novelraw Chapter 133: Cooperation
Chapter 133: Cooperation
After finishing that sticky, disgusting stuff, since no one had made any mistakes in the morning, the usual segment of being harassed by ghosts in the cafeteria was skipped.
After Xu Zisheng was the first to complete the eating task.
Cheng He and Yang Qianqian also left in separate batches without attracting others' attention.
Because the major noon cleaning was about to begin, the period between finishing the meal and starting the cleaning was one of the few times in the orphanage where they could barely move freely.
Avoiding the clock hanging high on the wall, they arrived at the back corridor of the student cafeteria. There was a small space there with a rain shelter above, looking quite hidden.
Xu Zisheng was waiting there for Cheng He and Yang Qianqian.
When the two appeared before him, Xu Zisheng didn't show much surprise.
He had already made some deductions in his mind.
The few people meeting here hadn't made any disguises for each other.
Or rather, their current appearances were the greatest disguise of all.Because they had to play orphans, even their original faces and body shapes had been altered.
As for whether their genders had changed, that depended on whether the individuals had experienced such a situation; at least Xu Zisheng and the others hadn't.
Cheng He gently closed his eyes, and a silver ring engraved with a circular pattern appeared in his hand.
He took it off, placed it on the ground, muttered a few low words, and then an invisible barrier rose from the ground, enveloping the three of them.
The boy with thick glasses closed his eyes but 'looked' toward Xu Zisheng and said, "Now we can talk."
Cheng He first expressed the intention to cooperate and proactively revealed some information he and Yang Qianqian had collected over the past two days.
After all, there were two of them, giving them some numerical advantage. If they didn't show good faith, this fragile alliance might not even get started.
However, Cheng He didn't explicitly state that they were backed by official forces, but he hinted at it through his words.
Suggesting that Xu Zisheng could trust them.
Actually, the reason Xu Zisheng could detect that they might be official personnel was their occasional displays of protection and guidance toward the orphans played by players, subtly carrying an official demeanor.
If Xu Zisheng hadn't been meticulous and observant, he wouldn't have noticed this.
Also, their communication methods, though very discreet and unclear to Xu Zisheng in meaning.
But with careful attention, one could see their communication signals formed a complete system of their own, clearly organized and structured.
The final reason for his conclusion was his astonishingly accurate intuition.
As the 'Final Cursed Child', Xu Zisheng had always been cautious toward official forces and consistently monitored related information.
He might as well have installed a dedicated radar for detecting official personnel in his mind.
As for the awkward encounter from last night, everyone tacitly skipped over it without mentioning it.
"Regarding Rule Three, we found some things related to that cleaner. They should serve as exchange to get some information from his mouth."
As for what those things were, Cheng He hadn't shown them to Xu Zisheng yet.
Cheng He and Yang Qianqian had contacted that cleaner on the first day, but at that time their abilities were too suppressed to immediately fulfill his requirements.
However, the cleaner had appropriately given some hints, saying he wouldn't mind communicating more with them if they could find what he wanted.
And the things the cleaner wanted, Cheng He and Yang Qianqian had found with some effort.
They also had some thoughts about the rules, largely similar to what Xu Zisheng had considered.
In exchange, Xu Zisheng shared with them the orphan records he found in the records room.
As for the hints the Writer gave him, Xu Zisheng didn't directly reveal them.
One should always keep some trump cards to avoid falling into a passive position.
He still had other information he wanted to get from the official personnel, so he was holding back now, waiting for further investigation later.
After exchanging information, both sides had their own considerations and didn't say much more as time was almost up.
They dispersed after removing the barrier.
During the major cleaning, several teachers were present along with some caregivers.
The orphans were organized and lined up in the central open area, waiting for the Acting Director to appear.
Unexpectedly, they saw the Acting Director and [Writer] walking toward them together.
The middle-aged woman wore a familiar expression, and when she leaned closer, the dark-haired young man would subtly create some distance, maintaining an appropriate space with a polite, distant smile.
Anyone could see the slightly strained atmosphere between them.
The standing orphans seemed very fearful of the Acting Director, glancing at her once before looking away, with more gazes falling on [Writer].
"Dir... Acting Director, you've come..."
The hunched old woman, Teacher Luo, narrowed her cloudy eyes, seeing the approaching figures from afar, and greeted them with apparent enthusiasm.
Seeming to have misspoken slightly, she immediately cut off her previous words and called the middle-aged woman without any apparent abnormality.
"Acting Director, thank you for your hard work, we were just waiting for you! Teacher Yan... is here too..." The tall, thin man didn't seem to have that mistaken feeling; he smoothly addressed her position.
Only when seeing [Writer] beside the middle-aged woman did he reveal some unnatural expression, stumbling slightly.
Xiao Gui'an tactfully didn't continue approaching but went down to where the children were, standing beside them.
He quietly watched the Acting Director communicating with several teachers and caregivers.
There was a somewhat unnatural feeling—familiarity in excess but lacking closeness. Xiao Gui'an watched as the people ahead communicated with ulterior motives.
The Acting Director sometimes seemed like an outsider, being accepted yet subtly excluded—a difficult state to articulate clearly.
The insincere pleasantries didn't last long before the Acting Director stepped forward and gave many inspiring words, feeding everyone motivational talk.
After speaking, she took out that long string of keys from her pocket, then slightly rolled up her sleeves, revealing the expensive watch on her wrist.
Xiao Gui'an suddenly sensed the atmosphere stiffening slightly, becoming tense.
Both teachers and orphans seemed to have a restless, uneasy feeling.
But that targeted sensation was mainly directed at the orphans present.
The middle-aged woman smiled, shaking the keys in her hand. "During our noon cleaning today, we must be serious and thorough! A beautiful home relies on each of us working hard to protect it!..."
"And during afternoon classes, I hope everyone can be more active, listen well to the teachers, and complete the assignments they give. I don't want to see any child going to the reflection room for failing to correct their mistakes!"
"If such a situation really occurs, everyone should still obediently and consciously reflect on themselves. Only when alone in quiet solitude can one understand where they truly went wrong!..."
When hearing 'reflection room', Xiao Gui'an clearly saw many orphans tremble, their eyes showing resistance and fear.
He narrowed his eyes slightly. The 'reflection room' the middle-aged woman mentioned was likely the punishment room from the rules.
He wondered what kind of place it was to make these children so afraid.
After finishing these high-sounding yet heavily suggestive words, the Acting Director came down and greeted each orphan one by one.
She would pat some on the head, gently pinch others' cheeks, or encouragingly tap shoulders, appearing very affectionate, as if genuinely caring for them.
Whether intentional or not, during this process, she kept shaking that string of keys, making them jingle like a curse lingering in every child's ears.
None of the children could resist, as if shackled with heavy chains, forced to stand obediently and let the middle-aged woman do as she pleased.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the Acting Director behaved like a normal person—no hitting, scolding, or strange actions.
After greeting all the children, she smiled, waved goodbye to the others present, and leisurely left.
Xu Zisheng watched her departing figure, his eyes deep and thoughtful.
The aura around her... felt somewhat familiar...