TECSBRO-(29)
The lighting in the car wasn't very bright, and with the drawing paper covering Lu Xu's expression, Rong Que couldn't see how Lu Xu reacted.
He only saw Teacher Gu, after looking at Lu Xu, smile gently and then reach out to pat Lu Xu's head.
"Hello, little Lu Xu. How about I teach you how to draw from now on?"
Rong Que frowned. For some reason, Teacher Gu made him feel uncomfortable.
Lu Xu didn't say anything; instead, he took back his drawing.
He lowered his head, looking at the drawing in his hand, as if lost in thought.
Thinking that the two had exchanged greetings, Qi Sui started the car to head back.
Rong Que sensed that Lu Xu was not quite right. He reached out to touch Lu Xu's hand and found it extremely cold.
Lu Xu's hands hadn't been this cold in a long time.
He pulled those cold little hands into his arms to warm them, but he felt Lu Xu's body trembling lightly.
Rong Que leaned closer to Lu Xu, wanting to speak, but saw Teacher Gu in front turn around with a smiling face. "Are the two little friends feeling a bit cold? Let me adjust the air conditioning for you."
Qi Sui was focused on driving and only heard Teacher Gu's words. He said, "Thank you."
The temperature in the car rose a bit, but Lu Xu's hands remained very cold.
Rong Que felt that this young man seemed quite dangerous.
He didn't know that he was actually an adult, and maybe he could take advantage of his identity to figure out what he was up to.
Otherwise, if he rashly drove him away, he might find an opportunity to retaliate.
This Teacher Gu was very likely also a reincarnator.
Rong Que, in her previous life, knew that there was a group of organizations at that time trying to control terrifying evil gods for their own use.
He didn't have much contact with this group of people, but most of them seemed a bit fanatical.
It seemed like some illegal religious believers before the apocalypse.
If they have also been reborn, the threat to Lu Xu is significant.
The only person who can always stay with Lu Xu is Rong Que alone, and his physique is not stronger than anyone else.
Moreover, judging from Lu Xu's reaction, it seems like he knows this person.
However, Lu Xu knows very few words, and Rong Que cannot inquire about the situation on the phone.
The air in the car seemed to have solidified, and Qi Sui finally felt something was wrong.
Usually, when school is over, Lu Xu is very excited, and in the car, he would continuously share things about kindergarten.
"Why is it so quiet today, Xiao Lu?" Qi Sui drove and could only ask verbally.
Lu Xu was called out and lifted his head, wanting to answer Qi Sui.
At this moment, Teacher Gu slightly turned his face, and the eyes under the black-framed glasses seemed to be staring at Lu Xu.
Lu Xu instinctively closed his mouth.
Afraid that Qi Sui would arouse suspicion, Rong Que, mimicking the tone of a normal child, spoke, "Xiao Lu is tired from drawing today and doesn't feel like talking."
Qi Sui knew that usually Rong Que wouldn't deliberately disguise himself as a child.
After all, there are many precocious young boys.
However, Rong Que's strange reaction at this moment made Qi Sui wary.
He casually said, "Let's go back and have something delicious."
Rong Que opened an anime, hoping to help Lu Xu relax a bit.
But Lu Xu, facing the anime that he usually loves, didn't even glance at it.
He just kept his head down, lost in thought.
There was only the sound of the anime in the car for a while.
Back at the welfare institution, Qi Sui followed the original plan and asked Teacher Gu to take the children to their rooms for class, saying, "I'll order some takeout. You guys go ahead."
What puzzled Rong Que was that, despite Lu Xu being very afraid of this person, he showed no signs of losing control.
He even obediently followed the person into the room.
Rong Que couldn't find an opportunity to talk to Lu Xu alone and had to follow them into the room.
However, he was stopped at the door.
Inside the room, Teacher Gu blocked the entrance, smiling and saying, "Mr. Qi asked me to teach Lu Xu, so this little friend can wait outside for now."
It was almost certain that something was wrong with the other party.
But if Qi Sui followed, there was a high probability that the other party would hide in the shadows and wait for an opportunity to separate them.
They could only take a risk and try to lure the snake out of its hole, solving the problem once and for all.
