DTTM 39

Chapter 39: A Moth Against a Flame

“What are you doing?” A red figure rushed into the classroom from outside like a drop of lava falling into a snowdrift. It instantly split the crowd in a clear chasm.

Professor Yi, who was always smiling, frowned. She glanced at the third-year students who were restraining me and scolded, “Let go of him now!”

Almost the next second, I felt the force binding me diminish by more than half. I suddenly exerted my strength, took the opportunity to break free from those people, and ran towards Zong Yanlei, who was not far away.

“Young Master…” I didn’t know where he was injured, so I didn’t dare to move him.

Nearby, Professor Yi and Bishop Zheng had already started arguing.

“What exactly are you doing to the student? What do you mean by taking the punishment on behalf of the master! This is a university for imparting knowledge, not a nobleman’s study. What master-servant relationship is this? Is this how you treat him just because he is a commoner? This is discrimination!”

“Bishop Yi, you’re getting too worked up. I’m just trying to better regulate the classroom and maintain order. You’re misinterpreting normal teaching management as discrimination, which is also a form of prejudice against me.”

He grabbed my collar, covered his forehead, and a streak of bright red blood seeped from between his fingers. His eyes were as deep and unfathomable as a bottomless pool.

“Make this a big deal.” As soon as he finished speaking, he lost consciousness and collapsed into my arms.

I was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly checked his pulse and found that although the pulse under my fingertip was weak, it was still maintaining a steady rhythm.

He’s okay, he won’t die.

I closed my eyes and pulled Zong Yanlei into my arms. I was about to tighten my grip but then I let go weakly, afraid of hurting him if I used too much force.

“Professor Yi, the young master seems to be dying! There’s so much blood, he’s bleeding so much!” I started shouting, sounding panicked, as if Zong Yanlei was really on the brink of death.

The argument immediately stopped. Professor Yi ignored Bishop Zheng and the others and rushed over to check on Zong Yanlei’s condition.

“Let me see, let me see! Goodness, there’s so much blood!” She hurriedly pulled a handkerchief from her bosom and pressed it against the cut on Zong Yanlei’s forehead, shouting at Bishop Zheng, “Aren’t you going to call the school doctor right now? Are you only satisfied if someone dies?”

Bishop Zheng’s face darkened; he probably hadn’t expected Zong Yanlei to be so fragile.

“Go and call for help!” he shouted at the crowd.

“Professor Yi, the young master merely said that his illness had nothing to do with God, and they immediately pinned the grave crime of ‘blasphemy’ on him. This is simply a trumped-up charge!” With my backer, I spared no effort in displaying my superb acting skills. “This hasty conviction is not a doctrinal review at all; it is clearly using God’s name to eliminate dissidents and settle scores with the clan!”

To escalate a situation, one cannot focus on “personal conflicts.” Minor squabbles between children never attract the attention of outsiders; but once they escalate to the family level, it becomes a completely different story.

“Shut up, what nonsense are you spouting!” Upon hearing my last few words, Wuxi Chen’s expression suddenly darkened. He took a step forward and raised his fist to hit me.

Actually, if he had actually landed that punch on me in front of everyone, including the two bishops and a group of students, it would have been more advantageous for the subsequent developments. Unfortunately, his cronies reacted too quickly; he had barely raised his fist when two of them swiftly pulled him back.

What a pity.

As I gazed into Wuxi Chen’s eyes, filled with shock and anger, wondering whether I should provoke him further, everything suddenly went black, and I was enveloped in a warm embrace that smelled of bread.

“What are you doing? Trying to hit someone?” Professor Yi shielded me me from any malice with her body. “Everyone, disperse. What are you doing here? Don’t you have classes?”

A moment later, the sound of clothes rustling against each other could be heard, and the crowd began to move outwards in unison.

When Professor Yi released me, there was no one else in the classroom except for her and Bishop Zheng, including Wuxi Chen.

The school doctor arrived quickly and, after a brief examination, advised that it would be best to seek medical treatment off-campus as soon as possible, since it was impossible to determine whether Zong Yanlei’s injury would have any further impact on his condition.

I contacted Butler Li via the terminal. After consulting with Wuxi Li, Butler Li sent a car to pick us up and take us back to the Zong family.

Professor Yi also accompanied us back to the Zong family, she said she was worried about the two of us and insisted on squeezing into the hovercar sent by the Zong family with us.

Only when she saw Zong Yanlei lying quietly on the bed and the pulse oximeter by the bedside showing normal readings did she relax.

