CH 142

Translated by Dust Bunny

Edited by Crooked 

Gu Xizhou said to the officer on duty, “I really don’t have any other options, please let me stay here for the night.”

He sat down, clearly not intending to leave.

The officer was speechless, staring at Gu Xizhou for a long time until he finally couldn’t help but say, “Hey, Xiao Ge, what happened?”

“En,” Gu Xizhou thought for a moment, “There is something… I don’t know what to do about it.” 

Gu Xizhou leaned back in his chair and said to the officer, “Please, just let me stay here for one night.”

“Alright, ba.” Seeing Gu Xizhou’s pitiful appearance, he muttered to himself for a moment before nodding.

The officer originally wanted to say something else to him, but looking outside and seeing that it was already ten, and considering that there was practically no one outside and that this person had no money, sitting in the police station for the night was not a big deal.

The officer went back to his own work when suddenly he heard a grumble. He turned to look at Gu Xizhou. Scratching his head, he took a bag of bread from a drawer and said, “Catch!”

With that, the officer threw the bag of bread to Gu Xizhou.

“Thanks.” Gu Xizhou caught the bread as it flew through the air. He really was miserable. The last world made him cook for himself, and this world made him sleep on the streets!

Although he had money with him, the problem was that in 2004 the money in circulation was still the old version. In 2005 they started using the new RMB. The money that he had was the new version which he couldn’t use even if he took it out!

Gu Xizhou took a bite, eating while the officer walked over to comfort him. “Xiongdi, I can tell you aren’t a bad person. I don’t know what sort of trouble you ran into, but remember, you must live well to change.” 

Gu Xizhou smiled, “Thanks, I know.”

“I don’t know.” The officer sat down on the bench and told Gu Xizhou softly, “I’d like to think so, it’s normal to be met with difficulties in life. Don’t be like those weak people who think there is nothing. Don’t kill yourself to solve your problem.”

“En…” Gu Xizhou said, stunned. “Thanks.”

Gu Xizhou listened to the officer for a while before lying down on the bench to sleep. The officer gave him his coat and said, “Cover up when you sleep, ba. It cools off at night. Give it back to me tomorrow.” 

“Thanks,” Gu Xizhou thanked him, laying down on the narrow bench to sleep.

The next day, Gu Xizhou was woken up by the noise.

“Yi, Xiao Zhang, why is there someone sleeping in here, ah?”

“He said that he had no place to sleep and no money to eat, so I let him stay in the station for a night.” 

The young officer coming in glanced at Gu Xizhou. He let out a long ‘oh,’ and said, “Oh right, I brought you breakfast. Eat and then go back to resting, ah!”

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“Awake?” The officer who’d just delivered breakfast to the officer on night duty with the surname Li asked Gu Xizhou. “Want something to eat?” 

At first, Gu Xizhou wanted to refuse, but he didn’t say anything. He really was starving.

After eating breakfast, Officer Li took out two old fifty RMB notes and handed them to Gu Xizhou saying, “Take it, ba. Go home early, don’t make your family worry.”

Gu Xizhou looked at the money in his hand blankly. Just when he was about to speak, he saw that the fountain pen tucked into the man’s clothes was engraved with his name. “Your name is Li Yaomu?”

“Ah, what’s wrong?” Li Yaomu gave Gu Xizhou a puzzled look. “What’s wrong with my name, la?” 

Gu Xizhou hurriedly waved his hand, “Nothing.”

It was just that Li Yaomu was the officer in charge of Tong Jia’s case. He was also Wang Ao’s coworker. It should be that the station he happened to walk into was Wang Ao’s.

When Gu Xizhou left the station and put the money from Li Yaomu in his pocket, he unexpectedly found a slip of paper. It read: Save Tong Jia!

Gu Xizhou crumpled the slip of paper in his hand. It was Ji Ji’s writing. Ji Ji must have appeared after he fell asleep. 

But if he saved Tong Jia, Ji Ji might disappear.

