Don't provoke mentally ill people in the infinite flow genre!

At midnight, the clock on the wall pointed to exactly twelve o'clock. Just as Yan Zhao was about to wake Yi Zanglan, he saw that Yi Zanglan beside him had already opened his eyes.

"Shall we go?"

"Let's go, I really can't sleep in this bed anymore."

The bed sheets, which hadn't been washed for years, smelled of mildew and stench, and even had a faint smell of blood.

Even the least germaphobic person would find it somewhat unsettling.

The letter of authorization from resident 409 requested that it arrive before 12:30 a.m.

Who is a kind person who watches their child do homework late at night?

Of course, judging from the name of this instance, the residents in the building are most likely not human either.

It's likely that a significant portion of the story they're trying to recreate involves the background stories of these residents.

"We're only responsible for making sure he finishes his homework, right?" Yan Zhao suddenly asked as they walked. "If we really tutor him, I might not be able to do those problems myself."

"It should just be supervision," Yi Zanglan said. "Pay attention to any clues inside the house, and try to talk to the residents as much as possible."

After all, they didn't know to what extent the plot needed to be faithfully recreated, so naturally the more detailed their understanding, the better.

...It wasn't far to go down from the fifth floor to the fourth floor, but because the stairs were long and the corridor was winding, it still took the two of them a little time.

The corridor was extremely cold, not the kind of cold that's normal, but the kind of chill that seeps into your bones.

Before I even started the task, I had a feeling that I was being watched by something unclean.

"here."

Yan Zhao stood in front of apartment 409, exchanged a glance with Yi Zanglan, and then raised his hand to knock on the door.

The door opened quickly, without even a sound of footsteps, as if the other party had been standing behind the door waiting for them.

"Who are you...?"

A haggard woman in her early thirties, with disheveled hair and sunken eyes, was staring intently at them. This was clearly the client, Han Ping, a single mother.

Almost at the same moment, Yi Zanglan and Yan Zhao heard screams and laughter coming from inside the house. The sound came from a very noisy little boy.

"Hello, Ms. Han, we are domestic service workers," Yi Zanglan replied with a smile. "We are here on your behalf to supervise Xiao Jie's homework."

Her gentle and kind face is very deceptive to everyone. As long as she doesn't deliberately act crazy, she can easily gain other people's trust.

Sure enough, Han Ping lowered her guard and quickly opened the door to invite them inside.

"I'm really sorry to trouble you, but I'm so busy. I also have to cook for Xiao Jie." She wiped her hands with her apron, her face full of exhaustion and unease. "Xiao Jie hasn't handed in his homework for many days. I hope he can be more obedient and study hard, but I don't have much education, so I can only ask you for help."

As they were talking, another sound of slamming and smashing came from the bedroom, mixed with strange cries from a boy, who was playing something.

"Xiao Jie, we have guests, don't make a scene."

Han Ping tried to persuade him gently, but the little boy ignored her completely and instead screamed even louder.

She sighed, and the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes seemed to deepen, making her look distressed and helpless.

"I'm sorry, you two, I... I really have to go cook... Would you please get to know Xiao Jie first?"

Yi Zanglan glanced around the kitchen and saw various ingredients scattered haphazardly on the stove, indicating that food was indeed being prepared.

A stack of unwashed dishes sat on the dining table in the living room, toys were piled up on the sofa, and a puddle of smelly milk was spilled on the floor. It was such a mess that there was no place to step.

It's not hard to imagine how distraught Han Ping must be, facing a house that's never-ending to be cleaned and a son who's as big as a monkey every day.

"I really hate disobedient brats." Yan Zhao's face darkened. "I'm sure they won't improve at all when they grow up."

Before he could finish speaking, Yi Zanglan had already pushed open the bedroom door and pointed inside with great interest.

"Hey, you little rascal, cosplaying?"

"..."

In the bedroom, which resembled a pigsty, the boy Xiao Jie was wearing a monster mask, stepping on toy fragments scattered on the floor, rolling his homework into the shape of a gun barrel, and waving it around wildly, making "dududududu" sounds to imitate the sound of firing a gun.

