coobybook Chapter 477 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (88)
Chapter 477 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (88)
Lu Liruan and Liao Tingyuan each held their own notes and sat back to back on the sofa, studying them.
Originally, Lu Liruan didn't have this habit. Later, she saw Liao Tingyuan doing it and gradually learned to do it too.
After all, copying from top students is never a bad thing!
Lu Liruan initially wondered if the source of the infection might be inside the rescue center, but after touring around, she found that most of the items inside were consumables, such as cat food and litter, and some cages had already been given away to adopters...
The kittens that are still alive are not from this neighborhood.
Therefore, Lu Liruan felt the probability was very small.
As for the remaining two places, Lu Liruan thought to herself that she probably knew more about every nook and cranny of the hostess and children's home than the people living there themselves.
I feel like a mouse living in someone else's house, crawling out of the sewer every time the night is quiet...
When Lu Liruan shared her impromptu analogy with Liao Tingyuan, she noticed a strange expression on Liao Tingyuan's face.
“Ruan Ruan…”
"I know! I'm just uncultured! I'll shut up!" Lu Liruan waved her hand and continued to use this excuse to brush it off.
Actually, Lu Liruan knew Liao Tingyuan would make that expression when she was talking, but she did it on purpose... It's so funny to see Teacher Liao make that expression!
The little mouse in the sewer hopped away from the big mouse in the sewer and went to the kitchen to find some snacks.
Looking at her retreating figure, Liao Tingyuan couldn't help but think that she really did look a bit like a little mouse...
Feeling confident that she had secured her final target, Lu Liruan was in a good mood that afternoon. She contacted the kind person who had given her their contact information on WeChat, explained the situation, and expressed her gratitude.
"It's good that you've made contact."
"Oh? You guys are planning to volunteer too? My husband and I have already gone a few times, can we go together next time?"
Lu Liruan was cheerful and likable, and quickly became familiar with everyone.
Lu Liruan asked the other party if they knew about the person who abused the cat and opened the box. The other party had not heard of the male owner's home address, so Lu Liruan felt relieved.
Liao Tingyuan prepared a very lavish dinner that evening: the sweet and sour pork ribs were so tender they fell off the bone, the stir-fried cucumber and shrimp was delicious, and the steamed fish was fresh and tender...
"Wow! Is it Chinese New Year today, Teacher Liao?"
Following the aroma, Lu Liruan went to the kitchen to help serve the rice.
"Maybe we can solve this space issue today, let's celebrate in advance." Liao Tingyuan smiled.
"Hey? What if it's not resolved?" After Lu Liruan finished speaking, she quickly reached out and hit herself three times, and then hit Liao Tingyuan three times.
"What you just said doesn't count, it doesn't count..."
Liao Tingyuan: ?
I didn't say anything, why did you hit me?
"If we really don't have anything today..." Lu Liruan couldn't help but ask, "Do we still have to make such a lavish meal tomorrow?"
Liao Tingyuan: "...Ruan Ruan, you can just tell me what you want to eat."
"Oh, too."
Lu Liruan blinked and gave Liao Tingyuan a fawning smile: "Teacher Liao, you're so kind, getting better and better~"
"Mm." Liao Tingyuan responded. Although he was now used to Lu Liruan's natural and enthusiastic expressions, he still felt quite happy whenever he heard Lu Liruan say that.
Therefore, he basically did not refute Lu Liruan's expressions...
"Is there anything you'd like to eat tomorrow? I'm going out to buy groceries this morning, you might not be able to get up then," Liao Tingyuan asked casually as he ladled some soup for Lu Liruan.
"If the space issue is resolved tonight... will you still go grocery shopping?" Lu Liruan suddenly asked, feeling a bit dazed, though she didn't know why...
Just imagining that this space had been transformed into another world made Lu Liruan's heart feel like it was on a roller coaster, experiencing a moment of weightlessness from a great height, as if she couldn't even smell the aroma of the food in front of her.
"Huh?" Liao Tingyuan didn't quite understand what she meant.
"What's wrong? Even if the space problem is solved, you can't be so happy that you don't eat, can you?"
Lu Liruan: ...
You have no idea what I'm talking about!
