Yama Reborn
Chapter 37 - 35 [Still Young]

Chapter 37: Chapter 35 [Still Young]

Chapter Thirty-Five: Still Youthful

Old Sun had taken sick leave.

It was called sick leave, but everyone knew it provided him with a dignified way to avoid the school’s recent gossip.

There had been discussions within the school about whether to issue disciplinary action against Old Sun. Logically, as the Dean of Discipline, having creditors show up at the school with banners should have led to punishment due to the impact created.

Vice Principal Fang advocated for this.

But the long-standing principal of No. 8 Middle School staunchly protected Old Sun.

Considering that restructuring was imminent, no one else pursued the matter further.

There wasn’t much point in arguing anyway; after the restructuring, everyone would just be an employee.

However, the leave did bring one benefit.

On the third day, the police found Old Sun and his wife and took their statements.

Yao Weishan’s death had been discovered on the afternoon of the second day. Given his status as a foreign businessman with local investment projects, the police naturally faced considerable pressure when such a person died.

Although the initial autopsy concluded it was a sudden cerebral hemorrhage—which, frankly, relieved quite a few people up and down the hierarchy.

At least it wasn’t a criminal case; the man had died of illness, so the involved parties wouldn’t need to take any responsibility.

But procedures still had to be followed.

As the police went through their process, information from the hotel quickly revealed that the last people Yao Weishan had seen the night before he died, at the hotel’s Chinese restaurant, were Old Sun and his wife.

The statement was straightforward, without much interrogation. The police officers essentially asked Old Sun and his wife to confirm the time and place of the meeting that night and whether Yao Weishan had shown any signs of health issues at the time.

As for the content of the meeting, the police did ask.

But Old Sun didn’t go into detail, merely stating that they were old classmates catching up.

Old Sun might have been honest and kind, but he was no fool. He wouldn’t air his family’s dirty laundry so easily.

The only thing that might have raised questions were a few documents Yao Weishan had prepared for Old Sun and his wife to sign.

Unfortunately, Chen Nuo had taken those documents away that night.

Thus, the root of the grievances between Yao Weishan and Old Sun’s family remained secret—for the time being.

Everything looked too normal.

Due to Yao Weishan’s special status, the police called in the best forensic doctor from the city bureau for a final review of the autopsy. The conclusion was the same: a sudden cerebral hemorrhage.

There were no signs of struggle, fighting, or injury by others at the scene, and no internal or external injuries on the body.

From the scene, it appeared the deceased had taken a bath and drunk a lot of alcohol before dying.

No one suspected ordinary people like Old Sun and his wife.

The only ones shocked were Old Sun and his wife themselves!

Yao Weishan... had actually died just like that?

His series of schemes had almost driven Old Sun and his wife into a corner, in what he thought was a foolproof plan.

And this person had actually died just like that?

From a cerebral hemorrhage, just died on his own!

Even Old Sun couldn’t help but feel an indescribable sense of absurdity.

Three days later, Wu Dalei called Chen Nuo.

Two hundred thousand had been lent out.

Brother Lei was reliable.

Perhaps, after learning of Yao Weishan’s death, Old Sun, amidst his initial shock and feelings of absurdity, also felt a strong sense that evildoers eventually get their comeuppance.

Then, he finally resolved to first find a way to gather the money and balance the account of the public funds embezzled by Yang Xiaoyi.

It seemed this incident was simply glossed over.

Chen Nuo returned to school.

The homeroom teacher of Class 6, Senior Two, was once again Teacher Wu, who had fallen on a snowy day the previous semester.

Old Sun’s temporary absence due to sick leave caused a stir in the school for a few days, inevitably becoming a topic of conversation.

Old Sun’s vacancy, however, had an unintended side effect that Chen Nuo hadn’t anticipated...

During the break between classes, a male student from another class strode into the classroom, placed a letter on Sun Keke’s desk, then turned with a grin he thought was handsome and walked away.

Before leaving, he glared at Chen Nuo—seated in the last row by the window—as if to show off.

Chen Nuo sighed.

Luo Qing, sitting in front, turned back, suppressing a laugh, "That’s the fourth one this morning, isn’t it?"

Chen Nuo said nothing.

Sun Keke’s face turned red as she clenched her jaw. Without even glancing at the letter on her desk, she marched to the back of the classroom and threw it into the trash can.

Without her father, the Dean of Discipline, and thus lacking his protective presence, Sun Keke’s good looks were dangerously alluring to the adolescent boys.

Moreover, with rumors flying, Chen Nuo even heard students saying that Old Sun had been suspended or even fired.

Chen Nuo had no intention of meddling too much in such matters, considering them merely a minor episode.

But after school, the situation escalated.

During the afternoon physical education class, Sun Keke, who was playing volleyball with a group of girls on the field, was stopped by several boys in school uniforms as she went to retrieve the ball.

A few graduating senior boys, with one who looked quite tall at their center, blocked Sun Keke’s path.

