Chapter 447: Gu Qianqian: Lu Yibei, don’t you recognize me anymore?

“Rao Hua, the doctor is calling you!”

As soon as Lu Yibei finished speaking, footsteps sounded outside the door, and soon a beautiful face with heroic brows and a shallow dimpled smile appeared behind the door.

“Coming, coming, are you calling me?”

The girl pointed her slender fingertip at the tip of her own nose, her clear eyes sparkling in the morning light streaming through the window.

Her long, thick black hair cascaded down with the curve of her body, set against the white wooden door of the consultation room, like a masterful ink painting.

Nanling Rao Hua, Lu Yibei’s girlfriend, also his classmate and childhood friend, a beautiful girl who looked like a fairy but was actually a heroine.

“Yeah, the doctor seems to want to talk to you alone about my illness.” Lu Yibei said indifferently, “Maybe it’s because my illness is pretty serious, and he’s worried that if he says it in front of me, I’ll get too emotional and make it worse?”

Isn’t that how it always goes in TV shows and movies?

“Bah! Jinx, mental illness won’t kill you!” Nanling Rao Hua rolled her eyes at Lu Yibei and squeezed in through the crack of the door.

Only then did Lu Yibei notice her outfit today: a touch of light makeup on her face, a little jacket draped over her shoulders, a white thin sweater underneath, a dark blue knee-length denim skirt revealing a section of fair calf, and a pair of especially clean white sneakers on her feet.

That smiling look with slightly parted red lips, without much embellishment, was breathtakingly beautiful.

It hardened.

The doctor’s fist, instantly hardened.

No way? Such a beautiful girl is actually his girlfriend? the doctor thought.

Although Lu Yibei was already fair and delicate, a level or two above average in looks.

But having Nanling Rao Hua stand next to him, calling her his girlfriend, always made people feel like Nanling Rao Hua was either tempted by his money or threatened by his violence.

Unlike the doctor, who was stunned as if time itself had been amazed when he saw Nanling Rao Hua.

When Lu Yibei saw her, he froze for a moment, and a sense of unfamiliarity rose from the bottom of his heart without warning. He subconsciously took a step back, keeping a not-too-close, not-too-far distance from her.

As if he were avoiding something.

Noticing Lu Yibei’s subtle movement, Nanling Rao Hua tilted her head at him, casting a puzzled look.

Lu Yibei, feeling guilty, avoided her gaze, looked at the doctor, and said expressionlessly, “Doctor, didn’t you want to talk to her? Should I step out?”

As he spoke, the doctor looked over, their eyes meeting, and a chill rose up Lu Yibei’s back.

On that face, he saw no expression or emotion at all. That cold feeling reminded him of the first time he faced the cadaver on the dissection table in medical school.

Is he… really alive? the doctor wondered.

“Doctor?” Lu Yibei called softly again.

The doctor snapped back to his senses, nodding repeatedly, “Uh, yes, I want to talk to your family member alone. If it’s convenient, could you please step out?”

“Oh, then you two have a good talk. I’ll go out first.”

Lu Yibei shrugged, hands in his pockets, and strolled out of the consultation room, closing the door behind him.

As Lu Yibei’s figure disappeared from the consultation room, the doctor frowned.

Have a good talk?

Was that a threat?

A threat not to say anything reckless in front of his girlfriend?

—-

Lu Yibei’s father and Nanling Rao Hua’s father were both students and colleagues of Nanling Rao Hua’s grandfather-Nanling Qifeng, the highly respected archaeology professor.

About ten years ago, Lu Yibei’s father and Nanling Rao Hua’s father encountered an accident during an excavation of an ancient tomb cluster, so Nanling Qifeng took Nanling Rao Hua in to raise her.

Lu Yibei still remembers, that afternoon when he came home from school, under the old banyan tree in front of the faculty compound, dappled shadows on the ground, Nanling Rao Hua shyly poked her head out from behind her grandfather, showing a bashful smile.

The evening sunlight fell on her, and her smile seemed tinged with a faint rose color.

Living in the same compound, upstairs and downstairs, the two little ones had more chances to interact.

