Chen Xuanqiu instinctively tried to flee, but her legs had already turned to jelly. Before she could take more than two steps, she stumbled and collapsed.
“Qiu! What’s wrong with you?”
Mother Melissa rushed to help her “son.”
The female ghost, however, was a step ahead, appearing before Chen Xuanqiu almost in the blink of an eye before lunging at her.
“Ah!”
Chen Xuanqiu shrieked, instinctively reaching out to block, yet her hand passed directly through the female ghost’s body, meeting only empty air.
The female ghost pressed down stiffly onto Chen Xuanqiu, her horrifying face mere inches away. Her pallid skin was utterly bloodless, thin as paper, and the blood vessels in her eyes rapidly multiplied, turning so red they seemed to drip blood.
Chen Xuanqiu was scared out of her wits. She tried to struggle, but an intensely cold aura began to invade her body, numbing even her thoughts.
The sensation Chen Xuanqiu experienced was identical to her last encounter in the hospital. As her body “froze,” her breathing grew difficult, and her brain, deprived of oxygen, began to grow hazy.
Melissa rushed over, intending to help her “son.” She then saw Chen Xuanqiu, stiff as a corpse, and was instantly terrified. Disregarding all decorum, she cried out, “Qiu! What’s wrong with you? Don’t scare your mother!”
“What’s happening?”
Chen Degao covered the distance in a few strides and asked.
“I don’t know, darling! What should we do?”
Melissa clutched her husband’s arm, sobbing.
Chen Degao was no doctor. Yet, in his desperation, he could only—
“It looks like ‘he’s’ having trouble breathing. Let’s take off ‘his’ clothes first.”
Chen Degao carefully observed his “son’s” condition. He then began to remove his “son’s” clothes.
‘If they keep manhandling me like this, the secret beneath my clothes is definitely going to be exposed.’
Chen Xuanqiu, in her daze, heard her father’s words, and a warning bell immediately rang in her mind. Driven by a powerful will to survive, she struggled desperately once more, and simultaneously, that mysterious warm current reappeared.
The warm current materialized from nothing, growing from a trickle to a torrent. Its temperature steadily climbed, eventually surging through Chen Xuanqiu’s body like molten lava, gradually dispelling the cold.
“Ah!”
The female ghost on Chen Xuanqiu’s body let out a bloodcurdling shriek. She recoiled as if struck by lightning. But it was already too late; a crimson flame had ignited on her body.
“Ah! It hurts so much! The pain!”
The female ghost writhed and jumped, tormented by the flames. She tried to swat away the fire with her hands, yet unexpectedly, both her hands caught fire, causing the blaze to rapidly intensify and soon engulf her entire body.
In just a few breaths, the female ghost disintegrated into thin air.
Chen Xuanqiu tried to move, but she realized her luck had run out this time. Due to prolonged oxygen deprivation, she was utterly unable to control her limbs, feeling as if she were pinned down by a ghost.
Chen Xuanqiu struggled with terror. A profound weariness swiftly overwhelmed her body and mind, and her consciousness began to fade into a haze once more.
‘It seems I can’t escape death after all.’
The last vestiges of Chen Xuanqiu’s consciousness were filled with resentment.
After Chen Xuanqiu’s parents removed their “son’s” outer sweater without seeing any improvement, they then tried to remove the only remaining T-shirt underneath.
“Wait!”
Just then, Chen Xuanzhu, standing nearby, spoke up. She knew that her “brother’s” clothes concealed an unspeakable secret that absolutely could not be exposed.
“What’s wrong?”
Chen Degao asked his daughter, a hint of bewilderment in his voice.
“It’s… it’s cold. What if… what if he catches a cold?”
Chen Xuanzhu explained, somewhat stiffly. Her beautiful face, for once, betrayed a hint of awkwardness.
“Your ‘brother’ is on the verge of death! Who cares about a cold?”
Chen Degao was instantly exasperated. He reached out, intending to remove his “son’s” clothes again.
“Wait, I have a solution.”
Chen Xuanzhu hesitated for a moment. Then, gritting her teeth, she spoke.
“What solution?”
Chen Degao asked, puzzled.
“Move aside, both of you.”
Chen Xuanzhu moved her parents aside, then knelt alone beside her “brother’s” head.
The onlookers watched Chen Xuanzhu, bewildered, having no idea what she intended to do.
Chen Xuanzhu took a deep, resolute breath. As if making a momentous decision, she bent down, her rosy lips covering her “brother’s” equally vibrant lips, and transferred all the air from her small mouth into his.
“It’s artificial respiration.”
Only then did the surrounding people realize what was happening, and they silently praised Chen Xuanzhu’s quick thinking.
Fu Yao quietly watched Chen Xuanqiu on the ground, feeling intensely jealous. However, he quickly dismissed the feeling, realizing he was acting like an idiot. They were “siblings,” and she was saving a life; what was there to be jealous of?