The two stared at each other, and Lu Liruan suddenly felt deflated... She felt that the two of them were really like a mother and daughter in their adolescence, talking at cross purposes.
They are talking about completely different things.
Mom doesn't know if you're happy or not; Mom just thinks you should eat properly.
Lu Liruan was amused by her own thought, and the sudden melancholy she had felt earlier dissipated. She picked up her chopsticks and put a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs on Liao Tingyuan's plate: "Yes, yes, you're right. No matter what happens, we still have to eat. You've worked hard, so please eat first!"
Thinking she wouldn't eat much, Lu Liruan ended up wandering around the room eating.
There was no way around it; Liao Tingyuan's skills were simply too good.
Whether it was her imagination or not, when Lu Liruan looked in the bathroom mirror, she felt that her face had become rounder.
When the time came and the two went outside again, there was not only a breeze in the yard, but also mosquitoes...
Lu Liruan had never been bitten by mosquitoes when she went out at night recently, and she had forgotten about the mosquito problem in the summer. But today, she had already been bitten several times before she even reached the entrance of the building.
"Why are the conditions getting tougher just when it seems like the end is about to be over?"
Lu Liruan scratched the swollen mosquito bites on her arm with a pained expression, complaining in a low voice.
"The conditions are a bit tough, but let's bear with it a little longer." Liao Tingyuan nodded in agreement.
He didn't know when it started, but he had basically been able to keep up with Lu Liruan's leaps of thought and her abrupt language expression, and he had even learned to agree with her.
"Okay, you'll have to bear with it too!"
Lu Liruan gritted her teeth, patted Liao Tingyuan's arm, and then found that Liao Tingyuan's arm felt cool... Upon closer inspection, she realized that he hadn't been bitten at all.
"How come you're alright?" Lu Liruan leaned closer to look at his exposed skin and found that... he really was fine.
"Oh, I don't attract mosquitoes." Liao Tingyuan pursed his lips, and for some reason, he felt a little nervous saying this in front of Lu Liruan.
"what?"
Lu Liruan looked at him: "Does this have anything to do with your experience with the space? Will I also experience this in the future...?"
"No, I've been like this since I was little, Ruan Ruan, the space doesn't have that function." Liao Tingyuan shattered her fantasy.
Lu Liruan sighed.
"Stop scratching." Even in the dim light, Liao Tingyuan could see that her arm was covered in red marks from his scratching, so he quickly opened his palm and pressed it against the spot where she had been bitten.
Liao Tingyuan's palms were as cool as ever, but the moment they touched her, they actually felt a little better. Lu Liruan let out a breath: "Teacher Liao, you're just holding me like this!"
She pressed Liao Tingyuan's hand against her arm like an ice pack.
He held the girl's delicate, warm skin in his palm. If he hadn't been paying attention, he wouldn't have noticed, but now Liao Tingyuan unconsciously focused his attention on it.
Not daring to use force, afraid of squeezing the other person too hard, this feeling suddenly made Liao Tingyuan feel a little strange. He rarely sweats, but at this moment, he felt his forehead getting hot.
The two of them went inside the house before Lu Liruan let go of Liao Tingyuan's hand.
Lu Liruan thought that it would be better if the door couldn't be opened today, as that would narrow down the search area. But things didn't go as planned. The door seemed to be open even wider today, as if it was waiting for them to come in.
"What exactly are we looking for... Can you give us some more hints?" From the moment she entered, Lu Liruan clasped her hands together and respectfully bowed to each room.
“When you’re looking for it, be a little more sincere…” Lu Liruan patted Liao Tingyuan on the shoulder.
“We’ve come this far, we have to believe in some things!” Lu Liruan explained earnestly.
Liao Tingyuan was amused by her and, before entering the room, he imitated her and muttered a few words.
But we still didn't find anything.
There was nothing suspicious about it.
Because the male homeowner, in order to keep it a secret from his family, did most of the things not here, but at the home of his accomplice.
If the accomplices' homes are inaccessible and there's no source of infection, then this place shouldn't be here at all.
According to Lu Liruan and Liao Tingyuan's analysis, the source of infection must have been exposed to the cat abuse incident, and must be related to the male owner. Furthermore, it should have played an important role in the entire incident.
It may bear a significant emotional burden, or it may play a central role, serving as a bridge between the preceding and following parts, connecting the beginning and the end...
