Chapter 1448 - Yang Xinwu
Yang Xinwu had been restless for days, so distracted that he repeatedly forgot himself during class—sometimes standing silent at the podium with a vacant stare, other times touching chalk to the blackboard only to forget what he intended to write. The students whispered that Teacher Yang had lost his soul.
In a sense, they were right. This haunted mood had begun when Yuan Ziguang appeared at his door wearing a peculiar expression and delivered the news of Lin Xiaoya's death. As Yuan's close confidant, Yang Xinwu was—apart from Yang Jihong—the only person who knew about Yuan's relationship with Lin Xiaoya. Or at least, he believed only these two people knew.
As Transmigrator Su's forensic report stated, the relationship between Yang Xinwu and Lin Xiaoya had been entirely innocent—so innocent that every minute they spent together could have been filmed and broadcast on the street without scandal.
Lin Xiaoya herself wasn't particularly beautiful, though certainly prettier than his maidservant Yang Jihong. His first meeting with her had been purely to satisfy Yang Jihong's humble request. Yang Xinwu was, after all, an ordinary modern man with little resistance to a woman's pleading. Once the pillow talk had worked its charm, he agreed to help Yang Jihong's "little sister."
After several encounters, Yang Xinwu came to appreciate the girl—not only for the youthful vivacity that the maidservants lacked, but more for her clear understanding of her own future and the wisdom with which she sought to change it.
Unlike the maidservants who spent their days scheming how to curry favor with transmigrators, how to quickly bear a transmigrator's child, and using various means to "secure their position," Lin Xiaoya thought about how to get ahead in the new world under the Senate's rule. In another era, girls like her were commonplace—realistic to the point of being tiresome. But in this era, such girls were rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.
Few maidservant trainees possessed a clear understanding of concepts like elementary school, senior elementary, vocational training classes, and Class A, B, and C diplomas—but Lin Xiaoya had inquired about everything in detail. This wasn't secret information; it was all explained in newspapers and library pamphlets. Most trainees simply couldn't be bothered to read and understand it. They were entirely content with the attitude of "whatever the Chief wants me to do, I'll do; whatever the Chief wants me to learn, I'll learn." Even at Fragrant Fields, such naturalized students were rare.
After meeting Lin Xiaoya twice, Yang Xinwu not only agreed to recommend her for the senior elementary program at Fragrant Fields and sponsor her tuition, but also expressed willingness to fully cover her living expenses.
Everything proceeded smoothly after that. His letter of recommendation had its intended effect, and soon all the paperwork was in order. On August 31st, Yang Jihong proposed holding a farewell dinner at home to celebrate Lin Xiaoya's upcoming enrollment. Yang Xinwu readily agreed. For this purpose, he even left work early and had Yang Jihong order special items from the Farm Teahouse—high-end delicacies and the low-alcohol fruit wines that girls liked.
Lin Xiaoya was lively and had a way with words. Though only three people were dining, the atmosphere was animated. Looking at her bright-eyed and charming demeanor, Transmigrator Yang couldn't help but entertain certain thoughts.
But thoughts were merely thoughts. Although the transmigrator was well aware that legally, he could do whatever he pleased with this girl, he wasn't quite that beastly. Happy times always pass quickly. When Lin Xiaoya said she needed to return to school, Transmigrator Yang noticed it was almost ten o'clock.
"So late already!" Yang Xinwu remembered Lin Xiaoya had mentioned that her leave was only for four hours, and curfew began at nine in the evening. "Won't you be punished for returning now?"
"No." Lin Xiaoya made a face. "The bamboo grove outside the wall—everyone thinks it's impassable, but I've actually cut a little path through it myself that leads all the way to the wall. I've hidden a broken ladder there—enough to climb over."
Yang Xinwu couldn't help but laugh. It reminded him of his own student days.
By contrast, Yang Jihong seemed more nervous. "What about your roommates? Don't they check the dormitory at night?"
"I'm in the convalescent dormitory now—I swallowed some soap a few days ago and was foaming at the mouth, nauseous and vomiting—no roommates, and no night checks."
"So you mean..." Yang Jihong's eyes widened in surprise.
"I climbed over the wall without leave." Lin Xiaoya winked mischievously. "I've already used up my leave quota for this month. But it's still too late now—it'll take another half hour to get back, and I can't let the night watchman spot me."
Yang Xinwu laughed heartily, while Yang Jihong wore an expression of helplessness mixed with worry.
"Don't you have a pass signed by me? If you use that to request leave, won't the school approve it?"
"That wouldn't be good. You've already recommended me for school. If I go and use that to request leave, what will people think? I'm just a trainee—it doesn't matter. But you're a transmigrator. Besides, this would be using your influence to break Director Dong's rules—she wouldn't like that either."
