Chapter Twenty-Seven
The office building in front wasn't tall—merely three stories—and was already shrouded in darkness.
Chen Nuo didn't hurry and simply walked down the street.
Further down the street lay a strip of restaurants and banquet halls which, over the past two years, had accumulated a fair amount of popularity and become increasingly bustling. Especially for those in the development project business, dining and entertaining were almost mandatory, which in turn sustained the myriad of restaurants nearby. As time went by, this area had truly come into its own.
Chen Nuo walked past the roadside banquet halls, looking around as he went. He didn't walk slowly, but his gaze was always carefully observing.
Finally, after checking about three or five places, he found his target in the parking lot of one of the largest and seemingly most upscale banquet halls.
The black Passat sedan; the license plate number was a perfect match.
Then, Chen Nuo saw Old Sun.
Chen Nuo exhaled a sigh of relief.
Well, he found the person. No problem, all was good!
Old Sun was sitting on a concrete bollard across the street, a cigarette clutched in his hand, smoking. Under the cover of night, the tip of Old Sun's cigarette flickered, casting an intermittent glow. He seemed completely lost in thought, somewhat out of sorts.
Chen Nuo quietly approached, coming up behind Old Sun without him noticing. It was Chen Nuo who, standing behind Old Sun, could smell the faint aroma of alcohol emanating from him.
Old Sun had no idea that the young man was standing nearby, quietly watching him. He just kept smoking. He seemed to want to stand up several times, but each time, he sat back down.
On this early spring night, it was still quite cold. Old Sun was tightly wrapped in his usual dark blue cotton jacket, but from a distance, the hand holding the cigarette appeared to tremble slightly.
Eventually, about half an hour later, several people descended the steps of the banquet hall across the street. Among them, a middle-aged man was treated like a celebrity by those around him. He wore a well-tailored suit with an overcoat, exuding an air of buoyant confidence and vitality, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes.
Old Sun suddenly snapped back to reality. He took a deep drag from his cigarette, stamped out the butt on the ground, stood up, and strode toward the banquet hall's entrance. Chen Nuo saw that Old Sun was carrying the briefcase he always had with him.
Upon entering the crowd, Old Sun seemed to mutter something and attempted to get closer, but companions of the middle-aged man started to step forward to block him. The middle-aged man, recognizing Old Sun, gestured for him to approach.
It was unclear what Old Sun and the middle-aged man discussed. Old Sun initially appeared calm, but after a few words, the middle-aged man seemed to reply with a mocking retort or two.
Suddenly, Old Sun took something out of his briefcase. It was too far to see clearly; it looked like it was wrapped in newspaper.
The middle-aged man appeared disdainful. As Old Sun attempted to hand him the object, the man casually swatted it away. Old Sun had been drinking and had been sitting by the roadside for who knows how long; his hands, numb from the cold, were unsteady. Consequently, the newspaper-wrapped package fell to the ground and its contents scattered!
It was all money!
The middle-aged man gave Old Sun a cold look, said something, and then turned to leave.
Old Sun bent over, scrambling to pick up the money, hastily stacking it. Seeing the middle-aged man already getting into the Passat, he yelled, "I'm giving it all to you, paying you back, isn't that enough?!"
The middle-aged man didn't reply. The car door shut, the engine started, and the vehicle slowly drove away from Old Sun.
Old Sun plopped down onto the ground, seeming to have completely collapsed. He took a few deep breaths and mechanically began to gather the scattered money.
Just as Chen Nuo was about to step forward, he suddenly saw School belle Sun's mother, Mrs. Yang, pedaling her bicycle rapidly towards them.
She caught sight of Old Sun picking up money on the ground from afar, stopped her bike, propped it up, and hurried over to him. Because she ran so hastily, her high heel even twisted precariously on the ground.
When she reached him, she stopped, just looking at her husband quietly collecting the money, seemingly hesitant, before she softly called out, "Old Sun."
Old Sun looked up and silently glanced at his wife, then lowered his head again. Without a word, he gathered all the money from the ground. He looked around to make sure nothing was missed, then carefully rewrapped the money in the torn newspaper and stuffed it into his briefcase.
"...Old Sun," the woman bit her lip and called out again.
Only then did Old Sun look up. His gaze was incredibly complex as he silently watched his wife for a while before saying softly, "Xiaoyi, what a 'fine thing' you've done!!"
Suddenly, his eyes bulged, and he charged at his wife, his emotions having reached a boiling point. He raised his hand high. "What a 'fine thing' you've done!!!"
Yang Xiaoyi, Old Sun's wife, lifted her head to meet his descending hand, gritting her teeth. "Go ahead! Hit me!"