Feeling conflicted, Gu Xizhou walked to Ji Ji’s school. When he saw Gu Ji Ji and Wang Shu, he hid himself behind a tree on the edge of campus. Ji Ji felt guilt because the day that he teased Tong Jia, she committed suicide. Regardless of whether this had anything to do with Gu Ji Ji, he subconsciously believed that he was responsible, bringing this world into existence.

If he only changed the matter of ‘playing tricks on Tong Jia’ in the supernatural world, then Ji Ji’s wish wouldn’t be fulfilled.

Gu Xizhou thought about it for a long time, but without Si Yu, Gu Xizhou didn’t know if it would work. He could only experiment by feeling for stones to cross the river. 

Gu Xizhou came up with an excuse, telling the security guard that he was thinking of transferring his child’s school and that he wanted to look around the school. The security guard looked at him suspiciously for a long time, but he wasn’t convinced, “How old are you, ah?”

“36!” Gu Xizhou said, “I just look young that’s all.”

“Okay, ba. Wait while I call the director.”

“Thanks.” 

The security guard thought for a moment before picking up the phone in the guard box. “Guan Laoshi, there’s a parent here thinking of transferring their child to another school here. I don’t dare let him in, how do you want to handle it, ah?”

“Ah? Xin Laoshi is coming to meet him, ba? Okay, I’ll tell him to wait at the entrance.”

Not long after the call, a young woman who couldn’t have been much older than 20 came from the school. Dressed in a pair of jeans and short sleeves she looked quite pretty and youthful.

When the young woman came out and saw Gu Xizhou, she was a little stunned, turning to the security guard and asking, “Dage, where is the person Guan Laoshi asked me to show around?” 

“Him, ah!”

The girl sized Gu Xizhou up quietly, looking astonished. “Hello, my name is Liu Tingting. Guan Laoshi asked me to show you to the office,” she said quietly.

Gu Xizhou nodded, “Sorry to trouble you.”

“Don’t worry about it, it’s my job.” Liu Tingting had big eyes and a big smile. As they walked she stole glances at this ‘parent’ walking with her. 

As Liu Tingting looked at Gu Xizhou’s handsome face, she thought it was a pity. How come she didn’t meet such a handsome man to be her husband?

When Gu Xizhou discovered that Liu Tingting was looking at him and gave her a strange look she looked away quickly, diverting the subject, “We’re almost there.”

“En, thanks.” While they were walking, Gu Xizhou noticed a class sign on the way up the stairs. After ascertaining that Ji Ji’s classroom was on the first floor, he followed Liu Tingting up to the third floor.

After going up, Gu Xizhou talked seriously with Guan Laoshi for a long time. He discovered that the NPCs were more real than in the other worlds. They were like a reflection of a specific era, as if all the events were drawn from that era to produce a perfect reflection of history. 

After talking with him for a while, a few of the teachers showed him around the school. He continuously asked questions and also made up an excuse to talk to some of the female teachers who said that they would see him out. Gu Xizhou didn’t want to leave the school yet. He wanted to go and take a look at Gu Ji Ji’s situation.

He didn’t know what to do at all. He didn’t even know if he should try to find Tong Jia! If Gu Ji Ji was going to disappear if he saved her, he wouldn’t have the heart to persuade himself.

He had no other choice but to persuade them with his looks. Sitting in the junior high cafeteria, Gu Xizhou couldn’t help but feel that he had just thrown his integrity on the floor. Just now a few of the female teachers had politely invited him to lunch and swiped one of their cards.

While he was eating, the young Gu Ji Ji finally stopped by the cafeteria. 

Gu Ji Ji ate with a few other students. Instead of playing in the classroom, they played on the playground. While playing, they caught a caterpillar and wrapped it in paper. As Gu Xizhou took this scene in, Guan Laoshi, who had seen Gu Xizhou off, walked up next to him.

