After sleeping for a day and night, Lin Qiu Shi finally woke up. His fever had subsided when he awoke, and although his body lacked strength, he was able to get out of bed and walk around. After the doctor examined him, he said that after receiving intravenous fluids for one more day to consolidate, he could be discharged from the hospital the next day.
Cheng Qian Li had been by his side the entire time. Upon hearing this news, he told Lin Qiu Shi not to worry and that someone was feeding his cat at home, so there was no need to rush back.
Lin Qiu Shi thanked him. As he lay in the hospital bed, for the first time he felt a sense of warmth and comfort in the hospital. After entering the inner world for a few days and coming out again, it really felt like a completely different world, even though only a dozen or so minutes had passed in reality.
On the third day, Cheng Qian Li handled Lin Qiu Shi's discharge paperwork and drove him back home in his car.
When Lin Qiu Shi returned home and opened the door with his keys, he hadn't even entered yet when he heard the meowing and purring of his cat Chestnut. He poked his head in for a look, only to see Ruan Nan Zhu sitting on his sofa reading a book, while the usually aloof Chestnut was rubbing against Ruan Nan Zhu's ankles, mewling and purring as he lay on his back exposing his soft, furry belly, clearly asking to be petted.
In the past, Lin Qiu Shi had enjoyed such affectionate treatment from Chestnut, but recently Chestnut had shunned him, refusing to allow petting or carrying, let alone suckling.
Lin Qiu Shi gazed at them jealously, his eyes wide. Perhaps noticing his heated stare, Ruan Nan Zhu finally glanced up: "Feeling better?"
"Mm," Lin Qiu Shi bounced over to Ruan Nan Zhu's side and primly sat down, wanting to casually pick up his cat as if it were no big deal. But Chestnut twisted his butt away from Lin Qiu Shi's grasping hand.
Seeing this, Lin Qiu Shi's eyes filled with sorrow. "Chestnut...don't you love Daddy anymore?"
Ruan Nan Zhu said nothing, merely bending down and easily scooping up Chestnut, who let out a contented mewl and happily nuzzled Ruan Nan Zhu's chest.
"Go ahead and pet him," Ruan Nan Zhu held Chestnut out towards Lin Qiu Shi.
Lin Qiu Shi reached out and finally touched his cat. "Chestnut, why don't you recognize Daddy anymore?"
Like a pitiful father who had lost his son, Lin Qiu Shi grieved at seeing his painstakingly raised kitten fawn over another man. He had an odd feeling of being cuckolded.
"Cats are quite sensitive about these matters," Ruan Nan Zhu explained. "Going through a few more doors will help."
Upon mention of the doors, Lin Qiu Shi deflated. "Can I ask why I met you in the first world?"
"That's two questions already," Ruan Nan Zhu said. "And who told you I didn't know anyone there?"
Lin Qiu Shi was shocked. "You...knew someone?"
"Remember the two who died that first night?"
"I remember..."
"One was my client," Ruan Nan Zhu gave a dry cough. "I mistook you for him at first."
Lin Qiu Shi fell silent, mystified.
Ruan Nan Zhu continued: "I thought you were my client. By the next day when I realized my mistake, my actual client was already dead. Then I discovered your potential, so I brought you back."
Sitting beside them, Cheng Qian Li tried not to laugh. He told Lin Qiu Shi not to feel too surprised—this wasn't the first time Ruan Nan Zhu had mistaken a service target. Mainly because that night, Lin Qiu Shi's clothing color was quite similar to the client's. And they had first encountered each other on the small path...
Thinking it over carefully, it did seem to be the case. No wonder Ruan Nan Zhu had treated him so specially at first. Turns out it was for this reason. "I thought we had love at first sight..." Lin Qiu Shi murmured.
Ruan Nan Zhu: "You can think of it that way."
After the meal, Lin Qiu Shi prepared to return home. But Ruan Nan Zhu told him that if possible, it'd be best for him to move into the villa to live, so they could keep an eye on each other.
