On the way home, Yin Minglu unexpectedly bumped into his homeroom teacher in the alley. The responsible female teacher, carrying her handbag, had just come out of the school.
As the homeroom teacher for Class A of the second year, Wang Dongning had always been very diligent and responsible. On the first day of the new semester, she stayed back at school to grade the students’ summer homework. When she rubbed her aching temples and came back to her senses, she realized that it was already late in the evening. There were several missed calls from her husband on her phone; it was time to pack up and go home.
She hurriedly packed her handbag, preparing to go home. Anyway, the whole school knew that she often stayed late to grade students’ assignments, and her husband understood. So today, as always, she returned home at this time.
Walking in the dimly lit and shadowy alley, she felt no fear at all. With years of experience as a teacher, she had been walking this path for many years. She could navigate it with her eyes closed and had never encountered any issues.
However, today, as she walked, she suddenly heard the heavy footsteps behind her. She initially thought it might be a nearby resident, but when she turned left at the intersection, the person behind her also turned left. No matter how she turned, the person continued to follow closely.
She stopped, and the person stopped. She walked, and the person walked. A sense of alertness immediately rose in her heart. She tightened her grip on her handbag and quickened her pace. But as she accelerated, the person also sped up, and a chase ensued!
“Ah!” She screamed in fear as she realized she was cornered in the dark alley. The man behind her revealed himself as a strong and muscular figure, holding a knife. He gruffly said, “Be smart, woman. Hand over the bag. Don’t even think about pressing the ’emergency call’ button. Otherwise, I’ll kill you right away. Don’t bother with any anti-wolf sprays; we’ve prepared for cunning women like you. We can take you down before you reach for anything.”
It turned out to be a robbery! Wang Dongning’s legs went weak. Considering that there wasn’t much money in her bag besides her ID and credit cards, and realizing that losing some belongings was far less significant than risking her life, she immediately said, “Okay, okay, I’ll give it to you.” With that, she handed over her handbag obediently.
Just take it and leave; she was terrified. Once the man left, she would immediately go home and call the police!
Her idea sounded good, but the robber had a different perspective. After grabbing the bag, his first reaction was to search for valuable items. He then clicked his tongue and said, “Really poor, you cultured folks. There’s less money in the bag than a beggar’s. You’re wasting my time. You might as well die!”
Seemingly dissatisfied with the amount of money inside, the man sneered, lifted his knife, and approached the woman. In the dimly lit alley, the cold light flashed on Wang Dongning’s face. She screamed, her voice trembling, “I—I already gave you the money, didn’t I?” Indeed, he was a thug—his words meant nothing!
Just as the knife was about to stab the woman, a high school student in uniform appeared. Unexpectedly, he grabbed the man’s clothes and dragged him out, followed by a swift and decisive spin kick that sent the man flying.
“Fuck, who is it?” The man, in pain and embarrassed, tumbled to the ground. Before he could get up, a barrage of punches and kicks awaited him. The ruthless force left him helpless, only able to lie on the ground and beg for mercy, “I was wrong, I was wrong, spare me!” He felt like he was going to be beaten to death!
Yin Minglu firmly restrained the man, promptly called the police, and then, in a cool and composed manner, turned around, returning to the side of the still shaken Wang teacher. He reassured her, “Teacher, are you okay?”
The familiar voice surprised Wang Dongning, who lifted her head in astonishment. “Minglu, is it really you?” At this moment, she finally saw the teenager’s features clearly—it was indeed Yin Minglu.
Never did she expect to be coincidentally saved by her own student. Wang Dongning found it both amusing and exasperating. She expressed her thanks. As she looked at the slender arm supporting her, she felt an indescribable sense of gratitude.
Especially concerned about her safety, the young man escorted her all the way back to the residential building. This gesture made her feel warm inside. After expressing her gratitude multiple times, she couldn’t help but ask the question she was eager to know, “Did you have a tutoring session with Jinxiu today? Jinxiu is a warm-hearted person. Minglu, don’t disappoint his expectations.”
Yin Minglu: “…” Could he admit that he had just stood Fu Jinxiu up?
“Also, with your skills, did you get into a fight? I always wondered why I often see some wounds on your face.” Wang Dongning’s tone was disapproving. “Although you saved me, I still suggest that you shouldn’t get involved in fights. You are a human, not a god. Weapons have no eyes, and no matter how skilled you are, you will eventually get hurt. Moreover, today’s thug was obviously very poor and couldn’t afford those high-tech lethal weapons, making it easier to deal with. If the weapons were different, and you acted recklessly, it would have been a disaster, do you understand?”
Now it was Yin Minglu’s turn to be at a loss for words, so he could only respond with a reluctant “uh-huh.”
When he returned home, Yin Baiquan had already finished work and was busy cooking, wearing an apron.
Seeing his son arriving home later than him, Yin Baiquan’s eyes showed a hint of helplessness and disappointment. He looked at the clock in the living room and instinctively reprimanded, “Why are you late again? I remember you finish school at 5:30. Where have you been for the past two or three hours? Did you go to the internet cafe or wander around the streets? This is not how a high school student should behave!”
Comparing his son to the children of his colleagues, he had never seen a high school student who didn’t rush home after school, instead idling around the streets, risking getting into trouble. In these troubled times, it was not a safe practice.
Upon hearing this, the teenager, who was in the process of taking off his shoes in the entrance, paused for a moment but didn’t immediately respond. He calmly said, “Okay, I know I was wrong, Dad,” as he put his shoes in the shoe cabinet.
