Chapter 167: For the Ghosts, its About Being Alive |
The Nightmare, lips twitching with ill-concealed amusement, listened to the frantic footsteps hammering towards him from within the hospital room.
—Click!
The door swung open, a figure silhouetted against the light. He straightened, anticipation momentarily banishing the smirk from his face. But his anticipation quickly soured. The person wasn’t the one he expected and obscured the view inside.
“Nightmare, you’re back!” Flying to Someone Else’s Bed threw his arms wide, almost taking a tumble in his eagerness. He closed them around…nothing at all.
A blur of pale yellow shot through the gap between Bed Brother’s legs and into the room.
Inside, Yu Xiao, Zhou Xiao Zhen, and Zhao Lan craned their necks, trying to peek past the human obstacle. The blur resolved itself into a small, yellow kitten, perched on the edge of Yu Xiao’s bed, staring at her with unnervingly large eyes.
“You…” Yu Xiao stammered, her thoughts a tangled mess. “You’re alright?”
The Nightmare, eyes flickering towards the others in the room, gave a curt nod. “Fine.”
Yu Xiao’s smile twitched. While she was undoubtedly thrilled to have the Nightmare back in one piece (or whatever piece a Nightmare possessed), there were some things that needed clarifying. They’d only taken him in because St. Elizabeth’s Hospital was undergoing renovations, and he’d been in danger of being discovered. It was meant to be temporary.
She’d been very clear about that with the others. Once St. Elizabeth’s was back up and running, or the Nightmare was no longer a fugitive (whichever came first), he’d have to move on.
He had, admittedly, been surprisingly well-behaved. Almost…helpful, even. Not the inconvenient houseguest she’d braced herself for.
“As we discussed,” she said slowly, “once you’re free to go, I can help you find somewhere… suitable.”
Disappointment flickered across his face. “I want to stay here.”
Yu Xiao hesitated. “But…”
“I’m quite useful. I can help,” Nightmare said, glancing at Flying to Someone Else’s Bed. “My powers aren’t limited to this ward. I can manipulate dreams through a phone call, even if the person isn’t in this hospital, but in others.”
Flying to Someone Else’s Bed’s eyes sharpened, instantly grasping the implication: help me, and your sleep is guaranteed.
“You wouldn’t want to leave him behind,” he purred, addressing Yu Xiao. “Not just because of the dream control, but his strength too. You’re capable, I’ll grant you that, and full of ideas. But things change in an instance, and quickly. Can you guarantee everyone’s safety, even if you can handle yourself? Nightmare changes the equation.”
Nightmare nodded along enthusiastically. Yu Xiao, watching their little transaction unfold so blatantly, couldn’t help but roll her eyes internally. Seriously? Did they think she was blind?
Turning to Misty and Precious, she waited for their input.
“Whatever you decide,” chirped Zhou Xiao Zhen.
Zhao Lan, after a moment of contemplation, said, “I’ve considered keeping Nightmare. The benefits outweigh the risks.”
“So, you’re okay with him staying?”
“Yes,” Zhao Lan nodded, then added, “But the final decision is yours.”
Yu Xiao sighed inwardly. Of course it was.
Nightmare, practically vibrating with gratitude, shot Zhao Lan a grateful look. “I can handle things like food runs, deliveries, cleaning,” he offered.
Zhao Lan’s eyebrow rose. A bonus, perhaps?
Yu Xiao’s lips twitched. This Nightmare was starting to remind her of Ripley back in the day; maybe that persona hadn’t been entirely an act. “Alright, you can stay.”
Thrilled, Nightmare transformed back from the kitten, padding over to Yu Xiao’s bed.
Yu Xiao blinked.
He began folding her blanket like a professional maid.
Yu Xiao: “…”
Flying to Someone Else’s Bed observed the scene with pure delight. Nightmare’s return meant peaceful, uninterrupted sleep. Just as he was about to settle down for a well-deserved nap, Nightmare finished with the blanket, walked over, and stooped down to pick up his makeshift cardboard bed.
Flying to Someone Else’s Bed’s eyes widened.
“No need to stay here,” Nightmare said, looking down at him. “I can control your dreams from anywhere. You should go back to your own room. At least they have real beds.”
