Chapter 285: Myriad Paths in One

I never thought Bai Yang gege would come to save me.

I thought I'd have to live in that room forever.

But Bai Yang gege really did come, and he brought Hu shushu, She shushu, and Hei Yang shushu with him.

All four of them came to rescue me.

That night, Bai Yang gege fought fiercely with the She Tou Ren. Hu shushu kept covering my eyes so I couldn't watch.

But I could still hear it—the sound of fighting.

They were both incredibly strong, like two tractors colliding.

In the end, Bai Yang gege won, and the She Tou Ren's face was covered in blood.

Bai Yang gege didn't kill him; he just warned him to be more careful in the future.

I didn't know what had happened, and I wasn't sure if I should be scared or happy.

They had abandoned me before, but now they came back to save me. Would they abandon me again?

I can handle people being mean to me, but I can't stand it if they treat me well and then throw me away.

Hu shushu held me in his arms and carried me back to Bai Yang gege's room.

"Little Mouse... are you okay?" Hu shushu asked me.

"I... I'm fine, Hu shushu..." I forced a small smile.

Hei Yang shushu overheard and muttered under his breath, "Damn bastard... I totally forgot that old thief Di She had that trick up his sleeve. Good thing we got there early."

"Oh!" She shushu looked at my clothes, slapped his forehead, and went to the cabinet to pull out a dirty suit. "I've got an extra suit here. I'll alter it for you tonight, and you can wear it to work tomorrow."

"Why are you buttering him up like that..." Hu shushu said.

"What's the big deal? I'll just skip sleep for two nights," She shushu replied, shaking his head and winking at Hu shushu.

"Go ahead and alter the clothes, then. I'll put Little Mouse to bed."

"Why should you do it?" She shushu exclaimed. "You're so ugly—how are you going to lull someone to sleep?"

"Who else is going to do it if not me?" Hu shushu shot back. "Are you? With that stench of yours, you'd probably suffocate him!"

I could sense the atmosphere shifting. It seemed like they didn't want to abandon me anymore.

"Mouse, from now on, this will be your resting room," Bai Yang gege said. "Let me reintroduce myself: I am 'Di Yang,' and starting now, I'm your teacher. You'll be my student. I'll guide your path to advancement, and who knows, one day I might even recommend you for the 'Sheng Xiao Fei Sheng Dui Du He Tong' contract."

"T-T-Teacher?" I jumped up, hesitating about whether to say "Hello, teacher."

"From today forward, you'll live with my other three students," Bai Yang gege continued. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask them. If they can't answer, come to me. Remember, on this train, only we four can discipline you—no one else."

For some reason, I felt really happy about that.

"B-But can I really do it...?" I glanced at Bai Yang gege nervously, worried I'd mess everything up again.

"There's no such thing as someone who 'can't' in this world," Bai Yang gege said gently. "Because there are many paths in life, and everyone has their own. We just choose different ones, but that doesn't mean we can't reach the end."

Ever since Bai Yang gege called himself "teacher," he suddenly seemed just like a real teacher.

From that night on, I experienced the happiest days of my life.

During the day, I'd sit by the door of the empty warehouse, and at night, I'd come back and play with everyone.

I gradually discovered that the uncles all had such interesting personalities.

Even though Hei Yang shushu didn't talk to me much, he always left a little drawing on my bedside every day.

I heard that Hei Yang shushu used to not only draw but also do calligraphy, and Hu shushu said that the fan designs he made could even be sold for money back in the day.

She shushu was the most cheerful of the four. He often teased me to make me laugh, and I usually forgot about the bad smell from his mask. He's really a good person—he's always trying to train me by asking intellectual riddles, though I never figure them out.

The most fun one has to be Hu shushu. He's incredibly obedient to me and agrees to whatever I say. I heard that Hu shushu has a daughter my age, and the reason he became 'Hu' here is so that one day he can go back and see her.

Hu shushu always finds ways to bring me a pack of snacks. His game area seems to be a supermarket, where he can dig up some unwanted treats.

Even though a lot of the snacks he brings are already spoiled, I'm still thrilled—after all, no one's ever bought me snacks before.

I kind of envy Hu shushu's daughter.

If only my dad missed me like that... Too bad he got rid of me a long time ago.

Even if I could go back one day, I wouldn't know where to find him. If my dad were even half as good as Hu shushu... I'd be content even in death.

As for Bai Yang gege...

He's a really strange person.

He's different from all of us—he never sleeps and spends all his free time locked in his room reading books. Every book he reads is so profound; I've never even seen anything like them.

What's even more curious is... Bai Yang gege doesn't seem to have any reason to leave.

He's said more than once that he has no family out there, so he'd rather stay here. But his games are so outstanding that he supposedly meets his 'targets' every day. They won't tell me what the 'targets' are, just that once a game is designed, it can't be changed, so Bai Yang gege will eventually get out.

I'm a bit excited about that day... and a bit scared.

Hu shushu says that if Bai Yang gege really leaves, then we three won't have a 'teacher' anymore.

We might get randomly assigned to other 'Di Ji' zodiac signs... or even to Di Long.

Then I probably couldn't live with the three uncles anymore.

But I really do hope Bai Yang gege gets out.

This place clearly isn't a normal world, and he's such a good person—he shouldn't be stuck here forever.

It's like a massive prison that locks us all in.

The uncles say that once you board this train, you can't get off.

We're all 'participants' here, masks or not. Whenever they talk about this, the uncles' eyes get so full of regret.

It feels like we've trapped ourselves, whether we're the participants or not... like no one can escape.

The day everything changed was just like any other.

Bai Yang gege was still sitting at the table, calling us over for a meal.

But halfway through eating, he suddenly said something out of the blue:

"Everyone, I've paved the way for your futures."

"What...?"

"I've recommended you three to Tian Long and handed in the required amounts on your behalf," Bai Yang gege said.

"Our... amounts?"

"Three thousand six hundred 'Dao' for each person, totaling ten thousand eight hundred. I've already given them all to Tian Long."