Chapter 67: Transforming the Mind, Forging a Rebirth

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At a little past seven in the evening, inside the office of the Director of the Paranormal Bureau.

As soon as I stepped through the door, I blurted out, "Director, sir, I really don't have the capacity to keep holding onto these things anymore. You'd better find someone more capable!"

The Director said, "Donghua, you may head back." Then, just as Lü Donghua and I reached the doorway, the Director added, "Shucheng, stay."

I protested, "I am truly helpless here. You really ought to find a wiser sage for this job, sir. I'll take my leave first." Just as I was about to slip out the door, the Director murmured, "Hmm..." and began tapping rhythmically on his desk.

Putting on a thoroughly servile and ingratiating expression, I turned back and said, "I'll stay, I'll stay. Please don't be angry, sir—do mind your health and don't let your temper ruin it."

After Lü Donghua left, knowing the Director had important matters to discuss with me, I sensibly shut the door, trotted over, and sat down opposite the Director.

The Director stated, "Orders from above: you are required to relocate."

I asked, "Where to?"

The Director replied, "Your hometown, Yaodu District."

I hesitated, "This... can we change locations?"

The Director said, "No."

I asked, "Where in Yaodu?"

The Director answered, "Near your home."

I exclaimed, "How can that possibly work! If my tigress of a sister-in-law catches me, will I ever hear the end of it?"

The Director waved it off, "Not right now anyway, but a few months from now. Oh, and go back and fetch Anmingshan for me. Hurry!"

I complained, "What do you want with her? It's already the first watch of the night, and the *News Broadcast* is on. She needs to watch it, she has no time."

The Director scoffed, "Don't lie to me! Can she even understand the *News Broadcast*? Enough, go bring her here quickly! And remember, keep this matter strictly confidential."

With a cheeky grin, I replied, "Yes sir, absolute secrecy guaranteed, mission successfully guaranteed. I'm off then."

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The Director warned, "Stop grinning like that, be serious, go!"

Half an hour later, Anmingshan was escorted to the Paranormal Bureau by me, and then I "withdrew."

The Director began, "Comrade Anmingshan, higher authorities have now decided to transfer both of you to Yaodu to execute a mission. If you are unwilling to go, we will not force you. Decide for yourself!"

Anmingshan pondered for a moment and asked, "What kind of mission?"

The Director replied, "Classified. You will know once you arrive at the destination."

Anmingshan asked, "What do you... mean by this?"

The Director answered, "You and him."

Anmingshan retorted, "Him? My dear Director, I have self-awareness. It's already enough that I don't cause him trouble; now you want me to go on a secret mission with him where nothing is known? Isn't that just asking for trouble when we have nothing better to do?"

The Director countered, "That's not a problem. We will put you through a month-long, fully enclosed intensive training course. This is the agreement. If you find everything acceptable, please sign and press your thumbprint here. Considering your circumstances, if you can't understand the finer points, I can explain them to you in detail or even read them aloud."

Anmingshan looked over the agreement, deliberated for a long time, and finally said, "Alright, I agree. But I have one request—no, a plea. I request that the duration of the agreement be extended, extended by... half a year."

The Director frowned, "Why? You must realize, the highest record for an ordinary Paranormal Bureau member in this training is half a month. Liu Shan lasted a year, Su Wei lasted two years, and Li Shucheng only lasted two years before they couldn't take it anymore and all quit. You've seen their capabilities, and even they couldn't endure more than two years—do you still want to stay for half a year? Besides, the absolute maximum I can grant you is five months. You only have five months; after five months, it will be the Lunar New Year. You must return by New Year's, which provides a perfectly logical excuse."

Anmingshan conceded, "This... fine, five months it is. Oh, and during these five months, please none of you go and help him—uh... I mean, do not assist him with daily living matters."

The Director asked, "Why?"

Anmingshan explained, "I've spent a long time by his side and grown quite familiar with him. Being around him, I spoil him in every possible way. I handle all the housework—wiping tables, sweeping floors, cooking meals; the only things I haven't done are bathe him and feed him by hand. I feel like this is turning him back into what he used to be: that helpless, overgrown infant of a section chief. I am ruining him."

The Director chuckled and said, "An overgrown infant of a section chief? That's an amusing nickname. It's admirable of you to have such thoughts, but have you considered what will happen if he suddenly finds himself entirely alone and cannot adapt?"

Anmingshan replied, "If he can't adapt, he'll just have to learn to adapt slowly. I cannot keep spoiling him like this. If I keep pampering him, his life will truly be ruined."

The Director mused, "As for that... I will consider reporting it to the superiors. You mustn't tell him about this, however, or you can imagine the consequences. I've met people similar to you before, but they only ever tried to curry favor and suck up to him. You, on the other hand, are using this method to educate him."

Anmingshan corrected, "I am not educating him. If we're talking about education, he has already received more than enough of that. I am going to reform him."

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The Director asked, "You mean..."

Anmingshan elaborated, "To transform his ideology and forge a rebirth. To reshape him from a mere test-taking machine—who expects food handed to him and clothes put on his back—into a human being, a genuine human being."

The Director remarked, "Oh? You know quite a bit, don't you? That sounds like a prison slogan. Are you planning to send him to a labor reform camp?"

Anmingshan replied, "No. Because to him, the environment he lived in previously was the real prison."

The Director asked, "And what if it fails?"

Anmingshan answered, "Then I'd rather never return for the rest of my life."

The Director pressed, "What on earth is so good about him that makes him worth such education—ah, no, worth such reform from you?"

Anmingshan said, "Because I know he is a good man—a good man ruined by the test-oriented education system. I have already experienced his former way of life through Liu Shan, so I do not wish to see his latter half mirror his first half, living the life of an emperor where everyone else caters to his every whim. I do not want to, nor can I, ruin him because of myself."

The Director sighed, "Look at this." With that, he added a few strokes to the number on the paper, turning it into a five, and continued, "Very well, sign it. Once signed and thumbprinted, you will set off seven days from now, on the twenty-second of July."

At that moment, footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the doorway. The Director muttered, "Who's there? Oh no, it couldn't be..."

Anmingshan said calmly, "Actually, the moment I saw the agreement, I knew he was standing outside the door."

The Director asked, "How could you possibly know?"

Anmingshan replied, "Intuition. A woman's... intuition."

Reader's Corner.

Q: Mr. Author, do you think having more money is a good thing or a bad thing?

A: As the saying goes, "A gentleman loves wealth, but acquires it through proper channels, evaluates it with moderation, and uses it with purpose." I believe the true value of money lies in its quality rather than its sheer quantity; being content with moderate wealth is best. When used well, even a small amount of money can accomplish great things; conversely, an abundance of money can simply become a fuse for trouble. Therefore, having more money is not necessarily a good thing, but one thing is certain: having no money is definitely bad, because after all, "Without money, you can't take a single step."

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