Before going to cause trouble for Wang Bufan's parents, Ruan Bei had to take Teacher Li to meet Wang Bufan first.
This time, because Qin Gu's Eye-Opening Talisman is needed, he has to come along. Ruan Bei had already told Wang Bufan beforehand, so that if their teacher-student relationship were to show and Kun Kun could see something, Wang Bufan wouldn't feel embarrassed.
Wang Bufan had no objection to this, and kept thanking Ruan Bei, even asking him to thank Qin Gu on his behalf, as he was as afraid of Qin Gu as ever.
Ruan Bei was still thinking about how to bring Teacher Li in. He was a student at the school and had special permission from his homeroom teacher. The gatekeepers just assumed he was on vacation, so it was relatively easy for him to come and go.
As it turned out, Teacher Li didn't need him to worry at all. She simply showed her face at the guard post at the school gate, and the gatekeeper stood up with a look of surprise and delight: "Teacher Li? You're back? Are you back to teaching?"
He kept insisting on inviting Teacher Li in for a chat, so that Ruan Bei could truly feel Teacher Li's popularity.
They found Wang Bufan at the agreed location, pushed open the door, and in the abandoned classroom, the boy, who had become a ghost, sat upright at his desk. If it weren't for the dim light in the classroom, he would have looked like any other ordinary high school student.
Upon seeing Teacher Li following behind Ruan Bei, Wang Bufan subconsciously raised the corners of his mouth, but the smile quickly faded before returning to silence, his eyes showing a hint of evasion.
Ruan Bei sighed softly. Teacher Li glanced at the empty classroom with a puzzled look: "Xiao Bei, is Bu Fan here?"
Qin Gu took out two Eye-Opening Talismans, took one picture of himself and one of Teacher Li, and the boy who already belonged to another world suddenly appeared in his sight.
Teacher Li paused for a moment, then staggered toward the boy whose face was full of expectation but who hesitated to move forward: "Extraordinary? Extraordinary indeed..."
His fingers passed through Wang Bufan's body and landed on the desk. Wang Bufan tried to pull him away, but to no avail.
"You silly child, how could you be so foolish!" Teacher Li leaned on the desk, tears streaming down her face. "I regret it so much. I should have stopped them. Why did I let them take you away..."
"Teacher..." Wang Bufan burst into tears, as if trying to cry out all his grievances: "Teacher, I'm sorry, it's all my fault..."
He did not regret committing suicide. He loathed the blood in his body and the flesh and blood in his body. Just thinking that it was given to him by that couple made him feel disgusted.
But he regretted it deeply; he shouldn't have committed suicide at school. He watched helplessly as the shameless couple used his death as leverage to force the school to pay compensation.
When this happened, the school initially intended to let it go, but the couple persisted and made exorbitant demands, eventually pushing the school to the brink, so they called the police and accused them of abuse.
His body still bore the marks of a brutal beating, and with the testimony of neighbors, the shameless couple had no choice but to back down.
But his teacher was deeply troubled by his death and resigned from the school, bidding farewell to the teaching profession he loved.
The teacher and student were so close they wanted to cry. Ruan Bei felt heartbroken watching them. Qin Gu didn't want him to be affected by these negative emotions, so he pulled him outside and closed the classroom door, saying, "Let them have a good talk."
They stood guard outside the door, and could vaguely hear the sounds inside. The crying gradually stopped, and then they heard talking.
"I'm thirsty, buy me a bottle of water." Qin Gu made an excuse to get Ruan Bei to do something else to distract him.
"Okay, do you want it cold? Do you want some ice cream?" Ruan Bei rubbed his eyes, his voice weak and listless.
"I want ice, not ice cream, it's too sweet."
Ruan Bei ran out under the blazing sun and returned shortly with a plastic bag full of water.
"Why did you buy so much?" Qin Gu noticed that there were four bottles of mineral water and an ice cream inside.
Ruan Bei pointed inside the classroom: "Teacher Li and the senior students are also there."
Qin Gu chuckled: "Forget about Teacher Li, how will Wang Bufan drink?"
Ruan Bei: "...I forgot."
"It's okay, I'll drink two bottles," Qin Gu said with a smile, trying to comfort him.
