Best Friend-White Lies

One day, journalist Chen Jun from the "Citizen Hotline" program of the TV station received a task to follow a woman, Li Xiuzhen, in her journey to find her runaway son. Chen Jun reviewed the materials and learned that Li Xiuzhen's 14-year-old son, Bu Jianjun, was obsessed with online games and only scored 10 points in a math test. After being scolded by his parents, he left a note saying he was going out to make a life for himself and would never come back.

Chen Jun, along with a cameraman, followed Li Xiuzhen to over twenty internet cafes in the city and visited all of the Bu family's relatives and friends, but they didn't get any news about Bu Jianjun.

Chen Jun asked Li Xiuzhen, "Does Bu Jianjun have any particularly close friends?"

Li Xiuzhen replied, "Yes. My son has a best classmate named Zhang Lijun."

Chen Jun and Li Xiuzhen hurried to Zhang Lijun's house. When asked, Zhang Lijun said, "I saw Bu Jianjun at school yesterday, and he seemed normal. Where could he have gone?"

Seeing no leads, Li Xiuzhen burst into tears and said to Zhang Lijun, "Child, Bu Jianjun's departure has taken my soul with him. Our family's life is in chaos. You are his best friend, think again, does he usually mention any place he wants to go? Where is he most likely to go?"

Zhang Lijun thought for a long time but still shook his head, saying, "I really don't know where Bu Jianjun would go."

Another lead was lost, and Chen Jun and Li Xiuzhen had to leave Zhang Lijun's house. Unexpectedly, just as they turned a street corner, they heard someone shouting, "Wait a minute!" Turning around, they saw Zhang Lijun running after them. Chen Jun, seeing a potential lead, quickly instructed the cameraman to start filming and focus on Zhang Lijun.

Zhang Lijun ran over, panting, and said to Li Xiuzhen, "Auntie, I almost forgot, Bu Jianjun still owes me 200 yuan. Now that he's gone, where can I find him to get my money? You should help him pay it back."

Li Xiuzhen, who was full of hope, was furious to find out that Zhang Lijun was there to collect a debt. She said, "You came running after us just to ask us to pay back money? When did Bu Jianjun borrow your money? Who can prove it?"

Seeing the camera filming him, Zhang Lijun not only didn't shy away but became more energetic, saying, "Bu Jianjun didn't have enough money to play games online. He borrowed a total of 200 yuan from me. Bu Jianjun himself can prove it. As long as you find Bu Jianjun, he will naturally admit to this debt!"

Chen Jun didn't expect Zhang Lijun to be so mercenary at such a young age. While hinting to the cameraman to keep filming, she asked Zhang Lijun, "Aren't you Bu Jianjun's best friend? Don't you know how anxious Bu Jianjun's mother is? How can you ask for money from her at a time like this?"

Zhang Lijun, with a stubborn neck, said, "Debt must be repaid, it's only right. If I don't ask Bu Jianjun's mother for the money now, I won't be able to get it later."

Li Xiuzhen didn't expect her son to have such a friend. Regardless of whether her son really borrowed the money or not, she took out 200 yuan from her pocket and handed it to Zhang Lijun, waving him away.

Zhang Lijun happily took the money and made a funny face at the camera before leaving.

When reviewing the footage back at the station, Chen Jun watched the scene of Zhang Lijun asking Li Xiuzhen for money several times. She felt that this issue, like Bu Jianjun's running away, was also a very serious psychological problem among teenagers today and had typical significance. Since minors cannot be exposed on television, she pixelated Zhang Lijun's face and referred to him as "a classmate with the surname Zhang." She aired the segment during prime time that night.

As expected, the program caused a strong reaction among the audience, especially the funny face Zhang Lijun made at the camera before leaving, which angered many viewers. They sent letters and made calls condemning Zhang Lijun, with some viewers even saying that from this shot, it can be seen that today's children not only have low emotional intelligence but also psychological health issues.

The next day at noon, while Chen Jun was continuing to search for clues about Bu Jianjun with Li Xiuzhen, her phone suddenly rang. It was Zhang Lijun, and she answered with an annoyed tone, "What do you want now?"

Zhang Lijun nervously said, "Reporter Chen, if you're looking for Bu Jianjun, hurry up and come to my house with Bu Jianjun's mother!" Before Chen Jun could ask any questions, he hung up in a hurry.

Chen Jun quickly rushed to Zhang Lijun's house with Li Xiuzhen. As soon as they arrived at Zhang's door, they heard a teenager roaring inside: "Zhang Lijun, you despicable person! You liar! When did I borrow 200 yuan from you?"

Chen Jun saw a teenager holding a stick, step by step, towards Zhang Lijun, who was smiling and stepping back. Li Xiuzhen, beside her, cried out "My child," and ran up to hug the teenager.

This teenager was Li Xiuzhen's son, Bu Jianjun. He dropped the stick in his hand and angrily said to Li Xiuzhen, "Mom, I didn't borrow his money, he's a liar!"

Li Xiuzhen didn't care whether Zhang Lijun had borrowed money or not; she just held Bu Jianjun tightly, afraid that he would run away again. After holding him tightly for a long time, she let go and asked, "My child, where have you been hiding these two days? You've worried your mother to death."

Bu Jianjun blushed and said, "I spent another day in the internet cafe, heard people in the cafe discussing my business, and watched the program on TV. I didn't expect Zhang Lijun, this villain, to take advantage of the situation and shamelessly deceive your money. I was so angry that I came to settle accounts with him."

At this moment, Zhang Lijun walked over with a smile, respectfully handed 200 yuan to Li Xiuzhen, and said to Bu Jianjun, "If I hadn't used this trick, how could I get you out of hiding? I knew you were still in the internet cafe; only by making you furious would you come out to find me..."

Everyone then understood Zhang Lijun's good intentions. Bu Jianjun blushed with embarrassment and said, "I thought you were not a good friend, but it turns out I was too impulsive..."

Stay tuned for more exciting updates in the next episode.