Chapter 46: Old Memories

Dahei was a Tibetan mastiff, brimming with vitality. With him stationed here, Feng Liang dared not act recklessly.

After settling Feng Liang, Yan Yu, accompanied by Su Han and Zhao Qingqing, made their way to Rongcheng No.1 High School.

Between Xinghua Community and Rongcheng No.1 High School lay only a single street, and the three arrived quickly at the school gate on foot.

Because it was the weekend, the school grounds were deserted. The security chief, Zhang Dagen, lay leisurely on a recliner in the security room, puffing away contentedly.

Zhang Dagen was enjoying his idle moment, but upon glimpsing Su Han and Yan Yu, he immediately stepped out and greeted them with a smile, "Young Master Yan, Teacher Su, what brings you to school on the weekend?"

"Yan Yu's English grades are terrible, so I'm giving him some extra lessons," Su Han replied casually.

Zhang Dagen chuckled awkwardly and said, "Teacher Su, just now a handsome guy drove up in a Lamborghini, said he was looking for you."

Su Han's brows knitted. "How did you respond?"

"I told him you were out. He waited at the gate for a while and then left," Zhang Dagen answered truthfully.

"If he comes again, just tell him I've resigned," Su Han said, striding into the school in her high heels without a backward glance. Yan Yu hurried after her.

"Boyfriend?" Yan Yu asked curiously.

"Just a scumbag," Su Han replied coldly.

Zhao Qingqing smiled, "Is it Tan Junwen?"

"Don't mention his name again!" Su Han shot Zhao Qingqing a glare and walked ahead briskly.

Zhao Qingqing stuck out her tongue, slowed her pace, and whispered to Yan Yu, "Tan Junwen was arranged as a blind date by Su Han's family. They got along well at first, but Su Han accidentally discovered Tan Junwen's messy lifestyle, so she refused to give him another chance. He was quite well-behaved a month ago, but lately, for some reason, he's been bothering Su Han often."

"Why are you telling me this?" Yan Yu asked.

"Because we'll be living together soon. If Tan Junwen learns that Su Han is living with you, don't you think he'll come make trouble?" Zhao Qingqing winked at Yan Yu.

"So I'm being used as a shield?" Yan Yu felt a headache coming on. Living together with Su Han, Tan Junwen would inevitably find out.

He didn't think that Lamborghini-driving fellow was particularly generous.

"Oh, actually, Su Han isn't as difficult as she seems. See how actively she's helping you check the records? I've been with Su Han for so long, and I've never seen her care so much about any man. She talks to you more in a day than she did to Tan Junwen in a whole month… Hmm, if you try a bit harder, maybe the three of us could even share a bed."

Share a bed? That exhilarating?

Yan Yu felt a little thrill inside.

"Aren't you jealous?" Yan Yu asked skeptically.

"I'm already dead. How would a dead person envy the living? Besides, Su Han and I are so close, sharing a man is no big deal."

Despite Zhao Qingqing's words, Yan Yu didn't dare imagine further. His master always said women were the most complicated creatures on earth—never try to fathom their thoughts.

So the matter of sharing a bed, best let nature take its course.

The three arrived at the archive room. Su Han led Yan Yu in, and with the help of the elderly administrator, they quickly found Tang Xinyi's file.

"You’re looking for Tang Xinyi?" The elderly administrator pulled out a dust-covered archive folder and handed it to Yan Yu.

"She's my mother," Yan Yu took the folder. "Do you know her, sir?"

The old man was silent for a moment.

Unconsciously, Yan Yu opened the folder. Only a few thin sheets of paper slid out.

[Tang Xinyi, born 1981 in Rongcheng, Jianzhou Province. Admitted to Rongcheng No.1 High School in 1998. Recipient of national poverty relief. Awarded as an exemplary student…]

A blurry black-and-white photo was affixed to the file. Tang Xinyi, in her youth, wore shoulder-length short hair, had an oval face and a high nose, her almond-shaped eyes were strikingly delicate. Yan Yu could even see traces of himself in her features.

"This is my mother…" Yan Yu muttered to himself.

"Didn't expect you to still be alive," the old man suddenly said.

Everyone was startled. Su Han quickly asked, "Uncle Wang, you knew Tang Xinyi?"

Uncle Wang had worked at the school for decades. He used to be the PE teacher, only becoming the archive room administrator after retirement.

He looked kindly at Yan Yu and nodded, "Yes, Xinyi was my student. She was a very kind girl. But I never expected… alas."

"Uncle Wang, could you tell me everything you know?" Yan Yu asked sincerely. "I came back this time just to uncover the truth about my mother."

"Come with me outside. I'll tell you everything I know."

Uncle Wang shuffled ahead, leading the two to his desk, and brewed himself a pot of hot tea.

"The first time I met Xinyi was at the start of term, during PE class. Back then, Rongcheng No.1 High hadn’t been renovated, the whole school was old and shabby. Though Xinyi's family was poor, she took great care with her appearance. Even if her clothes were patched, she still managed to stand out with an air of distinction. She left a deep impression on me."

As Uncle Wang spoke, scenes of his mother appeared in Yan Yu’s mind. He could almost see her, vibrant and vivid against the gray backdrop of that era.

"Xinyi was an excellent student, always top in every subject. I heard she was even the school beauty. During my PE class, I saw at least three boys give her love letters, but she never accepted any of them… Yet, because of this, an incident later occurred that shocked everyone in the school."

Yan Yu felt his heart tighten. He knew he was about to touch the truth from eighteen years ago.

"It was in 1999, I believe. That year’s Spring Festival Gala featured Zhao Benshan and Song Dandan performing a skit called 'The Hourly Worker'… That year, when your mother was in her second year of high school, she became pregnant."

Yan Yu’s eyes went wide.

His mother, at eighteen, had conceived a child—himself?

Who, then, was his father?

"Back then, people were very conservative. Your mother didn't try to hide her pregnancy, so the whole school knew, even the principal and the education bureau got involved. The principal personally met with your mother, trying to find out your father's name, but she refused to say. She seemed to be waiting for your father to come forward and admit it himself—but he never showed."

"Your mother's family was poor, and her parents never appeared throughout. So Xinyi's pregnancy dragged on, her belly grew larger, and the gossip at school intensified. By the spring of 2000, your mother was nine months pregnant, so big she could hardly walk. I hadn’t seen her in months."

"And then, word came that your mother had gone mad."