"Benefactor" and "Hidden Danger"

Ever since their in-depth conversation at the book café, Teacher Wu Man had become an invisible pillar of emotional support in Liu Mei's life. Her phone was constantly in use. Almost every day, whenever her heart felt weighed down, Liu Mei's first instinct was to send Teacher Wu a WeChat message or call her directly.

"Teacher Wu, Xiaoyu argued with me again today, just because I wouldn't let her wear those ripped pants..."

"Teacher Wu, when she came back tonight, the smell of smoke on her seemed even stronger. I asked her about it, and she slammed the door..."

"Teacher Wu, Old Zhao scolded her again today. He said if she failed another exam, she could forget about going to school. The two of them almost came to blows again..."

Wu Man was always so patient on the other end of the line. Her voice was as gentle as the water of a hot spring, enveloping Liu Mei's anxiety. She rarely gave specific instructions, mostly listening and empathizing instead. Occasionally, she would suggest a direction or two: "What if you tried replacing 'I won't allow it' with 'Mom is worried'?" "Maybe you could wait until everyone has calmed down, then slip her a note?"

Sometimes these methods helped a little; sometimes they had no effect at all. But Liu Mei didn't mind. What she needed wasn't a magic pill that worked miracles on the spot, but this wholehearted acceptance and understanding. Teacher Wu's very presence was a kind of salvation for her mental world, which was close to being crushed. She had even begun to think of Wu Man as "one of her own," like a sister, and grew less and less guarded in what she said.

Another weekend came, and the atmosphere at home remained frozen solid. On Saturday evening, Zhao Xiaoyu went back to her room after dinner. Close to ten, her door opened. She had changed into an outfit she had clearly chosen with care and put on a little light makeup. She slung her bag over her shoulder and headed out.

"Where are you going this late?" Liu Mei's heart tightened, and she hurriedly stood up from the sofa.

"A classmate's birthday. We're going to KTV all night." Zhao Xiaoyu sounded impatient, her eyes looking elsewhere.

"What classmate? A boy or a girl? Which KTV? When are you coming back?" Liu Mei fired off a string of questions, her voice urgent.

"Will you quit bothering me? I told you, you don't know them anyway! All night! I'm not coming back! I'm sleeping at a classmate's place!" Zhao Xiaoyu raised her voice, shoved Liu Mei aside as she tried to stop her, and twisted the door open before rushing out.

With a tremendous bang, the door slammed shut, making the walls tremble.

Liu Mei staggered from the shove and stared blankly at the closed front door, cold all over. All night? Not coming back? Sleeping at a classmate's place? Countless frightening scenes she had seen in news reports flashed through her mind.

Her hands and feet practically frozen, she rushed to the phone and instinctively dialed Wu Man's number. It rang for a long time before the call connected. The background was quiet, and Wu Man's voice carried a trace of sleepiness from being woken, but it was still gentle. "Sister Liu, it's so late. What's wrong?"

"Teacher Wu... sob... Xiaoyu, she... she ran off!" Liu Mei was incoherent, her voice distorted with fright. "She said she was going to KTV all night and wasn't coming back... sleeping at a classmate's place... she's only in her second year of high school... how can this be all right... it's so chaotic out there..."

On the other end of the line, Wu Man fell silent for a few seconds.

Those few seconds of silence sent Liu Mei's heart sinking all the way to the bottom of a valley.

Then Wu Man spoke. Her voice was still gentle, but her tone held a barely perceptible trace of gravity and seriousness that hadn't been there before. "Sister Liu, don't panic. Take your time and tell me exactly what happened."

Crying, Liu Mei went over the situation again.

Wu Man fell silent for another moment. Then she spoke in an extremely careful tone, as if weighing every word. "Sister Liu, there's something I don't know if I should say. It might be a little presumptuous, but as a friend, I feel I have to warn you."

Liu Mei's heart clenched. "Teacher Wu, go ahead! Please, tell me!"

"Adolescents seek independence and display some rebellious behavior. From a psychological perspective, that is indeed common, and could even be considered part of growing up," Wu Man said slowly, laying the groundwork before subtly changing direction. "But when it happens frequently, especially when it involves staying out all night... Sister Liu, this has gone beyond the scope of ordinary rebellion. We need to be highly alert to the risks hidden behind it."

"Ri... risks?" Liu Mei's voice began to tremble.

"Mm." Wu Man lowered her voice further, with the concern of someone speaking from the heart. "The world out there is far more complicated than we imagine. Think about it: what kind of 'classmates' would organize an all-night KTV outing? What kind of 'friends' would readily agree to let an underage girl stay overnight?"