"...Pretty older sister!"

He turned to the two of them, suddenly ripped off his mask, his eyes gleaming, and ran over with a grin.

The next second, he threw away his homework, made a gesture with his left hand to lift Yan Zhao's coat, and touched Yi Zanglan's chest with his right hand.

"Hello!"

Yan Zhaowan never expected this brat to start with his groping. She instinctively took a step back, her face filled with undisguised disgust.

Yi Zanglan grabbed Xiao Jie's hand and subtly pushed him away from her: "Little boy, be good. You have to be polite to guests. You can't just touch whatever you want."

To everyone's surprise, this immediately angered Xiao Jie. He acted like a middle-aged man who had failed to take advantage of her, and there was not a trace of childlike innocence in his eyes.

"You shameless woman, what's wrong with touching you? You women are born to be touched!" he yelled. "And why aren't you wearing skirts when you come to my house? The woman who sells noodles often wears skirts; her thighs are especially nice to touch. Why can't you touch them?!"

"..."

Yan Zhao frowned speechlessly: "Who taught you this? Your mother doesn't seem like the type to teach you to say things like this."

Xiao Jie immediately started cursing: "My mom is a good-for-nothing, an ugly freak! My dad didn't want her because she's not pretty!"

"..."

I understand now. It was his father who taught him that. His father abandoned his wife and children and never taught the child a single human word.

Just then, Yi Zanglan said calmly, "But your father didn't want you either, which means you're an ugly duckling too."

Xiao Jie retorted angrily, "I'm not!"

"Then why didn't your dad want you?"

"He didn't abandon me! He didn't abandon me!!!!"

Xiao Jie screamed and suddenly burst into tears. He cried hysterically, his face contorted, and snot and tears gushed out like a burst dam.

His cries were so loud that they quickly attracted Han Ping, who was still holding a kitchen knife, to come over and look at him in a panic.

"Xiao Jie, why are you crying again? Are you not getting along well with your two older sisters?"

"They bullied me! They bullied me!" Xiao Jie lay down on the ground, writhing like a maggot, crying and shouting, "I hate them! Get them out of here! You're the one who sent them, I hate you too!!!"

Han Ping trembled all over, and her already haggard face seemed to sink even deeper in an instant. It was clear that she was only one step away from collapsing.

"I invited you here so you could talk to my son, not to provoke him and make him hate me even more..." She gasped for breath like a broken bellows. "I love him so much, yet he still hates me. Why is everything I do wrong... Am I... really not a good mother...?"

Her eyes slowly became bloodshot, her expression gradually turned pale and terrifying, and she raised the sharp kitchen knife in her hand.

Judging from the situation, she'd probably chop them both up and make them into a midnight snack in no time.

At the critical moment, Yi Zanglan quickly gave Yan Zhao a wink.

"You chat with Ms. Han for a while, and I'll talk to the child."

Yan Zhao immediately understood. Although this was the first time the two had been paired up in the game, they already had a basic understanding of each other.

"Ms. Han, please calm down. Of course you are a qualified mother." She patiently persuaded him. "I assure you, Xiao Jie doesn't hate you. He just told us that his mother works very hard and that he loves his mother the most."

"..." Han Ping's hand holding the knife trembled slightly, her expression wavering. "Really?"

"Really, it's just that kids are all a bit rebellious, but don't worry, my friend is a top student at a mental hospital, she'll definitely be able to educate Xiao Jie properly."

As Yan Zhao spoke, he quietly closed the bedroom door, temporarily blocking Han Ping's view.

……

For a moment, only Yi Zanglan and Xiao Jie were left alone in the bedroom.

Xiao Jie was still lying on the ground, his face covered in snot and tears, but his eyes were full of smugness as he looked at her.

"I won't do a single page of homework," he taunted. "You bitches, you're all going to be kicked out soon."

Yi Zanglan lowered her eyes and looked at him calmly, then nodded.

"oh."

Then she decisively raised her foot and kicked him away.