On how PhDs become human evil

After finishing her own tasks, Hoshiguma looked at Chen, who was still working at his desk, and said, "Old Chen, aren't you going home yet? Isn't today the Mid-Autumn Festival?"

"Anyway, I'll be alone when I get home, so it doesn't matter whether I go home early or late." Chen's voice was cold. Although she usually spoke coldly, now there was an added touch of loneliness to her coldness.

(That's true, Old Chen will be alone again once he goes back.)

Hoshiguma looked at the desk next to hers, which was clean and empty—it was an unused desk.

No, it's not that no one uses it. It's more that Chen doesn't allow anyone to use it. Even when Wei Yanwu comes and wants to arrange for someone to enter the Guard Bureau, Chen will send that person to another office, leaving this desk unused.

The reason is nothing more than that this office is Bai Jie's desk.

(Old Bai, it's been almost a year since you left.)

Bai Jie, the undisputed strategist of the Guard Bureau, was the core of the organization. If Hoshiguma was the Guard Bureau's shield, and Chen was its blade, then Bai Jie was its brain. During Bai Jie's time, Lungmen's security reached its best point in history. The trio was hailed as Lungmen's golden triangle, with newspapers even declaring, "As long as Bai Jie, Hoshiguma, and Chen are around, Lungmen is an impregnable fortress."

Bai Jie, who was responsible for strategizing and overseeing the overall situation, left Lungmen more than a year ago and joined Rhodes Island.

Hoshiguma still doesn't understand why Bai Jie joined Rhodes Island. There was no warning whatsoever; it was as if it was a sudden decision. Bai Jie left their side.

After that, Chen became a completely different person, cold, strict, and ruthless. He was the first to arrive at the Guard Bureau every day and the last to leave. He handled the most tasks of everyone and worked almost like a man on the run.

As her close friend, Hoshiguma understood why Chen had become like this; she was trying to force herself not to think about Bai Jie through the pressure of work.

"Sigh, relationships are such a hassle." Hoshiguma scratched her head helplessly. "Old Chen, I'm going back now. You should go back early too, maybe that guy will come back today."

The pen, which had been moving rapidly across the document, paused for a moment, then resumed its rapid movement.

Seeing Chen remain silent, Hoshiguma sighed, pushed open the door, and left the Royal Guard Bureau. At this moment, only Chen remained in the Royal Guard Bureau.

(He'll come back? How could he? How could he possibly come back!)

Chen roared inwardly, the documents in her eyes gradually blurred, and what appeared in her mind was the face of the man she wanted to forget but could never forget.

"Snapped!"

The ballpoint pen in his hand was snapped in two. Chen leaned back in his chair, panting heavily, his eyes fixed on the incandescent light bulb on the ceiling, letting the bright light irritate his eyes.

"Boss Chen, don't let the bright light shine into your eyes, it'll blind you."

"!"

The sound that rang in her ears made Chen stand up abruptly, but there was no one else in the office except for her.

As he continued, Chen covered his face with his hands: "How embarrassing, how embarrassing! I actually had auditory hallucinations... I'm not feeling well today, let's stop here."

With that thought in mind, Chen tidied up his files, zipped up his uniform, and left the Guard Bureau.

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The streets of Longmen were filled with neon lights because it was the Mid-Autumn Festival, a day for family reunions, and the streets were bustling with people.

The father, wife, and children who work away from home all year round gathered together.

Students who were traveling abroad took special leave to return to Longmen to be with their parents and elders.

......

The whole street was filled with a joyful atmosphere, with everyone enjoying the happiness of family reunion. In this environment, Chen, walking alone, seemed so out of place and special.

Like a drop of blue paint falling into a pool of red paint, Chen moved through the crowd with an air of "keep away, strangers don't come near" attitude. The atmosphere and sounds around her made her more and more uncomfortable. The longer she stayed there, the more she felt a dull pain in her chest.

"Hey, isn't this Officer Chen? You're just getting off work now?"

The man who spoke to Chen was a middle-aged man from the Lupo tribe who ran a pastry shop.

"Yeah, I've been busy lately, working overtime."

"You've really gone to a lot of trouble. Thanks to your Guard Bureau, we can live in peace. We've been taken care of by you all this time," the shopkeeper said with a gruff laugh. "By the way, Officer Chen, if you don't mind, please accept this."

The boss took out a large gift box, which looked like a special Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake gift box.

"Consider this a thank you gift for Officer Chen's continued help. Please accept it."

"No, maintaining order in Lungmen is my duty. I appreciate your kind gesture, but I really can't accept this gift box."

"Don't say that! Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, how can we not eat mooncakes!" The shopkeeper forcefully placed the mooncake gift box into Chen's hands. "Keep up the good work, Officer Chen, and please take care of me in the future!"

Watching the smiling owner walk into the back door, Chen turned to face the bustling street. This was the street she passed through every day on her way to and from work. She remembered that when she first came to Longmen, this street was very chaotic, with thieves running rampant. But now it had become so prosperous that the owners could leave their shops open and not go out to eat. It was easy to imagine how safe this street was.

(Bai Jie, this is the Dragon Gate we built together, why can't you stay and see it with me?)

A sudden pain shot through his chest. Chen stopped looking at the prosperous scene behind him and continued walking towards his apartment.

----------------------

"I am back."

As Chen said this, he walked into the apartment, and naturally, there was no one in the apartment.

Standing in the deserted living room of the apartment, Chen gave a self-deprecating smile: "Really, what am I still fantasizing about? He's never coming back. He's already abandoned this place."

