Episode 29

"It's been a month, how have you been?"

"fine."

"......"

"By the way, I've come to see you with a few things to discuss. One is about your boyfriend, and the other is related to Sasin. Which one would you like to hear about?"

"I'll listen to everything."

"Then let me tell you about the Sasin first."

When they entered the office, everyone immediately surrounded Benjamin. As they surrounded him, Lao Liu kept backing away. He had too many things to know, and Benjamin was injured and couldn't stand for long. In addition, Sasin had stayed up all night the day before, and he looked quite haggard the next day.

"......"

Do you know where Sashin went?

"I don't know either. I called him the morning before yesterday, but he didn't answer. Later, I asked other people to go to his house, but no one was home, so I specifically came back from Dongguo."

"Why would he take sick leave? He's a senior in high school."

"That's true."

"What illness does Sasin have? Why does he need to take such a long leave? I just saw his former homeroom teacher, but he didn't say a word. They were students before, why is things getting so tense?"

"......"

They wanted to ask a lot more questions, but the time outside of class was too short, so Benjamin stopped chatting with them and turned to continue talking to Lao Liu about serious matters. He also didn't want to see those classmates.

"Aren't you going to see them?"

"I'm not going."

"Those who go to the Eastern Kingdom are somewhat ruthless and don't even recognize their own relatives."

"Yes, yes, yes, they don't even recognize their own family."

Benjamin sat in the innermost seat. When he heard that they had seen Sassin's homeroom teacher come by once, Old Liu didn't say anything; he was also "spinning his head at high speed." He needed to think of a way. However, Old Liu did say something to Benjamin:

"He's acting strange today."

"Something's not right? Is it your boyfriend?"

"He never cooks for me."

"......"

Benjamin desperately wanted to tell Lao Liu that he was just overthinking things, but the current mission was to find the missing Sasin, so all he could say to Lao Liu was:

"Found it."

"What?"

“Didn’t Sasin take sick leave? And he took several days at once, and there was no follow-up. So when I got home and saw blood on the floor, I basically guessed what had happened.”

"?"

"He was more likely to have landed headfirst."

"!"

"I happened to see him in the neurology ward of a nearby hospital."

"Then he..."

He was discharged in five days, and he looked very energetic, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

"......"

“I’ll go pick him up. You go to work. By the way, your boyfriend’s situation involves too many things, so it’s not convenient here. I’ll go back and see Sasin later, and then you can come to my house to talk.”

"That's the only way..."

“He hasn’t changed. He’s still the same as before. By the way, when I went for my surgery, a doctor named Pei Xiaonan asked me to give you this letter when I came back from the East by bus. She also said that no one else should see it under any circumstances.”

"......"

"Don't worry, since you've both been involved, you must have a lot to say."

"......"

"If there's nothing else, I'll head back now. By the way, regarding Sasin's hospitalization in this area, their reaction is either that they genuinely don't know much about it, or they already knew but have been hiding it in Peach Blossom. So, don't tell anyone else about this yet."

"good."

"I'll head out now, goodbye."

"goodbye."

—That evening—

"Did you go find Old Liu?"

"Um."

"What did he ask?"

"Just tell him you're at a nearby hospital, just in case I didn't mention where it is or what it's called, thus avoiding unnecessary panic. By the way, who took you to the hospital? Did you go there yourself or...?"

"It was a gift from someone else."

Do you know what that person looks like?

"No, but the nurse said that person had a scar on their leg."

"......"

In fact, it was Lao Liu's boyfriend who took Sasin to the hospital, but when Sasin recalled his high school homeroom teacher's leg, he didn't see a scar on his leg. The moment Lao Liu saw the scar on her boyfriend's leg, she vaguely remembered that he had been scratched by something while riding his bike, but he didn't mention it to anyone else, nor did he tell her the truth.

"Not sure if he's Lao Liu's boyfriend?"

Why do you say that?

“He had come to my house a few times before he fainted that night. It seemed like he had some kind of relationship with the students at our school. He came out of the tutoring center that day, and although he didn’t see me, I knew that he probably had something to do with the students at the tutoring center across the street.”

"Yes, that's true. I guess they're asking about something."

"I guess so......"

"When he came to see me that day, we chatted for a while, but I forgot what he said. A little while later, I felt like I wasn't standing properly and was about to faint. After I fell, I felt a warm sensation on the back of my head."

"So, after that, you felt that the person who hugged you was him?"

"I just have that feeling, but I'm not sure."

"?"

"Never mind, it doesn't matter."

"That's true."

After observing Sassin for a while, Benjamin left directly. At the door, Benjamin met Old Liu, who had been waiting for him for some time.