Rong Que raised his head, showing a displeased expression, "Brother Qi Sui will give you extra money. He said he would let me learn together."
Qi Sui hadn't left yet, and as a parent, it was reasonable for him to express doubt about Teacher Gu's behavior.
Qi Sui looked at Teacher Gu and said, "Teacher Gu, I'm not short of money. Let them study together."
Teacher Gu's lips tightened into a thin line.
If Teacher Gu insisted on only letting Lu Xu in, it would be very suspicious. Being under suspicion could lead to being replaced.
Teacher Gu lowered her head and glanced at Rong Que.
After all, he was just a child, and his presence inside wouldn't have much impact.
"Alright, come in together," Teacher Gu stepped aside and opened the door.
Rong Que stood outside the room. The inside was dim, designed without windows, and the lights were off, with only a faint light coming in from the doorway.
In the darkness, he could see Lu Xu, who had just walked in as if he had lost his soul, now sitting obediently on a small chair.
On the table was the painting he liked so much.
The light at the door didn't reach Lu Xu.
Rong Que tightened his grip on the phone and followed inside.
This room was Qi Sui's office, though it had been renovated. The door was still a wooden door, and there wasn't much soundproofing.
Qi Sui would probably have the staff wait outside, and if anything happened, there would still be time.
After Teacher Gu entered the room, he closed the door.
However, he didn't turn on the lights; the room was almost completely dark.
Rong Que spoke, "Teacher, why don't you turn on the lights?"
As he spoke, his finger was already on the emergency contact list, his heart pounding.
Rong Que's attention was entirely on the person at the door.
Finally, Teacher Gu made a move, but all he did was turn on the lights.
With the brightness restored, Rong Que turned around, only to find Lu Xu still in the exact same position, not having moved at all.
Although Rong Que was worried, he dared not show any signs. He walked over and sat across from Lu Xu, then mimicked the appearance of a child, opening a social app to play.
Usually, Rong Que would sit next to Lu Xu, but today he chose a more distant spot for easier communication with Qi Sui if needed.
Teacher Gu glanced at Rong Que's screen, seeing him scrolling through Weibo, not taking him too seriously. He walked over and sat next to Lu Xu.
Lu Xu still showed no movement.
Teacher Gu smiled, "Take out your drawing tools."
Lu Xu slowly opened his backpack, then lethargically took out colored pencils and a pencil case, retrieving drawing pencils from it.
It looked as if they were really about to have a class.
To avoid being asked to leave, Rong Que also took out drawing paper and tools.
In the midst of unpacking, Rong Que received two messages from Qi Sui.
Rong Que pretended to search for a pencil for a while, then opened Qi Sui's chat.
Qi Sui: I haven't had a chance to send you the information I saw last time. I suspect it's related to this person.
Qi Sui: [Image: newspaper.jpg].
Rong Que didn't dare to look for too long, but he saw that the image was a cut-out newspaper article.
The headline of that old news read: "Sealing of a Research Institute; Embezzlement of Funds for Engaging in Superstitious Practices and Harming Infants."
This headline directly confirmed to Rong Que that the person was associated with the organization from his past life.
In his previous life, there was a special organization. Although he had limited interactions with them, it always made Rong Que uncomfortable.
That organization seemed to have some method of influencing Lu Xu, who was already in a completely demonic form, but they had never succeeded in fully controlling him.
If... the infant mentioned in the headline was Lu Xu.
In that case, this Teacher Gu had been reborn and knew that their research back then was successful.
A new plan formed instantly in Rong Que's mind.
What if they could use this person to trigger Lu Xu's ability to control his own demonic form?
He messaged Qi Sui: "Don't come in until you feel the presence of the demonic aura."
After taking out their tools, Rong Que switched to the Weibo page.
Teacher Gu started the class as soon as he saw they had their tools out.
He began with the basics, instructing them to practice with simple lines.
Then, he had Lu Xu and Rong Que follow his gestures to draw lines on the paper.
It sounded like a normal class.
Rong Que followed along, but Teacher Gu didn't pay attention to his lines; instead, he focused on Lu Xu's movements.
The look in his eyes seemed somewhat entranced.
