Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen had spent a blissful night nestled together with super handso guy. The warmth of their shared embrace cocooned them, and for a fleeting mont, they revealed the illusion of intimacy. Sure, he wasn’t a real man and they could only hug him, but that was better than nothing. They felt refreshed and happy when they woke up, oblivious to Yu Xiao’s (the handso man) miserable face. She had tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.
“Ah, this is the life.” Zhou Xiao Zhen murmured, her voice a soft sigh. “To hold such beauty in our arms, even if he isn’t real. I wonder who Smiley will transform into next ti. Maybe soone more… adventurous.”
Zhao Lan, languid and content, stretched like a cat. “How about we go back in ti? Rember that actor, Yan Kuan? He looked so good in those ancient costus. What was the na of that show he was in?”
Zhou Xiao Zhen’s eyes lit up. “Oh, yes! Misty, you’re a genius! Ancient beauties… like my Erlang Shen brother, hehehe…”
And so, as dawn tiptoed across the room, they wove their fantasies, blissfully unaware of the heartache that haunted the man they held.
Yu Xiao wished they would spare a glance at her miserable self, but they were too busy drooling. Two lustful won!! (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
She cleared her throat loudly. “Hello? Am I invisible here? You do realise I haven’t agreed to anything, right? Don’t you think you’re getting ahead of yourselves?” She glared at them with dark circles under her eyes.
Zhao Lan tilted her head, her eyes wide and innocent. “What’s wrong, Smiley? Don’t you want to join us? We’re stuck in this hellhole for no good reason, cut off from the world, with nothing to entertain us. This is our only chance to have so fun. Don’t you want to see us happy?”
Zhou Xiao Zhen chid in, her voice dripping with sweetness. “It’s true, Smiley. This is the only thing that brightens our bleak existence. But if it makes you uncomfortable, we’ll stop. We don’t want to upset you. Our little pleasure is nothing compared to your feelings. Misty, let’s not bring this up again in front of Smiley. We have to be considerate…”
Yu Xiao felt a surge of disbelief. Was this really happening? Were they committing emotional blackmail on her?
“Of course.” Zhao Lan nodded solemnly, then reached for Zhou Xiao Zhen’s hand across Yu Xiao. “We have to be respectful. Who cares if our lives are dull and miserable? We can endure it…”
Yu Xiao: “…”
She snapped. “That’s enough, you two.” She slapped their hands away, breaking their fake bond. “You are such green tea bitches!”
“Ouch…” Zhou Xiao Zhen clutched her face, feigning pain. “Smiley, why are you so an to ? I’m only thinking of you, you know?”
Yu Xiao bit back a curse and said with a calm voice: “I ran into Nightmare last night.”
She made it sound like a minor inconvenience, like she had a bad case of diarrhoea. Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen stared at her blankly for a mont. Then Zhou Xiao Zhen leaped off the bed. “What?! Nightmare?! Where the hell?!”
Zhao Lan gasped, then asked: “He was at Saint Elizabeth?”
“Uh-huh.” Yu Xiao nodded emphatically. “I barely escaped with my life. I had a close call last night, and you two? You’re obsessed with n. Are they more important than ?”
“Never.” Zhou Xiao Zhen declared, trying to sound sincere. “Those n are unreachable, but Smiley, you’re here with us. We know who matters.”
“Pfft.” Yu Xiao shoved her away. “Save it.”
“Okay, okay, enough.” Zhao Lan intervened, putting on a serious face. “Tell us what happened.”
Yu Xiao lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. “I went to Saint Elizabeth to earn so points… I an, to work. I was in the office, scamming the patients, when I heard Nightmare’s voice. He was right outside the door. I froze, but he couldn’t get in. George distracted him, and I took the chance to get the hell out of there.”
“Nightmare showed up at Saint Elizabeth.” Zhou Xiao Zhen fretted. “How long before he cos to the Sixth Hospital?”
“Did you report him?” Zhao Lan asked. “The news said you should report any sightings of Nightmare.”
“I tried.” Yu Xiao snarled, rembering. “The damn phone was busy!”
“What a shitty hospital!” Zhou Xiao Zhen agreed, fuming. “The phone was busy, they should just shut down already!”
Zhao Lan opened her mouth to speak, but the clock on the wall interrupted her. Eight o’clock. Ti for the morning news.
