Chen Xuanqiu’s legs felt weak, but recalling her current predicament, she forced herself to follow behind her parents.
The family of three arrived at the nurses’ station, where several young, lively nurses were chatting idly, completely oblivious to the hellish situation unfolding around them.
Chen Degao stated his identity. A slightly older nurse checked the computer, then looked at the family of three with a puzzled expression. “Who is Chen Xuanqiu?” she asked.
Chen Xuanqiu’s calves were trembling so violently that she had no energy to respond to the nurse.
“She is my daughter, Chen Xuanqiu,” Chen Degao replied, glancing at his eldest daughter.
“But the records show she’s male?” the nurse asked, bewildered.
Left with no choice, Chen Degao had to explain his daughter’s situation once more.
Upon hearing the word ‘transgender,’ the young nurses immediately fell silent. They then scrutinized Chen Xuanqiu with varying degrees of curiosity—some with envy, others with jealousy, some with disdain, and a few even with hostility.
Why the hostility? The reason was simple: in this world, women enjoyed numerous benefits, and the emergence of someone who defied traditional gender norms could potentially diminish their share. Consequently, female groups held very little tolerance for ‘transgender’ individuals.
Chen Xuanqiu was terrified, her mind still a blank slate. She completely failed to notice the stares from the nurses.
“Follow me,” one of the petite and pretty nurses said, being the first to recover. She then led the family of three toward a patient room.
They soon arrived at Room 032. The nurse walked in and explained, “You’ll be staying in a single, open-plan room. Patients are free to move around the inpatient ward. After a week of observation, if her condition stabilizes and improves, she’ll be allowed to move beyond the ward. However, she’ll need a family member to accompany her and permission from the duty nurse. Understood?”
Upon hearing the nurse’s words, Chen Xuanqiu felt ‘fully revived,’ as if rain had finally fallen after a long drought. The ability to move freely, even if only within the inpatient ward, was momentous news for her. At the very least, she wouldn’t have to spend the next month feeling imprisoned.
The family of three followed closely. Chen Xuanqiu noticed that the room’s conditions were quite good: a television on the wall, a water heater in the corner, and even a private en-suite bathroom.
“The inpatient ward closes at midnight and opens at 7 AM. Please be mindful of the time when family members enter and exit,” the nurse explained meticulously.
Despite her petite stature, barely reaching 1.6 meters, her tone was utterly meticulous, creating a charming contrast.
Chen Xuanqiu subconsciously glanced at the nurse’s name tag, where the name “Ni Shanshan” was clearly displayed.
Ni Shanshan was exceptionally dedicated, spending a good half-day informing the family of three about everything they needed to know, from major hospital regulations to minor details about using the room, fearing any potential mishap.
Only when she felt she had covered everything did Ni Shanshan finally depart, repeatedly looking back as if worried she had forgotten something.
Chen Degao and his wife began arranging various daily necessities for their daughter, meticulously setting up the room as if it were her own private chamber.
Chen Xuanqiu offered to help, but her parents firmly declined.
“Qiu, your biggest help to us is to patiently cooperate with the treatment, understood?” Melissa said, lovingly stroking her daughter’s head.
Chen Xuanqiu, however, couldn’t meet her mother’s gaze. She knew that even if she cooperated with the treatment, it wouldn’t yield any results; her hospitalization here felt merely like a formality.
Shortly after, Ni Shanshan returned, carrying a few small items in her hands.
Ni Shanshan first took a label and affixed it to the wall above the bed. Her petite stature made her movements appear somewhat endearing.
Chen Xuanqiu looked curiously and saw that it listed her basic information, much like a registration slip, including her name, gender, age, and so on.
After attaching the label, Ni Shanshan picked up a small glass bottle and handed it to Chen Xuanqiu. “This is your medicine for this morning. You’ll have another dose before bed tonight.”
“Okay, thank you, big sister,” Chen Xuanqiu replied.
She took the bottle and casually placed it on the small nightstand. Fearing potential side effects, she planned to quietly ‘dispose’ of the medicine later.
Ni Shanshan frowned slightly, her clear, large eyes fixed silently on Chen Xuanqiu.
“Wh-what’s wrong?” Chen Xuanqiu stammered, feeling guilty under the gaze.
“Eat it now. I need to watch you take it myself,” Ni Shanshan stated in an unquestionable tone.
“Be a good girl, listen to the nurse, and take your medicine quickly,” Melissa urged from beside her.
‘It seems I can’t just brush this off,’ Chen Xuanqiu thought.
She could only pout slightly, then poured the pills out of the bottle.
‘I wonder if these things have side effects for a normal person,’ Chen Xuanqiu worried.