“Are those kids catching caterpillars to play a prank on the school girls?” Gu Xizhou said to Guan Laoshi, pointing to Gu Ji Ji who was about to return the class.

Wearing high-heels, Guan Laoshi stalked over in a manner worthy of the school director. When the boys saw the director coming they were all quiet as chickens.

“Give the caterpillar to me!” Guan Laoshi said coldly. 

Gu Ji Ji handed it over to Guan Laoshi who brought the caterpillar wrapped up in paper over to Gu Xizhou. Gu Ji Ji also looked over at Gu Xizhou, his mouth falling open in surprise.

“What?” Gu Xizhou said, walking over. “Is it strange to see me?”

Gu Ji Ji said helplessly, “Of course it’s strange, ah!”

“Yi, Mr. Fang, you know one of our students?” Guan Laoshi said suspiciously. 

Gu Xizhou: “En, Guan Laoshi, there’s no need to see me out. I’ll leave as soon as I talk to him.”

“That—alright, ba.” Guan Laoshi hesitated, glancing down at Gu Xizhou. This was a gated school afterall. There was a security guard at the entrance, and she wasn’t worried that Gu Xizhou was a bad man who would abduct children.

After Guan Laoshi left, Gu Ji Ji pointed a finger at Gu Xizhou and said, “Uncle, what are you doing at our school?”

Gu Xizhou thought for a moment and said, “My Didi goes to this school.” 

“Oh,” Gu Ji Ji said, raising his eyebrows as the other students said that they were leaving. Gu Ji Ji let them leave, staying at the gates of the school staring at Gu Xizhou. After a moment he said, “Thank you for yesterday, if you hadn’t been there my head would’ve been split open!”

“Don’t mention it,” Gu Xizhou said after a moment of silence.

Gu Ji Ji turned his little face upward, saying, “Uncle, my name is Gu Xizhou, what’s your name?”

“Fang Ran,” Gu Xizhou said, giving him the fake name he’d given to Guan Laoshi just now. 

“Fang Ran, Uncle Fang,” Gu Ji Ji called, looking at Gu Xizhou earnestly.

Just then a school girl came running over, putting her hands on her hips and yelling, “Gu Xizhou, lunch break is over, and you still haven’t come back to class! The teacher wants you to come back!”

“Tong Jia, don’t be mad, ah!” Gu Ji Ji complained to the school girl wearing her hair in a ponytail. “Okay, okay, I’ll be right there!”

Gu Xizhou couldn’t help but look at Tong Jia. 

“Goodbye, Uncle!” Gu Ji Ji couldn’t help calling out as he left with Tong Jia.

As Gu Xizhou watched Tong Jia and Gu Ji Ji’s retreating figures, his heart sank. Such a clever little girl would jump off a building and kill herself when she went home today.

Gu Xizhou rubbed his eyebrows. Now that Gu Ji Ji wouldn’t scare Tong Jia with the caterpillar, maybe the world would change.

Gu Xizhou waited outside the gates until school was dismissed. From his location, he could see where Ji Ji was standing through the bars. When Gu Ji Ji left with Wang Shu like usual, his heart immediately relaxed. But when he went to leave, his body suddenly wouldn’t move! 

It felt like he wasn’t in control of his body, and his neck was not his own. His head slowly turned, his gaze falling on a little girl in the distance. It felt as though he was leaving and opening a door… He was just this body’s bystander!

Unsurprisingly, the person Gu Xizhou was looking at was—Tong Jia.

The master controlling his body followed Tong Jia subconsciously as she hung her head, carrying her backpack.

It was Ji Ji. 

Ji Ji was controlling his body!

Gu Xizhou realized that Gu Ji Ji had never left, he’d been following him all along. His heart suddenly jerked. Why hadn’t he heard the sound of the chains?

No, that wasn’t important.

Stop! Ji Ji, Stop! You’ll disappear! 

The other person seemed to know what was in his heart.

A deep, clear voice rang out as if he was talking to himself.

“I know.”