Chapter 111 13

Chapter 111

The car was dead quiet the whole way back. Li Shang hardly said a word, and He Lin sat quietly beside him, well-behaved.

Yet He Lin’s gaze kept drifting toward Li Shang, shifting away just before Li Shang could feel uncomfortable, leaving the tips of Li Shang’s ears stayed red the whole way.

They soon arrived at the hospital and entered the ward. Before He Lin even changed back into his hospital gown, the doctor came in.

When He Lin left earlier that day, he'd sweet-talked the doctor—citing the case, special circumstances, just a short outing, accompanied by a colleague, and promised he’d be right back—which finally convinced the doctor to let him go.

Now, seeing them back, the doctor’s first question was, "Why are you back so late? How’re you feeling?"

He Lin had been out and about, got to move around a bit, and actually felt pretty good. He was about to say, "Not bad, I can probably get discharged tomorrow."

But before He Lin could speak, Li Shang "truthfully" reported from the side, "He felt dizzy today."

The doctor paused. "What?"

He Lin: "…"

Li Shang said with a serious expression, "He almost passed out on the steps." His tone was sincere, laced with clear concern.

Like it really happened.

The doctor frowned and glanced at He Lin. "Seems I shouldn’t have let you go out."

He Lin was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and could only rub his nose, not daring to utter a word of refusal. "Just for a moment, it wasn’t serious."

The doctor flipped through He Lin’s medical records and finally decided, "In that case, I’ll keep you one more day for observation."

He Lin hurriedly refused, "No, really, it’s okay. I feel almost fine already."

The doctor brushed him off and said earnestly, "It’s too risky. Young man, you have to remember you’re a patient. A head injury is no small matter. What if you fainted somewhere alone? Even if you didn’t hit your head, it would still be very dangerous…"

Li Shang added quietly from the side, "If you hit your head again, then it’d be a lost cause."

He Lin was speechless, unsure exactly what Li Shang meant by "a lost cause," and didn’t dare ask given the situation. He could only put on a weak smile and negotiate with the doctor, hoping to avoid further hospitalization.

Unfortunately, despite all his pleas, the doctor still extended his stay.

After the doctors and nurses left, He Lin had an IV drip hooked up again and looked at Li Shang with resentment. Li Shang, unable to hold back under He Lin’s pitiful puppy-dog gaze, put on a stern face and asked, "You think you’re much better?"

He Lin nodded with certainty. "Yeah, I’m really fine. Maybe we can talk to the doctor again? I can sign a voluntary discharge form and take responsibility. If I’m stuck here, what about the case?"

"The main investigation right now is online screening. Whether you stay at a hotel or here in the hospital doesn’t make much difference." Li Shang paused here, meeting He Lin’s puzzled gaze, then gave a slight smirk. "Well, you seem quite energetic. In that case, I’ll head back to the base first."

He Lin’s confusion at seeing Li Shang’s smile vanished completely, replaced by a blank stare. He truly couldn’t understand how a 37°C mouth could utter such icy words.

He Lin, who thought he’d gotten off easy, realized he’d been too careless.

Well, well, so that’s where he was going with this.

He Lin felt like his world was crashing down again.

He even considered pacing around the bed a few times but restrained himself due to the IV.

Li Shang, however, wasn’t cutting him any slack and immediately started packing. Before leaving, he tossed out one last remark: "If you keep grinding your teeth, your masseter muscles will enlarge, your face will get square, your jawline will blur, and nobody’s gonna like you."

He Lin sat on the bed, his eyes following Li Shang as he packed. Seeing that Li Shang was really about to leave, he said pitifully, "You’re really not staying with me? What if I get dizzy again later…"

Li Shang, holding his things, leaned against the doorway and seemed to seriously consider He Lin’s question. Under He Lin’s hopeful gaze, he pointed out the solution: "Press the call button, ask for the doctor. If that doesn’t work, get a nurse."

He Lin opened his mouth to retort, but Li Shang quickly added, "Also, you can faint on the bed. Beds don’t get cramps."

Before He Lin could react, Li Shang coolly turned and left without looking back.

He Lin: "…"

.

Gu Chuxi had eaten outside and was exiting the subway, her hands in her pockets, hurrying along the road. She heard footsteps behind her and quickened her pace.

But the man following her wasn’t about to let up.

As she sped up, his footsteps also grew faster.

Finally, as she reached the intersection near her residence, the footsteps behind her vanished.

