Quick Transmigration: What to Do When the Male Supporting Character You Saved Becomes Obsessed with

Seeing that Lu Liruan was interested in this, Liao Tingyuan turned on a screen on his phone and handed it to Lu Liruan.

Lu Liruan took it, glanced at it, and found it was a chat page with someone.

“I talked to Jiang Ming today. He said that one day, some children who were still in the welfare home contacted him and asked when he could come back to see them. Then he could no longer contact them.”

The news came from last week.

"He saw the information before we discovered it..."

The other party seems to be organizing the timeline.

“I asked him if he had noticed anything unusual at the time, and he said no. The children he was talking to seemed normal. But what puzzled him was that since he went abroad, he had rarely been in contact with the children in the orphanage. Sometimes he would send them gifts, but he would not receive a reply.”

"But he didn't care, because most of the children still in the orphanage weren't very old. You know Jiang Ming is younger than us, and when he left, there weren't many children left in the orphanage. I barely knew any of them, and you probably don't know Tingyuan either, so the information we received was delayed..."

From the message, it can be seen that the other party is a very organized and rational person, and their analysis of the problem is also methodical.

He must have cared about this matter as much as Liao Tingyuan, and he also tried to find out what had happened by checking various sources.

"Why do you say that the information you received was delayed?" Lu Liruan asked.

“We were among the first to leave the orphanage, and we were still able to keep in touch with it afterwards. After we left, we also provided some financial assistance to the younger children there, which is a tradition,” Liao Tingyuan explained.

"Jiang Ming completed his studies with the help of my friend and me, so we have a relatively close relationship," Liao Tingyuan said, referring to his relationship with Jiang Ming.

Lu Liruan hadn't heard him mention these things, but quietly sponsoring children in orphanages was indeed something Liao Tingyuan would do, and he didn't think it was anything worth publicizing or being proud of.

“Jiang Ming was the oldest child in the orphanage at the time; all the other children were younger than him. So our contact with Jiang Ming, and Jiang Ming’s contact with the orphanage, was cut off… Our contact with Jiang Ming was still quite close, but after Jiang Ming went abroad, the frequency of his contact with the orphanage decreased. At the same time, the frequency of our contact with the orphanage decreased even more, and we got a lot of our information from Jiang Ming.”

Liao Tingyuan explained it very clearly.

But Lu Liruan had some doubts.

Why is it that after leaving the orphanage, neither Liao Tingyuan nor his friends on the phone maintained the same level of contact with the orphanage as he did with one of the children they had sponsored who had come from the orphanage?

Logically speaking, they grew up there.

Even if it's not like home, it's a place they're very familiar with and where they feel a sense of belonging...

Of course, a welfare home can't be full of children; there are also people who take care of them.

Liao Tingyuan didn't mention them, and from the conversation Lu Liruan saw on her phone just now, her friend on the other end didn't mention them either.

Even the Jiang Ming that Liao Tingyuan mentioned, the person he was talking to was a child in the orphanage who was even younger than him.

Lu Liruan felt that although there was no logical problem, something just felt off...

Ever since Liao Tingyuan mentioned this matter, something has been off, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

Liao Tingyuan was clearly not finished speaking, and Lu Liruan did not offer her own opinions or questions, but continued to listen to him.

"The first person to notice the problem at the orphanage was Jiang Ming, who was abroad, but because he was busy with his studies and had time zone issues, he didn't take it seriously at first," Liao Tingyuan said calmly.

"Until one day, he realized he couldn't reach them no matter what he tried. That's when he told me and this friend about it..."

"Did you go and see it in person afterwards?" Lu Liruan rested her chin on her hand, letting her thoughts follow Liao Tingyuan's narration.

“Actually, at first we didn’t pay much attention to it.” Liao Tingyuan shook his head: “Until one day, my friend discovered that the money that was deposited into the account that should have been received by the welfare home according to the time and fixed amount had just been sitting there untouched. This had never happened in the previous few years.”

