Chapter 32: The Good Boy

Afraid that the rabbit might encounter misfortune if delayed any longer, she ultimately decided to enter the house directly.

Bursting into the pitch-black house, Wang Jiexiang spread her legs apart, hands on her hips, striking an incredibly cheesy pose and delivering her lines with the same over-the-top delivery.

“Yin Xian! The clever me has arrived!”

No sooner had she spoken, the lights turned on in the direction of the door she had just entered.

It was the light from Sunset.

It filtered through the dark green window panes into the room, quietly filling the entire space. The color of the light was a faint, pale orange—warm in hue but not warm in temperature.

Wang Jiexiang protected her head, her eyes wide open, just in case she, like last time, forgot the purpose of coming here.

The orange deepened.

Wherever her gaze fell, it was as if everything had been coated with an old, nostalgic glow.

The blackened plastic ceiling fan; the faded brown walls with patches of peeling paint, exposing the bricks underneath; cold food covered with a food dome; a large, ornate cabinet with a vintage clock placed on top.

She was in the living room of this old house, and everything was eerily quiet, as if there was no one here.

Wang Jiexiang patted her safe and sound little head, preparing to explore the room.

“Ding—ding—”

The clock struck, giving her a sudden scare.

The clock chimed seven times.

Feeling guilty as if she were doing something wrong, Wang Jiexiang suspected someone might show up soon. She tiptoed into the room with the open door.

As soon as she entered, the strong smell of medicine hit her.

The room was neatly tidied.

A scratching stick and a few folded pieces of male clothing were placed on the bed.

Wang Jiexiang approached the large bookshelf occupying the biggest space in the room. It was filled with books.

One shelf was dedicated to brown paper bags, and she casually pulled one out. The cover of the bag read “Teaching Plan.”

Teaching plan? Was the owner of this room a teacher?

She remembered that Yin Xian had once mentioned his grandfather was a teacher, someone he greatly admired.

So, this room was probably his grandfather’s.

After closing the door behind her, Wang Jiexiang proceeded to the next adjacent room.

It was the bathroom.

Taking the opportunity, Wang Jiexiang glanced at the mirror.

Following the pattern of aging four years each time she entered a new room, the reflection showed her at twenty years old, which was not much different from her real appearance.

“Where is Yin Xian’s room?”

She continued walking.

There was a small room with only a simple bed and change of clothes—definitely not it.

Another room was filled with miscellaneous items and unsuitable for living.

“Found it!”

In the next room, the desk had a stack of study materials with Yin Xian’s full name written on them.

Out of all the places she’d been, this was the best environment.

Good lighting, bright and spacious.

On the bedside table was a photo of an elderly person holding a baby Yin Xian with a bare bottom—warm and adorable.

The decor was not oppressive, unlike his childhood apartment, which was covered in Certificates of Merit, everything neatly arranged.

The room had a radio, and there was an old wicker chair by the desk with a fan and water cup on it, as if an adult would sit there to talk with him, helping with his studies.

It seemed clear that Yin Xian was very close to his grandfather, and there was a reason for that.

The items in the room were simple, not valuable, but each one had a certain charm that made the place feel cozy and inviting.

Wang Jiexiang sat in Yin Xian’s spot and blinked dryly.

At first, she worried that she would be mistaken for a thief in someone else’s house.

But now, after walking through the whole house and not running into anyone, she felt confused.

What was she supposed to do?

“Trauma memories…” she recalled the case report she had just seen: “What sad event did Yin Xian go through at this age?”

The only thing Wang Jiexiang remembered was the rabbit telling her: his parents were getting a divorce, and he had stayed with his grandfather for two years.

Could she be trying to stop his parents’ divorce? Maybe figure out a way to bring him back to his parents?

Shaking her head, Wang Jiexiang stopped her wild thoughts.

From her experience at the “Employee Dormitory,” she knew she should be cautious about jumping to conclusions. It would be better to observe the situation and see where things went without interference. Over-analyzing might only make things worse.

She picked up a book nearby, its cover labeled with the name: Second Middle School, Class 3, Yin Xian.

“Class 3, middle school students should be about done with school around seven, right?”

Wang Jiexiang scratched the back of her neck, deciding to wait a bit longer at the house.

She sat there from a little after seven until half past seven, but when Yin Xian didn’t show up, she grew restless and went outside to wait on the street.

She waited and waited, but Yin Xian never showed up.

Wang Jiexiang decided to go to his school.

Not familiar with the area and with no money, she had to rely on asking for directions.

“Excuse me, miss,” Wang Jiexiang smiled and stopped a passerby, “Can you tell me how to get to Second Middle School?”

The woman shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“Uncle, do you know how to get to Second Middle School?” she asked another person.

He, like the previous woman, shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Wang Jiexiang stood by the side of the road, feeling an odd sensation.

Could it be…

She carefully watched the next person coming her way.

Sure enough, the first woman she had asked for directions appeared again.

She had encountered this phenomenon before in the Employee Dormitory Instance/Dungeon: the background characters had ordinary looks, their faces identical. Here, in Yin Xian’s spiritual world, the way he constructed the figures of passersby was the same as the way he constructed his colleagues in the Auto Repair Shop.

Wang Jiexiang patiently asked a few more people, and the answers were all the same—“I don’t know.”

The Sunset light faded, and the sky turned completely dark.

