Chapter 118

“Mr. Chen, I should be able to participate in the competition this time.”

“Are you sure?”

The physics teacher set down his red pen and looked up. “Mo Yin, you’re a grown-up now. Let me be frank. Last year, the school reserved a spot for you, but you couldn’t make it at the last minute. It’s a waste of an opportunity for someone else, and it affects you too, understand?”

Mo Yin’s face turned pale. “I’m sorry, teacher. There was a sudden family emergency last year.”

“Can you guarantee there won’t be any emergencies this year?”

“I promise.”

The physics teacher pondered for a moment. He actually liked this kid—serious, hardworking, not frivolous. Despite his poor family circumstances and not being the most talented, he relied on his own efforts to study. These kinds of kids were quite endearing to him. After making a couple more marks with the red pen, he looked at the young man sitting before him, already quite tall and slender. “Alright, I’ll try to recommend you to the school again.”

Mo Yin smiled gratefully. “Thank you, teacher.”

The teacher smiled back. “You did well on the recent monthly exam. Have you reviewed the five points you missed? Do you understand them now?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Good,” the teacher’s gaze softened. “If you face any difficulties, come to me, okay?”

“Okay.”

Mo Yin walked out of the office with his head down, brushing past someone. A faint clean fragrance accompanied the person. Mo Yin turned his head slightly, catching a glimpse of a profile he had seen up close at the hotel yesterday.

“Li Xiu.”

The physics teacher stood up and waved. “Come in quickly.”

“Your performance in last year’s competition was good, although the results weren’t ideal. Consider it a practice session. This year, the school has higher expectations for you. You’re a key player in this competition…”

Mo Yin listened by the wall for a while, then left.

During lunch break, the physics teacher called him to the office again, saying the school planned a preliminary round this year, scheduled for Friday evening self-study.

“Okay,” Mo Yin agreed.

Before leaving, he asked, “Does everyone have to participate in the preliminary exam?”

The physics teacher hesitated. Mo Yin seemed normal in expression and tone, but he felt somewhat uneasy. “Yes, of course.”

The classroom was quiet during lunch break, with the air conditioning on and all doors and windows tightly shut. Mo Yin lightly touched the door handle and slowly withdrew his hand.

The school was large, with many places for one person to stay alone.

Behind the cafeteria, against the wall, a garbage truck had just left, leaving a damp spot on the ground. Red flowers and green leaves climbed the wall. Mo Yin sat on the steps, gazing up at the sky.

The sunlight was hot on his face.

The Shi Yuan had agreed to accept. He would come to pick up the person tonight at 8 o’clock.

At 8 o’clock, it was likely to be quite noisy.

Suddenly, Mo Yin thought of Li Xiu he had met this morning.

In this physics exam, Li Xiu had scored full marks.

The only one in the whole school to score full marks.

With only a year left until the college entrance exam, could he surpass him within a year?

Picking up a tree branch, Mo Yin wrote on the ground, strokes and strokes, Mu Zi Li, and then drew a big cross over it. A smile spread across his face as he scratched two lines on the ground, blurring the marks.

He began to think about the future.

Lost in thought, all he saw were brilliant scenes.

The vibration of his phone in his pocket interrupted his imagination.

Zhou Ren finally couldn’t let it go. Though he had learned his lesson and knew forcing his way might not work, he sent several text messages, using considerate and affectionate language, even showing some sincerity. He didn’t need the money; he just wanted to make amends for what happened before and start over as friends.

Mo Yin stared at the screen of his phone, where “Baby, tell me if there’s anything difficult for you. I’m willing to help.”

Mo Yin knew that five thousand or even ten thousand meant little to Zhou Ren. Being a poor student, his perspective was limited, and he aimed for only so much—coming over to spend a bit of money for a fresh-faced high school boy.

But he hadn’t gained any advantage. There would always be some regret in his heart.

He could continue to string him along. With the sunk cost in place, as long as he spent the money once, he wouldn’t worry about him not spending a second time.

He wasn’t a great villain. He could handle him and squeeze a little more out of him.

Mo Yin looked down again at the ground, where mud, sand, and fallen leaves covered the shoe prints, overlapping the erased characters.

——[Do you want to come to my place?]

“He took another leave during the evening study session, two consecutive days off. The class teacher was somewhat surprised, ‘What’s wrong? Is there another family matter?’

Mo Yin nodded.

The class teacher asked with concern, ‘Is there something special going on?’

Mo Yin shook his head, ‘I won’t take leave tomorrow.’

After pondering for a moment, the class teacher said, ‘Alright, I’ll issue you a leave pass.’