Just eating, sleeping, going to school, coming home, going to the youth center, Nanling Rao Hua practicing ballet, Lu Yibei practicing kickboxing…

Yes, kickboxing.

To this day, Lu Yibei is grateful to Ms. Wang Meili for making that wise decision.

While raising him to be a knowledgeable and cultured “good kid,” she didn’t let him become a frail bookworm, and he ended up with a fairly strong body.

As Ms. Wang put it, “You can use force when necessary, but not to fight for pride-just so others will sit down and reason with you calmly.”

So, in elementary school, when Nanling Rao Hua was bullied by middle schoolers from a neighboring school, called a kid with no parents, Lu Yibei stood up to reason with those middle schoolers who were half a head taller than him, and only ended up with a bruised face and a dislocated right hand, but at least he wasn’t beaten to death.

Thank you, Wang Meili…

But getting beaten was worth it. That Doraemon band-aid Nanling Rao Hua personally put on him, kissed, he made into a bookmark and still keeps it to this day…

The rest of the story is nothing special.

Just that, from elementary school, to middle school, to entering university, the daily bits and pieces accumulated, and naturally nurtured their feelings.

So natural that there wasn’t even a troublemaker to jump out and say, “He’s talented and she’s beautiful, what right do you, a demon, have to object?!”

Everyone who truly knew them, who understood them, felt they were meant to be together, and not being together would be against the natural order.

But.

Ever since he had that bizarre and incredibly real dream last night, Lu Yibei felt that something about all this had started to go wrong.

Should, suitable-does that mean it’s right?

—-

Nan

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-!”

At the entrance of the hospital restroom, water kept running from the sink. Lu Yibei stood in front of the sink, scooped up some water, and splashed it on his face, trying to wake himself up.

“So, is it because of that girl named Jiang Li? But who exactly is she?”

Lu Yibei stared at his reflection in the mirror, muttering to himself, as if asking himself, or perhaps the image in the mirror.

As he spoke, another figure flashed through his mind-a slender, tall, fierce and icy girl. His gaze deepened.

He was certain he had never met Jiang Li.

—-

Inside the consultation room.

After listening to the doctor’s description of Lu Yibei’s condition, Nanling Rao Hua frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and asked, “So, you mean my brother is a potential super criminal?”

“No, no, I’m just saying it’s possible, possible!” the doctor emphasized and explained.

“The diagnosis of mental illness isn’t as simple as a cold or enteritis. To confirm it, we need certain tests and a lot of daily behavioral observation.”

Although the stories Lu Yibei told couldn’t have been made up so realistically and twistedly without dozens of murder cases behind him, from a scientific and rigorous perspective, further diagnosis was needed to draw a conclusion.

However, from the conversation just now, Lu Yibei seemed extremely gloomy and indifferent, often distracted, talking to himself, had blurred recognition of his own gender, and vividly described stories with severe bloody and violent tendencies, immersing himself in them, subconsciously believing they were real…

All these signs made people seriously suspect he might have a mental illness.

“So, my suggestion is to have him hospitalized for observation for a while,” the doctor said.

“Does he have to be hospitalized for observation?” Nanling Rao Hua frowned and asked seriously.

“If not hospitalized, you family members can observe him yourselves,” the doctor nodded, “but during the observation, you must be careful not to let him find out, or it might stimulate him and cause a series of bad things.”

A potential criminal isn’t a real criminal, and may not actually commit a crime. As a doctor, he couldn’t take over the police’s job, so he could only give advice within a certain scope.

“I understand, doctor. I’ll observe him carefully when we get back,” Nanling Rao Hua smiled, “But don’t you think you might be exaggerating the problem?”

“Is it possible that he really saw something we can’t see? Like ghosts, evil spirits?”

“Honestly, not long ago I even thought there were aliens in this world!”

After speaking, seeing the surprise in the doctor’s eyes, she turned her head away and showed a mischievous smile where the doctor couldn’t see.

She didn’t like the doctor’s explanation, so naturally she wouldn’t go along with him.

“……”

I can see now why you two are a pair!

Maybe you both have some issues.

Silently complaining, the doctor sighed inwardly and said, “I’ll prescribe some medicine for him, okay? It’ll be good for his condition.”