“~Ding!”
She squeezed Yu Xiao’s shoulder, trying to soothe her friend’s anxiety. “Hey, Smiley, relax. We’ll talk after the news, okay? Maybe it’s not as bad as you think.”
A cheerful voice filled the room. “Good morning, everyone! A beautiful day starts from now~ And here is the morning news.”
The three won leaned together, hoping for so good news. But what they heard made their blood run cold.
“… Last night, a shocking incident occurred at Saint Elizabeth Psychiatric Hospital. Nightmare, a forr staff mber who escaped from custody, broke into the hospital and brutally assaulted the chief doctor, Dr George. He fled the scene before the arrest team arrived. This heinous act has caused serious injuries to the doctor and widespread panic among the public. Our hospital urges everyone to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary outings…”
The radio voice faded into silence as the three won stared at each other in disbelief. Nightmare had attacked George?
Zhou Xiao Zhen frowned in confusion. “What was Nightmare’s motive for attacking George?” she asked. “He ca here looking for Smiley, didn’t he? Did George try to stop him from finding her?”
Zhao Lan shook her head, disbelief in her eyes. “No way. George would never do that. He wouldn’t sacrifice himself for Smiley… He is a ghost.” She glanced at Yu Xiao, who was sitting quietly on the bed, her face pale.
A slight twitch of her cheeks betrayed Yu Xiao’s guilt. She had a hunch about what had happened. It was all because of that stupid multiple-choice question she had made up to trick the patients last night. Nightmare must have taken it seriously and thought that beating up George was the key to entering the director’s office.
She had caused this ss. She felt a surge of remorse.
Yu Xiao wondered how George was doing. How bad were his injuries? He was the chief doctor, he had to be okay, right? He couldn’t be worse off than Gu Shu, who had survived a beating from the octopus monster.
She was drowning in guilt, when her phone rang, startling her.
She grabbed the phone and checked the caller ID. A strange number. That was odd. Who could be calling her?
The phone buzzed in her hand as she wondered, Bloody hell, how did anyone get her number in the Fourth Hospital?
She held up the phone for Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen to see. “Do you think it’s a wrong number?” she asked.
Zhao Lan gave her a serious look and shook her head. “No way. This is the Fourth Hospital. No one gets a wrong number here. It must be soone important. Or soone creepy. Either way, you should answer it.”
Yu Xiao hesitated. She was not easily scared by horror movie-style calls, especially when she had a bunch of talismans in her pocket. But she was also curious. Who could it be?
She pressed the green button and put the phone to her ear. “Hello, who’s this?”
The voice on the phone was crisp and clear, speaking flawless Mandarin that could rival any news anchor. “Greetings. I presu I’m speaking to the Dean of St. Elizabeth Psychiatric Hospital, also known as the ‘Deaf Descendant’ of the Health Bureau?”
Yu Xiao blinked in surprise. She had never heard anyone introduce her so formally. She felt a surge of nervousness. “Yes, that’s . Who are you?”
“I’m an agent from the dical Disputes Office. I’m calling to investigate a matter of concern. Do you have a mont to talk?”
“… Yes, of course.”
“Thank you for your cooperation. I understand that you t a person nad Nightmare during your last treatnt session at Dream Hospital. Is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Can you tell
if there was any kind of relationship between you and Nightmare during the treatnt? Did you have any romantic or sexual involvent with him? Did you lie to him or manipulate his feelings?”
“No, no, absolutely not!” Yu Xiao exclaid. “Let
explain: I went to Dream Hospital for a treatnt session, and my doctor, Fan Xing, assigned
a task to wake up Dr. Qu from her coma. While I was doing that, I accidentally rescued Nightmare from a dangerous situation. I didn’t know who he was at the ti. I thought he was just a random NPC in the dream. But after I saved him, he beca obsessed with . He started to stalk
and harass . He even confessed his love for . But I swear, I never encouraged him or led him on. I always rejected him and told him to leave
alone.”
“I see. Thank you for clarifying that. One last question: where were you last night?”
Yu Xiao felt a pang of fear, but she kept her voice steady. “I was in the ward for most of the night. My doctor, Dr. George, woke
up around midnight for so hospital work. I helped him with so patient treatnts at St. Elizabeth’s. Then I went back to the ward. I have proof of my whereabouts. I can show you my phone records and the statents of two other patients who shared the ward with .”