The dazed Chen Xuanqiu only felt two fragrant, jelly-like objects on her lips, a sensation utterly captivating. Subconsciously, she began to respond, and simultaneously, air infused with fragrance flowed into her throat. Her bodily functions gradually revived as they received new oxygen.
Chen Xuanzhu’s pretty face was flushed crimson. Nevertheless, she continued to administer artificial respiration to her “brother” again and again.
“Whoosh!”
A long while later, Chen Xuanqiu’s consciousness fully returned, and she greedily gulped down air. Only then did she notice her “younger sister” pressed close to her, pouting her rosy lips right before her eyes.
‘So, she was giving me artificial respiration just now.’
Chen Xuanqiu realized what had happened, and tried hard to speak, “It’s alright! I’m fine now.”
Chen Xuanzhu reacted as if granted a great pardon, fleeing as if escaping. Having given artificial respiration to save her “brother’s” life, she wasn’t sure if it counted as losing her first kiss.
“Darling! Did you see? Our ‘son’ is awake!”
Melissa wept tears of joy, and quickly helped her “son” up with her husband.
“Let me sit for a moment, I still don’t have much strength.”
Chen Xuanqiu offered a weary smile.
“Don’t sit on the ground. I’ll carry you to that stone bench over there.”
Chen Degao suggested, then turned, hoisted his “son” onto his back, and walked towards the stone bench by the roadside.
Chen Xuanqiu had little strength, so she could only slump weakly against her father’s back. In that moment, her heart was filled with a profound sense of security.
‘Sigh! A boy this light? Something’s definitely amiss with his body.’
Chen Degao felt as if he were carrying a doll, and a strange feeling stirred within him.
Chen Xuanqiu was placed on the stone bench by her father. Only then, leaning against her mother, did she steadily wait for her strength to return.
“Nephew, what happened to you just now? You scared us to death.”
Fu Fawu couldn’t help but ask.
“N-nothing. Just a bit of malnutrition.”
Chen Xuanqiu casually brushed him off.
“Brother Chen, I must have a word with you about this. You’re the CEO of a private company, after all. How can you let your child suffer from malnutrition?”
Fu Fawu believed him, and then began to chide Chen Degao.
Chen Degao felt guilty, so he could only offer an awkward smile.
Approximately half an hour later, Chen Xuanqiu’s strength had mostly recovered. She then began walking back, supported by several people.
Because of Chen Xuanqiu’s incident, the family had no leisure to visit other places, so they hurried back home.
Chen Xuanqiu was physically and mentally exhausted, so after getting into the car, her consciousness drifted into a hazy state.
“Darling, what should we do now?”
Mother Melissa’s voice sounded.
“Don’t worry, I’ll ask Brother Zhou first.”
Chen Degao replied, then began to make a call.
“Brother Zhou said it’s highly probable that Xiao Qiu’s condition is schizophrenia. He wants us to take ‘him’ to the Fourth Hospital.”
Chen Degao said, his voice grave, after hanging up the phone.
“The Fourth Hospital? Our city’s psychiatric hospital?”
Melissa sought confirmation.
“Yes, it specializes in treating mental illnesses, so their techniques in this area are more advanced than the city’s central hospital.”
Chen Degao explained.
“Oh, my poor child.”
The more Melissa thought about it, the sadder she became, and she started crying again.
“It’ll be alright, Melissa! I believe ‘he’ will recover quickly. Dr. Zhou said that with proper treatment, ‘he’ could be discharged in just a month or so.”
Chen Degao quickly comforted his wife.
Chen Xuanqiu desperately wanted to get up and declare emphatically that she was not mentally ill. However, she was utterly exhausted at this point, so in the end, she drifted into a deep, hazy sleep.
****
Chen Xuanqiu awoke in her own large bed. She glanced out the window, noticing the sun was already high in the sky, and remembering her parents’ conversation from last night, she instantly felt unsettled, hastily scrambling out of bed.
Chen Xuanqiu found her spirits much improved. However, her chest, having been bound for so long, was now swollen, sore, and itchy, so she quickly stripped off her T-shirt and unbound her chest wrap.
Chen Xuanqiu soon saw her two unsightly “treasures” in the mirror. They were clearly misshapen from being bound for too long, and two red indentations marked the skin along their upper and lower edges, from which the itching sensation originated.
‘Ugh! Looks like I need to find some anti-inflammatory medicine.’
Chen Xuanqiu gently touched them, then sharply inhaled a cold breath.
Chen Xuanqiu was not in a hurry to go downstairs. She waited until her “treasures” had returned to their lively state, then got dressed again and began her morning routine.
After finishing her ablutions, Chen Xuanqiu hurried downstairs. She needed to speak with her parents again; she was absolutely not a psychiatric patient.