"Will something happen?" Lin Qiu Shi felt puzzled. "Haven't we left that world already?"
"There are others like us in the real world too," Cheng Qian Li said. "Some of them have become mentally unstable...anyway, just come over if you can. It's definitely safer."
"Alright, I'll think about it," Lin Qiu Shi nodded to show he understood.
The three finished their meal. While walking back, they caught sight of a massive billboard by the roadside. Ruan Nan Zhu casually pointed and said, "That's Xu Xiao Cheng."
Glancing up, Lin Qiu Shi saw a popular celebrity gracing the billboard. This actress had cultivated an aloof, glamorous image, every gesture brimming with arrogance and pride—the complete opposite of the weepy Xu Xiao Cheng he knew from the other world.
Initially stunned, Lin Qiu Shi soon accepted it upon recalling that the cold, stoic man beside him had been a young maiden inside.
"We'll head back first then. Be careful home alone, call us if anything comes up," Cheng Qian Li said. "Bye!"
"See you," Lin Qiu Shi waved as he watched them drive off before turning to enter his home.
Back inside, he sprawled on the sofa to rest. Chestnut sat far away, refusing to let Lin Qiu Shi pet him. As for lying on Chestnut's belly to suckle like before - impossible.
Drowsily watching TV, Lin Qiu Shi was on the verge of dozing off when he heard cries for help from downstairs. Instantly awake, his first thought was that he was hallucinating. But the shouts grew louder, accompanied by the clamor of discussions.
Lin Qiu Shi scrambled up from the sofa and went to the window. To his shock, he witnessed someone frantically sprinting through the neighborhood, pursued by another brandishing a knife.
The bizarre scene seemed like an illusion. Lin Qiu Shi vigorously rubbed his eyes before confirming this was truly occurring before him.
The chase victim was a young woman, completely unfamiliar in appearance but with a nagging sense of familiarity in her attire. However, the late hour made it too dark for Lin Qiu Shi to clearly distinguish.
Other residents, roused by the din, had also crowded their windows to watch the spectacle. Certain now that his eyes weren't deceiving him, Lin Qiu Shi hurriedly called the police, briefly explaining the situation, before grabbing a clothes-hanging pole and rushing downstairs, intending to help. But just as he reached the elevators, a shrill scream rang out, followed by abrupt silence...
It was over. Lin Qiu Shi instantly grasped what had happened.
Indeed, by the time he got downstairs, the woman was sprawled in a pool of blood, a dagger buried in her chest.
Her killer sat nearby, laughing manically and raving that the "filthy slut" had finally met her end and he'd like to see how she could still seduce people now.
Catching sight of Lin Qiu Shi's approach, the murderer showed no reaction, continuing to ramble dementedly to himself.
Not daring to further provoke him, Lin Qiu Shi called emergency services. He waited silently until police and paramedics swiftly arrived to put an end to the bizarre incident.
As an eyewitness, Lin Qiu Shi went to the police station. He learned the woman had died instantly without a chance at resuscitation.
The next day, the event made the social news—the culprit wasn't a spurned lover but a mentally ill psychopath. His family had negligently allowed him to wander out alone, leading to the woman's senseless demise. Most tragic of all, the lunatic wouldn't even face legal repercussions...
After reading the news, Lin Qiu Shi went straight to the villa and found Ruan Nan Zhu, asking if this woman was someone they knew.
"Should be Tang Yaoyao," Ruan Nan Zhu concluded after a quick glance at the newspaper photo.
"She died?" Lin Qiu Shi asked. "Why such a bizarre death..."
"Anyone who can enter that world is already close to death," Ruan Nan Zhu said. "Car crashes, murder, illness, accidents—you would have died regardless of entering or not."
As Ruan Nan Zhu spoke, Lin Qiu Shi suddenly recalled the medical report he had yet to retrieve.
Perhaps noticing his change in expression, Ruan Nan Zhu asked, "What is it?"