“Very well, please pay attention. We have credible sources that state Doctor George, the one who attended to you at Saint Elizabeth, firmly believes that you ordered Nightmare to assault him. Is that accurate?”
“That’s bullshit!” Yu Xiao spat.
“Please, calm yourself. There’s no call for obscenity. That’s not how civilised people communicate…”
“George is trying to screw
over!” Yu Xiao shouted. “I had nothing to do with Nightmare last night. How could I have told him anything? He’s a lying sack of shit, he’s spiteful, he’s got a vendetta, he’s been plotting to get rid of
for ages!!”
“Alright, alright. What is the reason for George’s animosity? Do you have any disputes with him?”
“Disputes? Certainly!” Yu Xiao exclaid. “He’s been opposed to
ever since I beca the Dean of Saint Elizabeth. Then, during the hospital inspection, he pretended to support
in front of the higher-ups, and I thought we were allies. But no, he still wanted to betray . Sob… I’m so injured. I’ve not only lost a friend, but also the most valuable thing in the world: trust. I’m in agony…”
“…Alright, we understand. Don’t fret, the dical Dispute Office will be impartial to everyone. Try to stay positive. Goodbye.”
“One mont.” Yu Xiao interjected. “Is your dical Dispute Office always accessible? Oh, I was just curious, in case I encounter Nightmare again and need to inform you.”
“No, it’s not. We’re open from eight in the morning till five in the afternoon. There’s no one here at other tis.”
“…”
With a sigh, Yu Xiao tossed her phone onto the bed and dabbed her eyes with a tissue. She hated crying, especially when no tears ca out. “Can you believe it? George betrayed . He actually accused .”
Zhao Lan leaned forward, her face etched with concern. “What? Who told you that? The dical Dispute Office? What did they ask?”
Yu Xiao nodded, her voice trembling as she repeated the questions they had asked her. She felt like a criminal, even though she had done nothing wrong.
Zhao Lan gave her hand a reassuring pat. “Don’t worry, Smiley. You told them the truth, didn’t you? They can’t prove anything. George is just trying to save his own ass.”
Yu Xiao groaned and rubbed her forehead. “When will this end? Should we go into an instance and hide from all this ss?”
Zhao Lan shook her head firmly. “That’s not a good idea. Besides, do you really think the instances are any safer? Nightmare is out there, hunting us down. He can infiltrate any instance he wants. The ward is the only place where we have so protection.”
“Right,” Zhou Xiao Zhen agreed, “We’ll just sit tight in the ward until they nab that bastard Nightmare.”
Yu Xiao sighed and nodded. She felt useless and frustrated, but she knew there was nothing else she could do.
“Hey, cheer up,” Zhou Xiao Zhen said, “Let’s not waste our ti worrying. We still have so work to do. The mall orders for the talismans are still pending.”
Yu Xiao forced a smile and decided to distract herself. She and Zhou Xiao Zhen got busy with sorting out the orders, packing the talismans, and waiting for the courier to pick them up.
Despite the courier being a grumpy and rude ghost, he was punctual and reliable. He showed up on ti, but he didn’t bother to greet them.
“Give
the damn package!”
Yu Xiao’s mood soured even more when she heard his snappy voice. She wanted to snap back at him, but she knew it was pointless. He was just a courier, doing his job. She handed him the package, and he snatched it from her, saying, “By the way, the monthly subscription fee is going up next month.”
“What?!” Yu Xiao exclaid. “Are you kidding ? You’re robbing us blind!”
The courier glared at her. “Don’t bla , lady. It’s not my fault. The prices are going up everywhere.”
“Bullshit!” Yu Xiao spat. “The basic points for entering a dungeon haven’t changed, but the delivery fee has skyrocketed. How do you expect us to make a living?” She was furious. “Don’t think I’ll let you get away with this. I’m a Health Bureau inspector, you know. I’ll file a complaint against you every single day. If it doesn’t work the first ti, I’ll do it again. And again. And again. Until you’re fired!”
“Whatever…” the courier muttered, his voice dripping with contempt. “Go ahead and try. See if I care.”
“Hold on!” Yu Xiao shouted, stopping him from leaving. “You’re not done yet. You still have to deliver the packages properly, you hear ? Even if I report you, you still have to do your job…”
The courier slamd the door behind him, and Yu Xiao heard his heavy footsteps echoing in the corridor. He sounded like he was stomping on purpose.
