After returning ho, Sang Que realized she had oversimplified the matter of taking a leave of absence from school.
She thought that as long as she was willing and her guardian agreed, submitting an application would allow her to take a break from school.
But after her mom consulted the relevant people, she learned that for high school students, whether taking a leave or dropping out, aside from needing a guardian’s application and docuntation of reasons, there also needs to be approval from the academic affairs office and a signature from the principal.
Then, after being approved by the higher education departnt, can it be successfully processed, and afterward, it needs to be reported one level up for filing.
The process is cumberso, not to ntion that this isn’t so remote, underdeveloped area where a child’s dropout would be hard to investigate.
In Yu City, if Sang Que dared to submit a leave or dropout application, the school would certainly arrange a ho visit, and the authorities might even investigate the specific reasons.
Actually, it’s understandable; this is to protect minors and prevent them from dropping out due to abuse, and if there are genuine financial difficulties, the school would also try to help as much as possible.
By that ti, the lie about acting would surely be uncovered, and forging a dical report claiming she was gravely ill wouldn’t work either.
"But mom, I won’t pass the health check before the university entrance exam; I’m half-dead now. If a doctor’s stethoscope touches , they might hear ghostly wails."
In the Sang family living room, Sang Que said mournfully.
Sang Wan walked over, handed the sliced fruit to Sang Que, and the Great General stood afar, tongue out and wagging tail, wanting to eat but not daring to approach Sang Que, finding her terrifying.
Sang Wan said, "There’s still a long ti before the college entrance exams; you could check with the Ghost Vendor to see if there’s anything that can disguise your body as an ordinary person."
Sang Que sighed, "So, I shouldn’t take a leave or drop out now. I’ll keep taking sick leaves, submit assignnts on ti, participate in monthly and final exams, and endure until high school graduation?"
In the first sester of her second year, Sang Que frequently took leaves. The class leader didn’t say much but had an issue with her not submitting assignnts.
She prayed for the Witch Lady’s blessing in the final exam and got so results; apart from failing math and English, her Chinese test was decent, and she barely passed the other subjects.
The class leader is responsible and had long told her that in the next sester, because she couldn’t attend classes, extra assignnts would be given to ensure she keeps up with the study progress, and submitting them once a month would suffice if busy.
The class leader feared she wouldn’t even reach the art student’s score threshold, but Sang Que was near despair!
Though attending school is better than working, assignnts and exams are always painful!
Sang Wan nodded, "It seems like that’s the only way for now. Just endure another year and a half, get through your third year, and you’ll be free after graduating."
Sang Que angrily bit the apple; despite managing nearly a thousand people as the Big Boss of Bright Moon Mountain, she still had to do howork, and not completing it would make the class leader call her to the office for criticism.
Does this make sense?
Isn’t there so yin object that can automatically do howork?
"Since everything over there has been arranged and nothing urgent is going on at the mont, just attend school properly for a couple of days. Taking a leave just after school starts isn’t proper."
Sang Que nodded lifelessly.
"Mom, is there still no news from the storytelling group?" Sang Que asked.
Sang Wan shook her head, "I don’t know any online hackers, and there’s really no way to track the source."
"Give your phone, let try."
Sang Que took Sang Wan’s phone, opened the storytelling group page, and her eyes gradually turned red, activating her Ghost Eye towards the group interface.
Her vision began to darken from the edges until there was only darkness ahead, with no images appearing.
Sang Que persisted for about a minute but still saw nothing, helplessly putting down the phone as the redness faded from her eyes. She raised her hand to rub her sore eyes.
"Either the entity behind this group is stronger than , or they have anti-snooping asures."
Mom still has half a month left in the group; this matter needs to be resolved first.
Sang Wan thought for a mont and said, "Do you still have contact with Mr. Zheng? I asked Aunt Xu, and she also hasn’t contacted your Mr. Zheng for a long ti."
"The last eting was in November, I rember. He said he was going to the Southern Ocean to investigate the Golden Child matter. It’s been over three months now, and he hasn’t ssaged ."
Sang Que set down the fruit plate, picked up the phone on the coffee table, and actively sent a ssage over.
She understood her mom’s aning; they are ’commoners’ without the ans to investigate the storytelling group. Zheng Xuan is soone from the relevant departnt and perhaps knows more than she does.
The ssage was sent, but there was no reply.
Sang Que put down the phone and sat with Sang Wan for a while, cherishing the rare free ti to accompany her mom. Sang Que followed her around like a little tail and even slept with Sang Wan at night.
The Great General didn’t dare to approach Sang Que now. Once always sleeping by Sang Wan’s bed, it spent a night alone on the living room carpet.
The next morning, at dawn, the Great General was outside scratching the door, whining pitifully.
Sang Wan and Sang Que reluctantly got up early and went out jogging with the Great General.
Since regaining the use of her legs, Sang Wan jogged every morning for exercise.
The recovery of her legs made Sang Wan much more confident. Playing frisbee with the Great General on the community lawn, her face was full of smiles; from childhood to now, Sang Que rarely saw her mom so happy.
Sang Que secretly made up her mind to help her mom keep her legs, no matter what.
After the official start of the school term, Sang Que attended as usual. In the class, soone always asked when the play she acted in would air, while Sang Que evasively said it’s soon.
During the day, Sang Que ssaged Zheng Xuan again, still with no response.
Besides class ti, Sang Que spent her other monts hanging out with Jiang Zao and Xu Yichao. When she wasn’t around, Jiang Zao, being in the sa class as Xu Yichao, also beca good friends with him.
Sang Que actually quite needed Jiang Zao now; her woodworking skills and talent in weapon manufacturing could definitely take on the major mantle of technological developnt at Bright Moon Mountain.
Though the Deceit Dynasty imposes no restrictions, as long as the materials are sufficient and tools are in place, Jiang Zao could definitely invent all sorts of firearms and explosives for her.
However, Sang Que couldn’t just think of herself; Jiang Zao had her own life.
In the end, Sang Que decided to be honest with Jiang Zao after the college entrance exam and ask if she wants to work for her during the sumr vacation before university starts.
By then, the infrastructure at Bright Moon Mountain would surely be completed, and the timing for developing military strength would be just right.
Aside from attending school, Sang Que hadn’t relaxed in investigating the storytelling group. She searched online for news over the years and related horror story posts, trying to find any clues.
Mom also probed in her writer’s group.
They analyzed together that the group aims to achieve so purpose through writing horror stories, and it’s likely that the recruits are all writers.
The storyteller’s rule is that only authors recognized by the public are capable of continuing horror stories based on real events, definitely linking the two.
Unfortunately, after a week of investigation, there were no results.
On Friday, February 21st, before school hours ended, Sang Que was called to the office by the class leader, as an old professor, with graying hair and gold-rimd glasses, who looked like a highly educated intellectual, sought her out.
Upon seeing Sang Que, the old professor smiled, "How ti flies, you’ve grown so much."
Sang Que felt a jolt, finding the old professor familiar but couldn’t recall where they’d t until he asked again,
"How has your mom been recently?"
Sang Que suddenly rembered he was her aunt’s ntor and attended her aunt’s funeral.
"I didn’t intend to disturb you two, but with Zheng Xuan’s disappearance and your connection to it, I ca specifically to find you and, at the sa ti, visit your mom."
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