“Also, I can tell you a simple test. You can find a chance to ask him…”

“……”

—-

Lu Yibei sat in the corridor outside the consultation room, dazed for a long time before Nanling Rao Hua finally came out, crumpled the prescription slip into a ball, tossed it coolly into the trash, then came over, pulled him up from the chair, and skillfully linked her arm through his.

If you said Lu Yibei had a mental problem, Nanling Rao Hua might believe it, but if you said he might have antisocial personality disorder, she didn’t believe it at all.

“Let’s go? Let’s head back.”

“Uh…” Lu Yibei was stunned for a moment, looked at Nanling Rao Hua, and asked, “Is it over? What did the doctor say to you?”

“Want to know?” Nanling Rao Hua playfully winked at Lu Yibei.

Lu Yibei nodded.

“The doctor said you might have delusional disorder and split personality, and that your potential personality has severe antisocial tendencies,” Nanling Rao Hua answered truthfully.

There were never any secrets between her and Lu Yibei.

“Also, he told me a simple psychological test and asked me to find a chance to try it on you.”

“A test?” Lu Yibei tilted his head.

Nanling Rao Hua stretched out her slender finger, poked her chin, recalled for a moment, and repeated, “The question is: Suppose your enemy is hanging onto a tree branch at the edge of a cliff, desperately trying not to fall. How would you make him fall?”

“A. Step on or cut off the branch, etc. B. Pry his fingers off one by one.”

Lu Yibei frowned, thought for a moment, and said seriously, “Can’t I just do nothing?”

Since it’s an enemy, as long as you make sure he can’t climb up, then just quietly watch him from the side until he falls on his own, isn’t that fine?

That way, you can torment his mind and body, and also avoid being suspected of a crime. Lu Yibei thought it was only natural.

“Do nothing?” Nanling Rao Hua smiled, “But that’s your enemy! So merciful? Not bad, worthy of being the husband I chose!”

“Uh, hehe…” Lu Yibei laughed awkwardly, turned his face away, and hid his embarrassment.

So, the two of them suddenly fell into a brief silence. In the silence, they left the hospital together and walked toward the bus stop at the hospital entrance.

As if suddenly remembering something, Nanling Rao Hua turned her head, looked up at Lu Yibei’s profile, and asked, “By the way, Ms. Wang Meili is on a business trip again recently, right?”

“Yeah, she went to Alaska.” Lu Yibei nodded.

“To visit Santa Claus?”

Lu Yibei curled his lips, “No, to take the advanced professional certification exam for Alaskan king crab fishermen.”

“Oh, oh… sounds pretty good.” Nanling Rao Hua responded blandly and nodded.

As for her future mother-in-law’s outrageous behavior, she had long since gotten used to it.

Ms. Wang Meili, true to her name, was not only beautiful, but also a woman with a regal presence.

After her husband’s unfortunate passing, she was not crushed by adversity; instead, she became even more driven, accomplishing many impressive feats that drew astonished glances.

Opening restaurants, running chain eateries, making her business flourish-these were just the basics. Once Lu Yibei became more independent, she pursued a richer spiritual life to fill the emptiness of losing her spouse at a young age.

In just a few years, she obtained a series of unusual certificates: Senior Dancer of Maori War Dance, Licensed Indian Voodoo Potion Pharmacist, Special Chef of the Dark Cuisine World, and more.

Sometimes Lu Yibei would wonder, perhaps the reason Nanling Rao Hua grew from a shy, introverted girl into the universally acknowledged heroine of the compound, aside from being raised by her upright grandfather,

was that she had secretly inherited Ms. Wang’s mantle.

“Hey, by the way, want to eat together later?” Nanling Rao Hua asked again.

“No, thanks,” Lu Yibei shook his head. “There’s still some takeaway left from last night. I’ll go home and finish it-I can’t let it go to waste.”

Then he could be alone for a while and calm down.

“Oh? When did you become so thrifty?” Nanling Rao Hua affectionately punched Lu Yibei’s chest. “Looks like Ms. Wang didn’t leave you enough pocket money when she left, huh?”

“Since you’re so pitiful, I’ll be merciful and help you out. Come to my place tonight, I’ll have Grandpa cook a couple of good dishes.”

