Li Lan, you truly make my skin crawl.
Other mothers are warm harbors, offering comfort and care to their children.
But when Li Zhuiyuan met his own mother, he felt a strange sensation, as if the skin on his face was ready to peel off.
They were both mother and son, yet also companions in sickness.
In a way, they should know each other better than anyone else in the world.
However, because of this very closeness, any façades they created fell apart, leaving them in desperate need of those facades to survive.
They were both far too clever.
Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes.
Over the past six months, his condition had been under control, especially in the last few months, as he hadn’t had any episodes.
He could clearly feel the changes within himself; no longer did he read others’ expressions to play his role perfectly in front of everyone else.
Facing outsiders had become a chore he was too lazy to perform.
And with those close to him, he often chose not to perform as well, taking delight in every small instinctive emotional response.
Yet, just like a young seedling, he firmly believed that with careful nurturing, he would one day grow into a towering tree.
However, as the building rises higher, the fall can oftentimes be more devastating.
It was almost comical; a simple meeting with his mother threatened to shake the stability he had built over the past half-year, and the shakiness could lead to a landslide.
When he faced Li Lan, every posture, every movement and expression he made would be scrutinized.
He knew full well that his façade was useless, yet one naturally clings to anything that can cover their vulnerability when stripped bare.
Thankfully, this moment wasn’t like the time he received a call at Aunt Zhang’s shop, enduring Li Lan’s vicious taunts while pretending to embrace a warm mother-son relationship in front of Li Weihan and Cui Guiying.
He was in the family courtyard to ask Old Master Zhang to help him “decode” the locations left behind.
This had nothing to do with whether he was Li Lan’s son or their relationship; he understood well that for these old professors, working together on new research topics was enjoyment in itself.
Thus, he no longer needed to put on a show with Li Lan, nor care about the gazes of those around them.
This was Li Lan’s social network, not his.
His mother opened her arms, yet her son did not reciprocate.
Li Zhuiyuan calmly turned away, refraining from calling for Wu Xinhang or Teacher Yan to help him leave.
This was his home, and the woman before him was his mother.
The two elderly people couldn’t easily interfere, although it could be done with explanations and a firm attitude, but that would be troublesome.
Things could be quite simple, like… running.
However, Li Lan was one step ahead.
After all, they had been acting alongside each other for many years; the tacit understanding remained, even after their long separation.
Just as Li Zhuiyuan thought of running, Li Lan had already begun to move.
Everything happened in a flash.
When Li Lan realized her son wouldn’t run into her embrace, she bent down, jogging toward him.
The two actions connected so quickly that outsiders wouldn’t perceive anything amiss.
It wasn’t only the son who was supposed to rush into his mother’s arms; it was normal for a mother to run to embrace her child as well.
As for the child, it was easy to comprehend that he would feel shy after not seeing his mother for such a long time.
Li Zhuiyuan found himself in Li Lan’s arms.
The boy felt nothing strange about it; after all, she was still a senior.
Tears glimmered in the corners of Li Lan’s eyes, and her expression was perfectly measured.
She wrapped her right arm around his back while her left hand cradled his head, first planting a kiss on his face.
Li Zhuiyuan couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly.
She could actually suppress her natural disgust long enough to kiss him.
It felt as though he were caught in a snare, ensnared by a creature of the dead.
But then Li Lan whispered a phrase into his ear that brought back that familiar feeling of being manipulated and blindly obedient.
Usually, mother and child are each other’s weaknesses, but they became knives that stabbed into one another's vulnerabilities.
She softly asked, “Do you want to know about that underwater world?” Then, she raised her voice. “Come on, son, let’s go home. Mom wants to have a good talk with you.”
A pure smile spread across Li Zhuiyuan’s face as he raised his hands, willingly embracing the “creature of the dead” before him.
After a while, Li Lan stood up, apologizing to Principal Wu and Teacher Yan, saying she wanted to spend some time with her son.
This attitude caught the two of them off guard, and they quickly gestured that it was not necessary to ask for permission.
Nearby, several retired professors from Jiangsu were inviting them for tea and chess, and Principal Wu and the others immediately agreed.
Li Lan held Li Zhuiyuan’s hand, and together they walked towards home.
On the way, many elderly men and women greeted them, and the mother and son replied with ease.
No matter what questions were raised, their responses flowed naturally, keeping pace without delay.
As they entered the courtyard, they remained warm towards each other.
The courtyard was small, being a row type, so people from the neighboring courtyard could still see them.
Once inside, Li Lan walked in, and Li Zhuiyuan followed, closing the door behind him.
With the sound of a click, the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.
This was not just an illusion; mother and son had simultaneously lost all warmth.
Li Lan must have been hungry.
Sitting at the dining table, she pulled out several small bags from a box beneath it, tossing one at the boy seated across from her.
Li Zhuiyuan picked up the bag and opened it; inside were compressed biscuits.
He had come over after finishing an examination that afternoon, and right now, he felt the pangs of hunger, but he didn’t want to eat this.