Perhaps it was because of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Chen's longing for Bai Jie deepened. On her way back, she thought that she would see Bai Jie waiting for her at home when she returned, but the reality told her that she was overthinking it.

Bai Jie did not return.

"Ding dong!"

The doorbell rang suddenly, and a glint of light flashed in Chen's dim eyes.

Who's here? Is it him?

"I'm Exusiai from Penguin Logistics. I have an urgent package for Ms. Chen. Is Ms. Chen home?"

The sound outside the door made Chen's heart, which had been burning with excitement, sink again. Dragging his tired body to the door, he opened it and saw Exusiai's smiling face.

"Hello Officer Chen, here's an express package for you. Could you please sign for it?"

"I don't remember buying anything. You must have sent the wrong item."

"No, it's because someone sent it to you. I sped all the way from Shelag to deliver this package. My boss gave me a strict order to deliver it today."

Hearing what Exusiai said, Chen sighed, took the pen from Exusiai, signed his name, and took the package back to his apartment.

"Thank you for reviewing! Please give Penguin Logistics a good review!"

Ignoring Exusiai, Chen closed the door and took the package to the coffee table in the living room to open it.

Inside was a box of mooncakes. Judging from the appearance, you could tell the person who made them was an amateur. Their appearance was terrible; if you had to describe them, they were the kind of people who should never be in the kitchen.

Along with the mooncakes was a folded piece of paper, which Chen picked up and unfolded.

[Dear Boss Chen, when you read this letter, I will be negotiating trade between Shelag and Karan. I'm truly sorry I can't make it back to Lungmen to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with you. As an apology, I made a box of mooncakes myself. I remember you like red bean paste mooncakes, right? I borrowed Horn Peak's kitchen and failed more than ten times before finally managing to make them. I hope they'll suit your taste. Sincerely, Bai Jie.]

"This guy..."

Chen picked up a mooncake and examined it closely. The dough was poorly made, thick in some places and thin in others, and the patterns on the surface were crooked and distorted, more like scribbles than flowers.

I took a bite, and as expected, it tasted terrible, not even as good as the mooncakes sold in stores. It was barely edible.

"Awoo..."

However, despite how terrible the mooncakes were, Chen kept eating them. She could imagine Bai Jie working hard in the kitchen to make them. Even though the crusts were terrible and the red bean paste filling was uneven, Chen could truly feel the effort he had put into them.

When he came to his senses, Chen had already eaten all ten mooncakes in the box.

"Damn it... Since you said you were leaving, then stop writing letters and sending things back and forth. How am I supposed to forget you like this? If you're going to leave, then leave completely!"

Tears welled up in Chen's eyes. She had tried her best to forget him, but he made all her efforts go to waste at the most crucial moment.

Upon reaching the rooftop, Chen Fang gazed towards the distant north, where the Snow Kingdom of Sherag lay, and Bai Jie was located there.

"Bai Jie, I miss you so much!"

P.S.: I've read quite a few works, and the Mid-Autumn Festival specials in them usually feature family reunions. So I wanted to write about a Mid-Autumn Festival without family reunions, depicting how the protagonist and Chen, separated by thousands of miles, couldn't suppress their longing for each other. I don't know if it's acceptable.

P.S.: I'm going back to school tomorrow, so updates might be late. Just letting you all know.

Section 210, page 22. Author: I drank half a bottle of ten-year-old Daughter's Red wine and felt a little dizzy.

Almost two months have passed since the fierce battle between Bai Jie and Athena, and the reconstruction work in Tokyo has gradually begun to get on track, although it is unknown how to fill the huge crater with a radius of nearly ten kilometers.

Almost two months have passed since Bai Jie left Japan. Just as he said, after staying at Shirasaki Kaori's house for one night, Bai Jie took a plane and left Japan the next afternoon. The day after that, Shirasaki Kaori learned from the homeroom teacher that Bai Jie had dropped out of school.

“Shaniat, he’s really gone.”

On the school rooftop, Shirasaki Kaori leaned against the railing and sighed, while Yaegashi Shizuku beside her also sighed silently.

Bai Jie was like a strong wind, blowing into their lives without warning, making a mess of them, and then blowing away without warning, leaving only their ravaged daily lives.

"...Kaori, class is about to start, let's go back."

Shizuku Yaegashi patted her friend on the shoulder and said that she didn't know what had happened between Shirai and Kaori Shirasaki, but no matter what, Kaori Shirasaki couldn't continue to be so distraught.

------------------

When Shirasaki Kaori and Yaegashi Shizuku returned to their classroom, lunch break had just ended, and the school bell rang as soon as they sat down.

As Hatayama Aiko walked into the classroom carrying a stack of lecture notes, she faced the class, but for some reason, her expression looked slightly unnatural and awkward.

"Before class begins, the teacher will announce something to everyone."

Aiko Hatayama's tone was somewhat low, and she seemed out of sorts.

Taking a deep breath, Aiko Hatayama said, "Starting today, we will have a transfer student in our class. He is from Italy."

An Italian transfer student!?

Aiko Hatayama's words immediately shocked the entire class. Fafnir had just left behind one Italian transfer student, and now another Italian transfer student was arriving?!

Is it popular to transfer from Italy to Japan now?

"Alright, you can come in now."

At Aiko Hatayama's invitation, someone walked into the classroom.

Pale, tousled hair, red eyes, a gentle smile... Who else could it be but Bai Jie?

"Fafner!?"

Kaori Shirasaki stared incredulously at Bai Jie standing on the podium, her eyes filled with undisguised shock and disbelief.

Why is Bai Jie here? Didn't he go back to Italy? Why is he back?