Chapter 14 - Don’t walk on a bridge on rainy days
Translator : KuroShinji
TL Checker & Editor : SilentDawn
Editor & Proofreader : Mariabel
————
Upon hearing something about cheating, Teacher Yu’s already serious expression became even more severe. “You and Gu Ye weren’t in the same examination room, so how could you know that he cheated?”
Seeing the teacher’s displeased expression, Lin ZiHao was slightly nervous. “He used a special method. Not only do I know about this, but Liu YiWen, Xia Xiang, and Zhao PengYu all know about it as well.”
Teacher Yu frowned. “You need to have evidence.”
“He must have used some abnormal means. If you ask him to retake the exam, then you’ll see.”
“That means you have no evidence?”, asked Teacher Yu with raised eyebrows.
“I know, I…”, Lin ZiHao gritted his teeth and whispered, “Gu Ye can control ghosts. He must have some ghost-catching equipment in his bag, and I’m sure you can find them if you check. The ghosts must have told him the answers on the exam.”
A serious old scholar like Teacher Yu would never believe in ghosts or gods. “Nonsense!” As soon as Lin ZiHao finished speaking, Mr. Yu angrily scolded him. “What year do you think this is? Ghosts and gods are born from people’s imaginations, and various phenomena can always be explained scientifically. Even if they’re unexplainable now, they will be later as technology improves. If you don’t understand these things, then you should read more books. How can you still believe in feudal superstitions when you’re already a high school senior?”
“No, Mr. Yu. You have to believe me. Gu Ye really can control ghosts! He often has a little bottle in his pocket, and there must be a female ghost in that thing. He also helped ghosts kill people. If you don’t believe it, you can check his dormitory and bag. There must be something there.”
Mr. Yu’s expression became heavier and his gaze on Lin ZiHao was like looking at a wretched palace concubine before he took out the paper Gu Ye used for calculations on his Mathematics exam. “Look at this. The teacher who oversaw the exam in Gu Ye’s examination room collected it. You can see from the calculations that Gu Ye truly worked on his answers by himself. How can there be any ghosts?”
Lin ZiHao couldn’t believe it when he saw the calculation process on the paper. There were several questions he couldn’t solve that Gu Ye did. “He must have had a ghost possessing him during the test!” The more Lin ZiHao thought about it, the more certain he was that he was correct. “He’s not able to do these questions at all normally, so how can he answer none of them wrong during the exam?”
Seeing that he was still unrepentant, Mr. Yu angrily slammed his mug onto the table. “Lin ZiHao!”
Lin ZiHao was frightened and shivered as if a basin of cold water had been poured on him, instantly calming him down. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead and he didn’t dare to make a sound.
Teacher Yu lectured him with a disappointed tone, hating iron for not becoming a steel. “Considering your record, I’ll let this slide, but don’t talk nonsense in the future. I know you can’t accept that Gu Ye did better than you in this exam, but you can’t slander people. If you have the time to meddle in Gu Ye’s affairs, it would be better to spend that time caring about your own business. In just three months, you’ve fallen more than three hundred places. If you go on like this, will you even be qualified to take an exam? You can’t even pass two quizzes!”
Hearing this, Lin ZiHao’s complexion turned pale. “I’m sorry, teacher! I w-will study hard!”
Teacher Yu said with a helpless tone, “Go.”
Lin ZiHao regretted his impulsivity. He should have found evidence first before going to the teacher. Teacher Yu wouldn’t believe a one-sided accusation.
Going back to the classroom in a daze, Lin ZiHao sat in his seat. The students around him thought that the teacher had called on him to lecture him on his performance in the exam, so they all comforted him. “Don’t think too much about it. Next time, you will perform well. You still have a chance.”
Lin ZiHao absent-mindedly nodded and opened the drawer to take out the textbook for the next class. Unexpectedly, when he opened the drawer, he was frightened and his heart thumped madly. His mind froze for a moment. The paper he had hidden in the bottom of the drawer was now on top and the word “Read” was written on it. This meant that the thing he wanted to do had already been discovered.
What the paper contained was information pertaining to the death of Song King, Li Rui, and Gu Ye’s involvement. He intended to sell this information to a newspaper company to earn some money, but he had been late and missed the bus this morning and didn’t have time to submit it. He put it in his school bag for the time being.
Lin ZiHao saw something faintly on the back of the paper and nervously turned it over. It was a chibi drawing, depicting a student who was about to take the college entrance exam. However, while using the bathroom before the exam, his exam ID fell into the toilet and he wasn’t let into the exam hall. Lin ZiHao was confused, but the words written in vigorous calligraphy made his pupils shrink.
