Chapter 53

Tan Wenbin bent down and effortlessly lifted Zheng Haiyang onto his back. This clearly showed that while diligently studying, he had also kept up with Run Sheng's professional basic training. This standard set of actions was specifically designed for carrying bodies.

He quickly ran downstairs to the infirmary, but the door was locked; the school nurse had gone for lunch. In truth, even if the door had been open and the nurse present, she wouldn't have been much help. The infirmary's purpose was simply to take students' temperatures, approve leave requests, or dispense mild medicines like Qingkai Ling or Banlangen. For IV drips, students were sent to an off-campus clinic.

Li Zhuiyuan reminded him, "Run Sheng Ge's tricycle is outside." Tan Wenbin immediately ran towards the school gate with Zheng Haiyang on his back. The clinic and the school were on the same straight line, very close. At that moment, calling a teacher or looking for a car was truly less efficient than using Run Sheng's tricycle.

A-Li got out of the car and walked hand-in-hand with Li Zhuiyuan. Meanwhile, after Tan Wenbin placed Zheng Haiyang into the tricycle, Run Sheng immediately cycled towards the clinic. When Li Zhuiyuan and A-Li, avoiding the crowd, slowly walked to the clinic entrance, Run Sheng had already emerged.

"A-Li, you and Run Sheng Ge go back first. I have something to take care of tonight."

A-Li nodded.

"Run Sheng Ge, after you drop A-Li off, bring our tools."

"Got it!"

"Did you see that on TV?"

"I think this sounds more imposing."

"A-Li, there are books and test papers in the backpack; you can look at them for now." A-Li sat in the tricycle, hugging the boy's backpack.

After they left, Li Zhuiyuan entered the clinic. Just as he inquired about the specific patient room, he heard footsteps running behind him. It was their homeroom teacher, Sun Qing, accompanied by two other teachers. A classmate had seen Tan Wenbin carry Zheng Haiyang out of school and reported it to a teacher.

At that moment, Zheng Haiyang, who had been in a terrifying state in the classroom, had clearly improved. He was on an IV drip, while Tan Wenbin held a large ceramic pot, feeding him water in gulps.

Sun Qing first briefly consulted the doctor. Relieved to hear there was no danger to his life, she walked in, glanced at the ceramic pot, and asked, "Is that tap water?" Tan Wenbin nodded, "He's very thirsty." The hospital had readily available hot water, but warm water was hard to come by. Zheng Haiyang kept asking for water, so Tan Wenbin could only get it for him from the tap.

"More, I want more."

"Slow down a bit," Tan Wenbin asked, "You've drunk so much already."

"Bin Ge, I'm really thirsty."

"Okay, I'll get you more." After drinking two more ceramic pots, Zheng Haiyang's face finally returned to normal; it was no longer deathly pale, just a bit swollen.

Sun Qing asked, "Have Zheng Haiyang's parents been notified?" Hearing this, Zheng Haiyang immediately showed resistance and worry on his face. Tan Wenbin began, "I haven't..." Li Zhuiyuan interjected, "Yes, they have. His grandparents should be on their way now."

"That's good," Sun Qing said, looking at Tan Wenbin again. "I've asked the doctor. Zheng Haiyang is fine now. You should go back to school. There's an exam tonight."

Tan Wenbin mumbled, "An exam isn't as important as a friend."

"Tan Wenbin, you, right now, go back to school immediately!" The young homeroom teacher had to maintain a stern demeanor; if not strict, students wouldn't be afraid. Tan Wenbin reluctantly stood up, looking very unwilling to leave. "Tan Wenbin, no matter what, you can't give up on yourself. Your parents still have high hopes for you."

"Yes, Teacher." Tan Wenbin wasn't unwilling to return for the exam, but he remembered what Zheng Haiyang had shouted while unconscious and his terrifying initial reaction. He knew that if he went back for the exam, he'd probably miss something. Wasn't this why he worked so hard to study?

"Bin Bin Ge, go back to school for your exam. You can visit after it's over."

"I..." Hearing this, Tan Wenbin was almost certain that by the time he returned from the exam, it would be too late for any developments.

"Teacher Sun, you should also go back to school and take care of your duties. My family will be here soon. I'll stay with Zheng Haiyang until his grandparents arrive, and then I'll leave."