She gently stroked Zong Yanlei’s hair and said, “It’s good that you’re alright. I’ll be going now.”

Just then, Wuxi Li came in from outside.

To my surprise, when Wuxi Li met her, she did not address her as “Bishop,” but as “Teacher.”

“Teacher, thank you so much for today.” Wuxi Li glanced at Zong Yanlei on the bed, nodded and said, “Let me see you out. Jiang Man, you come too.”

I obeyed her order and followed behind the two of them.

Along the way, the two chatted about their old teacher-student relationship, and I learned that Wuxi Li had also been Professor Yi’s student more than 20 years ago.

“I thought royal power should be lower than that of the common people, and the Holy Church should protect the common people. But now, it is protecting the royal power. The powerful and wealthy are in power, and the common people have become the lowest of the low…”

Professor Yi was very disgusted with the corruption of the Penglai royal family. She believed that the Holy Church’s indulgence had led to the royal family’s audacity and caused the common people to suffer hardships that they should not have to endure.

“They said that pleasure makes people lazy, so they vehemently opposed artificial womb technology and bone marrow reproduction, advocating ‘children of nature.’ Now they are vigorously promoting the ‘Project Beyond the Century,’ telling everyone that the future of Penglai lies in the new world created by the neuro-navigation pod. I heard that the Crown Prince also wants to start some kind of racing competition and promote gambling. It’s truly absurd…”

Two figures, one tall and one short, one thin and one fat, walked slowly down the quiet corridor. The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the lattice windows, casting a warm golden light on their sides.

“Teacher, my position prevents me from agreeing with your views, please forgive me.” Despite saying this, judging from Wuxi Li’s more gentle tone than usual, she was not offended by Professor Yi’s words.

“Regarding the ‘Project Beyond the Century,’ I will oppose it to the end. This is not directed at you or your family, and I hope you can understand. Religion should not be used as a political tool; it is meant to give people peace, reflection, and enlightenment.”

“I understand.” Wuxi Li turned her head and smiled at the plump woman beside her with her hands behind her back. “What I’m about to say is on my behalf: I sincerely hope that you will seize power and become the Pope one day, Teacher.”

Professor Yi looked up and glared at her, annoyed, and said, “I wonder what can be done if the old man doesn’t die.”

After they finished speaking, the entire corridor seemed to fall even quieter. A moment later, without any warning, the two of them suddenly burst into laughter.

“Don’t you dare report me.” Professor Yi slapped Wuxi Li on the butt.

“Teacher, what kind of person do you think I am?”

This was the first time I had ever seen the usually noble and reserved “Madam Zong” smile with a set of white teeth. It was as if I had been transported back to more than twenty years ago when she was still a young girl, laughing carefree and unrestrainedly in front of her favorite teacher.

After seeing Professor Yi off, Wuxi Li watched the hovercar disappear into the distance. The moment she turned around, her face, which had been sunny just a moment ago, immediately became clouded with gloom.

“You have ten minutes to explain to me.” She walked briskly past me and strode towards Zong Yanlei’s bedroom.

I quickly followed: “Madam, Young Master Wuxi has really gone too far this time. Here’s what happened…”

“If I got hit today, wouldn’t that confirm the young master’s ‘blasphemy’? Isn’t this a slap in the face for you and the master?!”

When I returned to Zong Yanlei’s bedside, I had already embellished the story and elevated it to a new level.

Wuxi Li listened quietly as I finished speaking, then stared at Zong Yanlei, who was still fast asleep on the bed, without saying a word for a long time.

The boy on the bed was weak, pale, and emaciated, just a skeleton. My blood flowed continuously into his body, but it was never enough to nourish this flower that was withering day by day.

Seeing this, Wuxi Li’s face remained expressionless, showing neither anger nor pity, a stark contrast to her earlier carefree laughter.

As I was wondering what she was thinking, hesitating whether to add a few more words, she spoke first: “It’s better to offend a gentleman than a petty person. See, I told you he’d made a formidable enemy for himself.”

She walked to the bedside and reached out to touch the wound on Zong Yanlei’s forehead, but then changed her mind for some reason and simply tucked the blanket around him.

“That’s amazing. I’ve backed down again and again, and now even a little brat who hasn’t even grown his hair yet dares to shit on my head.” After saying that, she turned to me and said, “Until this matter is settled, none of you are allowed to go anywhere.”

“Yes, Madam,” I replied hastily.

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After Wuxi Li left, the bedroom fell silent again. Just then, Zong Yanlei on the bed silently raised one arm.