After Mo Yin took the leave pass and left, the class teacher remained at the door, looking worried. He pursed his lips and opened the class register on his desk, resting his chin on his hand as he sighed.

Sometimes, dealing with adolescents, especially students like Mo Yin, she found it difficult to gauge the appropriate level of concern. She feared that too much concern might hurt the child’s self-esteem.

Mo Yin’s family situation was very unique. They were very poor, and he had applied for poverty status in his first year. He received two thousand each semester, and the school waived all the fees he could be exempted from. But for this child’s actual situation, it was ultimately just a drop in the bucket.

Against the crowd, Mo Yin walked to the school gate with his backpack. From a distance, he saw someone at the security office.

Mo Yin stopped at a distance and waited until the person left the school gate before approaching.

There weren’t many people at the bus stop. Mo Yin spotted a figure in school uniform and paused before walking over.

Li Xiu stood under the shade of the shelter extending from the platform, with a single-strap backpack on his back. One hand was in his pocket, the other holding a phone with wireless earbuds in his ears, typing swiftly with his fingers.

There were empty seats behind. Mo Yin walked over and sat down.

The suburban area had good greenery. The wind blew through thick leaves, bringing a stifling heat. Mo Yin swung his backpack to his front, unzipped it, and took out a book.

The roar of a racing car approached from a distance. The eyes of those waiting for the bus turned towards it, except for two students who didn’t lift their heads.

“Xiao Yin?”

Mo Yin held the book in his hands and looked up.

The car window of the red sports car rolled down, and Zhou Ren wore sunglasses, smiling wickedly. “I’m here to pick you up.”

Mo Yin stared at him. Zhou Ren raised his eyebrows. “What’s wrong? Didn’t we agree to go to your place tonight?” He turned his face to the side. “Come on, get in the car.”

Mo Yin remained seated. After a while, he closed the book, stuffed it back into his backpack, and then a taxi approached. Li Xiu in front moved, raising his hand to signal.

“License plate ending in 2838?”

“Yes.”

Li Xiu got into the car and closed the door. He glanced back, and the person in the sports car got out, carrying Mo Yin’s backpack. Dressed in a floral shirt, suit shorts, pointed leather shoes, he looked like a greasy nouveau riche, standing next to the student in old school uniform and worn-out shoes, like two people from different worlds.

The taxi drove off, and Li Xiu withdrew his gaze.

“There seemed to be a classmate of yours just now,” Zhou Ren said with a teasing smile, looking nothing like the angry man from last night. “I gave you plenty of face, didn’t I?”

Mo Yin sat in the passenger seat and said, “I didn’t ask you to come.”

“You invited me to your place. Shouldn’t I take some initiative?” Zhou Ren smiled, nodding towards the passenger seat. “Besides, you don’t mind, do you? It’s more comfortable than taking the bus.”

Mo Yin replied, “If you want to come next time, let me know in advance.”

Zhou Ren’s smile froze for a moment. “Thinking about the next time so soon?”

Mo Yin said calmly, “That way, I won’t have dinner in the cafeteria.”

Zhou Ren’s smile deepened. “Alright,” he continued with a smile, “I’ll take you out for a big meal.” He didn’t believe he couldn’t handle him!

“Eating…” Zhou Ren’s eyes flickered. He thought, yes, eating! How didn’t he think of that before?

There’s no point in calling the police, is there?

This kid is still too green.

Zhou Ren’s smile widened. “So, how about I take you out for supper tonight?”

“Whatever.”

“You’re so easy-going.”

Zhou Ren teased, but Mo Yin didn’t respond.

Mo Yin gave him the address of an old street corner. Zhou Ren knew he was poor and knew the place was run-down. The bright red sports car parked blatantly at the street corner, instantly drawing countless gazes. Zhou Ren wasn’t embarrassed at all. This was the effect he wanted. He walked up to Mo Yin playfully, but Mo Yin dodged him. Zhou Ren didn’t get upset and grinned, showing his teeth. “You said no one’s at your place. You’re not planning to kidnap me and turn me into a human skin inn, are you?”

“There’s that possibility.”

“Haha, babe, you’re really funny.”

Zhou Ren wasn’t afraid of others seeing that he had ulterior motives toward this kid in front of him. He even wished to stick a label on both of them. He didn’t care; he just wanted the neighbors to gossip and speculate, so that in the future, everyone would look at kids through colored glasses.

Direct confrontation might not work, so attacking his mind was the way to go. He had plenty of time and energy to play with people. He didn’t believe he couldn’t outplay a just-turned-adult kid!