"Xiao Yuan, are you sure you can manage?"

"Yes, my family will be here very soon. If anything happens, I'll call the school." Li Zhuiyuan then recited the phone numbers for the principal's office, Sun Qing's teacher's office, and the school gatehouse.

Sun Qing nodded. She had invigilation duties and test paper grading that evening. Since the student was fine, she had no reason to stay.

"Tan Wenbin, you come back to school with me."

"Okay, Teacher," Tan Wenbin said, his shoulders slumped, as he followed his homeroom teacher out. As he closed the door, he looked at Li Zhuiyuan with pleading eyes, but Li Zhuiyuan turned his back.

Only two people remained in the ward. Zheng Haiyang smiled and said, "Xiao Yuan Ge, I'm fine now. You can go home too." He knew that Li Zhuiyuan never attended evening self-study.

"I didn't notify your grandparents."

"Ah, really? That's good. They're not well, and I was afraid they'd worry."

"Were you unconscious just now? I mean, in the classroom?"

"Well... I suddenly felt very sleepy, then I lowered my head. When I woke up, I found Bin Ge carrying me and running in the clinic. I was so thirsty and wanted water badly. After drinking water, I felt fine."

"Did you see anything or have any dreams in between?" Zheng Haiyang shook his head, "No."

"Think carefully again, see if you can recall anything." Zheng Haiyang thought hard, but finally shook his head again, "It's like a blank. I really don't remember."

"Hmm, then get some rest." Li Zhuiyuan moved a chair and sat by the hospital bed. For now, Zheng Haiyang indeed seemed to have returned to normal, so an "underworld walk" probably wouldn't reveal anything. Also, Run Sheng hadn't arrived yet, and Li Zhuiyuan was becoming more cautious about performing the "underworld walk."

"Xiao Yuan Ge, did I have any special reactions or say anything when I was unconscious?"

*There's a tortoise buried under the sea; anyone who disturbs it, their whole family will die!*

Li Zhuiyuan replied, "It's normal to talk in your sleep or babble nonsense."

"Xiao Yuan Ge, I still feel uneasy. I'm always worried about my parents..." At present, sailors' wages were high, and so were their unofficial incomes, but high-income jobs often meant high risks.

"What's the point of thinking about that now? After all, it's so far away. Taking good care of yourself is what your parents want to see most."

"You're right, Ge. I find you're really different from us. You have a... an elder's feeling."

Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes. He didn't like that comment.

"Don't say things like that in front of me again."

"Oh, okay, I understand, I'll remember."

Run Sheng arrived, carrying a set of instruments. "Xiao Yuan, how is he?"

"From what I can tell, he's fine now." Li Zhuiyuan pulled out the black canvas, unfurled it, and then walked to the head of the hospital bed, covering Zheng Haiyang's face with the cloth. Though Zheng Haiyang was puzzled, he didn't refuse or even ask what was being done. The black canvas showed no reaction. This proved that Zheng Haiyang didn't have any 'unclean' things on him.

Li Zhuiyuan then took out a talisman he had drawn and affixed it to Zheng Haiyang's forehead. Hmm, no color change. It seemed there really was no problem.

"Xiao Yuan Ge, this is..." Earlier, when he was covered with the cloth, he didn't feel anything, but any normal person would feel strangely scared seeing a talisman being placed on their forehead.

"It's a local custom; it has the same effect as a needle prick."

"Oh, I see," Zheng Haiyang sighed in relief.

Li Zhuiyuan sat back in his chair, trying to deduce the worst-case scenario. If Zheng Haiyang's parents had an accident, as a relative, he might have felt something. But if the premonition was expressed so intensely, it was too frightening. What kind of entity could curse someone's entire family to die, and then truly affect blood relatives across the sea?

Tan Wenbin rushed over after his exam. As soon as he entered, he eagerly asked, "Did I miss anything?" Run Sheng shook his head, "No." Tan Wenbin didn't believe him, looking at Li Zhuiyuan, "Xiao Yuan Ge?" Li Zhuiyuan also shook his head. Finally, Tan Wenbin confirmed with Zheng Haiyang and then sighed in relief, saying with lingering fear, "Good, nothing happened."

