HLM – Chapter 54 Special Education School

Roger was a man of mixed Māori and Scottish descent. He had the solid build of a Māori and the shrewdness of a Scott. He greeted Wang Bo warmly and told him the order could be completed in a month at most.

That was the advantage of prefabricated modular houses. Six small buildings could be erected in just one month. If they were traditional brick houses, it would take at least four months.

Old Wang hoped to negotiate the price down a bit more, but Roger held firm and said, “This is already the lowest price, mate. Not long ago, Norco Chemicals placed an order for fifty houses—same price!”

After a long round of bargaining, even invoking international friendship, Old Wang still couldn’t get a discount. However, Roger agreed to include garden fences for all of Wang Bo’s houses, which was a form of hidden discount.

After signing the contract, Wang Bo paid a 25% deposit. Once Roger confirmed the payment, he began dispatching a construction team to the site to begin building.

With no more business in the small town, Old Wang called Bowen to return to the castle—his Zhuang Ding and the Commander were still there.

But Bowen refused to go. He said there was nothing to do back there and that he wanted to stay in the small town for a few more days.

“What’s the point of staying here by yourself?” Wang Bo asked with irritation.

Bowen gave a sneaky grin and rubbed his hands together. “Oh, nothing. I swear to dear Lord, I just want to wander around. That castle’s way too lonely.”

As if Wang Bo didn’t know exactly what he was up to. He sneered and said, “Watch yourself. Don’t let Julia’s husband catch you, or you’re in for a world of pain.”

“She’s married?” Bowen blurted out instinctively.

Wang Bo shrugged. “Of course. Didn’t you see the wedding ring on her finger?”

But rather than being disappointed, Bowen actually looked pleased. “Ha! That’s great! I asked her and she said she was single. Obviously, she lied because she’s into me.”

Wang Bo had actually just made that up. He hadn’t paid attention to whether Julia wore a ring or not.

Leaving Bowen behind, Old Wang hopped on his motorcycle and rode off. Avoiding the cowboy, he called Charlie to ask for the address of the school where Eva worked.

He didn’t know many people in the small town, but Eva was one of them. He admired her personality and temperament, so it only made sense to drop by and see her.

After getting the address, he went to the supermarket to buy some gifts—things for kids. He knew Eva wouldn’t accept gifts for herself, but she likely wouldn’t refuse presents for the autistic children she taught.

“This is called ‘openly repairing the road while secretly sneaking through the warehouse’—strategy wins beauty. Chinese kung fu, foreign defenses can’t block it!” Old Wang chuckled proudly as he roared off again on his motorcycle. Of course, someone flipped him off behind his back.

By the time Wang Bo arrived at the school, Eva was still teaching.

Today, she wore a cream-colored T-shirt with cartoon animal prints, paired with a black pleated skirt. The lace on the skirt was exaggerated and a bit childish.

However, the skirt came with a waist ribbon tied into a bow, which gave her a gentle and elegant charm—she looked beautiful.

Eva turned and saw him, her eyes showing a trace of surprise. She quickly walked over and greeted him. “Hi, Wang. Hello! What brings you here?”

Wang Bo showed the gifts and said, “I had some business in the town, and then decided to come take a look—uh, take a look at the kids here. See, I even brought presents.”

As he expected, if he had brought gifts just for Eva, she would have refused. But seeing they were all cartoon books, anime DVDs, and toys, she accepted them with a smile and said sincerely, “Thank you, Wang. You’re a good person.”

Old Wang rubbed his nose and replied awkwardly, “A lot of people say that.”

Eva quickly waved her hands. “No, no, I’m not just being polite. You really are a good person.”

She said this while looking him in the eye, her gaze clear and sincere—it made her words much more believable.

After accepting the gifts, Eva asked Wang Bo to wait a moment. She settled the children down for a break, then accompanied him for a walk around the school, introducing him to the place.

The school was small, just a single-story building with a front yard and a garden. Eva explained that there were only two teachers—herself and another woman named Katherine Houston. Together, they were responsible for about a dozen children with psychological disorders.

Wang Bo asked, “Is dressing up important for your classes? You look different from usual.”

Eva looked down at her outfit and laughed shyly. “It looks childish, right? But the kids like it. And they don’t have many things they enjoy, so I want to fulfill their wishes when I can.”

They had only chatted a little when the sound of a child crying suddenly rang out. Eva rushed back to the classroom. A boy around ten years old was shoving a frail little girl, shouting incoherently as he did.

Wang Bo was about to ask if she needed help when Eva had already stepped in and held the boy back.

The boy turned to grab at her, but Eva gently maneuvered his arm and pulled him into a hug, saying softly, “George, it’s okay, it’s okay. Big sister is here. Come on, smile for me. Close your eyes, okay? Big sister has a candy for you…”

After calming the boy, she comforted the frightened, crying girl and separated the two. Everything was handled with grace and order.

Once the kids had settled down, Eva shrugged at Wang Bo. “That didn’t scare you, did it?”

Wang Bo shook his head. “Why would it? But that kid sure has a temper.”

Eva said bitterly, “It’s not his fault. George has childhood schizophrenia. He suffers from sensory and emotional disorders, experiences hallucinations and delusions, and can become very agitated—leading him to lash out at his surroundings.”

Watching these children with unusual behavior and emotional instability, Wang Bo felt genuinely sorry for them. He now understood why Eva had gotten so upset at the sports meet when he’d pretended to have a mental illness. You really shouldn’t joke like that with a psychological therapist.

When it was time to leave in the afternoon, his crappy motorcycle decided to break down just then. No matter what he did, he couldn’t get it started.

Eva said, “How about this—you leave your motorcycle at the repair shop, and I’ll drive you back?”

Wang Bo shook his head. “No worries, I can fix it. Must be a clogged spark plug. Do you have any tools here?”

Eva chuckled. “This is a special education school. Why would we have repair tools? Okay, how about this—put your motorcycle in my trunk, I’ll drive you home, and then you can come back and fix it.”

Wang Bo agreed, a little embarrassed. But honestly, this was perfect—he’d get to spend some one-on-one time with Eva in the car.