Chapter 40: Parent-Teacher Conference (Part 2)

“Ugh.”

Sitting in the stairwell of the teaching building, Li Yuan let out a heavy sigh.

She discovered that the school campus was truly a magical place. No matter what age or state of mind she entered it with, she would instantly feel younger, reverting to her high school student self. She didn’t have to think about all those messy, complicated things; she only had to worry about studying and grades, occasionally feel lost about an unknown future, or agonize over childish social interactions. Even the air was as clean as a school uniform washed in water.

“What are you sighing for?” Her mother’s voice came from the other side of the cell phone. “Sighing will give you wrinkles, you know. You’re almost thirty, you need to take care of yourself.”

The faint literary, wistful feeling that had just bubbled up inside Li Yuan was instantly doused by her mother’s words. Somewhat annoyed, she retorted, “Ms. Li, watch your phrasing. What do you mean I’m almost thirty? I’m clearly only… only…”

She faltered for a long moment and only then realized that, yes, twenty-six really was dangerously close to thirty. This discovery made her instantly deflate like an eggplant hit by frost.

Her mother, completely oblivious to her dismay, just pressed on, “How does the parent-teacher conference feel?”

At the mention of the conference, Li Yuan sighed heavily once more. “Terrible.”

“Why? Didn’t you say that little girl is a top student, very obedient and worry-free?” Her mother was confused.

“That’s the problem—her performance is too good. Academically, she ranks at the top of the school and has won numerous competition awards. She’s also good at sports; the school’s track and field team invited her to join, but she declined, prioritizing her studies. For hobbies, she plays piano and does ballet. She’s practically the model of an excellent student in both character and learning. I honestly can’t figure out where she finds the time to do so much,” Li Yuan said with a pained face. “That stern old class teacher practically had a smile blooming from her face when she saw me. She was shaking my hand, asking after me, and even had me go on stage to share my educational insights. What educational insights do I have? I just improvised some stuff… the usual clichés—communicate well with your child, guidance and education trump criticism and blame, etc. But the old teacher seemed very happy listening, so it should be fine.”

After hearing this, her mother thought for a moment, then said hesitantly, “How about you sever your mother-daughter relationship with me, and then give me her contact info? The surname doesn’t matter, I can take her surname.”

“Hey! Food can be eaten recklessly, but words can’t be spoken carelessly. Ms. Li, I’ll be telling Grandma what you just said!” Li Yuan instinctively retaliated.

She looked down, saw the small bag she was carrying, and suddenly wilted a bit again.

Inside that small bag were at least twenty business cards exchanged by parents. Right after the conference ended, she felt like a hot commodity, every parent wanting to exchange a few words and establish a connection. Li Yuan was no stranger to this kind of eagerness. Back when she was still in the Investigation Team, wearing that uniform and visiting businesses with a search warrant, she’d seen those same ingratiating smiles.

—As time passes, snobbery no longer seems like a derogatory term, but rather a neutral one, a necessary precondition. Li Yuan thought with some annoyance. But what could she do about it? Even someone as obtuse and insensitive as her could feel the enormous, investment-worthy potential in that girl’s future.

She wasn’t some piece of dust-covered gold; she was a dazzling diamond practically blinding to the eye. What was even more deadly was that this diamond’s interpersonal skills were also quite good. Her reputation among classmates was practically perfect, like some kind of saint. It seemed no one disliked this girl.

She had the fate of a blessed prodigy, but not the syndrome of one. Her future prospects weren’t just a broad avenue; they were a neatly paved, clean runway ready for takeoff at any moment. Even without support from her family of origin, it wouldn’t matter. Every single one of those twenty business card holders would be eager to adopt her. How much could raising a girl cost? Even funding an education abroad for a master’s or doctorate, how much could that cost? Just five or six hundred thousand a year or so. Consider it a stable, guaranteed investment.

As she thought, her mind suddenly drifted to Li Wanying, and her heart sank heavily.

But this girl’s mother was an Insider, and a wanted fugitive at that.

Then all those fantasies from just now were mere bubbles. Insiders had no human rights. They were aberrations, unacceptable existences in the future society. Everything she had hung on a single, slender spider’s thread, and if that thread broke, she would need to die. Li Yuan didn’t know how the higher-ups would handle this girl’s fate and life next, but the one thing she was certain of was that Qi Xin’s path was already set in stone. The only road she could walk down was to join the Executors after Li Wanying’s capture. That was her sole way out.

“Mom?” she suddenly asked.

Her mother’s voice was a bit surprised. “Why so clingy all of a sudden? Let me be clear upfront, I don’t have any money I can lend you.”

Li Yuan covered her face. The mood she’d just built up was gone again. She really shouldn’t have any expectations for Ms. Li. She could only take a deep breath and forcibly steer the topic back. “Remember when I told you what my job was?”

“I remember. A secure government job, kind of like the police, but you catch a special kind of criminal—” The sound coming from her mother’s end was strange, a crunching noise. Li Yuan guessed it was probably the sound of eating potato chips. “Speaking of which, don’t you also have one of those weird supernatural abilities? Can you transform into a magical girl yet?”

Li Yuan’s face darkened. “First of all, it’s not a supernatural ability, it’s a Syndrome. Second, my Syndrome isn’t a brain disease. I won’t be able to transform into a magical girl in another hundred years!”

“Oh, oh, I see,” her mother replied dismissively. “Thinking back, it’s really nostalgic. That night you came crying into my bed in the middle of the night. I thought you were scared by your first period and was just about to comfort you, but then you cried and reached out your hand, saying you’d become a monster and the magical girls were coming to catch you…”

The expression on Li Yuan’s face was quite colorful. She finally forced it down and coughed, saying, “I was young and stupid then… Back to the point! Back to the point! Stop digressing. The parent-teacher conference has been over for a while. That girl is still sitting on the playground waiting for me.”

“Alright then, I can guess what you want to ask… Seriously speaking, my advice to you is simple. Whatever position you think you stand in, do the things according to that position—it’s that simple,” her mother said calmly. “First, figure this out clearly: What is your stance exactly? Are you Li Yuan the police officer, or that girl’s nominal ‘aunt’? Once you figure that out, you’ll know what you should do.”

Li Yuan was silent for a moment before asking quietly, “Am I that easy to read?”

“Are you not?” Her mother’s voice sounded a little helpless. “You practically had the answer written on your face. I bet Yu Mi planned for you to take over this girl’s case from the very beginning, right? What a twisted way of showing goodwill. If you can handle this girl’s situation well, I guess he can be more at ease and delegate other tasks to you, right?”

Li Yuan took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. “I think I understand… Anyway, thanks.”

After hanging up the phone, she had just stood up, intending to go back up the stairs to the floor with the original classroom, when her movement suddenly froze.

—She saw the young girl in a school uniform sitting upright on the top step, quietly looking at her. Her deep black pupils were clear and limpid.