Chapter 101: Ageless

The dark television room was illuminated only by the glow of the screen. The small television had been replaced by a large LCD, though the DVD player remained the same three-disc changer, emitting a faint humming sound as it ran. The image on the screen lacked the nostalgic texture of the disc era.

Fang Xi sat by the hospital bed, head bowed, focused on peeling an apple.

The elderly woman in the bed had hair as white as snow and a face lined with wrinkles. Her hands, resting on the quilt, were as thin as dry twigs, the skin a sickly, pale blue. Protruding veins were connected to an IV drip, the bag of medicine hanging above the headboard.

*Tick, tick...*

The film blurred the images of Fang Xi and the old woman, focusing instead on the IV bag.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded from off-screen, accompanied by a woman's voice: "Oh! Grandma Fang, is your grandson here?"

The focus returned to the room.

Fang Xi’s hand shook, and the apple peel snapped.

The old woman in the bed remained expressionless, not answering the woman's question.

Another voice came from off-screen: "No way. Grandma Fang’s grandson was here yesterday."

"Really? I didn't see him yesterday."

"He came while you were taking Mom for her checkup in the morning. That young man was taller."

"Oh. I see." The woman’s voice turned back to the room. "Young man, what relation are you to Grandma Fang? You should sit for a while. Her son went home to get some food; he’ll be here soon. Have you had lunch?"

Fang Xi did not answer. He simply smiled, lowered his head, and continued peeling the apple.

The camera zoomed in on the apple.

Fang Xi finished peeling it, then cut it into thumb-sized cubes, placing them into a small fruit plate decorated with a chubby panda. He unwrapped a newly bought set of fruit forks from a plastic bag. Each fork was tipped with a tiny, bright red apple.

Fang Xi raised the bed’s tray table and placed the fruit plate on it. He asked in a soft, gentle voice, "Shall I adjust the bed so you can sit up and eat some apple?"

The woman's laughter came from off-screen: "This young man is so attentive, like he's coaxing a child."

"Old people are like children, after all."

"Grandma Fang is truly blessed."

Perhaps moved by the bystander's envy, Grandma Fang sat up. Fang Xi straightened the pillows behind her so she could lean back comfortably.

Grandma Fang looked at the child-like fruit plate, the forks, and the neatly cubed apple pieces. She was silent for a moment before her trembling hand reached out to pick up a fork.

On camera, Fang Xi relaxed.

He watched her with rapt attention as she slowly finished the plate of apples.

Grandma Fang set the fork down.

Fang Xi handed her a tissue and asked with concern, "Would you like some water?"

Grandma Fang said, "Grandma used to cut apples for me just like this."

Fang Xi froze in place.

"Dad said that when he was little, Grandma cut apples like this too. Only, they didn't peel them back then. There were so many siblings, and when they finally got an apple, Grandma would cut it into tiny pieces so they could all share. She’d gnaw on the core herself, eating it clean down to the seeds. He said that all the good things in the house went to the children, while Grandma only got the scraps... Grandfather... never got a single bite..."

In the footage, Grandma Fang’s rough voice told the stories she had heard. When she said "Dad" and "Grandma," her tone softened, like a little girl acting spoiled.

The woman off-screen laughed, "Life was hard back then; things are better now."

Grandma Fang smiled with satisfaction. "Yes, life was much better when I was little. I was an only child, so I could eat a whole apple by myself. My mother would peel and cut it into big chunks. But Grandma still cut them the old way. Once she was done, she gave them all to me. Grandma even had pretty fruit plates and forks, just like this one. They were bought specifically for me. I was the youngest of the third generation. My father was Grandma’s youngest son..."

Grandma Fang looked at the empty plate and the fork.

The old woman’s narrative continued: "Dad, my uncles, and my aunts were all very angry. They wanted to take Grandma to live with them and sell that house, but Grandma wouldn't agree. When Grandma was sick, they took turns watching by her bed. When she was nearing the end, my aunts and uncle asked if they should notify *that person*... Mom said Grandma had already accepted him, and he had given so much money, but Dad scolded her... Grandma said, 'Don't bother him, he's busy'..."

The voice-over that usually appeared out of nowhere remained silent this time.

The entire hospital room seemed to quiet down, leaving only the sound of the old woman recounting stories from the past in a leisurely pace.

Fang Xi’s face was devoid of expression, as if a mask had been pulled over it. His eyes were dark, as if his bangs had obscured all light.