Flying to Someone Else’s Bed stared in silence. After all these years in the hospital, he was finally experiencing the harshness of the world.
Nightmare neatly folded the cardboard, wiped it down, and asked, “Do you want me to pack this up for you?”
…
“Delivery!” A cheerful voice called out from the door.
Nightmare, holding the cardboard box, went to answer it. While he filled out the delivery form, Yu Xiao asked, “Any news about those two doctors who were fired?”
The courier lady’s voice became respectful. “Nothing on Lolita yet. Gu Shu, however, has returned to Gu Family Village. He got into a fight with the village doctor.”
“Why?” Zhou Xiao Zhen asked, curious.
“Something about a tree, apparently.”
Yu Xiao exchanged a knowing glance with Zhao Lan. Gu Shu’s tree, the one he had planted himself, was chopped down by Zhao Ge to build a wooden house…
“Thank you,” Yu Xiao said to the courier. Then, lowering her voice, “Have you heard anything about Jealousy?”
“Apparently he’s had two months’ wages docked,” the delivery girl chirped. “They say he turned the Ghost Corporation upside down – even their attending doctor, Fu Shen, got his head knocked sideways. Tried to find a ghost chiropractor, but it was a scam, so now it’s even more wonky.”
“Right…” Yu Xiao managed. “Thanks.”
“My pleasure!” the ghost girl trilled, and disappeared.
The room felt noticeably larger with Flying to Someone Else’s Bed gone. Yu Xiao, busy all morning, realised she hadn’t even washed her face yet. She headed to the bathroom to freshen up while Nightmare sorted out a food order.
Normally, Yu Xiao loved nothing more than sprawling on her bed when she had free time. But with Nightmare having made it with military precision, the quilt folded into perfect tofu-cubed squares, she couldn’t bring herself to mess it up.
Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen clearly felt the same. All three ended up at the table, watching as Nightmare returned with their food, laying it out with unnervingly precise movements. Every dish in front of Yu Xiao was a favourite.
“Come eat with us,” Zhou Xiao Zhen offered.
Nightmare cautiously perched himself beside Yu Xiao. Zhao Lan, still buzzing from Tang Xing Yin’s departure, said between bites, “Any plans for after you’re discharged? Life goals changed at all?”
Yu Xiao, chopsticks hovering, wasn’t even sure she *would* be discharged.
Zhou Xiao Zhen, stirring her rice with a sullen air, grumbled, “Like someone like me, who’s stared death in the face and lived to tell the tale, needs to bother with university entrance exams?”
“Of course you do!” Yu Xiao and Zhao Lan said in unison.
Zhou Xiao Zhen deflated like a punctured balloon. “Fine,” she mumbled. “Guess that’s my plan then.”
“What about you?” Zhao Lan turned to Yu Xiao.
Yu Xiao, drawing a blank on future plans, countered, “You haven’t said what yours are.”
“Simple,” Zhao Lan declared, eyes gleaming with ambition. “Work hard, become regional manager by forty.”
“What about your love life?” Zhou Xiao Zhen asked, wiggling her eyebrows. “Any plans to snag yourself a boyfriend?”
Zhao Lan smiled, a fleeting, willow-in-the-breeze kind of smile. “We’ll see. If the right person comes along, a little romance wouldn’t hurt.”
Zhou Xiao Zhen wouldn’t let it go. “What about that guy you sponsored? Think you’d consider him if he came knocking after graduation?”
Zhao Lan hesitated. “…”
“Enough about me,” she said quickly, steering the conversation away. “What about you, Smiley?”
Yu Xiao shrugged. “Haven’t really thought about it.”
“You’re in your third year now, right?” Zhao Lan, speaking from experience, said, “Time to start thinking. Otherwise, you’ll graduate clueless, stuck living off your parents.”
“Not necessarily.” Yu Xiao wasn’t worried. “My parents left me a flat, decent location. Been renting it out – brings in a good ten thousand yuan a month. I’m careful with money, it’s enough.”
Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen exchanged stunned looks.
