chapter 21
“Liu Xiuqin-”
“Here!!” Jiang Li replied loudly.
After rushing in, she was confronted by the stern, rigid face of the female Director of Academic Affairs.
Jiang Li made quite a commotion.
So much so that the other teachers in the room were startled by her entrance and all turned their eyes toward the door.
Except for the Director of Academic Affairs, who looked slightly annoyed, every other face wore lifeless, dead-fish eyes.
Jiang Li was still holding the door open as she entered.
Her sweat-soaked back grew cold as the breeze from outside brushed against her, sending a chill through her.
The Director of Academic Affairs swept her with a sharp glance, then continued calling the rest of the names.
After roll call was done and nobody was absent, the director’s expression softened a little.
She adjusted her rimless glasses and said quietly,
“All teachers on duty today, follow me to the next room for a meeting. Bring paper and pen.”
With that, everyone filed out of the academic office and into the next room.
The meeting lasted the entire morning.
All morning, one rule was emphasized over and over:
[At all times, please make sure to put the safety of students first.]
In the afternoon, Jiang Li was taken to the class where she had previously worked.
In the classroom were three familiar faces-the same three students Jiang Li had met that morning at the Red Cross Hospital.
They were three cute girls, a bit socially anxious.
By the time the day’s work was finished, it was already eight in the evening-well past the official end of the workday.
Jiang Li tidied up her things at her workstation and was just about to leave when Red Infant made a request.
“Mommy, can we take a detour on the way home? I don’t want to see that High-Heeled Grandpa.”
Red Infant sounded uneasy, genuinely put off.
Jiang Li’s gaze flickered.
Of course she knew that avoiding that thing was the safest option.
But in the Strange Tale World, you might avoid it for a while, but you couldn’t avoid it forever.
Jiang Li had a feeling.
She suspected that the Strange Old Man who had appeared several times was likely the key to clearing the Instance.
“Baby, Mommy has something to do and can’t take a detour. Why don’t you take the detour and go home first to wait for Mommy?”
Red Infant propped his little face and thought for a while, then agreed to Jiang Li’s plan.
“Alright then.” Red Infant jumped down from Jiang Li’s shoulder and waved to her in style. “I’ll go ahead, Mommy.”
“Okay.”
After saying goodbye to Red Infant, Jiang Li went alone to the entrance of the alley.
Jiang Li paused for a few seconds to think calmly.
Then she walked over to a crumbling wall, picked up a few handy Bricks, and put them into her Space.
After making these preparations, Jiang Li finally stepped inside.
The alley at night was just barely visible under the dim streetlights.
Jiang Li put away her Sachet to keep the Strange Old Man from catching its scent and fleeing.
The alley was unnervingly quiet.
Every step Jiang Li took was cautious.
She had already walked halfway through the alley.
Just as Jiang Li thought the Strange Old Man wouldn’t appear, he showed up!
Not only did he appear, he even blocked the way of the three girls passing by.
Hearing the girls’ cries for help, Jiang Li recognized them as her students.
In her mind, the rule she had spent all morning learning automatically surfaced-
[At all times, please make sure to put the safety of students first!]
Now Jiang Li understood.
So this was why she had to learn the rule all morning-it was waiting for her here.
Now, she had to face the Strange Old Man head-on and reveal his secret!
“Stop.” Jiang Li stepped forward, her voice cold and angry.
The Strange Old Man’s grip on the student faltered.
He looked up with a twisted grin, aberrant light flickering in his eyes as he stared at Jiang Li.
The three girls seized the chance to break free and hurriedly ran off in a panic.
In the pitch-black alley, only Jiang Li and the Strange Old Man remained.
Jiang Li stared at him, about to ask a question.
But suddenly, the Strange Old Man appeared right in front of Jiang Li and grabbed her by the throat.
Jiang Li was pushed down, forced to sit in a corner.
At the critical moment, she took a Brick from her Space and smashed it onto the Strange Old Man’s head.
Again and again.
With every blow, the Strange Old Man let out a muffled cry of pain.
