Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Lin Jin walked in carrying two boxes of nutritional supplements. Upon seeing Xie Yunshen, he froze for a moment, his eyes instantly bursting with a wild, silent grin.

Xie Yunshen immediately sensed trouble.

Sure enough...

"Haha, when did you become a monk?" Lin Jin pointed at his head and burst out laughing.

Xie Yunshen: "..." Can a guy who's transmigrated beat the main character to death?

Halfway through his laughter, Lin Jin suddenly remembered he was a doctor and coughed twice. "But you still look handsome."

"Why are you here?" Xie Yunshen gave him a look of utter disdain.

"What does it look like?" Lin Jin waved the two boxes of high-end supplements in front of him, as if to say, "Isn't it obvious?"

"Seriously? It's the middle of the night. What kind of visit is this, in the middle of the night?"

"I just got back from a medical conference out of town. I came to see you without even resting."

Xie Yunshen was speechless for a moment. "Show-off..."

"Thanks." Lin Jin took it as a compliment.

He glanced around the elegant room. "So this is the legendary VIP Room 706 at First Hospital? This cool, airy vibe is something else."

"Spit it out if you have something to say."

"You don't know? I heard this room is haunted..." Lin Jin turned on a flashlight, looming behind him like a ghost.

Xie Yunshen shot him a sideways look. "Don't bother trying to scare me. There's someone on night watch outside the door."

Yi Wuyi had arranged for someone to stand guard outside every day.

Also, where did this guy pull that flashlight from?

"At today's medical lecture, the director of this hospital was sitting next to me. He said that every night around midnight, a face always appears outside the window of Room 706."

"..."

Lin Jin's eyes darted around the room, then he suddenly spun around and shouted, "That's right! It's this one right beside you!"

He pointed to the window next to the bed.

Xie Yunshen turned his head and said, deadpan, "But there's just a white wall outside this window."

Lin Jin's voice grew eerie. "Exactly, that's what's strange. He told me that when this hospital was being built, a man was trapped and died in that wall. The construction team, rushing to stay on schedule, didn't take any remedial measures."

"That doesn't make sense..." Xie Yunshen frowned.

Lin Jin shrugged. "Well, they had a budget for death benefits. As long as the death toll didn't exceed the allotted number, it was fine."

"..."

Lin Jin raised his wrist to look at a nonexistent watch. "It's so late, almost midnight! Get some rest, I'm heading out!"

With that, he walked out without looking back, then poked his head back in to ask, "Want me to turn off the light for you?"

"No need." Xie Yunshen gritted his teeth, a vein throbbing on his forehead.

This guy had definitely come just to mess with him and create a horror atmosphere.

Once Lin Jin left, the room instantly felt empty and still.

His gaze slowly wandered toward the window beside him.

He flinched—there really was a face.

Wait, wasn't that his own face?

"..."

Maybe he hadn't looked in the mirror much since transmigrating and wasn't very familiar with this face yet.

Xie Yunshen suddenly missed his old face, which was much handsomer than this one.

In the real world, was he dead? His corpse had probably started to rot. Maybe his former colleagues or his vampire boss would collect his body, then clean out the life savings in his bank account!

A cold breeze rattled the window, interrupting Xie Yunshen's thoughts.

An inexplicable chill ran down his spine, pulling the terrifying atmosphere back to its peak.

Yeah, you really shouldn't try to act tough. Just earlier, when Mr. Yan had offered to stay with him, Xie Yunshen had insisted he was perfectly fine and sent him away.

Xie Yunshen glanced at his phone. It was only 11:30-something p.m. He felt a wave of relief.

So, as long as he fell asleep before midnight, he'd be fine.

Once asleep, even if a ghost messed with him, he wouldn't know.

Xie Yunshen tugged the covers up to his chin and closed his eyes.

He thought to himself, if Mr. Yan hadn't left, he could have given him a safe and secure motherly hug.

Just thinking about Mr. Yan's eyes, Xie Yunshen really did feel less scared.

Mr. Yan really did seem to ward off evil spirits.

The surgical wound throbbed dully. The spacious VIP room was eerily quiet.

Just then, the door was gently pushed open. A cold draft swept in. Xie Yunshen opened his eyes to see Mr. Yan standing at the doorway dressed in black, with Yi Wuyi behind him.

The sight packed a serious punch. Xie Yunshen stared blankly as he walked to his bedside.

"Mr. Yan, what are you doing back?"

Yi Wuyi waited outside as Yan Shiqi approached his bedside.

"I saw Lin Jin in the parking lot," Yan Shiqi said.

"Oh, that guy. He said he came to see me, but actually..." Xie Yunshen paused.

If he said that guy came specifically to scare him, wouldn't that indirectly admit he actually was scared?

Yan Shiqi looked at him, not pushing it, his gaze gentle and calm. "It's late. Get some good rest."

"Mr. Yan, you said you were going back. Are you still leaving?"

"Do you want me to go back?" Yan Shiqi countered.

Xie Yunshen glanced at the caregiver bed next to him. While he hoped Mr. Yan would stay, making a big shot sleep on a caregiver bed would really weigh on his conscience.

"Let's sleep," Yan Shiqi said, hanging his coat on the rack and turning off the light.

In the darkness, Xie Yunshen could hear Yan Shiqi walking over to the caregiver bed.

"Mr. Yan, have you heard the ghost story about this ward?" Xie Yunshen spoke into the darkness.

"No."

"It's said that every night at midnight, in VIP Room 706 of the First Hospital, a human face appears on the window against the right wall..."