Nightmare, listening to their conversation, understood and yet didn’t. No matter how closely the hospital copy mirrored the real world, differences remained. He couldn’t quite grasp the source of their stress. One thing was clear, though: Yu Xiao wanted out, and her chances seemed good.
Over the past few days, Yu Xiao had been compiling questions. She was itching to confront the Horror Hospital Director one last time, get some answers.
But she held back. Having made up her mind to leave, further interaction felt risky.
After dinner, Yu Xiao settled in a chair with a cup of Nightmare’s surprisingly decent tea. Scrolling through Teng Jing Zhi’s phone contacts, she saw a mix of names from the real world and over fifty nicknames she didn’t recognise.
Starting from the top, she began dialling.
“We’re sorry, the number you have dialled is currently switched off…”
“We’re sorry, the number you have dialled is currently switched off…”
“We’re sorry, the number you have dialled is currently switched off…”
“…”
Just as she was about to give up, a dozen unanswered calls later, someone picked up.
“Hello.” The voice on the other end was male, calm and collected.
Excitement bubbled up inside Yu Xiao. “Bestowing Roses?”
“Speaking.”
“Do you…” She paused, thinking fast. “Do you still recognise this number? Remember who it belongs to?”
“Of course,” the voice replied. “It’s been a while since you called.”
Yu Xiao was about to explain that she wasn’t Teng Jing Zhi when it hit her. The realisation slammed into her like a runaway train. Her mind raced, piecing it together, and she was silent for a full three minutes before asking, “When did you start impersonating Bestowing Roses?”
A faintly surprised chuckle came from the other end. “You’ve figured it out, haven’t you? Impressive. How did you know?”
The answer was almost embarrassingly obvious in hindsight. Anyone who’d survived this long in the hospital wouldn’t be so… normal. And if he really knew Teng Jing Zhi, wouldn’t he know he was talking to a woman?
Yu Xiao hung up, leaning back with her eyes closed.
Zhao Lan, catching snippets of the conversation and seeing Yu Xiao’s expression, knew something was up. But before she could ask, the phone rang again.
The ringtone blared out: *I truly wish to live another five hundred years…*
Yu Xiao’s eyes flew open. The caller ID: Flying to Someone Else’s Bed.
“Hello?” she answered, baffled. “Are you back in the ward?”
“Just got back,” came the reply. “Nightmare’s with you, right? He said he can control dreams remotely now. Tell him to hurry up, I’m ready for bed.”
Yu Xiao practically threw the phone at Nightmare. “Here, you deal with him.”
Nightmare took the phone and simply said, “Sleep.”
Yu Xiao sipped her tea, her mind churning. The phone call left her feeling uneasy. A troubling thought wormed its way in: would she retain any memories of the hospital after being discharged? And if so, what about the ghosts inhabiting the patients?
Would those spirits, now human, still crave flesh?
She scratched her head, another question surfacing. Ghosts were essentially negative energy. When that energy invaded a body, it became a possession. Everyone who survived a trial had been tainted by it to some extent. So if someone like Tang Xing Yin accumulated enough points and left, what happened to that energy? Was it extracted as well?
Yu Xiao had always considered herself fairly uncurious. Turns out, she was full of questions.
Catching a moment when Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen weren’t paying attention, she quickly typed out a message to the Director.
【I want to see you.】
The instant she hit send, she wanted to slap herself. She accidentally used Teng Jing Zhi’s phone!
Zhao Lan gave her a curious look. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Yu Xiao said, forcing a laugh. “Just a leg cramp.”
Nightmare handed the phone back. “All done.”
The near miss squashed any lingering impulsiveness. Right, no more questions for now. She’d only seek out the Dean as a last resort.
As if summoned by her thoughts, a familiar voice boomed from the doorway.
Goldie.
“Deaf Descendant,” he barked, “you’ve been accused of harassing the Director. Come with me.”
Yu Xiao stared at the door, gobsmacked.
“What?” Zhao Lan looked bewildered.
Zhou Xiao Zhen’s eyes were practically popping out of her head.
Nightmare’s expression hardened. Yu Xiao slammed her hand on the table. “Absolute rubbish!”
Zhao Lan knew Yu Xiao was daring, but she also knew she wouldn’t do something as foolish as provoking the Director.
