Afterlife Department

Chapter 370 – Hiding

Huo Ling looked at Yi Bing, then at Luren, then back to Yi Bing. 

"If there's something on your mind, why don't you say it?" Yi Bing whispered to Huo Ling as they all sat on the bleachers in the pool area while watching Prille swam in the pool. 

As Luren answered earlier, he really didn't teach Prille in swimming. Mandy already expressed his goodwill earlier so he just silently watched while Hierre cheered on Prille. 

"No, it's just…" Huo Ling murmured. 

"What?" Yi Bing asked. They are sitting at the back. 

"Just… you and that tall student looked similar." Huo Ling said. 

"Where are we similar?" Yi Bing's brows raised. 

"He is tall and… cold." Huo Ling answered as he looked at the back of Luren's head. Then, he turned to Yi Bing. "Like you." He told him. 

Yi Bing didn't speak nor react. He just glanced at Luren before he turned to look at the pool. Obviously, he wanted to change the topic. A smile formed on Huo Ling's lips before he hid it. 

"There must be a connection between this pool and the declining of energy in this area." Yi Bing said. 

Huo Ling was just joking earlier about the ghost. After all, usually, when a strange thing happens, if it is in a school setting, then, definitely, it'd be a ghost causing it. But, he knows this isn't something that can be read in novels nor can be watched in the movie or television screens. Furthermore, Yi Bing confirmed that this isn't a supernatural world. 

"Could there be some sort of mechanism underneath that pool?" he asked. His expression looked pensive. 

"… wake up. This isn't a grave robbing plot." Yi Bing told him. 

Huo Ling grimaced. My bad. He thought. He saw Prille was doing another lap in the pool. But, his form looked ugly and his swimming skill is average, if there really is any skill. He didn't forget the hidden contempt in Prille's tone earlier. 

"Hey." He called to the nearest Mandy. 

Mandy turned. "Yes?" he politely asked. 

Unlike the politeness in Luren's tone earlier when he spoke to Yi Bing and Huo Ling, Mandy's politeness is placing some distance between them. It isn't the indifference in Luren's politeness. Mandy's politeness is filled with arrogance. 

But, Huo Ling doesn't care about socialism. He is just a passerby in this world. Why should he care about the way society works? "Who is that person swimming like a duck?" he asked. 

Mandy almost spatted out a mouthful of blood when he heard what Huo Ling said. Meanwhile, Hierre who was cheering at Prille in a loud voice, choked when he heard that Huo Ling said that Prille is like a duck swimming. Prille, in the water, didn't hear Huo Ling because of the splashes he made. Meanwhile, Luren's expression didn't even change. 

"What… why are you looking at me like that?" Huo Ling asked and innocently blinked his eyes at Mandy who immediately glared at him. 

Mandy didn't speak while Hierre who turned to look at Huo Ling saw that Huo Ling was just 'innocently' asking and his expression looked sincere, so he called Mandy who clenched his fists that are resting on his lap. 

How can Yi Bing not see Mandy's hostility? But, his mood is good as he watched Huo Ling acted like a naïve child towards this strange bunch of students. 

"Well?" Huo Ling spoke, urging for Mandy to speak. 

Yi Bing almost tore his side from suppressing his laughter that is threatening to escape from his mouth after he saw Huo Ling forcing Mandy to answer his question. If Mandy answers, he would admit, although it's the truth, that Prille is really swimming like a duck. But, if he didn't answer, he would look petty because Huo Ling 'didn't' mean anything of what he asked him earlier. 

He 'didn't' mean that he is insulting Prille, and that he looked like just a naïve and straightforward child. Huo Ling is really the best when pulling aggro (hatred). 

The corner of Mandy's lips twitched in irritation and anger. Seeing that no one answered him, Huo Ling pouted. Mandy who saw Huo Ling was opening his mouth to speak again, felt a bad premonition. But, it was his fault that he didn't answer this 'naïve' and 'curious' child. He saw, in the corner of his eye, that Prille went out of the water and is coming towards them. 

