Chapter 17: Going Crazy

Su Ming calmly turned his head to look, only to see Chen Tong with his feet propped on the table, a look of mockery on his face.

However, Su Ming wasn’t angry; he just calmly replied, “Then you go!”

“Why? I’m not going!” Chen Tong sneered.

“If you’re not going, then shut up. Mink, let’s go!” Su Ming couldn’t be bothered to waste words with Chen Tong and directly got up and walked towards Mink.

“Okay!” Mink nodded.

However, just as Su Ming and Mink were about to walk out the door, Chen Tong suddenly stood up and shouted, “Wait!”

“What do you want?” Su Ming turned to look at Chen Tong.

At this moment, Chen Tong walked over in a swaggering manner and said, “I want to go too.”

“Didn’t you say you weren’t going? Why do you want to go now?” Su Ming eyed Chen Tong and replied.

“None of your business. I feel like it,” Chen Tong replied with an arrogant, annoying look.

Mink was a little worried that Su Ming and Chen Tong would argue, so he quickly said, “Since you want to go, let’s all go together. I believe Teacher Tang will be very happy to see us.”

Su Ming didn’t say much more, and the three of them then left together.

An hour later.

The three of them, Su Ming, appeared in a residential building near the school. Mink stepped forward and knocked on the door in front of him.

Knock knock ~

Soon, the tightly shut door opened, and a middle-aged woman with some white hair, a face full of wrinkles, and a kind appearance looked at the three of them curiously.

“Who are you?”

“Auntie, is this Teacher Tang’s home? We are Teacher Tang’s students.”

“Oh, yes, I’m his mother. Please come in quickly.”

Tang Yan’s mother warmly invited the three of them in.

Su Ming entered the house and looked around. The furniture in the house was a bit old; the tables and chairs looked quite aged, and the living room was a bit small. The entire apartment was probably only about 80 square meters.

“Why don’t I see Teacher Tang?” Mink asked, puzzled.

“He’s in that room. You can go in,” Tang Yan’s mother said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, the three of them walked to the door of Tang Yan’s room.

The door was ajar.

“Teacher Tang, we’ve come to see you,” Mink called out, but there was no response.

The three of them exchanged glances, then pushed the door open and walked in.

In the narrow room, the curtains were tightly drawn, making the light very dim.

The alarm clock on the bedside table kept ticking.

The three of them looked at the bed, only to see Tang Yan curled up on the side, completely wrapped in a quilt, his head buried between his knees, like a wounded ostrich.

Mink stepped forward and cautiously asked with concern, “Teacher Tang, are you alright?”

“Alright? How could I be alright? My life, my love!” Tang Yan replied dejectedly, his head still buried.

Su Ming also felt a headache seeing Tang Yan in this state, but no matter what, it seemed like his current state was somewhat related to him. So, he deliberated for a moment and comforted him, “Teacher Tang, you must cheer up. Although dreams are distant, life is about striving. As long as there’s a glimmer of hope, we cannot give up! The moment you succeed, everything you’ve encountered will be nothing more than a bit of hardship.”

“You mean, I still have hope?” Tang Yan slowly raised his head to look at Su Ming, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

“Definitely! Teacher Tang, you’re such a good person, you’ll definitely be rewarded,” Mink quickly urged when he saw Tang Yan show a glimmer of hope.

Su Ming also quickly struck while the iron was hot, comforting him, “Teacher Tang, you must work hard now. You’re not fighting alone; you have us! As long as you teach us well, won’t your spot have hope? Then you can pursue your dreams.”

“That’s right, I still have hope, it’s just…” Tang Yan’s faint spark of hope was immediately ignited.

At this moment, Mink looked at Chen Tong, signaling him with his eyes to say something too, instead of just standing there like a block of wood.

Although Chen Tong was a bit reluctant, he still spoke, “Teacher Tang, even though you’re so old, there’s still hope after all.”

“Ah, am I already old? As expected, it’s over. You’re just comforting me; actually, I have no hope at all.” Tang Yan’s faint spark of hope was completely extinguished as if a basin of cold water had been poured on it. He immediately buried his head in his knees again.

Su Ming and Mink looked at Chen Tong simultaneously. They had just managed to comfort him, and he completely ruined it.

Chen Tong shrugged, looking like he didn’t do it on purpose.

Su Ming and Mink had no choice but to continue comforting Teacher Tang.

“Teacher Tang, Chen Tong didn’t mean that. You’re not old at all. We have such long lifespans…”

More than an hour later.

Under the night sky, the three of them, Su Ming, walked out of Teacher Tang’s house dejectedly, then walked along the deserted street.

“Chen Tong, you said Su Ming couldn’t talk, but you’re the same!” Mink was really going crazy. They had come to comfort Teacher Tang, but now the situation was even worse.

“Tch, what can I do? He’s just too sensitive,” Chen Tong replied disdainfully, his hands in his pockets.

“You know Teacher Tang is very fragile right now, yet you speak without thinking. What do we do now? If Teacher Tang can’t adjust his state, we’ll have to self-study tomorrow. There’s no substitute teacher now,” Mink replied angrily.

“What does that have to do with me? I don’t care,” Chen Tong replied stubbornly.

Just then, Su Ming, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped. Chen Tong and Mink, who were arguing, were caught off guard and almost bumped into Su Ming.

“Su Ming, why did you suddenly stop?” Mink asked Su Ming, puzzled.

Su Ming didn’t answer Mink, but instead looked ahead with a slight frown.

Mink and Chen Tong immediately felt that something was wrong and also looked ahead. They saw ten ruffians with unfriendly eyes, dressed in flashy clothes, and holding wooden sticks, walking out of the alley ahead.

Leading them was a muscular man with a bushy beard, long orange hair, and a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

They walked directly in front of the three of them, blocking their path.

At this moment, a younger thug excitedly said, “Brother Qiang, it’s that fat guy! We finally caught him.”

“You don’t need to tell me that,” Wang Qiang replied with a sneer.

Su Ming took a deep breath. Indeed, they were after him. He had really been careless, he shouldn’t have left the school.

But there was nothing to regret; what was meant to come would eventually come. So, Su Ming turned to Mink and the other and said, “They’re after me. It has nothing to do with you two. You should leave.”

“No way! As the class monitor, how could I abandon you?” Mink said with an overflowing sense of responsibility, striking a boxing pose at the same time.

Seeing that Mink wasn’t leaving, Su Ming turned to look at Chen Tong. Seeing him standing there motionless, he asked curiously, “Why aren’t you leaving?”

“Hmph, you tell me to leave, and I leave? Don’t I have any dignity? I’m not leaving today!” Chen Tong replied very arrogantly.

“Alright, then let’s face it together.” Su Ming chuckled. Although Chen Tong was sharp-tongued and usually acted extremely arrogant, he was truly loyal at critical moments.