Ghosts in Medical School Horror Files

Chapter 37

"Ye Cheng wasn't dreaming, so why did he bring her here?" Luo Shimin disliked the glamorous woman who called her Little Luo.

Hu Rongrong nudged Xia Chen. Luo Shimin listened to him the most. Xia Chen said, "Let's call Meng Po over. Let's try anything, even if it's a dead end. Maybe we'll get some unexpected results. Of all the people here, she's the only one who knows anything about miasma magic."

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Luo Shimin went out to call Meng Po.

"Who is Meng Po? And what is the miasma technique?" Li Xiao asked curiously.

"The Dream Woman is a sorceress who can let you enter other people's dreams. Ye Cheng and the others being unconscious might be due to being under a spell." Xia Chen didn't want Li Xiao to know too much, as it was unclear whether she was friend or foe.

Luo Shimin walked back with her phone, followed by a man and a woman, both in their fifties. "The Dream Granny said that she had run out of several kinds of medicines necessary for entering dreams, and they were still being prepared. It wouldn't be ready until tonight at the earliest. These two elderly people also came to see Officer Ye. They couldn't find the ward, so I brought them here."

When the two elderly people saw Ye Cheng unconscious, tears streamed down their faces. The old woman rushed to Ye Cheng's body, crying and shouting, "Chengcheng, what's wrong with you? Wake up! Open your eyes and look at me! I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have treated Ah San like that."

Before anyone could understand what was happening, Xia Chen's face turned grim, his expression complex. Another elderly man turned to look at Xia Chen, but Xia Chen lowered his head to avoid eye contact. Upon seeing the old man's face, Li Xiao immediately straightened up like a javelin, saluted, and said loudly, "Captain Ye, I am trainee police officer Li Xiao."

The old man waved his hand and said, "I recognize you. You don't need to bow to me outside the police station. This is a hospital, and patients need quiet time to rest."

"Yes!" Li Xiao's voice didn't soften at all.

Hu Rongrong looked at the two elderly people with a puzzled expression, "Who are they...?"

Xia Chen's reaction was a bit strange. He looked up at the ceiling and said, "His name is Ye Fanye, the captain of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of Shangjing City, Ye Cheng's father. The other one is Ye Cheng's mother, Tang Huarou."

Luo Shimin stared wide-eyed at Ye Fanye, her face full of disbelief, and exclaimed, "He's the famous Ye Fanye? I can't believe it at all. My brother really admires him."

Ye Fanye walked up to Xia Chen, who shook his head, refusing to look at him. Ye Fanye sighed and said emotionally, "Xia Chen, I know my wife and I have wronged you. So many years have passed, and you still can't forgive us. That's alright. I can't forgive myself for what I did back then either. Now I just want you to tell me what happened to Ye Cheng. Are you still investigating the Xia Group? As a father, I have the right and obligation to know what my child is doing. Don't worry, I won't stop you from investigating the Xia Group anymore."

Xia Chen's face was as cold as ice. Hearing Ye Fanye's words, his brow twitched twice, and a tear silently slid down his cheek, which he quickly wiped away. This was the first time Luo Shimin had seen Xia Chen cry. She stared at the two of them, unable to guess what had happened between them. Xia Chen was silent for a moment before suddenly speaking, "Ye Cheng and I have indeed been investigating the Xia Group recently. They're carrying out a project called 'Nuwa' at Yishi Academy, which seems to be related to the human body. Ye Cheng fell into a coma because one of my classmates was mysteriously attacked, seemingly related to the Nuwa project. Ye Cheng found some clues in the files and was attacked while looking for me. That's what happened." After a brief silence, Xia Chen added, "Ye Cheng will be alright; he'll wake up soon."

Sigh! Ye Fanye sighed. In the span of a minute, he seemed to have aged ten years. He walked to the bedside and looked at his child with loving eyes.

Li Xiao was extremely curious, "What exactly happened between you two?"