“Calm down,” Zhou Xiao Zhen said, rubbing Yu Xiao’s back. “Don’t let that jerk get to you. He’s just a miserable and ugly ghost. Think about how pathetic he is, carrying around all that extra weight. Doesn’t that make you feel better?”
Yu Xiao: “…”
“Co on, Smiley, don’t be so hard on yourself,” Zhao Lan said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “How about this: I’ll put on the wig, and you can pretend I’m your dream guy for the night. Sound good?”
Yu Xiao: “…”
“Damn, I just rembered,” Zhao Lan smacked her forehead, “The wig is still on cooled down from the last ti you used it.”
“Who is your dream guy, anyway, Smiley?” Zhou Xiao Zhen piped up, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “Can I snuggle with him too?”
Yu Xiao: “My dream guy is Thanos!”
“Wow~” Zhou Xiao Zhen gasped, impressed. “Smiley, you like them big and bad, huh?”
“If I were Thanos, the first thing I’d do is snap that annoying delivery guy out of existence…” Yu Xiao trailed off as her phone buzzed again, another unknown caller.
She sighed. She had no ti for jokes. “Hello, who is this?”
“Hello, this is Health Bureau. I’m calling to inform you that Dr. George, the attending doctor at St. Elizabeth Hospital, has been injured and is unable to work. The Dean of St. Elizabeth Hospital will take over his duties temporarily. There will be a new batch of patients arriving at the hospital at two o’clock this afternoon, so please be ready…”
“Wait a minute,” Yu Xiao cut him off, “Didn’t Nightmare just attack St. Elizabeth’s? Is it safe for
to go there?”
“Well, yes, in theory. He has already escaped from the scene.”
“What if he cos back?”
“He won’t. The staff at the Fifth Hospital have reported signs of Nightmare’s presence. He’s not at St. Elizabeth’s anymore…”
Yu Xiao felt a wave of relief wash over her.
She hung up and smiled at her friends. “I’m going to St. Elizabeth’s this afternoon to fill in for George. The Health Bureau said they’ve located Nightmare at the Fifth Hospital, so they should catch him soon.”
“That’s aweso.”
Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen cheered for Yu Xiao, and ran to the door to get her so breakfast before she left.
The morning passed in a lazy blur, as the three friends lounged on the bed, gossiping and giggling about everything and nothing. Yu Xiao shared her stories of college life, while Misty gave her a reality check on the struggles of adulthood.
They were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t notice the sun shifting in the sky, until Yu Xiao glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost two. She jumped out of bed, cursing under her breath. Her wig was still too hot to use, and she couldn’t morph into George. But she also couldn’t let anyone see her real face.
Zhao Lan ca to her rescue, offering her a clever solution. She could wear the wig, without changing, and cover her face with a mask. She could pretend to be a stand-in doctor.
It was a brilliant idea. Yu Xiao grabbed the wig, threw on a white coat, and was about to chant. But before she started, a loud knock echoed through the ward.
“Delivery!”
“Another delivery for you, Smiley sis?” Zhou Xiao Zhen asked, as she made her way to the door.
“What?” Yu Xiao frowned, confused. “I didn’t order anything.”
Zhou Xiao Zhen opened the door.
The delivery guy outside looked impatient. “Are you ‘Deaf Descendant’? This is for ‘Deaf Descendant’.”
“I’m her roommate.” Zhou Xiao Zhen said, reaching for the package.
“No, it has to be signed by the recipient.”
“Ugh.” Yu Xiao checked the ti, feeling anxious. She rushed to the door and snatched the package.
It was a small box, wrapped in plain paper. Yu Xiao asked, “Who sent this?”
The delivery guy shrugged. “Why don’t you look for yourself?”
“…” Yu Xiao didn’t have ti to argue with him. She stuffed the box into her coat pocket and said, “Precious, Misty, I’ll be back as soon as I can. Let’s have dinner together, okay?”
With that, she left the ward, and in the blink of an eye, she was at St. Elizabeth’s.
The hospital was quiet, eerily so. Yu Xiao crept to the nurse’s station and whispered, “Is Nightmare here?”
The nurse looked at her with fear in her eyes and shook her head, as if she wanted to disappear.
