emotion. (End of Chapter)