“Young Master.” I quickly went over to help him sit up.

Actually, I realized he wasn’t unconscious while we were in the car; he was just pretending to be seriously injured.

“Do you feel dizzy? How many is this?” I held up five fingers and waved them in front of him.

Zong Yanlei waved his hand dismissively: “What were you saying outside just now?”

“Oh…” I told him about the conversation between Wuxi Li and Professor Yi.

Zong Yanlei leaned against the headboard, listened to everything, and then coldly said: “Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.”¹

“Are you talking about Professor Yi?” This was the first time he had responded to me in a month. I was afraid he would remember that we were still in a cold war, so I unconsciously lowered my voice a little.

“You know that the neuro-navigation pod was developed by the Sun God Group, right?” Zong Yanlei asked.

“I know.”

“Then do you know why it was developed?”

“For…national prosperity?” I answered uncertainly, recalling the contents of the “Project Beyond the Century”.

Upon hearing this, Zong Yanlei’s mockery deepened: “‘Project Beyond the Century’ was my idea.”

I was taken aback: “Your…”

“I saw my father looking worried all day long and thought something terrible had happened. When I asked him, I found out that the development of the neuro-navigation pod had encountered an insurmountable bottleneck…” Zong Yanlei slowly recounted what had happened two months ago.

It was understandable that Professor Yi didn’t understand or comprehend the “Project Beyond the Century.” After all, who would have thought that the development of the neuro-navigation pod wasn’t some visionary idea, but rather a result of the king and pope gradually aging?

Those who reach the pinnacle of power are always particularly afraid of death. As the two most powerful people in this country enter their seventies, they begin to yearn for longevity, for an illusion that allows their souls to escape decay.

Therefore, they pressured Zong Shen’an to force Sun God to develop a product that would grant immortality to the soul.

Despite Zong Shen’an’s best efforts to bring the neuro-navigation pod to fruition, the technology still couldn’t completely separate the soul from the body, this was originally a pipe dream.

While Zong Shen’an was trying to buy time and racking his brains to figure out how to fool the King of Penglai, Zong Yanlei offered a good idea: instead of rushing to admit his defeat, he should tell the old emperor that he needed more data to support his claim.

“Only by building the network and recruiting more people can we be bound together by shared interests, sharing both prosperity and adversity, and protecting each other. So, I presented the ‘Project Beyond the Century’ to my father and mother, and to my surprise, they both agreed…”

Therefore, the neuro-navigation pod was a product that served desires from beginning to end, and had never had anything to do with people’s livelihood, national prosperity, or a bright future.

“Tell me, isn’t Professor Yi just a mantis trying to stop a chariot with its bare hands in a country like this?”

He talked a lot, and I was worried he might be thirsty, so I took a water cup from the side and handed it to him.

He raised his hand, but instead of taking it accurately as usual, he paused to assess the situation before continuing forward.

I stared into his eyes, and just as his fingers were about to touch the cup, I moved it back slightly.

His gaze didn’t follow the movement; it remained “fixed” on the top of the cup, his fingers groping aimlessly in the air.

He was going blind.

Perhaps it was caused by his head injury, or his condition had already deteriorated to this point; in any case, he was going blind.

“A country always needs people like this. Only with ‘good’ can we distinguish ‘evil’; only with ‘purity’ can we discern ‘turbidity’…” I placed the cup in his hand without mentioning the change in his eyesight.

He took a few sips, handed the cup back to me, and lay down again.

“If only I could upload my consciousness to the new world, then I wouldn’t have to die.” He sighed, closed his eyes, and then opened them again after a while. “Jiang Man, if I die, will you…?”

I waited for him to continue, but after a long time, nothing came of it.

“Do you think I did something wrong today?” In the end, he didn’t ask the remaining half of the question, but abruptly changed the subject.

“Of course you’re right. How could you be wrong, young master? Everything you do is right.” I didn’t press him for more details, but simply sat down by his bedside and watched the blood bag finish dripping.

In the dim light, Zong Yanlei closed his eyes again, his voice so soft it sounded like he was about to fall asleep: “It is not the God who gives me suffering and takes it away from me, it never will be.”

My gaze fell on his face, which, though thin, was still undeniably handsome, and I sighed inwardly.

Who could argue with that?

1. [螳臂当车 (táng bì dāng chē) literally “a mantis blocks a chariot with its arms.” It means: someone tries to stop something far more powerful/ overestimating your strength] ↩︎