Chapter Eighteen: Suspicion and Astonishment

Yu Guangchun knocked twice on the bathroom stall door. "Xiao Liu? Are you alright? Why aren't you answering? Are you okay?"

Liu Yu felt as if the voice from the other side of the door was playing in slow motion inside his head. Along with that drawn-out, distorted tone, he seemed to hear the faint rustling of insects crawling beneath his skin. They all turned over at once, ceasing their wriggling, as if about to die. Yet the gray-brown insect legs were distinct, wrapped in skin, and in turn, they stimulated the flesh, causing one brown bump after another to rise on Liu Yu's arm.

Those bumps looked extremely hard, multiplying and splitting, gradually covering his entire arm. The pores stretched wide, as if the insect legs were about to pierce through the skin and crawl out from inside him.

Liu Yu was so terrified he couldn't utter a sound. His legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the toilet seat.

There was a dull thud, echoing briefly inside the bathroom.

Outside, Yu Guangchun paused for a moment, then anxiously called out again, "Xiao Liu? Liu Yu! Are you alright? Can you open the door? Can you speak?"

He banged on the door several times.

The vibrations seemed to startle the insects under Liu Yu's skin. They began twitching, and Liu Yu saw those insect legs shoot out from his pores, bristling and writhing like bamboo shoots after the rain.

"I'll go get help! Hang in there!" Yu Guangchun shouted, then hurried away.

Liu Yu stared wide-eyed, fixated on his own arm. The dense, thin spines secreted a semi-transparent slime from their tips. Compared to what he first thought were insect legs, they looked more like some kind of strange plant. Having seemingly fulfilled their purpose, they slowly withdrew back under his skin.

His skin was left without a single break; even the layer of semi-transparent slime gradually seeped into the pores and vanished after the spines disappeared.

Liu Yu didn't dare touch his left arm, holding it aloft, his fear undiminished.

That clinic… that doctor… What exactly had that person injected him with? Was it a drug-induced hallucination, some kind of virus, or a parasite?

What on earth was it?

...

Sheng Yao carried the clothes and toiletries he’d packed the night before, along with steamed buns and soy milk he’d bought on the way, and pushed open the door to the Monster Clinic.

"Shengsheng? Doctor?" he called as he walked inside.

Bai Xiao soon appeared in his line of sight.

Sheng Yao was a little surprised as he approached Bai Xiao. "There's another corridor here?" he remarked, glancing at the hallway Bai Xiao had emerged from, then at the other corridor.

The consulting and operating rooms were down that corridor, but this one had three doors, one of which bore a plaque reading "Ward."

The sign was old, suggesting the ward had always been there.

"Yes. I live over here. The kitchen and bathroom are opposite," Bai Xiao said with a smile, taking the breakfast from Sheng Yao’s hands.

Sheng Yao craned his neck to look.

The kitchen was deeper in; the bathroom was closer to the door. He could only see the somewhat shabby bathroom. The shower was built from tiles and hung with a plastic curtain. The toilet and sink were of the simplest kind, just functional. The white tiles in the bathroom, like those in the clinic, were old and stained.

The ward, on the other hand, was spacious and a single room, though sparsely furnished, with a hospital-style bed.

"I bought you steamed buns. I brought a toothbrush and towel. You haven’t washed up yet, right? I should have bought you these at a convenience store last night," Sheng Yao said, rummaging through his things, a little regretful.

"The doctor was already urging you to leave. Would he have let you fuss around? If you’d bought a toothbrush and towel, you’d have wanted to get pajamas and a quilt too," Bai Xiao laughed, taking the towel and toothbrush. "Besides, this is just for seeing the doctor. None of that really matters."

Sheng Yao nodded, carrying a hanger and a cup and following Bai Xiao to the bathroom. He looked around; above the sink was a small mirror, not yet wiped clean, with water stains still clinging to it. A roll of toilet paper sat on the toilet tank, and a bar of soap hung from the faucet. Apart from that, the bathroom held nothing else.

There were no hooks, so Sheng Yao could only hold the hanger and towel, acting as a human coat rack for Bai Xiao.

"I also brought slippers. Both indoor and plastic ones, so you can change into whatever’s more comfortable. I brought you a thermos and a mug. Since there’s a kitchen, can you boil water here?"

Bai Xiao’s mouth was full of toothbrush, so she could only mumble an affirmative.

Sheng Yao went to check the kitchen next door.

The kitchen was as bare and unkempt as the clinic. The stove, wok, and electric kettle were all well-worn. There was a full set of knives and a cutting board. There were no storage racks; just scattered bottles of half-used oil and salt. The salt was still in its bag, not even poured into a container.

Sheng Yao felt as though he was peeking into the doctor's life, but then sensed that something was off.

