Chen Xuanqiu woke up the next day, the sun already high in the sky. She knew the scenes from her dreams last night were likely more memories from the original owner of this body.
‘At this rate, it shouldn’t be long before I fully integrate this body’s memories.’
Chen Xuanqiu felt a surge of happiness. Once she completely absorbed the body’s memories, she wouldn’t have to fear exposure, no matter what unexpected events might occur.
Sitting on the bed, she noted the usual tranquility outside the ward. This suggested that the events of last night had not spread.
‘That’s good. This way, I won’t have to worry about my parents forcing me to switch hospitals.’
Chen Xuanqiu sighed in relief, then began to get up and wash. A thought crossed her mind: ‘Why hasn’t Mother arrived yet this morning?’
Just then, Melissa entered, carrying breakfast.
“Qiu, you were sleeping so soundly when I arrived earlier, so I didn’t want to disturb you,” Melissa explained.
Chen Xuanqiu instantly understood. Her mother had arrived much earlier, but had stepped out again to avoid disturbing her rest. A warm sensation bloomed in her chest.
“Darling, your sister recently started taking singing and dancing lessons,” Melissa suddenly remarked.
“Oh,” Chen Xuanqiu responded, a little bewildered. In her experience, it was quite normal for children from wealthy families to learn various arts and skills.
“Do you know why she wants to learn these things?” Melissa pressed, slightly dissatisfied with her daughter’s nonchalant attitude.
“To become a celebrity?” Chen Xuanqiu guessed.
“Becoming a celebrity is certainly her goal, but it’s not her dream,” Melissa replied, shaking her head.
“Then what is her dream?” Chen Xuanqiu asked, puzzled.
“Her dream is freedom,” Melissa sighed, explaining, “For the sake of this family, your sister has been treated like a tool since she was young. She’s long grown tired of this life; I can see it clearly.”
Chen Xuanqiu lowered her head, feeling a pang of guilt. Logically, she should step forward bravely and share the burden, but she couldn’t risk exposing her true identity.
“A few days ago, she told me she wants to become a big celebrity and then endorse our family company, so she won’t have to beg anyone. From those words, it’s clear she doesn’t like that boy from the Fu family. What else could that be but a pursuit of freedom?” Melissa said with a wry smile.
“That’s actually a good idea,” Chen Xuanqiu nodded instinctively.
“However, your father and I stopped her,” Melissa’s tone shifted.
“Why?” Chen Xuanqiu asked, perplexed. ‘Shouldn’t parents support their daughter’s ambition?’
“Darling,” Melissa explained with grave earnestness, “Your father said that as soon as you’re discharged, you’ll come with me to Ceylon and live under your sister’s identity. Both of you are destined to live as ordinary girls your entire lives. If one of you becomes too famous, your identity will be exposed, do you understand?”
Chen Xuanqiu was utterly stunned. She had never once considered this issue before.
‘If my sister can only be an ordinary girl, doesn’t that mean she’ll be forced to marry Fu Yao?’
Chen Xuanqiu quickly grasped the gravity of the situation. She hadn’t realized that because of her, her sister had completely lost the chance to defy her fate.
‘I’m a sinner,’ Chen Xuanqiu thought, a sudden wave of guilt washing over her. Immediately, her mind raced to find a way to make amends.
‘Unless the number of female births in this world suddenly increases, then no one would be interested in the super estrogen anymore, and my exposure or non-exposure wouldn’t matter.’
After much thought, Chen Xuanqiu could only conceive of one solution, but achieving it would be incredibly difficult. The gender imbalance had plagued this world for centuries; how could one person possibly rectify it?
‘If I can’t even solve this small problem, how can I expect to return to my original world?’
Chen Xuanqiu quickly came to a realization. She would undoubtedly spend her entire life trying to find a way back to her original world. If that were the case, what harm was there in having one more goal?
****
A peaceful day passed, and as deep night descended, Chen Xuanqiu grew restless once more. She had to test whether the thermal current within her body had indeed grown stronger.
As usual, Chen Xuanqiu called out to Ni Shanshan, and they began their search for trouble.
The two searched floor by floor. Chen Xuanqiu quickly noticed something amiss: all the ghosts she had previously seen were gone.
“What’s going on?” Chen Xuanqiu was dumbfounded.
“Do you think they might have all been devoured by that Infant Spirit?” Ni Shanshan suggested.
“That’s possible,” Chen Xuanqiu realized with a jolt. She then prepared to search for the last ward where a ghost had been sighted.
Upon reaching room 504, Chen Xuanqiu finally spotted a ghost. She let out a long breath of relief; her courage had grown, making even ghosts seem almost amiable.
Ni Shanshan pushed the door open and walked right in. With her, a nurse, leading the way, their entrance didn’t seem out of place.
