Chapter 102 Mandala 22
Fortunately, Luo Siwei didn't have to feel awkward for too long, as their meal was almost over.
Suddenly, Luo Siwei heard the girl at the next table sobbing and saying, "I didn't mean it..."
The man sitting opposite the girl said in a serious tone, revealing his displeasure: "Why did you order so much? The two of us can't finish it all."
Because seating in this restaurant is difficult to arrange, the seats are all very close together, only about a meter apart. A man and a woman were also sitting at the table next to them. They arrived later than them and had just started cooking.
Seeing that the atmosphere over there was not right, Luo Siwei lowered her head to eat. Chi Li also stopped talking, and this corner of the restaurant became quiet.
Both of them are very young and have ordinary looks. They look like a couple out for dinner and a date.
They chatted for a few more minutes, Luo Siwei passively listening even though she didn't want to. Her occupational illness kicked in, and from their conversation she figured out the cause of the argument: those dishes were what the girl had ordered; she'd chosen a set meal from a review site.
The man didn't say anything just now, but when the dishes came, he complained that the dishes were too expensive and said it was a waste to order too much and not be able to finish it.
The girl felt very aggrieved: "But you didn't say anything when I ordered just now. If you are unhappy, then this meal is mine, okay?"
The man said, "Do you think the money just came from the wind? This isn't the first time you've done this. And don't bother talking about who's paying the bill. Are you saying I can't afford it?"
The two of them were silent for a moment, only the pot was bubbling.
After a pause, the man said coldly: "This is not a matter of money at all. You don't realize your mistake." As he spoke, he put down his chopsticks and looked up at the girl opposite him.
The atmosphere at the scene became even more awkward. The man seemed to be sulking, and also seemed to be using the cold war method to force the other party to admit defeat.
The moment of silence seemed like an unbearable blank time in the interrogation room.
While eating, Luo Siwei counted the seconds in his mind. About two minutes passed.
The girl surrendered, crying, "Is it okay if I'm wrong? Let's eat first."
The girl then offered a remedy: "I'll eat all of this, pack up the leftovers, and then I'll treat everyone else."
Hearing such words, Luo Siwei felt that it was "a loss of sovereignty, humiliation of the country, cession of territory and payment of compensation."
The man then began to eat with an unhappy look on his face, and while eating he kept complaining about the girl's recent mistakes. One by one, they were all trivial things, such as using too much paper towels, not doing laundry on the weekend, and insisting on taking a taxi to go to the company.
The girl began to cry, and then she cried more and more sadly.
Luo Siwei heard something wrong and looked to the side.
The girl's lips were a little purple, and she was a little out of breath. Then she staggered to her feet and said, "I...I'm going to the bathroom."
The man frowned, looking a little unhappy that the girl had interrupted his lecture. He said in a conciliatory tone, "Go ahead."
This is simply the best example of the sweet potato reflected in reality.
Luo Siwei was afraid that something might happen to the girl, so she exchanged glances with Chi Li, wiped her mouth with a tissue, and whispered, "I'm done eating, I'm going to the bathroom."
Chi Li nodded in understanding, and Luo Siwei stood up and followed him out.
The restroom here is outside. The girl walked out of the small restaurant and took a few steps before her breathing became rapid. She squatted down, holding her chest and coughing non-stop. Luo Siwei kindly asked her, "Are you okay?"
"I have asthma...the medicine...is in my bag..." the girl said, pointing to her schoolbag.
Luo Siwei helped her take out the spray, and the girl sprayed it into her mouth a few times, which stopped her coughing and wheezing.
Luo Siwei helped her sit down in a public rest area nearby. After a while, the girl's emotions stabilized and she gradually calmed down. She looked up at Luo Siwei and said, "Thank you, I'm fine."
Luo Siwei breathed a sigh of relief. She felt that she shouldn't meddle in other people's business, but their relationship had endangered the girl's life, so she still wanted to remind her: "Is that guy inside your boyfriend?"
The girl nodded, still sobbing softly.
Luo Siwei reminded her: "He is a little fierce to you."
The girl wiped her tears with a tissue and said with envy, "You and your friend seem to have a good relationship..."
Luo Siwei wanted to wake her up: "A relationship is naturally for the sake of getting along comfortably. If you are not happy together, it is better to separate."
Her words prompted the girl to reflect. Tears welled up in her eyes as she lowered her head and said, "I've thought about breaking up recently, but whenever I bring it up, he gets angry and threatens me."
Luo Siwei's sense of justice took over, so he simply said, "I think your friend might be using PUA to get you. If he makes any threatening remarks or does anything excessive, you can keep the evidence and call the police."
The girl sobbed and said, "We've been dating for three years and were planning to get married this year. He wasn't like this before. Three months ago, he attended some kind of training class, and after he came back, his personality changed drastically. He's become completely weird."
Luo Siwei suddenly asked, "What kind of study class is it?"
"Telekinetics course. I asked him what he learned, but he didn't tell me. The organization is quite famous, something like…" The girl frowned and thought for a moment, "Potential…Potential Workshop…"
Luo Siwei frowned. She remembered that it was the training institution where her best friend Mu Yuexin worked. This institution was quite big in Donglan City. You could see their various advertisements everywhere, and you would also see various registration prompts when you went online.
