Chapter 0017 The Female Teacher's Class
I saw that Frank Fang was holding Uncle Xie's business card, so I told him about meeting Uncle Xie at the Arjan master's house. Frank Fang pinched the corner of the card and pointed at my nose. "You didn't do business with him, did you?"
Seeing that Frank Fang's face looked wrong, I stammered, "No." Frank Fang was too shrewd and immediately realized I wasn't telling the truth. Under his intense questioning, I had no choice but to spill everything. Frank Fang's hand, clutching the card, trembled, veins popping out. Several times, he looked like he wanted to say something but held it back, wearing an expression of deep disappointment, like he was constipated.
"Do you know this Uncle Xie too?" I asked.
Frank Fang furiously threw the card away and roared, "Listen! It's not too late to back out now. You are forbidden from collaborating with this guy on amulet business in the future. Not just amulets, but also Guman Thong, raising kuman, lifting or casting spells—don't even buy a soda or cigarette from him!"
Was it that serious? Uncle Xie was just an amulet middleman like you and me. Frank Fang saw the perfunctory look in my eyes and said bitterly, "Damn it! I knew you'd run into this bastard sooner or later in this business. Believe me or not, but absolutely do not cooperate with him, or he will sell you out eventually!"
I smiled and said, "It's not that serious. I'm not an idiot. Just focus on recovering, and stop worrying about other things." Frank Fang leaned back against the pillow, glaring at me resentfully. His expression was very complex, and there seemed to be a hint of mockery at the corner of his mouth.
Uncle Xie was very efficient. Ms. Ma received the amulet eight days later. Once the payment cleared, I wired 15,000 Thai Baht to Uncle Xie, securing my 3,000 RMB profit. I thought, Frank Fang is something else. He deliberately made Uncle Xie sound bad just to protect me, his downstream partner. Luckily, I didn't listen to him.
Just as Frank Fang had said before, people like Ms. Ma are lucky if nothing goes wrong. For days, I wondered what effect the amulet would have on Ms. Ma. Based on previous experience, many customers would first see a positive effect, share it with me, and then something negative would happen later. But Ms. Ma was different. After ten days, she called me, saying she had chanted the mantra I provided daily since receiving the amulet and wore it constantly, but it had no effect. She went to her former principal to talk, and the principal's attitude hadn't changed at all. Was it a fake amulet?
I said, "You 'invited' a Positive-energy Amulet, so the effect definitely won't be as aggressive as a Negative-energy Amulet. Luck is supposed to flow slowly, like a trickle."
Ms. Ma said unhappily, "You can use that excuse for months or even a year. Your industry is quite convenient. You can sell both genuine and fake goods, and you don't have to worry about the effectiveness."
I smiled bitterly. What could I say? She wasn't entirely wrong. This was also why I didn't like selling Positive-energy Amulets; the effects weren't obvious enough, and many customers were dissatisfied. However, constantly selling Negative-energy Amulets greatly increased the chance of needing to clean up a mess, and I was already fed up with doing damage control.
To pass the time, I often read local Shenyang news online. That day, I saw a headline: "Mysterious Source in Shenyang University Reveals Explosive News: Teacher Replaced Exam Paper, Causing Colleague's Assessment Failure and Dismissal." Although the content didn't mention names, it was clearly the story between Ms. Ma and the notorious Teacher Bai. What a coincidence! I immediately sent a text message to Ms. Ma. Her reply was very cheerful: "I was just about to call you! Now I believe you; your amulet truly works!"
"What exactly happened?" I pressed.
Ms. Ma texted back: "I don't know who wrote to the newspaper, but they exposed the incident of my test paper being swapped at school. The principal called me in for a talk. Of course, I didn't say anything, but it no longer matters. The Education Bureau came down to investigate. Teacher Bai was fired—I always suspected she did it, that old woman who can't have children! The principal also received a disciplinary warning, and I'll be reinstated immediately." This genuinely surprised me. It seemed Positive-energy Amulets had their advantages! I couldn't underestimate them in the future. Did Ms. Ma have good fortune after all? Given how much she usually offended people, where did this good fortune come from? Regardless, an effect was a good effect, otherwise dealing with a demanding customer like Ms. Ma constantly complaining would be exhausting.
