[I like you. Please go out with me!]
Faded memories.
Before college, it seemed like many people had said this to her.
How did she respond…
[Really? I like you too.]
Looking at the girl’s shining eyes in front of her, she smiled calmly.
[But I don’t want to date right now.]
At these words, the girl’s eyes clearly dimmed.
Seeing her expression change, Hua Qi’an smiled again.
[However, if one day I want to fall in love, maybe I’ll say yes to you.]
Though she said so…
[Until then, could you keep liking me a little longer?]
Actually, she didn’t even remember the girl’s name.
Later—
She deliberately chose a university in another city, cutting off ties with her past.
—
“Beep… beep… beep…”
The cold sound of the equipment echoed rhythmically in the empty room.
The ward was tidy, with only one hospital bed in the spacious room—obviously a VIP Ward in some hospital.
On the white bed, a pale girl was sleeping.
Her long, jet-black hair spread softly on the pillow, yet it did not look messy.
Clearly, someone had tidied her up.
It couldn’t possibly have been the sleeping girl herself.
She lay quietly, only the faint rise and fall of her chest showing signs of life.
Even with her pale, sickly face, her delicate beauty could not be hidden.
That frailness only added a sense of vulnerability, reminiscent of fragile porcelain.
The girl who had been asleep suddenly had her lashes tremble.
As if about to wake.
“Mm…”
A faint, hoarse murmur escaped her throat.
Her closed black eyes, at first, opened just a sliver.
After a long moment, they opened fully.
Staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, Hua Qi’an felt a little dazed.
Her vision was seriously unfocused, but the strong smell of disinfectant let Hua Qi’an roughly guess where she was.
She keenly heard footsteps outside the room.
Hua Qi’an chose to close her dry eyes again.
The door opened.
A Nurse came in to change the dressing.
“Water…”
Confirming she was truly out of danger, the weight in Hua Qi’an’s heart finally lifted.
Only then did she softly speak to the Nurse, whose attention was on the IV.
The Nurse clearly hadn’t expected Hua Qi’an to be awake and was startled by her sudden voice.
But she didn’t show any negative reaction.
“You’re awake? I’ll go get the Head Nurse.”
Perhaps because she was in a VIP Ward, the Nurse’s attitude was unusually good.
“Water…”
But Hua Qi’an’s expression was gloomy, as if burdened by heavy thoughts.
The Nurse just thought she was unwell after waking.
She nodded, turned, and poured a glass of water for Hua Qi’an from the ward’s water jug.
Then, she leaned over to adjust the bed’s backrest, allowing Hua Qi’an’s upper body to sit up.
Hua Qi’an took the glass, rubbing the rim with her fingers as if lost in thought.
She raised her head and drank the water.
Her dry throat eased considerably.
While the Nurse was still there, she coughed lightly to draw her attention.
“Drink slowly, don’t rush…”
The Nurse took the empty glass, placed it back on the bedside table, and looked at Hua Qi’an with a strange mix of sympathy and curiosity.
It was almost uncomfortable.
Did this Nurse know something?
Hua Qi’an had no intention of asking.
Compared to such trivial things, she had more important concerns.
“Excuse me…”
“How much does this ward cost?”
Hua Qi’an pursed her lips, tilting her head at the Nurse.
She didn’t ask who saved her, nor about her own condition.
Clearly, this was her biggest concern.
The Nurse didn’t think much, assuming Hua Qi’an was worried about money.
She answered in a reassuring tone:
“The lady who brought you to the hospital already paid your medical fees.”
“Your illness isn’t too serious. You should be discharged this afternoon.”
Hearing this, Hua Qi’an gave the Nurse a shy smile and nodded. “Thank you. You’ve worked hard.”
Seeing Hua Qi’an’s smile, the Nurse froze for a moment.
She awkwardly looked away, coughing slightly as her face inexplicably warmed.
“Alright, if you need anything, press the bell at the bedside.”
“I’ll take my leave now.”
With that, the Nurse quickly left the room, as if someone was chasing her.
The ward fell silent again.
Only one person’s breathing could be heard.
Staring at the still door for a long time, Hua Qi’an’s smile faded, her expression returning to blank indifference.
She hadn’t even received her part-time wages yet, and instead had to pay medical fees.
Her luck was truly terrible.
Thinking of that mansion’s situation, Hua Qi’an’s mood couldn’t even be described as bad anymore.
She turned to look at the bedside table.
Thankfully, her phone was still there.
It sat quietly on the left side of the cabinet.
She sighed softly.
Her left hand was hooked to the IV, making it inconvenient.
She turned and used her other hand to retrieve the phone.
Glancing at the time displayed, Hua Qi’an breathed a sigh of relief.
She must have lost consciousness in the mansion close to noon yesterday.
Now, it was the next morning.
She hadn’t been unconscious too long.
Scenes before fainting and fragments of her dream flashed through her mind.
Why had she suddenly seen a woman behind her in the mansion’s bathroom?
A hallucination?
And that bizarre dream…
Strange shadows, a scene like the depths of dark water…
And those hateful waterweeds.
She wasn’t one to believe in such things, but it certainly felt unlucky.
Maybe in a few days, she should find a free temple or shrine to pray.
Thinking of the cause of this misfortune, Hua Qi’an opened her photo album.
There, a recording several hours long rested quietly.
Hua Qi’an had no energy to edit or process the footage.
She found the email address HR had given her in advance and sent the raw video as it was.
Honestly, even now, she wasn’t sure if this job was trustworthy.
But since she’d only done it once, though she lost a chunk in medical fees, if it turned out to be a scam, she could still cut her losses.
Now it depended on their reply.
If all went well, she’d be better prepared next time, so such incidents wouldn’t happen again.
She turned off the screen and, instead of putting the phone back, left it on the pillow beside her.
Hua Qi’an sat leaning, eyes closed, her face devoid of hope.
She didn’t want to face reality at all.
Actually, there was an even more realistic, terrifying, and serious problem now.
From the moment she realized this was a hospital, it had hung over her like Damocles’ Sword…
“……Xiao An.”
At the door, someone leaned against the frame, staring coldly at Hua Qi’an.
There was no obvious emotion in her voice, but Hua Qi’an still trembled uncontrollably.
She bowed her head, not daring to look at the woman at the door, as if she might burn a hole in the white sheets just by staring.
“The examination and hospitalization fees will be added directly to your Debt.”
Footsteps approached from the doorway.
A shadow fell over the white sheets before her.
“Now, explain to me.”
“Why were you in that kind of place?”
She wanted to know too.
…How did she even know she was in that kind of place.