He returned to the bathroom. "Doesn’t the doctor use this bathroom?"

Bai Xiao rinsed her mouth and replied, "This is probably for patients. The doctor seems to have another room."

Sheng Yao leaned against the doorframe, glancing at the opposite corridor.

"I bought plenty of breakfast. Is the doctor up? I can invite him to join us."

Bai Xiao took the towel, bent over to wash her face, and mumbled a response.

Sheng Yao walked over and knocked on the consulting room door.

...

In a dark screening room, a giant projection screen played a close-up of Liu Yu.

His eyes were bloodshot, pupils trembling with terror. The high-definition image revealed every pore. Sweat trickled down his forehead, past the corner of his eye, then down his jaw and dripped off. The streak left by the sweat looked like the trail of an insect. Liu Yu’s pores expanded and contracted as if breathing.

The doctor sat comfortably on a long sofa, legs crossed, chin propped on his hand, his deep blue eyes full of interest.

He suddenly glanced aside, then looked away, picked up the remote control at his feet, and pressed a few buttons.

The image froze.

The doctor got up, and in the darkness, a door appeared.

...

The consulting room door opened, and Sheng Yao greeted the doctor with a smile, a trace of surprise in his eyes.

He hadn’t expected the doctor to still be in his white coat and mask at this hour, dressed impeccably.

"Good morning, Doctor," Sheng Yao said, "I brought breakfast—would you like to join us?"

The doctor squinted, waved him off as if shooing him away, the faces painted on his fingernails seeming to shake their heads. "No. In the future, don’t disturb me when you visit. No overnight stays."

"Oh..." Sheng Yao nodded, wanting to say more, but the door slammed shut in his face. He touched his nose, swallowing his words.

He actually wanted to ask if the doctor could resurrect his and Bai Xiao’s parents...

Sheng Yao sighed.

"Doctor’s not joining us?" Bai Xiao came out of the bathroom.

"No," Sheng Yao replied, then smiled again, "I brought you some face cream."

"Huh?" Bai Xiao was surprised.

"It’s the one I use, the kind you bought for me before," Sheng Yao said as he walked, "and hand cream too. Mosquito repellent, incense…"

"How much stuff did you bring?" Bai Xiao laughed. "You think I’m moving in forever?"

"Of course not. But however long you stay, you should be comfortable," Sheng Yao explained. "By the way, after breakfast, I’ll take a photo of you."

"For what?"

"To send to the people at Changshou Garden, so they won’t worry. You might..." Sheng Yao sized up Bai Xiao, gesturing, "have to wrap up with some bandages, make it look like post-surgery."

Bai Xiao laughed, "Alright, whatever you say, Director!"

"It’s called credibility. Besides Chen Jin and the others, there’s Aunt Qin," Sheng Yao said, pulling over the ward’s only small table, which also served as a nightstand, and laying out breakfast. "Aunt Qin saw us that day, and she seemed pretty shocked."

Bai Xiao sipped her soy milk. "There’s no easy way to explain to her. Maybe just leave it. Or I could do your makeup, make you look older, and you could explain to her yourself. Pretend she was seeing things early in the morning. By the way, have you taken any photos these years? I’d like to see."

Sheng Yao was skeptical, "You’re that good at makeup?" He took out his phone. "There should be some photos in my gallery."

"I don’t know, but I can try. With practice, who knows?" Bai Xiao joked, turning to fiddle with his phone.

Sheng Yao poured vinegar for her and started on his own tofu pudding. "Maybe. Aunt Qin’s eyesight is pretty bad these days—she has cataracts, can’t see clearly."

Bai Xiao, biting into a bun, asked in surprise, "She has cataracts? Has she had surgery?"

"Not yet. Her son wanted to take her, but she thought it was too much trouble," Sheng Yao replied, suddenly feeling emotional.

He stroked Bai Xiao’s hair. "I brought you a comb, hair clips, and ties too."

Bai Xiao swallowed her bun with a smile. "Then I’ll tie my hair up later."

"Okay," Sheng Yao said softly. "After breakfast, sort through your things and see if there’s anything else you need."

Bai Xiao nodded, her mouth busy chewing, her eyes darting over the photos on the phone.

Sheng Yao, now back in a nineteen-year-old body, had a hearty appetite. But watching Bai Xiao eat breakfast so happily, he felt there was nothing else to rush for. As long as she was by his side like this, he would have all the confidence and motivation he needed.

"By the way," Sheng Yao said suddenly, "did anyone come by this morning?"

"Who?"

"I ran into a young man last night..." Sheng Yao explained. "Did he come for treatment?"

Helping others was a good deed, after all.

Hadn’t he himself found happiness thanks to the help of the pet shop owner?

Bai Xiao "oh"-ed. "That guy? He actually came last night."