Gu Chuxi breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at the empty street. Just as she was about to continue walking, a figure suddenly yanked her into a hug. Caught off guard, Gu Chuxi was startled.

But she quickly composed herself, shoved the man away forcefully, and gritted her teeth as she spat, "Get lost!"

The man was her partner—Xie Nian, also known as "Mr. Square" in those online apps.

After cursing him, Gu Chuxi turned and walked away.

Xie Nian quickly caught up and walked alongside her. "You’re the one who picked the spot and called me here. I can’t use my ID to stay at a hotel, there are no inns nearby. If I don’t come to you, where else can I go?"

Gu Chuxi sneered coldly and said nothing.

Normally, the two didn’t live together. When not committing crimes, she mostly lived in Ningcheng, while Xie Nian lay low all over the place. He was a freelance photographer for a website, taking photos to earn some pocket money—though often, he used it as an opportunity to scout locations.

She loathed him, but she had to admit that without him, many plans couldn’t be carried out.

Gu Chuxi arrived at the residential complex, opened the door, and Xie Nian slipped in before she could close it.

It was a two-bedroom apartment in the suburbs, cluttered with bags, clothes, and cosmetics she’d bought—a total mess.

Gu Chuxi casually tossed her coat onto the sofa, opened the fridge, and took out a chilled drink. Xie Nian helped himself to one as well and sat on the clothes-strewn sofa.

Gu Chuxi drank the cold water, her expression icy as she glared at the man across from her. For a moment, neither spoke.

After a while, Gu Chuxi went to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and slammed it into the wooden dining table with a thud. "Get lost to the second bedroom. I don’t want to see you again."

Xie Nian stared at her for a moment, his eyes filled with resentment, but he eventually went inside.

Finally free of the stranger’s presence in the living room, Gu Chuxi calmed down and looked around.

This apartment was left to her by Chen Xiao. It was her home, her sanctuary. If anyone tried to take it from her, she’d fight them to the death.

Gu Chuxi thought of Chen Xiao again—she often found herself remembering that woman.

After all these years, she had grown accustomed to using this name. When she thought of her, it felt like looking back at her own past life.

The woman who died in her place was an unguarded girl with fair skin, soft features, and a gentle, quiet voice.

Back then, she had met her through a suicide chat group.

At the time, she had little money, was staying in internet cafes, and had run out of funds. She hadn’t bathed in days and wanted to die but couldn’t bring herself to do it.

When she found someone in the same city who also wanted to commit suicide, she quickly reached out, explaining her difficulties.

Chen Xiao felt a pang of sympathy and invited her to move in with her.

After they met, although they came from different worlds, they leaned on each other at night, tending to each other's wounds.

She told her how that older man had deceived her, abandoned her when she was pregnant, then wept bitterly in front of her, and even let her live in this apartment.

She also told Chen Xiao about what had happened to her.

Molested by her homeroom teacher, beaten and scolded by her father, ignored by her mother, sent to a hellish reform school, endured endless torment, bullied by the instructors.

Chen Xiao listened, dabbing at her tears, and said to her, "You're like my little sister. If only I had met you earlier."

She put her arm around Chen Xiao's shoulder and said, "It's not too late now. At least we can keep each other company."

As she said this, she inwardly sneered at Chen Xiao's weakness, thinking she didn't know how good she had it. If it were her, even if she had been deceived, she would have taken the money, lived in this apartment, and would never have considered killing herself.

But she felt helpless, she was afraid, she didn't want to face death alone, so she could only humor her companion, coaxing her into dying together.

Caught up in the emotion, Chen Xiao took off a bracelet and gave it to her: "This isn't from that man, I bought it myself. I think it suits you."

She thought she should give something in return, so she took off the necklace from her neck and gave it to Chen Xiao. This necklace was from her mother, rumored to be pricey, and she had worn it for many years.

But what annoyed her most was her mother defining love with money, something she felt nothing of.

Through this simple ritual, they became sworn sisters, not seeking to be born on the same year, month, and day, but to die on the same year, month, and day.

The last day was New Year's Eve, which would also be their final day in this world.

Chen Xiao took her to buy a beautiful outfit and did her makeup for her. Looking at herself in the mirror, she felt both strange and beautiful.

They had a sumptuous meal together and stayed in a luxurious hotel.

