novelraw Chapter 1174: Gaze
Chapter 1174: Gaze
A red Mini cruised slowly down the street. Ren Ziling’s mind, however, was still on the phone call she’d had just minutes earlier with Ma Houde.
Lately, she had been much more restrained, not giving Ma Houde too hard of a time—so much so that even in the face of a shocking citywide dismemberment case, she waited two whole days before reaching out, and even then, it was just a phone call—not a personal visit to his crime investigation unit, which she usually treated like her own backyard.
“No comment, seriously, no comment... Grandma Ren, I’m swamped over here, I really don’t have time to entertain you. A dismemberment case is bad enough—now there’s... Never mind! Anyway, if you’re really that bored, go snap some pics of high officials and their mistresses or something... I’m done talking!”
Few things could make Ma Houde refuse her so flatly—something serious must really have happened.
What Ren Ziling didn’t know was that the entire bureau was in chaos. A suspect had mysteriously died in custody, throwing the investigation unit into an unprecedented crisis...
Her thoughts drifting, Ren Ziling didn’t even bother to keep driving. She simply pulled into a temporary parking spot and picked up her phone. “Hello? Li Zi? I’m not coming home for lunch…”
As she updated Li Zi, she considered reaching out to a few familiar contacts in the underground scene to sniff out whether anything unusual had happened lately.
But before the call could finish, she abruptly hung up—because through the windshield, she saw someone completely unexpected.
A woman with golden hair cascading like silk down her back walked slowly out of a supermarket, carrying a small shopping basket. Dressed in a classy beige trench coat—it was none other than her son’s girlfriend, You Ye!
In an instant, Ren Ziling forgot all her worries. This was her son’s officially introduced girlfriend—future daughter-in-law!“You Ye!”
Ren Ziling cheerfully jumped out of the car and dashed across the street, smiling as if she’d just struck gold.
“Miss Ren,” Miss Maid greeted with a faint, polite smile, showing just the right touch of surprise in her gaze.
Too excited to restrain herself, Ren Ziling grabbed Miss Maid’s hand. “You! It’s been forever since you visited! I thought you dumped my brat of a son!”
Miss Maid softly replied, “Miss Ren, don’t worry. I will always be by his side.”
Such a good girl…
Ren Ziling was naturally outgoing, and since this was someone she already considered family, she quickly linked arms with Miss Maid. “Come on, don’t just stand here. Let’s sit down for tea, shall we? You’re free, right?”
“Of course.” Miss Maid pointed ahead. “There’s a little cake shop nearby that’s quite good. Would you like to try it?”
“I’m supposed to be cutting… Eh, let’s eat! Let’s go!” Ren Ziling nodded quickly. “Also, enough with the ‘Miss Ren’ stuff. Call me Mom—well, start with Sister Ren for now!”
“Sister Ren.”
“Ay~!”
They looked like a pair of beautiful sisters, though passersby barely noticed them.
Just then, the supermarket doors slid open again, and Da Zhe walked out carrying two heavy bags. With nothing better to do today, he’d been roped into being Miss Maid’s porter.
Seeing the pair ahead walking so sweetly together, Da Zhe muttered, “Seriously... Miss, this has to be on purpose.”
With a heavy sigh at the elaborate setup, Da Zhe flapped his arms and soared leisurely through the air toward the shop’s location.
…
Though the Political Law University had a generally serious atmosphere, it still had its secluded corners perfect for ambiguous encounters.
Take the sports equipment room, for instance.
From the corner beside a vaulting horse came the sound of slightly heavy breathing—evidently a young couple was indulging in a forbidden moment.
The girl’s clothes were disheveled, her lips pressed tightly shut, head tilted back, baring a clearly defined collarbone.
That was exactly where the boy was focused, leaving behind a vivid hickey and seemingly ready to take things further.
But just as he moved in, the equipment room door suddenly opened.
The sound startled the couple from their hormonal trance.
A skinny boy in sportswear and glasses stood at the entrance holding a basket of badminton rackets, looking stunned.
Zhao Le nearly bolted on the spot.
“Don’t move!” the boy inside barked sharply.
Zhao Le gripped the basket’s handle tightly as the girl hastily ran past him—he recognized her as a well-known popular girl from another class.
The guy, too, was somewhat infamous—a flashy, outspoken student Zhao Le had seen around.
“Four-eyes, who let you in here?” the guy zipped up his jacket, glaring as he approached.
“I… I’m just here to clean up… I didn’t mean to,” Zhao Le looked away.
The guy sneered, lunging forward and grabbing Zhao Le by the collar, yanking him close.
He was a full head taller than the frail Zhao Le.
“I’m in a bad mood now—what do you think I should do?” The guy raised his fist.
Zhao Le winced and closed his eyes, bracing for impact—but the punch never came.
When he opened them, someone was gripping the guy’s arm—it was another student in the same sports uniform.
“Mingming…” Zhao Le whispered the name of his unexpected savior.
“Chen Mingming!” The guy glared, yanking his arm but unable to break free. “This has nothing to do with you—get lost!”
Chen Mingming glanced at Zhao Le and calmly said, “I’m helping clean up too. If he gets hurt, it becomes my problem—and I don’t like problems.”
With that, he casually flung the guy’s arm aside with enough force to nearly dislocate it.
The guy glared hatefully at Chen Mingming. Not only was this guy academically gifted and physically adept, he was also a key member of the school’s sanda (combat sport) club. His father was a middling police officer, but his mother was a prominent lawyer with countless influential connections.