With astonishment, he read : From Gu Ye!
Gu Ye knew?
Lin ZiHao suddenly remembered that Gu Ye had asked him earlier if he had done anything to apologize for. Then, Gu Ye had also said that it was not now but not necessarily so later when he denied it. So not only can Gu Ye catch ghosts, but he can also see the future?
Lin ZiHao looked at Gu Ye in horror. Coincidentally, Gu Ye also looked back at him and grinned. The slightly upturned corner of his lips was so miniscule that it wasn’t even frightening, yet Lin ZiHao felt his scalp go numb as he pictured Gu Ye’s image while catching the ghost.
Gu Ye raised his index finger and placed it on his lips, making a shushing sound before turning back around and no longer facing him. This frightened Lin ZiHao even more. Gu Ye was basically telling him to keep his mouth shut and not to talk nonsense with other people. It meant he knew everything. That drawing wouldn’t be a curse, right? Will he really miss the college entrance examination? Lin ZiHao almost went crazy at the thought. He hurriedly tore up the papers and threw them into the trash can with cold sweat all over his body.
“Gu Ye, I’m…I’m sorry!” Lin ZiHao summoned up the courage and went to Gu Ye’s desk after class to offer him a sincere apology. He was afraid that he would miss the college entrance exam as depicted in the drawing and afraid of Gu Ye’s punishment for his deeds.
Gu Ye looked at him before spitting out a sentence with a smile. “Go away.”
————
Gu Ye had just finished his lunch when a classmate told him Teacher Yu was looking for him.
Gu Ye found the teacher’s office after asking around and saw Teacher Yu, who was wearing a pair of glasses, reading a paper. Seeing him, Teacher Yu looked up and said, “Gu Ye, sit here.”
Gu Ye obediently sat down, looking exceptionally docile.
“I looked at your calculation paper. Your progress was so great that the teachers all think it’s incredible. Even your writing is so beautiful now.” Mr. Yu stared at Gu Ye’s eyes and said seriously, “I will give you a few more questions, can you do them?”
Gu Ye nodded in a well-behaved manner. “Yes.”
Mr. Yu took out a sheet with new questions that he had prepared in advance from his drawer and handed it to Gu Ye who then took it and began to write. It didn’t take him long to finish the questions.
Mr. Yu looked at the answers and his eyes showed joy. His serious expression morphed into a smile. “Good, very good! Gu Ye, work hard from now on!”
After a while, Mr. Yu posted Gu Ye’s examination papers along with his calculation papers and the set of questions Gu Ye just did under his supervision on the school bulletin board to prove that Gu Ye got first place on the exam this time around solely by relying on his own ability.
This time around, the whole school went into a frenzy, and those who had said that it was impossible were collectively slapped in the face!
Many teachers told their students, “There are no stupid students, only students who don’t work hard! Gu Ye must have taken advantage of the winter holiday to study while you guys were going out to play! Someone who has always been at the bottom of the rankings became first on the rankings in one fell swoop, so inspirational! Open your eyes and see! Learn from this example!”
A lot of students secretly went to observe Gu Ye, wondering how he studied to improve his grades in such a short period of time.
Gu Ye now felt that he was not just a strange creature, but a strange creature with a panda head. Now, even when he went to the bathroom, there would be people paying attention to him. Sorry fellas, I don’t want the attention.
————
The holidays finally arrived and when he went home, Mrs. Gu rushed to him and excitedly asked him before he could even take off his shoes, “Lao San, did you get the first place on the exam? First place in the whole school?”
Gu Ye nodded tiredly. “How did you know?”
At this time, Gu DeCheng also came down from the second floor with joy in his eyes. “Mr. Yu called me and said that you’ve made great progress.”
“Yes, yes, yes. The teacher praised you a lot!” said Mrs. Gu happily, “Your father didn’t go to the company today just to wait for you to come home, so he could reward you!”
Gu Ye raised his eyebrows, and when he saw that Gu DeCheng was holding a thick red envelope, his eyes instantly brightened.
“I will study hard, make persistent efforts, and will definitely achieve good grades next time too!” Gu Ye turned serious and bowed deeply to his parents. “I’m sorry to make you worry before.”
Mrs. Gu was startled. Why is he being so melodramatic all of a sudden? How embarrassing.
Gu DeCheng originally wanted to lecture him to not be too proud. Unexpectedly, his son was so sensible that he had to swallow the words he was about to say. Putting the thick red envelope in Gu Ye’s hands, he said seriously, “Our family rule is that if you get the highest score on science or mathematics papers, the reward is ten thousand yuan. Getting first place on the exam is another ten thousand yuan. If you can still get first place next time, I’ll double the amount.”