Zheng Haiyang said gratefully, "Bin Ge, I'm sorry to have worried you."

"Uh..." Tan Wenbin avoided his gaze a little guiltily, patting his arm. "We're buddies, it's what we do."

Later that evening, Sun Qing came again, confirming once more that everything was fine. When she asked about Zheng Haiyang's grandparents, Li Zhuiyuan replied that they had gone home to cook and bring food. Seeing so many people still in the ward, Sun Qing didn't suspect anything and left.

Zheng Haiyang wanted to be discharged. To prove he was truly fine, he even got out of bed, walked around, and jumped a bit. Tan Wenbin went to arrange his discharge. Shortly after he left, he called Li Zhuiyuan out.

"What's wrong, Bin Bin Ge?"

"I just saw Zheng Haiyang's grandparents downstairs. They're also arranging their discharge, refusing the doctor's suggestion to stay for observation, saying they're afraid their grandson would worry if he didn't see them when he got home. Xiao Yuan Ge, this is too spooky. The whole family has had something happen, so Ocean's parents must be..."

"We shouldn't be the ones to say such things."

"Oh, right. So, should we continue with Ocean's discharge procedures?"

"Yes, let Run Sheng Ge take him home."

That evening, Li Zhuiyuan rode home on the back of Tan Wenbin's bike. When Run Sheng returned, he briefly described that Zheng Haiyang and his grandparents were unaware that the others had also been to the hospital.

The next day, Zheng Haiyang returned to class, looking as normal as ever.

Monthly exam results for various subjects were gradually being released. Since yesterday afternoon, teachers had been grading papers while invigilating. The more troublesome part was score tabulation, but this could be sent to junior grades, allowing younger students to help calculate scores.

In homeroom teacher Sun Qing's Chinese class, test papers began to be distributed. Names were called out with scores, and students came up to collect their papers. Chinese was a peculiar subject, in that even if you hadn't attended class for two months, your score might not necessarily be worse than before. However, it was also a subject difficult to improve quickly through direct effort. Barring unusual circumstances, students' Chinese scores often remained stable within their respective score ranges.

Tan Wenbin was very happy when he got his paper, as he had broken the "curse" and jumped a score bracket. Originally, his Chinese score was below average for the class; now it was average. He got all the classical Chinese questions correct this time. This was all due to Wei Zhengdao. He was reading "Jianghu Zhiguai Lu," but very slowly. When Li Zhuiyuan read this book, he enjoyed it due to the beautiful calligraphy and could easily read several volumes a day. Tan Wenbin, however, had to painstakingly pore over each page because there were too many obscure characters and phrases whose meanings he didn't know. He had to constantly flip through a dictionary for annotations and take notes.

Finally, Li Zhuiyuan's score was announced. When his score was revealed, the entire class gasped because it was only a few points shy of a perfect score. This wasn't elementary Chinese; in high school Chinese, some points were inevitably deducted, for example, in essays, fewer deductions meant an excellent essay. Achieving this score generally proved that the objective questions section was perfect.

Sun Qing smiled and said, "Actually, we, the grading teachers, were perplexed for quite a while. Giving a perfect score didn't feel quite right, but it was hard to find other places to deduct points. While Li Zhuiyuan's paper didn't get a perfect score, his answers were flawless, and his handwriting is also very beautiful."

"Alright, let's start going over the questions on the paper." Sun Qing didn't hand the paper to Li Zhuiyuan; she started teaching directly using his paper.

Tan Wenbin pushed his Chinese test paper towards the center, signaling for them to look together. After doing this, Tan Wenbin felt it was redundant. Moreover, he felt a great sense of shame letting Xiao Yuan see his test paper.

"Ge, how did you score so well?"

"Just apply the formulas," Li Zhuiyuan pointed to a reading comprehension question. "You don't need to care about the original author's opinion; you just need to figure out the question setter's intent." After all, even if the original author were to write the reading comprehension for their own article, they would likely not get a perfect score.

Tan Wenbin scratched his head, "I think I get it a little now. It feels different from what I used to think."

"You need to learn how to take exams." Here, Li Zhuiyuan was whispering with Tan Wenbin, and Sun Qing was standing at the front, but she didn't criticize or stop them. However, Tan Wenbin soon noticed Xiao Yuan's expression darken.