The road was dirty and smelled bad. Zhou Ren fanned his phone near his nose, amusedly watching the person leading the way ahead. He thought, trying to scare him away like this. But he was just a poor kid, poor and stubborn, a pure and innocent little white lotus flower was just the right flavor. He stared at Mo Yin’s buttocks covered by the oversized school uniform, lewdly smiling. Doing a precious little virgin in this broken house was truly stimulating.

It was almost the same time as yesterday, and the sky was slowly darkening.

They went upstairs and didn’t encounter anyone.

Mo Yin felt for his keys and opened the door, which swung open immediately.

Zhou Ren stood at the door, took a glance inside, and was stunned by how small the house was. He couldn’t help but say, “Babe, you live here?”

Mo Yin turned back, “Are you coming in?”

Zhou Ren took another look inside. The house was dark and cramped, and suddenly he felt uneasy. Half of those yellow waste materials in his mind disappeared in an instant.

Mo Yin reached out and turned on the light on the wall.

When the light came on, Zhou Ren squinted. The uneven whitewashed walls and the garishly colored Mickey Mouse curtains reflected in his eyes, looking more and more like a horror movie.

Mo Yin walked into the house. His school uniform was clean and white, and his light blue school pants were equally fresh and clean. Although his shoes were old, they were brushed clean white. Apart from some mud stains from walking, he was spotless. Standing in such a dilapidated house, he looked like a beautiful person suddenly appearing in an abandoned temple in the wilderness, both pitiful and eerie, with an eerie atmosphere.

“You said you wanted to come to my house, right? Come in,” Mo Yin said to Zhou Ren, whose face had noticeably turned ugly outside the door.

Zhou Ren forced a smile, his eyes glanced around, thinking, what’s there to fear? It’s just a run-down house?!

He stepped into the room, and Mo Yin placed his backpack on the TV cabinet.

There was a strange smell in the house. Zhou Ren rubbed his nose with his fingers, feeling a sour stench somewhere. He frowned and looked at the curtain hanging in the middle of the room, wondering if there was something hidden inside. His mind raced with images from horror movies.

Just then, the curtain suddenly moved.

Zhou Ren exclaimed and jumped back half a step.

Mo Yin stood by the TV cabinet, watching coldly.

The curtain was kicked again, revealing a foot. Zhou Ren was dumbfounded, frozen in place, watching as the curtain was lifted, revealing a middle-aged man staring at the stranger in the room. Hoarsely, he asked, “Who are you?”

“I…,” Zhou Ren swallowed, looked at Mo Yin beside him, “I’m Xiao Yin’s friend…”

The man asked him, “Have you eaten?”

“Huh? Uh—yeah, I’ve eaten.”

Zhou Ren was a bit confused, sweating all over his back. It was really hot in this room. He steadied himself and asked, “Who are you?”

“Eat something,” the man ignored him, got off the bed barefoot, “I made fish today, braised fish. I’ll go kill the fish.”

Zhou Ren was stunned.

The man stood in the middle of the room, swiftly gliding his hand through the air. His expression was serious and focused. After a while, he remembered something and slapped his forehead, “Forgot to buy flour.”

“Oh,” he called again, “The knife cut my head. The knife cut my head—” he stared at his palm, slapped it hard against his head, “Call 110, the knife cut my head—” he stumbled backward. Zhou Ren retreated in horror, tripped, and sat directly on the ground, looking at the room in terror.

The man didn’t follow him out but also sat down on the ground. As he unbuckled his belt, he said, “The fish has no water. I’ll give the fish some water. Braised fish for dinner.”

Mo Yin came out of the room carrying his backpack. He closed the door. From start to finish, he didn’t look at the man, and the man didn’t look at him.

“My dad.”

“He has a mental illness. When it flares up, it’s sometimes good, sometimes bad. You’re lucky today; it’s not too troublesome. He just peed and pooped everywhere.”

Zhou Ren climbed up from the ground, while Mo Yin leaned against the wall.

Zhou Ren’s heart was pounding, his mouth pale.

“How… how long has it been?”

“It’s been there all along. My mom had it too. She jumped off a building two years ago when it got worse. My dad’s condition is even more severe.”

Mo Yin kept his eyes lowered, his face showing little expression as if discussing someone else’s affairs.

“I heard congenital mental illness is hereditary.”

“I don’t have symptoms yet.”

Mo Yin raised his eyes, his dark pupils chilling under long lashes. “Mental illness isn’t illegal to kill. You’re a good person. Don’t come looking for me again.”

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