bayedsolid Chapter 439 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (50)
Chapter 439 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (50)
Because another accomplice also lived in this neighborhood!
In fact, they were only separated by two rows of buildings!
When Lu Liruan saw the building number, she was speechless.
Good guy.
What, are these kinds of perverts appearing in clusters? There's one in the neighborhood, and people are very uneasy about it; he's a potential danger.
There are two in one residential area?
Lu Liruan clicked her tongue: "That..."
"Hmm?" Liao Tingyuan didn't look at her, but tilted his head to indicate that he was listening.
"You bought the house, right?"
"Yes."
Why did you choose this location in the first place?
"The price-performance ratio is quite good. Although the community is an old one, the surrounding transportation is convenient, the greenery is very good, and there is a park not far away. Although I don't go there, I feel that the air quality here is better than other places."
Liao Tingyuan spoke calmly and logically.
"The price is fair too. Since it's a second-hand house, someone introduced me to a reliable homeowner, so I don't have to go through an agent. Otherwise, the agent's fee would be a considerable expense." Liao Tingyuan sighed.
"How much is it?" Lu Liruan asked curiously, as she only had a rough understanding of housing prices.
Liao Tingyuan did not hide anything and reported a number.
Lu Liruan grinned. Although she knew that this amount was definitely a good deal, it was still an unattainable fortune for her at the moment.
"Installment payment or..."
"Full payment."
“Rich people.” Lu Liruan gave a thumbs up quietly.
"So?" Liao Tingyuan asked Lu Liruan what she had originally wanted to say.
Lu Liruan was in a bit of a dilemma.
"Actually... what I was trying to say was, are we still living here in the future?"
"Any questions?"
Lu Liruan originally wanted to say, "Is the feng shui here bad? Now that this has happened, let's hope nothing else happens in the future!"
But this is ultimately a bit too superstitious.
Lu Liruan sighed: "This place has now been infected by the source of infection, forming a space. Could... could there be any residual effects? For example, could it be more likely to attract... attract this type of person in the future?"
"Oh, you mean this? Don't worry, it won't happen." Liao Tingyuan shook his head: "Someone has specifically tracked and studied this issue, whether the places where spaces are formed will become uninhabitable later."
"And the conclusion?"
"Based on the data we have so far, it's unlikely. If you don't believe me, there are papers in the unit's archives; you can take a look for yourself."
“A thesis, a paper?” This word seemed very distant to Lu Liruan.
"You...you don't actually have academic majors in universities, do you?" Lu Liruan tensed up. "If I...if I work for you, you won't require me to cram for academic subjects, will you? You won't require me to have a bachelor's degree, otherwise I can only work as a cleaning lady there, will you?"
"Do you require your cleaning ladies to have a bachelor's degree?"
Liao Tingyuan: ...
"Calm down." He looked up from the computer and patted Lu Liruan's head reassuringly. "You don't need to be so anxious about your academic qualifications."
Lu Liruan thought to herself: How could I not be anxious? I've been anxious for so many years!
“Of course, if you want to continue your studies, I fully support you. At your age, actually…” Liao Tingyuan noticed that the more he spoke, the more the girl’s face puffed up like a steamed bun.
"I can't learn it." Lu Liruan shrugged.
"You're so smart, how could you not learn it?" Liao Tingyuan didn't know why she disliked school so much, so he could only try to comfort her.
"I just can't learn it." Lu Liruan sighed deeply. She did have some psychological trauma related to school.
Lu Liruan thought about her student life: never enough sleep, never enough homework, never keeping up with the pace, and always worrying about tuition fees.
At the time, Lu Liruan's homeroom teacher was a woman who was not young. After learning about her family situation, she was very tolerant and even helped her pay her tuition and other fees.
Lu Liruan was very grateful to her. After saving for half a semester, she finally paid back the money. Although the teacher said it wasn't necessary, Lu Liruan felt that if she didn't pay it back, she wouldn't have the face to go to school and face the teacher.
But her subject teachers didn't take such good care of Lu Liruan. Her English teacher was always scolding Lu Liruan for not working hard enough, asking why she didn't memorize words, and why everyone else had time but she didn't.