"You're here quite early."

"No, I just got off the car too."

"......"

"please."

"?"

Old Liu was taking Benjamin to meet someone—the former's boyfriend. During their conversation, Old Liu roughly guessed what was going on. However, on the way to Old Liu's boyfriend's house, Benjamin received a different version of events: Sasin had been taken to the hospital by someone.

"The reason why your boyfriend hates Sasin or other East Asians is related to the scandals your boyfriend had while he was a mercenary."

"scandal?"

"I'll tell you when we get to his building, but there's something I need to tell you, because it's very important, so you need to be mentally prepared."

"good."

Although he had some bad thoughts, when Benjamin told him about his boyfriend's scandal in Dongguo, Lao Liu stared blankly for a moment and then became hyperthyroid. At that moment, he realized that his boyfriend had such a shameful past.

"Then he also..."

"It's not that he didn't resist, but that he couldn't resist in that situation. He was facing three people. If it were just one person, he might have been able to handle it, but even two fists can't fight four hands, let alone three. Do you understand? They raped your boyfriend while he was unconscious."

"......"

“They told your boyfriend directly that they were from Dongguk, which made me realize that he was actually being deceived by those people’s identities.”

"In other words, they are actually..."

"Dr. Pei told me that there is a epaulette with a logo called the Ocean and Seal, and that they all wear the same one, even in the same position."

"Could it be...?"

"The SEALs are a large commando unit, and their nationalities have nothing to do with the East. Instead, there are a lot of people from the North. They hate the soldiers and civilians of the East, but they don't give any reason. Later, those people even formed a secret organization. Although it is a small team, they all have very powerful weapons. Therefore, when terrorist organizations saw that they had powerful weapons, they recruited them into their ranks."

"This is troublesome..."

"The trouble itself isn't the problem; the issue is that those people have separated from the large-scale commando team. It will take us some time to find the people connected to your boyfriend being raped."

"......"

"Old Liu, I don't know if doing this is a bad thing? Now I think it's the right thing for you to break up with him."

"Really? You think so too..."

"This is just my personal opinion."

“Sasin was the one I took to the hospital.”

"It really is you."

"?"

"I don't remember your partner getting a scar on his leg, and Sasin fainted right after he left. He didn't have a key, but you did. I think you didn't publicize Sasin taking sick leave because you took sick leave for him, right?"

"......"

"But there's one thing I still don't understand. Aren't you afraid that the principal will find out when you forge Sassin's signature?"

"I think......"

"I have another question for you."

"What?"

"Teachers shouldn't actually like students, and shouldn't even have any interaction with them."

“You’re right. But liking someone is one thing, but it should be a feeling of appreciation, not just liking them. It’s one thing for students to like their teachers without thinking, but teachers can’t like their students without thinking, understand? That’s my situation and my boyfriend’s situation.”

"I see."

"I can only say this because you've been targeted. You're supposed to be a lone wolf in the East, but you're doing so well now, which is very unpleasant to others."

"Displeased behavior? Resentment towards the rich?"

"More or less, but not at this level."

"?"

“I can’t really explain what it is, but jealousy isn’t a bad thing in their eyes. I’m saying this as a student. The person I’m most worried about isn’t you, but your boyfriend.”

"......"

"They already guessed why others couldn't ask for leave but Sasin had no problem. If it were me, I would definitely guess your relationship with Sasin."

"......"

Let's go.

Old Liu's boyfriend fell asleep on the bed. As for the second lock inside, he didn't lock it either, because he never had the habit of locking the door or putting it on. He also knew that Old Liu would come over, so he deliberately didn't lock it.

Who is it?

Hearing someone open his door, he lazily asked a question, but when he saw the people coming in, he also looked at their faces. It was Old Liu and Benjamin! What could they want with him?

"Why are you here?"

"Just came to see you."

Forget it.

Benjamin sat to the side, while Lao Liu and his boyfriend went straight into the bedroom. When Lao Liu smelled alcohol on his boyfriend, he didn't scold him; he just wanted to ask him some questions.

"How many bottles of wine?"

"Three bottles of wine."

"How's the situation?"

"What do you mean, how about it?"

"Looking for a job."

"Not bad, the tutoring is done by students from our workplace."

"Isn't this good!"

If it were students from her own school, especially her own class and Lao Liu's class, she naturally wouldn't be unhappy. However, the problem is that there are not only students from her own school but also students from other schools, and students from her own school are different from those from other schools. Because in Lao Liu's boyfriend's eyes, this tutoring center is engaging in "data-driven price discrimination," but Lao Liu doesn't think so. Therefore, Lao Liu's boyfriend drank at home because of this. Unexpectedly, he drank three bottles at once. He thought that was enough, and since he was going to sleep alone on the sofa bed that night, he was too lazy to lock the door. But he didn't expect...

