Chapter 4: Let’s go, get up!
After hanging up the phone, Tang Yingjie hurriedly started changing clothes on the bed.
“Why are you in such a rush? The counselor said you can go anytime this morning. It’s not even eight yet.”
Wang Yaoguang, still lying in bed, watched the busy Tang Yingjie and complained.
“Better to get this matter settled early.”
He shrank his whole body under the blanket, took off the Hero outfit, and changed into a long-unworn pair of jeans and T-shirt.
Hm, the clothes felt a bit small.
He stretched his body slightly. Three years of training and fighting in the other world had not turned him into a muscular giant. His physique now only looked a little stronger than when he first crossed over three years ago.
But he seemed to have grown a bit taller during these three years. Otherwise, the clothes that once fit him perfectly shouldn’t have become tight.
Looked like he needed to buy new clothes.
After washing up and getting ready, he casually grabbed a bag and hurried out the door.
As the dorm’s security door closed, snoring sounds gradually resumed inside the room.
The matter was handled surprisingly smoothly.
After leaving the dorm, Tang Yingjie first went to the cafeteria and devoured a long-missed bowl of Hunan rice noodles.
Then he slowly made his way to the office building at the east gate of the campus. Only when he arrived did he realize he had completely forgotten which floor and which room the counselor’s office was in.
Fortunately, he had a mouth and still remembered the counselor’s name.
He asked along the way and successfully found the office.
After confirming the situation with the counselor and signing a few papers, he explained that he lost his phone outside, which was why he couldn’t be contacted.
Next came the counselor’s lecture.
However, since the person had returned safely, the counselor’s heart was completely at ease. After saying a few words, he let him go.
He called the police to cancel the missing person report.
Then he lent his phone to Tang Yingjie so he could inform his family that he was safe.
Looking at the phone and the already dialed number handed over by the teacher, Tang Yingjie understood that this was the real biggest pressure right now.
The phone rang for a while before it was picked up.
A somewhat lazy female voice came from the other end.
“Hello~? Teacher Wang? What’s the matter~”
Hearing this long-missed voice, Tang Yingjie’s eyes couldn’t help but feel a bit moist.
Only at this moment did he truly feel that after three years, he had finally returned to his own world.
“Mom, it’s me.”
His voice carried a trace of choking.
“Oh, it’s Little Ying.”
The voice on the other end immediately became cheerful.
“You’re calling me using your teacher’s phone. Did someone at school bully you? If someone bullied you, just tell Mom. I’ll have your dad find people to back you up at school.”
Counselor: “…?”
That didn’t sound right?
He clearly remembered that when he called Tang Yingjie’s parents two days ago, their attitude wasn’t like this?
What the hell was “find people to back you up”?
What exactly did Tang’s family do??
“No, no. It’s just that I lost my phone and couldn’t be contacted for three days. Didn’t the school notify you?”
“Ah? Oh… yeah, something like that happened.”
Something like that happened… what the hell.
Tang Yingjie’s face fell.
He suddenly felt like his emotions had been for nothing.
But thinking about it carefully, it made sense. He had spent three years adventuring in another world, while for his mother it was only three days without contact.
Naturally, she didn’t have such strong feelings.
However!
“Mom, did you forget about this?”
“How could I! Mom has been keeping your matter in mind the whole time! Well, at least I had your dad keep it in mind!”
Great, so basically no one kept it in mind.
Tang Yingjie gave up.
Then his mother continued on the phone.
“Besides, you are my son. It’s just disappearing for a few days. What big trouble could there be?”
Just as Tang Yingjie was about to continue with his emotions, his mother’s next words slapped him hard again.
“Moreover, technology is so advanced nowadays. There are surveillance cameras everywhere. Finding you would be easy. This is my trust in you, and my trust in the police and the country….”
“Alright, I got it. If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up first.”
Tang Yingjie was exhausted from the conversation with his mother.
Anyway, since his family wasn’t worried about him, he could relax too.
If he had known his family didn’t take his disappearance seriously at all, he should have enjoyed the other world’s scenery a bit longer before coming back.
“Wait, son, don’t hang up yet. Didn’t you say you lost your phone?”
“Ah? What about it?”
“I just transferred five thousand yuan to your card. Go buy a new phone yourself. Mom is going to play mahjong… oh no, going to cook. Be good at school, listen to your teachers, study hard, and eat less. Don’t end up like your cousin, who got all swollen after graduating from university.”
“……Okay, got it.”
Beep beep beep……
“Teacher, I’m done.”
Tang Yingjie returned the phone to the counselor.
“Good. As long as you’ve explained it clearly to your family. Don’t run off like this again! Since this is your first offense, I’ll just give you a warning. Go back and write a self-criticism essay for me. You know how to write one, right? Fill two full pages on college paper.”
After taking back his phone, the counselor kept a straight face and delivered the final verdict.
“Oh.”
Tang Yingjie nodded obediently.
“Understood, teacher. No problem, teacher. Is there anything else?”
“Mm, you can go back now.”
“Alright, goodbye teacher.”
After hearing the counselor’s punishment decision for his three-day disappearance, Tang Yingjie felt greatly relieved inside.
Thank goodness.
It was just an oral warning plus one self-criticism essay.
The long lecture earlier must have been the oral warning, and now he only needed to submit the essay and that would be it.
He almost thought he was going to get a demerit.
Tang Yingjie, who had walked out of the office, felt completely relaxed all over.
In reality, he still didn’t understand the school’s rules well enough.
Even if he had really received some punishment this time, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. As long as it didn’t affect his graduation certificate or degree certificate, it wouldn’t impact him much.
This was also why the old-timers in their third and fourth years ignored school rules so freely.
In a cheerful mood, he returned to the dorm, took his bank card from his desk, and prepared to withdraw cash from the bank near the cafeteria to buy a new phone.
He glanced back at the three roommates still burrowed in their beds sleeping. After thinking for a moment, he walked to the window and yanked the curtains open.
Bright sunlight poured in, nearly turning the three roommates into candles.
“What the fck, are you trying to die? Close the curtains!”
“Hey, it’s Sunday. What are you all lying around for? Let’s go to Wanda.”
“Go my ass. It’s so hot outside with this big sun. Can’t we go at night?”
“Bro, please let me sleep a little longer. I only slept at two in the morning yesterday.”
Tang Yingjie looked at Wang Yaoguang speechlessly.
“Even if you slept at two, it’s almost ten now. You should have gotten your eight hours, right? Come on, come on. It’s boring if I go alone. I’ll treat you all to all-you-can-eat barbecue for lunch. The two-hundred-yuan-per-person one.”
“？”
“！”
“What the fck, Old Tang? Did you strike it rich while you were out?”
“Oh yeah! Sleep my ass! Life is all about movement! I’m f*cking getting up!”
“You guys go, I really can’t. Let me sleep a bit more….”
Wang Yaoguang wriggled under the blanket and covered his head.
“No, if we’re going, we go together. If not everyone goes, then I’m not treating.”
Hearing Tang Yingjie’s words, the others immediately started dragging the still-lying Wang Yaoguang.
“Sleep my ass, get up already.”
“Tmd, you’re the only one who doesn’t sleep at night and doesn’t wake during the day. All you know is playing your damn otaku games. Get up!”
“Aaaaah!!”
Wang Yaoguang’s miserable screams rang out in the dorm.
Considering they were going to a place like Wanda Mall, everyone took turns showering before heading out.
So by the time they left, the four of them looked much more presentable compared to their messy just-woke-up appearance.