Chapter 76: When the Dust Settles [3]

Li Zhixian’s death ultimately awakened a portion of the parents.

In the week that followed, Captain Wang Mo sealed off the entire internet addiction rehabilitation center and launched a thorough investigation. Every member of the staff was taken for questioning. Only then did the full extent of Yang Yongsheng’s atrocities gradually come to light before the public.

Former students who had left the center also began to come forward, revealing to everyone what Yang Yongsheng had done to them. Only now did people realize that the victims of Yang’s abuse were not just children, but also the elderly and pregnant women. What he “treated” was neither internet addiction, nor puppy love, nor any psychological ailment—it was simply disobedience.

A husband wishing to divorce his wife, a pregnant woman who refused her husband’s demand to have a child, an elder unwilling to allocate inheritance to their offspring…anyone who stepped through those doors was as if walking into fire and blades, enduring torment every second.

For a time, the entire internet seethed with condemnation against Yang Yongsheng and the rehabilitation center. The topic of internet addiction was thrust back into the public eye, and people found it hard to believe that in an age of such technological advancement and widespread access to the internet, there were still ignorant parents convinced their children were internet addicts.

Some scholars analyzed the phenomenon, asserting that most parents who clung to belief in Yang Yongsheng’s methods were themselves poorly educated, quick-tempered, and lacking in patience.

The sins of the parents came back to haunt their innocent children. The psychological scars left by Yang Yongsheng and the rehabilitation center would never truly heal.

Yet, people also believed that such mistakes would not be repeated with the next generation.

The world would become a better place.

As for the instigator of it all, Yang Yongsheng, he never lived to see his trial. He perished strapped into the electric chair he had devised himself, his soul utterly destroyed.

Through Wang Mo’s investigation, it was ultimately determined that Yang Yongsheng had inadvertently revealed the secrets of the basement to his deputy, Instructor Yan. Stricken by conscience, Instructor Yan fought with him, and in the end, both died in the electric chair. This account was corroborated by witnesses such as Yan Yu.

Beyond that, the fact that the rehabilitation center had operated for years unscathed meant it had many protectors behind the scenes. Wang Mo thus formed a special task force, and within a matter of days, more than a dozen involved individuals were brought to justice.

Once the matter had settled, Yan Yu and the others were sent back to their respective families. Of course, for the sake of confidentiality, none of them—like other survivors of the center—appeared on television. Their parents still believed they had merely attended a school-run psychological counseling program.

“Black chicken soup with red dates! You need a proper tonic,” Su Han declared, setting down the steaming pot on the table. Zhao Qingqing and Dahei hurried over.

“Where’s Yan Yu?” Su Han asked, not seeing him around.

Zhao Qingqing pointed toward the bedroom. “He’s in there playing games.”

“Yan Yu!” Su Han walked into the bedroom to find Yan Yu sitting at his computer, engrossed in a game of League of Legends. The only improvement since last time was that he’d stopped saving up in-game currency to buy the female sharpshooter, and was now…just playing against bots.

“Dinner’s ready!” Su Han called out.

Yan Yu, annoyed, retorted, “Can’t you see I’m busy? If you want, come feed me yourself, otherwise stop bothering me!”

Su Han burst out laughing in exasperation. She grabbed Yan Yu by the ear and demanded, “Do you think I’m going to indulge you? Who do you think you are, really, some internet-addicted delinquent?”

“Ow, ow, ow! Gentlemen use words, not fists!” Yan Yu quickly wriggled free.

“I’m no gentleman,” Su Han shot back, rolling her eyes at him.

Yan Yu, duly intimidated, silently chose to abandon his teammates in the game and obediently returned to the dining table.

Zhao Qingqing laughed. “Honey, you fear nothing and no one—except little Su.”

“Well, what can I do? She’s my homeroom teacher,” Yan Yu muttered gloomily.

“So you do remember I’m your teacher!” Su Han scolded. “If you hadn’t come back from that center looking so pale, I wouldn’t have bothered cooking for you.”

His poor complexion was indeed a result of using the Ghost Hand.

Still, he’d spent the past few days at home, away from school, and the divine retribution he’d been expecting never materialized. Yan Yu even doubted whether the curse existed at all. Perhaps his master, caught in a scandal and breaking his leg, had made up the whole story to make Yan Yu feel guilty.

But with no retribution forthcoming, Yan Yu found himself with some peace. He took a big gulp of the chicken soup, feeling much better. In retrospect, eating takeout every day for two weeks hadn’t been pleasant at all.

Still, even that was far better than life in the rehabilitation center.

Suddenly Su Han asked, “Yesterday was the seventh day since Li Zhixian’s death. Did you escort him to the City God Temple?”

“Although jumping to his death isn’t exactly an auspicious end, Li Zhixian saw the truth of the rehabilitation center before he died, so he harbored no lingering resentment. He didn’t need my guidance—he could find his own way to the temple,” Yan Yu sighed. “I heard his parents wept uncontrollably at his funeral. If only they’d realized sooner, things wouldn’t have come to this.”

“People only know regret after tasting bitterness, but there’s no medicine for remorse in this world,” Zhao Qingqing said with a wry smile.

Yan Yu suddenly remarked, “Speaking of regret, there’s something I do regret.”

Su Han and Zhao Qingqing looked at him in confusion.

“In that last team fight, I really should’ve waited for Malphite to use his ultimate first!” Yan Yu said mournfully.

“Get lost!” Su Han kicked him off his chair without hesitation.

Yan Yu shamelessly crawled back, and Zhao Qingqing, eager to change the subject, quickly asked, “Honey, did you find any clues about your mother at the rehabilitation center this time?”

At the mention of serious matters, Yan Yu sobered up and answered with a frown, “Nothing concrete. All I know is that my mother had also been to the center. If Yang Yongsheng were still alive, I might have been able to ask him about her whereabouts. But that chance is gone—he’s completely gone.”

“Is there no other way?” Su Han asked.

“There are a few leads. One is my mother’s two other roommates. Another is a dossier I found in Yang Yongsheng’s secret office. There were two names on the folder. One’s surname is Ren—I think he was the one who brought my mother to the center. The other is Zhan Xuefen, a professional matchmaker. She helped deliver me when I was born. If I can find her, maybe I can find out who this Ren really is.”

“But with just a name, it’ll be hard to track these people down,” Su Han sighed. “At least your mother’s two roommates have home addresses.”

“So, let’s try to contact the two roommates first,” Yan Yu said.

As for Xia Liu, though she’d been his mother’s closest friend since childhood, their contact had dwindled after they attended different high schools. Yan Yu had already asked her many questions, but hadn’t learned anything useful.

The three humans and one dog were enjoying their delicious lunch when a knock sounded at the door. Yan Yu frowned in puzzlement. “Is it Old Cao? Why didn’t he call first? Wait here—I’ll get the door.”