Ji Younai's aunt, Ji Cuihua, had not been able to eat or sleep well for five days.
Since the bills for patients in the VIP ward had to be paid in advance, Ji Cuihua had been receiving incessant calls from Ninth Asylum that urged her to pay the exorbitant medical bills and emergency rescue treatment fees, which added up to at least 500,000 to 600,000 yuan in total.
"I will never waste my money by paying those bills! We didn't tell her to stay in such an expensive ward!"
Ji Cuihua and her husband were lying on the bed of their bedroom in the middle of the night with sulky expressions.
"There have been people coming to investigate our family's income and assets in the past few days. I keep feeling that something terrible is going to happen. Who's that man in the emergency rescue room the other day? The one who said that he had purchased the hospital! He even threatened to file a lawsuit against us if we refuse to pay up, and cause us to lose all our assets."
She continued, "Why don't we call the police? The forceful solicitation of fees by hospitals is an issue that society hates the most now!"
Ji Cuihua rambled on and on, causing her husband to lose his patience as he turned over in annoyance to have his back facing her.
"Are you out of your mind? If the matter really gets exposed, the money that you embezzled from your brother's family will also be exposed through investigation!"
"This is so frustrating! I originally planned to pay five years' worth of medical bills and made Wu Defang torture her throughout the entire time. After five years, she would be tormented to the extent of becoming a lunatic even if she doesn't die. I didn't expect things to turn out this way instead."
Upon hearing his words, Ji Cuihua's husband seemed to have thought of something. He suddenly turned around to stare at Ji Cuihua with a sinister smile.
"Why don't… you get your best friend to think of a solution to make her die right now? Once she's dead, everything will be over!"
-
Unknowingly, a week had passed since Ji Younai slit her wrists and was rescued.
On that day, Ji Younai, who had been forced to down a whole pot of chicken soup under the watchful eye of Gong Siyu, was given the rare permission to go to the back garden of the asylum. Hence, she tugged his sleeve enthusiastically and pulled him there with the intention to introduce him to a few of her "close friends" in the asylum!
Gong Siyu couldn't bear to turn her down. He simply strode with his long legs and followed behind Ji Younai mindlessly.
"Gong Siyu, this is Brother Lighter!"
She ran and hopped towards a man with a nest-like hairdo and squatted down beside him.
Giggling merrily, Ji Younai pointed at the man who was continuously burning the flowers and grass on the ground with the lighter.
"Brother Lighter gained his nickname because he loves to steal lighters and play with fire! He's really something. He's stolen lighters from all the male doctors in the asylum! He never fails!"
As soon as Ji Younai finished speaking, a male nurse not far behind him rushed towards them in a fury.
"Zhang Danquan, where did you steal that lighter from again?!"
"Don't light it up! It's on fire!"
As soon as Brother Lighter heard that someone was coming, he threw the lighter into Ji Younai's arms abruptly. Smiling at Ji Younai idiotically, he said, "Nai, I'll run first. See you later!"
The male nurse chased after Ji Younai and glared at her, scaring her to the point where she immediately hid the lighter in her pocket.
She took Gong Siyu to meet a few more patients of the asylum, such as Brother Society who specialized in dealing with braggers. She claimed that all patients were afraid of him. She also took him to meet Eternal Dancer, who was a madwoman who did nothing except sleep and dance... as well as many other patients.
On the way back to the ward, Ji Younai and Gong Siyu were stopped by a handsome young man who was wearing a hospital gown.
However, Ji Younai did not introduce him to Gong Siyu. Instead, she turned around and scrambled away while pulling Gong Siyu along.
"Ji Younai, what are you running for?"
"That's Uncle Handsome! He went insane after his wife left him with another man. He always thinks I'm his wife and any man who's with me would be her lover! He will beat you up!"
Gong Siyu immediately stopped in his tracks when he heard her.
He pulled Ji Younai back and held onto her tiny hand while running back like the wind.