He set the biscuits aside, wanting to save room in his stomach for dinner with Principal Wu and the others later.
In truth, he wasn’t particularly fond of greasy duck, yet for some reason, he was looking forward to it now.
He didn’t ask Li Lan how she knew that “underwater world” was related to him, since it was easy to figure out.
He was a classmate of Zheng Haiyang, and Tan Yunlong had visited Zheng Haiyang's mother in the psychiatric hospital.
Plus, he had bought tickets to the mountain city with Tan Wenbin.
For a long time at the dining table, only the sound of Li Lan chewing filled the air.
Li Zhuiyuan glanced at the thermos set aside; it was covered in dust, devoid of hot water.
His gaze shifted to the sink, where remnants of a reddish-black color lingered.
The faucet had rusted from lack of use; when it was first turned on, it would spew rusty water, needing some time to clear itself.
Li Lan had just returned home.
Li Zhuiyuan placed his palms on the table, playing with his fingers while recalling a few chess games he had lost to A Li, mentally going through them in a replay.
Li Lan stood up and left the table, walking into the previously closed study, then reappeared, holding a briefcase from which she pulled out a folder and tossed it to the boy.
Then, she picked up a water cup and began to drink from it.
Li Zhuiyuan opened the folder.
Inside was an investigative report with the title: “Investigation Report on the MV 841 Incident.” This was the ship where Zheng Haiyang's parents worked.
He began reading the pages.
Some parts were redacted, likely information even Li Lan couldn’t access.
The report detailed the ship's past history, crew, smuggling activities, and the subsequent collective mental breakdown of the remaining crew members.
For a long time, the only sound at the dining table was that of the boy turning pages.
Once finished, Li Zhuiyuan put the folder neatly away and pushed it back toward Li Lan.
For him, this report was significant, yet ultimately useless, as it didn’t record anything about the underwater world.
Li Lan didn’t rush to take back the file; instead, she pulled out another document from her briefcase, placing it in the middle of the table.
Along with the document, there was a small stack of blank report papers and a pen.
Li Zhuiyuan stood up, pulling the second folder closer to him, opening it to read the title: “Investigation Report on Supernatural Phenomena in Fengdu.”
The document was thin and had been gone through before, showing various wear and tear, suggesting it was a compilation from different years.
Li Zhuiyuan didn’t turn to the second page but instead set this folder aside.
Next, he pulled the stack of blank report papers towards himself, picked up the pen, and began writing down the underwater experiences Zheng Haiyang's mother had described to him.
Aunt Xu, Li Lan’s secretary, had asked Zheng Haiyang's mother first, but she left before any results came out.
Thus, that section was something only he knew.
Li Lan was evidently not as foolish as Aunt Xu.
After he finished writing, he tore off two report sheets and pushed them across the table.
Now, at the dining table, the woman held the report papers while the boy held the document, both reading quickly.
Li Lan read her portion first, then laid down the report, closing her eyes and tapping her fingers lightly on the table.
Li Zhuiyuan finished his reading as well.
He learned that many strange events had occurred in Fengdu throughout history.
These instances existed only as fragmented tales among the locals and vague recollections of the elderly.
Time truly is the best tool for erasing traces; even if investigations were to be conducted again now, one would fail to produce such a solid and detailed report.
There is a saying: only incorrect names do not have incorrect nicknames.
The term “Ghost City” certainly had its reasons.
The supernatural phenomena surrounding it seemed to follow its own peculiar set of rules.
Li Zhuiyuan had personally chaired the funeral of Yin Fuhai, witnessing the four ghosts carrying his coffin.
He could not be sure if Yin Changsheng recorded in “Baopuzi,” along with the “dao friends” he mentioned, were really still around, but it became clear that the ghost city retained a unique quality…
One could call it rituals or rules, or to put it coldly, the invisible operating logic seen only by the living.
With a good memory, if he returned to Fengdu Ghost City to explore the core after maturing, the contents recorded in this document would save him much time.
Liang Liang had once said that the remaining time in the ghost city was not much.
Li Lan pulled out another document from her briefcase, tossing it again to Li Zhuiyuan.
He opened the folder, seeing the title on the first page: “Investigation Report on the Civil Defense Project 572 in Jianan.”
The boy gripped the document tightly; the calm expression he had maintained finally faltered.
He began to feel fear and confusion.
The civil defense works around Jianan had serious water seepage, and during the investigation, they encountered the shadow of Goguryeo ghosts.
These were the tales told by Luo Gong at the night market in Wanzhou.
Why did Li Lan specifically throw this report at him?
The reports on the “MV 841 Incident” and “Fengdu Anomalies” had concrete clues that could point directly at him; either he had come into contact with them or had been there personally, and they could all be traced.
But how did the chat over soy milk and grilled fish at the midnight stall leak out?
Had Luo Tingrui let it slip?
Or had Luo Tingrui been investigated and had to report?
No, with Luo Tingrui's position, Li Lan could not have orchestrated that.
Moreover, Liang Liang had mentioned that they had just finished the Wanzhou project recently, and Luo Gong was the one overseeing the progress of that project.