This was because the teacher was reading Li Zhuiyuan's essay aloud to the entire class as a model essay. After listening, if he hadn't noticed Xiao Yuan Ge's expression was off, Tan Wenbin would have genuinely exclaimed, "Your mom is so good." But he still asked, "Ge, how do you write essays?"

"Neat format, fancy beginning and end, rigorous paragraphing in the middle, and better handwriting."

"That's it? What about emotional expression?"

"A grader is considered diligent if they spend ten seconds reading your essay."

"Holy cow!"

Sun Qing frowned and glared over. Tan Wenbin immediately waved and bowed his head in apology, then continued to lean towards Li Zhuiyuan, excitedly saying, "Ge, I think I've got it."

After class, classmates started gathering around them. Before, everyone had only heard rumors of the prodigy; this time, they finally witnessed it firsthand. Tan Wenbin spread his hands, motioning for everyone to move back. "Everyone, disperse! Don't stop my Xiao Yuan Ge from breathing fresh air!" His persona as the class's unruly king successfully dispersed the crowd.

The next class was Math. Teacher Yan also entered and announced scores, then distributed papers. Li Zhuiyuan scored a perfect 100. The entire class once again watched in awe. This Math exam was actually quite difficult, and since it was only a month into the third year of high school, older concepts hadn't been reviewed yet, and many students had forgotten them. Teacher Yan said, "Tan Wenbin, you did well this time. Keep up the good work." Tan Wenbin's face broke into a wide smile. His Math score this time was surprisingly in the upper-middle range. For a normal average student, this was nothing special—just a good performance. But for a struggling student, it was akin to tearing down the Berlin Wall. Because for struggling students, often it wasn't a matter of whether the science questions were hard or if they knew how to do them, but rather that they couldn't even understand the questions, so they had no idea where to start writing anything. "No wonder, these questions felt familiar. Tsk, tsk, they really played to my weaknesses, but at least they showed some mercy."

In the subsequent classes, papers continued to be distributed. When it came to English class, the students' previously numb expressions showed surprise upon hearing the English scores. Teacher Su explained with a smile, "Due to special reasons, student Li Zhuiyuan did not complete the listening comprehension section, but scored perfectly on all other sections. Also, the overall rank is out: student Li Zhuiyuan achieved a landslide first place in the entire school for this monthly exam. Alright, next, we'll go over the paper."

Li Zhuiyuan quietly took out "Wei Zhengdao." In a foreign language environment, it seemed easier to concentrate on reading, like having suitable background music.

During the break after the third period in the afternoon, Li Zhuiyuan went to the restroom, accompanied by Tan Wenbin. "Haha, Ge, I'm going back to Bin Bin's house tonight." His results were out, and his total score ranked in the upper-middle of the entire grade.

"Okay, Bin Bin Ge."

Tan Wenbin sang in a high-pitched voice, "Returning home wealthy is like traveling in fine clothes at night~" He had already planned it: when he got back, he would first put on a sad face to induce his mother to comfort him. At the same time, before his father unbuckled his belt, he would fiercely throw the test papers and report card in Tan Yunlong's face! No, wait, should he take one belt lash first to deepen his father's guilt? In any case, his allowance had to increase!

Back at his seat, Li Zhuiyuan dozed off at his desk. He still had to practice drawing and study the dwarf's creations after returning home that night, so he couldn't put all his energy into reading.

Class monitor Zhou Yunyun walked to their desk and looked at Tan Wenbin. Tan Wenbin was leaning back in his seat, arms behind his head, pleasantly lost in fantasy. Zhou Yunyun walked to the doorway, waited a while, and didn't see him come out. She had no choice but to walk back and continue looking at Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin finally noticed her and asked, "What do you want?"

"Can you come out for a moment?" Since Xiao Yuan Ge was sleeping, Tan Wenbin, who was sitting on the inside, simply propped himself up with one hand on the desk and flipped over the back of the seat. As soon as they both went out, many classmates in the class started whispering. Once outside, the two stood against the corridor wall, and passing classmates all gave them curious looks.

Zhou Yunyun, a little flustered, said, "I wanted to ask you for a favor."

"A favor? Easy. Come on, give grandpa a smile and grandpa will help you." Zhou Yunyun was so annoyed her chest heaved, but she found it increasingly amusing, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily curved upwards.