Xia Chen gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, and remained silent.

"Let me say it!" Tang Huarou got up from Ye Cheng, wiped away her tears, took a few deep breaths and said, "This is the knot in my heart that I've been holding onto for you. Ye Cheng has refused to come home because of this, and I know he hates me. This matter has been like a big stone weighing on my heart for many years, and today I must say it and apologize to you and Tang Ying."

"Tang Ying is dead! He can't hear your apology anymore." Tears welled up in Xia Chen's eyes again.

Hu Rongrong exclaimed, "Tang Ying? Tang Ying who found the terrifying files?"

Tang Huarou paused for a minute, then spoke in a sorrowful tone, "This happened seven or eight years ago, when Ye Cheng was still in high school. He was very close to a girl in his class named A-San. After school, they often read together. I've met A-San a few times; she's a pretty and intelligent girl, but unfortunately, she's an orphan, growing up in an orphanage sponsored by the Xia Group. One time, I accidentally bumped into them on the street, holding hands, looking very intimate. At that time, puppy love was a very serious problem. I couldn't control my anger, rushed up and yelled at A-San, even slapping her in public, forbidding them from..." After that, Ah San ran away crying. After this incident, I found that the two of them indeed stopped seeing each other, and I was quite happy, thinking I had done a good deed, and both children could now focus on their studies and prepare for university. About a month later, while tidying Ye Cheng's schoolbag, I found a pink notebook without a name on it. The handwriting inside was very delicate, clearly a girl's. I told his father about it, and in a fit of anger, his father beat Ye Cheng and went to the school to talk to the teacher the next day. As a result, Ah San was humiliated at school, and the two children completely cut off contact. A few months later, Ah San suddenly found Ye Cheng, saying she was very scared, and that she lived in... Strange things were happening at the orphanage. Every time people from the Xia Group came, a child would disappear. At the time, the child's father was away on a business trip, and Ye Cheng told me about it. I didn't believe it, thinking Ah San was making up stories to get close to Ye Cheng. A few days later, I received a call from Ah San. She cried on the phone, saying it was almost her turn, she was terrified, and begged us to save her. I hung up without saying a word. A few days later, one day after school, Ah San came to my house with Ye Cheng, crying and begging us to take her in for the night. She didn't want to go back to the orphanage that night and had nowhere else to go. I never considered that what Ah San said might be true, and with a heavy heart, I kicked her out. "Go out." The next day after school, Ye Cheng returned with a livid face. Ah San hadn't gone to school; she was missing. A month later, a woman's body was found by a pond in the suburbs. It was Ah San. The case is still unsolved. After hearing this news, Ye Cheng refused to speak to me anymore. Ye Cheng believed Ah San's death was related to the Xia Group, but he lacked evidence. After graduating from high school, he became a policeman against his family's wishes and moved out of his family home, never to return. That's the whole story. "It's all my fault. If I had let her stay at our house that night, she wouldn't have died. I indirectly caused Ah San's death. Ye Cheng still refuses to forgive me."

Luo Shimin cursed angrily, "It's the Xia Group again! What are these bastards trying to do?"

"The matter isn't over yet. Let me tell you," Ye Fanye said. "Although Ye Cheng became a policeman, he's just an ordinary officer. His daily work involves maintaining order in the neighborhood, at most catching petty thieves. He has no opportunity to be involved in criminal investigations. The investigation into A-San's case lasted six months without any demerits, and the higher-ups ordered the files sealed and the investigation stopped. However, I discovered that Ye Cheng was collecting information on the Xia Group in his spare time; he was still investigating A-San's death. I didn't want him to continue investigating; it was a complete waste of time. I discovered that A-San's pond was just a dumping site, not a crime scene. The body was highly decomposed when it was found, leaving no valuable clues. I stole his files and used my connections to increase his workload. I thought he would forget about A-San's case after a while. But..." No, three years later, Ye Cheng solved a major case. The director of the city's orphanage colluded with certain individuals from the Xia Group to murder orphans and sell their organs. The number of orphans identified as murdered reached thirty-five, with the actual number unknown. This was a shocking case that gripped the nation, and all seven perpetrators were sentenced to death. Ye Cheng was commended for this case and promoted to detective. He believed the case was just the tip of the iceberg, that the Xia Group had a much larger conspiracy, and that the real killer of Ah San had yet to be found. He then began investigating the Xia Group, and for his future, I repeatedly tried to stop him. A small-time cop like the Xia Group posed no threat whatsoever. Ye Cheng never said anything to me, but I knew he harbored deep resentment towards me, and that Ah San's death was also related to me.

