Night Doll - Chapter 27
"You rascal!" An Qiqi laughed and scolded, "I actually do need your help with something. How's Song Xiaomo doing lately?"
He's in the hospital!
"He's sick?" An Qiqi was a little surprised. "What exactly happened to you?"
"About an hour ago, I was passing by his dorm room when I heard a strange loud noise coming from his room. I thought something must have happened to him, so after knocking on the door for a while without any response, I broke down the door and found him lying in a pile of broken glass!"
"So what's next?"
"I then took him to the school clinic, where the doctor gave him an IV drip, and he woke up... He couldn't explain how he fell. The doctor said it was neurasthenia caused by excessive stress and long-term fatigue, and that he should be fine after resting in the hospital for a while!"
"Oh, that's good!" An Qiqi added, "You probably already know about Li Zhengzhen's situation on your floor, right?"
"I know, I heard he committed suicide!"
"Yes, he's dead! Our police are investigating the true cause of his death. How much do you know about him?"
“Not many! You know, he's been in a mental hospital for so long, it's hard for us to communicate!” Park Eun-hee paused, then said, “I'll report back to you as soon as I remember any clues!”
"Okay, then I'll leave it to you. Also, let me know as soon as possible if there's any news about Song Xiaomo!" An Qiqi instructed.
"Of course, no problem. But, hehe, hiring an undercover agent costs money! We're old classmates, how about I give you a discount..."
"Honestly, I'm most afraid of you psychology people. That guy in 'The Silence of the Lambs' was terrifying!"
"Officer, I haven't reached that level of cultivation yet, but I'm learning and improving..."
An Qiqi was both amused and exasperated, and hung up the phone.
Chapter 133: The Doll Murder Case (133)
In the school hospital, Song Xiaomo leaned lazily against the headboard, her eyes filled with a blank stare as she stared out the window.
His hearing was quite acute; he could even hear the sound of the medicine flowing through the IV tube.
Lying on the bed next to her was a little girl of eleven or twelve, receiving an IV drip while listening to music with MP3 earphones. According to others, the girl was a professor's daughter and had been staying in the room for several days.
The disinfectant in the hospital room had a strong, unpleasant smell, mixed with other unpleasant odors. But he was used to it. He remembered that two years ago today, he was still in the hospital. During that time, his health was very poor, and death almost claimed his life. He now misses his parents, who live far away in China…
A breeze has picked up outside the window, and it's a little chilly.
Song Xiaomo's mind remained unsettled. He dared not close his eyes, fearing another strange hallucination. The doctor warned him that this might be delusional disorder, and he needed to take more care of himself; otherwise, if this continued, he might end up in a mental hospital. He carefully recalled the events of the past few days, the contents of the text message, and the strange incident of fainting in his dormitory an hour earlier. The more he thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed, and a chill ran down his spine.
He turned his head and saw the little girl staring straight at him. The child's gaze made him feel very uncomfortable.
"Why...why are you staring at me like that?" Song Xiaomo asked curiously.
I used to sleep in that bed of yours!
"Really? So what?"
There's something wrong with your bed!
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"It's true, I feel chills all over when I lie down in your bed! I even had a strange dream once!" the little girl said earnestly.
"What kind of dreams can you have at such a young age!" Song Xiaomo smiled nonchalantly.
"That noon, I dreamt that a long-haired auntie walked into the ward, stood in front of the bed, and said to me that this was her bed and I should move aside. I was puzzled and opened my eyes wide to try to see who this auntie was, but my vision was foggy, and I couldn't make out her features. So I moved further into the bed, making room for her. She got into bed and lay down next to me. My back was against hers, and I felt her body was cold. I was a little scared and whispered to ask her who she was, but the auntie didn't say a word. I sat up and looked down, and realized that the person sleeping next to me was actually a stiff, dead body..."
"It's just a dream, after all!" Song Xiaomo said, feigning nonchalance, but a chill began to creep into her heart.
“No, someone must have died on that bed!” The little girl’s voice suddenly turned low.
Song Xiaomo's expression changed slightly. He thought to himself that this little girl seemed so innocent, but her imagination was truly astonishing. He pretended to be nonchalant and said, "Little friend, don't think such nonsense. Isn't it normal for a few people to die in hospital beds?"
"But...but I always feel like this dead person has never left!"
Song Xiaomo shivered and almost rolled off the bed. At that moment, he suddenly saw a woman in white standing in front of the door. Her black hair was tied up high, her skin was as white as snow, and she was even wearing sunglasses in broad daylight.
Chapter 134: The Doll Murder Case (134)
"Who is she?" Song Xiaomo asked.
The little girl, distracted and unaware of what he had seen, asked, "What did you say?"
When Song Xiaomo looked again, she only saw a nurse wearing a mask carrying medicine supplies coming in; the woman in white had vanished without a trace.
"It's a ghost!" Song Xiaomo frowned. "I clearly saw it just now... I really have been possessed by a ghost these past two days!"
"What's wrong? You look like you're in a daze," the nurse asked.
He composed himself and said, "It's nothing, just a little dizzy, probably from catching a cold."
"Really?" the nurse said, reaching out to check his temperature. "No fever!"
Song Xiaomo wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, but it didn't seem to dispel the increasingly intense chill.
The nurse ignored him, took his temperature, and left.
At this moment, the woman in white reappeared in front of the door.