Less than ten days later, Ms. Ma's husband called me again. Seeing the number, I instinctively had a bad feeling. Ms. Ma's husband immediately asked, "Mr. Tian, do you have any more amulets over there? I want an identical one!"
I hadn't fully processed it yet. Ms. Ma's husband added, "Ever since my wife returned to teaching at the school, she's become more energized. She's the center of attention wherever she goes. It's totally unexpected!"
This surprised me even more. Wearing a Positive-energy Amulet shouldn't have this effect, so I pressed for details. Ms. Ma's husband was proud: "She's been reinstated at school, and whenever she teaches a class, the classroom is packed with students! Some even stand in the hallway to listen in. It's incredibly popular!"
Could something like this happen? I felt it wasn't normal, so I made some excuses, saying I would discuss it once I had more stock.
About a month later, I returned to China to see my parents. Remembering what Ms. Ma's husband had said, I took the time to visit Ms. Ma's school. I first called the customer who was a reporter in Shenyang and asked him to notify the school administration that I would be posing as a journalist for an interview. The Dean of Academic Affairs was nervous, thinking I was going to conduct an investigative report, but he was very enthusiastic toward me. When I said I just wanted to see the very popular Teacher Ma, he relaxed and left, though a strange smile remained on his face.
Ms. Ma's class was at 3:00 PM. Both the front and back doors of the classroom were open. Sure enough, over a dozen students were waiting in the hallway to listen. The classroom was completely full, with at least a hundred people crammed in, standing room only. Ms. Ma arrived, wearing a well-tailored business suit, with the eye-catching amulet hanging conspicuously around her neck, looking completely out of place with the suit. She didn't notice me. She excitedly walked up to the podium, clutching her lecture notes, and began teaching.
The moment Ms. Ma opened her mouth, I was stunned. This wasn't a teacher lecturing! It was a pyramid scheme instructor brainwashing people! Her emotions were highly charged. I distinctly remember her first sentence: "Students, the red flag rolls up the western wind! If you don't study now, you won't even be able to drive an Audi later!"
All the students burst into laughter, cheering, and applauding. I thought about that sentence for a long time afterward and still couldn't figure out what it meant. Ms. Ma then began her lecture. She taught socio-economics. In the forty-something minute class, her tone was dramatically exaggerated, like she was hopped up on adrenaline. She spoke, gestured wildly, and interspersed her teaching with seemingly inexplicable and illogical quotes or idioms. Sometimes, she didn't forget to boast about how wonderful she was. Many of her outrageous statements were similar to what she had told me before, but even more ridiculous. I was completely confused, but the students seemed excited. Many were taking pictures with their phones or recording Ms. Ma with MP3 players and voice recorders.
When the bell rang, Ms. Ma announced the class was dismissed. The students cheered loudly. Ms. Ma proudly strode out of the classroom, chest out. Two male students next to me raised their arms and shouted. Ms. Ma looked over in this direction. Fearing she would see me, I quickly turned and left.
Walking out of the campus gate, I breathed a sigh of relief, but I felt strongly that Ms. Ma's condition was not right, though I couldn't pinpoint the reason. I called Uncle Xie and asked him about the amulet's origins. Was it a Negative-energy Amulet? Uncle Xie swore on his life, "It's truly not! If it's a Negative-energy Amulet, my whole family should be hit by a car and killed instantly when they leave the house, without exception!"
Since he swore that, there was nothing more I could say.
Less than a week later, Ms. Ma's husband called me again. I thought he was calling to buy another amulet. There's no reason not to make money, so I figured I should definitely sell him one this time and make a bigger profit. But after answering, Ms. Ma's husband yelled into the phone, "You fraud! I'm calling the police to arrest you! You just wait!"
What did that mean? I quickly asked. Ms. Ma's husband said his wife had become an online joke, all because I sold her a Negative-energy Amulet. I immediately turned on my store computer and searched online as he suggested. Sure enough, there were many news reports about "Female Teacher at Shenyang University Class Like Pyramid Scheme Brainwashing; Audio and Video Go Viral Online."
I asked, "How is her teaching style related to me?"
Ms. Ma's husband was furious. "How is it not related? She wasn't like this before! She's acting like she's on stimulants!"