Chapter 45: A Mysterious Side Hustle

Chapter Forty-Five: The Mysterious Outsider

“Actually…” The pale-faced boy who had been shy and silent until now suddenly spoke up. He seemed unaccustomed to talking with strangers, his voice low and soft. “Lately, You Xiaoyang hasn’t been running errands for others much.”

“Then how does he have money to go online?” Niu Geng didn’t believe it. “Haven’t you noticed how often he’s been going out to surf the internet recently? I’ve even dreamed a few times that teachers suddenly came to inspect our dorm at night, docking points from us, taking away the moving red flag, and making the whole school criticize us!”

“It’s true. I heard it myself the other day. Our class ‘Second Young Master’ called him over. I was sitting right behind him. ‘Second Young Master’ asked him to buy some snacks and drinks and gave him a fifty-yuan note. He said whatever change was left, over ten yuan, was all his. In the past, You Xiaoyang would have happily run off to do errands for him. But this time, he told ‘Second Young Master’ he wouldn’t go—he was too lazy! Not just me, even ‘Second Young Master’ was shocked and asked if he’d gone crazy, turning down a dozen yuan or so! You Xiaoyang said, ‘I’m self-reliant now, and I really don’t care about your little money.’ Then he laughed and ran off!” The pale-faced boy told the story still sounding surprised, clearly struck by how unusual this was for You Xiaoyang.

Niu Geng and the dark-skinned boy were equally stunned, their mouths slightly agape. The dark-skinned boy even said in disbelief, “Did he win the lottery or something? He used to be thrilled even to make a buck or two running errands! What’s going on now? Doesn’t even care about ten or so yuan?”

“When did he start ignoring those small errand fees?” An Changpu asked the pale-faced boy.

The pale-faced boy looked uneasy, blinking as he thought for a moment but couldn’t specify an exact time. He vaguely replied, “I’m not quite sure. But I heard that since he refused to run errands for our class’s famously rich ‘Second Young Master,’ it’s been at least two months. Probably since this semester started, he hasn’t helped anyone anymore… Yeah, I haven’t really seen him run errands for others since the semester began.”

“Who does You Xiaoyang usually get along with in your class?” Qin Ruonan asked, her eyes sweeping over the three boys.

Niu Geng curled his lip and said, “Definitely not me.”

The pale-faced boy remained silent.

Finally, the dark-skinned boy answered, “In our dorm, he’s relatively close to me. But in class, he doesn’t have many close friends. After the midterm exams last semester, he was dropped from the honors class. Since then, besides running errands for others to earn a little pocket change, he hasn’t really mingled much with us. He still carries some of the pride of being from the honors class, but his grades aren’t that great, so most people don’t want to get too close to him.”

“So he’s always been a loner at school?” Qin Ruonan pressed.

“Not exactly. He seems to have a close friend, but not in our class—a different class in the same grade. His name is Wu Donghai,” Niu Geng said.

An Changpu glanced at the time. They had already taken up more than half an hour of the students’ lunch break. Thinking there was nothing urgent left to ask, he and Qin Ruonan thanked the three boys and left the dormitory. Downstairs, Old Zhang was still waiting for them. After exchanging a few words, An Changpu deliberately ignored Old Zhang’s probing questions and left with Qin Ruonan.

After leaving the dorm building, they made their way back to Teacher Zhao’s office along familiar paths. Sure enough, except for her, the office was empty—everyone else was likely at lunch or resting. Zhao was alone, clearly worried about their investigation.

Regardless of You Xiaoyang’s grades or behavior, he was still her student, and no homeroom teacher would want trouble for their class.

“Well? Any useful information?” As soon as An Changpu and Qin Ruonan entered, Zhao stood up from her desk, obviously restless.

“We’ve gained some insight into You Xiaoyang’s daily life,” An Changpu said vaguely, answering her question without revealing anything concrete. Since You Xiaoyang’s safety was still uncertain, he had to be cautious. If the boy returned unharmed but the homeroom teacher learned of his misdeeds, it could severely impact his future.