Seeing that the girl was fine, Luo Siwei went outside and called Mu Yuexin.
After a while, Mu Yuexin answered the phone.
After listening to Luo Siwei's explanation, she said, "Our courses are all adult English, MBA-type, and we also have spiritual power courses. However, most of the participants are corporate executives who want to improve their potential and reshape themselves."
Luo Siwei said, "I've seen some study classes before. They're under the guise of this kind of thing, but they're actually brainwashing, pyramid schemes, and teaching mind control and PUA-style courses."
Mu Yuexin flatly denied it: "We are a formal training institution. How could we possibly offer that kind of course? There must be something wrong."
Luo Siwei said: "It would be best if there is none."
Mu Yuexin still left a word of caution: "But our organization is big, and many people borrow our classrooms. It might be some fake study class using our name. Also, we have many different courses, targeting different groups of people, and some instructors have more radical teaching methods. But when it comes to personality changes, a short-term study class may not necessarily be able to affect them. If you are suffering from this problem, you should see a psychologist."
Luo Siwei hummed.
Mu Yuexin asked again: "Lolo, what are you busy with recently?"
Luo Siwei said: "It's been fine recently, not too busy."
Mu Yuexin asked her carefully: "Then why did you ask me this over the weekend? Is it related to the case?"
Luo Siwei said: "No, I was having dinner with friends outside and heard something, so I thought of asking you."
Mu Yuexin said, "Then let's make an appointment for dinner later. Also, if you have any doubts, you can come to our agency, or if you have more information, I can help you check the details."
The two chatted for a few more minutes.
Luo Siwei hung up the phone and returned to the restaurant. The man and woman who had eaten next to them had already packed up their food and left. Judging from the condition of the pot, it seemed that it had hardly been touched.
Chi Li said: "I've already paid the bill, do you want to eat more?"
Luo Siwei shook his head: "Let's go back to the Municipal Bureau. I also want to work overtime before going back."
Just as she said this, her cell phone suddenly rang.
Luo Siwei picked up the phone and found it was a friend request. The account had a cartoon avatar and a name in the self-introduction: Yu Tingting.
"Yu Tingting suddenly added me." Luo Siwei greeted Chi Li and quickly approved the application.
She still remembered that girl, who was also involved in that incident and was on the police's wanted list. Yu Tingting suddenly came to her at this time, perhaps to turn herself in, or perhaps to get some important clues.
"It's a good thing that she came to you on her own initiative." Chi Li said from the side, and then he added, "It's best to arrange a meeting with her."
On the bus, Yu Tingting leaned against the window.
After a day of struggling, she finally mustered the courage to press the application button. For a moment, she didn't dare look at the results. She was panicked, her hands trembling, afraid of being rejected, afraid of being ignored. She was afraid that even this opportunity wouldn't be given to her.
Finally, she heard a ding sound.
The other party passed it in almost seconds.
Yu Tingting took a deep breath, her hands trembling with excitement.
She typed, "Officer Luo, I have something I want to confess to you. It's that... I did some bad things in the previous game."
Typing this line of words seemed to have exhausted all her strength. Yu Tingting's eyes turned red and felt sore and swollen.
A reply came quickly from the other end: "I'm working overtime at the Municipal Bureau today. Can we meet and talk? Where are you? I'll pick you up."
Yu Tingting looked out the window. It was completely dark now, and she couldn't tell where she was. It seemed that before she knew it, their car had landed at the tail end of the convoy.
There were not many cars on the road, and there were no vehicles in sight, either in front or behind.
"The school organized an autumn outing today, and I am on the bus. The teacher said we will get off near the school." Yu Tingting typed this sentence and sent a location sharing message.
Then Yu Tingting looked at the map and suddenly frowned. It seemed that this was not the same route they took when they came here.
The car was driving very fast. Yu Tingting opened the map again and confirmed carefully that it was indeed a road she didn't recognize.
The students were tired after a long day's journey, and the bus was extremely quiet. Some even fell asleep leaning back in their seats. The fat kid next to me had devoured several bags of snacks and was now snoring.
No one noticed this.
She became even more panicked.
"I didn't know where I was. I drove onto an unfamiliar road, and it seemed like I was getting farther and farther away from school..."
At the door of the small restaurant, Luo Siwei and Chi Li frowned as they looked at the message sent by Yu Tingting on their mobile phones.
Luo Siwei asked, "Where did you go on your autumn outing today?"
Yu Tingting sent the name of the farm.
Chi Li quickly discovered the problem: "This is not the way back."
Luo Siwei continued to ask: "Is your head teacher in the car?"
Soon she received a reply from Yu Tingting: "No, this car is filled with people who were left over from various classes. The person following the car is Vice Principal Meng."
Principal Meng, that somewhat eccentric female principal...
After seeing this message, Luo Siwei looked up at Chi Li. Their eyes met, and their detective intuition gave them a bad premonition.
"Let's go to the parking lot. I brought the car keys." Chi Li said, "Ask her how many people are in the car."
Luo Siwei typed: "Calm down first and don't tell anyone. Count secretly how many students are on this bus?"
They had just reached the parking lot of the Municipal Bureau when a reply arrived from the opposite side.
“27.”
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