Chapter 141

Chapter 141: Teacher Su Faints Again

Yu Sheng didn’t know what this “Teacher Su,” whom he had met only once, wanted to say, but he still asked the others to step out.

Now only two people were in the room. Sitting by the bed, Yu Sheng looked curiously at the young employee sent by the Borderland council.

He asked: “What do you want to tell me?”

Leaning against the headboard and looking a bit better, Teacher Su said: “Thank you for bringing Xiao Xiao back… even though I still can’t understand how you did it.”

Yu Sheng smiled and said: “Oh, it’s nothing. In that situation, I couldn’t just do nothing.”

Teacher Su suddenly asked: “Are you investigating the Fairy Tale matter? I mean… that Otherworld.”

Yu Sheng blinked, unsure why she brought that up so suddenly.

Unbothered by his reaction, she paused, then went on by herself: “I’ve worked at this orphanage for five years. In Borderland, most things touching the extraordinary domain are handled by the Special Affairs Bureau, but other council departments also have people who deal with supernatural events. I’m one of them, sent here to serve as a ‘teacher’ for the kids.

“You know what? The same kind of thing has always been happening in this orphanage. Kids suddenly ‘go away.’ Sometimes they’re asleep, sometimes it’s during class, sometimes… one second a child is happily sharing a picture book and asking if they can have ice cream after class, and the next, they go silent, as if something yanked them into another world. Sometimes they manage to cry, but more often, there is no time to call for help or shed tears.

“With children under ten, loss of control can happen without warning. My training requires me to spot a child in trouble within ten minutes and get them to the nearest isolation room, while also calming and guiding the other kids to keep fear from spreading. At first, I was all thumbs, but luckily the ‘parents’ among the Cursed Children helped us a lot.

“When I teach, my eyes move across those little ones, but my mind is always running: this quiet one, is there danger? That one is frowning, is she already feeling unwell? A child came a bit late, has something happened? Twelve kids came to class today; will it still be twelve tomorrow?

“Most of my coworkers can’t last long here. They’re idealistic. When they first come, they’re confident. We know orphans lack ‘protection’ and ‘bonds,’ so Fairy Tale erodes them. We think if we give enough care and protect them like family, things will improve a little. But like I said… very few can hold on.”

Yu Sheng didn’t interrupt. Even though it felt a bit off-topic, he listened quietly.

The young employee suddenly caught herself, stopped, and said with an apologetic smile: “Sorry, that isn’t what I meant to tell you. It sounds like I’m just complaining about work.”

Yu Sheng waved it off and said: “It’s fine. It helps me understand what’s happening here from another angle.”

Teacher Su nodded lightly, took a breath, and organized her words before steering back: “What I actually want to say is this: if you’re really going to investigate Fairy Tale, you should first go to the Special Affairs Bureau and see if you can borrow their archives, especially the ones from seventy years ago.”

Yu Sheng’s expression changed. He leaned forward and asked: “Why?”

Teacher Su said slowly: “I don’t know if Little Red Riding Hood told you this. Long ago, the council and the Special Affairs Bureau tried to solve Fairy Tale’s influence by directly taking charge of all ‘special orphans.’”

Yu Sheng nodded at once and said: “She did. She also said that plan failed fast-because Fairy Tale strongly repels adults, and a major incident happened.”

Teacher Su said: “Yes, it failed. Many people died, including a large number of Bureau field agents and the most senior Deep Divers. But they also left behind lots of data-records about the different ‘reactions’ that appear when adults come into contact with Fairy Tale. Those materials are in the Bureau archives.” She paused, then added: “Strictly speaking, this should be the only set of ‘deep observation records’ in the world about the Fairy Tale Otherworld in a high-activity state. The most important thing is… these records were written from the viewpoint of ‘adults’ and ‘explorers.’ For you, that perspective may be more useful than Little Red Riding Hood’s experience.”

