"Director Li, how should we help her recuperate now?" Zhang Wan patted Fu Qingdai and asked right after.
Su Jin looked straight at her. "Recuperation is actually simple enough, but before we talk about that, we need to address the root problem. For a child her age, the causes of her current state aren't just from school, but also from the two of you."
"What you were just doing was making her problem worse."
"Huh?" Zhang Wan felt a little put on the spot. "Kids these days are just fragile and dramatic. Back in our day..."
"Saying that counts as doing it too."
"..."
Su Jin let out a sigh. "Vladimir Xu Kun once said: 'There is only one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide.' Human beings are animals who need meaning to survive."
Fu Hu and his wife listened intently.
"She suffered a blow at school and had already lost her sense of purpose in life. Coming home only to be misunderstood by the two of you naturally makes things worse. It could even lead to severe suicidal tendencies and hallucinations. While she hasn't started hallucinating yet and things aren't too severe, you need to nurse her mental state right away and avoid provoking her."
"She's already hallucinating, Director Li! What do we do? When will she be able to go to school?" Zhang Wan turned pale with shock, and Fu Hu's face went white as well.
"Waaah—!" Fu Qingdai let out a wail like a fire alarm.
"Could you stop mentioning school? Do you have any idea how many times you've hurt her without realizing it?" Su Jin cast a sidelong glance at Zhang Wan. "It's already gotten this bad—why didn't you intervene sooner? Now that she's experiencing hallucinations, there are barely any psychologists in Longshan City who could help treat her, and the country as a whole is very underdeveloped in this field."
"Th-then... do you have anyone to recommend?" Fu Hu swallowed hard and asked.
"I only just returned to Longshan. How could I know the local situation?" Su Jin shook his head. "My mentor certainly could have helped, but unfortunately, he passed away last year."
"Could you treat her, then?" Zhang Wan blurted out.
"Don't talk nonsense! Director Li isn't a doctor, how could he have time to treat patients?" Fu Hu snapped at her, before turning back around. "Um... Director Li, could you give us some guidance? Tell us what to do?"
"What to do... That isn't something that can be explained in just a few words." Su Jin sighed, then shifted his tone. "How about this: we live right across the hall from each other anyway. I'm out during the day, and in the evening, my hours at home are similar to yours. I'm not busy at night. You can have the girl come over to my place, or I can come over here. We're neighbors, so there's no need to stand on ceremony.
"I'll counsel her for two hours a day, and after seven days, she should be able to return to school. Have her practice physical activities like singing and dancing in her spare time, and it'll be much easier for you two to help restore her mindset later."
"Oh, really?!" Zhang Wan stood up in excitement. "Thank you so much, Director Li! I..."
"What Director Li! It's Bureau Chief Li!" Fu Hu also leapt to his feet in excitement, glaring at Zhang Wan before lifting his cup. "Bureau Chief Li, let me toast you! I'm a rough fellow—everything I feel is in this cup!"
With that, he drained it in one gulp!
Fu Qingdai's head hung low, mortified to the extreme.
"Don't do that. It won't be too late to call me Bureau Chief Li in half a month." Su Jin smiled faintly and turned his head toward Fu Qingdai. "Besides, we should respect the girl's own wishes, shouldn't we?
"Qingdai, would you be willing to spare some time in the evenings to chat with me? Don't worry, no pressure at all—it's just a casual chat."
Fu Qingdai pursed her lips and nodded.
"Then that settles it!" Su Jin spread his hands, smiling at the couple. "I'll come over tomorrow. Now, let's keep chatting about whatever you'd like."
The script had long been written, and the mark had fallen right into the trap.
The rest of the conversation was naturally dominated entirely by Su Jin. Just pulling out the insanely slick Mi 6 was enough to dazzle the local couple out of their wits.
What was more, Fu Qingdai chimed in from time to time with prearranged questions, doing everything she could to help build up his persona.
As for questions he couldn't answer... of course there were some, but his response was a single line:
[State secret. No comment.]
An hour later, having eaten and drank their fill.
Su Jin packed up his things and prepared to head home, pocketing the two hundred and thirty-one yuan and fifty cents that Fu Qingdai had secretly slipped him.