"Later on, no one cut apples like that for me anymore. I don't even know where that set of fruit plates went." Grandma Fang sighed softly, then in the next second, smiled with the innocence of a child. "Dad doesn't know, but Grandma secretly told me something. We made a pinky promise that I wouldn't tell anyone. Even when Dad was so angry and heartbroken, I didn't say a word. Grandma was lying in that hospital bed, waving me over..."

Fang Xi’s eyes seemed to brighten, his gaze fixed intently on Grandma Fang.

But Grandma Fang changed the subject, asking, "What time is it?"

"Oh, Grandma Fang, you haven't finished the story!" the woman cried out.

Grandma Fang just turned her head left and right, still asking, "What time is it? What time is it?"

Fang Xi checked the time and answered.

Grandma Fang reached out her hands. "I want to go for a walk."

Fang Xi quickly grabbed the wheelchair from the bedside. He lifted Grandma Fang as if she were a child and placed her into the chair. He put on her slippers, draped a shawl over her shoulders, covered her knees with a blanket from the end of the bed, and finally took the IV bag and its stand, attaching it to the wheelchair.

Fang Xi pushed the wheelchair out.

The camera caught the woman who had been talking, though her face was blurry in the frame.

"Grandma Fang, you're going out now? Your son will be here with your lunch in a minute."

Grandma Fang replied, "Please tell him I'll be back in a little while."

"Oh, okay, sure." The woman reminded Fang Xi, "Don't go too far. Grandma Fang needs to eat lunch on time and take her medicine."

Fang Xi paused in his tracks.

Grandma Fang patted the armrest. "Let's go."

Fang Xi resumed pushing the wheelchair.

Off-screen, the woman and others whispered, "Nothing can be done about dementia. When people get old, they have good days and bad days. Grandma Fang is doing alright, all things considered..."

"Grandma Fang isn't that old, is she?"

"I heard from her son that she suffered some kind of trauma in the past..."

The wheelchair rattled against the hospital’s tiled floor.

The doctor sat quietly, watching the television, his deep blue eyes unblinking. The ten fingernails were also still, save for an occasional faint sound like snoring.

The camera followed Fang Xi to the outdoor terrace on that floor.

Sunlight fell upon Fang Xi and Grandma Fang.

Fang Xi backed away. "It's too bright out here. Let's stay inside."

"No," Grandma Fang insisted stubbornly. "I want to go out. Grandma said we should get plenty of sunlight."

Fang Xi had no choice but to park the wheelchair under the eaves.

Grandma Fang squinted at the blue sky and white clouds.

On screen, the young Fang Xi and the frail Grandma Fang stood and sat, their features bearing little resemblance; they didn't look like grandmother and grandson. There was a distance between them.

Grandma Fang suddenly spoke again, looking at Fang Xi with a hint of triumph. It was an expression ill-suited for a wrinkled old woman.

"Grandpa, see how smart I am? I didn't talk out of turn. I promised Grandma I wouldn't tell anyone else." She tilted her head, like a child waiting for praise, her eyes shining as she looked at Fang Xi.

In front of the television, the ten fingernails were silent, and the doctor’s deep blue eyes darkened.

The camera focused on Grandma Fang’s face. She had lowered her head again, muttering to herself, "Grandma said everyone grows old. But some people have more important things to do, so they can't grow old yet. She said Grandpa was good to her, a good husband and a good father, and that Grandpa treasured me. That set of fruit plates and forks was brought back from abroad especially for me by Grandpa. I remember everything Grandma said."

The camera panned up to capture Fang Xi.

His face was a blank slate.

"She held my hand and said, 'Cui Cui, you must remember Grandpa. Grandma has to go first. Grandpa only has you now. You must stay with Grandpa.' You must stay with Grandpa..." Grandma Fang’s voice trailed off.

An aged hand reached into the frame and grabbed Fang Xi’s clothing.

Fang Xi looked down, numb.

The camera turned back to Grandma Fang.

Grandma Fang asked with confusion, "Grandpa, Grandma is gone, and there were my uncles, my aunts, and Dad... Dad is gone... they are all gone... Tian Tian is gone..."

As she spoke, a look of resentment appeared on her face.