Yu Sheng’s gaze turned serious at once and he said: “That’s extremely useful. Files from seventy years ago, right?”

Teacher Su nodded, though she looked a little torn, and said: “The biggest problem is the classification level. An ordinary Spirit Realm Detective will have trouble getting permission to view them. My department and the Special Affairs Bureau aren’t in the same system either, so I can’t really help. But since you brought a child back from the Black Forest, you might be able to get the Bureau’s attention…”

Yu Sheng’s expression turned odd as he said, half to himself while picking up his phone: “We don’t need to make it so complicated. I… actually know some higher-ups at the Special Affairs Bureau. Give me a second and I’ll ask. We should be able to borrow them.”

He was careful and didn’t say Bai Li Qing’s name to someone he’d just met, but Teacher Su clearly misunderstood. Seeing him ready to call, she hurried to add: “I still suggest going through formal channels. The Bureau is very strict, stricter than most council departments. Especially their Director, that iron-faced deadpan…”

Before she finished, Yu Sheng had already dialed the last contact. The other end picked up almost instantly: “Hello? Yu Sheng?”

He kept silent and glanced at the woman on the bed.

The words “iron-faced deadpan” had been loud and clear-and Yu Sheng’s phone was on speaker.

A second later, Bai Li Qing’s voice came from the speaker, calm as usual: “Do you have someone with you?”

Still silent, Yu Sheng turned the screen so Teacher Su could see the caller ID.

The young council employee-excellent educator, outstanding staffer and volunteer at XX Orphanage, Su-closed her eyes in anything but peace.

Yu Sheng stood up fast and said into the phone: “I’ll call you back later with an explanation. Something urgent just came up here.” Without waiting for a reply, he hung up, sprang to the doorway in two steps, and shouted down the hall: “Someone! Your Teacher Su fainted again!”

It caused a brief commotion, but fortunately it wasn’t serious. The school doctor took over, and Teacher Su could rest quietly in the infirmary.

Yu Sheng rejoined Foxy, Irene, and Little Red Riding Hood and explained what had just happened. Everyone stared at one another.

Lounging on Yu Sheng’s shoulder, Irene said: “So the council’s people aren’t very steady, huh? Fainted twice in a few minutes. Is she okay?”

[Yu Sheng felt something off.] He said: “Why does it seem like a lot of people are scared of Bai Li Qing? If it’s the Bureau folks, fine, she’s their boss. But people in other departments feel the pressure too?”

Little Red Riding Hood stared a moment, then looked at him and said: “First, that Director is famous for being strict and merciless. Anyone who’s dealt with her remembers it. I don’t know how you got the impression she’s ‘easy to talk to.’ Second… the Bureau’s Director is one of the five councilors at the top of the council. You didn’t know?”

Yu Sheng froze and said: “I didn’t know.”

She shrugged, glanced toward the infirmary, and said with a touch of sympathy: “I hope Teacher Su can take it easy. A leader that high up shouldn’t hold a grudge against a junior employee. As for you, why did you call so fast, and on speaker?”

Yu Sheng tried to keep a straight face and said: “My finger slipped. And honestly, with her volume and how close she was, even without speaker she would have heard…”

He stopped, then hurried to change the subject and said: “Forget that. Remember what I told you earlier? If Xiao Xiao’s condition is stable, I plan to take you somewhere.”

Little Red Riding Hood blinked, then remembered. This was the answer Yu Sheng had given when she questioned his confidence about solving the Black Forest problem.

Yu Sheng looked at the sky outside and said: “I’ve done what I needed to do here. It’s not too late yet. So, are you interested in my invitation?”

Little Red Riding Hood looked at Yu Sheng, then glanced back.

Rapunzel stood there with Xiao Xiao, the girl pressing her lips together. [They didn’t seem to know what was going on; their eyes were puzzled.]

Little Red Riding Hood nodded to them and said: “Then I’ll step out for a while.”