Song Xiaomo was stunned for a long time before finally recognizing her as Song Yun'er. Her hair had grown quite a bit longer, with a strand hanging down beside her cheek, making her thin face look even more haggard.
"What? Aren't you welcoming me in?" Song Yoon-ah smiled faintly and slowly took out a bouquet of yellow flowers from behind her back.
The delicate flowers were still covered with glistening water droplets, and a subtle fragrance wafted through the air.
"Welcome, welcome! How did you know I was hospitalized?" Song Xiaomo asked in surprise.
"If I told you that I had a dream last night that you were in the hospital, would you believe me?" Song Yun'er's voice was soft and delicate, but it didn't sound like she was lying.
"How could that be!"
“Okay, I’m not kidding anymore. Actually, I went to your dorm building to wait for you today, but you didn’t come down… Around noon, I saw a group of students coming out of the building, so I couldn’t help but ask one of them to go to the fifth floor to call you… Later, a boy came down and told me that he lived next door to you and that you were sick and hospitalized…” Song Yun’er said as she put yellow flowers into the vase by the window.
"Oh, I know, his name is Park Eun-hee!"
"It might be her!"
"Thank you for the flowers. It's the first time I've received flowers from a girl, and it feels a little strange!" Song Xiaomo said, unable to contain her joy.
"You're welcome!" she smiled again, and asked with concern, "How did you end up in the hospital?"
"It's nothing, maybe it's just something wrong with my diet lately!" Song Xiaomo smiled and said easily. "But with you coming to see me today, I should feel better soon. To be honest, we've met a few times already, but we don't know each other very well. How about we set a time for me to treat you to a meal? We can chat, since we're the same age, we're sure to have a lot in common."
Song Yoon-ah smiled faintly: "That's a good idea, but the only thing you need to do right now is to stay here and recover properly. Don't go back to the dorm, that place..."
Her lips moved a few times, but she didn't say the rest of her words.
Song Xiaomo sensed something amiss in her words and lowered her voice to ask, "What exactly is in that place? Why can't we go back?"
Chapter 135: The Doll Murder Case (135)
"Because it's haunted!" she replied coldly.
"A ghost? What did you see this time?"
"It's nothing... There are always some people whose spirits linger after they die." Song Yoon-ah shifted her gaze elsewhere, changing the subject, "Come to my house sometime, I'll cook you some authentic Korean dishes!"
"Okay, I'll definitely go!" Song Xiaomo's doubts hadn't dissipated yet, and she asked again, "What brings you to see me today?"
"It's nothing, I just wanted to see you, is that alright?"
Song Xiaomo grinned and nodded vigorously.
At that moment, he suddenly noticed the little girl's gaze beside him. Those eyes were fixed on Song Yun'er, seemingly with some strange expression.
"What's wrong?" Song Xiaomo asked.
However, the little girl didn't react at all. A nurse came in, saw what was wrong, and whispered in his ear, "Don't mind her, she's like this sometimes, a little neurotic!"
"Is this little girl your friend? She doesn't seem to like me!" Song Yoon-ah said awkwardly to Song Xiao-mo.
"We just met! Don't worry about it too much, she's probably just curious about you!"
"Oh well, it's nothing. I'm used to it anyway. A lot of people don't like me!"
"Why?"
“Because—” Song Yoon-ah paused for several seconds, “maybe they think I’m different from other people!”
"Why does it look a little different?"
"I don't know why either." She paused suddenly, then smiled slightly. "Alright, I should go now. I wish you a speedy recovery!"
After saying that, Song Yun'er turned around, her steps were unusually light, and her slender figure floated away at the door.
A strange wind blew in through the window, and Song Xiaomo trembled all over. She quickly told the nurse to add another blanket.
The little girl was still sitting on the edge of the bed, lost in thought. After a long while, Song Xiaomo heard her say in a slightly trembling voice, "I...I saw her again!"
"Who did you see?"
"Um... Auntie!"
"Is it that dead man?"
"Yes, it's her. She even slept in your bed!"
The atmosphere in the ward froze instantly. Song Xiaomo glanced around, and after confirming that no one else was there, deliberately put on a stern face and said, "What you just saw was a friend of mine, not some dead person!"
"Do you like her a little?" she suddenly asked.
“This…” The little girl’s words stumped Song Xiaomo. He hurriedly explained, “How… how could that be? We’ve only met a few times, and we’re just ordinary friends!” As he finished speaking, he felt his face burning.
"She's so beautiful, she could easily bewitch someone!"
"Nonsense! She's not a demon!" Song Xiaomo looked up at the hospital ceiling, the already pale environment appearing even more ethereal to him.
"Maybe... she's a ghost! I told you, she's dead, but she never left!" The little girl said, each word distinct and soft, yet the breathy sound reached Song Xiaomo's ears with remarkable clarity.
Chapter 136: The Doll Murder Case (136)
"So, do you see the ghost with your left eye or your right eye?" Song Xiaomo teased.
The little girl continued to answer in that frightening voice, "I think it's the left eye."
Song Xiaomo stared at her left eye, trying to find something in that bright eyeball, but to no avail.
"That's enough. I think you're talking nonsense. I'll tell your parents if you're not careful."
"I'm not afraid at all!" the girl smiled, and Song Xiaomo then noticed that she had two strange canine teeth, sharp and pointed like a zombie's.
"Did you notice the flowers she brought you?" the little girl continued.
Song Xiaomo picked up the vase and sniffed it with relish. A strange smell traveled down his trachea and filled his lungs.