"Was all the money you sent to the welfare home used up?"

"Given the circumstances at the time, at least the money was no longer in the account," Liao Tingyuan said cautiously.

"It was only then that we realized that the inability to contact Jiang Ming was not a simple problem." Liao Tingyuan opened another interface, which showed the balance of an account.

“This account belongs to my friend. He opened it when he left the orphanage to go back and provide financial assistance. If the account had been held by someone from the orphanage, we might have been able to find some clues through the account. But because it’s my friend’s account, we can only see that the money has been sitting there.” Liao Tingyuan explained before Lu Liruan could even think of this.

"Then did you go to the welfare home to take a look?"

"Yes, I went to check, but there's nothing there."

"Nothing left... what does that mean?" Lu Liruan didn't quite understand what exactly meant by "nothing left".

“There’s no trace left in that place.” Liao Tingyuan’s brows furrowed again. It was clear that he didn’t have a reasonable explanation for this matter and was quite confused.

“The orphanage was originally built in a very remote place. Later, we also looked up relevant information to find out how the orphanage was built, how the funds were raised, and who was involved.” Liao Tingyuan shook his head, and Lu Liruan already knew what he was going to say.

“But we can’t find anything. There is indeed another courtyard there. However…” Liao Tingyuan seemed to hesitate.

Lu Liruan felt that what she was about to hear was something illogical.

Otherwise, Liao Tingyuan wouldn't have shown such an expression.

Lu Liruan felt that anything that Liao Tingyuan found illogical or surprising must be truly extraordinary...

After all, Liao Tingyuan was the one who could remain calm while facing the two inhuman monsters walking down the corridor.

"Since there's still a courtyard, can't we find anything?" Lu Liruan was a little puzzled.

"Well..." Liao Tingyuan lowered his eyes, looking somewhere, his expression a mixture of indifference and wariness.

“It’s because the place is still there, but there’s nothing there…and I feel very unfamiliar with it. Not just me, but my friends who went with me, and even Jiang Ming who came back later, we’ve all been there. We also contacted two people who had come from the orphanage, who weren’t very close to us, and who were a bit older than us, who had been there, but everyone had a strange sense of unfamiliarity.”

"A sense of unfamiliarity?" Lu Liruan was puzzled by this description.

“If it were this house we’re in now, even if one day all the furniture and decorations were removed, we would still feel a sense of familiarity when we walked in. Normally, people who have lived in a welfare home would feel the same way when they return to the old site of the welfare home, but quite the opposite…” Liao Tingyuan explained to Lu Liruan with an example.

“Yes, we’ve been here, not just because of the renovations, but perhaps because of the atmosphere, or the connection we’ve made with this place?” Lu Liruan tried to describe some intangible feeling.

Liao Tingyuan nodded in agreement.

“But it’s not there. We do have an impression of that place, and we’re certain that it’s the old site of the orphanage. But instead of a sense of familiarity, we feel like we’re stepping into this space for the first time… This feeling clashes with the so-called sense of familiarity, which makes it seem very strange.” Liao Tingyuan tried to make Lu Liruan understand what he meant as clearly as possible.

Lu Liruan could understand what was being said, but she couldn't possibly imagine what it felt like.

The sense of familiarity that should be present in common sense does indeed conflict with the sense of unfamiliarity that Lu Liaotingyuan described.

Most people wouldn't experience both of these sensations simultaneously in the same space...

In the general public's perception, this conflict would not be seen as an opposition, because theoretically it is not valid.

Therefore, Lu Liruan had never experienced, nor could she imagine, what kind of strange feeling it was, even though Liao Tingyuan had explained it very clearly...

“It’s normal that you can’t understand it.” Liao Tingyuan couldn’t help but purse his lips as he watched Lu Liruan’s face scrunched up, looking like she was trying hard to comprehend it.

