I suggest you investigate; this person doesn't seem to be a first-time reborn individual.

Just as Lin Ran was preparing to deal with this farce...

A feeling of tension and panic that didn't belong to him crept up his spine.

His breathing became rapid, his throat went dry, and his palms were sweaty—this was his instinctive physiological stress response when faced with public accusations at the age of eighteen.

"I...I didn't take a picture of you."

Lin Ran was stunned when he heard those words.

Holy crap, who's talking?

Lin Ran frowned and looked back with his habitually indifferent gaze.

Unfortunately, he felt his facial muscles were out of control, and even the corners of his mouth turned down slightly, a gesture he only made when trying to please others.

What the hell is going on?

This body seems to have retained past muscle memory and emotional instincts.

"Did you take a picture of me?"

The woman noticed Lin Ran's panic; her eyes were contemptuous, and she crossed her arms.

"I only said I wanted to check your phone, and you've already admitted it?"

Lin Ran sneered inwardly at the typical slanderous rhetoric.

"Quickly, take out your phone."

The woman squinted, gestured towards Lin Ran with her lip, and spoke in a voice full of arrogance.

He snorted and opened his mouth to say something, but the words that came out of his mouth took a different turn.

"I...I really didn't take a picture of you."

No, wait, it sounds like those words just popped out of my throat.

The woman noticed his hand as he stepped back, and the next moment, she grabbed his arm.

Upon feeling the touch, Lin Ran felt a slight shiver travel from his arm to his shoulder, and unconsciously swallowed.

He was annoyed by his own weakness in his youth, but also felt a sense of absurdity.

How could I be so scared by a girl in her early twenties?

"See..." His voice trailed off.

He watched as his own hand handed over the bright red old-fashioned mobile phone, his action revealing humility.

"Heh," the woman sneered, her voice filled with a satisfied sense of control.

She snatched his phone, casually pressed buttons, and then hung up on Lin Ran and his brother Lin Feng.

Contacts, photos, text messages...

She scrolled through the records quickly, clearly not caring what was actually on the phone, but simply enjoying the sense of power to humiliate him in public.

She was just in a bad mood today and wanted to find someone to vent her anger on.

And this timid boy in his school uniform was the perfect target.

Did she really not know that Lin Ran hadn't taken any photos of her?

She knew perfectly well. From the moment Lin Ran got into the car, he hadn't looked up at her once. How could he possibly be taking pictures secretly?

So what? So what if she slandered him? Even if Lin Ran knew he had been slandered, there was nothing he could do about it, and he even had to apologize to her afterwards.

Even if Lin Ran could prove he didn't take any photos of her, she would at most just show her magnanimity and let him off the hook.

Anyway, it's not like it's the first time she's done this.

Most importantly, she discovered that smearing men never comes at a price.

Men, when faced with this kind of situation, either aren't afraid of losing face and trying to settle things peacefully, or they aren't afraid of being accused of bullying women, and in the end, they are always the ones who back down.

She was already looking forward to how she would teach this unfortunate boy a lesson.

A public apology is the bare minimum; should we also make him write a written guarantee, and perhaps post it online? It's been quite a hot topic on a certain forum lately…

Her actions attracted the attention of the surrounding crowd, and many people gradually gathered around.

Facing the scrutinizing gazes of the people around him, Lin Ran felt his ears burning, his cheeks flushed, and his neck stiff.

He seemed to see his former self before his rebirth, how he compromised in panic, how he clumsily took out his phone to prove his innocence, and how he had to apologize and make promises in a humble voice under the woman's relentless ridicule and lecture.

Seeing the woman still idly flipping through her phone, Lin Ran really wanted to snatch it back, but his hand remained outstretched for a long time without moving.

He tried to straighten his back, but his spine arched slightly, attempting to avoid the gaze of the people around him.

He wanted to say something to reprimand them, but no sound came out when he opened his mouth.

"You deleted it pretty quickly?"

The woman held the phone up with two fingers and waved it around. "So young and already learning bad habits?!"

"I'm sorry..."

An apology was about to slip out uncontrollably, but Lin Ran managed to hold it back.

He could feel his vocal cords trying to continue vibrating, so he clenched his teeth and tried to control his speech.

Excessive force can even cause neck spasms, making you feel like a chicken being choked.

I took two deep breaths. The cold air from the subway air conditioner mixed with the cheap perfume smell on the woman's body filled my nostrils.

He felt that he had regained some control over his body.

"Speak louder! Don't think that an apology is the end of it!"

The woman leaned forward, her voice arrogant and loud, as if afraid the onlookers wouldn't hear her: "I'm going to post this online and expose you!"

Then, the woman saw Lin Ran's clenched fists.

Her eyes lit up, as if she had discovered a new continent.

She feigned surprise, taking a step back and clutching her chest. "What, you're not happy? You want to hit me?"

She raised her voice again, her tone sharp and piercing:

"Everyone, please be the judge! I caught this kid taking pictures of me without my permission, and instead of admitting his mistake, he even tried to hit me!"

The wicked accuse first, then turn the tables and make false accusations.

In 2010, the term "secretly photographed" was not common and mostly appeared in gossip news, used to describe paparazzi reporters.

Several elderly men and women looked bewildered and asked each other in hushed tones.

What is surreptitious filming?

"So you just secretly took photos with your phone, right?"

"Can phones do this now?"

……

The woman was very satisfied with the reactions of those around her, and quite proud of her use of the word "secretly photographed."

The woman's shrill voice, coupled with the chatter of the onlookers, pierced Lin Ran's newly formed will like a needle.

My heartbeat, which had just calmed down, started to race again; it was my body's subconscious attempt to escape.

"Stay calm," he told himself.

The feeling was strange, as if he had been split into two parts.

Part of it is the body facing humiliation, with lingering physiological tension.

The other group consists of calm, observing souls watching this farce unfold.

Now, he can feel his consciousness gradually adapting to his body, transforming from an observer into a participant.

Seeing that Lin Ran remained silent, the woman assumed he was frightened and began to lecture him.

She first tugged at the school badge on Lin Ran's school uniform: "Doing something like this is a disgrace to No. 1 High School!"

"Did your parents work so hard to send you to school just so you could do this kind of despicable thing?"

"Don't think you're safe just because you deleted the photos!"

Lin Ran paid no attention to the woman's words; he was focused on taking control of the young body.

He began to consciously adjust his physical condition.

First, he steadied his gaze. Previously, his body would subconsciously avoid the woman's piercing stare and the scrutiny of those around him, but now he forced himself to focus on the woman's incessantly chattering face, which was full of smugness and malice.

He then cleared his throat slightly, trying to control his vocal cords, and produced a slightly hoarse sound.

He then adjusted his posture, straightening his previously bent back and opening his chest, which made his breathing easier.

The muscles that had been tense in a defensive posture gradually relaxed, and I finally felt a sense of relaxation.

All of this happened in the brief moment between the woman tugging at his clothes and starting to speak, but to him it felt like a silent battle between his soul and body.

"This isn't over!"

"Besides apologizing to me, I also want you to write me a letter of self-criticism right now! Otherwise..."

"Otherwise, I'll post this online and let your teachers and classmates see what kind of person you are!"

As the woman's face drew closer again, Lin Ran took another deep breath, feeling that he had essentially completed the fusion of his consciousness and body.

This time he finally opened his mouth.

I'll delete your mother.