Yang Jihong saw Lin Xiaoya out while Yang Xinwu returned to his study to prepare lessons—the work at Fragrant Fields was particularly demanding. Besides his regular teaching duties and administrative work, he was also responsible for the accounting vocational training program. Apart from teaching, the textbooks and supplementary materials used by Fragrant Fields' accounting vocational class were also compiled by him.
Transmigrator Yang had graduated from a second-tier local business university with a major in finance. After graduation, he first taught for a few days at an obscure vocational college. When he failed the graduate school entrance exam, he took a job at a large state-owned bank, working his way from teller to accounting supervisor. Then he jumped ship to a large joint-stock commercial bank, where he went into corporate lending. His career was flourishing, and his love life was going well too.
In daily life, Transmigrator Yang appeared "as placid as a chrysanthemum," outwardly satisfied with his current situation to the highest degree. Only he himself knew that deep inside lurked the restless heart of a chuunibyou teenager.
However, restlessness was one thing; he had no intention of taking risks to change his life's trajectory. His original participation in the training camp had been purely for amusement. In his own words, he was there to "observe some idiots." But when Director Wen demonstrated the wormhole, Transmigrator Yang's mind went blank on the spot. Once he recovered, he immediately fled along with a group of waverers.
Upon returning, he received a call from a close colleague. Earlier, tempted by a client's high kickbacks, he had processed a steel trade loan worth over a hundred million. The client's capital chain had broken—the loan was overdue, the entire client family's whereabouts were unknown, and not only was his career in jeopardy, he might even face legal liability. Thus, Transmigrator Yang's life trajectory was rewritten.
After D-Day, although he was interested in military affairs, it was only at the hobbyist level—he had no expertise and no desire to develop a career in the military system. Though he called himself a member of the "industrialist party," he came from a finance background, leaving him no place in the industrial sector. He had always played the role of "soy sauce." When Delong Bank was established, Ming Lang noticed his experience in bank accounting management and originally planned to appoint him to handle Delong's accounting work. Transmigrator Yang refused adamantly, embarrassing Ming Lang. It wasn't until Fragrant Fields, under Zhang Zhixiang's strict management, drove away a batch of transmigrator teachers who were seeking comfort and trying to pursue female students, creating a "teacher shortage," that the Personnel Department, citing his school teaching experience, reassigned him to Fragrant Fields with a transfer order. This time, Transmigrator Yang took up the position gladly.
"Teaching and nurturing—therein lies the joy." Just as he raised his eyes to look at the calligraphy hanging on his study wall—composed by himself and handwritten by Liu Dalin—he suddenly heard a commotion outside. Opening the window, he saw soldiers from the outer perimeter had already moved into the compound and set up a cordon. Some maidservants and transmigrators were already downstairs, loudly discussing something.
Lin Xiaoya's sudden death had shaken him greatly. A young, vibrant girl who had been laughing and talking with him less than an hour before had suddenly fallen to her death. What worried him more was that after Yang Jihong returned, she never mentioned why Lin Xiaoya hadn't gone to the station, yet died beneath the Services Society building—less than fifty meters from their residence.
The police took away the body, the cleaners washed the ground, and the gawking transmigrators and maidservants went home. At dawn, everyone went to work as usual, and life in Bairren City returned to normal.
From that day on, Yang Jihong became abstracted and distracted. Although she continued to operate like a precisely manufactured machine—keeping house, serving the transmigrator—she had become silent and withdrawn. In her spare time, she would sit alone in a daze, rarely speaking to him. Only when she woke in the night would she hold Yang Xinwu tightly, her face wet with tears.
Although various signs told him that Yang Jihong was connected to Lin Xiaoya's death, he found it hard to imagine. The two had been so close—such a lively, lovable, and clever child, and her best friend at that. What reason could Yang Jihong possibly have to harm her?
Yang Xinwu couldn't figure it out.
He tried several times to talk with Yang Jihong but got nowhere. The moment he opened his mouth, she would either weep silently or suddenly burst into hysterical sobs that couldn't be stopped. It left him at a complete loss—and his worries grew greater by the day.
Looking around, he realized he had no one to consult. Yuan Ziguang knew about his relationship with Lin Xiaoya but was unaware that Yang Jihong was a murder suspect. As for others, he didn't know how to broach the subject.
I need to find an opportunity to talk to her again, he thought. With Ran Yao's team's capabilities, it won't take more than a few days to uncover the truth. If Yang Jihong really is connected to Lin Xiaoya's death, what should I do?
"Old Yang, what's been going on with you lately? You've been out of it." The office door was pushed open, and in walked Zhang Zhixiang.
"Ah, nothing, nothing." Yang Xinwu quickly covered.
"That's good then. If something's wrong, say it so everyone can help. Don't bottle it up until you get sick." Zhang Zhixiang produced a letter from his pocket. "This just came from a messenger. The Administrative Office wants you to come for a talk tomorrow. I've already arranged the time for you—I'll find someone to cover your classes."
(End of Chapter)