Âme Miroir Ancienne

Chapitre 13

Before long, Zheng Qi began to snore softly.

"Hey, why isn't Sister Zheng here yet? Didn't we agree that she'd just ask a few questions and then come down? It's been so long, why isn't she coming down yet? It's driving me crazy!"

In a corner by the flower bed at the hospital entrance, Meng Ping and Chen Qing were waiting for Sister Zheng to return from questioning Zheng Qi.

Meng Pingping, who seemed impatient, spoke as if to himself or to Chen Qing in a hurry.

"Let's wait a little longer, it's only been about half an hour. You can't just let Sister Zheng finish asking her questions and leave, that would be so impolite!"

Chen Qing took out a tissue and rubbed her forehead. To be honest, she was getting a little impatient, but she had always looked down on Meng Ping's reckless and impulsive behavior. So, on the surface, she could only pretend to be relaxed and unhurried as she spoke.

The weather was muggy and humid, with not a breath of wind. The moon and stars were hiding behind thick clouds. It looked like there might be a heavy downpour tonight. Chen Qing looked up at the sky impatiently, thinking to himself.

"They're here! They're here!"

Just as Meng Ping and the others were about to explode with anger, they suddenly saw Sister Zheng running towards them, stumbling and falling.

He abruptly threw away the cigarette he had only taken a few puffs of and hurriedly went to greet Sister Zheng.

At this moment, Sister Zheng looked flustered and ran up to them with disordered steps.

"Sister Zheng, how did it go? Did you ask him? What did he say?"

Sister Zheng did not answer Meng Ping's question.

Her face was pale, she was breathing heavily, and her eyes were glazed over with a hint of panic as she stared at them. A hoarse, indistinct gasp came from the bottom of her throat.

"Can't you let Sister Zheng catch her breath? Sister Zheng, what's wrong?"

Chen Qing, standing to the side, glared fiercely at Meng Ping, who was anxiously trying to calm her down, while supporting Sister Zheng and patting her back to soothe her.

When Meng Ping saw that Sister Zheng was in a state of unease and panic, he thought that things might be bad. However, he also knew that this matter could not be rushed, so he was too embarrassed to ask her any more questions. He could only wait until she calmed down before asking her in detail.

Sister Zheng ignored their questions. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, then slowly turned her head, gazing at the hospital standing silently behind her in the darkness—the hospital from which she had just fled in panic. Her mind kept replaying Zheng Qi's words:

"Mainly because...I saw a terrifying, transparent monster!"

For a moment, his mind went blank, and his body went limp and he collapsed to the ground.

All that could be heard were the anxious shouts of Meng Ping and Chen Qing. After a while, the voices gradually faded away and became more and more distant and indistinct.

When Sister Zheng slowly opened her eyes, she found herself sitting comfortably in Meng Ping's Santana.

Meng Ping was driving with complete concentration, while Chen Qing held her, gently patting her face and calling out to her.

Sister Zheng struggled to sit up, and with a weary expression, she forced a smile at Chen Qing and Meng Ping, saying:

"I'm sorry to have worried you. Don't worry, I'm fine!"

"Sister Zheng, you..."

Just as Meng Ping was about to ask Sister Zheng, he suddenly saw Chen Qing's stern gaze in the overhead mirror, stopping him.

Meng Ping could only sigh softly to himself and suppress the question he wanted to ask.

Sister Zheng, who was standing to the side, saw all of this and gave a wry smile, saying:

"Meng Ping, I know what you want to ask! Let me rest for a bit!"

After saying this weakly, Sister Zheng closed her eyes wearily and rested her head heavily on Chen Qing's shoulder.

Chen Qing and Meng Ping exchanged a glance but remained silent.

Actually, at this moment, Sister Zheng's mind was in turmoil, pondering a whirlwind of thoughts.

Should we tell them what Zheng Qi said?

After a long silence, Sister Zheng finally decided to tell them what Zheng Qi had said.

"Zheng Qi said he was scared unconscious by a transparent monster yesterday!"

Meng Ping, who was driving, was startled when he heard this. His hand on the steering wheel trembled, and the car veered off course and sped to the side.

"Watch out for cars!"

Chen Qing and Sister Zheng, who were sitting steadily, involuntarily swayed to one side. Upon seeing this, Chen Qing suddenly cried out in surprise.

Fortunately, there was no real danger. Meng Ping wiped the sweat from his forehead, quickly calmed down, and steadily drove the car back onto the normal route.

For a moment, none of the three people in the car spoke again.

The car arrived at Sister Zheng's house.

Before going upstairs, Sister Zheng asked Chen Qing to ask the director for a day off for her, saying she wasn't feeling well and wanted to rest. Chen Qing nodded understandingly.

On the way back to Chen Qing, Meng Ping and Chen Qing were both lost in their own thoughts and remained silent to each other.

When we were almost at Chen Qing's house.

Meng Ping suddenly slowed down and said to Chen Qing:

"Please ask the director for leave for me tomorrow morning too!"

"You? What's wrong? Are you also feeling unwell and need to rest?"

Chen Qing didn't understand why Meng Ping had asked for leave.

If Sister Zheng's request for leave was because she needed a day to recuperate and calm down after being startled by Zheng Qi's words tonight, then it's truly astonishing that Meng Ping, a grown man, would also request a day off for the same reason!

"I plan to go to the hospital to see Zheng Qi tomorrow morning!"

Meng Ping stared straight ahead, his face grim, and spoke with a stern expression.

Chen Qing moved her lips as if she was about to say something, but suddenly felt a strange cold wind slowly rising in the car. She couldn't help but shiver. She stared blankly at the back of Meng Ping's head for a while, but in the end, she didn't say anything.

Inside the hospital ward, Meng Ping was sitting upright beside Zheng Qi's bed.

"Sister Zheng took the day off, saying she needs to rest and relax for a day!"

Meng Ping spoke first, his voice booming.

"What's wrong, Sister Zheng? Did something happen?"

Zheng Qi asked with a rather nervous expression.

"That's a question for you to answer!"

Meng Ping said coldly with a mocking smile on his lips.

"Ask me? What's wrong with me?"

Zheng Qi stared at Meng Ping with a bewildered look on his face.

In fact, he knew very well that Sister Zheng must have been frightened by what he said last night, and thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt.

"Let's be frank! Yesterday, Sister Zheng said you were scared unconscious by an invisible monster!"

"They're up to no good! They finally lost their composure!" Zheng Qi thought to himself with secret delight.

"Yes, yes, I did see one..."