Chapter 141

Chapter 141: Teacher Su Fainted Again

Yu Sheng had no idea what Teacher Su—whom he’d only met once—wanted to tell him, but he still asked everyone else to step outside.

Soon, only the two of them remained. Yu Sheng sat beside the bed, watching the young Councilor staffer with quiet curiosity.

“What did you want to say?”

Teacher Su leaned against the headboard, her color better than before. “Thank you for bringing Xiao Xiao back… even though I still don’t understand how you did it.”

Yu Sheng smiled. “It was nothing. In that situation, I couldn’t just walk away.”

Teacher Su studied him for a moment, then asked abruptly, “Are you investigating fairy tale? I mean… that otherworld.”

Yu Sheng froze. He couldn’t understand why she’d jumped there so suddenly.

But she didn’t seem to care whether he answered. After a brief pause, she continued on her own.

“I’ve worked at this orphanage for five years. In the Borderland, most supernatural cases are handled by the Special Operations Bureau, but the departments under the Councilor also have people assigned to support those issues. I’m one of them. I was sent here as a ‘teacher’ for these children…”

Her voice softened, and a strange weariness seeped into it.

“You know what? Things like this have always happened here. A child will suddenly ‘leave.’ Sometimes in their sleep. Sometimes in class. Sometimes…” She swallowed. “One second they’re happily sharing a picture-book story with you, asking if they can have ice cream after class, and the next they stop speaking—as if something yanked them into another world. Sometimes they have time to cry once. More often they don’t even have time to call for help.”

She stared at her hands as she spoke, as if seeing those moments again.

“With children under ten, loss of control happens fast. My training requires me to notice any child showing abnormalities within ten minutes and get them to the nearest isolation room. At the same time, I have to comfort and guide the others so fear doesn’t spread.”

Teacher Su let out a slow breath. “At first, I was a mess. But thankfully, some of the children’s ‘guardians’ helped…”

She looked up, eyes a little distant. “When I teach, I’m scanning them nonstop. This one is quiet—does that mean danger? That one is frowning—do they already feel sick? A child arrived late—did something happen? Twelve children came to class today… will it still be twelve tomorrow?”

Her mouth twisted into something like a smile, but there was no humor in it. “Most of my colleagues can’t last. They all came with ideals. We knew orphans were eroded by fairy tale because they lacked ‘protection’ and ‘bonds.’ We thought that if we gave them enough love, protected them like family, things would improve. But… very, very few people can keep going.”

Yu Sheng didn’t interrupt. Even if it sounded like a ramble, he listened.

Then Teacher Su seemed to realize she’d drifted too far. She stopped, a flicker of embarrassment on her face. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to dump all that on you. It probably sounds like I’m complaining about work.”

“It’s fine,” Yu Sheng said gently. “It helps me understand what’s happening here from another angle.”

Teacher Su nodded, steadied herself, and brought the topic back like she’d been rehearsing the line.

“What I really mean is… if you truly plan to investigate fairy tale next, you should go to the Special Operations Bureau first and see if you can borrow their archives.” Her voice lowered. “Start with the records from seventy years ago.”

Yu Sheng’s expression changed. He leaned forward. “…Why?”

“I don’t know whether Little Red Riding Hood told you,” Teacher Su said slowly, “but a long time ago, the Councilor and the Special Operations Bureau tried to solve fairy tale’s influence by taking custody of all ‘anomalous orphans’ directly.”

“She mentioned it,” Yu Sheng said at once. “She also said it failed quickly. Fairy tale rejects adults, and things went bad.”

“Yes. It failed.” Teacher Su’s eyes darkened. “Many people died—including many Special Operations Bureau agents, and even the most senior deep diver. But they left behind a lot of materials. Records of all kinds of ‘reactions’ that happened when adults came into contact with fairy tale.”

She took a breath. “Those records are in the Bureau archives. Strictly speaking, they’re the only deep observation records in the world that captured fairy tale’s otherworld during high activity. And most importantly… they were written from the perspective of adults. Explorers. For you, that perspective might be more useful than Little Red Riding Hood’s ‘experience.’”

