DDT - Chapter 72
Chapter 72: Female Ghost × Little Pitiful One (4)
After Chi Junluo's scream that night had startled even herself, rumors began to circulate in the hospital for the next few days. The Third Hospital was haunted. A life-stealing female ghost had shrieked in the bathroom in the dead of night. A few old ladies who heard the story shivered in fear, vowing to go to bed early from now on. They wouldn't dare go to the bathroom after midnight, not even if their lives depended on it.
Chi Junluo, hanging on her back, and Yi Shuhan, carrying the ghost: "…"
This was a massive misunderstanding. Chi Junluo raised a hand to cover her face slightly. She had brought shame upon all the ghosts of the Third Hospital. She whimpered internally.
The haunting and the life-stealing female ghost had clearly become the hot topic of conversation among the patients of the Third Hospital. The nurse who had been on duty that night even came to question Yi Shuhan specifically. "Patient 213, didn't you go to the bathroom that night? Did you hear anything?" The nurse stared intently at Yi Shuhan's face, trying to read something from her expression, secretly hoping this was all a man-made incident and not some ghost out for blood.
"I heard it. I had just finished washing my hands when the scream came from inside one of the stalls. It was bloodcurdling." Yi Shuhan's eyes widened as she recounted what she had witnessed, word for word. "I was terrified, because I was the only one in the bathroom when I went in." As she spoke, Yi Shuhan's voice grew softer, and she appeared genuinely frightened.
"And then?" The young nurse grew tense as well. She pictured the scene: the dim bathroom light flickering with the ghost's scream, casting the room in alternating light and shadow. A chill crept up her spine. The nurse shivered and pressed on, "What happened next?"
Yi Shuhan glanced around before leaning closer to the young nurse and whispering, "If I tell you, you can't tell Dr. Li. He'd never believe me. He might even confine me to my room and increase my medication."
As Yi Shuhan leaned in, the young nurse vaguely felt the air around them grow colder, but in her state of nervousness, excitement, and fear, she paid no mind to this subtle change.
Of course, the young nurse was unaware of Yi Shuhan's "malicious intent." From the warmth on her back, Yi Shuhan knew that the mysterious ghost sister was currently clinging to her, her head resting on Yi Shuhan's shoulder. The doctor who had come to her room earlier mentioned feeling a sinister chill, which must have been caused by the ghost sister. Now, she was leaning her head close to the nurse, sneakily bringing the ghost sister's head closer to this bothersome young woman to create a more chilling and terrifying atmosphere for her.
Seeing the nurse shiver, a glint of light flashed in Yi Shuhan's eyes, and the corners of her mouth curved up slightly. "Before I ran out, I… I saw a figure in the mirror, wearing a white patient gown. Her hair was long and black, and her face, hidden by her hair, was covered in blood. Her feet were… floating…" Yi Shuhan's voice trailed off as she leaned closer and closer to the terrified nurse. Chi Junluo, draped over Yi Shuhan's back, thought to herself that while her face was a bit pale, it certainly wasn't bloody. She never expected the heroine of this world to be such a prankster, describing a gentle and lovely ghost like herself in such a horrifying way.
Couldn't she see the little nurse was already on the verge of tears???
Chi Junluo reached out a hand to pat the young nurse's shoulder comfortingly. As expected, her small hand passed right through the nurse's shoulder, a truly bizarre sight.
Deciding to play along, Chi Junluo leaned out from behind Yi Shuhan. Her hands passed through the nurse's body and even caressed the exposed skin of her neck.
The young nurse was already frightened by Yi Shuhan's whispered description. Now, she felt a sudden cold, itchy sensation on her neck, a numb and tingling feeling of being restrained, as if someone was gently squeezing her throat. The nurse reached up to rub her neck, but the feeling remained on her skin.
With a "clatter," the sound of a water bottle hitting the floor broke the tension. Yi Shuhan and the nurse turned to see a boy of about ten, his face a mask of terror. His hands were still in the posture of holding a water bottle, but the bottle had already slipped from his grasp and rolled onto the floor.
Seeing their confused gazes, the little boy's lip quivered, looking as if he was about to cry. "S-Sister… there's… there's a white-faced sister with long hair on your back…"
Yi Shuhan's eyes widened in disbelief. The nurse's neck went stiff. She slowly, inch by inch, turned her head back to look at Yi Shuhan's back but saw nothing. Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she heard the little boy's tearful voice again. "Nurse sister, that white-faced sister is choking you. Doesn't it hurt, nurse sister?"
The nurse froze completely. She now fully believed the little boy's words. No wonder her neck had felt so uncomfortable, as if something was wrapped around it. With a trembling hand, the nurse touched her own neck.
Chi Junluo had initially thought the child was just trying to scare the nurse, but she was shocked to hear him describe her actions perfectly. Could this be a case of a blind squirrel finding a nut?