Yu Xiao breathed a sigh of relief as she checked the ti. She still had a few minutes before the patients would arrive at Saint Elizabeth. She decided to pay a visit to George, who was recovering in his office.
She found him lying on a makeshift bed, covered with a blanket. His hair was a ss, the only sign that he had been in a fight last night and got injured. He looked up at her with a cold and hostile stare. Hmm? He didn’t seem happy to see her.
“George,” Yu Xiao said, clasping her hands behind her back. She tried to sound casual, but her voice betrayed a hint of emotion. “How are you feeling? Are your injuries healing?”
He didn’t answer. He just glared at her, as if he wanted to burn a hole through her mask.
“Don’t give
that look,” Yu Xiao said, shaking her head. “I didn’t ask Nightmare to beat you up. I barely got a glimpse of him, let alone told him to hit you.”
George knew she was telling the truth, and that made him feel even worse. If he hadn’t been so smart and sent Nightmare after her, he wouldn’t have…
“But I’m really hurt, you know,” Yu Xiao said, turning away from him. She sounded like she was about to cry. “I thought we were friends. I thought you liked . If you hate
so much, why don’t you just transfer to another hospital and be an attending doctor there? I don’t want to make your life miserable. You… you can do whatever you want.”
She walked out of the office, leaving George alone. He watched her go, feeling a surge of anger and pain. He wanted to hiss, why should I be the one to leave? I was here first. You’re the intruder. You should go.
But he couldn’t say anything. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would vomit a stream of black blood.
**
The patients had arrived. They looked around with curiosity and awe. So this was the famous Saint Elizabeth, the hospital that had been making headlines lately?
Yu Xiao, wearing her mask, greeted them with a smile. “Good afternoon, welco to Saint Elizabeth. I’m your stand-in attending doctor, Tan Qiao Yin.”
**
Yu Xiao had just finished treating the patients when she headed back to George’s office. She didn’t want to risk being recognized by anyone who might co looking for her. After all, she was supposed to be the Dean, not a doctor. So she figured she’d hide out in George’s office for a bit.
She walked in and saw George fumbling with his phone, which was ringing loudly. She reached over and snatched it from his hand before he could protest.
“Here, let ,” Yu Xiao said, reaching for his phone. She moved so fast that he didn’t have a chance to protest. She caught a glimpse of the caller ID as she handed him the phone. It read “Lolita.”
Of course. The attending physicians were all in cahoots, just as she suspected. She pressed the answer button and held the phone to George’s ear.
Lolita’s laughter burst out of the speaker, loud and obnoxious. “Ahahaha… George, heard you got your ass kicked?”
George: “…”
“Ahahaha… you’re such a loser. Are you bedridden now?” Lolita taunted, her voice dripping with schadenfreude. “So pathetic, just like a useless tree. You can’t even get revenge right, you always end up worse. Not like , I always have a plan when I want to get back at soone. Hmph, just you wait, I have the perfect way to deal with that ‘Deaf Descendant’.”
“Really?” Yu Xiao asked, curious. She took the phone from George and spoke into it. “What way?”
The line went silent for a mont, then Lolita’s voice turned shrill. “‘Deaf Descendant’?!”
“It’s ,” Yu Xiao said. “Long ti no see, miss ?”
“Aaahh!! Villain! Get out of my ear! I don’t want to hear your voice…” Lolita scread into the phone. “Why did you answer the call? George, you traitor, I hate you! I’ll never forgive you!”
The line went dead with a click, and Yu Xiao locked eyes with George. He looked pale and defeated, his voice barely a whisper.
“Give it back.”
Yu Xiao ignored his plea and scrolled through his contacts. She recognized so of the nas, like Useless Tree and Fading Star.
She copied all of George’s contacts to her own phone, whether she knew them or not nor caring if they were friend or foe. She might need them later.
She tossed the phone back to George and said, “Rest well and recover soon.”
George closed his eyes, wishing he could escape this hellish world.
Yu Xiao felt like she had hit the jackpot. She waited a little longer, but no patients ca to find her. She decided to go back to the Dean’s office for a while.
She checked the new contacts on her phone, and then rembered the package in her pocket.
She took it out and weighed it in her hand, wondering who had sent it to her. She shrugged and tore it open, only to find a tiny, pale yellow kitten inside.
─── ?? ── ☆ ── ?? ───
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