Ye Cheng must really like Ah San, Hu Rongrong thought with a pang of sadness. This seemingly carefree, always-smiling policeman had such a past; behind his nonchalant smile lay a deep loneliness. But one question remained: "Xia Chen, what does this have to do with you?"

"Ah San is my sister." Xia Chen sobbed uncontrollably. Luo Shimin gently hugged Xia Chen.

No one noticed that Li Xiao's expression was very unpleasant; she seemed extremely sensitive to the words "Xia Group".

Ye Fanye's phone rang. He answered it, his expression growing increasingly serious. After hanging up, he said to Xia Chen...

"I don't know why you went to Yishi Academy, and I don't want to know. I'm old and about to retire; I hope for a happy old age. I just received a message that I hope will be helpful. A female teacher at Yishi Academy named Su Youqing has gone missing!"

013 The Case of Su Youqing's Disappearance

A commotion erupted in the ward; everyone was shocked. Luo Shimin, not having heard clearly, asked, "What did you just say? Could you repeat it?"

Ye Fanye repeated, "A female classroom teacher named Su Youqing from Yishi College has gone missing! Around 2 a.m. tonight, the city's police station received a call from a woman who said someone was trying to break into her room. When the officer on duty asked for her address, the call was disconnected. The officer on duty spent two hours tracing the call back to the Yishi College staff dormitory. By the time the police arrived, Su Youqing was already gone. The leadership is taking this case very seriously and just transferred it to me for investigation."

Luo Shimin said, "Around 2 a.m., isn't that the time when Ye Cheng called Xia Chen? Could the person who tried to break into Teacher Su's room and the person who attacked Ye Cheng be the same person?"

Xia Chen stood up and was about to leave when Ye Fanye called out to him, "Xia, wait a minute. This is the police report recording they just sent me. Listen to it; it might be useful." He pressed play.

"110 is the emergency number. How can I help you?"

First came a woman's sobbing, followed by cries of, "Help...help...someone is trying to break into my room...please help me...she's so scary...her eyes...oh...she's banging on the door!"

"Madam, please calm down and tell me your address. The police will be there in five minutes. Please hold on for another five minutes."

“I…no…oh, she came in…haha…I’m back!” A woman’s maniacal laughter came through the microphone.

"Madam, are you alright? Your address is..." Don't hang up the phone.

Luo Shimin shouted through gritted teeth, "It's her! It really is her! Poor Teacher Su! Why did this bastard attack Teacher Su!"

Ye Fanye asked, "Do you know the woman who called the police? Is the person who broke into her room the same person who attacked Ye Cheng?"

Xia Chen said to himself, "I need to go to the scene and find Teacher Su as soon as possible." After saying that, he walked out of the ward, and Luo Shimin followed him.

Ye Fanye said to Li Xiao, "You follow the two of them and protect their safety. There shouldn't be any police at Teacher Su's house. If you encounter any police stopping you, just say that I ordered you to do it."

"Yes, mission accomplished!" Li Xiao chased after him. Only the two elderly people and Hu Rongrong remained in the room. Hu Rongrong glanced at the unconscious Ye Cheng, then turned and left the ward; Zheng Yubing and Shui Lan still needed someone to take care of them.

