**Chapter 21: Let Her Learn Until New Year’s Eve!**
Lu Yibei eventually went to the Taohua Road Police Station.
The police officer wasn’t easy to fool; he wouldn’t take a couple of harsh words seriously and actually believe that he had no relation to Professor Ma.
However, Lu Yibei was willing to risk his reputation and the label of being a “Copper Alchemist” apprentice to take someone out, mainly because Professor Ma had previously gone to the police station multiple times to fetch him.
One must know how to be grateful!
“Police Officer, I really didn’t know Professor Ma had such a hobby. If I had known earlier, I would have been the first to bring him in. For such behavior, I generally suggest severe punishment.”
The police officer in charge of registration looked at Lu Yibei in astonishment and frowned, “Fill out this form, and you can go over there to get someone.”
“Police Officer, you’re letting him go this easily?” Lu Yibei pressed, “What if he doesn’t repent after being released and extends his claws toward the blossoms of our motherland again?”
Lu Yibei didn’t genuinely want the already elderly Professor Ma to suffer imprisonment; it was just that after seeing that student who died from the urban legend this morning at Tangcheng University, he suddenly realized that the current situation in Tangcheng was precarious and certainly not a safe place for ordinary people.
He couldn’t guarantee the safety of every ordinary person under such circumstances, but at least he could try to ensure Professor Ma’s safety.
However, given Professor Ma’s stubborn personality, getting him to leave Tangcheng willingly was no easy task. Letting him stay by his side before dealing with a possible assassin would likely be even more dangerous; he had to find a way to create a situation that compelled him to leave.
“The matter has been clarified; it was all a misunderstanding. The little girl’s family has already forgiven him,” the police officer explained.
“Not going to investigate further? As far as I know, he has been doing this for a few years now.”
“……”
What’s wrong with this guy? I think your teacher isn’t Professor Ma but rather Lawyer Zhang, right? Does he need to stretch the acquittal into a three-year minimum to be happy?
The police officer fell silent, took the form Lu Yibei handed over, and immediately got up to walk towards the office inside.
……
Lu Yibei waited outside the police station for about ten minutes before Professor Ma slowly walked out.
As soon as Lu Yibei approached, he saw Professor Ma seriously say to him, “Lu Yibei, you must keep this a secret for me. Don’t let the project team find out.”
“If the project team finds out, it won’t be long before that old b*stard Hou Jun knows. And if Hou Jun knows, your wife will definitely find out. If your wife finds out, I’m finished.”
“Also, come with me to Toy City later.”
Lu Yibei was momentarily taken aback and asked, “What are you going there for?”
Professor Ma said earnestly, “Of course, to buy some toys to give to that little girl!”
“Wow! No way, Professor?!” Lu Yibei exclaimed, “If hard measures won’t work, are you trying to bribe her? You’re not planning to let that little girl off the hook, are you?”
“Why not just let her be? Just wait until evening, and it’ll be fine if you just look at her.”
For the sake of saving the little girl, I’m willing to sacrifice a bit…
As he spoke, he couldn’t help but imagine Professor Ma holding a brand new toy and telling the little girl, “Come here, grandpa has a treasure to show you!”
Such behavior reminded him of a rather morally questionable “famous quote”—I am willing to spend three years in prison to trade for your lifelong shadow.
How despicable! The toughest Copper Alchemist is nothing compared to that.
To associate with such behavior, we’d be embarrassed to d*ath!
“Forget it, don’t even think about it,” Lu Yibei angrily said, “You don’t deserve it!”
“Rascal! Don’t you know what kind of person I am?” Professor Ma tapped Lu Yibei on the back of his head, “This is clearly a misunderstanding.”
“Although the little girl’s parents generously forgave me, I did scare her. I can’t just pretend nothing happened, can I? Besides, we’re still acquaintances.”
“Acquaintances?” Lu Yibei tilted his head.
Understood, got it. Isn’t it usually the acquaintances who commit such acts?
“That little girl’s grandfather is the man who read my fortune at the airport before! You’ve seen him before,” Professor Ma explained.