Fu Hu stood by the doorway holding the door open.
His dark face had flushed visibly crimson. A grin was plastered on his face—he had clearly been plied with plenty of alcohol during the meal.
"Director Li, it was truly wonderful meeting you today. Ah... if not for you, I'd have thought that when I left the military, everyone was just being polite. I never imagined the leadership and my comrades had such high praise for me!
"And my daughter—I really don't know how to thank you. If there's anywhere you need help, as long as it's within my power, just say the word!"
Su Jin waved his hand. "There will be things I'll need your help with later, but nothing too big. Don't stress over it. Close the door; I'm heading back."
"Wait a second, Director Li!" Fu Hu's voice rose.
"Is there something else?"
"Director Li... I..." Fu Hu hesitated, his tongue slightly tangled. "That... National Intervention Bureau..."
After hesitating for ages, he still couldn't bring himself to utter the word "job."
Su Jin realized what he meant and chuckled. "Lao Fu, there's no need to stand on ceremony with me. Wanting to move up in the world is nothing to be embarrassed about. You want to ask if I can recommend you for a job, right?"
Fu Hu nodded awkwardly.
The connection had already been made! Besides, this man had real skills—an absolute master! His credentials were solid.
Although he had already benefited from the man's generosity, that job with a ten-thousand-yuan base salary... he wanted it too~~
"Lao Fu, I won't hide it from you. I have the capability, but I can't give you a one-hundred-percent guarantee. The main issue is that I'm not completely clear on what openings the bureau has right now. How about this: wait for word from me, and I'll give you an answer tomorrow. Sound good?"
"That sounds wonderful! Thank you so much, Director Li! Get some rest early!" Fu Hu thanked him effusively.
Su Jin waved, and the door was closed.
Turning back to his own apartment, he pulled out his keys, about to unlock the door.
From behind the Fu family's door across the hall, the cheerful, lively chatter sounded muffled yet jarring.
It echoed down the empty corridor.
With a soft click, the sensor light overhead went out, plunging the stairway into darkness and leaving only the sound of Su Jin's increasingly heavy breathing.
The hand holding the key suddenly dropped. His body swayed slightly, and he leaned his forehead limply against the iron door, letting out a sigh with his eyes closed.
A profound emptiness settled in his chest.
He missed home... In the past, he hadn't even wanted to go home for the New Year.
This time, he truly missed it—missed it terribly...
Exhaling a few heavy breaths, Su Jin wiped the corners of his eyes, opened the door, and went inside.
Dark clouds bore down on the city as freezing winds howled.
Torrents of pouring rain swept between the buildings.
The streets were already a desolate wasteland... with only the walking dead remaining.
Rotting corpses wandered aimlessly down the streets.
Su Jin crouched at a street corner, clad in a raincoat, observing the movement ahead.
Right at that moment, a zombie behind him made a sound and lunged violently!
Su Jin turned his head, greeted by a gaping, bloody maw lunging straight for him.
"Fuck!!"
His eyes nearly split with fury, and he snapped his jaws back, biting toward the zombie's face.
"Gasp—!!!!"
Jolted awake from the nightmare, Su Jin was soaked in sweat, clutching his neck and gasping for air like a drowning man.
Right now, his throat was so dry it felt as though razor blades had been shoved down it.
A human-shaped imprint of sweat had already soaked into the mattress behind him.
Taking several deep breaths, Su Jin's heartbeat gradually returned to normal. He rubbed his face hard.
A dream... It seems my nerves are stretched too thin...
Reaching to his right, he felt around until he touched his notebook, immediately flipping it open.
The grain shop will deliver grain tonight, and during the day I still need to buy some supplies... Go to the slaughterhouse first to practice, handle the rest in the afternoon.
Quickly. I must adapt to the pressure as soon as possible and desensitize myself in advance.
I cannot break down! If my mind breaks, everything is finished!
After bolstering his resolve, Su Jin lifted his head.
His bloodshot eyes looked straight at the calendar on the opposite wall, marked with a row of red crosses.
Until the apocalypse arrived... only three days remained!
Chapter 16