At the entrance of Su Youqing's home in the Yishi College staff dormitory building.

The door was still sealed off; the police were gone. The door wasn't locked, and Xia Chen pushed it open.

A damp, musty smell wafted from inside the house, and Xia Chen covered his nose. Luo Shimin whispered from behind, "That weird smell again. I can smell it everywhere."

"Let me go in first." Li Xiao lifted the seal and entered the room. Xia Chen and Luo Shimin followed behind. The room was very dimly lit; they could barely see anything as soon as they entered. Ever since Ms. Su's husband's accident, Ms. Su had preferred to bury herself in darkness.

Li Xiao walked forward step by step, shattering several pieces of glass under her feet with a crisp "crack." With a squeak, a large rat darted out the door, startling Luo Shimin into a scream. Su Youqing was a very clean woman. How could there be a rat in her house?

Xia Chen walked to the window and drew back the curtains. Sunlight streamed in, and the sight inside the room shocked the three of them. The room was a mess, with trash everywhere and chairs overturned on the floor. It reminded them of the images of a tornado that had appeared on the news a few days earlier.

Luo Shimin asked in surprise, "I've been to Teacher Su's house before. It was clean and tidy. How could it have become like this?"

Li Xiao analyzed, "People who have suffered a major mental blow all go through a period of psychological depression. They appear normal in front of others, but when they are at home or alone, their dark side will erupt. This is very normal."

Xia Chen interrupted, "Stop chatting, let's look for useful clues." Li Xiao playfully stuck out her tongue and fell silent. She had no idea what clues they were looking for; she was just circling the room. Walking behind the sofa, she tripped and almost fell. Turning around, she saw half a white cloth sticking out from under the sofa. "What's this?" Luo Shimin pulled it out and saw it was a very dirty nurse's uniform. Xia Chen picked up the uniform and examined it, his brows furrowing.

"Is there a problem?" Luo Shimin asked.

Xia Chen said, "This nurse's uniform is different from the current ones; it's an old-fashioned one. In Zheng Yubing's dream, I saw Tian Zi's classmates wearing this style of uniform. Looking at the workmanship, this uniform is entirely handmade, with superb sewing skills. How many girls these days can do that? The fabric is very new, and the stains on it were deliberately put on. It's strange; how come a nurse's uniform would appear in Teacher Su's house? Judging from the size, it fits her perfectly."

Luo Shimin guessed, "It's possible that the person who attacked Teacher Su last night was wearing it. They got into a fight with Teacher Su and were pulled off by her."

"I can't rule out the possibility you mentioned, but have you considered that if two people are fighting, how could clothes end up under the sofa? Your explanation doesn't make sense. My guess is that someone hid the nurse's uniform under the sofa, and someone accidentally pushed the sofa, causing the uniform to be revealed."

Luo Shimin looked at Xia Chen with admiration, "You're amazing."

Xia Chen's face turned a little red. "No, I just think about it a little more than you do."

Li Xiao walked over. "Give me the clothes. I'll take them to the police station for testing; maybe we'll find some clues. Xia Chen, have you found anything else?"

Xia Chen pointed to the door of the room, "Did you notice the door?"

Li Xiao was puzzled. "The door? What's wrong with the door?"

“You lack experience. If it were Ye Cheng, he would have checked the door immediately,” Xia Chen said, walking to the door. “Teacher Su reported that someone tried to break into her room. She must have been inside when she called and is currently safe. The suspect is outside, and to break in, he has to open the door. There are only two possibilities: either he has the key, or he's trying to pry it open. But I haven't found any signs of forced entry. If the suspect were to pry it open, it would make a lot of noise, waking up the neighbors across the hall and the security guard. So far, I haven't received any related information. Teacher Su is usually very careful; there's no reason for her to lose her house key. This makes me wonder what exactly happened last night.”

