Two lonely and gentle people healed each other, and they sat together on this stormy night.
The rain hit the window like a messy drum beat, and the inside and outside of the room seemed to be two different worlds.
The storm and wind vented their dissatisfaction and anger, but the room was very quiet. The clock ticked, and the tea on the table was still steaming.
"I should be the one comforting you, but once you bring up those things, I can't control myself. I thought I was used to it, but I was just lying to myself."
After all, Zhang Ya was an adult, and she quickly adjusted her emotions. Chen Ge immediately pulled his hand back. He knew how to control the distance between them so that they could stay together comfortably. It was not too distant, but it was not too intimate either.
"This rain probably won't stop tonight." Zhang Ya stood up to check the window and then closed the curtain. She sat down on the other side of the sofa. "I've told you everything about the teacher. From today onwards, I will not run away anymore, and you need to move forward."
She then took out her phone. "Give your father a call. He must be worried about you. Other than that, I also want to have a good chat with him. I will not allow what happened to me to happen to my students. If there is any problem, I will try my best to help you."
When she was at school, she was ostracized, and she was talked about by others. Zhang Ya had tried her best, and she knew the pain, so she took good care of her students.
All the scars were carved on her body, and it made Zhang Ya gentle and strong.
She did not become a dancer but a teacher.
Perhaps she once thought, if that day the teacher did not lie and chose to come forward to clarify the truth, everything might have been different.
She could not change the past, so she chose another path. At least in her class, she would not allow something like that to happen again.
Everything was moving in the right direction, but Chen Ge's heart was slowly filled with anxiety. To make someone experience despair, one had to first give them all the good things and then smash them all.
"You still don't trust the teacher?"
With Zhang Ya's encouragement, Chen Ge called his father's number, and it was picked up after two rings.
"I'm at my teacher's house now …"
It was a simple and warm conversation, and there was nothing inappropriate about it. The relationship between father and son was very harmonious, and they respected and understood each other. There was no such thing as "I'm your parent, so you have to listen to me."
After Chen Ge finished speaking, Zhang Ya also chatted with Chen Ge's father for a while. Both of them discussed the issue of Chen Ge's education for a long time.
At around 11 pm, Chen Ge lay on the sofa with Zhang Ya's quilt in his arms. He buried his face in the quilt and said, "It's so soft."
"Be careful at night and cover yourself with the quilt. Don't catch a cold." Zhang Ya stood at the door of the bedroom. Her house was not big and only had one bedroom.
"You should be careful. Remember to lock the bedroom door." Chen Ge waved his hand.
"I don't need you to remind me, good night."
"Good night, sweet dreams."
After the bedroom door closed, Chen Ge lay on the sofa alone, and his mind was empty. "I haven't had such a good meal in a long time, and I haven't had a good rest in a long time. I can't believe this is the world behind the door."
His body was completely relaxed, and Chen Ge suspected that he would fall asleep the moment he closed his eyes. "I can't let my guard down. The ghost fetus and Yu Jian should be looking for a chance."
He switched off the light and waited until midnight before entering the bathroom to change into his own clothes. Even though they were not completely dry, they did not feel that uncomfortable anymore.
"It's time to go. There are no clues related to Yu Jian at Zhang Ya's house. Staying here any longer will only be a waste of time." Rationality told Chen Ge that it was time to leave and use the night to search around Li Wan City, but whenever that thought appeared in his mind, his body would try its best to resist it, like there was another voice in his mind telling him to stay.
"This time, I'm here because I want to see if I can find any clues at Zhang Ya's house. There won't be a chance like this in the future. In other words, this might be the last time I come here, in many ways." When he reached the door, Chen Ge stopped moving. He turned back to look at Zhang Ya's bedroom door. "The eighteen-year-old Zhang Ya became a Red Specter, and the twenty-five-year-old Zhang Ya became a responsible teacher. The combination of the two of them is the real Zhang Ya."
Honestly, when Chen Ge first received Zhang Ya's love letter, there was only fear in his heart. Death was like a dark cloud hanging over his head.
The first time his impression of Zhang Ya changed was during the Murder by Midnight livestream. He had encountered the murderer inside the small house at the back of the mountain, and it was Zhang Ya's reminder that saved his life.