Lu Liruan wanted to argue back, saying that other students only need to do homework and memorize vocabulary after school.
But when she got home, she had to cook, tidy up the room, and help her mother clean.
After finishing all that, she was so tired that her eyelids were drooping.
Given her current situation, what's the point of memorizing those few English words?
But Lu Liruan couldn't bring herself to say it, and even now, when the topic came up, she pretended to be indifferent.
Even when talking about his past, he always laughs and jokes...
But at the time, these were truly unbearable experiences for her.
She was too young then, although Lu Liruan is still very young now.
But she possesses a more mature and resilient mind than most people her age.
She still feels very sad when she recalls that time.
If Lu Liruan had to choose again, she would still choose to walk the path she is on now.
At the very least, she has the ability to earn money to support herself, the ability to rent a place for herself, and the ability to provide for her own food and drink...
Instead of feeling helpless like I did back then, being repeatedly asked by the teacher to stand outside and reflect on my actions.
What should we reflect on?
Lu Liruan didn't know.
She takes responsibility for every step she has taken, and there is nothing for her to reflect on.
Liao Tingyuan listened as she recounted the past in a seemingly indifferent manner.
She realized that Lu Liruan's so-called inability to learn was not because she really couldn't learn, but because... subconsciously she felt that she had nothing to do with learning or academic qualifications.
"I see." Liao Tingyuan did not blame Lu Liruan, nor did he blame the teacher Lu Liruan mentioned.
"Aren't you going to try to persuade me to study anymore?" Lu Liruan tilted her head to look at him, thinking that Liao Tingyuan would continue to try to persuade her.
“Like you said, you can support yourself now and your life is pretty good. In the future, you won’t have to eat takeout anymore. Our company has a pretty high salary and the job is stable. You feel very happy with things as they are now, so let’s continue to live happily like this.” Liao Tingyuan smiled, his eyes slightly curved, and said very seriously.
"There's no single right path when it comes to learning. You can learn at any age. Whenever you want to learn, you can learn. When I changed jobs a few years ago, I took some certification exams. It was all last-minute cramming, you know," he admitted.
"You actually admitted to something like that!" Lu Liruan blinked.
In fact, if Liao Tingyuan hadn't said it, Lu Liruan would have always felt that he was the kind of person who was all-rounder and very knowledgeable.
He learns effortlessly as long as he wants to.
And whatever they do, they do it with great flair.
From the moment she first met Liao Tingyuan, without ever speaking to him, Lu Liruan instinctively felt that he was a very mysterious person…
Even now, this sense of mystery has not disappeared from Lu Liruan's heart.
Generally speaking, the more two people understand each other, the fewer secrets they have between them, and the sense of mystery and the desire to explore will decrease accordingly.
But Lu Liruan felt that she didn't feel that way about Liao Tingyuan.
Even though Liao Tingyuan would tell her about his temper, his habits, and even his trivial matters.
But Lu Liruan found it quite interesting, as if she could uncover a different side of this person.
Unearthing even the smallest details was quite interesting to Lu Liruan...
She has an unusual level of interest in Liao Tingyuan and is completely captivated by him.
I wonder what kind of person I am in Liao Tingyuan's heart...?
This idea quietly surfaced in Lu Liruan's mind, leaving her somewhat bewildered for a moment.
Why am I so concerned about what others think of me?
If Lu Liruan had cared so much about what others thought of her since she was a child, she would have been unable to survive long ago!
After all, when she was poor and busy, she didn't even have time to wash her school uniform. While other students ate lunch at school, she couldn't even afford to pay for her meals.
I only bring some steamed buns and pickled vegetables from home, and that's enough for lunch.
The whispers and pointing fingers of others no longer matter to Lu Liruan!
But now, Lu Liruan realizes that she cares about how Liao Tingyuan views her.
In his heart, is he like a blank sheet of paper, something he has no desire to read?
Lu Liruan has lived to this age and rarely reflects on things, but now she suddenly feels a sense of worry: is she thinking a little too superficially?
If I learn, try different things, and learn more, wouldn't that make me more profound?
While Lu Liruan was deep in thought, Liao Tingyuan had already started organizing information in his phone's notes app.
