The doctor gently shook his head in response to Ruan Qing’s gratitude and smiled, saying, “I didn’t do much, and besides, these things all require payment.”
As soon as the doctor finished speaking, he realized he had
said the wrong thing.
Because the expression on the young boy’s face froze the
moment he heard about payment.
Payment...
Ruan Qing nervously opened his mouth, looking hesitant, as if
wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent.
Where would he get the money? He couldn’t even afford the
rent.
If he remembered correctly, the set of examinations he just
underwent was quite comprehensive, and the cost was likely over 5,000 yuan.
And the hospital certainly wouldn’t allow patients to owe
medical expenses.
Ruan Qing bit his lower lip, gripping the strap of his
messenger bag tightly, and instinctively looked towards Jiang Sinian beside
him.
The boy’s actions pleased Jiang Sinian, and his gloomy
expression instantly vanished. He lightly chuckled and raised an eyebrow,
saying, “Since I am your landlord, it’s only natural for me to take
responsibility for you.”
The words “take responsibility” were somewhat ambiguous when
spoken by Jiang Sinian. As he spoke, he picked up Ruan Qing’s hand hanging at
his side, rubbing his thumb against it slightly.
His tone shifted. “But it doesn’t mean the landlord has to
pay the medical expenses for the tenant without reason. I always need to get
something in return to be happy, don’t you agree?”
Jiang Sinian’s words carried a hint of frivolousness and
temptation, resembling the Queen coaxing Snow White into eating the poisoned
apple.
Although he didn’t explicitly say anything, his intentions
were glaringly obvious on his face, and anyone could guess what he wanted.
It seemed that from the very beginning, he hadn’t hidden his
motives, whether it was evident in the way he looked at the boy or in his
special care for him.
The doctor looked down at Jiang Sinian holding the slender
hand of the young boy, his expression showing little change from before.
However, a faint darkness flashed through his usually gentle eyes.
Ruan Qing wasn’t accustomed to physical contact with others.
He nervously tried to withdraw his own hand, but he couldn’t pull it away.
Jiang Sinian used just enough force, not strong enough to
harm the young boy, but his dominance prevented the young boy from pulling his
hand back.
Ruan Qing could only give up. He lowered his head, showing a
hint of hesitation on his face, and finally spoke softly, “I will repay you,
along with the rent.”
Just as Jiang Sinian was about to say something, the doctor
smiled and spoke, “It’s getting late. Sinian, come with me to make the
payment.”
Jiang Sinian had no objections. He let go of the young boy’s
hand and said, “Wait for me in the office.”
After speaking, he left with the doctor, closing the door
behind him.
In the office, Ruan Qing was left alone. He picked up the
glass of water on the table and drank it slowly.
The water had cooled down just enough, so he finished it in
one gulp.
Perhaps one glass wasn’t enough to quench his thirst. Ruan
Qing poured himself two more glasses of cold water and drank them all. Finally,
his dehydration subsided.
Maybe he had drunk a bit too much water because after sitting
for a few minutes, Ruan Qing felt the urge to use the restroom. He looked around
the office but didn’t find one attached.
The doctor and Jiang Sinian hadn’t returned from making the
payment yet.
After a few more minutes of sitting, Ruan Qing couldn’t
endure it any longer and stood up. He put on his mask, opened the office door,
and walked out.
The hospital had more than one building, and this particular
building seemed to have a special presence. There were fewer doctors and
patients, giving it an atmosphere that didn’t resemble a hospital.
However, the building’s structure was similar to that of a
hospital, with rooms resembling operating rooms and clinics. Most of them were
closed.
The hallway was quiet. Ruan Qing hesitated and chose a
direction to walk, closing the door behind him as he went.
What made this building different from the others was that
the rooms didn’t have any labels, nor were there signs indicating the restroom
or exit directions.
Since he couldn’t see anyone on the third floor and had no
one to ask for directions, Ruan Qing had to search on his own.
It seemed like this building was connected to the other
buildings. Ruan Qing took winding paths until he reached another section and
finally found the restroom.
Then, as he came out of the restroom, he realized something:
he couldn’t find his way back.
Moreover, he didn’t have the contact information of the
doctor or Jiang Sinian.
Ruan Qing had to rely on his memory to find his way.
However, the hospital was just too big, and other areas were
like a typical hospital, crowded with patients and doctors. People passing by
would instinctively gaze at Ruan Qing.
This made Ruan Qing feel very uncomfortable and somewhat
averse.
After walking for a long time without finding his way, Ruan
Qing finally gathered the courage to ask one of the nurses who specifically provided
assistance, “Excuse me, where is the doctor’s office?”
The nurse, who was busy writing records on paper, looked up
with some exasperation upon hearing the question. She then saw a slender young
boy looking at her nervously. The nurse instinctively softened her tone and
said, “Which doctor are you looking for?”
Ruan Qing paused at the question, feeling a bit frustrated
and dejected.
He seemed to have forgotten the name of that gentle doctor.
Seeing the boy’s furrowed brow, the nurse realized that he
might not know the doctor’s name. She gently spoke. “Do you remember any
specific features of the doctor?”