"Huh? What are you doing?"
"Beat him up!" The patient can take anyone as his wife, but not Ji Younai!
The handsome young patient was indeed really chasing them. In the end, Gong Siyu went up and punched him!
He caused the patient to fall to the ground.
He looked down at the patient from above with a cold snort and a condescending gaze in his eyes.
Gong Siyu raised his brows and stared at Ji Younai.
"Will you run away with another man?"
Covering her tiny mouth and gasping in shock, Ji Younai answered, "Of course not!" Well, she didn't belong to any man anyway.
Several male nurses and doctors headed there upon hearing about the incident. Gong Siyu's classmate Yang Zhi was present as well.
They dragged away Uncle Handsome who was clamoring about having a duel with Gong Siyu.
The impartial Dr. Yang Zhi, who was in charge of the ward, invited Gong Siyu to his office for tea and a "lecture".
How could he beat someone up casually!?!
At this moment, a female nurse who was wearing a mask suddenly instructed Ji Younai to leave with her.
The conscientious Gong Siyu pulled Ji Younai and placed her behind him like he was protecting a child.
He had been wary since Ji Younai was abused at the medical administrative office previously. Hence, after that incident, he enforced a rule where the doctors would have to report to him whenever they wanted to take Ji Younai for any kind of examination or treatment.
"Who are you? Why are you making her leave with you? Where are you taking her to?"
"It's time for the bandage on Ms. Ji's wounded wrist to be changed. At the same time, we'd like to check if her various health indicators are normal."
The female nurse wearing the mask replied calmly.
"Siyu, it'll be quick. You can just get the nurse to send her back later. Wouldn't that do?"
Yang Zhi gave the nurse an out, but he found the nurse to be an unfamiliar face.
However, due to the fact that his classmate, Gong Siyu, had acquired the entire hospital, he felt that there was an opportunity for him to have a promotion. Hence, he eagerly invited Gong Siyu to his office for some tea and a chat. Therefore, he did not reveal his doubts.
Gong Siyu gradually let his guard down since Yang Zhi had said that as well.
He pulled Ji Younai over, smoothened her messy hair, and warned the female nurse in a harsh and stern tone, "If I find a single scratch on her when you send her back, you'll be dead."
After watching Ji Younai leave with the nurse, Gong Siyu went to the office with Yang Zhi, with peace of mind.
However, he still felt somewhat worried when he gazed at Ji Younai's back while she was leaving.
-
Ji Younai obediently followed the nurse to get her dressing changed, and her checkup done.
However, when she passed by the treatment room where her dressing was changed earlier, the female nurse did not lead her inside.
"Isn't this the room? I've always come here for a change of dressing and checkups."
Ji Younai looked around after asking the question with apprehension.
Not far away from them was the general ward, where doctors and nurses were constantly moving about. However, the number of people around her was gradually decreasing.
"The walls of that treatment room are being repainted, and the room is temporarily unavailable. Just follow me."
"Oh okay..."
Ji Younai followed the nurse into the elevator.
However, she noticed that the elevator wasn't going up but directly to the basement.
The strange sensation that was gradually arising made Ji Younai frown slightly.
She watched as the elevator kept going down to basement one, followed by basement two, before finally stopping at basement four...
The elevator doors opened with a ding.
Ji Younai got a great shock.
She saw a scene that was completely different from the inpatient area upstairs.
It was chilly, white, eerie, dim, quiet, and bizarre.
There was no one in the corridor.
A little flustered, Ji Younai looked around and discovered that she seemed to also be in an inpatient psychiatric ward of the asylum.
'But why are the metal doors to all the wards barred and all locked from outside?'
"Where is this?"
"Just come with me."
A kind of uneasiness spread through her heart.
Ji Younai widened her eyes in horror, seemingly having thought of something in an instant.
She had once heard asylums were divided into three major wards— ordinary wards, VIP wards, and… crisis stabilization wards!
'Surely this isn't…'