If the leak hadn’t come from Luo Gong, then it had to be from the other people present at that time: Xue Liangliang, Tan Wenbin, Run Sheng.
Li Zhuiyuan’s breathing quickened, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
He strained to analyze where the leak might have originated, but doing so required shoving aside all emotional factors and treating each person with cold, rational thinking.
Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t have been a serious issue, maybe just a minor one.
But the problem was, he was facing Li Lan, holding on tightly all the while.
Any small crack at this moment could lead to a floodgate being opened.
For the first time in a long while, an ailment he had not suffered from was beginning to rear its head again.
Li Lan watched the pained, pale face of her son.
Instead of concern, a slight upward curve appeared at the corner of her mouth.
It was as though she looked upon a clown desperately wrapping itself in clothing while remaining utterly bare.
She spoke, being their first exchange since returning home.
Through shared suffering, she understood how to cause him to completely fall apart.
She said, “It was someone you trust the most.”
Li Zhuiyuan’s mind immediately flashed to A Li.
He had shared everything with her.
In that instant, he found calmness.
Li Lan’s eyelids dropped.
The boy opened his right hand, glancing at the scar that had long since healed, recalling how five fingernails had pierced there.
That night, the girl had peeled back her palm and glimpsed the self-inflicted scars, turning away resolutely.
The next day, she had returned home, sitting with her feet resting on the doorstep.
Was it the person I trusted the most who leaked the news? Did A Li tell Liu Yumei, who then reported through her connections?
It seemed to make sense logically, provided that A Li was able to speak.
“Ha… Ha ha ha…”
Li Zhuiyuan began to laugh.
What he thought was a complex riddle boiled down to the simple equation of one plus one.
Having laid down solid reasoning under the atmosphere of being alone with his mother, he realized the sharpest daggers of this world are lies wrapped in reality.
Li Zhuiyuan lifted his head to look at Li Lan across from him.
You shouldn’t have made that last remark.
You thought it was the straw that broke the camel's back, but in reality, it handed me the rope.
Your recent comment revealed your trump card; the “Jian’an Civil Defense Project Report” was your gamble.
You couldn’t compel Luo Gong to be subjected to interrogation reports, but you could see his work record; you could discover his deep obsession with the Goguryeo ghost shadows through his subsequent actions.
You probably also saw the report from the “Yongguo Tomb”; you suspect Luo Gong would bring it up because you were still his student.
As for whether he truly mentioned it, you don’t know.
Your probabilistic play of cards led me to ponder who really leaked the report to expose the news, and that's the true trap I’ve walked into.
Li Zhuiyuan didn’t rush to respond.
He merely tore off a sheet of report paper to wipe away the sweat on his forehead.
Then, he picked up the pen again and began writing about “Zhu Changyong.” Tan Yunlong should have already reported on this part, but the previous section concerning the turtle crawling out of Zheng Haiyang’s family mouth was unknown to Tan Yunlong.
After pushing the written report paper towards Li Lan, Li Zhuiyuan picked up the “Investigation Report on the Civil Defense Project 572 in Jianan.”
Yes, Luo Gong said he had reported it, but the top never provided feedback; because the “dream” Luo Gong reported among so many others stood out as ordinary.
Before Luo Gong and their arrival, someone had died due to water seeping in the project.
When they arrived, many people had been left behind in there, and it was extraordinarily fortunate that Luo Gong himself managed to escape.
In the mountains, something real had been excavated; not a tomb, not an altar, not a palace, but…
The conclusions of the final part were missing.
Not because Li Lan hid them, but because maybe she hadn’t even known, or that she was unable to bring home the complete report.
But whether or not the conclusion report mattered was irrelevant since it remained based on conjecture derived from an eliminatory principle.
I would go investigate myself later.
He held no interest in Goguryeo culture but was curious about Luo Gong’s “white moonlight.”
That night, when Luo Gong spoke about this experience, he had sensed that Luo Gong had concealed part of the truth.
Now, combining that with this report reinforced his understanding.
Alright, the deal is done.
Li Zhuiyuan stood up to leave his seat.
Instead of heading towards the door, he walked over to the stove, collected the kettle, rinsed it in the sink, refilled it with water, and plugged it in.
As the water boiled, the boy picked up the damp cloth from the edge of the table and washed it, meticulously cleaning the smudges around the sink’s edge before washing it again and neatly placing it beside the sink.
By this time, the water in the kettle had come to a boil.
Li Zhuiyuan walked to Li Lan, reaching for the cup she used for drinking water.
Li Lan had been watching his actions, her expression calm.
However, her hands had already vanished into the sleeves of her coat.
As Li Zhuiyuan poured hot water into the cup, he held it to his face, blowing gently: “Whew… Whew… Whew…”
Finally, the boy lifted the cup towards Li Lan, wearing a pure, caring smile on his face, and said brightly, “Mother, drink some hot water.”
Li Lan’s body began to tremble slightly, her breath quickening, blue veins popping on her neck.
Come on,
Let’s disgust each other.
(End of Chapter)