"Good child."
Accompanied by the gentle yet eerie voice of Teacher Gu, Rong Que heard the sound of Lu Xu's pencil tearing through paper.
He lifted his head and saw Lu Xu trembling, his hand gripping the pencil with such force that it left deep imprints on his own hand.
As if the phrase "good child" was some kind of curse.
Seeing this, Teacher Gu, however, showed no signs of restraint. He placed his hand on Lu Xu's head, "Do you want to go home with Daddy?"
The way he completely disregarded Rong Que's presence was just too unsettling.
Indeed... it seemed like he was trying to control Lu Xu.
Rong Que suddenly stood up, and the chair followed his movement, crashing to the ground.
The tremendous noise seemed to shatter the invisible barrier between them.
Lu Xu, who had been in a state of not seeing others, was startled by the sound. He looked up, and a faint light returned to his lifeless dark red eyes.
This state was as if he had been mesmerized.
However, before the apocalypse, everyone didn't have supernatural abilities, and Rong Que didn't believe that Teacher Gu could already master the abilities from their past lives.
With this distraction caused by Rong Que, Teacher Gu's eyes turned somewhat terrifying.
There was no expression on his face, his eyes staring intently at Rong Que. His already pale face even showed a hint of blue due to anger.
"If you're not going to pay attention in class, then leave." Teacher Gu's voice was cold, devoid of any inflection, almost as if he were not a living person.
If it were an ordinary child, they might have been scared away or obediently left.
However, Rong Que walked to Lu Xu's side. Lu Xu continued to look at him, but his gaze seemed unfocused.
It seemed like he didn't recognize who Rong Que was, only aware of a moving object.
Rong Que took Lu Xu's hand, deepening the impression of Lu Xu's past words about wanting to protect him.
Rong Que deliberately stood close to Teacher Gu, intentionally interrupting to provoke him.
Clearly, he achieved his goal.
Teacher Gu suddenly stood up. Being an adult, he moved swiftly and possessed considerable strength.
In almost an instant, he effortlessly grabbed Rong Que's throat, tightening the grip around his windpipe. Rong Que emitted sounds of distress as his body was lifted off the ground.
He had to release Lu Xu and the phone, his hand reaching for the one around his neck.
However, a child's strength was too weak, and Rong Que couldn't budge the assailant at all.
Rong Que's bloodshot eyes shifted towards Lu Xu, his nostrils unable to take in new air, and his windpipe almost deformed from the tight grip.
But Lu Xu kept his head lowered, as if he couldn't see Rong Que.
Rong Que's positioning was strategic. He seemed to be struggling, kicking his legs as if trying to free himself, and managed to kick Lu Xu's arm hanging down nearby.
Lu Xu's head moved, and he looked at Rong Que.
His eyes remained dim and lacked any light, a dark red that seemed to not see anything.
As if he hadn't seen anything at all.
Teacher Gu smiled contentedly, his face slightly distorted from the exertion. "It's useless. He can no longer perceive the outside world."
Feeling the last bit of air in his body about to be depleted, Rong Que, as if giving up, released his grip on Teacher Gu's arm.
With the last bit of strength, he reached towards Lu Xu.
Lu Xu looked at his hand, his eyes still vacant. However, almost instinctively, as if wanting to protect Rong Que, he suddenly bit down on Teacher Gu's hand, catching him completely off guard.
The sudden and unexpected pain made Teacher Gu release his hold on Rong Que.
Rong Que was thrown to the ground. He struggled to lift his head, only to see Lu Xu's hair, which had seemingly come to life, escaping from the hat and hair ties, floating behind him.
The eyes that were usually serious now appeared terrifyingly red, with the whites turning as dark as ink.
The sharp nails and pointed canine teeth fiercely embedded themselves into Teacher Gu's flesh.
However, there was not a trace of fear on Teacher Gu's face. Instead, a look of surprise gradually transformed into what could be described as a fanatical expression.
"It worked... it really worked..." Teacher Gu chuckled lowly, seemingly oblivious to the darkened blood dripping from his arm.
He just didn't see Rong Que lying in the darkness, weakly curling up the corners of his lips.
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