Residing in room 504 was a slender young man, in his early twenties, wearing glasses. He had a refined appearance, and when not in a state of illness, he perfectly embodied the image of a typical university student.
As expected, the spectacled young man’s expression remained normal upon seeing Ni Shanshan. He simply assumed the nurse had something to attend to, completely unaware that this particular nurse was a stranger, not one of the two who usually looked after him.
“Young man, I specifically brought a little sister here to chat with you,” Ni Shanshan said, glancing at Chen Xuanqiu, who was gesturing.
The spectacled young man looked at Chen Xuanqiu, his expression momentarily freezing in a daze. He then quickly lowered his head shyly, pretending to read the book in his hands, though his slightly trembling hands betrayed his nervousness.
‘He’s exactly like me in my previous life,’ Chen Xuanqiu thought with amusement. She then offered a slight smile and walked towards him.
The young man’s eyes quickly landed on a pair of small feet, clad in slippers. Her jade-like toes were sculpted perfectly, like ten adorable little dolls.
At this, the spectacled young man could no longer remain calm. He lifted his head, feigning composure as he looked at Chen Xuanqiu.
Chen Xuanqiu’s smile remained radiant, instantly captivating the young man, leaving him utterly spellbound and frozen foolishly in place.
However, just then, Chen Xuanqiu suddenly made her move. She extended her hand, reaching out to grab the spectacled young man, for the ghost in the ward was right there.
The ghost was a woman in her thirties, clinging tightly to the spectacled man’s back, emitting black “mist.” She was completely caught off guard.
Chen Xuanqiu’s right hand passed directly through the ghost’s body, and she felt an abrupt drop in temperature.
The female ghost erupted in fury, and the black mist on her body frantically spread towards Chen Xuanqiu’s arm.
Just then, the thermal current within Chen Xuanqiu stirred. Like a loyal guardian, it swiftly surged to her arm to intercept the mist, which rapidly dissipated before it could even reach her elbow.
“Ah!” Flames abruptly ignited on the parts of the female ghost’s body that Chen Xuanqiu had touched. She let out a shriek of agony, her form rapidly fleeing, but she was quickly reduced to ashes.
‘The thermal current’s power has indeed increased significantly,’ Chen Xuanqiu thought, pleased. This female ghost was clearly stronger than the old woman she had encountered last time, yet the damage inflicted upon her was considerably less.
Having confirmed her hypothesis, Chen Xuanqiu wasted no time in exiting the room. She had no desire to leave any unnecessary impressions on the already pitiable young man.
Ni Shanshan quickly followed her out. Knowing there was a ghost in that place, she didn’t want to linger for another moment.
“Huh?” the spectacled young man uttered, utterly bewildered. He couldn’t fathom why the two girls had left so inexplicably. Hadn’t they said they wanted to chat with him?
What he didn’t know was that Chen Xuanqiu had given him a great gift: without this female ghost, he would be discharged in just a few days.
“Well? Is the female ghost gone?” Ni Shanshan asked eagerly once they were out of the ward.
“She’s gone,” Chen Xuanqiu replied with a sweet smile. Her joy stemmed from having found a path to becoming stronger.
“That’s wonderful! So, from now on, there are only two ghosts left in the hospital: the Infant Spirit and the female ghost in room 314, right?” Ni Shanshan asked, greatly excited.
“Yes, and…” Chen Xuanqiu began, then trailed off.
“And what?” Ni Shanshan asked, puzzled.
“That Infant Spirit is very strange; it actually saved me,” Chen Xuanqiu said after a moment’s hesitation, then recounted the events of last night.
“No wonder those gunmen didn’t kill you,” Ni Shanshan realized, then her brow furrowed. “But why would that Infant Spirit help you?”
“I don’t know,” Chen Xuanqiu shook her head. This was a question that also bothered her.
“Never mind if you don’t know. It’s a tremendous stroke of luck anyway. Since the Infant Spirit is helping you, the only thing we need to deal with now is the female ghost in room 314,” Ni Shanshan consoled her.
“True, but with my current strength, I still can’t deal with her,” Chen Xuanqiu’s expression grew solemn. “Her black mist is just as dense, if not denser, than the Infant Spirit’s.” She had compared the black mist on the malevolent ghosts in the inpatient department more than once and found that the woman in room 314 was the strongest. Sometimes, even in broad daylight, looking into that room revealed nothing but a dark void, impenetrable by light—even more exaggerated than the Infant Spirit.
“Then let’s not rush. We’ll figure something out gradually,” Ni Shanshan reassured her.
Back at the third-floor nurses’ station, the two young nurses resumed their casual chat.
Due to the presence of the female ghost, Chen Xuanqiu still lacked the courage to go back to sleep alone. Thus, she quietly listened to the two nurse sisters chat, as if it were a lullaby.
Click!
Suddenly, the overhead lights flickered off.