Just saying it out loud gave Xie Yunshen goosebumps.

Yan Shiqi's voice remained calm. "I haven't heard of that."

"It's already midnight. How about we both look at that window right now?" Xie Yunshen couldn't suppress his curiosity.

In the darkness, their gazes slowly shifted to the window beside them, where a face was indeed visible.

Yikes!

"Mr. Yan! Look!"

Yan Shiqi, who hadn't been bothered, was instead startled by Xie Yunshen's reaction.

He looked again. "It's a 3D makeup endorsement on the giant screen of the building opposite."

"..." Xie Yunshen took a closer look. It was indeed the face of a famous actress.

"Every night at midnight, they play that ad on schedule. The actress's face, with all the lights, just happens to appear on this window."

Xie Yunshen said sincerely, "...Mr. Yan, you're truly amazing."

"...Go to sleep."

————

"Why do I have to wait a whole week before I can get out of bed?"

After a few days in the hospital, Xie Yunshen was beginning to look worn out.

Yan Shiqi was tied up with work during the day and could only visit at night. Yi Wuyi, to protect Mr. Yan, did the same.

During the day, the only ones who could keep him company were his grandfather and his third uncle's family.

However, since becoming the Chamber of Commerce President, his third uncle was swamped with work. His grandfather, that rough little old man, claimed he could spend an entire afternoon just making soup.

Moreover, without Old Wu's help, the old man couldn't manage his care alone.

So, Grandpa hired two professional caregivers, one male and one female. The lady was in charge of massage and physical therapy, while the male caregiver handled bathing and helping him sit up.

They were very professional, but Xie Yunshen wasn't too fond of them.

The male caregiver gave him a very strange feeling.

Xie Yunshen couldn't pinpoint what was wrong; it was more like the man was being overly conscientious.

Especially when washing his body, the man always dragged it out, taking longer and longer. Sometimes, Xie Yunshen wondered if he was really that dirty, needing half an hour just to wash his upper body.

So, when the man offered to wash his lower body, Xie Yunshen refused.

That afternoon, it was that guy again washing him.

The towel in his hand wiped his shoulders and underarms, but his elbow kept intentionally or unintentionally brushing against Xie Yunshen's lower area through the fabric.

When washing his back, the man's other hand supported his waist, his palm pressed tightly against Xie Yunshen's abs, rubbing them deliberately.

Old Wu never washed him like this.

Xie Yunshen sensed the man was getting more and more out of line and was just about to scold him.

"Young man, you're in great shape. You remind me of that star my grandson idolizes," the man suddenly said with a laugh.

Xie Yunshen's scolding words got stuck in his throat. If the man had a grandson, he probably wasn't gay, right?

Besides, this guy looked to be in his early sixties and was still working as a caregiver. If Xie Yunshen wrongly accused him and caused him to lose his job, wouldn't that be bad?

Maybe he was being too sensitive? How could there be so many gay men in the world?

Behind his shoulder, out of Xie Yunshen's sight, the male caregiver leaned his nose closer, his breathing gradually deepening.

Although Xie Yunshen could be a bit dense in some areas, his hearing was excellent. This time, he truly couldn't tolerate it.

"Hey! Uncle, are you gay? If you're gay, could you please get lost?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed Yan Shiqi standing at the door, with Yi Wuyi behind him.

When Yan Shiqi entered, this was the scene he saw.

The male caregiver froze for a moment. Meeting Yan Shiqi's sharp gaze, his face showed a hint of panic. He bent down, picked up the washbasin, and hurried to leave.

"Old Wu." Yan Shiqi gave Yi Wuyi a look.

Yi Wuyi nodded and followed the old male caregiver out.

Yan Shiqi walked to the bedside and helped Xie Yunshen put on his hospital gown properly.

Xie Yunshen felt extremely awkward. "Mr. Yan, why are you so early today?"

For the past few days, Yan Shiqi hadn't been able to visit until evening. It was only a little past four in the afternoon now.

"Didn't you realize something was off about how he was acting just now?" Yan Shiqi looked at him.

Xie Yunshen was taken aback, affected by his serious expression, and immediately became earnest himself. "Right? You think he's suspicious too, don't you?"

Yan Shiqi: "..."

"At first it was okay, but later I also felt something wasn't right. However, when he said I reminded him of his grandson, I started thinking I was overreacting again. After all, he's about the same age as Uncle Zhao."

"Besides, in this world, would a homosexual really be interested in a man like me?" Xie Yunshen leaned back slowly against the cushion with a smile.

Wait, he suddenly remembered his past life, trapped in the palace by that old lecherous Crown Prince and escaping over the outer wall.

Yan Shiqi suddenly grabbed his shoulder. The grip was strong, as if trying to control a car that had forgotten its handbrake.

Xie Yunshen was startled and met the other's gaze. "Mr. Yan, what's wrong?"

"Ah Shen, there are many people in this world who cannot be simply categorized as gay or straight. Once love develops a will of its own, people cannot control themselves—whether it's a man loving a woman, a woman loving a woman, or a man loving a man. It isn't a choice. No one has an innate privilege, do you understand?"

Xie Yunshen was taken aback to see the big boss actually reasoning with someone. He nodded.

Although he didn't fully understand, Mr. Yan's expression forced him to pay close attention.

"Even Mr. Yan doesn't have an innate privilege?" he asked.

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Author's note: This chapter took forever to write. It's a bonus update, but I likely won't finish tonight's part. I'll post it tomorrow.