Li Xiao gave Xia Chen a thumbs up, "You're really amazing. I just received a call from a colleague. There are security cameras on the main access route to this residential area. My colleague retrieved the video footage from midnight last night until 6 a.m. and found that Su Youqing left the main gate of the residential area at 1:51 a.m. looking flustered, without anyone chasing her. At 3:05 a.m., she returned alone along the same route, her gait strange. In my colleague's words, she looked like a female ghost, her steps very graceful. She hasn't appeared in the video since."

Luo Shimin said happily, "So Teacher Su is still in the neighborhood, she must be resting at some teacher's house."

"Not necessarily. Video footage isn't conclusive," Xia Chen said, frowning. "The cameras can't capture everything. Anyone with a little experience or who knows the neighborhood well can easily bypass them. The person who returned at 3:05 might not necessarily be Teacher Su. Considering the lighting conditions at night and the camera's resolution, anyone with a similar build to Teacher Su, wearing her clothes, could easily be mistaken for her in the video. Everyone, please search again carefully and see if we've missed anything."

Luo Shimin walked around the house again, feeling a little tired. She sat down on the sofa and found a hardcover notebook under the cushion beside her. She took it out and saw it was a photo album, filled with pictures of Su Youqing and her husband. In every photo, Su Youqing was smiling happily. Luo Shimin exclaimed, "Teacher Su is so beautiful, like a big star! Her husband has gray hair, but she doesn't look old at all!"

"Let me see the photos." Xia Chen took the photo album and flipped through it as he spoke. "Yes, it's been over twenty years, and apart from her hairstyle, Ms. Su hasn't changed at all. The album has photos of her husband before he was twenty, but why aren't there any of Ms. Su's?"

Li Xiao leaned closer, "Detective, what major discovery have you made this time?"

"I wouldn't say I didn't notice anything, but it just seems a bit strange. Teacher Su doesn't look old at all. She should actually be in her forties, but if she dressed up a little, people would believe she was twenty."

Luo Shimin laughed and said, "What's so strange about that? Some celebrities don't look young either. It just shows that Teacher Su takes good care of herself. I wish I could be like Teacher Su."

Xia Chen shook his head. "It's said that Teacher Su has never argued with her husband, which is very strange. I always feel that there is something wrong, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

Even Li Xiao laughed, "The fact that Su Youqing and her husband don't argue means that they have a good relationship. In Detective Xia's eyes, isn't everything suspicious?"

"Many men and women fall madly in love when they're dating, but they often argue after marriage. This is because we fall in love with each other's strengths, but live with each other's weaknesses. Daily life is full of trivial matters, and even if a couple has a very good relationship, it's impossible to never argue. Either Ms. Su and her husband have never been seen arguing, or there's something wrong with that."

The two girls were impressed by Xia Chen's previous words. Luo Shimin said with stars in her eyes, "Xia Chen, what you said is so philosophical. You will definitely become a love expert."

"I still prefer being a detective!" Xia Chen put down the photo album and continued searching for clues.

Half an hour later, the three of them searched Su Youqing's house again but found no useful clues. Li Xiao said, "Stop looking. If we searched like this, even if the clue was right on the tip of a needle, we would have found it long ago. Let's look somewhere else."

Xia Chen sighed, stood in the center of the room and looked around. He then took Luo Shimin's uninjured hand and led her out of the room. When they reached the door, they noticed that Li Xiao hadn't followed. She squatted by the door, took a pair of old-fashioned women's cloth shoes from the shoe rack, and stared at the soles with a solemn expression. "What did you find?" Xia Chen asked.

Li Xiao stood up, put the cloth shoes into the evidence bag, and said, "I can't be sure yet, but if I'm not mistaken, this will be a major discovery. I can't stay with you any longer. Be careful on your own. I need to get back to the police station immediately to do some testing and comparison on these shoes. I'll let you know as soon as I have the results." After saying that, Li Xiao quickly ran downstairs.