Liu Banxian’s granddaughter? Lu Yibei was momentarily stunned and asked in confusion, “Since you’ve known each other for a while, why were you still taken to the police station? You didn’t really do anything excessive, did you?”
“Um…” Professor Ma’s old face turned a little awkward as he smiled, “He heard that his granddaughter was bullied and rushed out to hit me a few times with a broom. By the time I got to the police station, I had just reacted.”
Lu Yibei, “……” The times have changed; it’s no longer Liu Banxian hitting people, but him being hit by others.
“That’s how it is. I feel I still need to apologize in person,” Professor Ma said.
Lu Yibei pondered for a few seconds, nodded, and reluctantly accepted Professor Ma’s explanation.
Complaining aside, he was quite clear that Professor Ma wouldn’t genuinely do anything bad to the little girl.
However…
After understanding the ins and outs of the matter, one could easily deduce that it was likely that mischievous kid causing trouble.
A mischievous kid wants toys? Dream on!
“Professor, I don’t think going to Toy City would be appropriate.”
“Oh?” Professor Ma frowned, thought for a moment, and said seriously, “I understand. It seems today’s children don’t like toys anymore? But I’m not very familiar with electronic products; why don’t you help me pick some?”
“……”
Professor, you’re far too kind. The kid just caused you to end up in the police station, and you want to buy her electronic products?
Lu Yibei muttered inside, then said seriously, “Professor, can you give something more suitable for your status? You’re an educator; how can you give her those trivial items?”
“Let me handle this!”
As the New Year approached, let her immerse in the sea of knowledge on New Year’s Eve and be unable to extricate herself; I guarantee she’ll be very happy! Lu Yibei thought.
“Great!” Professor Ma nodded, “That’s right, these matters are better entrusted to you young people.”
So, an hour later, Lu Yibei and Professor Ma were seen at the Antique Street on Taohua Road, holding a bundle of elementary school exercise books and two registration receipts for extracurricular interest classes.
……
As they headed towards Chunfeng Residence, Lu Yibei advised Professor Ma, “Professor, once we go in, just keep praising their child for being smart, having strong learning abilities, and that there’s definitely a chance she can get into a key university in the future.”
“As for that stupid and naughty little brat, leave her to me to deal with.”
Who doesn’t like others praising their children? Besides, the one speaking is an old professor, and this flattery must be delivered sincerely.
Why does it feel like he’s not going to apologize but rather to bully the little girl? Professor Ma looked puzzled, glancing at Lu Yibei, “Learning is a good thing; why the trickery?”
These days, if you don’t engage in some trickery, how many people would willingly study? Lu Yibei thought to himself and explained, “You don’t understand; today’s parents spoil their children too much. They must first realize the importance of learning before they can study obediently.”
Professor Ma nodded and didn’t say anything further.
As an educator, over the years, he had indeed seen many children whose talents were wasted due to parental indulgence.
Every time he thought about it, he felt heartbroken.
————
Meanwhile, at Antique Street, Chunfeng Residence.
Jumeng was leaning back in a chaise lounge with a sugar-coated hawthorn stick in her mouth, her legs crossed while focused on her game console.
Beside her, Liu Banxian was sitting cross-legged on a cushion, continuously using spirit energy to impact the “fetal energy” in his abdomen according to Jumeng’s guidance to expedite digestion.
Just then, a sudden knock came.
“Knock knock knock—knock knock knock—!”
“Hello, I’m Ma Zhen. I apologize for the earlier offense and have come to visit.”
The two looked at each other simultaneously and exchanged glances.
“Why is that guy here again? Did he not suffer enough from spending over an hour at the police station?” Jumeng whispered, “Are you sure you’ve confirmed he’s just an ordinary person and has no relation to last night’s attack?”
“I assure you I’ve confirmed it.” Liu Banxian nodded with conviction, “Having traveled and worked in this world for so many years, I still have some connections. He and Lan Sheng are merely old acquaintances, and their communications only involve antiques, with no ties to spirit energy.”