"Nothing..." Lin Qiu Shi said. "Just remembered something. I need to go."
Ruan Nan Zhu nodded without stopping him.
Lin Qiu Shi went to the hospital and collected his physical exam results. Tearing open the envelope, he flipped to the conclusion—a few neat characters spelling out "early-stage liver cancer."
Lin Qiu Shi gave a wry laugh. How could this be? He neither smoked nor was a heavy drinker, his life revolving around work and little else by way of entertainment. Yet despite his diligence and conscientiousness, this was his outcome.
Clutching the damning report, a dispirited Lin Qiu Shi trudged home. Facing Chestnut who still refused to approach him, his sense of defeat peaked.
Just then, his phone rang. But Lin Qiu Shi remained sprawled on his bed, unwilling to answer any calls right now. He wanted to be alone for a bit.
The phone rang persistently before falling silent, twice over. Just as Lin Qiu Shi thought the caller had given up, loud knocks sounded from his door half an hour later.
Still lying in bed, he glanced through the peephole and saw Ruan Nan Zhu standing outside. Opening up, he had barely greeted Ruan Nan Zhu before the man strode inside and asked directly: "What's happened?"
Lin Qiu Shi shook his head mutely.
Ruan Nan Zhu looked him up and down. "Tell me," he insisted.
Lin Qiu Shi kept quiet for a while before silently pointing at the physical exam report left on the table.
Ruan Nan Zhu picked it up and swiftly skimmed its contents before casually tossing it aside. "Just this?"
Stunned by his attitude, Lin Qiu Shi cried out, "What do you mean 'just this'? Liver cancer! Terminal illness!"
"Have you forgotten what I told you already?" Ruan Nan Zhu seemed perfectly calm.
"What did you say?" Lin Qiu Shi asked bewilderedly.
"I said that anyone who can enter that world is fated to die soon. Your condition now still allows room to prepare. Didn't you see Tang Yaoyao yesterday? If she had successfully escaped that world, she could have avoided getting killed by that lunatic. But she didn't make it out."
"But...I have liver cancer. Can that world really cure illnesses?" Lin Qiu Shi asked doubtfully.
"Whether it can or not, you still wouldn't believe me if I said so. You'll see for yourself later," Ruan Nan Zhu checked the time. "For now, just move into the villa. When you didn't answer my calls just now, I thought you had died."
"..." Lin Qiu Shi fell speechless.
"I'll come help you move tomorrow," Ruan Nan Zhu decided unilaterally.
When Lin Qiu Shi tried to speak again, Ruan Nan Zhu made a halting gesture then pointed at Chestnut: "At the villa, Chestnut might even let you pet him."
Having gone nearly a month without touching his beloved pet, the tempted Lin Qiu Shi instantly defected. "Then...can I try now?"
Ruan Nan Zhu: "..." He had assumed Lin Qiu Shi would struggle more.
That night, Ruan Nan Zhu did not leave and stayed over at Lin Qiu Shi's place.
Too embarrassed to let Ruan Nan Zhu sleep on the sofa, Lin Qiu Shi surrendered half his bed. Lying side by side, they chatted purely under the covers.
Unlike the inner world, the real Ruan Nan Zhu seemed rather taciturn, occasionally even cold. But facing Lin Qiu Shi, his attitude remained gentle and obliging, answering every query.
Deeply moved yet also feeling a surreal sense of split personalities, as if the Ruan Nan Zhu inside wasn't the true one but rather his sister or something...
Fortunately, exhaustion soon lulled Lin Qiu Shi into slumber before his mind could fracture further.
The next morning, Lin Qiu Shi awoke snuggled in Ruan Nan Zhu's embrace.
Their position seemed perfectly natural—he was nestled against Ruan Nan Zhu's chest like a koala hugging a tree. While undeniably awkward, even more embarrassing was Lin Qiu Shi's physical reaction down below.
He silently tried shifting his body away, only for the previously sleeping Ruan Nan Nan Zhu to abruptly open his eyes and wordlessly watch him.