“Thank you, Dad!” Hugging the red envelope tightly, Gu Ye happily ran upstairs.
Seeing his brother getting a thick red envelope, Gu Yang scratched his head. “That, I also improved my ranking by three on this exam. Do I get no red envelope?”
Before Gu DeCheng could speak, Mrs. Gu already beat him to the punch. “”I’ll reward you with an extra helping of drumsticks.”
“Hehe.” Gu Yang happily carried his bag and ran upstairs with joy.
Mrs. Gu sighed silently. What else can I do? This silly child is satisfied with only an extra helping of drumstick. Don’t you see how thick your big brother’s red envelope is? You can buy a truckload of drumsticks with that!
Back in his room, Gu Ye opened the red envelope and saw the fifty thousand yuan stacked inside. Gu DeCheng really was worthy of the title National Father.
Gu Yang, who had quietly followed him asked curiously, “Brother, how much did Dad give you?”
Gu Ye beckoned the child with his index finger and watched Gu Yang obediently come over like a large husky. Pulling out a dozen red bills and putting them in his brother’s hands, Gu Ye whispered, “Take it and buy that console you like. Don’t let Mom know.”
Because if Mrs. Gu knew, these red tickets will definitely be confiscated, just like when he won the lottery before.
Gu Yang immediately rushed up to hug Gu Ye’s leg. “Brother! I will make money when I grow up! I’ll make money and give it to you!”
Gu Ye patted Gu Yang’s head and wanted to say: Don’t be silly, my child. You won’t make money in this life. Just wait obediently for the dividend from the company.
At noon, Mrs. Gu and the cook lady made a lot of dishes together, and Gu DeCheng happily drank a small cup of wine. Gu Ye looked at his father’s glabella and said with concern, “Take a good rest at home today, Dad. Don’t go to the company, it will rain heavily soon and it will be dangerous.”
Gu DeCheng looked out the window. The sun is shining brightly, what rain?
Because Gu DeCheng nearly had a car accident the last time, the still shocked Mrs. Gu immediately advised, “No matter whether it will rain later or not, we have a happy event today and you’ve already drunk wine. If there’s nothing important at the company, then don’t go today. It’s not often that you get to rest at home.”
Persuaded by his wife, Gu DeCheng said after hesitating for a bit, “Okay, then I won’t go.”
Unexpectedly, it really did rain in the afternoon, quite abruptly so. After it rained the whole afternoon, an event was reported in the evening news. Because of the rain, the tunnel flooded, causing more than a dozen vehicles to be trapped inside. Firemen rushed to the scene, and fortunately, there were no casualties.
Looking at the time and place stated in the news, the tunnel just happened to be the one Gu DeCheng always took when going to his office. Mrs. Gu was terrified when she saw the news and said, “Oh my God! Lao San is really divine!”
Gu DeCheng could barely mask the surprise and fear in his eyes before saying with a calm expression, “What nonsense. It’s just a coincidence.”
Mrs. Gu didn’t pay attention to her husband’s attempt at feigning calmness. “No, I have to make Lao San calculate when I will get rich.” With that, she left hurriedly to search for Gu Ye.
At this time, Zhao PengYu finally came out of the internet cafe. The college entrance examination was around the corner, so his mother banned him from playing with his computer and mobile phone. He couldn’t stop himself from running to the internet cafe first thing in the morning. Unexpectedly, it started raining in the afternoon for a long time before stopping. In his hurry to get home, Zhao PengYu took a shortcut with his mountain bike and rode like crazy. It was dark at this hour, and there were not many pedestrians on the streets. Zhao PengYu suddenly saw something golden in front of him and rode over to see. Surprisingly, it was a red embroidered bag with some gold thread.
Zhao PengYu picked it up. The cloth was quite worn out and there was a dragon and phoenix embroidered on it. It looked like something used by the people in the 1980’s for their marriage. Zhao PengYu opened the bag to take a look and was shocked, “What the fuck! So much money?! Wouldn’t the person who lost this money be losing their minds now?”
The kind-hearted young man stood there waiting for half an hour, but no one came to search for the bag. Seeing that it was getting really late, and if he didn’t return home soon, his family would be worried, so Zhao PengYu simply put the bag in his arms and planned to take it to the police station later.
What Zhao PengYu didn’t notice was that, just as he passed by, the road that had been blurred by the rain revealed a concrete cast column. This was an old bridge that had been deliberately hidden after being abandoned.