"Alright, what is it?"

"It's this... these questions. Could you please ask Li Zhuiyuan to help me with them?" Zhou Yunyun handed him a notebook. Tan Wenbin took it and flipped through it. There weren't many questions, just seven: four math and three physics.

"These types of questions are all in Xiao Yuan Ge's question book, and they're even more complex."

"How many are there?"

"Lots of books, for math, physics, and chemistry."

"Then... could I borrow them?" The better a student was, the clearer they understood how effective specialized practice problems were, especially in an era where supplementary study materials were scarce. Most importantly, Tan Wenbin's progress further proved the high value of these questions.

Tan Wenbin frowned. "Um... is it not possible?" Zhou Yunyun asked nervously. As a class monitor, she usually maintained a cold expression and rarely showed such vulnerability.

"I'll have to ask my Xiao Yuan Ge, but he probably won't mind. I can lend them to you, but you have to promise me one thing..."

"What is it?" Zhou Yunyun took a deep breath, seeming to make a decision, her eyes resolute. Her reaction, however, threw Tan Wenbin off.

"Uh, it's nothing big, just that only you can look at them. You can't lend them to others or distribute them."

"Of course, that's fine. Anything else?"

"No, just that."

"Oh, okay, I promise," Zhou Yunyun said, a hint of disappointment in her voice. Even the most academically focused boys and girls at this age couldn't help but have some pleasant fantasies. Especially someone like Tan Wenbin, who had a strong desire to perform and an outgoing personality, was more likely to attract attention. Plus, he was inherently good-looking, with a rakish charm like in Hong Kong and Taiwanese movies, and his family's financial situation was already quite good for a small town. As for his poor academic performance, that wasn't a major consideration; after all, good-looking boys with excellent grades generally only existed in romance novels. In reality, most top-performing male students were generally a bit hard to stomach. It was a pity that under his father's high-pressure education, the most rebellious things Tan Wenbin had done, besides fighting to protect classmates, were stealing his mother's money to buy a Tetris game console. He had the conditions to bully boys and girls, but he simply didn't have that inclination. Moreover, he had unknowingly been led astray by someone, and now in his eyes, puppy love was utterly bland. After all, what fun were girls compared to interacting with the deceased?

"I'll organize the questions and give them to you tomorrow."

"Mmm, okay, thank you." The two walked back to the classroom together. Inside the classroom, the students once again uniformly exclaimed, "Ooh~" Zhou Yunyun's face flushed slightly. She quickly went to her seat, sat down, picked up her pen, and started doing homework. Tan Wenbin, meanwhile, cast a disdainful gaze across the room, pointed at Li Zhuiyuan, who was sleeping at his desk, signaling for everyone to be quiet. Then, he once again propped himself up with one hand on the desk and jumped back into his seat.

How much allowance could he get from his family? He knew Xiao Yuan Ge spent a lot of money making those tools. So, he had just been inspired and thought of a brilliant idea, even coming up with advertising slogans: "Want your exam scores to improve by leaps and bounds like mine? Want to get the prodigy's unique study secrets? Want to achieve success overnight and change your destiny? Then come to me to buy the practice sets!"

The next class, Li Zhuiyuan continued to sleep. Tan Wenbin, rarely distracted, took out a blank paper and started planning. How much should each book cost? Should it be a complete set or released in batches? Better in batches, since Xiao Yuan Ge would continue to provide him with questions later. He wouldn't charge the poor students in the class; he'd give them away. He could also give them a share of the profits and have them help sell to other classes. Hmm, could they sell to other schools? It seemed a bit difficult now, but maybe in the future. Tan Wenbin turned to look at the sleeping Li Zhuiyuan, encouraging himself internally: "Ge, come on, win the Olympiad, build our brand recognition!"

That evening, Tan Wenbin didn't go back to Zhuang Zhuang's house. But the next day after school started, Li Zhuiyuan noticed that Tan Wenbin was always absent from his seat during breaks, pulling a group of students into a corner, seemingly holding meetings. During class, Tan Wenbin also started passing notes, seemingly continuing to discuss something. After school, Tan Wenbin also followed Li Sanjiang home. In the workshop, he explained his plan to Li Zhuiyuan.

