Teacher Shang's tone over the phone did not sound like an act. For now, Li Xian was more inclined to believe that Deng Hanyu had deliberately concealed the matter.
He wrestled with how to answer the question for a moment, then finally said:
"Not very well. Or rather... very badly."
Clatter!
A sharp crash suddenly came from the other end of the line. It sounded like a cup or something similar had been accidentally knocked to the floor. The answer seemed to have caught Teacher Shang completely off guard, and for the first time, his gentle voice wavered violently:
"How could that be? Why?"
The intensity of his reaction exceeded Li Xian's expectations. Even if Teacher Shang did not know about Xie Zhi's death, he should not have been so shocked by the news-unless he had genuinely believed she was doing well.
That kind of conviction could not have come from mere speculation. After resigning, Teacher Shang's only remaining connection to the school was Deng Hanyu, so Deng Hanyu had most likely lied to him...
When Li Xian did not answer, Teacher Shang pressed anxiously, "Can you tell me exactly what happened?"
Rather than answering directly, Li Xian said, "Come and see for yourself."
In just those few exchanges, Li Xian had begun to sense that some kind of misunderstanding probably existed between Teacher Shang and Xie Zhi, one that could only be cleared up if they spoke face-to-face.
So he told a little lie:
"Xie Zhi has some things she wants to tell you in person, too."
Teacher Shang clearly wavered upon hearing this, but one very practical problem remained:
"But I heard... I heard the school isn't letting outsiders in now?"
"You don't need to worry about that."
Li Xian struck while the iron was hot:
"We'll figure