Chapter 9: Converging parallel lines.

The food is ready… remember to take your medicine.

Lin Yuan’s already tense nerves became even more irritable the instant he heard that voice.

He opened his mouth, wanting to shout at him to stop minding his business.

But before he could speak, hurried footsteps sounded from outside the door.

The man had run away.

Just like every other day before.

Lin Yuan sat on the bed, listening to the sound of the front door closing. His whole body slumped powerlessly into the pillow.

“Sigh!”

In the empty room, only a crisp sigh remained.

That damn illness.

If not for this genetic disease that had缠绕 him since birth, his father’s pressure wouldn’t be this heavy, and he wouldn’t always look so exhausted.

His mother also wouldn’t…

Hearing the 7 a.m. alarm ring, Lin Yuan finally dragged himself out of bed.

The living room was empty. Although the house felt cold and quiet, the kitchen area still carried the lingering smell of fried eggs.

He walked silently to the dining table and sat down.

On the plate was a simple homemade burger: a lightly toasted bun stuffed with fragrant fried egg, thick ham, and a few crisp green leaves.

Lin Yuan sat on the chair and picked up the still-warm burger.

The first bite made the savory sauce explode in his mouth.

It was his favorite taste, and his only expectation from life.

Ever since he could remember, his mother had always made burgers like this.

Later, after his mother was gone, that clumsy man must have practiced countless times in secret to recreate almost the exact same flavor.

“Boring, cowardly, only knows how to run away… old man…”

Lin Yuan thought this, yet his eyes turned slightly red.

Tears fell without warning, smashing onto the wooden table and leaving a small dark stain.

He stuffed the burger into his mouth in big bites. His throat tightened, letting out a short, choked sob.

After finishing the burger, he mechanically took the pills from under the water glass.

Looking at them, Lin Yuan’s heart filled with mixed emotions—guilt, anger, and a deep sense of powerlessness surged within him.

For his illness, the family’s savings had long been emptied. His father had to take on more work and was visibly aging day by day.

He hated this disease, and he hated himself even more for becoming a burden.

Just stop persisting already…

“Just give up on me!”

He grabbed his messy long hair in frustration, venting into the empty air. “I can find my own way. Live one day at a time. Why do you have to pour all your energy, your entire life, into this bottomless pit that is me!”

Regret, self-blame, and the suffocating guilt born from being loved intertwined into a net, binding him tightly.

But these words, whenever he faced his father’s tired and rigid face, he could never say a single one.

Every attempt at communication, even about trivial daily matters, would often quickly turn into silent cold war or fierce arguments because of subtle tones or misunderstandings.

He couldn’t stand his father’s overly protective yet evasive eyes that hid everything. His father also seemed unable to understand his desire for independence and his wish not to be a burden.

“I’m clearly not a child anymore… why do you still meddle so much…”

After eating the tasteless breakfast and swallowing the heavy pills, what remained was a long and boring time before school.

He threw down his school bag, walked out the door, and merged into the crowd of students wearing the same uniform, temporarily leaving that cold and heavy home behind.

However, Lin Yuan did not go to school.

He deliberately slipped into the deserted old alleys.

The navigation on his phone screen flashed frequently, marking the vague coordinates where the disappearance cases had occurred.

He ran frantically from one place to another, squeezing through alleys stacked with moldy cardboard boxes and climbing over rusty iron fences.

Yet, apart from inhaling a bellyful of moldy air and the lingering smell of cheap tobacco, he found no clues at all.

“Damn it… weren’t there supposed to be missing students?!”

Lin Yuan stopped at the end of a dead-end alley. His chest burned painfully from the intense running as he gasped heavily.

The news had made it sound so sinister—surveillance blind spots, mysterious disappearances. Yet when he came in person, he couldn’t sense even the slightest trace of magic residue.

Could those witches really clean up their presence so thoroughly? Or had… his perception ability in normal form deteriorated?

This powerlessness made an nameless fire burn in his chest.

At that moment, the phone in his pocket let out a harsh vibration.

“Tsk.”

Lin Yuan frowned.

Normally, no one would call him except for ad promotions or loan scams.

But… thinking that he had indeed skipped class this morning, a slight unease flashed through his heart.

He took out his phone. The caller ID on the screen made him pause slightly.

Ye Zhining.

It was Teacher Ye herself calling.

The tense lines on his face from irritation and exhaustion almost instantly softened the moment he saw the name.

Even he himself didn’t notice that the corners of his tightly pressed lips had curved into a faint arc.

She was the only person in this cold city who would truly look at his soul.

He cleared his throat, pressed the answer button, and deliberately kept his voice steady, trying to hide his panting.

“Hello, Teacher Ye… good morning?”

Ye Zhining’s tense voice came from the other end. “Xiao Lin, why didn’t you come to class this morning? Did something happen?”

“Ah, um…”

Lin Yuan paused, vaguely brushing it off. He didn’t want to mention his real actions.

“Anyway, isn’t the school almost on holiday because of the disappearance case? Besides, I’ve already previewed the recent lessons.”

A soft sigh came from the receiver.

“Sigh, it’s good that you’re okay. You, child—even though you’ve already secured the recommendation spot, you still can’t skip the social interactions you should have with your classmates. Always going alone will only make your path narrower and narrower.”

“Not interested…”

Lin Yuan muttered in a low voice, his gaze sweeping over the empty, dirty alley entrance. “I have nothing in common with them.”

“Hehe, I knew you’d say that. So, are you free this afternoon? Want to chat with Teacher?”

Lin Yuan barely hesitated.

“Okay.”

Afternoon. The sky was somewhat overcast.

Lin Yuan arrived at a quiet little park near the school as agreed.

He leaned against the rusty railing, staring blankly at the gray, gloomy sky in the distance. His brows were unconsciously furrowed. The frustration of gaining nothing in the morning and the heavy worries piled on his shoulders.

“Student Lin, it looks like not only did you not sleep well today, but your worries are almost crushing you.”

A gentle voice with a familiar rhythm came from behind.

Lin Yuan turned around and saw Ye Zhining walking toward him with graceful steps.

She had changed out of her usual professional suit at school and was wearing a soft beige trench coat. The belt was loosely tied, and her long brown hair was not fully tied up as usual— a few strands fell over her shoulders, gently swaying in the wind and carrying a faint fragrance.

This made her seem less strict as an adult and more like a gentle,包容 big sister.

“…Teacher Ye.”

Lin Yuan quickly lowered his head, unconsciously stuffing his hands into his hoodie pockets. “I’m fine.”

“Lying isn’t what a good child should do.”

Ye Zhining walked to his side, leaned against the railing like him, and also gazed at the slightly oppressive city skyline in the distance.

She paused for a moment, as if savoring the breeze, then suggested in a casual tone.

“I just got off work too. Since you’re in a bad mood, why don’t you accompany Teacher to a place?”

Lin Yuan turned his head to look at her.

Ye Zhining turned to face him and smiled gently. “I heard there’s a small café called Cat Salt in the old district. It’s not big, but very quiet. They’ve adopted many cats inside. It’s very helpful for soothing the mood. Want to go check it out?”