Yu Xiao’s fingers danced over the mirror, flipping it back and forth, a strange thought bubbling up – it felt like one of those props,one that allowed free passage through the world within the mirror. If ghosts could disguise themselves as everyday objects, so how were other props formed? Could ordinary things become… extraordinary? Or they needed a ghost to do that? The thought sent a shiver down her spine.
She scrolled through her phone, landing on a video Teng Jing Zhi had recorded for Wide Sea and Sky. With a touch, the video sprang to life, Teng Jing Zhi’s visage filling the screen. A pang of something – guilt? – made her close it immediately. It felt wrong, like peeking into someone’s private diary. Wide Sea and Sky’s number was just a few taps away, but after a moment’s hesitation, she decided against calling. Instead, she directly sent the video.
Just as the message went through, Lu Xu called.
“Managed to round up 23 phones,” he announced without preamble. “Got a sweet deal on mine, but the others… let’s just say they knew how to drive a bargain. You want me to take it out of your points, or deduct it from what you make selling the function cards?”
“Function card points,” Yu Xiao replied, wincing internally at the thought of her dwindling stash. Still, she’d made a promise to the seniors at the Second Hospital, and she intended to keep it.
“Coming right up, then,” Lu Xu said, then hesitated. “Hey, about…”
“None of your business,” Yu Xiao interrupted, already bracing herself for a barrage of questions. “It’s… complicated.”
“Jeez, alright, keep your secrets,” Lu Xu huffed. “I just wanted to know if there was anything we could do about Old Luo.”
“Is he… worse?” Yu Xiao asked, a knot of worry forming in her stomach.
“Not sure ‘worse’ is the right word…” Lu Xu’s voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “Let’s just say I woke up the other night to find him standing over my bed, drooling.”
“This is getting out of hand,” Yu Xiao muttered, racking her brain for a solution to Old Luo’s predicament.
“Tell me about it,” Lu Xu sighed, worry creasing his brow. “Ever since he found out about this whole… situation, he’s been throwing himself at every instance he can find.”
Yu Xiao glanced at Nightmare, curled up at the foot of the bed in his deceptively harmless feline form. If only he could…
Nightmare, catching her glance, sprang to attention, his eyes alight with curiosity.
“I’ll let you know if I figure something out,” she promised, hoping she wouldn’t have to resort to asking Nightmare for help.
Meanwhile, Zhou Xiao Zhen had begun the ritual of ordering food from the doorway. Zhao Lan, fresh from the shower and towelling her hair dry, joined them.
“So, Smiley,” Zhao Lan began, “you were at the Second Hospital, right? What’s the situation like out there? You weren’t exactly clear back at Time Hospital.”
Yu Xiao shuddered, recalling the chaotic scene outside the ward. “It was a madhouse. I couldn’t see a thing. I only found the ward because ‘Flying to Someone Else’s Bed’ led the way.”
“‘Flying to Someone Else’s Bed?’” Zhou Xiao Zhen piped up from the doorway, her interest piqued. “The Second Hospital’s top dog? Is he cute? Got a nice bod?”
Yu Xiao thought back to the fleeting glimpse she’d caught in the hallway. “Couldn’t tell you about the bod. And his face…” she trailed off.
“What?” Zhou Xiao Zhen pressed. “You didn’t even see his face?”
“It was either hidden by hair or a beard,” Yu Xiao explained. “All I saw were his eyes. They were pretty intense, though. Striking.”
“The top player, looking like a wild man?” Zhou Xiao Zhen shook her head in disbelief.
Zhao Lan chuckled. “Honey, in this place, who’s he going to impress?”
Zhao Lan let out a sigh, her thoughts drifting to the dwindling supplies of their daily routines. “How much of your skincare products do you have left? I’m nearly out.”
Zhou Xiao Zhen echoed her concern. “My Dabo is almost gone too.”
(大宝 (Dabo): A popular brand of skincare products in China, often associated with nostalgia and simplicity.)
Yu Xiao, on the other hand, had the unfortunate distinction of having exhausted her stash long ago.
**
In the dimly lit hospital room, a sudden burst of light pierced the gloom. Tang Xing Yin’s (‘Wide Sea and Sky’) eyes flicked towards the source, tracing it back to where he had tossed his phone. Rising from the bed, a nervous swallow betrayed his curiosity. Who could it be? Everyone from his past was a memory now.
Clutching the phone, he discovered a video message waiting. A flutter of anticipation stirred within him. Could it be from her? A video introduction at last? Should he respond in kind?
Then, the reality of his appearance gave him pause—his hair, a wild tangle, his clothes, a rumpled mess…
After a brief hesitation, he tapped the video.