Ruan Bei hung the plastic bag on Qin Gu's hand, took out the room-temperature bottle he had bought for Teacher Li, and put it aside. Teacher Li was old and had a weak stomach, so she couldn't drink ice water.
He took out the ice cream again, tore open the bag, and handed the translucent, cool-smelling ice cream to Qin Gu's lips: "Try it, the boss said this isn't too sweet."
Qin Gu subconsciously opened his mouth and took a bite, the tiny ice shards making a slight crunching sound between his teeth.
He thought Xiao Bei might have been tricked by the boss; this popsicle was clearly too sweet.
"How is it?" Ruan Bei asked expectantly.
"It's alright," Qin Gu said vaguely, not wanting to discourage him.
"Is it still too sweet?" Ruan Bei took a bite with a disappointed look and frowned. "It's not sweet."
Compared to other ice creams, this one has only a very mild sweetness, but it's more thirst-quenching than other ice creams.
Qin Gu's gaze unconsciously fell on Ruan Bei's lips. Her beautifully shaped lips were stimulated by the popsicle and turned even redder. The melted sugar water clung to her lips, giving them an alluring color.
His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and Qin Gu swallowed hard. "Let me... have another bite."
"Here you go." Ruan Bei generously handed over his ice cream, letting Qin Gu take a big bite.
"Is it not as sweet?"
Qin Gu nodded haphazardly, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. The weather was so hot that even while eating ice, he felt his heart burning and his head spinning.
"Want another one?" Ruan Bei looked at him expectantly, holding up the popsicle. He didn't like tasteless food, and he didn't like drinking plain water either. Even though he knew that mineral water was more thirst-quenching, he still bought an ice cream.
"You eat." Qin Gu unscrewed the mineral water bottle and gulped down half a bottle of ice water before he felt his anger subside a little.
"Then I'll eat it." Ruan Meibei ate the remaining half of the popsicle with a slurping sound. The weather was too hot, and the popsicle melted quickly. He would tilt his head from time to time and lick the edge so that sugar water would drip out.
Qin Gu nearly crushed the plastic mineral water bottle with his hand. He turned his head away and silently began reciting the Heart Sutra.
After Qin Gu finished drinking two bottles of ice water, the teacher and student in the classroom finally finished their conversation.
Teacher Li pulled up a stool and sat down. Her once neat and tidy appearance was now disheveled, and her eyes were red-rimmed, indicating that she had probably been crying for a while.
Ruan Bei handed him the mineral water, which had cooled to lukewarm: "Teacher Li, would you like to have some water first?"
Extreme sorrow and joy are the most exhausting. Teacher Li slowly drank two sips of water, calmed down a bit, put down the bottle, stood up, and bowed to Ruan Bei and Qin Gu.
Wang Bufan stood next to his teacher and bent down as well.
Ruan Bei and Qin Gu jumped back immediately: "What are you doing? You mustn't..."
"Young students, I must say thank you..."
Ruan Bei said embarrassedly, "Teacher, you don't need to be so formal. Senior Wang has really helped me a lot, and we are friends, so there's no need to be so distant."
Teacher Li smiled and shook her head: "No, this thank you is on my behalf. After leaving, I have been feeling guilty and regretful, and I can't find peace. You have allowed us, the teacher and student, to meet again, so that I can at least apologize to this child in person."
Ruan Bei scratched his head and nudged Qin Gu, saying, "Then you should thank him; he's the one who drew the talisman."
Ruan Bei simply couldn't handle this kind of occasion. The old gentleman was so old, and he couldn't possibly accept being bowed to by him.
Qin Gu glanced at him wryly, Ruan Bei chuckled awkwardly, and Teacher Li, who had witnessed their tense exchange, smiled nonchalantly: "It's just that this old man is too rigid, making things difficult for you. You're both good kids, both good kids..."
Ruan Bei is particularly susceptible to praise; he blushes and secretly feels happy whenever someone compliments him.
Qin Gu then shielded him and asked Teacher Li, "What are your plans for the future?"
Wang Bufan and Teacher Li talked for so long in the classroom, they must have talked about the future.
Teacher Li said gently, "I'm going back to school. Since Bufan is here, I have to stay with him."
He had no wife or children in his life. Bu Fan was his favorite student, on whom he devoted the most effort. To put it presumptuously, he wished he were his own child.