Sheng Yao was surprised. "Last night? Wasn’t the clinic closed?"

"Yes. I heard something and saw the clinic open again. He came in and went with the doctor to the consulting room, and then... I’m not sure what happened. He raced out, didn’t even look back, he seemed really flustered and scared."

Sheng Yao recalled his own "operation," watching Bai Xiao carefully. "Do you remember, in the operating room... did you feel any pain?"

Bai Xiao shook her head. "I don’t even know what happened. I just closed my eyes, opened them, and here I am."

Sheng Yao exhaled, but still felt uneasy.

He remembered the young man saying it was just a skin allergy. But the way Bai Xiao described it, it sounded much more serious. Or was it the doctor’s treatment that frightened him? But that couldn’t be all.

With these thoughts, Sheng Yao absentmindedly finished breakfast, tidied up, and then started discussing their plan for "deceiving" Chen Jin and Aunt Qin.

"…We’ll need some gauze, to cover part of the face, right?" Bai Xiao looked around, but there was no gauze in the ward.

Sheng Yao stood up. "I’ll ask the doctor."

He knocked on the consulting room door a second time, this time feeling uneasy.

Last night, the young man had fled from here in terror. Why had he been so afraid?

After waiting a while, Sheng Yao got no answer. He knocked again, called out, then, hesitating, turned the doorknob.

The consulting room was silent and empty.

Sheng Yao looked up at another closed door inside the consulting room.

Was this door always here?

A strange feeling crept over him.

"Doctor?"

Only his own voice echoed in the room.

He scanned the room, noticing a folder and an empty syringe on the desk. He recognized it at once—before his operation, the doctor had also given him an injection, and the syringe looked just like this.

A label on the folder’s spine read "Liu Yu."

Sheng Yao’s heartbeat quickened as he turned away, walking toward that closed door inside the consulting room.

Knock, knock.

"Doctor?" Sheng Yao called.

No sound came from within.

He felt the clinic was especially quiet now, as if he were the only one left.

His heart thudded heavily.

He turned to look at the folder.

Liu Yu… was that the young man from last night?

He glanced at the tightly shut door, then pulled out the folder.

The first page contained Liu Yu’s personal information, filled out in meticulous handwriting, precise and neat—just like the impression the young man gave, but the "patient complaint" section below was written quite differently, clearly by another hand.

The young man seemed honest, but would he really fill out his information so thoroughly, including birthplace and work unit? Wasn’t it just a skin allergy? Would someone who avoided hospitals and pharmacies because of the queues be this cooperative at a tiny clinic?

A cloud of suspicion settled over Sheng Yao.

He closed the folder, put it back, and left the consulting room.

"Doctor didn’t agree?" Bai Xiao was waiting in the ward and looked puzzled to see him return empty-handed.

Sheng Yao shook his head. "He’s not in the consulting room. Maybe he went out." He smiled. "I’ll just go buy everything we need: gauze, makeup. What kind of makeup do you want?"

Bai Xiao brightened, grabbed Sheng Yao’s phone, and started listing things in the memo, chattering away as she educated him. Sheng Yao listened without really understanding, his mind still on Liu Yu.

He watched Bai Xiao intently.

She had been brought back to life, but had to stay for observation and further treatment.

How had the doctor done it? And what came next?

A sudden worry welled up in him. He really knew almost nothing about the doctor. The doctor wasn’t the kindly, chatty type who would offer patients meticulous care. This sort of "treatment" was truly unsettling.

Normally, it would be enough to be cured, to take the medicine or undergo the operation. Patients don’t need to know the details—they just trust the doctor. But this wasn’t ordinary "illness" for him and Bai Xiao.

"Done! That’s everything. You should be able to get it all at the mall. Go for the cheapest. If it’s not urgent, online shopping is fine. But… best to finish today. Don’t let them worry," Bai Xiao said, handing him back his phone.

"I should get you a phone, too," Sheng Yao said suddenly.

Bai Xiao smiled. "Sure. I don’t know anything about phones these days. What model is yours? Just get me the same."

Sheng Yao agreed. "I’ll go buy everything now. What do you want for lunch?"

"Anything is fine."

"I brought some of your old books, too."

"I saw. Thanks. Don’t worry about me. I’m fine here."

After saying goodbye, Sheng Yao left, Bai Xiao not seeing him to the door. As soon as he left the ward, the smile faded from his face.

...

Inside the consulting room, the inner door opened.

The doctor strolled out, picked up the syringe from the desk, and with a flick of his hand, it vanished.

With the other hand, he adjusted the folders in the file rack, straightening Liu Yu’s medical file.

"Hee hee hee..."

"Woo woo woo..."

A cacophony rose from his fingernails.

The mask on the doctor’s face stretched, the corners of his mouth and chin showing from beneath its edges.