Yama Reborn
Chapter 50 - 48 [Suspicious Behavior]

Chapter 50: Chapter 48 [Suspicious Behavior]

Chapter Forty-Eight: [Suspicious Behavior]

In mid-March, Jinling City experienced a rain, signaling the arrival of the first spring rain in 2001. In the days that followed, the weather warmed up day by day.

Chen Nuo began to skip classes again. He would often show up at school, make a round, and then disappear. Sometimes, he was absent for an entire morning and only appeared in the afternoon to check in. _{f.re(e) w.e(b)nov el.c.om}

Because of Old Sun, his form teacher, Mr. Wu, knew that Chen Nuo was working part-time, so he was particularly lenient with him. Of course, one reason for this was that during the mid-term exams, Chen Nuo again achieved a decent grade by copying.

With passable grades and a special family circumstance, these two reasons combined were enough for the teacher to turn a blind eye to Chen Nuo’s truancy. After all, No. 8 Middle School wasn’t a key school. Students like Chen Nuo, whose family situation was somewhat pitiful and who hadn’t turned out bad like other delinquents, could still achieve decent grades. If he wanted to work, then let him. If he couldn’t make it into university, he needed to have an alternative path.

But to Sun Keke and Li Yingwan, Chen Nuo’s recent behavior seemed very suspicious. During class hours, Sun Keke often sneakily watched Chen Nuo, noticing that he was always occupied with a notebook, writing and sketching in it. She tried to peek several times during breaks, but he guarded it securely. Sun Keke always felt that this young man seemed to be secretly planning something, preparing for something.

School belle Sun even skipped class twice, going directly to Brother Lei’s car dealership to find Chen Nuo. But both times, she came up empty-handed. Although Brother Lei performed quite the act in front of School belle Sun, claiming he had sent Chen Nuo out on business. But Sun Keke always harbored doubts...The main reason was that Brother Lei’s attitude towards Chen Nuo was simply too polite.It didn’t seem like the attitude of a boss towards an employee at all.But Sun Keke couldn’t ask anything more.

Brother Lei seemed to be busy. The original garage had more than doubled in size. He’d taken over the neighboring shop as well and combined the two spaces. The shop was also filled with lots of brand-new electric bikes. The two times that Sun Keke visited, she just happened to encounter promotional sales events, and the business was quite lively. Being a shy girl, seeing Brother Lei so incredibly busy, she didn’t want to take up more of his time and could only leave disappointed.

Sun Keke’s thoughts were one thing. Li Yingwan’s thoughts, on the other hand, were entirely another matter. The tall girl had come to view Chen Nuo Oppa as a sort of superhero hidden within the mundane world... It wasn’t surprising, given the previous encounter where Chen Nuo had appeared out of nowhere, leaving a profoundly deep impression. In Li Yingwan’s view, this superhero Oppa might be planning some secret operation... perhaps the kind that involved defeating the Great Devil to save the world. Alright, at this age, not only do boys get adolescent fantasies, girls sometimes indulge in them as well.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

Sitting in the living room watching cartoons with Chen Xiaoye, Sun Keke turned her head toward the main door. Chen Nuo emerged from the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, shaking his wet hands as he went to open the door. Sun Keke looked over and was somewhat surprised. Through the crack of the door, the figure standing outside was clearly bald. Brother Lei’s image was too distinctive.

"Why have you come so late?" Chen Nuo smiled.

Brother Lei chuckled, pulled out an envelope made of kraft paper from his chest, bulging with contents, and handed it to Chen Nuo, "I just got it this afternoon, and I was worried you’d need it urgently, so I brought it over."

Chen Nuo took the envelope, held it without opening it, and nodded, "Thanks for the trouble."

"What are you talking about! It’s no trouble at all!" Brother Lei peeked into the doorway and caught sight of School belle Sun sitting in the living room, which immediately dissuaded him from the thought of entering.

See, you could say Brother Lei was considerate.

Chen Nuo understood the hint of amusement in Brother Lei’s eyes. Without explanation, he stepped out, pulled the door to behind him, and spoke.

"Everything is ready, handled by professionals, prepared according to your list. It has been shipped out today, and once you get there, you just need to sign for it."

"Okay," Chen Nuo nodded firmly, glanced at Brother Lei again, "How’s the shop these days? Li Qingshan..."

"No, that old guy hasn’t made any moves... I heard after last time, soaking in the water for a bit, the old guy fell sick when he got back—pneumonia, nearly died. HAHA! At his age, he deserves it. He’s been quiet lately."

Chen Nuo nodded, "If anything comes up, feel free to call me."

Brother Lei chuckled a few times, then found an excuse to leave.

Chen Nuo, turning back inside, saw School belle Sun looking up at him.

"Why do I feel like you’re hiding something from me?"

Chen Nuo smiled, "Hiding? What do you mean by hiding?"

He walked over, sat down on the living room sofa, pulled Chen Xiaoye over onto his lap, and gently scratched the little girl’s nose.

Chen Xiaoye, feeling ticklish, laughed.

Chen Nuo put her down again and ruffled the little girl’s hair, "Go wash your hands, it’s time for dinner."

