Chen Lishu was equally aware of this, and immediately said, "This likely still requires consultation with Song Shi's guardian. She is on her way here now..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Song Shi caught a glimpse of a figure approaching the hallway. She turned her head, and in the empty corridor, her biological mother, dressed in a black work outfit, walked briskly toward her with a stern, emotionless expression.
Behind her, Liu Chichi, in a flowing green gauze dress, moved at a relatively lighter pace.
The two of them walked towards her, one in front and the other behind, but her mother never spared a glance in her direction. As the bodyguards pushed open the office door, her mother entered without a word.
Liu Chichi's gaze remained fixed on Song Shi, and upon stopping two steps away, she sized her up with a faint, mocking laugh. "Just two days apart, and you've already turned into this."
Song Shi couldn't be bothered to respond, her attention focused entirely on the office.
Chen Lishu was explaining the situation to her biological mother.
Liu Chichi, feeling ignored, grew slightly uncomfortable and said, half-heartedly, "You really look like your father."
Song Shi finally raised her eyes, "What?"
Liu Chichi snorted, "You only bring trouble to your mother. You're a disaster."
Song Shi asked calmly, "Do explain."
Liu Chichi blinked, taken aback by the calmness in Song Shi's voice.
Tightening her fists, she sneered, "Do I really need to? Don't you know what your father has done?"
Song Shi: "... I really don't."
Liu Chichi pursed her lips, turned her head, and took a few steps back to lean against the railing on the other side of the hallway, casually resting her arm on it, lost in her own thoughts.
Song Shi found herself speechless for once. This person was such a buzzkill; she had been preparing for a story.
Out of sight, out of mind. Song Shi crossed her arms and leaned against the wall with her back to her.
Inside, Wei Yuyu's mother was loudly accusing someone, while the mother of the original body remained silent.
The reason Wei Yuyu's mother was so emotionally unstable was that she knew the decision was no longer in her hands.
Due to Song Shi's special status as a high-risk berserk-type potential ability user, along with Wei Yuyu's culpability, as long as the other party stood firm in their attitude, rejecting the proposal, she—
"I agree."
The indifferent voice resonated through the cold wall, reverberating in Song Shi's ears, shattering all her previous calculations. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly.
Liu Chichi, standing at a distance, did not hear the conversation inside.
She spoke to herself, "I awakened. Healing type, B-grade. Now all three of us in the family are awakened. We'll be moving to the inner city. We've set the date. We'll leave the outer city in three days, and after that, don't bother my mother with your school's trivial matters."
Liu Chichi's voice overlapped with the sounds from inside.
"You can do whatever you want with her. I have no objections. Also, Teacher Chen, since I'm moving to the inner city soon, I hope you can resolve any issues with Song Shi at the control school, like you did for the past two years..."
...
As Song Shi signed the "Consent for Admission to Control School" form, she glanced at the "Guardian's Signature" section and saw her biological mother's name: Zhao Jing.
The pen pressure was so strong it almost pierced through the paper, with the strokes trembling slightly at the end.
After quickly signing her name, the woman walked past her, grabbing Liu Chichi's hand, who was standing dazed at the door, and swiftly leaving.
It was as though she feared something might happen at any moment and she wouldn't be able to rid herself of this burden.
Song Shi withdrew her gaze, bent down, and picked up the pen used by her mother. She wrote her name carefully after the signature of the other.
She took a barely perceptible deep breath, adjusting her emotions and sweeping away the sudden feeling of abandonment that had risen in her chest. After all, she wasn't her real mother—what did she have to feel upset about?
As for being sent to the control school, so what if it was managed by the City Guard?
If she were to die there within the three months, Wei Yuyu's family wouldn't be able to explain it to the school.
Wei Yuyu's mother had specifically mentioned that if she hadn't awakened by the end of three months, they would have her expelled.
This meant at least her life wouldn't be at risk during these three months.
Three months was enough time for her to awaken successfully.
As for their plot to send her to the control school, it was clear they had already prepared to strip her of her dignity there.
But danger and opportunity often go hand in hand.
Staying outside, her progress was so slow. Perhaps in another place, her awakening might advance rapidly.
"Your name is Song Shi, right?" Suddenly, Wei Yuyu's mother spoke up from the sofa.
Song Shi snapped back to reality but didn't respond, finishing the last stroke of her signature.
The woman sat on the sofa, legs naturally crossed, her gaze downward as she fiddled with her crimson-painted nails.
"People like you, living in the slums, low-class citizens, should know better. Temperament like that—it's something you should never have."
Song Shi paused as she capped the pen and raised her head.
The woman blew on her nails, adjusted the white fur shawl draped over her shoulders, lifted her eyelids, and said, "Especially when dealing with someone from a different class, it's best to tuck away your fangs and claws, and behave like a meek little pressure valve. Be nice to others, and it will be better for you too."