“Uh, heroine, can we talk about tonight later?” Lu Yibei replied half-jokingly, half evasively. “I might have something else to do tonight. If I can’t make it, wouldn’t that spoil Grandpa’s mood?”

“……” Nanling Rao Hua was silent for a moment, then shrugged indifferently. “Alright! Let’s talk about it another day?”

Although she’d already noticed that Lu Yibei had been acting strange since they met this morning, she didn’t mind.

After all, who doesn’t have unstable moods sometimes? It’s not like everyone’s mentally ill.

Nanling Rao Hua thought to herself, and just then, Lu Yibei suddenly spoke, “Hm? Did you see that girl? She seems to be calling me, but I don’t know her. Do you know her?”

Nanling Rao Hua froze for a moment, then followed Lu Yibei’s gaze, tilting her head. “Girl?”

At noon, the scorching sun baked the ground. Crowds hurried along the crosswalk at the intersection, but there was no girl calling out to Lu Yibei.

Lu Yibei raised his hand, pointing across the street, and said seriously, “She’s right there! You don’t see her?”

Nanling Rao Hua looked again in the direction Lu Yibei pointed, then slapped the back of his head. “I think the doctor was right, there really is something wrong with your brain.”

“You’re lovesick, aren’t you? Come on, I’ll take you home so you can get a good look!”

Lu Yibei fell silent, staring at the girl in the crowd-a round-faced, chestnut-haired girl wearing a little cape and a red scarf-his brows furrowing.

She stood among the people, so excited she was in tears, waving her arms and shouting, then tore off her bright red scarf and waved it vigorously in the air.

Yet the passersby seemed unable to see her. People occasionally walked straight toward her, passing right through her body.

As if she were nothing but a mirage cast by refracted light.

Lu Yibei, “……” This is really freaky. Maybe it’s safer to pretend I saw and heard nothing at all?

—-

Gu Qianqian had been wandering in this ghostly place for several days now, and hadn’t eaten a single bite in all that time.

She’d thought that even if her Spirit Pattern suddenly stopped working, she could rely on her years of street survival experience to get by in a strange city.

Not that she’d live in luxury, but at least she could feed herself.

However……

After rummaging through hundreds of trash bins, collecting a full bag of drink bottles and over twenty jin of cardboard, she was ready to trade them at the recycling station for her first bit of cash-only to discover that the people in this city couldn’t see her, and during the day, couldn’t even touch her.

That night, just after dark, the recycling station owner saw a snakeskin bag and a bundle of cardboard floating in midair, immediately ran inside, changed his pants, and called the police.

As she watched the police and the recycling station owner ignore her completely and prepare to burn the bottles and cardboard she’d worked so hard to collect, Gu Qianqian shed tears of frustration.

She finally understood: this was a city where only she didn’t exist.

Her brother had appeared briefly, then vanished again; her psychic energy fluctuation had dropped to almost nothing; the systems had evaporated; and no one could see her at all……

As a top-tier eater with a huge appetite, Gu Qianqian, thinking she might starve to death, felt her young heart shrouded in despair and loneliness, terrified out of her wits-until she saw Lu Yibei on the street today.

In that moment, Gu Qianqian completely forgot that Lu Yibei might not be able to see her, and that Lu Yibei was Calamity itself. She couldn’t help but shout at him.

“Lu Yibei, over here, over here! I’m Gu Qianqian!”

“Hey, hey? Don’t go! Lu Yibei, don’t you recognize me?”

And then……

He actually looked over here!

At that moment, Gu Qianqian felt she was saved.

Who cares about Calamity or whatever-filling her stomach was the most important thing.

Anyway, the systems were gone, so Lu Yibei was just Lu Yibei, Calamity was Calamity, each to their own. Lu Yibei was a good guy!

Besides, eating a big meal and emptying Calamity’s wallet, leaving him penniless and unable to move, was also a roundabout way to stop him from destroying the world! Gu Qianqian thought.

However……

Lu Yibei stood across the street, stared at her expressionlessly for a while, then flagged down a taxi, got in, closed the door, and left.

Leaving Gu Qianqian alone, arms still raised in mid-wave, lost in the spring breeze thick with car exhaust.