That night, Chen Xiao was bent over by the hotel's floor-to-ceiling window, tidying her belongings. She carefully packed her phone, ID card, bank cards, house keys, and laptop into a backpack.

As she watched Chen Xiao organizing, she noticed that Chen Xiao's ID photo looked somewhat like her, and the ID numbers were very similar. She had always been sensitive to numbers, repeated it twice, and memorized Chen Xiao's ID number.

As for her, she had nothing she wanted to leave behind.

Her parents didn't care about her, so who else would?

In the end, she only sent her mother a curt, cold farewell text.

Chen Xiao left a long message for her friend. Her phone kept ringing, probably her friend trying to persuade her, but Chen Xiao didn't even look, just muted it.

Seeing this, she looked down at her own silent phone and felt a twinge of jealousy toward Chen Xiao.

Chen Xiao checked the items at the front desk, leaving the older man's number, and instructed the front desk that if she didn't come back to pick them up by checkout time the next day, to call that number and have her friend come get the luggage.

She was right there with Chen Xiao, accompanying her through all of this.

The front desk had never heard such a request but agreed reluctantly to accept the items.

At night, they stood together on the river bridge.

On New Year's Eve, the bridge was empty, with only occasional cars passing by.

Supporting each other, they clambered over the bridge railing under the streetlights.

She remembered that the night was dark, with few stars in the sky, and the wind was strong, constantly whipping her hair about, making it messy.

Chen Xiao stood by the edge of the bridge, said with a faint smile, "That man... when he hears about my death, he should regret it, right?"

Hearing this, she rolled her eyes dramatically. She really wanted to tell the foolish woman beside her: "No one will remember you."

In this world, everyone is too insignificant.

But she held back because she noticed tears welling up in Chen Xiao's eyes.

Infected by this emotion, she thought of her own parents. When they heard about her death, they would probably feel relieved, maybe even laugh in relief...

Thinking this, she felt no more attachment.

But as they stood on the bridge, Chen Xiao had second thoughts. She stood trembling by the railing, tears streaming down her face, body shaking, looking at the churning river below, unable to make up her mind.

Chen Xiao said in a trembling voice, "It's so high here, I... I'm afraid..."

She encouraged her: "Isn't this what you decided long ago? Close your eyes, we'll jump together!"

Chen Xiao still hesitated: "No, it's too terrifying, I can't do it!"

Anger surged inside her, but she suppressed it and encouraged her: "You can do it. Just jump, and your pain will be over."

"No!" Chen Xiao wept, "I don't want to die anymore, to hell with that man!"

The woman turned, trembling, and tried to climb back over the railing.

In that instant, the Gu Chuxi beside her contorted into a savage expression: "That won't do! If you don't die, then what about me?!"

She seemed to go mad, taking two quick steps on the narrow bridge edge until she was right next to Chen Xiao, seizing the woman's arm.

Chen Xiao looked in surprise at this young girl who had earlier called herself a sister and seemed gentle.

She tightly gripped Chen Xiao's arm, her face savage: "You promised me! You have to die, die with me!"

Then she wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace, and fell with her from the great height, plunging into the river.

The wind roared in her ears, her body splashed into the icy water, she completely lost control, just rising and falling with the waves.

Endless, cold water filled her stomach, she and Chen Xiao were swept together, then torn apart.

She seemed to hear Chen Xiao's helpless and frightened cries.

Ah, so this is what it feels like to be dying...

She was in agony, drifting in and out of consciousness until she was washed downstream.

Chen Xiao was gone, and suddenly she didn't want to die anymore.

Later, she started shouting for help, and someone actually pulled her out.

It was two police officers. They brought her a blanket and asked, "What's your name?"

Gu Chuxi hesitated for a moment, then lifted her head and said, "My name is Chen Xiao."

The police took her to a nearby station. She deceived everyone with her docile and quiet appearance, then returned to the hotel they had stayed at the previous day, claiming to be Chen Xiao's cousin, and recited Chen Xiao's ID number from memory.

Since they had stayed together and had come to leave the backpack together, the front desk didn't suspect her at all. Instead, they were relieved, feeling like they had one less thing to worry about.

She just signed her name and smoothly took Chen Xiao's backpack and phone, using the deposit to settle the bill for the hotel room.

She had seen Chen Xiao type her phone passcode before. The same numbers were used for her Alipay and bank card passwords. She sent a message to Chen Xiao's friend Su Wanyin, saying she had changed her mind and didn't want to die anymore, just in case Su went to the police.