Then, he gathered the courage to go to Western Jiujiang's Private Academy. When he saw what had happened to Zhang Ya in the dance studio, even though he was still afraid of Zhang Ya, there was a trace of heartache mixed in with that fear.
It was because of this trace of heartache that he decided to help Zhang Ya track down the murderer from back then.
The encounter between the two felt like it had happened yesterday. The time span was not that long, but the experience in between was not something that could be summarized in a few words.
"Before this, I've only seen Zhang Ya as a Red Specter, but this time, behind the door, I finally got to know her." Chen Ge walked to the bedroom door and placed his palm lightly on the door. He did not know whether Zhang Ya was asleep or not. After a long hesitation, he whispered, "It is my good fortune to have met you."
Picking up the backpack, Chen Ge took the black umbrella from under the coffee table and left the red umbrella behind.
Sneaking the door open, Chen Ge did not choose to spend the night at Zhang Ya's home. He braved the rain and left.
Following his original plan, Chen Ge started his search from the eastern side of Li Wan City.
The small town in the storm was different from normal. There were no streetlights, no light, and not a single car could be seen on the road.
"It feels like I'm the only person in this small town after nightfall."
Chen Ge had gotten used to the darkness. He checked the buildings one by one, but he found nothing. He did not see anyone.
"It feels like this place is getting more and more oppressive, but I can't tell what's wrong with it. Nothing and no one has changed."
The storm stopped early in the morning, and Chen Ge returned to school early. He climbed over the wall, opened the classroom window, and returned to his seat.
The students trickled into the school. The first class of the day was English. Before the teacher arrived, Chen Ge borrowed Du Ming's homework, and he finished it in ten minutes.
"Thank you. If you have time in the future, I'll invite you to visit my Haunted House." Chen Ge returned the homework to Du Ming. He was surprised to realize that the normally talkative Du Ming did not say a word this time. He seemed to be in a bad mood. "Are you alright?"
Du Ming still did not speak. He kept his head lowered like he did not dare look at Chen Ge.
…
After the morning class, Chen Ge stretched lazily. He was about to chat with Du Ming when the fatty grabbed his bag and left on his own.
"Something's not right. I need to get to the bottom of this." Chen Ge walked quickly. Once he exited the classroom, he ran into two other male students.
"I'm sorry." Chen Ge did not want to get into trouble, so he took the initiative to apologize.
"Such bad luck." One of the male students patted his shirt. He seemed to hate Chen Ge a lot, and he cursed under his breath.
His voice was not loud, just loud enough for Chen Ge to hear. The general gist of it was that Chen Ge had a mother who gave birth to him, but he did not have a mother to raise him. He was using the fact that he was a single parent to attack Chen Ge.
"Student, it is not right to scold others. I'll come back later to tell you why it is wrong." Chen Ge had a smile on his face. He memorized the faces and voices of the two male students and left.
This was not to say that Chen Ge was a tolerant person who could tolerate other people's insults. He merely felt that there was no need to lower himself to the level of people who were about to die.
The two male students thought that Chen Ge was a pushover, and their faces were filled with condescension.
Chen Ge noticed some bad signs from them. Tragedy had arrived, and this world behind the door had started to target him.
"The ghost fetus and Yu Jian can't wait any longer?" In the end, Chen Ge still could not find Du Ming. He wandered around the education block before grabbing his bag and heading to the rooftop.
Pushing open the steel door, he saw Zhang Ya sitting alone at the spot where he had left her earlier. There was a lunch box next to her like she was waiting for someone.
"Mr. Zhang?"
"I didn't expect you to really come." Zhang Ya waved. "When did you leave this morning?"
"I left the moment the rain stopped. This is the first time I've spent the night at someone else's home. It's quite embarrassing." Chen Ge sat down next to Zhang Ya, and for some reason, his heart started to race.
"Have you had lunch?"
"No."
"You can't keep skipping lunch." Zhang Ya opened the lunch box that was stacked together. "Coincidentally, I bought an extra set of food today."
…
After the lunch break, Chen Ge returned to the classroom, and Zhang Ya returned to the office.