“Moreover, I had an interaction with him at the airport; I read his fortune and did not find anything unusual.”
Except for being extremely unlucky, constantly on the brink of d*ath but never actually dying… Liu Banxian added in his mind.
“……” Jumeng contemplated for a few seconds and nodded, “Then go and bring him in; I’ll hide in the secret room first. I want to see what he intends to do!”
“Though this is a great hiding place, there are too many people coming and going, so it’s not ideal. It’s best to resolve this in one go to avoid further complications.”
“Understood.”
Liu Banxian replied, and the two began their separate tasks. He went forward to open the door for Professor Ma while Jumeng quickly headed to the secret room hidden behind the main hall.
However…
“Ouch!”
Just a few steps out, she heard a painful cry from behind and turned to see Liu Banxian leaning against the wall, looking pained.
“What happened to you now?” Jumeng asked impatiently.
Lowering his head, Liu Banxian glanced at his protruding belly and said bitterly, “I don’t have experience dealing with this. I accidentally strained my back when I got up, but it’s nothing. You don’t need to worry about it.”
“……” Jumeng facepalmed, “Didn’t I tell you? You need to protect your belly with one hand and do this with the other… so that you won’t move the fetal energy.”
As she spoke, she demonstrated to Liu Banxian by supporting her lower back with one hand and cradling her belly with the other.
She would definitely be a good mother in the future… Watching Jumeng demonstrate, Liu Banxian oddly had a fleeting thought in his mind that was highly disrespectful to the divine.
————
After knocking on the door, Professor Ma and Lu Yibei paused in front of Chunfeng Residence.
While waiting, Lu Yibei couldn’t help but ask, “Professor, is that little girl really cute?”
“Of course, as the poem says, ‘Her hair covers her broad forehead, and her ears are like connected jade.’ In the bright morning light, her eyebrows are like swept marks. With deep vermilion lips, the golden kiss blooms beautifully. She speaks sweetly and quickly forms bonds…”
Professor Ma enthusiastically recited the poem, and as Lu Yibei looked at his entranced appearance, he felt increasingly uneasy and hurriedly interrupted, “Wait a moment, Professor!”
“Isn’t that a poem written for someone’s daughter? It might not be appropriate for you to recite it, right?”
Although Lu Yibei understood that Professor Ma’s admiration came from affection, others wouldn’t know this!
Everything has limits; this is why he ended up being flipped over by others and taken to the police station. Lu Yibei thought.
At this moment, the door of Chunfeng Residence creaked open, and Liu Banxian appeared from behind it, causing Lu Yibei to blink in surprise.
His belly…
Wow, it must be at least seven or eight months along, right?
While Lu Yibei was muttering, Professor Ma stepped forward and waved at Liu Banxian, “Old brother, I’m here again. I sincerely apologize for earlier and for scaring your granddaughter.”
Liu Banxian, holding his belly, paused for a few seconds, then nodded calmly, “Come in and sit. I’ll make tea for both of you.”
————
On the other side, Jumeng was hiding in the secret room adjacent to the main hall.
After hearing footsteps in the main hall, she paused her game, put away her console, and carefully listened, pressing her ear against the wall.
Liu Banxian and Professor Ma, one a seasoned con artist and the other a long-time educator, were both quite savvy in their dealings. Their interaction was like Tai Chi, continuous and polite.
Aside from praising her for being cute, beautiful, clever, brave, and that with good study, she’d surely achieve great success in the future, Jumeng didn’t catch anything useful.
Did you guys need to say that?
I already knew about this five thousand years ago!
Jumeng thought cheerfully, proudly puffing her unimpressive little chest. Just then, a familiar voice reached her ears.
“This… Grandpa Liu? That’s not how it works! To say something harsh, today’s kids are quite clever! They need proper guidance.”
It was Lu Yibei? Why is he here? Jumeng’s eyes brightened, and she quickly extended her senses to confirm it was indeed Lu Yibei in the main hall. She felt excited.
Following that, she waved her hand to dispel the barrier and hurriedly ran to the main hall.
