Teacher Lu

In the small restaurant, its facade blackened by smoke and cooking fumes, only a few sparse diners were seated.

Lu Xin slowly picked at the vegetable noodles in front of him with his chopsticks, his gaze drifting towards the counter inside.

Behind the greasy glass hood of the counter hung two plump chickens, roasted to a golden, dripping sheen. Their curves were full of temptation, every inch of their glossy skin seemed to exude primal desire, as if beckoning Lu Xin with unrestrained provocation, bit by bit, inch by inch, stimulating the unbearable, tormenting impulse within him…

When was the last time he ate meat?

Lu Xin could hardly recall.

Although many eateries now sold meat, the prices were outrageously high.

For example, these two roast chickens, one cost nearly seventy yuan, and just a single chicken leg was twenty yuan…

Twenty yuan!

Normally, Lu Xin wouldn't even glance at them, but now that he had earned a considerable sum of money, he was feeling a bit overconfident.

So, even though he kept telling himself not to think about such extravagant things, he couldn't resist the hook in his heart, causing his eyes to repeatedly dart towards the glass hood. The vegetable noodles before him tasted bland and uninteresting…

"Sigh…"

After more than ten minutes of internal struggle, Lu Xin gave up resisting.

He finally rose slowly, his feet moving stiffly, and walked to the front of the glass hood.

"Give me a chicken leg!"

He spoke with difficulty.

Then, for the sake of dignity, he added, "A small one!"

"Coming right up…"

The owner behind the glass hood seemed to mock Lu Xin for finally succumbing to temptation and being defeated by the two trump cards displayed, cheerfully weighing a chicken leg on the oil-smeared electronic scale before announcing the price: "Seventeen yuan fifty…"

Lu Xin returned to his seat with the chicken leg wrapped in oil paper and slowly submerged it into his vegetable noodles.

This way, the soup and noodles could also absorb some of the oily juices.

Lu Xin took a full half hour to finish this meal and then walked out with a sense of guilt.

Enduring the heartache, he spent a coin to take the bus, swaying all the way to the front of Crimson Moon Elementary School in the east of the city.

Seeing Lu Xin return so quickly, the old man in the security booth glanced at him but said nothing, lowering his head to read his newspaper. Lu Xin, familiar with the way, walked into the elementary school and then to the only classroom.

He peeked inside and saw over a dozen children diligently copying the multiplication tables written on the blackboard.

Lu Xin looked around for Teacher Lu, wondering what she was doing.

After a moment's thought, he took out the thick paper bag he had been carrying and slipped it into the rusty mailbox.

After stuffing it in, he glanced back and, while the security guard wasn't paying attention, he grabbed a handful of flowers to press down on it.

Then, he breathed a sigh of relief, his steps light, and prepared to leave.

"Lu Xin!"

Suddenly, a gentle voice called out from behind him.

Lu Xin's body stiffened. He pretended not to hear and quickened his pace towards the entrance.

"Lu Xin, stop!"

The voice behind him sounded anxious and was rapidly approaching.

Lu Xin immediately picked up his speed, walking faster and faster, and soon he was out of the school gate.

"Uncle Sun, stop him…"

The voice behind him shouted loudly, but the old man in the security booth merely turned the page of his newspaper with unhurried composure.

"Don't run away…"

The voice grew more urgent.

But how could she possibly catch up to Lu Xin? He could hear the voice fading into the distance.

"Oh dear…"

Just then, a cry of pain suddenly rang out, along with the sound of a wheelchair bumping into something.

Startled, Lu Xin quickly turned around.

Then he saw Teacher Lu, sitting in her wheelchair, exclaiming "Oh dear" while patting the armrests of her wheelchair, making the sound of a collision. At the same time, a smile on her face, she looked towards the turned Lu Xin, appearing somewhat pleased with herself.

When their eyes met, Lu Xin knew he had lost and could no longer escape.

Then Teacher Lu rolled her wheelchair slowly towards Lu Xin, looking up at him.

Lu Xin could only look back at her. Teacher Lu had a beautiful oval face, and her soft hair was tied back in a neat ponytail. She was wearing a light yellow hoodie with a picture of a rolling cat on it, and jeans with a pair of very clean sneakers. Compared to the dark tones of this world, she always seemed bright and warm.

"Are you bullying me because I move on two wheels and can't keep up with your two legs?"

Reaching Lu Xin, Teacher Lu glared at him with a slightly annoyed tone.

"No, no, I didn't hear you just now..."

Lu Xin could only smile awkwardly and explain, then he thought about walking behind her to help push her wheelchair.

"Then are you saying my voice is too quiet?"

Teacher Lu grabbed Lu Xin's hand and led him back in front of her, continuing to look up at him.

"No..."

Lu Xin scratched his head awkwardly and pulled back the hand she was holding.

"Alright, let's not talk about that. Did you bring me money again?"

Teacher Lu glanced back in the direction of the envelope and said, "How much is it this time?"

"It's not much..."

Lu Xin replied awkwardly, very unwilling to discuss the matter directly.

"It's only been a few days since you last brought me money, and how could you have brought so much last time?"

Teacher Lu's expression became serious, even stern, as she looked into Lu Xin's eyes and asked in a low voice:

"Did you do something bad?"

"..."

"Hmm?"

Lu Xin reacted for a moment before understanding why she asked that.

He quickly shook his head and explained, "No, no..."

Teacher Lu looked at him suspiciously, sizing him up from head to toe, her expression filled with shock: "Are your kidneys still there?"

"Of course they are, both of them!"

Lu Xin was stunned for a moment and quickly said, "I just found a part-time job recently. The boss is very generous and gives good subsidies!"

Teacher Lu frowned, "Then was that boss's head squeezed by a door? To give you so much money!"

Lu Xin thought of Chen Jing's pretty head and it didn't look like it had been squeezed by a door, so he could only shake his head, "No, you don't have to worry. I really didn't do anything bad. This part-time job pays quite a lot, and it's very official. The headquarters are in the main city. My basic salary alone is over five thousand a month, and there are many additional subsidies. What I brought you is only a small portion..."

Teacher Lu listened, her expression a little surprised, and suddenly said, "Did you join the outer city scavenging team?"

Lu Xin quickly shook his head, "No, you don't have to worry, it's very safe..."

He hesitated, wanting to tell Teacher Lu about it, but he remembered the documents stating that unless it was absolutely necessary, he should not tell outsiders about the Special Pollution Cleanup Department to avoid causing unnecessary panic. In fact, sometimes even people in Qin Ran's company who were involved in special pollution incidents for some reason had their memories cleared.

Teacher Lu looked seriously at Lu Xin's face, examining him closely.

She couldn't see anything unsettling on Lu Xin's face.

Then she slowly nodded and said, "I believe you. Just don't do anything bad..."

Lu Xin nodded, "I definitely won't. I remember the old dean's words!"

Teacher Lu was silent for a moment, "Alright, push me back now!"

Lu Xin obediently moved behind her and pushed her wheelchair, slowly walking towards the school. As they passed the security booth, the old man inside chuckled, turned a page of his newspaper, and deliberately raised it to cover the smile on his face.