The Stitched Smile and a Morning Visit to the Underworld

In the dimly lit corridor, the nurse slowly approached the door of Deng Shuqi’s brother’s hospital room.

Concealed within a clearly oversized and ill-fitting nurse’s uniform, her body seemed to tremble slightly. A pale, stiff hand, marked with faint spots, slowly extended towards the doorknob of the ward.

“Who’s there?”

Just as that pale hand was about to touch the doorknob, a beam of intense light suddenly fell upon the nurse.

After all, it was a high-level ward on the top floor, and security guards were responsible for watching over it at night.

However, what struck the guard as odd was that medical staff rarely came to the top floor at night, and there had been no sound of the elevator running. How had this nurse managed to get up here?

“Are you the nurse on duty? Why aren’t you speaking? I don’t recall anyone scheduled for tonight…”

Before the guard could finish their sentence, the nurse slowly turned her head.

She did not turn her neck slowly like a normal person. Instead, like a doll, her entire face shifted mechanically into view.

Disheveled strands of hair obscured her face, and under the glare of the strong light, her pallid complexion appeared even more terrifying.

Upon closer inspection, her eyes and mouth were shockingly sewn shut with thread! Her tightly stitched mouth was now straining upwards, forming a grotesque smile.

Those crisscrossing stitches resembled gruesome fangs…

The next second, the flashlight clattered to the floor, and a bloodcurdling scream echoed throughout the entire hospital building.

****

The very next day, at the first hint of dawn, Bai Wanwan, who had been dreaming of sleeping in a candy house redolent with the scent of milk, was jolted awake by a violent shaking.

Slowly, Bai Wanwan opened her eyes. She had been on the verge of tasting the milky candy house, but had been roused before she even had the chance.

“What’s going on?”

Bai Wanwan frowned in displeasure, looking at Liu Hanzhi who lay beside her.

Bai Wanwan had a notorious case of morning grumpiness, yet the sight of her slightly pouting lips, paired with her delicate little face, made her impossibly adorable.

Liu Hanzhi found herself momentarily lost in a daze at the sight.

“Stop sleeping! If you keep drooling, you’ll soak me. My body is made of paper, after all, and I’m afraid of water.”

Liu Hanzhi wiped her chest with her hand. Seeing the wet stain there, Bai Wanwan finally understood why her candy house dream had smelled of milk.

“The timing is perfect now. Let’s go visit that Underworld Emissary I know. If we’re lucky, we can finalize the delivery arrangements today and also inquire about Deng Shuqi’s brother’s soul.”

Liu Hanzhi pulled Bai Wanwan out of bed. They had spent the entire previous night searching for souls outside, but had found nothing.

However, from one live stream alone, Deng Shuqi’s donations had reached 17,000 yuan, which counted as a small profit.

Despite their fruitless search the previous night, neither Liu Hanzhi nor Bai Wanwan felt particularly disheartened.

As for Deng Shuqi’s brother’s soul… it was likely that the worst had already happened.

It was impossible for them to find it through aimless searching alone; now, their only hope rested with the Underworld Emissary.

“Alright…”

Bai Wanwan groggily got out of bed, her fair feet fumbling on the floor for a long time, unable to locate her rabbit slippers.

Finally, Liu Hanzhi couldn’t stand it anymore. She floated over to Bai Wanwan, gently took her small, delicate foot, and helped her slip on the slippers.

Bai Wanwan was perfect in every way, except that when she was sleep-deprived, she became utterly dazed, as if her batteries hadn’t fully charged.

“Are the things we’re bringing truly sufficient?”

In the washroom, Bai Wanwan gazed at her reflection—her hair disheveled, her face looking slightly haggard—and mumbled her question.

Meanwhile, Liu Hanzhi held her toothbrush, meticulously brushing her teeth for her.

“There’s no problem, don’t worry. Spit out the toothpaste foam, come on, rinse your mouth. Hold out your hands so I can wipe them, then wipe your face and mouth.”

After Liu Hanzhi finished helping Bai Wanwan wash up and tidy her hair, her meticulous care was so thorough that one might mistake her for a doting mother.

“But we only brought a stack of folded paper money.”

Bai Wanwan looked at the stack of paper money tucked into a black plastic bag, a flicker of worry in her eyes. Could an Underworld Emissary truly be so easily appeased?

“Don’t worry, it’s more than enough. Let’s hurry and leave; that place is quite far from here. I used to set up a fortune-telling stall there, and even floating took an hour to get there.”