"Fan Yu said strange things to the other children?"
Chen Ge picked up on the key issue immediately. Fan Yu had eyes that could see ghosts. The boy wasn't inherently bad—the strange things he said, which sounded odd to adults, were very likely the truth.
"Yes. To avoid disrupting treatment, we sent those children to a legitimate psychological institution for counseling. But you have to understand, our orphanage is a publicly funded institution. The annual allocation from above is limited, and most of the time we rely on donations from kind-hearted individuals to keep running." The director looked helpless. "Sending children to a proper psychological institution for treatment—that's fine once or twice, but if this keeps up, we simply can't bear the cost."
After finishing, the director glanced up at Chen Ge, seemingly testing his reaction.
Seeing Chen Ge looking pensive, the director assumed he understood the implication and relaxed, dropping the pretense. "Given Fan Yu's condition, the chances of him being adopted are slim. And you could be considered Fan Yu's only family. I think compared to an environment like the orphanage, Fan Yu might be better off staying with a relative."
The room fell into silence. The director and the nurse were both people of thin skin—having hinted this far, they felt it was enough.
After two or three minutes, Chen Ge finally made his decision. "The one at fault isn't Fan Yu."
The director paused, thinking he hadn't made himself clear. "I know this isn't Fan Yu's fault. We all want the children to live healthy lives, so please don't feel burdened."
"What exactly did Fan Yu say to those children?" Chen Ge looked at the director earnestly. "Please tell me word for word. Those children could be in danger."
"Danger?" The director held Chen Ge's gaze for a full three seconds, opened his mouth, and realized every prepared line of argument was useless. They weren't even on the same page. He looked at Chen Ge and suddenly wondered if Fan Yu's condition might be hereditary.
"Yes, please tell me what Fan Yu said, and also provide the names and contact information for those children. Their situation could be very dangerous." Chen Ge's tone was grave—there was nothing joking about it.
The director forced a smile. "Mr. Chen, let me be direct. Fan Yu has no sense of belonging to our orphanage at all. He probably wants to live with family. He's a very clever child—he just has some psychological issues. If you have the financial means, we sincerely hope you can take him with you and provide him with more professional psychological treatment."
"I can't, not for the time being. My place isn't safe." Chen Ge was telling the truth—at least until the Ghost Story Association was thoroughly dealt with, he absolutely could not bring Fan Yu to the haunted house.
The director had heard many excuses for declining adoption, but "my home isn't safe" was a first. "All right, but you should visit him often and communicate with the child. We'll do our best to help him."
"Mm."
The nurse led Chen Ge out of the director's office. She was roughly Chen Ge's age and seemed a little embarrassed, her voice carrying a hint of apology. "It's not that we want to chase Fan Yu away. That boy is actually very well-behaved and sensible—it's just that he can be a little odd from time to time."
Chen Ge gave a faint smile but didn't argue. "I understand what you're saying, but have you ever considered—what if what he says is actually true?"
The nurse slowed her pace and stole a glance at Chen Ge. For reasons she couldn't explain, the words coming from this man carried a strange, inexplicable sense of conviction.
"Here we are, right here."
The nurse stopped beside the room where they had just encountered the two children, only to find both doors standing open. "Jiang He and Jiang Jin are running around again."
She hurried into one of the rooms, and the moment she stepped into the living room, she heard glass shattering from the bedroom. Immediately after, a girl burst into tears, repeatedly crying out the word "sister"—as though her older sister were being bullied.