Now he's a ghost, all alone at school, and his only friend is leaving too.
With so many students and so much excitement, he was always alone; Teacher Li couldn't bear it.
Ruan Bei couldn't help but interject, "But you can't see him, so Kunkun can't stay here forever to help you open your eyes."
"It's alright." Teacher Li smiled casually: "As long as Bufan can see me, I know he's here."
He said, "I've thought it through. I'm too old and don't have the energy to teach students anymore. I don't want to hold other people's children back. I'll talk to the principal and ask him to reserve a librarian position for me in the library, without pay. I'll stay at the school and stay with Bufan."
"Oh, by the way, Bufan said he could burn offerings for him. I asked you to burn some exam papers and books for him before. He's willing to learn, so I have to stay. He can't go to university, so I'll teach him. I used to teach university students too."
“Teacher…” Wang Bufan’s eyes were full of admiration, and Ruan Bei felt that he was about to cry.
But thinking about it, it's not so bad. Wang Bufan isn't completely cut off from real-world objects. He even graded papers for others before. Although it was a bit of a hassle, at least the teacher and student had a chance to interact.
Qin Gu thought for a moment and said to Wang Bufan, "Ghosts have their own paths. Now that you've become a bound spirit, you have the potential to grow in this domain that belongs to you. I'm not entirely sure how to do it, but you can try it out in your spare time. Perhaps if you become stronger in the future, you'll really be able to turn the pages of a book and write."
He wasn't referring to the offerings from the past that were burned, but rather to books in the present.
"Okay, okay, thank you." Wang Bufan nodded repeatedly, this hopeful future made him even happier.
Remembering something, Ruan Bei tugged at Qin Gu's arm: "Won't it be a problem if Teacher Li is always with the senior?"
He remembered Kunkun saying that ghosts, if they live with people for a long time, can be harmful.
"It's alright," Qin Gu explained. "Earthbound spirits, especially those in places like schools, are special types of ghosts."
The school is a gathering place for a large number of students with vigorous blood and energy, full of yang energy, and also a place where literary energy converges. As the earthbound spirit of this place, Wang Bufan can naturally gather yin energy, otherwise he would not be able to move among so many students.
That is why he has very little influence on those around him.
"Just don't sit too close to each other all day long," Qin Gu said to Teacher Li and Wang Bufan. "Sit further apart during class, and Teacher Li, you should get some sunshine more often."
Teacher Li laughed and said, "I understand, I understand. I'll leave the class time to go sunbathe so that Bufan can study. I'll even give him a day off, right?"
The three boys laughed, and they realized there was absolutely nothing wrong with what they were saying.
After laughing, Ruan Bei hesitated for a moment before finally speaking: "Senior, have you ever thought about... about taking revenge on them?"
He discussed it thoroughly with Kunkun last night, and after some final thought, he decided that he should at least inform Wang Bufan about this matter, since Wang Bufan was the real victim.
Wang Bufan stood there, stunned. Teacher Li looked at him with concern. After a long while, he finally looked up, stared directly at the person who cared about him, and said firmly, "Yes, I want to take revenge on them."
“But Xiao Bei,” he chuckled softly, “this is my revenge. Don’t get your hands dirty with my affairs. They’re not worth it.”
If they dare to come to the school again, he will definitely find a way to retaliate, but he can't leave and can't let Xiao Bei do these dirty things for him.
"It's not as serious as you think." Ruan Bei patted the powerful figure beside him, tilting his chin up with a smug look on his face: "I wouldn't break the law for those kinds of people. I have some talismans. I'll just give them a few talismans to make them have bad luck and nightmares or something."
"Is having nightmares illegal or against the law? No, right, Teacher Li?"
Several children were plotting to cheat someone in front of him. As a teacher, he should have advised them, but deep down he didn't want to. He just wanted to see the couple suffer.
They are absolutely wicked; how could anyone have such parents?
"No, the law doesn't care about people having nightmares or bad luck."
“Look, Teacher Li said the same thing, and Kunkun said the same thing too,” Ruan Bei said proudly.
Wang Bufan smiled, pursing his lips, and said solemnly, "Thank you."
"Didn't I say we're friends? Friends shouldn't always say thank you; it makes us seem distant." Ruan Bei pretended to be angry, trying to scare Wang Bufan.
