Chapter 37

Someone is controlling souls, or rather, manipulating people's consciousness. If it weren't for the incident with the wife of the café owner by the lakeside, Zhen Fan would never have believed it.

The consciousness of the café's female owner was clearly already under manipulation, making her very powerful and devoid of any judgment, like a zombie. Although not a zombie in the physical sense, she was a zombie in terms of consciousness. Their harm was even more intense than that of physical zombies because their destruction was silent and insidious, making them hard to guard against.

Controlling people's consciousness to make the dead harm the living, like the café's female owner, or like Wendy now, or even further back, like Eddie's younger brother...

Zhen Fan couldn't help but tense up; what a wicked idea!

"Cough, cough!" Zhen Fan cleared his throat. "I know someone is trying to control you. You might not be aware of it, but I can tell you that I can protect you, but you have to listen to me and do as I say!"

Wendy clearly found this difficult. She didn't know what kind of person Zhen Fan was because his seal had made her weak.

"Don't worry, I won't harm you. I will help you and repair the damage caused by my seal!" Zhen Fan didn't rush her, speaking calmly. "Of course, you can choose not to, but... do you know why someone is influencing you无形中? Do you know that you will eventually become a tool for others and lose your consciousness completely? At that point, you will be nothing!"

A soul that has lost its consciousness can only become a tool for others.

"Will I lose my consciousness if I listen to you?"

Wendy finally expressed her concern.

"No, I just want you to hide your traces so that those who try to control you lose you as a target. I won't use you unless you want to!" Zhen Fan shrugged, indicating he had no ulterior motives toward Wendy.

"Say yes or no, you don't have much time left. If you stay here, you will be discovered!" Zhen Fan's face showed impatience; he had spent too much time on this soul.

"Alright, I agree!" Wendy finally said.

Zhen Fan nodded, suddenly took out a jade pendant, placed it in his palm, and made several hand signs. Then he softly said, "Seal!"

In Wendy's frightened eyes, she turned into a white mist and quickly entered the jade pendant. The pendant glowed and then quickly returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.

"Stay inside; there's enough energy to nourish you and heal you!" Zhen Fan muttered to himself, then slowly got up and walked toward the room.

The next day, Zhen Fan got up late, so he didn't go running; he just used the fitness equipment at home. It seems staying up late is not a good habit.

After exercising and having breakfast, he felt he still had some free time and thought about calling Ray to ask if Sarah had given up on the case, especially after his conversation with Wendy last night, which made him feel like there was a huge hand behind the scenes. But he thought about it and decided not to.

"Hi, Zhen, good morning!"

Julia returned from her run, wearing a tank top and shorts, with a headband on her forehead, her ponytail swaying, and her fair skin exuding a healthy, youthful aura.

"Hi, Julia!"

Zhen Fan greeted her as she ran into Thomas's house.

"Is this the home of Zhen Fan? You have a letter!"

A messenger on a bicycle, wearing a helmet and tight clothes, not looking like a postman but more like an outdoor cyclist, if it weren't for the mailboxes on the sides of his bike.

He propped his bike with his legs and flipped through a stack of mail, reading the envelope.

"Yes, that's me!"

Zhen Fan quickly walked over.

"Here... just sign here!" The messenger pointed to a form, had Zhen Fan sign where he indicated, and then put away his pen. "Goodbye, sir!"

"Goodbye!"

Zhen Fan saw the envelope, which had PES printed on it, and already knew what it was. PES stands for Professional Examination Service, and it was clear that his results were out.

94 points on the written test, 100 points on the acupuncture, and passing the needle cleaning test. Zhen Fan passed all three exams for the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) qualification certificate in one go. Getting 100 points on the acupuncture was unprecedented in such qualification exams in the U.S., so the envelope also contained a congratulatory note for Zhen Fan's exam results, which was also unprecedented because the exam center had no such rule unless someone wanted to be creative.

"Great!"

Although he knew he would pass, Zhen Fan couldn't help but shout when he saw the results. It was impossible not to be excited.

"What good news?"

Zhen Fan's excited shout caught Julia's attention as she was about to leave with her backpack. She smiled and asked.

"I passed!"

Zhen Fan laughed and waved the letter.

"Is it the qualification exam?"

Julia's eyes lit up, looking at Zhen Fan with surprise, clearly infected by his excitement.

"Congratulations, Zhen, this... this is fantastic!" Julia walked over, hugged Zhen Fan through the fence, and patted his shoulder.

"Thanks, thanks, Julia. Do you have time today? I'll treat you to a real Chinese meal!"