Where is Benjamin?

"Let's have tea in the lobby."

"......"

"He's not coming in. I have something I want to ask you."

"Um."

"So, you did something bad?"

"......"

"Benjamin's purpose in coming to me is inextricably linked to you."

From this moment on, after hearing about the indecent things they had done to him back then, Lao Liu's boyfriend understood that no one else could know except the man in front of him. However, there was one more thing he had to say—no one else could know.

"No one else will know about this except us, but you have to apologize to one person."

"What?"

"Regarding the matter of Dongguo people being discriminated against by you."

"Why?"

"Because the person who harbored ill intentions towards you was not from the East, but from the North."

"This...how is this possible?"

"Do their epaulette logo feature the ocean and a seal?"

"But what's the problem? Wait, I remember that was..."

"Yes, the SEALs are a large commando unit."

"The SEALs' commando team members aren't from the East, but there are tons of people from the North. They hate the soldiers and civilians of the East, but they don't give any reason. For people like us, changing our nationality is too difficult, but it's very easy for these terrorists. The reason is that terrorists have informants. As long as you're emotionally agitated, they'll just give you part of the answer. For example, they'll say we're from the East, just like you. Of course, when you're angry, you can't tell whether what they're saying is true or false, right?"

"......"

"So you know very well whether you want revenge in the East or the North, don't you?"

"Yes, I know very well."

However, Lao Liu's boyfriend is not a virgin, and they and Benjamin know about it. Therefore, he hates it most when other people touch his body, especially his lower body.

"Do not touch me!"

"I know."

"and you......"

"Just a hug, just one."

"Hey Lao Liu! Hey! Hey!"

—That evening—

"Old Liu and his girlfriend are hugging."

"When can we hug?"

“We’ve not only hugged, we’ve even done it.”

"......"

—The next morning—

Benjamin's single sentence immediately displeased Sasin. Looking back, it wasn't such a bad thing that the two of them were like this. Sasin only heard Benjamin say something like, "The homeroom teacher might be in a bad mood recently." But Sasin was quite puzzled by what he said. There were still four days until his discharge, but Sasin believed he could be discharged that afternoon.

"Benjamin."

"What? You're bored and want me to come keep you company?"

"I want to be discharged from the hospital and go back to school."

"Oh, wait a minute! There are still four days until you're discharged from the hospital, why are you in such a hurry?"

"There's nothing wrong, and you've already had a follow-up check-up. Since that's the case, you might as well hurry up and be discharged from the hospital to go back to school."

Why are you in such a hurry?

"It's so boring to stay in the hospital!"

"Has the doctor approved it?"

"Approved, discharge procedures are underway."

"Then I'll come pick you up."

"Need not."

——10:18——

"I'm back."

"I'm going to school."

"So urgent?"

"Old Liu told me he just got a scolding from the principal. I should hurry back to school. Taking such a long sick leave has already upset the other students. I feel bad that he was so arrogantly scolded. So I'd like to ask you for help."

"What kind of help?"

"Go and find out who's talking badly about Lao Liu behind his back. I'll text you the rest of the help you need."

"good."

——Principal's Office——

“I don’t know what your relationship with Sasin is, but you have to let me explain why you gave the other students in your class a day off but gave Sasin so many days off.”

"......"

"Principal, I've arrived to report for duty!"

Hearing the strangely familiar voice, Old Liu turned around to find its source—it was Sasin! He'd been given six days off, so why was he rushing back to school today? And why did he specifically report to the principal's office? Later, Sasin, using some unknown reason, explained his leave request to the principal in a very organized manner.

"Well, because I hadn't finished the homework assigned at school a few days ago, and I was also a bit tired that night because of other things, I went to the kitchen to make some health-preserving tea. But that day I wasn't paying attention to the water on the ground and slipped and fell, hitting the back of my head. Later I called Teacher Liu and asked him to give me a few days off."

Do you have proof?

Yes, it's here.

Having heard that the principal had a formidable aura, Sasin directly handed him the hospitalization certificate and examination results. Upon seeing them, the principal wanted to refute them but was powerless to do so, because he didn't know where to begin.

"Don't take such long sick leave next time!"

"Thank you, Principal."

"Go back to class now, and don't let this happen again! You've already violated the employee code of conduct twice. Once is never enough!"

"Thank you, boss."