Chapter 22: Special Ward
Xi Leng held the plastic candy wrapper in one hand and the unwrapped mint candy in the other.
No one noticed that he offered the wrapper, but switched it to the sweet mint candy when it reached Min Zhi’s mouth.
He figured Min Zhi could eat the wrapper and then find a chance to spit it out later, but knowing Min Zhi’s temper, he probably wouldn’t cooperate; if he offered an empty hand, he wasn’t sure if Min Zhi would understand and pretend to eat the wrapper.
After considering all factors, he switched the candy midway.
Min Zhi, as he’d hoped, took the mint candy into his mouth. It was just that Min Zhi extended his tongue to take it, and he, caught off guard, felt the warm, moist tip of his tongue brush against his palm.
An electric current shot through his body from that spot, tingling. The round, hard object was sandwiched between his dry palm and the wet tongue, and for a moment, he was dazed, unsure whether it was the mint candy or the tongue stud.
And those eyes, like a bottomless abyss, stared directly into his.
The whites of his eyes were visible below the dark pupils, his narrow double eyelids deeply creased, making his gaze incredibly intense, like an inescapable net.
Xi Leng’s expression and movements froze for a few seconds.
Like a rebooted robot, he didn’t check the moisture on his palm, didn’t say a word, and put his hand behind his back as if nothing had happened.
The doctor and nurses at the door were dumbfounded, seeing Min Zhi’s cheeks bulging, assuming he had actually eaten the plastic.
Dr. Jia, the experienced actor, was the first to react, reminding the nurse to erase the “special treatment” from the medical record.
It worked.
Xi Leng breathed a sigh of relief.
The next ward round was in two hours, not a cause for concern for now. It was now time for “recreational activities.”
Xi Leng didn’t look back at Min Zhi, just looked at the closed door and waited. A few minutes later, the strong male nurse guarding the door turned around, his eyes peeking through the glass window, staring intently at them, then opened the locked door.
Number 872, as if granted amnesty, was the first to rush out.
After confirming there was no danger, the other two followed closely behind.
They walked through a corridor and arrived at a large, open space. Towering bookshelves divided the area into different sections: a TV area, a games area, a pantry, a ping-pong room, etc., a wide variety of activities.
Several other patients in blue and white gowns, men and women, old and young, were sitting in the activity room, immersed in their own worlds.
The activity room, at this moment, looked peaceful and tranquil.
Two more doors opened in the corridor. Xi Leng heard footsteps and saw Luo Jiayan and Qiaoqiao walking together, Jiang Songnan trailing behind them, his face sullen. He was probably the odd one out.
The five guests reunited. Compared to the three freely moving guests, the chain between Xi Leng and Min Zhi was particularly conspicuous.
Qiaoqiao’s face was full of shock: “…Is this allowed?”
Jiang Songnan sneered: “Could this be the ‘special patient management’?”
Luo Jiayan squatted down next to Xi Leng’s feet, studying the chain, saying helpfully: “It needs a key to unlock… Let’s find the key and unlock it first?”
“It’s fine, it doesn’t affect us.” Xi Leng stepped back slightly. “Tell us what you found in your wards first.”
Apart from Xi Leng and Min Zhi, the other three hadn’t encountered any other patients. There was a safe in Qiaoqiao and Luo Jiayan’s room, and they managed to crack the code within half an hour, obtaining a notebook.
Qiaoqiao took out the notebook and carefully opened it on the table. Inside were various newspaper clippings.
Qiaoqiao pointed out the important information she found, a real-name complaint tucked away in an inconspicuous corner.
The complainant was named Zhu Gongping, and he was reporting Ren’ai Mental Hospital. He claimed that the hospital prohibited him from visiting his daughter, violating the human rights of patients and their families. Below his complaint was the hospital’s explanation, stating that his daughter, Feifei, had committed murder, and it was only due to her mental illness that she avoided imprisonment, being admitted to the hospital for treatment.
And after being admitted, Feifei had killed another patient, Xiaoya, using cruel methods, making her an extremely dangerous individual. To protect Zhu’s safety, they refused his visits.
The complainant Zhu Gongping’s personal information was also fully disclosed—his daughter Feifei was admitted in 2019, and this irresponsible father had divorced his wife early, wasn’t Feifei’s guardian and hadn’t lived with her. He only started caring about his daughter’s whereabouts in 2021, showing no concern for two years, completely neglecting his duties as a father. His complaint against the hospital was likely an attempt at extortion, his intentions malicious.
Xi Leng immediately noticed the crucial information and frowned: “Feifei? Xiaoya? …Xiaoya died? Feifei killed her?”
Qiaoqiao hurriedly asked: “What did you find?”