Ruan Qing’s face turned slightly red, and he sheepishly
replied in a low voice, “...Very handsome, very gentle, and very warm.”
The nurse paused and smiled tenderly. “Are you looking for
Dr. Wen Li? You go straight ahead to the end, then turn left when you see
Emergency Room No. 3, and take a right turn after the Cardiac Radiology
Department to reach the Internal Medicine Department. Then, go up to the fourth
floor and continue straight. After taking a right turn, go down to the third
floor.”
Ruan Qing replied, “...Okay.”
The nurse’s instructions seemed complicated, and the young
boy didn’t seem to remember them.
At first, he followed the nurse’s directions, but as he
proceeded, he became unsure of the direction.
The viewers in the horror livestream room were desperately
giving directions to the boy, but he couldn’t see the comments and continued to
search in confusion.
The young boy searched for a long time and finally found the
building he was looking for, but he ended up on the wrong floor, and the young
boy himself seemed unaware of it.
Because the building had no signs or floor indicators, the
young boy didn’t go to the third floor but ended up on the fourth floor.
All the rooms had no door numbers, and Ruan Qing had no idea
where the previous room was located, so he had to search one room at a time.
If only he hadn’t closed the door back then, there would have
been at least a reference point.
Most of the doors on the fourth floor couldn’t be pushed
open. Just as Ruan Qing was about to give up and go downstairs, suddenly he
managed to push one door open slightly.
Ruan Qing hesitated for a moment, then pushed the door open
with force. The room was dimly lit, with no lights on and no windows.
Even during the daytime, it was somewhat dim and lacked
light, making it difficult to see inside clearly.
Ruan Qing walked into the room slowly.
After adjusting to the darkness, Ruan Qing realized that it
seemed to be a laboratory. The laboratory was simple and didn’t appear to have
anything special. It just didn’t look like it was something that should be in a
hospital because there was no visible medical research equipment inside.
In the center of the laboratory, there was a huge glass
enclosure, and inside the enclosure, there was a massive black sphere floating.
Vaguely visible around the black sphere were black objects
floating in the air like light veils, emanating a frightening sense of danger.
However, the glass enclosure prevented that thing from
floating out.
Just as Ruan Qing was about to avert his gaze, the massive
black sphere suddenly shed its black exterior, as if being peeled, revealing a
gigantic eyeball in the center with pitch-black pupils.
It was as if an eye had opened.
No, not ‘as if’, it was really an eye!
Ruan Qing felt a scalp-tingling sensation as the enormous
eyeball stared at him. His body tensed up, and cold sweat instantly broke out
all over him.
It was an indescribable and unimaginable fear.
Before Ruan Qing had time to react, in the next second, the
glass enclosure shattered instantly. With no more barrier from the glass
enclosure, the black mist began to spread and wriggle, emanating endless danger
and oppression.
The eye was large, almost bigger than a basketball, with the
whites occupying most of the eye. The black pupil in the center had no trace of
light, as if it had devoured all the light. Standing in front of that eye made
one feel powerless and insignificant, as if facing the entire universe.
It was as if they vaguely saw some terrifying colossal
creature in front of them, rendering all existence feeble and incapable of
mustering any resistance. Even if they tried to resist, it would be as futile
as a gnat shaking a tree, with no effect whatsoever.
The black mist continued to spread, rapidly approaching Ruan
Qing.
There was no need to think twice; once touched by this black
mist, something dreadful would surely happen.
Ruan Qing felt his breathing becoming difficult, and every
cell in his body screamed at him to run.
But he couldn’t move. Stared at by that eye, all his strength
seemed to vanish, leaving him stiffly rooted in place.
At that moment, the screen in the horror livestream room
turned blank. There was no black mist, no giant eye.
The screen only showed the boy entering the room and standing
there dazedly, seemingly lost in thought.
There was no hint of noticing anything amiss with the boy’s
condition.
Dah! Dah! Dah!
Just as the black mist was about to engulf Ruan Qing,
familiar footsteps echoed in the corridor.
The spreading black mist paused, and in the blink of an eye,
it vanished. The entire laboratory returned to its original state, as if the
glass cover had never shattered and the black sphere had never opened.
It was as if Ruan Qing’s experience had been a mere illusion.
It was an illusion, yet it felt so real.
As the black mist disappeared, Ruan Qing’s body went limp,
and he sat down on the floor, struggling to steady his breath.
If it weren’t for the footsteps interrupting that huge eye,
he might have died right there.
However, Ruan Qing didn’t have much time to regain his
composure because the footsteps were getting closer.
They were almost at the door.
The laboratory door wasn’t closed, and someone quickly
appeared at the entrance. A tall figure blocked the light, making the entire
laboratory dimmer and enveloping Ruan Qing’s slender figure.
The doctor stood at the doorway, lowering his eyes with
indifference, and looked down at the young boy crouched on the floor. His voice
was soft and slow. “What are you doing here?”
The doctor’s voice was different from before. Despite its
gentle tone, it inexplicably conveyed a sense of coldness and danger, sending
shivers down one’s spine.