Old Sun's hand hung in mid-air, his eyes intently fixed on his wife. Finally, the anger on his face dissipated, and the hand he had raised high slowly fell.
Yang Xiaoyi stepped forward and grabbed Old Sun's arms, pleading softly, "Old Sun, Old Sun, I was wrong, it was all my fault... Let's talk about it at home, okay?"
Old Sun's heavy breathing gradually subsided. He gazed at his wife and nodded helplessly. He seemed to lose all strength and waved his hand. "Yeah... let's go home, go home..."
Yang Xiaoyi helped Old Sun to the side of the street. Old Sun silently took the bicycle and began to push it forward, while Yang Xiaoyi silently followed behind. In the dim light of night, the couple's retreating figures seemed to carry a hint of desolation.
Standing under a distant streetlight, Chen Nuo watched their retreating figures. His brow furrowed, but seeing they were heading home, he felt a measure of relief.
Hmm, Old Sun gave that man money... It seems things might not be as I previously guessed. This looks even more complicated.
After Old Sun and his wife arrived home, Chen Nuo followed behind them all the way. After the couple had gone inside, Chen Nuo lingered downstairs and smoked a cigarette before heading up.
When he knocked on the door, School belle Sun's head appeared in the doorway. Seeing Chen Nuo, her face showed a mix of annoyance and joy.
"You're back? I thought you wouldn't be back until tomorrow morning!" School belle Sun stepped aside to let Chen Nuo in.
Chen Nuo purposely asked, "Have your parents come back?"
The girl frowned. "They just got back, but my dad seems to have been drinking. He went straight to his room when he arrived, and my mom is with him, taking care of him. I don't know if they're asleep now. Be quiet."
Chen Nuo nodded, entered the room, and saw Chen Xiaoye sleeping on the sofa, curled up into a ball. She wasn't cold, as she was covered with a blanket School belle Sun had likely added. The little girl seemed to lack a sense of security while sleeping, so she had curled into a ball in the corner.
At that moment, a bedroom door opened, and Yang Xiaoyi came out. Upon seeing Chen Nuo, she was momentarily startled before nodding quickly. "You've come, Chen Nuo?"
"Yes, I've come to pick up my sister."
Yang Xiaoyi seemed too preoccupied to ask anything further. She nodded, went to the kitchen to pour a glass of water, and then returned to the room.
Chen Nuo asked School belle Sun quietly, "Your parents, have they been okay lately?"
School belle Sun shook her head. "No, they haven't fought recently. But my dad has been in a bad mood lately, and they've both been cold and hardly speaking to each other. It might be a cold war, but I don't know over what. When I ask, they tell me it's none of a child's business."
Chen Nuo thought for a moment, said nothing, and took his sister home.
On Monday morning, Chen Nuo sent his sister to kindergarten and rushed to school, arriving just as the first class was starting.
According to the schedule, the first class was always Old Sun's political science class. Chen Nuo pushed open the classroom door. Old Sun glanced at him but said nothing, just waved for him to come in and sit down.
Old Sun didn't look very energetic, and his voice during the lecture was far from its usual resonance. He only lectured for half the class. Despite the cold weather, his forehead was beaded with sweat.
As class ended, Chen Nuo and School belle Sun were the first to approach Old Sun.
School belle Sun's eyes were somewhat red. "Dad..."
Chen Nuo furrowed his brow, looking at School belle Sun. "What's wrong with Old Sun?"
"My dad is sick. He started running a fever yesterday, and he refused to take sick leave today. He insisted on coming to class," School belle Sun said anxiously.
"What's all the panic about? I'm not that sick." Old Sun forced a smile, patting his daughter. "Didn't I take fever medicine? I'm just a bit weak. Class is over. I'll go to the office, lie down for a bit, and I'll be fine. A fever is not a big illness, after all."
Chen Nuo's frown deepened. He could see that Old Sun's condition wasn't just a simple fever; the man lacked his usual vitality and spirit. This was especially evident in his eyes, which normally held a certain vigor but were dull today.
In short, his spirit was gone.
"Are you really okay?" Chen Nuo supported Old Sun's arm.
Old Sun shook his head, gently breaking free from Chen Nuo's grip. "You guys keep up with your classes."
After speaking, he picked up his teaching materials and walked away slowly.
During the math class that morning, the teacher was writing problems on the blackboard.
At that moment, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the classroom. Looking out of the window, students from other classes were seen running over in pairs and groups.
"Where, where?"
"At the school gate! Hurry up, it looks like a fight's about to break out."
As more people ran over, the math teacher initially tried to continue writing problems but then heard a shout from outside.