“I don’t really understand either, because this feeling shouldn’t exist.” Liao Tingyuan raised his hand and patted Lu Liruan’s head.

Lu Liruan snapped out of her reverie: "And then?"

"If you find it strange, then just stop looking for it." Lu Liruan felt that if she were in this situation, even if she found it strange, she would probably just let it go.

After all, she's not the type to pry into things.

Of course, except for the matter concerning Liao Tingyuan...

Lu Liruan felt that the effort she had put into understanding Teacher Liao's feelings was unprecedented in her focus and dedication.

"We want to know... the whereabouts of the children in the orphanage." Liao Tingyuan paused before continuing.

Lu Liruan was speechless for a moment.

yes……

It was a strange thing for him, but for Liao Tingyuan, it wasn't just a matter of his mind; he was already deeply involved with the welfare home.

Just as he left there, his friends have been coming back to fund him.

He must have some feelings for that place...

Liao Tingyuan naturally wanted to know what had happened, and what had become of the children who had spent so much time with him, some younger than him and others much younger.

Where did they go? What happened to them?

Why would something so strange happen...?

Lu Liruan has no relatives left and is basically in a state of having no ties.

When Lu Liruan first heard that Liao Tingyuan had left from the welfare home, she thought that he might be just as carefree as she was.

But now that I think about it carefully, Liao Tingyuan was probably held back...

Because he grew up there, he felt the same care and concern for other children who grew up there as an older brother or a relative.

Perhaps he didn't care that much, but out of various emotions, Liao Tingyuan couldn't let them go.

If he leaves and never looks back, and if he is doing well now, he will not care about the children who were once in the same situation as him. Lu Liruan thought: then he would not be Liao Tingyuan.

It's not something someone like him, who's always willing to take responsibility, would do; that's not in his character, Lu Liruan was absolutely certain.

He'll probably keep searching until he gets the results.

Patiently and meticulously, like searching for clues in space, again and again.

"Do you want to know where those children went?" Lu Liruan asked, placing her hand on Liao Tingyuan's hand and squeezing it slightly, wanting to offer him support at this moment.

Liao Tingyuan nodded without hesitation.

“At least… I want to know how they are now, and where they are,” Liao Tingyuan said earnestly.

“We don’t know what happened, but those children can’t just disappear without a trace. Nobody cares about them. If we don’t go looking for them and find out what happened, who will care about them?” Liao Tingyuan said this without any righteous, selfless, or magnanimous demeanor; he was simply calm.

He felt it was something he should do.

"Is this also the reason why you chose to live in this city?" Lu Liruan had heard An Tang say that other places had repeatedly asked Liao Tingyuan to go there for temporary transfer, or directly invited him to stay there.

But Liao Tingyuan chose to stay here.

"He seems like he can make a living anywhere... He clocks in on time to work and gets perfect attendance every month. Other places offered him higher salaries, but he never considered it. Maybe he thinks it's better to stay put? Well... I just don't understand him." An Tang once commented on Liao Tingyuan like this.

At this moment, Lu Liruan felt that she had gained a deeper understanding of Liao Tingyuan.

"That's one of the reasons," Liao Tingyuan said frankly.

"Don't the staff who used to work at the welfare home have any relatives or friends? Don't they have any contacts? Surely not everyone at the welfare home is without social connections?" Lu Liruan asked.

When this was mentioned, Lu Liruan saw a more somber and serious emotion flash across Liao Tingyuan's eyes.

He looked at Lu Liruan, and during their eye contact, he didn't speak, and the atmosphere became slightly tense.

"Wh...what's wrong?" Lu Liruan noticed the change and didn't know what was wrong with her question just now.

"This is also a strange thing..." Liao Tingyuan's tone softened, with a gentle tone as if trying to comfort Lu Liruan.

“We’ve made contact with some people, but some of them say… those they know have already disappeared.”

Lu Liruan's hair stood on end!