Chapter 114: Do You Believe in God?

On the other end of the phone, the Emperor was stunned for quite a long time after hearing what I said. Then came his voice, filled with anguish and disbelief. "Son, you must be joking. I’d sooner believe you and Bai Rushuang spent the whole night under the covers studying that luminous pendant!"

I didn’t bother explaining further to the Emperor; honestly, even I found it hard to believe. After asking him to help me get half a day off from the counselor, I hung up.

Woken by the Emperor’s call, sleep deserted me. The first thing I did was check the fishbowl where the koi was kept. Though she was just a fish, Bai Rushuang and I had put a lot of effort into her last night. I was genuinely worried she might have died in the tub overnight.

Approaching the fishbowl, I was surprised to see the koi still alive. She was wrapped all over like a mummy, her head pressed against the glass, staring with those big, round eyes right at Bai Rushuang and me on the sofa. I even thought I saw a flicker of gratitude in her gaze.

At that moment, a strange thought crossed my mind: this multicolored koi seemed almost sentient.

Instinctively, I touched the glass near her head and softly said, “Little koi, can you understand me? If so, wag your tail.”

To my shock, the koi did wag her tail once.

I hurriedly asked, “How’s your injury? Feeling better?”

As soon as I finished, the koi wagged her tail again.

“Do you want us to help remove the bandages?” I offered.

This time, the koi didn’t wag her tail. Just then, Bai Rushuang’s voice came from behind me, full of surprise. “Wow, little koi, you can actually understand us? Are you hungry now?”

Of course, Bai Rushuang couldn’t go three sentences without mentioning food. Unexpectedly, the koi started wagging her tail wildly.

Seeing this, Bai Rushuang grabbed me and dashed outside, calling back, “Little koi, wait for us at home. We’ll be right back with some food.”

Once outside, Bai Rushuang immediately devoured a hearty meal, then packed a big bundle of steamed buns and flower rolls before rushing back home. I was speechless. “Hey, don’t koi usually eat worms or something?”

“Do they?” Bai Rushuang looked puzzled. “Where’s a worm ever as tasty as a bun? Little koi probably doesn’t like worms either.” She didn’t even bother with me anymore and hurried back.

I didn’t follow her but took a cab back to school. While still in the car, my phone rang—it was Bai Rushuang again.

Her voice was excited. “Mu Yu, great news! Little koi ate my food! And she likes buns just like me!”

Listening to her excitement, I was momentarily at a loss for words. Then she added, “I rescued little koi with her, so I have to come check on her when I can. Once her wounds heal, we’ll release her back into the Yangtze.”

I chuckled and said, “Alright then,” before ending the call.

Back at school, bored, I called the Emperor and the others to ask where they were. As soon as the call connected, a cacophony of noise and frantic screams from some girls burst through the line.

I quickly asked the Emperor what was going on. “Why does it sound like a concert?”

His tone was helpless. “Son, remember that foreign teacher we dealt with last semester? The guy named Moro? He’s come to be our English teacher.”

I was puzzled. “Wasn’t Old Chen our English teacher? Why switch to Moro?”

Emperor explained, “Old Chen’s wife had a baby and took a month off, so Moro’s filling in. You know, the CET-6 exam is coming up, and this is a special arrangement for our class. But you should see those girls—they’re all swooning like they just saw a movie star.”

His voice grew increasingly vexed. I urged him not to get worked up and hung up, heading straight to our English classroom.

When I arrived, I saw Emperor and some guys angrily dismantling chair legs. I hurried over. “What are you doing?”

Jiang Chao said, “Wu Dao, you’re here! Help us take apart this foreigner’s stuff. Today, if I don’t beat that foreigner till he’s running scared, I’m not Jiang!”

Honestly, I was speechless at their behavior. Moro hadn’t done anything to provoke them. I might have joined the ruckus before, but after the Liu Dong incident, I wasn’t as reckless anymore. I told them to stop before something similar happened again.

They quieted down suddenly. I ignored them, turning my gaze toward the podium.

There, over twenty girls from our class crowded around Moro, eagerly asking him questions about English.

To be honest, the scene was hard to watch. These girls barely opened their textbooks but now acted like they were madly passionate about English.

But Moro was undeniably handsome—a classic Western type with blond hair and blue eyes, exuding a unique melancholy mixed with an indescribable aura. He gave off the vibe of a brooding prince from Western legends.

Despite his melancholic looks, his personality was sunny. He patiently and kindly answered every girl’s questions, regardless of their looks, which only made them more infatuated.

Moro seemed to notice me staring and, after apologizing to the girls around him, walked over.

For some reason, my heart inexplicably pounded as he approached, as if a massive force was barreling toward me. I wanted to dodge but found my body frozen in place.

“Wu Dao!” Moro called out in heavily accented Chinese.

I was stunned. “How do you know my name?”

Though he’d been a foreign teacher here for a long time, I’d never had any contact with him. I didn’t believe my reputation was known to such a distinguished foreigner.

Suddenly, I felt wary, sensing Moro concealed some secret beyond my reach.

He smiled. “I took roll call earlier. All forty-three students were here except you. Your face was new to me, so I looked you up as Wu Dao.”

I nodded. Impressive memory, to remember everyone’s face just by roll call.

I scrutinized him again, that strange feeling growing stronger. I asked, “Moro, is that your real name or one you adopted in China?”

He smiled. “It’s a transliteration.”

I nodded. “Clever. Which country are you from?”

He answered with a smile, “England. A small town in Yorkshire.”

My heart skipped a beat. An image flashed in my mind. Taking a deep breath, I said, “Haha, isn’t that the homeland of vampires?”

I carefully watched his eyes but saw no change. Then I asked again, “Moro, do you believe in God?”