However, these requirements were all very general, and Lu Liruan could not say exactly what they were like or what would meet the requirements. She could only think about them in her mind and look at them one by one, hoping that when she saw something, she would suddenly find that it completely met all the requirements and then be successfully contained.
Lu Liruan circled the room several times but couldn't find anything that met her requirements. Leaning against the bed, Lu Liruan fiddled with the knife that the mistress had placed under the pillow. Liao Tingyuan, worried that she might cut herself, took it from her.
"This shouldn't be it." Liao Tingyuan put the knife back in its original place.
“I know.” Lu Liruan sighed again.
If this knife carries a lot of emotion, it is the emotion of the woman herself; her fear and vigilance should all be contained in this knife.
But this is unrelated to the central event.
This is actually the case for most of the house; it's related to the female homeowner, but not to the male homeowner.
Apart from the study, there were very few things belonging to the male owner in the house.
The woman must have grown tired of the man long ago, so she tries her best not to leave any trace of him. If someone walks in, they might think that only the two of them live in this house...
"The male owner of this house didn't leave anything behind at all!"
Lu Liruan stood in front of the refrigerator, pulling open each shelf one by one, but there was still nothing inside. It seemed that the lady of the house had never used it since she saw the horrific scene inside, leaving the refrigerator empty.
It was so clean inside that there wasn't even a piece of ice.
Lu Liruan squatted in front, staring blankly at the refrigerator...
The most relevant item in the house to the whole incident should be the refrigerator; at the very least, it should bear the resentment of the kitten.
Lu Liruan didn't know whether she should say this or not, but the kitten's resentment was a very important part of the whole incident. Although Lu Liruan didn't know whether the kitten's resentment had materialized... it might just have been sensed by the space, which is why it arose.
Lu Liruan couldn't really delve into the essence of space or similar questions.
Because she had asked Liao Tingyuan before, Liao Tingyuan simply told her, "Don't think about it too much, because you might get caught up in it. Remember, our task is to solve the problem, just solve the space problem. Don't underestimate the influence of space on people."
Lu Liruan took it to heart. She still remembered how severely she was affected by the space at the beginning and how she needed Liao Tingyuan to wake her up.
The feeling of losing self-control and being manipulated is truly unpleasant.
Will the people affected in this space also have the same feelings as you?
Or... because I am a person with special perception, I am aware of being affected, while those who are truly controlled in the space do not even have their own perception and have no chance of breaking free.
Lu Liruan recalled the male owner's last appearance; he seemed completely unaware that something was wrong with him, as if his actions were strange.
There was even less in the child's room.
The woman was extremely protective of her child, keeping the child as far away from the man as possible. Through conversations with the child, Lu Liruan learned that although the child could sense the tension between his parents, he was not excessively influenced by the man.
Liao Tingyuan flipped through the child's diary. He was now just like Lu Liruan, with no remorse whatsoever for peeping into the child's privacy.
"Ruan Ruan." Liao Tingyuan called to Lu Liruan, gesturing for her to look at one of the pages of the open diary.
Lu Liruan was puzzled, so she walked over and took a closer look.
It turned out to be a newly written diary by the child.
Lu Liruan: ...
Is this really okay? We read each story the child writes? Are we following a serialized story here?
I wonder if the child, who should be sleeping right now, will have nightmares?
Despite thinking this, Lu Liruan continued watching without any remorse.
The child wrote this diary entry yesterday, and flipping back, it was the last entry they saw. It's probably because the child was in a bad mood, and family matters were putting pressure on the child, so the child hadn't written in the diary for a while.
But in this new piece of writing, you can clearly feel that he is in a very good mood.
A while ago, my mom asked me if I should learn to take care of myself if I had to work harder in the future and didn't have as much time to take care of me, and my grandparents didn't come to take care of me either.
I told my mom that I can take care of myself! I'm all grown up now. My teacher said that we should take care of our mothers, and I want to take care of my mom and make her happier!
Later, Mom said she wanted to divorce Dad. Although Grandpa and Grandma kept arguing with Mom, Mom's voice was louder.
I told my mom, "I love you, Mom! I love you the most!"
My mother hugged me and cried, and I cried too.