Lin Qiu Shi smiled awkwardly. "G-good morning?"
"Morning," Ruan Nan Zhu replied.
"I'll...get up first then," Lin Qiu Shi removed his arms from around Ruan Nan Zhu and subtly slid away from him.
Yet just as Lin Qiu Shi was about to rise from the bed, Ruan Nan Zhu suddenly remarked: "Your face is red."
Lin Qiu Shi: "..."
"It's alright," Ruan Nan Zhu said.
Lin Qiu Shi: "..."
"We're both men. I understand," Ruan Nan Zhu maintained.
Distressed, Lin Qiu Shi desperately hoped Ruan Nan Zhu wouldn't continue this line of conversation. But Ruan Nan Zhu heartlessly stripped all pretense away and stated bluntly: "I'm hard too."
Lin Qiu Shi fled in utter defeat. He realized that despite contrasting personalities, the Ruan Nan Zhu inside and outside were equally difficult to handle, albeit in different ways.
After scrambling out of bed in embarrassment, Lin Qiu Shi went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Ruan Nan Zhu called from the bedroom to say he wanted noodles.
"What flavor?" Lin Qiu Shi asked.
Ruan Nan Zhu replied, "The kind you made inside."
"Got it." Donning an apron, Lin Qiu Shi entered the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Ruan Nan Zhu was doing who knew what in the bedroom when knocks suddenly sounded from the door.
"Someone's at the door," Ruan Nan Zhu announced.
"Get it for me please, it's probably a delivery," Lin Qiu Shi called back, busy frying eggs.
"Okay." Ruan Nan Zhu opened the door to see a young woman standing there, also looking rather surprised to see him. "Hello, I'm here for Lin Qiu Shi," she said.
"Qiu Shi, someone looking for you," Ruan Nan Zhu turned and shouted.
Having spent the night here, Ruan Nan Zhu was still wearing Lin Qiu Shi's pajamas, which were a little small on him. He hadn't buttoned up, the loose top fully displaying his sculpted six-pack abs in a subtly provocative way.
So when Lin Qiu Shi emerged, he was met with the sight of his former colleague Cao Ying standing at the door red-faced and flustered.
"What did you do?" Lin Qiu Shi glanced suspiciously at Ruan Nan Zhu.
Ruan Nan Zhu looked wrongfully accused. "What could I have done?" He paused before adding, "Rather than asking what I did to her, you might want to worry more about what I might do to you."
"Cough, cough, cough..." Their conversation left Cao Ying choking.
Lin Qiu Shi's ears burned but he forced himself to remain poised. "Did you need something, Cao Ying?" He had already submitted his resignation and finished the handover.
"You left some things behind," Cao Ying brought out a notebook from her bag.
"Ah, thanks for bringing this over," Lin Qiu Shi accepted the notebook. He used it to record work matters, quite important to him, yet somehow had left it at the office.
"May I...boldly ask who this is?" Cao Ying's gaze drifted back to Ruan Nan Zhu.
"My friend," Lin Qiu Shi said.
"Oh. Haven't seen him around before," Cao Ying remarked, still blushing.
"Would you..." Lin Qiu Shi was about to ask if she wanted to join them for breakfast when Ruan Nan Zhu suddenly deadpanned "I'm hungry" and promptly shut the door in her face.
Lin Qiu Shi frowned. But one glimpse of Ruan Nan Zhu's expression made him recoil a step. "Ruan Nan Zhu?"
"Yes?" Ruan Nan Zhu replied.
"What was that look for?"
"What look?" Ruan Nan Zhu's mouth curved up slightly. "I'm just hungry for food." His gaze then brazenly raked over Lin Qiu Shi's form.
Just as Lin Qiu Shi was about to respond, he saw Ruan Nan Zhu turn and head for the kitchen. Soon, the sounds of noodle slurping could be heard within.
Lin Qiu Shi: "..." Surely he was overthinking things!