In the end, the Strange Old Man closed his eyes and let go of Jiang Li.
Jiang Li immediately got up and escaped.
Just as she stood up, Jiang Li felt her body become unusually light, as if she had been separated from her original self.
Was this… a split, a split body?!
Jiang Li turned back in confusion, only to find that in the corner just now, there was still another wife lying there-identical to her!
The Strange Old Man, whose eyes had been closed, suddenly opened them wide again.
He let out a strange laugh and reached his filthy hands toward the wife’s body.
The wife struggled and cried for help, but no one responded.
Jiang Li tried to reach out and help, but found that her hand passed right through their bodies.
In the chaos, the wife bit off half of the old man’s ear and spat it on the ground.
She took the opportunity, while the old man was clutching his ear, to get up and dial her Husband’s phone number.
The wife ran while making the call.
The phone rang for seven or eight seconds before it was finally answered!
Before the wife could speak, the Strange Old Man, his eyes bloodshot, lunged at her again.
He covered the wife’s mouth, gripped her slender neck, and dragged her into a deserted corner.
The wife’s phone fell to the ground.
From the phone, her Husband’s voice came-
“Hello, wife? Hello… can you hear me?”
“Is there something wrong? If not, I’ll hang up. There’s an outbreak of swine fever at the pig farm, things are pretty busy.”
“Hello?…”
After a few seconds of silence, the call was disconnected.
Jiang Li stood by, like a ghost, witnessing the entire ordeal the wife suffered.
She tried to intervene, but was completely powerless.
The tragedy unfolded before her eyes, and Jiang Li felt a deep sense of helplessness.
After it was over, the Strange Old Man left wearing the wife’s clothes.
The victimized wife, her hair disheveled, her tears dried up from crying.
She was nearly hysterical as she crawled on the ground, picked up her phone, and called the police.
The police car quickly arrived at the scene.
Jiang Li overheard several officers discussing:
“That old man in women’s clothes is mentally ill. Anything he does during an episode isn’t considered a crime. This is tough to handle…”
“Does he have a guardian?”
“No, I heard he’s a homeless man.”
“…”
The wife’s mental state was very poor.
Her lips were pale, her body trembling violently.
Jiang Li stood nearby, trying to shout and touch people to get their attention.
But unfortunately, not a single person could see her.
By chance, Jiang Li saw her own face reflected in the police car window.
Her face had no features, nothing at all.
[Who… are you?]
Jiang Li felt a man’s voice asking in her ear.
Jiang Li was certain the voice was directed at her.
At this moment, the wife was also being questioned by the police.
An officer draped a coat over the wife: “What’s your name?”
The wife kept her head down, her voice barely audible, “…Liu Xiuqin.”
Since the wife was Liu Xiuqin, then who was Jiang Li now?
[Who… are you, really?]
The questioning voice sounded again in Jiang Li’s ear.
Jiang Li knew that she could be anyone now, but she absolutely could not be “Liu Xiuqin.”
Jiang Li thought for two seconds.
The first rule resurfaced in her mind.
Family Rules, Rule One:
[Remember, your name is Zhang Hui! Your name is Zhang Hui! Your name is Zhang Hui! Never forget your name. No matter who asks your name, tell them your name is Zhang Hui.]
Jiang Li spoke firmly: “My name is Zhang Hui.”
As soon as she said this,
The facial features Jiang Li had lost returned to her face.
Jiang Li fell into the void.
[Are you sure? What is your name?]
“I’m sure. My name is Zhang Hui.”
As soon as Jiang Li finished speaking, the void before her eyes disappeared, and her vision brightened again.
Jiang Li slowly opened her eyes.
At this moment, she was sitting at a psychiatrist’s desk.
The person who had asked her name was the male doctor in front of her.
After hearing Jiang Li’s answer, the doctor shook his head gravely.
He looked at the Husband and said, “Your wife is suffering from very severe Schizophrenia.”
“That incident was a huge blow to her.”
“To escape the pain, she imagined another version of herself.”