Xi Leng took out the two girls’ exchange diary and briefly explained the situation.
The first page had the two girls’ signatures, their handwriting styles distinct and easily recognizable.
The first diary entry, with round and cute handwriting, was written by Xiaoya, whose wrist had been injured.
September 28, 2019.
Idiots like her who only know how to doodle should read more books 🙁
Xiaoya’s diary entries were concise, the target of her criticism likely being Feifei. She also added a frowning emoticon at the end.
The next diary entry was in Feifei’s handwriting, her penmanship flowing, like drawing.
September 30, 2019.
It’s so hot, so annoying. Even if we don’t live together, I still see her during recreational activities. When will these days end?
Feifei retorted without holding back. It seemed their relationship wasn’t good, openly expressing their dissatisfaction in a diary the other person would read.
There was a doodle below the text.
Just like her unrestrained handwriting, it was a vivid chibi self-portrait, a girl lying on the bed with an annoyed expression, looking listless and as if melting from the heat.
After reading a few entries, it was clear that their relationship was indeed strained. Time was of the essence, so Xi Leng skipped to the last page, confirming the start and end dates of the diary.
“This diary starts on September 28, 2019, and ends on December 1, 2020.”
They said their relationship wasn’t good, yet this diary exchange lasted for over a year. Even if they didn’t write every day, this persistence revealed a strange intensity.
“Then Xiaoya died after the diary ended, that’s all we can determine.” Qiaoqiao sighed. “We still don’t have enough clues…”
“After Xiaoya injured her wrist, they moved to a special single ward for high-risk patients.” Min Zhi said. “Everyone loves gossip, and Feifei is a murderer. Some of the people in the hospital now might know something.”
Several patients were engaging in recreational activities behind a bookshelf.
Xi Leng, based on his experience of living in various old residential areas, chose a rosy-cheeked, plump middle-aged woman.
The extras were very professional, ignoring the approaching celebrities. Even when Xi Leng stopped in front of her, she continued fanning herself, not even looking up.
At most, she glanced at him twice!
Xi Leng put on a gentle smile, sweet-talking effortlessly: “Jiejie.”
The woman’s face instantly lit up with a smile, her eyes sparkling as she put down her fan, saying excitedly: “Young man, are you talking to me?”
Jiang Songnan, who had just hit a wall with an old man, returned to observe Xi Leng’s actions with his companions, wondering what he had done to make the woman so happy.
Min Zhi raised an eyebrow.
At least this all-encompassing term of address, regardless of age or familiarity, was just “jiejie.”
Xi Leng struck while the iron was hot, sitting next to the woman, casually asking like they were chatting about family matters: “Jiejie, are all the rooms in this hospital double occupancy?”
The woman smiled, subtly revealing information: “Yes, there aren’t that many single rooms, even if your roommate snores, you just have to put up with it.”
Xi Leng continued: “Is that so… I heard that if you fight with your roommate and get seriously injured, both of you can move to a single room. The single rooms are called… special wards, right?”
The woman’s expression changed drastically. She opened her mouth, warily sizing him up, seeing that he was polite and pleasant, she then beckoned him to come closer and whispered: “Let me tell you, but don’t tell anyone…”
“The special ward isn’t a good place, it’s very scary, those screams, you can hear them all the way from the top floor to the first floor.”
Xi Leng quietly listened, patiently refraining from asking questions. After a while, the woman looked away, covering the lower half of her face with her fan, saying mysteriously—
“That’s where they keep the murderers!”
Xi Leng’s heart skipped a beat.
Just as he was about to ask something else, the woman suddenly turned back, her expression changing to one of surprise and admiration.
“Eh? Young man, who are you? You’re quite handsome.”
Then she shyly lowered her eyes, half-covering her face with the fan like a pipa: “Why are you sitting so close to me? Could it be… you like me?”
“…”
“Thank you, jiejie.”
Xi Leng silently returned to his companions.
He was about to find another target when he felt a resistance. He looked back to see Min Zhi holding up the chain, pulling him back like a leash.
“Go ask that old man.”
“…Okay.” Xi Leng ignored the strange feeling of being leashed and held onto his end of the chain, turning back to call out, “Qiaoqiao, Jiayan, you go look for clues too. Let’s split up and save time.”
The old man Min Zhi had his eye on wasn’t actually that old, he looked to be in his forties, just with prematurely white hair.
The talkative fan greeted first: “Shushu…”
[Translator’s note:”Shūshu” means “uncle” in Chinese. It’s commonly used to politely address an older man, whether or not he is a relative.]
The old man seemed not to hear, not reacting. It was Min Zhi beside him who spoke: “Why not call him ge?”
Xi Leng looked back and casually replied: “Hm? Because I called you ge.”
