Chapter 9: A Sweet Reunion and a Dark Revelation

“Oh, you’re finally here! When you called just now, I thought you’d already arrived!”

While Lin Qing was surprised, wondering who this woman was, Wu Gang, from the adjacent bed, immediately clarified. This was precisely the clingy girlfriend he had mentioned earlier.

No wonder Wu Gang had looked so delighted when Lin Qing first entered; his girlfriend was coming to visit him.

“I wanted to see you quickly too, you know~”

Just as Wu Gang had described, his relationship with his girlfriend was excellent. Their affectionate teasing alone made them seem like a young couple deeply in love.

Had Lin Qing not been sitting on the neighboring bed, the two, having been apart for days, might have ignited like tinder, bursting into a crackling flame the moment they touched.

Even so, they still exchanged several lingering kisses.

“I’ll be discharged in two days. Since I’ll be off work anyway, I’ll come stay at your place for a few days.”

“Alright, I’ll cook you some delicious food. My cooking skills have really improved lately, aren’t you excited to be the first to taste it?”

“…”

Yet, as the topic of cooking arose, the corner of Wu Gang’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

He began to seriously ponder whether he should delay his discharge for a few more days, purely for the sake of his stomach.

His girlfriend’s culinary skills were truly unique, producing dishes that belonged entirely to the realm of ‘dark cuisine.’

Despite this particular talent, she was exceptionally passionate about cooking.

Her childhood dream had been to become a chef.

Fortunately, she was merely an ordinary office worker, and her dream hadn’t come true. Otherwise, beyond customers suffering food poisoning, the restaurant would surely have gone out of business.

Only he, her boyfriend, possessed an iron stomach capable of enduring the ravages of her dark culinary creations!

“Haha, look at me, I was so excited to see you, I completely forgot to introduce you… This little brother next door just got admitted today, but we hit it off instantly. We’re practically best friends.”

To prevent the conversation from circling back to cooking, Wu Gang had a sudden flash of inspiration and quickly used Lin Qing as an excuse to change the subject.

Hearing his name suddenly, Lin Qing was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected Wu Gang to introduce him at this particular moment.

However, as Wu Gang’s girlfriend looked over, Lin Qing made an effort to speak.

“Hello, older sister.”

Perhaps because he had still been a child of a few years before his confinement, terms like ‘older brother,’ ‘older sister,’ ‘uncle,’ and ‘auntie’ rolled off Lin Qing’s tongue with surprising ease.

To Wu Gang and his girlfriend, it sounded even more pleasant. They hadn’t expected such a seemingly withdrawn child, dressed so simply, to be so polite.

“Hello, nice to meet you. I’m Wu Gang’s girlfriend, Wang Lingling.”

Their first impressions were positive, and their conversation grew more relaxed. Even Lin Qing, despite his quiet nature, didn’t feel awkward.

The ward, which had initially felt stifling, now felt less oppressive with the old man’s transfer and Wu Gang’s girlfriend’s arrival. Lin Qing actually found himself enjoying the lively conversational atmosphere.

Even with many students at school, Lin Qing had always been alone; the bustling atmosphere of the hospital now felt preferable.

Of course, this was also thanks to Wu Gang’s naturally friendly disposition; otherwise, he would still be by himself.

“Oh dear, look at my memory! I left the things I brought for you with the guard on the first floor. I’ll go get them now.”

Mid-conversation, Wang Lingling suddenly slapped her forehead, realizing she had forgotten the important items she’d brought.

These were the fantastic gifts she had specially prepared to cheer up her boyfriend, who was recuperating alone.

What if someone else took them? That would be terrible!

“No rush, I’ll go with you—”

“Forget it, dear. Your leg needs rest! If it worsens, you’ll have to stay in the hospital even longer, and that would worry me even more.”

As she spoke, Wang Lingling saw Wu Gang attempting to rise from his bed. She immediately placed a hand on his shoulder, then firmly instructed him to stay put.

Wu Gang’s aggrieved expression made Wang Lingling laugh, and she couldn’t resist planting a kiss on him.

With that, she turned, her heels clicking as she left the ward, heading quickly to the elevator to retrieve her belongings from the first floor.

After Wang Lingling left, Wu Gang covered his kissed cheek, giggling foolishly like a simpleton from next door, drawing Lin Qing’s curious gaze.

“Ahem, kid, dating is always this sweet~ Your girlfriend is so pretty, you’ll have to introduce her to me next time she visits!”

However, upon hearing Wu Gang’s subsequent words, an expression of disdain immediately crossed Lin Qing’s face.

He no longer looked at Wu Gang with curiosity, lest he hear Su Yao’s name again.

‘Su Yao was absolutely not his girlfriend!’

Since Lin Qing’s medium-length hair covered most of his face, his expression of disgust towards Su Yao remained concealed. Wu Gang, observing his turn of the head, mistook it for shyness.

Consequently, he didn’t tease Lin Qing further, but instead continued to speak, his face beaming with happiness.

“After I’m discharged this time, I’m going to propose to my girlfriend! We’ve been together for three years; it’s high time we built a happy family!”

Wu Gang had already envisioned much of their wonderful future together.

The beautiful aspirations he was now sharing with Lin Qing were merely small glimpses; the true excitement awaited him and Wang Lingling to discover together.

Lin Qing, listening quietly, felt a wave of happiness himself and hoped the couple would achieve a perfect ending.

Although some marriages ended in heartbreak, not all families were destined for such a fate.

“Uncle, you two must be well. If you have children in the future, don’t let them out of your sight…”

As Lin Qing spoke, his words abruptly caught in his throat as the ward door opened from the outside.

“What are you two talking about behind my back~”

“Darling, I already missed you after being apart for just this little while.”

Wang Lingling walked briskly towards Wu Gang, a heavy package in her hand. Its weight did nothing to dampen her good mood; instead, she seemed eager to present a treasure.

Her face, suppressing excitement, was full of smiles, and her eyes sparkled like gemstones.

Though no longer a teenage girl, she always maintained a youthful spirit in front of the man she loved.

Behind her, Nurse Li Mei stood by the door, a smile on her face. Yet, her dark eyes were like stagnant water, devoid of light.

Three pitch-black skull heads hovered above her, their mouths tightly shut. They stared directly at Wu Gang with malevolent intent, accompanied by a faint red glow in their eye sockets, like vengeful spirits ready to devour someone.

Compared to her earlier mockery and derision by the old man’s bedside, her current feigned calmness now masked an overwhelming hatred.

Seeing this, Lin Qing realized he had found it: the specific condition for Li Mei’s victim selection!