She took Chen Xiao's money and stayed in this house.

She had become Chen Xiao.

She had returned from hell and never wanted to experience that kind of suffering again.

Isn't it better to be alive?

Let others die.

She lived a hazy, numb existence for a while, eating what she wanted, playing as she pleased, with no one in the world to control her anymore.

Then she realized that money would eventually run out—what would she live on then?

She was like a flower nourished by Chen Xiao's death.

She thought, I can find another person who wants to die. That way, I can keep living happily.

She despised those weak people who wanted to kill themselves, yet she needed them...

She completely forgot that she had once been one of them.

She went through life and death repeatedly, struggling to survive...

Recalling up to this point, Xie Nian opened the door. He didn't dare step out, just asked her, "Have you scheduled your little white rabbit?"

Their target this time was a woman named Yu Sining.

"Of course, I've also contacted another person. I've called them, and they should have already bought their tickets to come here."

As Gu Chuxi spoke, she took out her phone, wanting to check if there were any new messages on the app. She opened the familiar software and suddenly frowned: "System maintenance?"

The usual interface she knew wouldn't open.

"Who cares." Xie Nian crossed his arms and comforted her instead, "Anyway, we've already notified them. With these two people's money, it'll be enough to last us a good while."

Gu Chuxi looked up and cursed at him again: "Get out!"

She hated this man. She still remembered the disgust she felt when Xie Nian first met her and licked her cheek—like a cold, venomous snake, it made her want to vomit.

Xie Nian laughed softly: "You're not exactly a good person either." His smile vanished, his eyes turning cold. "Don't forget, we've both killed people."

"So what?" Gu Chuxi said, "I did it to survive. You did it for that kind of pleasure. Compared to you, you're more disgusting. Those two girls were your prey. But me? I can only be your partner."

Xie Nian looked at her and said, "Don't worry, I'm not interested in you. Even though you're rotten too, you're still a living person. Me? I only like dead people, or..." Xie Nian paused, as if savoring something, "...those who are about to die. The kind who stare at you with their eyes wide open, powerless, filled with unwillingness and regret."

.

As soon as Li Shang left the ward, he didn’t go straight back to the base as he said he would. Instead, he went to the hospital outpatient building and just made it for his appointment number.

By this time in the afternoon, the appointments move quicker.

Due to working late nights recently and the stress of seeing He Lin vomit blood, Li Shang's body had been pushed to its limits, with a faint feeling that he could give out any time.

He felt nauseous soon after eating. His old injuries ached with a dull pain—though there was no major flare-up, the pain came and went intermittently.

But out of concern for He Lin, Li Shang had held out until now. This afternoon, he could feel he was running a low-grade fever.

He didn’t want to have another attack in front of He Lin—who would end up taking care of whom then? So when He Lin looked resentful about him leaving, Li Shang pretended not to see it.

After seeing the doctor, he needed to go back and take it easy tonight.

Li Shang still asked Zhu Xiaonian to get him a specialist appointment.

The nurse at intake took his temperature: 37.3°C. It wasn’t high, but this constant low-grade fever was even more uncomfortable.

The doctor looked through his stack of examination reports and test results, then looked at the pale-faced young man in front of him.

Since he'd been given some background, the doctor had some prior information about him. He frowned tightly and was silent for a full five minutes. Finally, he cautiously asked, "Do you want to be hospitalized, get an IV, or just get some medication?"

Li Shang didn’t find the doctor’s question unusual at all: "Just get some medicine. I just need to get through this period."

The doctor could only sigh and say, "According to the data, it’s mainly due to anemia and decreased immunity. You need to watch out for hypoglycemia and anemic shock. You still have to eat—try to have soft, nutritious food. Even if you feel like vomiting, try to keep something down. It’s good to keep something down."

Li Shang had heard this kind of advice many times over the years and was somewhat numb to it. He just gave a faint "uh-huh."

No bad news was good news.

Li Shang went to get his prescription filled. He wasn't feeling well yesterday, so he didn’t ride his bike—he’d taken a taxi.

When leaving the hospital, he hailed a cab. Li Shang leaned back in the seat, closed his eyes to rest, but couldn’t settle. He thought of that app again. As soon as he tapped it open with his finger, a few words appeared: "System maintenance."

Li Shang frowned. Was this because Cheng Xiaoyi was accessing data?

No... something didn’t seem right.