Life

Chapter 36: Life

"Hmm... I suppose so." Bai Yanliang tacitly accepted the identity of a so-called informant.

Stars twinkled in Yang Yiyi's bright eyes as she stared at Bai Yanliang with excitement. In her mind, Bai Yanliang was exactly the kind of unsung hero found in novels and movies—someone lurking deep within the heart of darkness for the sake of justice.

"Are you on a mission?"

"I suppose... so."

"Wow!"

"How old are you? Are you married?"

"..."

"Hey, hey, do you think I have the talent to be a criminal investigator?"

"..."

This enthusiastic student from the Polytechnic Affiliated Hospital clearly misunderstood the situation more and more. Although Bai Yanliang had little interest in chatting, Yang Yiyi kept pestering him with questions.

"Can you do me a favor?"

Bai Yanliang suddenly spoke up.

Yang Yiyi's eyes lit up. She immediately patted her not-so-ample chest and chirped, "Say it!"

"Go hide in your room for now. I have important matters to discuss with your father," Bai Yanliang said, looking into her eyes with a serious expression.

"No problem!" Yang Yiyi was thrilled. Feeling as though she were participating in some grand, top-secret plan, she excitedly grabbed her schoolbag and hurried into her room.

She shut the door and pressed her ear against it to listen to the movements outside.

Bai Yanliang shook his head helplessly.

This girl had been too well-protected; her maturity was lacking.

Just as he was thinking this, Yang Wanlong finally returned.

"I went to a restaurant to order a few dishes, but they told me I could just order takeout on my phone and have it delivered straight home with a decent discount. Sigh..." Yang Wanlong held a plastic bag in each hand, looking rather speechless. He then looked at Bai Yanliang and said, "You should buy a phone, too. You couldn't use one where you were, but now that you're out, it's time to keep up with the times."

Listening to her father's words through the door, Yang Yiyi immediately imagined a scenario where Bai Yanliang had been lurking behind enemy lines, unable to use a phone because it was being monitored, and could only transmit information to the outside world through special codes. She stomped her feet in excitement.

Such movement naturally couldn't escape the notice of Bai Yanliang and Yang Wanlong. Yang Wanlong called toward the inner room, "Yiyi?"

Yang Yiyi opened the door a crack, revealing half of her small face. "I didn't hear anything... I didn't hear a thing!"

"What are you talking about? Come out and eat now that you're back. Why are you home so early today? No evening study session?"

Yang Wanlong asked while setting out the food.

"Something happened at the Affiliated Hospital, so we were all sent home!" Yang Yiyi opened her bedroom door and poked her head out, saying excitedly.

"Something happened?" Yang Wanlong looked at her in confusion, and Bai Yanliang also looked toward Yang Yiyi with a hint of curiosity.

"Yeah! Our teaching assistant was suddenly stabbed by a student who went crazy. They've already been sent to the hospital."

Went crazy?

This word struck a sensitive nerve for both Yang Wanlong and Bai Yanliang. Yang Wanlong sat down on the sofa and asked his daughter, "Do you know the specifics of what happened?"

Yang Yiyi glanced at Yang Wanlong, then at Bai Yanliang. Seeing that both were looking at her, she couldn't help but feel a little thrilled.

However, she then shook her head slightly and said, "I'm not too sure either. We had just started our evening study session when we heard arguing outside, the sound of things breaking, cries for help, and the security guards shouting. It was a mess. Later, I heard that a student suddenly went crazy, grabbed a compass, and stabbed it into the teaching assistant's neck. It went straight through, and there was blood all over the floor!"

"Did no one try to stop him?" Yang Wanlong frowned.

"They did! I heard several security guards were holding him, but they couldn't stop him even after tearing his clothes to shreds! That student had freakishly high strength!"

Bai Yanliang's heart stirred. He turned his head to look at Yang Wanlong and said, "Uncle Yang, I want to..."

Yang Wanlong pondered for a moment. His work as a criminal investigator was already demanding, and he was currently at a critical juncture with a case he was handling. There was a ninety percent chance this campus violence incident wouldn't fall under his jurisdiction.

"Yiyi," Yang Wanlong suddenly called out. "Tomorrow is the weekend, and since something happened at your school, you should accompany your Brother Bai to buy a phone."

Bai Yanliang was just about to refuse when he heard Yang Wanlong add, "Let Yiyi go with you so we can stay in touch via phone."

"Received!" Yang Yiyi hadn't been very keen at first, but upon hearing she could investigate this violent incident, her eyes crinkled into a smile.

Bai Yanliang was silent for a moment. He vaguely understood Yang Wanlong's stance regarding these arrangements.

"Thank you, Uncle Yang."

In the end, Bai Yanliang smiled, and no one could detect a hint of reluctance on his face.

"Let's eat," Yang Wanlong invited.

The three sat around the table, appearing quite harmonious, yet Bai Yanliang kept his back straight, without a trace of relaxation.

Yang Yiyi chattered away, asking all sorts of strange questions. She showed immense interest in this young, refined "informant."

But Bai Yanliang only smiled and didn't answer her.

Yang Wanlong also tacitly remained silent.

After dinner and a quick wash, Bai Yanliang lay down on the sofa.

He ultimately couldn't bring himself to sleep in a strange woman's room. Seeing his persistence, Yang Wanlong didn't try to persuade him otherwise.

Sleeping on the sofa was no big deal for Bai Yanliang, and due to extreme mental exhaustion, he quickly drifted off into a deep sleep.

Bai Yanliang's dreams were bizarre and grotesque.

He dreamed of Zhang Qiao under the bed, of Li Yuhua with her body bloated from soaking, of the unrecognizable Ding Lei, and of Feng Xinghan, who had been left without a corpse.

As for that sturdy middle-aged man, Bai Yanliang hadn't even seen his body in the end.

Life was so fragile; perhaps one day, he too would die silently in another world.

Perhaps only then would he understand what a ghost truly was.

A ghost... was it really just the departed soul of a human?

Perhaps human consciousness, in all its richness, was merely a pathetic error that emerged during the long course of evolution, and humans were creatures that should never have existed at all.

Because we know far too much about ourselves.

"Hey! Wake up!"

With bizarre dreams nested one within another, Bai Yanliang was just dreaming of Bai Yanren standing before him, saying something, when a vibrant girl's voice rang out in his ear.

Bai Yanliang slowly opened his eyes and saw a pretty face that still held a hint of youth.

He turned his head slightly; lazy morning light filtered in from outside the window, and the air was filled with the unique freshness of early morning. The hustle and bustle of the city was making its own sounds, and in this forest forged of steel and concrete, there were occasionally one or two chirping birds and wild flowers blooming, revealing the breath of life.

"What are you looking at?" Seeing Bai Yanliang staring out the window, somewhat distracted, Yang Yiyi looked as well, puzzled, but found nothing unusual.

Hearing this, Bai Yanliang smiled, shook his head, and climbed up from the sofa, saying:

"It's nothing, I was just thinking that it's good to be alive."