"Can it make money?"

"Of course! I did market research, and everyone in our class wants to buy it, even those few guys sitting in the back row want to buy it!"

"Alright then."

"You agree, Xiao Yuan Ge?"

"Mm." Li Zhuiyuan picked up a thorny whip from the table. This whip was mentioned in "The Record of Righteousness and Demon Subduing" and was called the Demon-Subduing Whip. Li Zhuiyuan strongly suspected that Wei Zhengdao had simply given it a random name. However, first, the materials for its creation were expensive, many couldn't be bought in normal markets. Second, the crafting method Wei Zhengdao described was too brief. Perhaps in Wei Zhengdao's eyes, anyone reading his book should have come from a martial arts sect. For items like the Yellow River Shovel, Li Zhuiyuan could reverse-engineer the design from the drawing and recreate it, but he couldn't do that with the Demon-Subduing Whip because the drawing only showed a completely black whip. Fortunately, by reverse-engineering the dwarf's items, he figured out the manufacturing process; it could be made. It was essentially a whip-shaped black canvas, greatly increasing its practical value. He and Run Sheng could each have one. Hmm, Bin Bin could also earn money to make one.

"Bin Bin Ge, do you have start-up capital? I mean for photocopying?"

"Yes," Tan Wenbin pulled out a black plastic bag filled with loose change. "I've already collected the first batch of pre-order fees. Didn't you see?"

"I saw."

"Uh, no, Ge, you don't think I'm collecting protection money, do you?!"

The next morning, Tan Wenbin didn't wait for Li Zhuiyuan. He didn't even eat breakfast, rushing on his bicycle to the print shop outside the school gate. After haggling with the owner, he settled on the printing price. After the first batch was bound, he returned to school, just as morning self-study ended, so he wasn't considered truant. As soon as he entered the classroom, he didn't rush to distribute them. Instead, he placed the booklets at his feet. When the teacher wasn't looking, he picked up a booklet, opened it, and inserted a talisman. Li Zhuiyuan recognized the talisman; it was one he had drawn himself. Besides its detection effect, it was otherwise useless. He initially thought he just wasn't good at drawing them, so he had drawn quite a few for practice.

"Ge, when you set questions for me in the future, please control the frequency. No need to be too comprehensive. Set them point by point, or by difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced, mixed like that. You know, once these things are sold, people will definitely copy them by hand or secretly photocopy them. We need to increase the frequency of releasing practice sets to ensure continuous income."

"Then why did you insert talismans...?"

"These are peace talismans drawn by your own hand, guaranteeing success in exams, and only available if you buy our legitimate practice sets."

"Bin Bin Ge, you're so thorough."

"Of course, I can't let you work for nothing, Ge."

The practice sets for their class were quickly distributed. The remaining quantity for another class, Tan Wenbin also sold out in the afternoon, but he didn't sell them himself; he had classmates help him. After school that evening, he pushed his bicycle to the print shop to restock. After handing the materials to those "dealer" classmates, he followed Li Zhuiyuan home. The first volume of practice sets sold very well. Although Tan Wenbin had enough practice sets from Li Zhuiyuan for four or five volumes, he wasn't in a hurry to release the second volume, planning to let the first batch be digested first before releasing the next.

The teachers also became aware of this, because the first volume was math, and Tan Wenbin gave one to each math teacher in the grade group. When Li Zhuiyuan went to the school office to rest, Principal Wu proactively brought up the scholarship, repeatedly apologizing for the school's oversight in not paying attention to students' family situations.

But soon, the peaceful study life was disrupted. During English class, homeroom teacher Sun Qing walked to the door and called out Zheng Haiyang. Li Zhuiyuan, sitting near the door, could see the conversation between the teacher and student. Sun Qing placed her hand on Zheng Haiyang's shoulder. After a moment, Zheng Haiyang broke down sobbing. Li Zhuiyuan silently lowered his head; what was inevitable had finally arrived.

Zheng Haiyang's father had an accident at sea, and his remains could not be recovered. The accident happened quite early, likely around the time Zheng Haiyang fell ill, but the news was delayed. Even without a body, the funeral still had to be held. Zheng Haiyang's grandparents were devastated by the news and had no energy to manage things. Zheng Haiyang, though suddenly strong, had no experience with such matters. In the end, Tan Wenbin asked Li Sanjiang to help arrange the funeral.