It was too late. "Why are you not speaking? Am I wrong to say that he swims like a duck?" Huo Ling asked in an aggrieved and spoiled tone. Then, he suddenly paused. 

Mandy felt that his heart sank when he saw Huo Ling paused. 

"Wait. I am wrong!" Huo Ling said and turned to Yi Bing. "Teacher, wasn't the duck we raised at home swims better than him?" he asked and pointed to Prille. 

Prille who heard Huo Ling immediately froze on his feet and slipped. SPLASH!!!

"PRILLE!" Mandy and Hierre exclaimed when they saw Prille fell on the water. 

Hierre is the nearest and he jumped on the pool like a tiger jumping on its prey. 

"Aiyo~!" Huo Ling coquettishly exclaimed. 

In the other people's eyes, like Mandy's, he looked like he was looking at Pierre in sympathy. But, Yi Bing knows that Huo Ling is looking at Pierre who emerged from the water with his face red from coughing, shame, and anger, is secretly laughing in schadenfreude. Who told Pierre to look down on him? 

Huo Ling has met many kinds of people while he was working as a delivery man. Thus, he knows that Pierre is a hypocrite. You are a green tea bitch? Then, let's see who is better being one! He thought as he placed a hand to cover his mouth, as if hiding a surprised gasp. But, Yi Bing, sitting on his side, could see that Huo Ling's lips are curled up in a sneer. 

"Is he alright?" Huo Ling asked and looked at Mandy whose face turned ugly after Hierre helped Prille out of the water. 

Mandy's face became as black as his heart… oops. It wasn't me who helped him, so how do I know how is Prille?! He roared in his heart as he glared at Huo Ling before he walked towards Hierre and Prille who sat on the poolside. 

Huo Ling's face registered an offended expression and his eyes narrowed and turned red. Tears are threatening to fall. This is what Hierre and Luren saw when they glanced at him after they heard Mandy scoffed and walked away with a sneer. 

My, my, will you look at him? Yi Bing thought as he looked at Huo Ling proudly. Huo Ling is acting like a white lotus but is actually a green tea bitch inside. He coughed to cover the smile on his lips before he pushed Huo Ling's wheelchair down on the ramp to go to Prille, Hierre and Mandy. 

Mandy heard the wheels of the wheelchair coming towards them and he sharply turned to glare at Huo Ling. "It's your fault!" he yelled as he rudely pointed at Huo Ling. 

Huo Ling secretly rolled his eyes. Bro, is your eyes not tired yet for glaring at me? He thought before making a hurt expression. "W-what did I do wrong?" he asked. "He fell on the pool on his own. I am on the bleachers and is far from him, so how can I push him?" he looked at them and blinked his watery eyes. 

Prille, Hierre and Luren. "…" what's this strange atmosphere? We feel like that Mandy is right but why did things turn out we are bullying the other person? 

Mandy's chest heaved up and down in stifled anger. "You insulted him!" he insisted. 

Huo Ling innocently blinked his eyes. "But, I didn't?" he asked. Before Mandy could speak, he continued. "My late mother and father said that I should be honest in everything that I say. Is this wrong?" he stared at them. 

Prille, Hierre, Luren and Mandy. "…" no, you are right. But, we still feel that there is something wrong… they thought. 

Yi Bing, as the eldest and the 'teacher', coughed. "Howee is right. I also saw that that student fell on his own because he slipped. It was no one's fault, so why are you blaming him?" he asked. 

Prille who felt wronged. "…" 

Hierre. "?" 

Mandy. "*@#%*#$^$!" 

"The teacher is right. Student Howee didn't do anything wrong. It was Prille who fell on his own." Luren spoke. 

"Luren!" Mandy cried and looked at Luren in disbelief. 

Luren coldly looked at Mandy. "I already said it before. If he wanted to join the team, he should do it using his skill." He said, then paused. "Does he have any?" he added and emotionlessly glanced at Prille who blushed in shame before he turned to Mandy whose face paled. "I already seen his 'skill' myself. I hope you won't insist on recommending him to the team again." He said before he left.