With that thought, Chi Junluo turned her head to get a better look at the boy. Unexpectedly, this movement made the boy burst into tears. "Waaah!!! White-faced sister, don't look at Tongtong!! Tongtong didn't do anything! Waaah—"
If ghosts could sweat, a large, exasperated drop would be rolling down Chi Junluo's forehead right now. This little boy could really see her!
The nurse felt a sudden urge to pee. "Ahhhh!" She shot up from her seat and fled the area, which now contained three people—or rather, three people and one ghost.
Yi Shuhan was dumbfounded. She had intended to scare the somewhat arrogant nurses, but she never expected to run into a little boy who could see the ghost sister on her back. Watching the nurse flee in terror, a rare smile graced Yi Shuhan's face.
What surprised her, however, was that the little boy, Tongtong, who had been crying just a moment ago, was now completely expressionless. He picked up his water bottle from the floor, clutching the somewhat old-looking bottle tightly, and stood there looking at Yi Shuhan.
No, Yi Shuhan realized the boy's gaze was fixed on her shoulder. He wasn't looking at her.
How strange. This little boy really seemed to be able to see the ghost sister.
Yi Shuhan patted the spot where the nurse had been sitting. "Do you want to sit for a while, Tongtong?"
The little boy didn't stand on ceremony. He trotted over and plopped down on the chair.
"Hello, sister. And hello, white-faced sister. My name is Shi Qi. I'm fourteen years old. I was hospitalized because my family thinks I have schizophrenia," the boy, Shi Qi, introduced himself politely.
Fourteen? He looked more like he was eleven or twelve. Yi Shuhan was a little surprised, but she gave a simple introduction of her own. "Hello, Shi Qi. I'm Yi Shuhan, sixteen. I was sent here for hurting someone because of my bipolar disorder."
Shi Qi nodded, then shifted his gaze to the space behind Yi Shuhan.
Even though Yi Shuhan knew she was carrying a ghost sister on her back, the boy's blatant shift in focus still gave her an inexplicable sense of dread.
Chi Junluo smiled at the boy. "Can you hear me speak?"
The little boy nodded. "Yes, I can, big sister."
Yi Shuhan rested her chin on her hand, watching the little boy carry on a fluent conversation with the ghost sister she couldn't see.
"Big sister's name is so cool!" the boy exclaimed, his eyes sparkling.
Then, Yi Shuhan watched as the boy reached out his small hand and shook hands with the empty air.
The scene was truly bizarre.
After the boy had spoken with the ghost sister on Yi Shuhan's back for a while, he turned his attention back to Yi Shuhan's face. A nostalgic look filled his eyes as he said, "A few years ago, I also had a big brother who was with me every day. He taught me how to write, recite poetry, and study. He also told me stories, lots of interesting stories."
"The only problem was, I was the only one who could see him." Shi Qi sighed softly. "I was young then and didn't understand that he was different from others. I even wanted to introduce him to my mom and dad. That was when they started to think I was different. They took me to see a lot of spirit mediums, but the result was that not only could I still see my big brother, but as I got older, I started seeing more and more people like him that others couldn't see. Some were good, some were bad, but my big brother always chased the bad ones away."
"I've been in the hospital for two years now. After my parents had a baby sister, they rarely come to see me anymore."
Hearing Shi Qi's disjointed narrative, Yi Shuhan grew curious. "What about your big brother?"
Shi Qi suddenly sighed. "One morning two years ago, I woke up and didn't see my big brother. When I left my room, I found that my parents had invited two Taoist-looking priests to our house. They said the house was clean now. I haven't seen my big brother since that day. I never had any playmates growing up, and they took away my only companion."
"I was young and didn't know any better back then. I cried and screamed for my big brother every day, which terrified my parents. Then some idiot relative told them there was something wrong with my brain, and I was sent here to the Third Hospital. The unscrupulous doctors insisted I had delusional disorder, schizophrenia, and auditory and visual hallucinations. So, what could I do? I had to stay here. Once I'm a little older, I'll just put on an act, get discharged, and go find my big brother."
Seeing the light shining in Shi Qi's eyes, Chi Junluo was suddenly reminded of the previous worlds. She had just left like that, just like Shi Qi's big brother, disappearing one day without a word. How sad must the person left behind have been???
Chi Junluo recalled the glimmer in the heroine's eyes in the past few worlds and suddenly felt a pang of sadness. She wasn't unfeeling; she had also invested her emotions during those few months together…
Hmph, it was all the Heavenly Dao's fault. That rotten old man was just too wicked!
Heavenly Dao: ??? Taking the blame for no reason???
Shaking her head slightly, Chi Junluo came back to her senses. The boy, Shi Qi, had already stood up to leave. Before he left, he turned back. "Sister Shuhan, try to see Sister Chi more often at midnight. Slowly, you'll be able to hear her speak~
"Goodbye, sisters. Let's play together if we get the chance!"
Shi Qi took off at a run, leaving one human and one ghost rooted to the spot.
Yi Shuhan carefully considered Shi Qi's words. He had experience, after all; he knew how to communicate with ghosts.
Also, so the ghost sister's surname was Chi…
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