"I still have to thank you. Besides thank you, I don't know what else to say." Wang Bufan thought that he owed Ruan Bei and Qin Gu a favor, which he had no hope of repaying in this life. He could only hope that he could repay it in the next life.
After finishing his business there, Teacher Li went to the principal to handle his onboarding. He was highly respected, had many connections in academia, and had taught well before. The principal was very willing to give him face and invite him back.
He insisted on not continuing to teach and wanted to be a librarian. The principal had no choice but to agree on a basic salary, but it was impossible not to pay him. In the end, they agreed on a basic salary.
Ruan Bei and Qin Gu were unaware of these trivial details. After leaving the school, they took advantage of the early hour and immediately went to Wang Bufan's house to scout it out.
Unexpectedly, yet logically, the Wang family moved.
It makes sense, Wang Bufan's death couldn't have been without impact on his family. For one thing, he was kicked out of his home naked, and shortly afterward, he committed suicide, covered in injuries, all witnessed by his neighbors.
In the past, if you just hit your child, people would at most say that the parents were heartless. But if you drive your child to their death, that is a different kind of evil.
There will inevitably be gossip, so it's not surprising that they moved.
Afterwards, the two went to the vegetable market where the Wang family had their stall. This time they actually found someone. They could move their house, but the couple was not well-educated and had always made a living by selling fish. They didn't know how to do anything else.
So even though they faced the same stares and whispers in the market, the couple gritted their teeth and endured it. They had no choice; if they lost their livelihood, they would starve.
Following Wang Bufan's directions, we arrived at one of the city's largest farmers' markets, a place with a huge flow of people.
There was a long row of stalls selling fish and seafood. Not every stall was doing good business, but there were always customers coming in twos and threes. However, there was one stall where business was dismal.
Regular customers who seemed to know the place well didn't go to that stall at all, and new customers who weren't familiar with it were even less likely to go there once they realized no one was coming.
Ruan Bei could guess what they were thinking: with not a single customer, the goods must be bad, and there must be something wrong with the fish!
The two exchanged a glance, and Qin Gu said, "Shall we go take a look?"
Ruan Bei nodded, but before he reached Wang's fish stall, the fishmonger next to him, while catching fish for a customer, called out to them, "Hey, you two young men, want to buy some fish? Come to my stall!"
The middle-aged man who had been sitting on a small stool behind Wang's fish stall suddenly jumped up and shouted angrily, "You bastard surnamed Zhao, you're addicted to stealing business, aren't you? You really think I'm easy to bully!"
Mr. Zhao stopped selling fish and told the customers, "I'm sorry, please go to another store. I don't have time to weigh fish for you right now."
After saying that, he picked up the sharp knife for butchering fish and glared fiercely at Wang Zha Die: "I'm just stealing your business, what can you do about it? You're a cowardly good-for-nothing who only knows how to take your anger out on your wife and kids. If you've got the guts, come over here and see if your grandpa dares to butcher you like a fish!"
"You, you don't think I'm afraid of you!" Wang Zha Die was clearly all bark and no bite, lacking any real confidence.
"If you're not afraid, then come on over." Boss Zhao sneered and brandished the knife at him: "Come here, come and see if I'll hit you or not."
He was tall and strong, with his arms showing through his vest, revealing solid muscles. On the other side, Wang Zha Die, who should be under fifty and in his prime, already had gray hair and a hunched back.
He was nothing like the brutal and vicious person Wang Bufan had described. Fear and resentment flashed in his cloudy eyes, and he finally shrank back cowardly, squatting behind the fish stall and covering his head.
Boss Zhao let out a loud laugh, and the other stall owners who had been watching for a while joined in the laughter. If it were an outsider who didn't know what was going on, they might think that this group of fish sellers were ganging up on a poor person.
Those who were in a hurry to buy fish at Mr. Zhao's stall have already left to buy from other stalls, but two middle-aged women with their shopping baskets haven't left yet. They watched the whole scene unfold and then asked Mr. Zhao to weigh the fish for them.
One of the older women said to Ruan Bei and Qin Gu, "Young men, don't misunderstand. Let me tell you, that old Wang deserved what he got, he got his just deserts!"
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