The familiar face that filled the screen sent a jolt through him.
“Hi, Little Star, do you remember me?” The man on the video smiled, youthful and unchanged. The backdrop was a simple room, not the hospital he knew.
The man continued, his smile unwavering. “You haven’t forgotten me, have you? You once said you wanted to share a hospital room with me. By the time you see this, I’ve been gone for years. I’m in a special instance now, where I met three young girls. They claim to be from over twenty years in the future and that they know you.”
Teng Jing Zhi chuckled, his tone light. “I heard you’ve got quite the temper these days? Be careful, young man, don’t go getting into trouble…”
The man on the screen was rambling on, but Tang Xing Yin’s vision had already begun to blur.
**
In no time, a substantial parcel arrived, brimming with twenty-three mobile phones. As they unboxed it, an array of phones with unusual designs greeted them. Still, it didn’t take Yu Xiao, Zhou Xiao Zhen, and Zhao Lan long to decipher the technology.
Soon, the untouched feast lay forgotten, replaced by the glow of screens as the trio diligently registered everyone on the Sixth Hospital Forum.
“Imagine the threads!” Zhou Xiao Zhen exclaimed, eyes sparkling. “The seniors must have a lifetime of stories to share.”
Yu Xiao nodded, already envisioning the possibilities. “I’m planning on posting a talisman-drawing guide. We’ll make the Sixth Hospital Forum even better than the Fourth’s.”
A mischievous grin spread across Zhou Xiao Zhen’s face. “And it’s not just stories they have, right? Think of the function cards, the props…”
Ever the voice of reason, Zhao Lan interjected, “Don’t get ahead of yourselves. You can’t afford any of that.”
Zhou Xiao Zhen’s smile didn’t falter. “Who said anything about buying? I have my ways.”
Registering the seniors from the Second Hospital proved to be a different kind of challenge. Wrinkled fingers struggled with unfamiliar technology, leading to delayed verification codes and a chorus of exasperated sighs.
“Ouch!” Yu Xiao winced, her neck protesting with a stiff groan as she tried to stretch it. “I’m taking a week off, no ifs, ands, or buts. Nobody’s stopping me from resting up!”
Zhou Xiao Zhen chuckled. “No one’s stopping you. I’m doing alright, actually. Not even tired.”
Yu Xiao resisted the urge to roll her eyes *Of course you’re not tired. You’ve been lounging around the room, opening and closing doors. I’ve been sprinting between the Time Hospital and the Second Hospital non-stop.*
A chirpy ‘ding-dong’ pierced the air.
Yu Xiao’s phone buzzed with a message from Yu Qing Lang. It wasn’t just a verification code; it was an invitation to team up for an upcoming instance. Hesitation flickered across her face. It wasn’t that she doubted Yu Qing Lang’s skills, but this particular instance was…unpredictable, to say the least. Bringing someone along felt like inviting unnecessary complications.
Before she could respond, another message popped up, this time from Wang Dong Dong.
【Yu Xiao, when’s your next instance? Heard you’re teaming up with Yu Qing Lang; count me in too.】
Yu Xiao blinked, bewildered. Who, exactly, was spreading these rumours?
A third notification chimed in before she could even type a denial. It was from ‘Flying to Someone Else’s Bed.’
【Heard you’re teaming up with Little Yu and Little Wang? Not bad, not bad. They’re alright, though not in my league, of course. Hang in there, kid. Once this month’s up, I’ll lead you myself.】
“…”
Yu Xiao stared at the screen, utterly flabbergasted. She’d always pictured herself as the leader, not the one being fought over! Were these renowned players vying for the honour of babysitting her?
Zhao Lan, witnessing her friend’s bewildered expression, couldn’t understand the hesitation. “Isn’t this a good thing? With them around, our plan is practically foolproof!”
(十拿九稳 (even more foolproof): This idiom literally means “nine out of ten chances of success,” implying a high degree of certainty and reliability.)
“But it’s dangerous,” Yu Xiao argued, a knot of unease tightening in her stomach.
“But wouldn’t their presence make things safer?” Zhao Lan reasoned.
Yu Xiao could only sigh.
“Just call them,” Zhao Lan suggested. “Explain the situation, and let them decide for themselves.”
An exasperated groan escaped Yu Xiao’s lips. How could she possibly explain this? Who would believe her?
**
Meanwhile, Yu Qing Lang’s patience was wearing thin. No reply to her text. Fuming, she decided a ten-minute power nap was in order. Three minutes in, her phone blared.
Her head pounded as she answered, already convinced Yu Xiao was a hospital-sent agent on a mission to drive her insane.