Yu Sheng’s gaze sharpened. “That’s incredibly useful. The archives from seventy years ago, right?”

Teacher Su nodded, but her expression turned conflicted. “The problem is classification. An ordinary spirit realm detective would have a hard time getting access. And my department isn’t in the same system as the Bureau, so it’s hard for me to help.”

She hesitated, then added, “But you did bring a child back from the black forest. That might draw the Bureau’s attention…”

“Won’t be necessary.” Yu Sheng’s expression went a little strange as he picked up his phone. “I… happen to know people with authority in the Special Operations Bureau. Give me a second. I’ll ask. We should be able to borrow it.”

Teacher Su’s eyes widened. Clearly misunderstanding, she rushed to add, “I still suggest you go through proper channels. The Bureau’s rules are strict—stricter than most departments under the Councilor. Especially their director. The Iron Poker Face—”

She didn’t get to finish.

Yu Sheng’s fingers moved too fast. The call connected almost instantly.

“Hello?” Bai Li Qing’s voice came through, calm as always. “Yu Sheng?”

Yu Sheng didn’t answer. He just glanced at Teacher Su.

Then he lifted the phone slightly so she could see the screen.

Teacher Su—dedicated Councilor employee, model educator, volunteer, and a certain Su—closed her eyes like a soul leaving its body.

Bai Li Qing’s voice continued, crisp and composed. “Is someone with you?”

“I’ll call you back later and explain,” Yu Sheng blurted into the speaker. “There’s an emergency here. I’m hanging up.”

He ended the call before Bai Li Qing could respond.

In the next heartbeat, he was out of his chair. He sprinted to the door, yanked it open, and yelled down the corridor, “Someone get in here! Teacher Su fainted again!”

Chaos erupted. Thankfully, it wasn’t serious. The school doctor took over, and Teacher Su was left to lie down and recover.

Yu Sheng regrouped with Foxy, Irene, and Little Red Riding Hood.

After a few awkward explanations, everyone stared at each other.

“The Councilor sent someone with mental toughness this bad?” Irene sprawled on Yu Sheng’s shoulder, sounding utterly uninvolved. “She passed out twice in ten minutes. Is she okay?”

Yu Sheng felt something gnawing at him. “Why does it feel like everyone’s afraid of Bai Li Qing? Bureau people, sure, she’s their direct superior. But even people from other departments get that much pressure?”

Little Red Riding Hood blinked, then looked at him like he’d asked why the sky was blue. “First, that director is famous for being harsh and unsparing. Anyone who’s dealt with her remembers it. I don’t know why you think she’s ‘easy to talk to.’ Second…” She shrugged. “The Special Operations Bureau director is one of the Councilor’s five top councilors. You didn’t know?”

Yu Sheng went blank. “…I didn’t know.”

Little Red Riding Hood glanced toward the infirmary, sympathy flickering across her face. “Hopefully Teacher Su can take it easy. A boss that big probably won’t stoop to pick on a low-level employee.”

Then she looked back at him, brows lifting. “But you—why did you call so fast? And on speaker?”

“My hand slipped,” Yu Sheng said, fighting to keep a straight face. “And honestly, with how loud she is and how close she was, even without speaker it wouldn’t have mattered…”

He cleared his throat and switched gears. “Anyway, forget that. Remember what I told you? Once Xiao Xiao’s condition was confirmed stable, I planned to take you somewhere.”

Little Red Riding Hood paused, then remembered. It was the answer he’d given when she demanded to know what confidence he had.

“My work here is done,” Yu Sheng said, lifting his head to glance at the sky outside the window. “It’s not too late. So—are you interested in accepting my invitation?”

Little Red Riding Hood looked at him, then glanced back over her shoulder.

Princess Rapunzel stood nearby with the tight-lipped girl Xiao Xiao. Neither of them seemed to understand what was going on; their faces were full of confusion.

“Then I’ll… step out for a bit,” Little Red Riding Hood told them.