The boy in the middle stared at Sun Keke quite brazenly.

"Sun Keke, I need to talk to you about something. Let’s step aside and talk," he said.

Sun Keke said coldly, "I’m not going."

As she spoke, she turned to leave, but the boy reached out and blocked her.

Several of his companions were still laughing and egging him on from behind.

Sun Keke looked up. "What do you want?"

"Just want to talk for a bit, what’s the harm? Why won’t you give me some face?"

"I have nothing to say to you. I don’t know you."

Sun Keke lowered her head and tried to walk around him, but the boy blocked her again.

The guy had a bit of a thuggish air about him. He wasn’t really a thug; it was just that boys his age back then had probably watched too many cheesy Hong Kong gangster films and thought that kind of posturing was cool. In reality, it was just dumb.

"Don’t be so stuck-up. Your dad’s not at school anymore." The boy’s face wore a deliberately arrogant smile. "Get to know me, and I’ll look out for you at school! How about it? My name is Zhang Linsheng; you can ask around about me."

"What are you doing?!" Sun Keke panicked.

"Nothing, I just think you’re cute and want you to be my little sister. Call me ’Brother,’ and I’ll look after you from now on."

Zhang Linsheng was still spouting what he thought were cool but were actually cringeworthy pickup lines typical of that era.

In high school, boys and girls had separate physical education classes.

Chen Nuo hadn’t noticed what was happening at first, but by the time he did, he had already heard Sun Keke scream, "What are you doing?!"

Chen Nuo, who was running laps around the track with his classmates, immediately broke from the line and ran over. Luo Qing, beside him, followed without hesitation.

Before Chen Nuo could reach them, the female PE teacher in charge of the girls had already noticed. Dressed in sportswear, she blew her whistle, strode over, and glared at the boys, shouting, "You lot! What are you doing? Which class are you from?"

The boys burst into laughter and quickly ran off, some still jeering and laughing as they fled.

As Zhang Linsheng ran, he glanced back and saw Chen Nuo comforting Sun Keke.

He couldn’t help but curse under his breath, "Acting all high and mighty? Just watch how I handle her!"

He was about to say a few more things to show off how great he thought he was when he suddenly realized Chen Nuo’s gaze had locked onto him, and Chen Nuo seemed to nod with a half-smile.

"Don’t you dare leave after school! I’m going to get that brat Chen Nuo," Zhang Linsheng ground his teeth, a bitter taste in his mouth.

Boys of that age, full of excess hormones and a penchant for causing trouble, coupled with a somewhat twisted sense of right and wrong, and the fact that No. 8 Middle School didn’t have the best reputation to begin with, roared with laughter and agreed to his plan.

So, after school, Zhang Linsheng and a few close friends exited the school gate, preparing to ride their bikes away and then take a shortcut to corner Chen Nuo.

Boys this age always think that acting this way makes them look impressive.

But then...

"Fuck! Where’s my bike?!" Zhang Linsheng shouted in anger, searching around the school gate.

A group of them helped look for it amidst the chaos, completely failing to notice Chen Nuo, hands in his pockets, whistling nonchalantly as he strolled out of the school gate and headed home.

Later that night, Zhang Linsheng was scolded by his parents for losing the bike.

Then, concerned for their child, they had him ride his father’s bicycle to school the next day.

When he encountered Chen Nuo at the school gate in the morning, Zhang Linsheng immediately went up to provoke him.

"Kid! You got lucky yesterday; I was busy and couldn’t find you! Don’t even think about running away after school today!"

"Sure thing!" Chen Nuo nodded happily.

Then, at half-past four in the afternoon, Zhang Linsheng left the school. A few minutes later, he was shouting again, "Fuck? Where’s my bike? How is it gone again?!"

According to incomplete statistics, within just three days, there had been a total of seven instances of bicycles stolen from No. 8 Middle School’s gate.

Victims included Zhang Linsheng of Senior Three Class One,

Liu from Senior Three Class Four,

Wu from Senior Two Class One,

Gan from Senior Two Class Five...

and so on.

Common characteristics: Male.

And: They had all harassed Sun Keke in substantial ways.

「On the fifth day after Yao Weishan’s death.」

A middle-aged Caucasian man wearing sunglasses and a jacket stepped out from the international arrivals gate at Jinling International Airport, pushing a suitcase.

A driver waiting to pick up passengers, accompanied by a female translator, hurriedly greeted him.

The driver took the suitcase, and the female translator led the Caucasian man toward the parking lot.

Once in a black Passat, the translator asked politely, "Mr. Anderson, shall we take you to your hotel first..."

"No, I don’t need to rest," Anderson said, removing his sunglasses. "Please take me to the local police station first. I want to see Yao’s case file as soon as possible. Headquarters needs an official update quickly."

[BANG! BANG! BANG!

Look at this rice cake, it’s both big and round!

Look at this side, it’s both crisp and loud...]