She carefully examined the several pills in her hand, noting that there were no letters written on them—though even if there were, she wouldn’t have understood them.
Under the watchful eyes of three people, Chen Xuanqiu took the medicine, and only then did the tense atmosphere begin to relax.
After taking the medicine, Chen Xuanqiu changed into a patient gown. Soon, her head began to feel heavy and drowsy, as if she hadn’t slept in days, her eyelids weighed down.
Lacking the energy to continue chatting with her parents, Chen Xuanqiu lay on the bed and drifted into a heavy sleep.
When she awoke, night had already fallen outside the window. Chen Xuanqiu groggily opened her eyes and saw only her mother dozing by her bedside.
Chen Xuanqiu laboriously sat up, finding her limbs soft and numb, as if she hadn’t moved in years. ‘How could I have slept so deeply?’ she wondered. ‘Did that medicine have a hypnotic effect?’
Melissa stirred at the sound, her eyes fluttering open wearily. “Sweetheart, are you awake? Are you hungry?” she asked.
“Mhm,” Chen Xuanqiu nodded honestly. After sleeping for so long, she was indeed hungry.
“Just wait a bit longer. Your sister will bring it over soon,” Melissa said, reaching out to brush her daughter’s bangs from her forehead.
In that moment, Chen Xuanqiu felt a profound sense of peace, the terrifying events of the morning already banished from her mind.
Soon after, Chen Xuanzhu arrived as expected, carrying a lunchbox.
Chen Xuanqiu felt a warmth in her heart and ate with great relish.
****
Li Auntie, whose full name was Li Shaofen, was the Chen family’s hourly worker, a woman in her fifties.
That evening, after preparing dinner, Li Auntie left the Xincheng Villa District and waited for a bus by the roadside.
Due to the remote location, Li Auntie waited for a long time without success. Not only were there no buses, but not even a taxi appeared.
Just then, a minivan pulled up in front of Li Auntie.
“Big sister, are you heading to the city center?” a slightly plump middle-aged man asked, sticking his head out of the rolled-down window.
Li Shaofen didn’t reply, for in this world, even middle-aged women had to be cautious when out alone.
“If you want to go, get in. It’s only five yuan,” the middle-aged man said, quoting a price like a regular private car driver.
“Five yuan? That cheap?” Li Shaofen was tempted upon hearing the price, but still harbored suspicions about the man’s identity.
“Don’t wait. It’s so late now, there won’t be any buses. It’s dangerous for you to stand here,” the middle-aged man advised kindly.
At that moment, the minivan’s rear window also rolled down, and a young man poked his head out, calling, “Auntie, if you’re going, hurry up. My girlfriend is waiting for me.”
‘It seems it really is a private car,’ Li Shaofen thought.
Finally relieved, Li Shaofen opened the door and climbed in. “Alright, I’m going to Rongshu Street.”
Once inside the minivan, Li Shaofen realized there were three men: besides the two who had spoken to her, another man wearing sunglasses sat in the front passenger seat.
“Big sister, you must be a relative of the Chen family, aren’t you?” the driving middle-aged man asked unexpectedly.
“How do you know?” Li Shaofen’s guard immediately rose again.
“I have relatives who live in the Xincheng Villa District, and I’ve been there many times, so I’m quite familiar with this area,” the driver explained. “I’ve seen you entering and leaving with Mrs. Chen several times.”
“Oh, so that’s it. I work as an hourly helper for the Chen family,” Li Shaofen said, exhaling in relief.
“I heard the Chen family’s daughter went missing recently. Is that true?” the driver casually chatted.
“Yes, it even made the news. Thankfully, she was found later,” Li Shaofen replied, gradually lowering her guard and opening up.
“That’s good. Mr. and Mrs. Chen must have been terribly anxious during that time,” the driver remarked.
“You can say that again. The couple was running to the police station day in and day out, so much so that even their son dropped out of school,” Li Shaofen said, shaking her head with a sigh.
“Oh? They have a son too?” The driver suddenly became interested.
“Yes, they’re twins, brother and sister. And they look exactly alike; outsiders can’t tell them apart at all. The only difference is that the boy has a mole at the corner of his eye,” Li Shaofen replied, feigning surprise.
“Is that so? Excellent,” the driver in the front seat unexpectedly murmured.
“What’s excellent?” Li Shaofen asked, somewhat bewildered.
“Nothing. So, what about Mr. Chen’s son? Is he in school now?” the driver’s tone returned to normal.
“School? What school? For some reason, that child developed a mental illness and was sent to the Fourth Hospital for treatment today,” Li Shaofen said, shaking her head and sighing.