The second period was still Zhang Ya's class. Chen Ge was quite happy about it, but who knew that when Zhang Ya started her lecture, the classroom door was pushed open.
Mr. Si stood outside the door and waved at Zhang Ya like he had something important to tell her.
Before she left, there was a smile on Zhang Ya's face, but after she returned, her brows were furrowed together, but they soon relaxed. She would not let her bad mood affect the students.
She worked hard to finish the class, and then she left the classroom in a hurry.
"Did something happen?"
Chen Ge carried his backpack and followed her out. Just as he reached the corridor, he heard two students whispering to each other.
"I heard the new teacher was reprimanded by the teacher. I think it's because she got too close to the students."
"So what if she got too close to the students?"
"Who knows? She used to have a bad reputation, so she came to our small town to teach English. "
"Really? It's fake? Don't say that. "
"I just heard it from someone else, but it might be true."
"Like I said, such a beautiful woman, why wouldn't she be better off being a teacher in a small town?"
"That's right, you can't judge a book by its cover."
Chen Ge had no idea where the rumors came from. Even if he told the few students to shut their mouths, more rumors would appear.
"The ghost fetus and Yu Jian are probably waiting for me to make a move."
After everyone left, Chen Ge stood not far away from the office and looked out the window at the rain that was getting heavier.
Zhang Ya was the last to leave the office. She saw Chen Ge, who had been waiting not far away, and Chen Ge saw her at the same time.
Chen Ge did not know whether he would bring trouble to Zhang Ya or not. After making sure that there was no one on the floor, he still walked over.
"Why aren't you home yet?" Zhang Ya showed the same smile that she usually did. There was no sadness on her face. She acted like nothing had happened.
"Don't let yourself be wronged because you care about my feelings. Whatever you need me to do, you can tell me. " Chen Ge held the black umbrella that he had taken from Zhang Ya's home. He did not return the umbrella to Zhang Ya. "Around me, the only person who can talk to me like this is you."
"I know." Zhang Ya leaned toward Chen Ge. She repeated what Chen Ge had said earlier. "Around me, the only person who can talk to me like this is you."
She opened the red umbrella, and there was still a faint smile on her face. "Actually, there are many things that I need you to do. For example, I want you to focus on your studies, avoid conflict with your family, be happy, and build a good relationship with your classmates."
"I will try my best to do all these things. I will do everything that you ask of me. I only hope that you can promise me one thing." Chen Ge looked at Zhang Ya seriously.
"What is it?"
"If one day, you can't handle the pressure and want to leave, before you leave, I hope that we can meet again."
"Why would I leave?" Zhang Ya shook her head. "You're overthinking things."
"Don't worry about whether I'm overthinking things or not. Just tell me whether you promise me or not." Chen Ge repeated that sentence like a child.
"I promise. If I plan to leave, I will definitely tell you beforehand," Zhang Ya replied rather helplessly.
"That's good." Chen Ge instantly became happy.
"You really are a child." By then, Zhang Ya's smile was not as fake as before. This was a real smile. "You have an umbrella today, so you can go home on your own. When you get home, remember to send me a message to tell me that you are safe. If you still have trouble communicating with your family, you can call me, and I will help you communicate with them. "
"Don't worry." Following the promise, Chen Ge did not wander around that day. He waited for Zhang Ya to leave before jumping over the wall and leaving the school. That way, the guards at the gate would not gossip about him.
Chen Ge purposely kept his distance and returned home early.
"Brother, brother …" Luo Ruoyu saw Chen Ge and happily ran over to open the door, but Chen Ge did not enter the house.
"Ruoyu, are you alone at home?"
"Yes, yes. Dad, did not, get off work." Luo Ruoyu was confused as to why Chen Ge did not enter the house. Her big blinking eyes kept looking at Chen Ge.
"Then I will wait for him here." The door was not closed, and Luo Ruoyu did not go back, so Chen Ge sat down in the corridor and started to tell her stories.
As the only member of the Society of Strange Tales, Chen Ge had a lot of stories to tell. He removed some of the darker parts and only told the kind parts of humanity.
After who knew how long, Chen Ge's father returned. His face was filled with fatigue, and there were obvious black threads on the back of his hand that was holding the vegetables.
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