The guy knew his own family background wasn’t enough to scare him, so he muttered, “Consider this me letting you off today.”
He shoved Zhao Le aside and snorted, “Watch yourself next time. Mess up my fun again, and you’ll regret it.”
Once he was gone, Zhao Le let out a breath of relief and looked gratefully at Chen Mingming. “Thanks. If not for you, I’d have been beaten up for sure.”
Chen Mingming squatted down and began picking up the fallen rackets. “Come on. If we don’t hurry, we’ll miss the next class.”
Zhao Le knelt and helped. After a moment, he asked, “Hey… Mingming, I heard you’re emigrating?”
“Yeah,” Chen Mingming replied plainly.
Zhao Le didn’t ask any further. Chen Mingming was quiet and aloof, known for being unapproachable and having few friends.
They had almost finished tidying up. Just then, Zhao Le’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, and his expression turned a bit uneasy.
“Mingming, something’s come up… Can you help cover for me?”
Without waiting for Chen Mingming’s reply, Zhao Le rushed out of the equipment room. Chen Mingming gave him a brief, puzzled look, then continued cleaning up the rest of the gear, not paying much more attention.
Once all the rackets were neatly put away, Chen Mingming closed the equipment room door and left the gym.
…
Because he’d stayed back after gym class to help Zhao Le, by the time Chen Mingming had changed and was heading toward his next class, there weren’t many students left around.
“Mingming!”
A voice suddenly made him stop and turn. Walking over, carrying a leather bag, was Gao Wen.
Gao Wen wasn’t just one of Chen Mingming’s teachers. Due to certain traditions in their academic circles, and with Zhou Yusheng’s arrangements, Chen Mingming had formally acknowledged Gao Wen as his mentor.
“Teacher.” Chen Mingming greeted him respectfully.
Gao Wen had always found this student a bit aloof, but given his upbringing, it was understandable. In truth, he was quite pleased with his pupil—smart, meticulous, calm, and observant. Though he lacked the vibrancy of his peers, he had a steadiness rarely seen in young people.
“Let’s walk together? Your next class is this way, too, right?” Gao Wen said with a smile.
Chen Mingming nodded and walked alongside him.
After a few steps, Gao Wen asked, “Did you see your father?”
“I saw him yesterday.” Chen Mingming nodded again.
“Did you talk?” Gao Wen frowned slightly.
Chen Mingming just nodded.
Gao Wen sighed. “Are you really not going to reconsider? With your abilities, you don’t have to go abroad to find opportunities. I was even planning to introduce you to my own mentor next year. He’s a leading authority internationally. Under his guidance, you’d have a bright future.”
Chen Mingming was silent for a moment before asking, “Teacher, why do people make choices that change everything?”
Gao Wen opened his mouth but ended up shaking his head. For someone with a strong will, once a decision is made, it’s rarely reversed. As someone in psychology, he understood that better than most.
“Your father came to my house two nights ago. Drank all night. He’s had headaches for a while, and it was only with some alcohol that he could sleep.” Gao Wen gently patted Chen Mingming on the shoulder. “Family matters… outsiders can’t always judge. But if you’re facing difficulties, you can talk to me. I’ve known your father for years—I don’t like seeing him like this.”
Chen Mingming stopped walking, looked at Gao Wen, and calmly said, “Teacher, I’m just a student—I can be late. But you’re the teacher. If you don’t hurry, you’ll be late for class. Only three minutes left.”
Gao Wen could only smile helplessly and shake his head. He pulled a pen and sticky note from his bag, scribbled something on it, and handed it to Chen Mingming. “Where you and your mom are moving, I happen to have an old friend nearby. If anything comes up, seek him out. He might be able to help.”
Chen Mingming accepted the note without objection.
At the next corner, the two parted ways. Gao Wen watched Chen Mingming’s silhouette walk away, sighed again, then turned and headed to his classroom.
Just then, Chen Mingming suddenly stopped and turned, staring at that same corner.
Expressionless, he stared for a while. No one else was around.
But in his right palm, a faint silver glow suddenly shimmered. Bit by bit, a dull silver pistol materialized.
Chen Mingming slowly raised his left hand. In his left palm, a translucent bullet was gradually forming—still half-transparent even once formed.
He knew it wasn’t usable yet—it needed a life force to be injected. Without it, the bullet would vanish soon.
But this time, he could clearly sense how much life force was needed. Unlike the previous 9.9-day bullet, this one only needed a few minutes.
“As expected… it takes less time for someone you know.”
Chen Mingming muttered softly. He then clenched his left hand, and the translucent bullet vanished.
The silver pistol also faded.
Chen Mingming turned and headed toward his classroom.
…
Because he’d run into Chen Mingming on the way, Gao Wen ended up slightly delayed. Normally, he arrived at least five minutes early to prep before class. This time, he walked in right as the bell rang.
“Apologies, everyone. Something came up just now—I’m a bit late,” Gao Wen said as he quickly headed to the lectern. “Let’s begin.”
He opened his teaching materials, then slowly looked up at the lecture hall of students… and suddenly, his gaze caught.
At the very back, by the window—he saw that boy again.
Luo Qi’s son.
For the third time.
That same gaze of unwavering intensity.
And in that moment, Gao Wen recalled a quote from Nietzsche:
“When you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.”
(End of Chapter)