"Damn, they're going at it! Hurry to the school gate!"
With a BUZZ, the class erupted into chaos.
The math teacher, unable to quiet the noise, had no choice but to open the door and take a look outside. Once he stepped out, he never came back.
With the teacher's authority gone, the braver students began to slip out, followed by more and more of their classmates.
Chen Nuo and School belle Sun also walked out amidst the crowd.
The classroom for Year 2, Class 6 was on one side of the academic building. From there, one could see the school gate across half the sports field.
At that moment, in front of the school gate, a few rough-looking young men who clearly weren't students were causing a commotion. Old Qin, the gatekeeper, had been pushed to the ground. Two P.E. teachers were also there, grappling with the young men.
The other three quickly unfurled what they had brought.
A banner! Over four or five meters long, with a red background and black characters!
It was held up by bamboo poles at each end, with one person holding each pole, displaying the banner high in the air!
On the banner, which was as red as blood, the black characters pierced the eyes like needles.
"Director Sun Shengli! Repaying debts is only right and proper! Refusing to repay is an injustice against heaven!!"
BUZZ!!
All at once, the crowd of watching students and teachers erupted!
A few teachers who had intended to step forward and reason with them involuntarily stopped. Even the two P.E. teachers who were trying to intervene seemed to freeze in place.
For a while, the whole place was abuzz with whispers, yet strangely, not a single person moved a step further forward!
Chen Nuo felt School belle Sun next to him go limp, and he quickly supported her with both hands.
School belle Sun's eyes widened in disbelief, fixating on the banner!
Her small body started to tremble, then the shaking grew more violent...
Suddenly, the crowd's voices died down... but only for a few seconds. Soon, the clamorous buzzing grew even louder as a figure emerged from the crowd and walked towards the group of men...
It was Old Sun.
Wearing his usual dark blue cotton jacket, he walked step by step towards the men, gripping his briefcase tightly, all under the gaze of more than half the school's teachers and students.
Old Sun's body swayed slightly, but he didn't lower his head. He straightened his back, though his gaze was grey and broken.
"What are you doing all this for?"
"The money, I've already said I'll definitely pay it back."
"There are still two days left. Why are you making such a fuss?"
"This is all I have right now. It's not the full amount, but take it first."
"This is a school. You can do whatever you want to me, but not here. Don't disturb the school's order."
"Take the money and go! Go!!"
Old Sun almost growled these words. They were disjointed and carried a hint of desperation.
He took out the large bundle of money wrapped in newspaper from his briefcase, the same one Chen Nuo had seen the night before, and forcefully stuffed it into the hands of the smirking leader.
The leader took the bundle, briefly counted some of it, then waved his hand. His men snickered as they took down the banner.
"Director Sun, repaying debts is only right and proper. We didn't want to resort to this either."
Old Sun shook his head, his gaze fixed on the man. "There are still two days. The deadline isn't up. Why are you doing this?"
The man didn't answer. Clutching the money, he and his group simply dropped the banner on the ground, turned, and hurried out of the school gates.
Old Sun turned around to face the crowd, enduring the curious and varied stares of half the school's teachers and students.
His body swayed slightly, but he sternly waved away his daughter, who was trying to rush toward him.
Chen Nuo understood the almost pleading look in Old Sun's eyes.
He grabbed School belle Sun and held her firmly!
Old Sun took a deep breath. Looking out across half the sports field at the assembled teachers and students, he took several more deep breaths before finally speaking loudly.
"Stop, stop looking! It's class time. Go back to continue your classes!!"
Only then did a few teachers snap back to reality, herding the students back to their classrooms in twos and threes.
But malicious comments began to ripple through the crowd.
"Still acting so high and mighty? Just a pretentious fraud."
"He always looks so dignified, but it turns out he's just a deadbeat!"
"Debt collectors chased him all the way to the school."
"Exactly! Who knows what kind of huge trouble he's gotten into outside!!"
Two or three teachers who were usually on good terms with Old Sun ran over and gathered around him, appearing to say something. Old Sun, however, remained silent, his face grim. He bent down, picked up the banner from the ground, hastily rolled it into a bundle, and handed it to one of the other teachers to handle. Then, with a wave of his hand, he dismissed the teachers around him, signaling them to return to their classes.
Chen Nuo was pulling School belle Sun towards the edge of the crowd, but he kept looking back at Old Sun.
Amidst a flurry of discussion, and even sneers and jeers.
Chen Nuo faintly sensed...
Old Sun... his lifelong dedication to being a role model, the beliefs he had upheld for decades...
The world that had been his for decades...
Had collapsed.