To preempt further questioning, he took the initiative: “Teacher Zhao, do you know a student named Wu Donghai in our grade?”

“Wu Donghai… oh, yes! He’s in another class I teach. Why do you ask?” Zhao seemed nervous—first You Xiaoyang from her own class, now a student from another class she taught. “Is he missing too?”

“No, no, don’t worry. I heard Wu Donghai and You Xiaoyang are close childhood friends. We want to ask him about You Xiaoyang’s situation,” An Changpu explained quickly.

“Oh, that’s a relief!” Zhao sighed deeply. Glancing at the time, she waved her hand. “Come on, I’ll take you to Wu Donghai’s classroom!”

Perhaps relieved that Wu Donghai wasn’t another missing boy, Zhao’s mood lightened and her enthusiasm grew. Without any rival for awards eyeing her, she had fewer worries.

So An Changpu and Qin Ruonan followed Zhao down the stairs again, this time heading toward the academic building rather than the dormitory.

Since most students lived a fair distance from school, lunch breaks were ample. Many classrooms still had students eating lunch—some quietly, others laughing and playing. As Zhao led them through the corridor, students glanced up nervously at the teacher and the two strangers passing by. The classrooms would hush momentarily, then relax once they recognized it wasn’t their homeroom teacher.

At the door of a classroom midway down the hall, Zhao stopped and peeked inside. The room fell silent as curious students watched the teacher and two unfamiliar adults. Zhao waved and called out, “Wu Donghai, come here for a moment!”

A boy stood up from the back row. Though only in eighth grade, he was nearly 180 centimeters tall, broad-shouldered, with dark skin—like a black iron tower. In contrast, the slender You Xiaoyang looked notably smaller.

“Teacher Zhao, you’re calling me?” Wu Donghai stepped out politely, his voice still thick with the unmistakable crack of adolescence.

“Come with me,” Zhao motioned for him to follow her. Experienced as she was, she didn’t speak loudly in the hallway but gestured discreetly.

Wu Donghai didn’t hesitate and followed her downstairs, occasionally glancing back at the two strangers behind him.

Once outside, Zhao led him to a quiet corner by the building’s main entrance and introduced the two men: “Wu Donghai, these two are police officers. You Xiaoyang hasn’t come to school or returned home in days. They want to ask you some questions.”

“I know about You Xiaoyang. His parents have already called me to ask if he’s been with me. I told them that I haven’t seen him since last Thursday,” Wu Donghai said, turning his gaze to the officers, realizing they were the main focus.

Surprisingly, despite his imposing appearance, Wu Donghai spoke clearly and thoughtfully, seeming quite mature for his age.

“We know that,” An Changpu nodded, then smiled slightly at Zhao. “Teacher Zhao, you…”

Before he could finish, Zhao understood and nodded, turning away. “You two talk. I’ll return to the office. Come find me if you need anything.”

After Zhao left, An Changpu addressed Wu Donghai, “Actually, we wanted to ask if You Xiaoyang had any way of earning pocket money to go online.”

Wu Donghai gave an embarrassed smile. “You already know about that? I know a little, but not much. Can I ask—does this have anything to do with You Xiaoyang being missing? If not, I’d rather not answer.”

“It might be connected, or maybe not,” An Changpu said gently. “If you don’t tell us, it’s hard for us to verify any link between the two.”

Wu Donghai pondered seriously. “Better not take risks, then. Anyway, you’re not teachers. Telling you won’t affect You Xiaoyang, and it might even help him. Actually, You Xiaoyang took a part-time job outside to earn some money.”

“What kind of job?”

“Game boosting.”

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Today’s timing was truly fortunate, almost a narrow escape. Last night, Xiao Mo’s home internet suddenly crashed, leaving them helpless. They had planned to find an internet café this morning, but miraculously, the connection was restored by dawn. Thank heavens!