Song Shi rubbed her ears, so this woman's point was that, as someone from the slums, she should simply submit to her son's bullying? No retaliation, no response?
Song Shi had never heard such disgusting sermons in her entire life.
"Your son made a gesture I really liked."
The woman didn't quite follow Song Shi's train of thought. She frowned, confused, staring at her.
Chen Lishu, still wary, glanced over. He was still somewhat cautious about Song Shi, worried that she might suddenly lash out like she did in class, throwing a chair at Wei Yuyu's mother.
His gaze subtly drifted to the two bodyguards standing outside the door. Song Shi must have seen them when she entered. He didn't believe she was so deranged that she would act out in front of them.
Still uneasy, Chen Lishu pretended to casually walk over to the table, as if handling the contract, positioning himself to intervene should Song Shi suddenly lose control.
Under his vigilant gaze and the woman's puzzled expression, Song Shi raised her middle finger and made two gestures toward the woman.
The woman: "?!"
Her eyes widened, her crow's feet nearly smoothing out.
Chen Lishu sighed in relief at first, but then felt a new wave of nervousness.
Her life was now in their hands, and yet she dared to blatantly provoke them like this.
The woman was rendered speechless with rage, her fingers dug deeply into the leather sofa, her lips moved for a long time, but she couldn't utter a single word.
It seemed that no one had ever treated her so rudely, and she had no idea how to respond.
"I learned that from your son," Song Shi said with a sly smile. "Here, this is for you, from your son."
The elegant lady was so enraged that she felt the world spinning around her.
Chen Lishu stomped his foot anxiously and, from an angle the lady couldn't see, nudged Song Shi's arm with his elbow.
Song Shi lifted her gaze, glancing at him. Seeing his warning look, she shrugged nonchalantly and clasped her hands behind her back.
Hurriedly, Chen Lishu bent down, offering apologies, and fetched a new cup from the shelf to pour her some tea.
With nothing left to do there, Song Shi turned to leave.
"Where do you think you're going?" The woman, catching sight of Song Shi's retreating figure, grew agitated, angrily brushing away the tea in front of her.
The freshly fetched cup shattered on the ground.
The woman, losing all pretense of elegance, shrieked at Song Shi, "You're going today, whether you like it or not!"
Without turning her head, Song Shi replied indifferently. She had seen the date on the contract—the admission to the reformatory school was effective starting today.
"I'm going back to pack my things." Though she had nothing left to pack—her belongings had been destroyed in the explosion, leaving her with nothing but the optical device on her wrist—she still needed to gather something together.
"Absolutely not!" The woman, seemingly afraid she might use this as a chance to escape, barked, "You two, seize her!"
Just as she reached the doorway, two men grabbed her arms and dragged her back.
Song Shi, now detained: "..."
Chen Lishu reluctantly shifted his gaze from the shattered cup on the ground, cautiously attempting to diffuse the tension. "Miss Song, everything you need is provided there. There's no need to go home. I'll drive you there right now."
After addressing Song Shi, he respectfully bowed toward the lady, seeking her approval. "As sending her to the reformatory school requires handling some formalities, I'll accompany her immediately. Do you have any further instructions, Madam?"
The lady's face, still livid from her earlier confrontation with Song Shi, glared sharply at Chen Lishu. "If you dare pull any tricks, don't expect to continue teaching at Renxi High School. Don't forget who put you in your position."
She had clearly sensed Chen Lishu's subtle attempts to aid Song Shi.
Sweat had long begun trickling down the back of Chen Lishu's neck, but he didn't dare wipe it. Bowing even lower, he stammered nervously, "Of course, Madam, of course..."
The lady cast him a sidelong glance, elegantly stood up, adjusted the shawl draped over her shoulders, and walked around the sofa. As she passed by Song Shi, she let out a cold snort, seemingly in a better mood now that she thought about the control she would soon wield over Song Shi.
Song Shi lowered her gaze, staring at the shattered porcelain on the floor. She remained expressionless, as if she hadn't heard anything.
"Let's go see my son," the lady declared, striding away with her two bodyguards in tow.
Only then did Chen Lishu dare to pull out his crumpled handkerchief to wipe the sticky sweat from his face.
"Let's go." He forced a bitter smile.
As they left the administrative building and headed toward the garage, they passed the first teaching block.
The third-year classes were all housed there.
Since it was still class time, the area was quiet save for a gym class taking place nearby.
Just as they approached the garage entrance, Song Shi spotted a figure running toward them from afar.
Clad in a school uniform, a few strands of hair slipped loose during her hurried strides.
It was Tang You.
(End of Chapter)