Watching the little girl hop away, Chen Nuo turned to School belle Sun, "Yeah, there is something I need to tell you."

"...What?" School belle Sun looked somewhat surprised.

"I’ll be going out of town for a few days soon, about three or four days."

"Ah?" Sun Keke was startled, then it dawned on her, "What are you doing out of town? Where are you going? Are you going to skip class again?"

"Business trip."

Chen Nuo lied without batting an eye, "Brother Lei’s shop is getting a new shipment of cars. It’s a deal negotiated with the manufacturer, and I’m going on a business trip to learn about the process and how things are done in the future."

"..."

Sun Keke hesitated, wanting to say something but stopped herself. She felt that something about the situation seemed amiss. Yet, if she thought about it carefully, she couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was wrong. Chen Nuo was usually busy working part-time and skipping classes, looking like he had no intention of applying for college. Moreover, he now had to support his younger sister. Considering that, focusing more on work for now didn’t seem wrong at all. But... but there was still a nagging feeling that something was off.

Chen Nuo slowly said, "It just so happens that the few days I’ll be away for the business trip include a weekend. Xiao Yezi’s kindergarten is closed on weekends, could you help me take care of her for two days?"

"When are you leaving?"

"Next Friday."

"Ah?" The girl calculated the dates in her head and hesitated for a moment, "Then when will you be back?"

"In three or four days. I’ll leave on Friday, spend a weekend away, and should be back by Tuesday of the following week."

Sun Keke felt relieved. She exhaled, her face turning a shade of red, "Okay, I... I’ll talk to my dad and it should be fine. I’ll come to pick up Ye Zi and take her home next Friday."

In fact, there was something Sun Keke didn’t reveal. If he returns by Tuesday... he should make it in time. Because that Wednesday, March 25th—was School Belle Sun’s birthday. Indeed, according to Jinling’s way of counting, after this birthday, School belle Sun would be eighteen years old.

The thought made the girl’s face heat up, but then her eyes suddenly fell on the brown paper file bag on the table, "What’s this?"

"Oh, it’s material from the client’s factory." Chen Nuo waved his hand dismissively, picked up the file bag, and went into the back room. A moment later, he came out and called to Sun Keke, "Come on, let’s eat. After dinner, I’ll take you home."

「March 20, 2001.」

Around four o’clock in the evening, in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.

Kathmandu in 2001 was a picture of dilapidation and disorder. The streets were narrow, and the buildings were low. In this era, apart from the temples in the tourist areas, Kathmandu as a whole resembled a massive slum. Of course, it got a little better after twenty years, but the improvements were minimal.

The congested streets were filled with people, most locals dressed in brown and gray. Beat-up cars and motorcycles weaved through the crowded streets, horns constantly blaring BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The air was thick with the pungent smell of exhaust fumes and dust. Many locals covered their faces and noses with cloth resembling scarves. Children covered in dirt ran and played in the streets, some even barefoot.

Twenty years later, this very place would be proclaimed by some netizens, playing at being cultured, as one of the cities with the highest happiness index in the world. What a dump! Streets are littered with trash, narrow alleys, ramshackle houses, and utility poles festooned with wires like a chaotic beehive. The residents wore dirty clothes—in the ’80s, even a county town in Hua Country was far better off. In the alleys, suspicious individuals offered to sell a certain kind of ’leaves’... This is considered one of the happiest places on the planet? It’s all just advertising fluff from travel marketing accounts, meant to trick gullible, artsy young people into making budget pilgrimages.

Outside a hotel called the Kathmandu Casa.

The brownish-red brick building was in the classic British Colonial style. The four-story structure looked quite dilapidated. The handmade carpet at the hotel’s entrance had been trampled so much that its original color couldn’t be discerned.

In the narrow lobby, behind a wooden reception desk with brass corners, a front desk clerk in an ill-fitting uniform idly stared into space.

DING-A-LING! The main door was pushed open.

A figure staggered up to the front desk.

"Checking in, I have a reservation." Spoken in perfect British English.

The clerk lifted his head with disinterest and took a brief glance at the guest. Average build, short hair, wearing a black jacket, his face covered by a scarf.

The guest slowly removed the scarf from around his neck, revealing his mouth and nose. His face was dusty, and the skin below his eyes was clearly a different shade from the skin above.

Chen Nuo smiled faintly, revealing his white teeth, as he pulled out his passport and a stack of US Dollars, placing them on the counter. "Give me a room with 24-hour hot water. Also, send me some dinner. I don’t want the local cuisine; just get me some bread, western-style."

If one were to make a comparison, Kathmandu in 2001 was quite similar to India. Yes, they were almost the same model of dirty, chaotic, and substandard. And the food was the same as well. In this era, if you dared to eat local food, be prepared for a bout of diarrhea that could leave you dehydrated.

The clerk lazily processed the check-in and then threw a key onto the desk.

Chen Nuo thought for a moment, then laid out ten US Dollars on the counter, "I’ve had some items mailed to me here. Could you check for them and, if they’ve arrived, please send them up to my room?"

The sight of the greenbacks immediately perked up the clerk.