Luo Shimin pressed on, "What major discovery? Couldn't you have given me a heads-up beforehand so I could be mentally prepared?"

"I like to surprise people! You guys wait patiently for two hours, the results will be out soon," Li Xiao shouted from the bottom of the building.

Li Xiao ran out of the residential area, hailed a taxi, and headed to the police station. Luo Shimin said angrily, "Li Xiao is so unfair! I'm just waiting to see what she's found out."

"Let me accompany you to change your dressing while we have this little bit of time." Xia Chen and Luo Shimin walked out, Xia Chen still thinking about the shoes Li Xiao had taken. Footprint analysis is a very profound field of knowledge; it can determine a person's height, weight, and other characteristics from footprints left at a scene. Could it be that Su Youqing's shoes had left footprints somewhere?

014 Dreamer

Xia Chen accompanied Luo Shimin to the infirmary to change her dressing. Her hand injury had healed considerably, and the Crow Nine Sword was frighteningly sharp. Luo Xie said he would find the best craftsman to turn the broken sword into a dagger, and it would be finished soon. Xia Chen was eager to see the dagger. Two hours wasn't a long time, but it wasn't short either. The two ate something at the cafeteria and walked around the school twice; only an hour had passed.

Luo Shimin, holding Xia Chen's hand, asked, "Do you think Li Xiao's discovery can really solve the mystery and save Zheng Yubing and Ye Cheng?"

"It's possible. Li Xiao doesn't seem like he's exaggerating."

Ring... Luo Shimin's phone rang. It was Luo Xie calling. "It's my brother on the phone. I'll take this call."

Luo Shimin nodded twice and hung up the phone in less than a minute. "There's work again. My brother said that the Dream Granny has prepared the medicine in advance and asked us to meet at the hospital. Take me with you this time when you enter the dream."

"Let's get to the hospital first." Entering the dream was still dangerous, and Xia Chen didn't want anything to happen to Luo Shimin.

Twenty minutes later, the two stood at the entrance of Shangjing City Hospital and encountered Luo Xie and Meng Po. Meng Po had changed her clothes. She wore tight jeans on her lower body and a white shirt as thin as a cicada's wing on her upper body. The shirt had no buttons, only a bow tied with a thin string at the chest. Through the half-open shirt, the black lace bra underneath was clearly visible, extremely sexy. This woman knew how to dress up. Xia Chen's nose was a little itchy.

Luo Xie tossed something to Xia Chen, who caught it and saw it was a dagger, no more than two inches long. The scabbard was engraved with exquisite patterns, and the hilt was made of gold with the ancient characters "Ya Jiu" engraved on it. A cat's-eye-sized emerald was inlaid at the tip. Given Luo Xie's wealth, it couldn't possibly be a fake. Xia Chen, puzzled, asked, "What do you mean by this?"

"Your sister and I found the broken sword. After it was turned into a dagger, my sister said she wanted to give it to you. You need a weapon to defend yourself, and this dagger is just right."

"It's a bit too expensive." Xia Chen wanted to politely decline, but after seeing Luo Xie's cold expression, he gave up the idea.

Luo Xie said, "You can take this dagger as a token of my sister's love for you." Luo Shimin's face turned as red as a ripe apple. Xia Chen looked at Luo Xie, whose expression remained unchanged. Unable to tell if Luo Xie was joking, Xia Chen carefully put the dagger away. The four of them entered the hospital.

Ye Cheng's parents had already left. When the four entered, Hu Rongrong was gently wiping Ye Cheng's face with a damp towel. Xia Chen caught a glimpse of Luo Xie's eyelids twitching unnaturally. If Ye Cheng were conscious at that moment, he would definitely be startled awake. Hu Rongrong's expression was also somewhat unnatural. She took the towel and stepped back to the door, not glancing at Luo Xie. She said with her head down, "I'm going to take care of Shui Lan," and turned to leave the ward.