Zhen Fan was a bit too excited.

"Well..." Julia hesitated, "I have a tight schedule today and might not be here. Sorry, Zhen. If I have time, I'll treat you. Wait for my call!"

Julia made a phone gesture with her hand and waved to Zhen Fan, "Goodbye, Zhen, congratulations again!"

"Goodbye, Julia!"

Zhen Fan was taken aback by Julia's refusal but then laughed. Inviting her like that was indeed a bit presumptuous. Watching Julia drive away, Zhen Fan returned to his room.

The excitement had passed, and his mood had calmed down. However, thinking about finally being able to start the career he loved was a good start. He took out his phone, intending to call Sarah to tell her, but stopped as he dialed the number.

After some thought, he decided not to tell her for now, especially since he had also resigned from the investigation bureau. After a while, Zhen Fan went to the supermarket.

"Kelli!" Zhen Fan didn't go in to buy anything but greeted her at the cash register.

"Hi, Zhen, what's the good news?"

Kelli could tell from Zhen Fan's face that something good had happened.

"My qualification certificate is almost ready; I passed the exam!" Zhen Fan made an exaggerated gesture, "I told you it wouldn't take long!"

"Great, great!" Kelli was genuinely happy for Zhen Fan, "Well... if you have time, I'll treat you!"

"No, I should treat you!" Zhen Fan made an inviting gesture, "Don't refuse me!"

"Alright, I won't refuse. I have time tonight."

"See you tonight!" Zhen Fan nodded and left, "Wait for my call!"

Zhen Fan was indeed very happy. Kelli was a nice girl, and he still needed her help to rent a house. He remembered the house the dentist had rented that she mentioned.

In the afternoon, Zhen Fan went to the school as agreed. Brenda was already waiting in the dance studio, but Jennifer wasn't there. Instead, Brenda's two dance partners, Molly and Elisa, were practicing.

"Hey, Zhen, right on time!"

Molly saw Zhen Fan and shouted from a distance.

"Alright, what's the plan? Tell me!"

Zhen Fan didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point.

"Here's the thing, we plan to follow your suggestion and blend modern dance with street dance, but it will take a lot of effort, so..." Brenda looked at Zhen Fan with some concern.

"I have no problem. Tell me the combination of moves you want. Don't worry, Brenda, you're a talented girl; this won't be a problem for you. To be honest, I'm a complete novice in dance, but that doesn't mean I don't believe in you." Zhen Fan reassured her, knowing that the most important thing was to boost Brenda's confidence.

"Really?" Brenda was pleasantly surprised.

"Really!" Zhen Fan nodded and clapped his hands, "Alright, girls, we don't have much time, let's get started, no dilly-dallying!"

"Girls, let's start!" Brenda also clapped her hands, "From the first section, Zhen, watch the moves I designed for you!"

Brenda indeed had a talent for dance, or she might even be a genius.

Under her guidance, Zhen Fan began to integrate into the team. He quickly grasped the street dance moves, but blending them with modern dance was a testament to Brenda's creativity and imagination.

"Right, Zhen, can you jump higher? Yes, just like that—God, that's too high, very good, very good, we'll surprise Jennifer and the others!"

No matter how difficult the moves, Zhen Fan could easily perform them, almost like a monster. The three girls were amazed, but Brenda was visibly excited.

"Lift me up, yes, to the highest point, then spin once—no, three times! Oh—God, you—You threw me up, God, God, what are you, a monster?" Brenda spent the entire afternoon in a state of surprise.

Zhen Fan's dance adaptability was incredibly strong, and his comprehension was excellent. By the end of the day, he had a good grasp of the moves. If they practiced for another week, who knew what the results would be.

"Incredible!"

At that moment, a few heads were peeking through the dance studio window. One girl couldn't help but exclaim, clearly shocked by Zhen Fan, especially the final move where he held Brenda and spun her three times before throwing her up and catching her. How could this man have so much strength?

"Jennifer, it looks like we have a strong opponent. I didn't expect her new dance partner to be so good!"

Jennifer frowned, clearly having seen it.

"Should we ask the school not to allow outsiders to participate?" Someone suggested to Jennifer.

"No, no! The school has a tradition, and we can't break it! No one can!"

Jennifer firmly rejected the idea.

"Besides... I can't do that. Remember, your previous plan was a disaster."

It was true; if Jennifer hadn't arranged for Brenda's dance partner to be injured, Brenda wouldn't have brought in such a formidable partner.

"Let's let the dance decide everything!" Jennifer clenched her teeth, staring at Zhen Fan, her eyes burning with fierce determination.