Actually, right after the questioning words left his mouth, Yin Baiquan regretted it. His tone was too harsh, and he was afraid it might trigger the rebellious spirit in his child, further deepening the already distant father-son relationship.
A child not coming home right after school was already inappropriate, but teenagers aged sixteen or seventeen were at an age where they resisted authority. The more you tried to control them, the more likely they would rebel, and it could lead to extreme behavior. However, he was genuinely concerned about his son’s safety and hoped he wouldn’t wander outside all the time. So, he always found himself in a dilemma – scolding or lecturing didn’t seem to work.
Especially whenever he brought up topics related to coming home late and academic performance, using them as opportunities to scold and show concern, his son would remain silent or, at most, look at him with eyes that seemed to have something to say but remained unspoken.
Yin Baiquan felt quite frustrated, several times he couldn’t hold back his refined appearance. He wanted to grab his son’s shoulder, urgently questioning him, “Son, is there something you want to say? Don’t keep it inside, tell Dad, okay? You are Dad’s most beloved treasure. Since you were a tiny bundle, Dad has been guiding you every step of the way. You are the most important person in Dad’s life. When you were little, you used to share any secrets with Dad willingly. Now, how did it become like this?”
It seemed like there were a lot of concerns and secrets. His eyes often seemed filled with myriad worries.
Whether it was a genuine lack of interest in school, being bullied or ostracized, experiencing unrequited love during adolescence, or perhaps feeling resistant to his intention to remarry – Yin Baiquan couldn’t know for sure. Therefore, he could only express his doubts through reprimands, hoping to release some of his pent-up questions.
He initially thought that after scolding his son today, the usual response would be met with silence. However, to his surprise, the boy directly admitted his mistake, leaving Yin Baiquan somewhat astonished. The scolding words lingered on the tip of his tongue, and after holding back for a while, he said, “It’s good that you recognize your mistake. Come home earlier next time, go take a shower and get ready for dinner.”
“Okay.” The young man obediently nodded and went back to his room to shower.
Surprisingly, the matter was lightly passed over like this. When Yin Minglu came to the dining table, he found that, in addition to the usual three dishes and one soup, there was an extra meat dish and a vegetable dish, all of which he loved. He immediately lifted his chopsticks in surprise.
Seeing his reaction, Yin Baiquan coughed and said, “What are you looking at? Hurry up and eat; the food is getting cold.” He wouldn’t say that seeing his son so obedient today, he subconsciously went back to the kitchen and cooked two extra dishes.
“Alright, thank you, Dad.” Yin Baiquan’s thoughtful gesture was naturally appreciated by the young man.
As they chatted, the topics were ordinary, but there was an underlying warmth. After finishing dinner, the young man wanted to wash the dishes to share the household chores, but he was shooed out of the kitchen by his father.
At this moment, the TV began broadcasting the news: “This afternoon at 5:45, a thrilling accident occurred on the Jiangxin Bridge, involving the safety of over a hundred passengers. According to the aerial footage at the time, the scene was extremely dangerous. Fortunately, in the critical moment, a mysterious teenage evolved individual intervened, resolving the crisis…”
Upon hearing this, Yin Baiquan, who had just walked out of the kitchen after washing dishes, watched the news and the recorded footage attentively, naturally seeing the shadow of the young man in the video.
Then suddenly, the other person’s gaze focused, their eyebrows furrowed. Just as Yin Minglu thought the person had noticed something, Yin Baiquan turned around and said to him, “You shouldn’t take the bus anymore; it’s not safe.”
Yin Minglu: “… Okay.”
“Be obedient. Starting tomorrow, I’ll drive you,” Yin Baiquan continued. In this world, it seemed like no mode of transportation was safe anymore. Having watched the news footage and noticing the scene with the pregnant woman talking to the bus driver, he realized that the pregnant woman was highly sensitive to magnetic fields. She sensed the magnetic field disturbance and immediately went to the front to tell the driver to stop. Unfortunately, it was too late, and the accident happened.
Despite the government’s claims about the safety of their improved transportation, this incident was a slap in the face. After such an event, surely, fewer people would dare to take the bus.
In all fairness, as a father, after watching the news report, he couldn’t dare let his son take the bus to school anymore. When it came down to it, life was more important than academic achievements. Besides, his son was just an ordinary person. If a real danger occurred, he wouldn’t be able to escape.
He didn’t wish for his son to become extremely wealthy, and he didn’t hope for him to be a hero like the young man in the video who bravely faced danger. All he hoped for was that his son could stay away from such dangers as much as possible, living a peaceful and smooth life.
Though he didn’t understand what was going on, he couldn’t help but feel that the figure of the young man in the video resembled his own son. It was indeed strange.
It wasn’t just Yin Baiquan who had this uncanny feeling. Wang Dongning, the teacher escorted back home, still reeling from the day’s harrowing events, recounted the thrilling experience to her husband. After catching up on the news reports, she laid eyes on the teenage evolutionist in the footage.
A sense of familiarity with the figure lingered, reminiscent of the student who had recently come to her rescue. Yet, she reasoned that it was likely just her imagination running wild.
Could it really be that this evolutionist, known as N, was her student? Rescuing a whole car of people as if a divine intervention, and then coincidentally saving her as well—it sounded like a plotline too fantastical, even for third-rate novels.