The funeral was on the weekend. Li Zhuiyuan arrived at the funeral site and saw the two elderly people sitting in front of the altar, their expressions numb from crying. Under Li Sanjiang's guidance, Zheng Haiyang went through the procedures one by one. Li Sanjiang continuously greeted the arriving mourners, "The filial son is young, please excuse any oversight."

"Where's his mother?" Li Zhuiyuan asked. Tan Wenbin scratched his head, "His mom is fine, but she couldn't make it back for the funeral in time."

Li Zhuiyuan was curious, "For a ceremonial burial, is there a 'couldn't make it in time'?"

"Old Man Li asked the same thing, but his grandparents said there was no need to wait, just proceed quickly."

"Then did his mom come back or not?"

Tan Wenbin shrugged, "If she came back, why wouldn't she attend the funeral?"

Tan Yunlong also came. It was his day off, and there was nothing happening at the station. Plus, Zheng Haiyang had once eaten at their home, so he came to see if he could help. The result was that not only could he not help, but when he went to contribute money, the person recording the gifts told him: Tan Yunlong had already given his contribution. And even the pack of cigarettes usually given with the contribution had been taken.

After the midday meal, Tan Wenbin was called outside by Tan Yunlong.

"Where did you get the money?"

"I've been helping Xiao Yuan sell practice books recently and earned quite a bit."

"I sent you to school to..." Tan Yunlong's voice was about to rise, but he saw his son duck his head, so he softened his tone and asked, "Is Xiao Yuan very short on money?"

"Xiao Yuan likes to play with models and do handicrafts, which costs quite a bit."

"Oh, then help him more, but don't let it affect his studies or rest."

"I will."

"You also need to maintain your own academic performance."

"How can I just maintain it? I need to keep moving forward. I want to get into Haihe University with Xiao Yuan!"

"Your grandfather wants you to go to a police academy."

"Dad..."

"I told him you could still be a police officer even if you don't go to a police academy."

"You're good at fooling my grandpa, Dad."

"Heh." Tan Wenbin took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and put them into his father's pocket. "Go accompany your classmate. Spend more time with him."

"Alright."

After Tan Wenbin left, Tan Yunlong walked towards Li Zhuiyuan, who was standing in the distance.

"Xiao Yuan, Bin Bin has given you a lot of trouble. Uncle thanks you."

"Bin Bin Ge has always taken care of me."

"Heh heh, anyway, if you ever need anything, just come to me, Uncle will definitely..."

"Uncle Tan, did Zheng Haiyang's mother really not come back?" Tan Yunlong swallowed, then asked, "Who told you that? His grandparents?"

"You are telling me right now, Uncle." Tan Yunlong lit a cigarette and whispered, "His mother did come back. His grandparents also saw her."

"What happened to his mother?"

"She went insane. She's now in a mental hospital in Jiuhua Mountain. His grandparents are afraid the child can't handle such a big blow all at once, so they plan to keep it from him for now."

"They won't be able to hide it for long. The college entrance exam is still far away."

"Let's respect the elderly's wishes."

"Uncle Tan, I want to see Zheng Haiyang's mother. Can you arrange it for me?"

"Tell me, why?"

"Curiosity."

"You can make up a better reason, like your good relationship with Zheng Haiyang, and you want to do this out of concern for your friend."

"Zheng Haiyang has a good relationship with Bin Bin Ge. My relationship with classmates is fairly average."

Tan Yunlong exhaled a smoke ring, helplessly saying, "A prodigy's mind truly is different from ordinary people."

"Uncle Tan, you agreed?"

"I'll arrange it. When do you plan to go?"

"Can we go this afternoon?"

"No, that place requires prior application."

"Then tomorrow."

"Tomorrow's Monday, you have school."

"I can skip it."

"Alright, wait at home tomorrow. I'll pick you up."

"Thank you, Uncle."

The next morning, Li Zhuiyuan didn't go out, staying in his room to draw with A-Li. After finishing his porridge, Tan Wenbin asked Run Sheng doubtfully, "Why hasn't Xiao Yuan come down yet? We're going to be late."

