95 The Man Who Was Deceived Then

The engagement was a success.

In ten minutes the young man went down on one knee, offered a diamond ring of unknown weight, and asked Luo Shengnan to get into the car before turning it around and leaving the campus. His gang of friends quickly collected the small drone and remote control, ran out of school, and climbed into another car to give chase.

Teacher Zhang Pa sighed. “Skipping classes has become the fashion. A real shame for education.”

Second period was Chinese. He spent more than an hour in his office writing an article, shut down the computer, and then walked into class to discipline the students. Perhaps because Zhang Pa often fought, the Class Eighteen monkeys came to school every day; when they had nothing to do, they would argue about how many enemies Class Eighteen had, how many enemies Teacher Zhang had, and when the next brawl would break out.
Another reason was that Zhang Pa would periodically “clean house” among his classmates, which turned into a sort of oddly welcome physical-education activity.

Today in Chinese class he disciplined three more. They still hadn’t memorized their lessons, so Zhang Pa gave them two choices: fight me, or run four laps around the track.

As if there were any choice at all, the three dashed out. In less than ten minutes they were back, drenched in sweat, looking like men who had truly fought.

When they sat down, Zhang Pa said, “Don’t forget what we agreed. There’s the monthly test and the midterm—there has to be some progress by then.”
Old Pi raised his hand. “Teacher, the monthly test is only two days away, and that’s the midterm too. Why not just combine them?”
“Combine them?” Zhang Pa smiled. “No hurry. We’ll talk about it then.”

After class he pedaled to the Second Detention Center. It was a long way; he rode for forty minutes. Facing the tall concrete wall, the huge iron gate, and the armed police standing in front, Zhang Pa parked by the side and went to the guard office, saying he was a teacher from No. 219 Middle School, here to pick up two students and asking for Captain Wang.
Captain Wang had been the contact the principal gave him. Tell Wang your name, sign the papers, and collect Shengyang and Chengcai, the guard had said.

The guard called Wang first. After a while, a policeman in his thirties came out and asked, “So you’re the teacher from No. 219 Middle School?”
Zhang Pa said yes and introduced himself: “I’m Zhang Pa. Nice to meet you.”
At the odd name, Wang just laughed lightly. “Come with me.”

The rest was easy. They entered a dormitory block, greeted the duty officer, brought out the two unfortunate boys, signed the release form, and it was done.
After thanking Wang, Zhang Pa led the students outside.

Shengyang and Chengcai treated Zhang as an enemy, lips pressed tight, not saying a word. Not until they had left the detention center and the heavy gate shut behind them did Shengyang finally speak. “Even if you pulled me out, I won’t thank you.”
“You are overthinking it,” Zhang said. “How are we going? Where are we going? Your principal didn’t want any stain on your future, so he pulled you out through a favor. If either of you has any conscience, you should thank him.”
“That is our matter. No need for you to care,” Chengcai said.

Zhang glanced at him. “I have good news. Liu Yue fought with her father to get you out, ran away from home last night, and Liu Yue’s father is already back looking for her.”
Chengcai, who worried a lot about Liu Yue, immediately opened his phone and dialed. No answer.
His face changed color. “Is there a bus around here?” he asked.
“I’m not local,” Zhang replied.
Angered, Chengcai shot him a quick look and bolted out. Shengyang called out, “Wait for me,” and followed.
Zhang pedaled hard after them. “Look for a bus properly,” he shouted. “There has to be one here, unless the police get to work by teleportation.”
Who doesn’t know there should be a bus? But the detention center sat out on a side road; to catch one, you had to run all the way to the highway.
Chengcai ignored him, kept running with his head down. Zhang called, “His father knows so many people and still can’t find her. Do you know where she is?”
Chengcai said nothing. He reached the highway quickly, stopped to look left and right, and a bus stop stood not far across the road. Shengyang called out and led the way.

Then they just had to wait for the bus. “Don’t rush,” Zhang said.
He said many things, but the two boys heard none of them. As soon as the bus arrived, they boarded and left him behind.

Zhang Pa immediately became a bicycle athlete, pedaling furiously in pursuit. The roads were good here, the bus went fast, and Zhang was exhausted trying to catch up, losing them several times. Without traffic lights he would have been left far behind.
The bus stopped at the terminus. The two boys got off and took a taxi, disappearing at once.
A taxi is not a bus; he couldn’t keep up. Zhang stood by the road and sighed.

Just then Liu Zhengyang called. “Did you pick up those two students?”
Zhang said he had. “Anything wrong?”
“I need to see Chengcai,” Liu asked. “Where are they now?”
“I can only say they ran off after I got them out.”
Liu Zhengyang snapped, “Is this how you do teaching?” Then he asked, “Phone numbers.”
“Hold on,” Zhang said. He read out the number; the line went dead immediately.

In his heart of hearts, Liu Zhengyang didn’t want Shengyang and Chengcai released. But Principal Qin had spent a great deal of effort to pull those two students out, and he could not openly oppose that—not when finding his daughter was the greater priority.

