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墨書 Inktalez
Within two hours, I received five similar calls. There were school leaders, industry peers, and even my undergraduate mentor. The wording varied, but the purpose was the same: to persuade me to withdraw my report.
"You've offended too many people," Senior Zhang handed me a cup of coffee. "The whole circle is speaking up for Professor Zhou."
I stared at the coffee cup. "So you think I should back down?"
"That's not what I mean..."
"What do you mean then?" I shot up from my seat. "Do you want to persuade me to do nothing like you did back then, watching Li Ling get destroyed by them?"
Senior Zhang's expression changed. "You're right; I was cowardly. But now I want to make amends..."
"Make amends? Is passing along a message your idea of making amends? You could clearly testify and speak the truth. But you don't dare, do you?"
The room fell into a heavy silence. We both had red-rimmed eyes but couldn't utter a word.
Suddenly, my computer chimed. It was an anonymous email with a simple subject line:
"Do you want to know Li Ling's whereabouts?"
Senior Zhang and I exchanged glances. He quickly moved closer to me. "Don't open it; it might be a trap."
But I had already clicked to open it. The email was brief:
"Tomorrow at three in the afternoon, at the Old School Gate Café. If you want to know the truth, come alone."
The sender's name was a string of random gibberish.
"Don't go." Senior Zhang almost pleaded, "It's too dangerous."
I closed my laptop. "Sometimes, the truth is more important than safety."
"Then let me accompany you."
I shook my head. "They asked for just one person. Besides..." I looked into his eyes, "Who else can I trust?"
Those words pierced his heart like a knife. Senior Zhang opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.
At the Old School Gate Café, it was 2:58 PM.
I chose a seat by the window and ordered the hottest Americano. Outside, dark clouds loomed over the city, and the air was thick with the scent of an impending storm.
The USB Drive was in my pocket, and the Voice Recorder was hidden in my sleeve. Senior Zhang had been messaging me:
"Have you arrived?"
"If things seem off, run immediately."
"I'm at the bookstore across the street..."
I didn't reply. After our argument, I felt even calmer. Perhaps from the moment I discovered the first piece of falsified data, I should have known this path could only be walked alone.
At exactly 3:00 PM.
The glass door swung open, and a woman wearing a mask walked in. She wore a loose black hoodie, her hat pulled low over her face.
But I recognized her at a glance.
"Sister Li Ling?" My hand trembled, nearly spilling my coffee.
She sat down across from me and removed her mask. After a year apart, she had lost a lot of weight, but her gaze was sharper than before.
"You really came," she said, sizing me up. "Still as stubborn as a year ago."
I stared at her intently. "You didn't drop out?"
"That's what Professor Zhou says to the outside world," she tugged at the corner of her mouth. "To be precise, I was forced to drop out."
"So, you've been..."
"I found a job in a neighboring province," she interrupted me. "Just an ordinary company, nothing related to research." At this, she let out a self-deprecating laugh. "I suppose it's a relief."
"Then why do you want to see me?"
Li Ling glanced around and lowered her voice. "I heard you're planning to report Professor Zhou."
I became alert. "How do you know?"
"Because I know Director Li from the Supervisory Office." She narrowed her eyes. "She has old ties with Professor Zhou; it was she who helped suppress my report back then."
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