She still couldn’t figure out the way to Second Middle School.

She reached an intersection, fearful of getting lost or missing Yin Xian, and returned.

Wang Jiexiang’s heart sank: would he come home?

What if he didn’t come home? What should she do?

Had something bad already happened to him?

She wasn’t by his side, and it was too late to help, not even able to see him.

As time passed, her anxiety grew.

The frustration of waiting for Yin Xian was something Wang Jiexiang was very familiar with.

Back when they were together, he was busy with social obligations, not answering his phone or coming home at night. She would sit at home waiting like this, then move to the doorstep, her mind filled with terrifying possibilities, unable to do anything.

“We broke up, why am I still worrying about this? I’ll get him out of this house, and then I’ll stop caring. Let him see a doctor if he needs to, let the professionals handle hypnosis or whatever.”

Wang Jiexiang muttered angrily, trying to calm her anxiety.

Time dragged on.

Her waiting position shifted from standing to leaning against the wall, then to squatting, and finally she just sat on the ground.

Yin Xian didn’t arrive, but someone else she didn’t recognize did.

She unlocked the door and entered Yin Xian’s grandfather’s house.

—Who was that?

Her appearance was different from the background characters, with distinct features. Wang Jiexiang had met Yin Xian’s parents in the “Childhood Apartment” Instance/Dungeon, but this wasn’t Yin Xian’s mother.

She decided to make up an excuse to start a conversation. Wang Jiexiang thought to herself, preparing what to say in advance.

Clearing her throat, she knocked on the door.

The person inside quickly opened the door and asked who she was looking for.

“Hello,” Wang Jiexiang said casually with a relaxed tone, “I’m just wondering if the child in this house has returned home?”

The woman seemed a bit cautious. “Who are you?”

Wang Jiexiang gave the explanation she had prepared: “I’m your neighbor. My sister is in the same class as Yin Xian. She came home late today, so I just wanted to check if Yin Xian is back yet.”

“Oh, he’s at evening self-study.”

She glanced at the clock behind her and said, “He should be back soon. You can wait a bit longer, no rush.”

“Okay.”

Wang Jiexiang sighed with relief.

As the woman prepared to close the door, Wang Jiexiang hurriedly blocked it, eager to say something else.

“I don’t know much else,” the woman cut her off. “I’m just the caregiver for the elderly in this house.”

Wang Jiexiang furrowed her brow. “You’re the caregiver for Yin Xian’s grandfather?”

“Yes, I’ve been doing it until today.”

“Why?”

The woman sighed. “The old man passed away today.”

“Ah?”

Shocked, Wang Jiexiang couldn’t keep up the “neighbor” act and immediately showed too much concern.

“Today? What time? Does Yin Xian know? Didn’t he go to see him?”

“Ah, miss…” The caregiver didn’t answer her and seemed to want to end the conversation. “I just came back from the hospital, haven’t eaten, and I need to pack my things…”

Wang Jiexiang nodded reluctantly.

“Sorry to bother you. You go ahead.”

She walked back to the street and continued to wait for Yin Xian.

The trauma memory, without a doubt, was the death of his grandfather.

Soon after, a teenager with a backpack appeared in her sight.

Yin Xian, now about her height, was in his school uniform and sneakers. His fair skin and short, smooth hair made him look like a model student—a well-behaved boy.

Yin Xian passed her by, not looking sideways.

Wang Jiexiang’s gaze followed him.

He opened the door and went inside, but within a minute, he ran back out, his face pale.

The question the caregiver hadn’t answered, Wang Jiexiang now had the answer: Yin Xian didn’t know his grandfather had passed away, and he hadn’t seen him for the last time.

Wang Jiexiang was also panicked.

To be honest, she didn’t know how to help him.

The street in front of the house was empty, no cars to stop.

Yin Xian went back, pulling a rickety bicycle down the wooden stairs. He got on it and pedaled a few times before losing balance and falling onto the road.

He couldn’t ride a bike…

She wanted to help him up, but Yin Xian didn’t give her that chance.

He got up on his own, ignored the bicycle, and ran towards the road with a single-minded determination.

Wang Jiexiang could ride a bike!

Her original plan was to observe Yin Xian without intervening. But now… to hell with that non-intervention.

She could give him a ride!

Wang Jiexiang grabbed the bicycle, which had a flat tire, but with some effort, it was still rideable.

She hopped on and pedaled furiously, chasing after Yin Xian’s retreating figure.

The bike wheels sank like they were grinding on unstable foam, becoming uncontrollable and crooked.

Wang Jiexiang gritted her teeth, eyes fixed on the distant figure, struggling to maintain her balance.

“Hey!”

She was sweating profusely, her vision growing blurry.

“Yin Xian!”

The streetlights dimmed, and the boy persistently ran towards the twisted, lightless distance.

The ground grabbed the wheels, swallowing them bit by bit.

Wang Jiexiang shouted at him, “Stop running! Stop running, it’s dangerous!”

She couldn’t hear her own voice.

The voice, the sweat, everything faded into the thin, fading orange-yellow.

It was the light from Sunset.

Wang Jiexiang gasped for breath, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

As her sleeve wiped away the sweat, it vanished without a trace.

In front of her was a large, ornate cabinet, and on top of it was a vintage clock.

“Ding—ding—”

The clock chimed.

It rang seven times, slowly