After a while he called Shengyang. “Your father called you, didn’t he?”
“He did. So what? Don’t call me again; I’ll report you,” Shengyang said.
“I can’t get you two to listen to me,” Zhang said. “Don’t rush. Take it slow.”
“Damn,” Shengyang said and hung up.

With that, Zhang was free of the matter. He didn’t know where to find the two of them anyway. He pedaled back to school and reported to the principal.
Principal Qin sighed. “Is this how responsible you are? I told you to bring the students back to school.”
Zhang Pa said, “The girl ran away from home. A boy has to go search for her. How could I stop him?”
“All right, go on home,” Qin said, somewhat helpless.

A few minutes after he returned, school let out. He ate a bowl of noodles at the gate and went back to the office to keep working.
Then, suddenly, he had no desire at all to type. He stared at the document on the screen, let out a long breath, and lay down on a single bed for a rest.
It was the first time he had ever sat on that bed, and it carried a trace of a woman’s scent. In fact this office had a heavy feminine smell; the moment you stepped in, there was perfume in the air.

He woke at half past two, glanced into the classroom, and then started skipping class.
On Wednesday there was dance class, so he went home for a change of clothes first, then rushed to the conservatory.

When they met, Liu Xiaomei told him some good news: because she couldn’t get home over the weekend, her mother had asked both of them to come home for dinner tonight.
Zhang Pa said, “If I wait until after you finish class, it’ll be after eight before we can eat.”
“I know. Are you coming?” she asked.
“If I get to your place at eight, eat a bit, leave by nine—that’s not a bit rude?”
“Then let it be the weekend,” she said. “I’ll tell my mom.”
“If I said I was scared to see your mom, would you be angry?”
Xiaomei laughed. “I know what you mean,” and called home.

By normal standards, Zhang Pa was supposed to finish dance class, then have dinner with Xiaomei, and perhaps have one of those almost-dates. But the sudden interruption ruined that joy.

While Zhang Pa was practicing, He Shengsheng called. It had happened because Hei Pi had finally cornered He Shengsheng and two other unlucky fellows with a crew; first a fierce beating, then money extortion. He Shengsheng had no money and could not tell his family, so he had to ask Teacher Zhang for help.
Hei Pi had released He Shengsheng alone to collect money, saying, “I’m not afraid if you call the police. I’ll let the others go if you do, but later I’ll wipe out your whole family.”
Hearing this, Zhang Pa asked, “Where are you now?”
“I’m over on County-Front Street.”
“What about the other two?”
“They’re locked up in a karaoke room on the street,” He Shengsheng said. “Teacher, what should we do? Should we call the police?”
“Call. You must call,” Zhang said. “This is kidnapping.”
“But they know our families. They know where all of ours are,” He Shengsheng said.
It was a headache. As the saying goes, you don’t fear theft, you fear being targeted afterward. Zhang thought for a moment and said, “The police likely won’t do much.”

“What should we do then?”
Zhang Pa sighed. “I spend every day handling fights; where am I now, a teacher and a man of words?” He said, “Give me the address.”
“I’m at the corner of the street,” He Shengsheng said.
“Wait.” Zhang hung up and called back Liu Xiaomei. “A student is in trouble.”
She answered. “Go quickly. We’ll stay in contact by phone.”
Zhang said all right and left.

He changed clothes, climbed on his bicycle, and rode to County-Front Street.
County-Front Street was a well-known red-light quarter in the provincial capital. In this city, a red-light quarter meant cheap, low-grade entertainment. The Bright Moon Palace, where Fatso and his crowd went, stood proudly in the city center, all bustle and glitter.
He quickly met He Shengsheng, and before he could even speak, Chengcai called.

“Teacher, can you help me with something?”
Zhang Pa asked in surprise, “How could I?”
Then he added, “Did you find Liu Yue?”
“I found her. She’s at my place.”
“At your place?” Zhang asked.
“We’re renting a small room outside,” Chengcai explained. “A little single room. Liu Yue has a key and has been staying here since yesterday.”

Even with such a specific explanation, Zhang felt uneasy, yet he asked anyway, “Is her father there too?”
“Yes,” Chengcai said. “He came all the way back because he cares about her. I can’t let him worry any more.”
Zhang said, “You’re quite sensible, aren’t you? But why do you keep doing such awful things?”
After a pause, Chengcai said, “If you want to scold or criticize me, do it another day. I called because I need your help now.”

“Then say it,” Zhang replied. He saw the anxious expression on He Shengsheng’s face and sighed. “I only have a few words before I have to leave.”
Liu Yue’s father wants to take her to the capital and send her to a boarding school, Chengcai said.
Zhang understood at once. “She doesn’t want to go, and you don’t want her to go. You called me to come up with a way, is that it?”
“The plan is already ready,” Chengcai said. “I promised Uncle Liu that from tomorrow on, Liu Yue and I will attend school every day and never skip class again. But Uncle Liu doesn’t believe me, and he doesn’t believe Liu Yue either.”
“Don’t mention Liu Zhengyang,” Zhang said. “Even I, as her teacher, don’t believe them.”