"Xiao Yuan said he's tired and isn't going to school today. Can you ask the teacher for leave for him?"

"Oh, okay." Tan Wenbin rode his bicycle out.

Half an hour later, a small pickup truck stopped on the village road ahead. Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng walked out together, opened the car door, and got in. The car smelled strongly of seafood; it must have been borrowed by Tan Yunlong.

"Uh, it smells a bit. Sorry about that, bear with it," Tan Yunlong said, turning the car around. Just as he finished turning, a bicycle appeared in front. The bicycle parked horizontally in front of the pickup, and with a flick of his bangs and an upturned neck, Tan Wenbin presented the unique clear-headed naivete of youth.

"Aha, I knew it! You wanted to sneak off to play without me! Didn't expect me to see through everything, did you?" After parking his bicycle, Tan Wenbin strutted towards the pickup truck. He casually pulled out a cigarette and was about to put it in his mouth when he saw Tan Yunlong sitting in the driver's seat.

"Dad..." Who would have thought that the driver of this car, which had several rows of blue plastic barrels tied to the back, was his own father? Tan Wenbin put the cigarette into Tan Yunlong's mouth. Then he took out a matchbox, struck it, and lit his father's cigarette. "Dad, you know I was worried about Xiao Yuan not being safe without me. Since you're here with him, I don't have to worry."

"Scram."

"Got it!" Tan Wenbin immediately turned back, righted his bicycle, but didn't rush off. Instead, he looked pleadingly, repeatedly glancing back.

Li Zhuiyuan spoke up, "Uncle Tan, this is Bin Bin Ge's motivation for studying."

Tan Yunlong extended the hand holding the cigarette out the car window, honked twice, and called out, "Get in."

"Alright! Wait for me! I'll put the bike at home first." Tan Wenbin quickly ran back, opened the car door, and squeezed in.

Run Sheng asked, "Did you get Xiao Yuan's leave?"

Tan Wenbin nodded, "Yes, I called from Aunt Zhang's place." Then, Tan Wenbin complained, "Dad, seriously, driving this car, it smells so bad in here."

"Wait until you earn money and buy me a car."

"No problem there, we're family!"

"Heh." Tan Yunlong started the car. An hour later, they arrived at the entrance of the mental hospital. This place was quite remote but very famous because it was in local children's rhymes. In dialect, if you wanted to call someone crazy, you'd say, "I'll see you at Jiuhua Mountain tomorrow."

The gatehouse was strict, and there were two more checkpoints inside. Finally, the four of them were led to a long bench in the corridor outside the visiting room. The guiding doctor said, "Zhang Ying'ai is currently having visitors. Please wait a moment."

Tan Wenbin asked curiously, "Could it be Zheng Haiyang's grandparents brought him to visit?" As he spoke, Tan Wenbin approached the door. There was a glass panel in the middle of the door, allowing observation from outside during visits. "Oh, it's not Zheng Haiyang and them. It's a man and a woman, people I don't know."

Li Zhuiyuan also came over then and looked inside. Because the long visiting table inside was placed vertically, he could see the full profile of the woman sitting on the outer side. Li Zhuiyuan recognized her: Aunt Xu, Li Lan's secretary. The last time Li Lan called, it was Aunt Xu, also from Nantong, who talked with his grandparents. But why was she here? Li Lan had said in her last call that she was going on a very dangerous mission. Had Li Lan returned yet? Sitting opposite Aunt Xu and the man was Zheng Haiyang's mother, Zhang Ying'ai. Zhang Ying'ai was wearing a very tight-fitting garment that forced her arms to stick close to her body, meaning she still had extreme aggressiveness. However, for now, she seemed very normal during the conversation.

Until Aunt Xu placed several photos in front of her. Zhang Ying'ai's expression visibly started to change; she became nervous, her eyes gradually reddened, and her body trembled. The man next to Aunt Xu was shaking Aunt Xu's arm, likely trying to tell her to stop, but Aunt Xu seemed to be asking the most crucial question and might get an answer soon, so she continued to ask. Then, Zhang Ying'ai began to scream. Her voice was incredibly sharp and piercing, seemingly beyond what a normal human could produce, so clear that Li Zhuiyuan and the others outside the door could hear it.

"When it wakes up, we'll all die, all die, hahaha!"