————
In the main hall.
Lu Yibei was still unaware that a big trouble was quietly approaching and was busy brainwashing Liu Banxian.
“…Not long ago, she won a first prize in some piano competition, awarded by the mayor himself! Why don’t you send your granddaughter to learn the piano as well?” Lu Yibei said.
“I’ve heard the piano can cultivate character and calm an energetic child down. Let her give it a try; it might save you some trouble in the future!”
“No need for that; she might not be interested,” Liu Banxian responded perfunctorily.
“No interest isn’t a big deal! A child’s wishes aren’t exactly what they truly want; what do they understand?” Lu Yibei said.
“Look, our professor has enrolled your granddaughter in the best children’s piano class in all of Tangcheng. Trying it out wouldn’t hurt!”
“Um…” Liu Banxian hesitated.
If it were his own child, he would have accepted the goodwill in no time.
But that one inside isn’t a real child; she’s a divine being!
Who can sway her decision?
“‘With black hair, one does not realize the value of diligent study until the white-haired regret the late learning’; children shouldn’t be spoiled too much. Let her learn more things; it’s always a good thing, right?”
“True, true. Then I’ll accept it,” Liu Banxian affirmed, just wanting to quickly get through with Lu Yibei and send them off to avoid further entanglement.
“Wait, don’t be in such a hurry!” Lu Yibei interrupted, “Children are people too; we need to respect their wishes, right? What if she really doesn’t like learning the piano?”
Liu Banxian looked at Lu Yibei in confusion, frowning slightly, “What do you mean?”
“I mean, we should give her more options, right?” Lu Yibei said as he laid out a thick stack of brochures on the table, “Look, this is for learning the guzheng, this is for painting, this is for children’s programming, this is for Olympiad math, this is for Latin dance, and this is for ballet…”
“We have already contacted all of these; within a month, you can take your granddaughter to try all the classes. If she likes any, is good at any, just tell the Art Center people, and we’ll handle the tuition. Oh, and there’s also this…”
“Bang—!”
Lu Yibei slammed a thick pile of elementary exercise books on the table, saying, “These are all carefully selected exercise books by Professor Ma. If she completes them all, I guarantee she’ll be first in every exam next semester. Then when you go to the parent-teacher meeting, you’ll have face, right?”
“And also…”
Seeing Lu Yibei’s behavior of disregarding everyone around him, Liu Banxian was momentarily dazed when, at that moment, a series of light footsteps came from behind the screen.
“Pat pat pat—!”
Then they heard a childish call.
“Lu Yibei, hug me!”
Professor Ma, “？？？”
While he was stunned, he saw a little girl rush in, small and light, like a cloud floating by, making a face at him and heading straight for Lu Yibei.
Professor Ma turned to look at Lu Yibei, and his expression suddenly became strange.
What’s going on? Why does that little cutie know Lu Yibei?
Upon hearing the call, Lu Yibei turned around in shock, momentarily stumped upon seeing the little girl, and while he was secretly pondering when he had seen her, she leaped up and hugged him.
What’s the deal? Trying to pull a fast one? You can’t trick me into this on New Year’s Eve!
With that thought, Lu Yibei tried to dodge the little girl’s hug. However, just then, he suddenly realized how exceptionally quick the little girl was, her movements almost leaving behind a series of afterimages.
In an instant, he couldn’t react in time, and when he came to his senses, the little girl had already clawed onto his head like a tick.
“Where’s the stuff? Where’s the stuff? Take it out for me to play with! You definitely have that fun thing on you just like last time, right?”
As she spoke, Jumeng started rummaging around Lu Yibei’s body without any hesitation, even unzipping his jacket and his belt.
“……”
Seeing a petite little girl perched atop Lu Yibei, her expression one of insatiable desire, Liu Banxian and Professor Ma fell silent, then simultaneously cursed internally.
HE——TUI! Shameless! Unfit for human interaction!
Lu Yibei, “……” d*mn it! I actually lost to a child? What can I say? She’s from the 20s; I can’t compete with her!