"Grandma said, Grandpa, you just don't know how to age. Are you never going to die?" She laughed, a twisted sound. "You’re still the same as when I was a child. You haven't aged. They still think you're my grandson... You never met Qian Qian, did you? The last time I saw you, Qian Qian wasn't even born. Do you remember Tian Tian? She was so small... You held her, you played games with her, you took care of her... You’re still so young... Why weren't you the one to die! Grandma said it didn't matter that she was old and you were young; it would be the same when we reached the other side. She didn't know you would never go down there to see them... You won't go. You abandoned them all... Grandpa, now I'm leaving too..."

Grandma Fang’s face was covered in tears as she let go.

Fang Xi subconsciously reached out and grabbed her withered hand.

Grandma Fang let him hold it, her body slumping in the wheelchair, head hanging low as she whispered, "I promised Grandma. I promised her... Grandma said I should stay with Grandpa... This is our little secret, we can't tell anyone, not even Dad..."

In front of the television, the ten fingernails emitted a cacophony of sobbing and wailing.

The doctor’s deep blue eyes seemed to flicker.

The scene on the television shifted, and Grandma Fang’s voice became ethereal.

Surrounded by clouds and mist, the peak of a high mountain was crowded with people.

The camera suddenly captured Fang Xi in the crowd.

He stood there, his trench coat billowing in the wind.

He lowered his eyes, gazing into the abyss of the mountain below. His expression was vacant, radiating an indescribable sense of loneliness despite the crowded observation deck.

The noise of the tourists off-screen suddenly vanished.

A strange voice spoke: "I granted you immortality to fulfill your desires. Shouldn't you repay me?"

Fang Xi’s body seemed to have been hit with a pause button.

"If you don't want this body, why not give it to me?"

The voice was enhanced with special effects, as if echoing through the valley.

The image seemed to be obscured by clouds, glowing with a bright white light.

In the white light, the words "Immortality: Choosing Death" grew larger and larger, occupying the center of the screen. In the bottom right corner, the word "End" was written in script.

In the black-and-white frame, the black characters blurred and bled into a complete blackout.

The next second, a harsh blue light flickered as the television prompted that the disc had finished playing.

The doctor squinted, and the ten fingernails erupted in chaotic noise.

...

In Binjiang Park, at the same embankment that had been destroyed and cordoned off.

Amidst the howling wind and torrential rain, Cheng Yao and Fang Xi stood in a standoff.

Fang Xi suddenly scoffed. "I’ve accompanied you all the way to a place like this; shouldn't you answer my question properly now?"

His voice turned cold. "Where is the Monster Clinic?"

Cheng Yao answered his question with another: "When did you first see me?"

Fang Xi laughed grimly. "When... I’ve lived too long, I long ago stopped counting dates and times." The malice around him intensified. "I saw you two walk out of the Monster Clinic, and she was carrying local specialties from Dragon City."

Cheng Yao thought, *No wonder.*

He finally understood why Fang Xi had been so fixated on him and Bai Xiao. For a patient like Fang Xi, who had been searching everywhere for the clinic, the sight of them walking out happily with bags of specialty goods from a city thousands of miles away must have been unthinkable. Fang Xi must have witnessed the clinic’s disappearance right after they walked out. All he could do then was use every means to uncover the truth from them.

Fang Xi hadn't targeted him because of some "patient aura" or coincidence.

When he returned from Dragon City, the Monster Clinic had appeared near his residence, not at the old location near his father-in-law's house. He had thought the doctor was being kind and saving them the commute.

Thinking back on how he could never find the Monster Clinic after that, and how Boss Le couldn't contact the doctor either... it seemed everything was the doctor's orchestration.

Just like the other patients he had encountered; there was no doubt the doctor had guided them.

The doctor had intentionally let them, these patients, run into each other...

Cheng Yao began to ponder the doctor's objective.

Fang Xi stepped closer. "Tell me, where is the Monster Clinic? Don't make excuses anymore. The place you took me was the place where you first entered the clinic, right? What about after that? You must have entered the clinic more than once."

His eyes turned blood-red, vivid as two burning flames in the stormy night.

Cheng Yao looked at Fang Xi and confessed, "I don't know either. After the time you saw, I never saw the Monster Clinic again."

"Why were you able to enter it multiple times?" Fang Xi pressed aggressively.

Cheng Yao shook his head. "I don't know. I originally thought it had to do with the illness..."

"Don't know? The illness? Hehehehe..." Fang Xi suddenly emitted a strange, eerie laugh.

The laughter echoed through the rain and the wind.