“Are you sure there isn’t a misunderstanding?” she asked Goldie.
Nightmare, sounding slightly panicked, added, “You’re a living soul; they’ll catch you easily if you try to run. Even I might struggle to hide you…”
Yu Xiao sighed internally. What a mess. Pushing herself up from the table, she said, “Don’t worry. This is a hospital, not a kangaroo court. They wouldn’t accuse someone without proof.”
“Oh, really?” Zhou Xiao Zhen scoffed. “Tell that to all the wrongly accused attending doctors you met.”
“I’ll be back soon,” Yu Xiao said firmly, already at the door. “Trust me.”
Outside, the three-headed dog waited patiently. She followed him out, shutting the door softly behind her.
“Honestly,” she muttered, “falsely accusing someone like this. Where’s the evidence?”
The three-headed dog rolled all six eyes. “You were the one who wanted to keep the meeting secret from your friends.”
“That doesn’t give you the right to invent things.”
“Fine, fine,” the three-headed dog grumbled. “Such a drama queen.”
They retraced the familiar route to the ferry.
“We should give this river a name,” Yu Xiao mused out loud.
The three-headed dog ignored her.
“How about ‘Stinking Ditch’?”
A wave of despair washed over the creature. What if she actually *did* become the Director one day? Would it be stuck being this woman’s dog?
No, best not to think about it. The very idea was depressing.
The Director’s residence was exactly as she remembered it, unchanged. Even the Director himself looked the same, though he’d swapped his shirt for a black sleeping robe embroidered with blue roses.
“Tea?” he offered.
“Sure,” Yu Xiao accepted, feeling more at ease this time around. “Even Directors need their sleep, huh?” she asked curiously.
“No need for sleep,” the Director said, holding a teacup in his left hand and adjusting his glasses with the middle finger of his right. “The robe just makes me seem more approachable.”
Yu Xiao wasn’t sure how to respond to that.
He set the teacup before her, sat down, steepled his fingers, and smiled. “I’m glad you requested this meeting.”
“Don’t get any ideas,” Yu Xiao said warily. “I’m not here to accept your offer.”
“Of course, of course,” he chuckled. “Such a weighty decision requires careful consideration. But the fact that you’re here speaks volumes.”
Yu Xiao’s expression remained carefully neutral. There was no point beating around the bush. “Do patients retain their memories of the hospital after they’re discharged?”
“No,” he replied simply.
Yu Xiao had suspected as much. “And what about the ghosts who take their place?”
“Ah, them…” He crossed his legs. “You see, memories aren’t solely stored in the soul. The body retains some as well.”
Yu Xiao, unable to help herself, scratched her head in frustration. “So the ghosts who leave pretending to be patients… they don’t have their own memories? Just the patient’s? Who’s really alive then – the patient or the ghost?”
“Does it matter?” He seemed genuinely puzzled by her agitation. “For the ghosts, it’s about being alive. Whose memories they carry is irrelevant. And the patients… well, they’re gone. Who’s there to care?”
Yu Xiao stared at him, stunned. And then it clicked. “So, those negative energies that possess people… they leave with the discharged patients too…”
“Naturally.” He frowned slightly. “Did you think this whole hospital was just about a few replacement bodies?”
It all made sense now. Ghosts leaving in place of patients was a rarity. Most of the time, they latched onto patients, hitching a ride back to the real world.
No wonder the hospital had so many rules protecting patients – they weren’t necessarily on opposing sides.
Yu Xiao felt a rush of understanding, years of confusion clearing away. “But is it… okay? For the ghosts to leave like that?”
The Director shrugged, a strangely human gesture. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never experienced the living world myself.”
“You want me to be Director,” Yu Xiao said slowly, “but how do you plan to leave? By taking over my body?”
He considered this, a thoughtful frown on his face. “It’s not impossible. Being a woman… is it so different from being a man? More… interesting?”
Yu Xiao stared at him. “You do realise you’re currently a man, right?”
“Hardly.” He chuckled. “I’m not human, after all. This is merely a vessel.” His gaze swept over her, assessing. “Your body… it’s not much to look at, I’ll grant you that. But intriguing, nonetheless.”