"Ruan Ruan?"
He noticed that Lu Liruan was in a daze.
"Ah...ah!"
Lu Liruan was startled when someone noticed her daydreaming. She quickly shook off the jumbled thoughts that were swirling in her mind.
"It's so close." Lu Liruan thought about the building number and layout of the community.
"Shall we go over there in a bit?"
"Let's go tomorrow. Anyway, his house is right in the neighborhood, he can't run away." Liao Tingyuan shook his head.
He looked at the little girl's face, which still revealed tension and unease.
She lightened her tone slightly and added, "Didn't we say we were going to get some late-night snacks later? I'm starving."
Lu Liruan knew that he was accommodating and taking care of her.
Lu Liruan really didn't want to see anything else today!
Who knows what might be found in that house where the male owner was hidden?
In this house, at least because of the presence of the lady of the house and the children, the man of the house cannot do anything openly.
However, judging from their chat history, his accomplice must have been living alone.
What would he be doing inside the house?
What kind of scene would it be then?
Just thinking about it made Lu Liruan's head throb with pain...
"I'm hungry too." Lu Liruan patted her stomach.
The two walked around the room again to make sure there was nothing else to see.
Lu Liruan opened the refrigerator and showed it to Liao Tingyuan.
Liao Tingyuan had much more life experience than Lu Liruan. He reached out and touched the top of the refrigerator in the freezer compartment.
Even that area was clean, without a trace of ice buildup from prolonged use; it must have been deliberately thawed.
“It must have been specially cleaned.” He nodded.
"Why do we need to clean the freezer compartment separately?" Lu Liruan asked, puzzled, and closed the door back up as before.
"Didn't the neighborhood experience a power outage a while ago?" Liao Tingyuan suddenly asked.
"Yes, it was during a heavy rain that damaged something. They repaired it...it took about two days! I went to an ice cream shop outside and got an outlet to charge my phone," Lu Liruan recalled.
"It's so hot, the food in the refrigerator probably went bad. Everything in my freezer went bad too. After I threw everything out, I also took out every single freezer compartment and cleaned it." Liao Tingyuan nodded.
"It really is!"
Lu Liruan's family didn't have anything going on because her small refrigerator wasn't very big.
They only stuffed a few bottles of drinks in their mouths, and it seems like they've already finished all the frozen food.
Lu Liruan couldn't quite remember whether the diary entry about the child buying ice cream happened before or after the power outage.
But it's highly likely that it happened after the power outage, so this explanation makes sense.
As the two walked out, the atmosphere became more somber than when they arrived.
For a moment, they were speechless...
Lu Liruan felt a little uncomfortable and wanted to break the rather dull atmosphere. She cleared her throat and suddenly asked, "You said you learned a lot of things on the spot. What else? I can't tell. I feel like you do everything very well."
Liao Tingyuan raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone tinged with amusement. "As long as you act like you're very skilled and not nervous at all, people will think you can do this."
"Tell me about it!" Lu Liruan jumped down the last two steps in one go.
Liao Tingyuan pondered for a moment, then answered sincerely, "Actually, after this space was formed, before I met you, I seriously studied how to... scientifically dispose of corpses."
Lu Liruan: ?
"Ha..." For a moment, Lu Liruan didn't know what to say.
I wanted you to share your own stories, not for you to suddenly say something so hardcore.
"And then what? You learned to throw plastic bags and bed sheets into the trash can downstairs?"
"almost……"
Liao Tingyuan sighed: "Because even legitimate browsers don't teach me the specific steps."
Lu Liruan agreed. If they found it, wouldn't the police come knocking and interrogate the person who shared their experience?
"Then why are you still so calm?"
Lu Liruan recalled that when she saw Liao Tingyuan through the peephole, she even thought he was as calm and pale as a paper doll.
"By the time you see me, I've already been dealing with this for a few days. The first night was indeed very tense because I didn't know what would happen the next day after I threw it down. If it hadn't disappeared and the surveillance cameras were still working, I would have been in big trouble," Liao Tingyuan said casually.
Lu Liruan: ...
You have a stable mental state!
It's frighteningly stable!