She paused, letting the questions ferment in Liu Mei's mind for a few seconds, then continued in that convincing professional tone:

"I've encountered far too many cases. Many children start out thinking it's just fun and exciting, but once they get caught up in that environment, it's easy for people with ulterior motives to take advantage of them. Those young people out in society know all too well how to exploit the psychological vulnerabilities of children at this stage. They offer a little false 'understanding' and 'freedom,' and they can send them sliding downward, step by step... At best, they neglect their studies. At worst... I can't even bear to say it. Sister Liu, I'm really not trying to sound alarmist. This is a very real safety hazard!"

The words "safety hazard" were like an icy awl, stabbing viciously into the nerve endings where Liu Mei's deepest fears lay!

Those news reports flashed before her eyes: drug use, fighting, assault, disappearances... Things that had once seemed impossibly distant now seemed to be closing in on her daughter with a sinister grin! Her hands and feet went cold with fright, and she could barely hold on to her phone. Her voice took on a tearful edge and a note of overwhelming panic. "Teacher Wu! What do I do?! What am I supposed to do?! I can't just stand by and watch Xiaoyu be ruined!"

"Don't panic. Whatever you do, don't lose your footing." Wu Man immediately soothed her, her tone steady once more. "Now is the best time to take this seriously. First, try to contact her immediately. Don't interrogate her; express your concern instead. Ask for her exact location and tell her you can pick her up. Making sure she's safe comes first."

Liu Mei nodded repeatedly, as though she had found an anchor. "Okay, okay, I'll call her right now!"

"More importantly," Wu Man said emphatically, "you and Mr. Zhao must present a united front on this. This is no longer a simple disagreement over parenting. It's a matter of principle concerning your child's personal safety. You can't carry this burden alone anymore."

"But... Old Zhao... with that temper of his..." Liu Mei hesitated again.

"Try communicating with him another way," Wu Man guided her. "Don't complain about how disobedient your daughter is. Tell him what you've discovered and how terrified you are. For your daughter's safety, plead with him to set aside his preconceptions for the time being and find a solution with you. First, bring her back safely and hold that bottom line. He's her father. There's no way he doesn't care about her safety."

Liu Mei felt much calmer, as though she had glimpsed a direction through the fog. "I... I'll try..."

"Mm. Keep in touch at all times. Safety first," Wu Man reminded her.

After hanging up, Liu Mei was drenched in cold sweat, but amid her panic, a strange trace of strength had emerged. She immediately began calling her daughter and sending her WeChat messages like mad, while considering how to broach the subject with her husband, who was as stubborn as a mule.

This time, her gratitude and reliance on Wu Man reached their peak. If Teacher Wu hadn't opened her eyes, she might still have considered it ordinary teenage rebellion, never imagining such terrible dangers were hidden behind it! Teacher Wu didn't just understand psychology; she was a "benefactor" and a "savior" to both mother and daughter!

Meanwhile, inside the detention center.

Prison guard Wang Lei reported his latest observations to Lin Feng through their consciousness link.

[Master, Deputy Supervisor Zhao was in an extremely foul mood today. This morning in the monitoring room, he tore into a colleague for a minor matter, just because the colleague watching the screens had lost focus for a moment. This afternoon, he went to inspect the warehouse and lectured the logistics staff for half an hour because the items weren't arranged neatly.]

[Also, he seemed to receive a phone call at noon. It sounded like it came from home. He growled a few things into the phone, "Stop bothering me!" and "If you can't handle it, then don't!" Then he scowled all afternoon and smoked an awful lot.]

[I get the feeling... the trouble at home is making the pressure a bit too much for him, and he's more easily set off at work.]

Lin Feng quietly "listened."

Liu Mei's anxiety had been successfully ignited by Wu Man and fanned to its utmost intensity.

Zhao Jianguo's defenses had also been riddled with holes by the turmoil at home. His emotions were out of control, and an opening had appeared.

The heat was just about right.

He gave Wu Man new instructions: [The next time Liu Mei asks for help, you may "tentatively" suggest that, if Mr. Zhao's work allows, an informal family discussion could perhaps be arranged, with you assisting from a professional perspective. Focus on how to establish safety boundaries rather than assigning blame. Emphasize that it is for the child's safety and requires the parents to cooperate.]

A seed called "intervention" was about to be planted in the cracks splitting the Zhao family, under the name of "safety."