“What?” she snapped, voice laced with irritation.
Taken aback by the hostility, Yu Xiao couldn’t help but think, “She can send me texts, but I can’t call her?”
“It’s about the team-up,” she began cautiously. “My situation is…unique. This next instance is going to be incredibly dangerous.”
Yu Qing Lang snorted. “Unique? You think you’re more unique than ‘Flying to Someone Else’s Bed?’” She’d seen it all before, the youthful delusion of being the protagonist in a world full of extras. “Enlighten me. What’s so unique about you?”
“There are…one, two…four attending physicians in the instance who are trying to kill me,” Yu Xiao blurted out.
Silence. Then, “Have you shown any symptoms?”
Yu Xiao’s frustration mounted. “Symptoms? I’m perfectly fine! I’m telling the truth! I may have… offended a few attending physicians in previous instances. Now they’re teaming up to take me out in the next one.”
Yu Qing Lang couldn’t help but scoff internally. Offended attending physicians? What had she done, tripped over their IV drip stands? “And how, pray tell, did you manage to offend them?” she drawled.
Yu Xiao licked her lips, bracing herself for a long, winding tale. “Well, it all started when I accidentally caused an attending physician to be brutally beaten by a ghost with domain powers…”
She recounted the saga of her unintentional reign of terror, each incident more outlandish than the last. How she’d become the aforementioned doctors’s superior and then promptly gotten him severely injured by a non-ghostly entity. How, just as he was recovering, another terrifying figure had emerged, hell-bent on ending him, all thanks to her.
Silence met her confession. Undeterred, she continued, moving on to the second doctor on her list. “I might have…tarnished his reputation a bit within the game. And, okay, maybe I set him up for a vicious monster attack before I left. Then he came after me in the game, but I escaped and, in the process, cost him several years’ worth of wages.”
More silence, heavier this time.
“Oh, and there was this other one,” she ploughed on, “who held a grudge because I destroyed some instance facilities. Talk about petty! Honestly, the pettiness! The last one is even worse. A few harmless insults and he’s been carrying a torch ever since.”
By now, Yu Qing Lang’s headache had morphed into something altogether more sinister. It felt like a tiny gremlin had taken up residence in her skull and was now tap-dancing on her optic nerve. Was she losing her mind, or was this girl messing with her?
“Look,” she said, her voice strained, “I might not have a fancy university degree, but I’m not stupid. You can’t fool me with this nonsense.”
Yu Xiao’s voice was earnest, almost pleading. “But it’s all true! I swear! I have no reason to lie to you!”
Yu Qing Lang considered this. She was right; there was no logical reason for such an elaborate fabrication. “Then why?” she rasped, the single word conveying her utter bewilderment.
“I…it wasn’t intentional?” Yu Xiao offered weakly.
Now Yu Qing Lang’s teeth joined the party in her head, throbbing in painful rhythm with the gremlin’s tap dancing. “And how, pray tell, did you find out about this grand ambush in the next instance?”
“Oh, right. Um, a very powerful monster told me.”
“And why, exactly, would this monster do you such a solid?” Yu Qing Lang ground out, her grip on sanity growing ever more tenuous.
“He…probably hates me so much he wants to be the one to finish me off?” Yu Xiao ventured, hoping this made even a sliver of sense.
Yu Qing Lang stared at the phone, questioning all her life choices that had led to this moment. Finally, she managed, “I…need to call for backup.”
“Backup? That’s not necessary!” Yu Xiao quickly reassured her. “I already have a plan…”
**
The call ended with a beep, leaving Yu Xiao staring at her phone.
“Wow, she didn’t even hesitate,” she muttered, slightly miffed. Explaining all that had been exhausting. Maybe calling Wang Dong Dong wasn’t such a good idea after all…
Another call came in, this time from Wide Sea and Sky.
“Smiley’s certainly popular today,” Zhou Xiao Zhen commented, watching Yu Xiao jump to answer.
“Hello?” she chirped. “Did you see the video? It’s true! I met Teng Jing Zhi in this, like, totally magical instance…”
“I know,” a raspy voice replied. “Thank you.” Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
“Oh, it was nothing,” she stammered. “You’ve helped me a lot too.”
An awkward silence fell. Finally, Tang Xing Yin spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. “Can…can you tell me how you met?”
“Of course!” Yu Xiao launched into the tale of their encounter, warmth blooming in her chest as she relived the moment. Their hospital-forged friendship was truly something special.
“I was fourteen when I was admitted,” Tang Xing Yin interjected suddenly.
She frowned, confused. “Oh?” Was that significant?
He went on, “It’s been a month since I was banned from entering the instances.”