Zhao Meiyu’s uneasiness gradually subsided. Her gaze once again fell on the ballpoint pen in Xie Jinwen’s hand.
Taking a deep breath, she reached out and accepted the pen.
The moment she touched it, a young man in military uniform appeared in her field of vision. Beside him floated a green lantern.
Zhao Meiyu cried out in shock and took two steps backward, though she did not let go of the pen.
The young man hurriedly apologized.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I scared you. I’ll leave right away.”
“W-Wait!”
Gathering her courage, Zhao Meiyu called out to stop him.
She bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle. After straightening up, she gave him a military salute.
“Soldier, I’m the one who should apologize. I overreacted. You’re not scary at all!”
Then she asked,
“Soldier, what’s your name?”
“I… I’m Qin Huai.”
Zhao Meiyu froze.
“Qin Huai? Your name is Qin Huai?”
Qin Huai looked nervous.
“Y-You still remember me?”
Zhao Meiyu nodded repeatedly.
“Of course I do! You had eye surgery without any anesthesia working at all. You endured the entire three-hour operation without making a single sound. There are still stories about you in our hospital. Everyone says you’re a real man… It’s just a pity that even though you survived the surgery safely, you later… during a mission…”
A trace of disappointment appeared on Qin Huai’s face.
Not because of his death.
But because she no longer remembered her childhood.
After all, she had been too young back then.
Still, knowing that Zhao Meiyu remembered him as a person made him incredibly happy.
Brightening up, Zhao Meiyu smiled sweetly.
“Hello, Brother Qin Huai. My name is Zhao Meiyu. It’s nice to meet you.”
Smiles were contagious.
Seeing her smile, Qin Huai couldn’t help smiling as well.
“Comrade Zhao Meiyu, I’m Qin Huai. It’s nice to meet you too.”
He waved at her.
His body gradually became transparent before disappearing completely.
Only after Qin Huai vanished did Zhao Meiyu’s legs go weak, causing her to squat down on the floor.
Yet she still clutched the ballpoint pen tightly.
With a bitter smile, she explained,
“I… I’m still not quite used to this.”
Xie Jinwen understood.
“For a first encounter, you were already very composed.”
“Death is not the end. Being forgotten is.”
“Will you remember that there was once someone named Qin Huai?”
Zhao Meiyu stood up and nodded seriously.
“I will!”
“I’ll remember Brother Qin Huai forever!”
Meanwhile, Qin Huai’s little paper figurine lay on Xie Jinwen’s sleeve, quietly crying.
When he learned he was going to die, he hadn’t cried.
When he discovered he had become a ghost trapped in the hospital, he hadn’t cried either.
But now he knew that his younger sister was right here in this hospital.
Her name was Zhao Meiyu.
And she had said she would remember him forever.
At that moment, Qin Huai could no longer hold back.
He cried bitterly.
His voice hoarse, he said,
“Miss Daoist, let’s go. I have no regrets anymore.”
Xie Jinwen extended her hand toward Zhao Meiyu.
“If you trust me, give me your hand.”
“I’ll ensure your safety.”
After a brief hesitation, Zhao Meiyu stretched out her hand.
Using her finger as a pen, Xie Jinwen wrote the characters “Suppress Evil” (镇邪) on Zhao Meiyu’s palm.
The moment she finished, the trace of sinister energy that had formed around Zhao Meiyu due to her shaken spirit vanished completely.
Zhao Meiyu immediately felt much lighter.
Her fear also faded considerably.
Surprised, she asked,
“Miss Xie, are you a Daoist successor?”
Xie Jinwen withdrew her hand.
She didn’t explain anything, merely smiled faintly before turning back toward the ward.
“Miss Daoist… thank you.”
The little paper figure of Qin Huai suddenly began burning from the legs upward.
His obsession had been resolved.
It was time for his soul to journey to the underworld.
Stepping into the ward, Xie Jinwen asked,
“Aren’t you going to acknowledge her as your sister?”
“I don’t need to.”
“As long as I know she’s doing well, that’s enough.”
“In the past, she was called Zhaodi.”
“Now she’s called Meiyu…”
The paper figure burned away completely.
His soul drifted along with the ashes toward the Road to the Underworld.
Softly, Xie Jinwen murmured,
“Travel safely.”
She raised a hand and touched her forehead.
The feverish heat in her body had lessened slightly.
So that’s what it means?
Accumulating virtue through good deeds.
Saving others, and saving oneself.
Footsteps echoed from the corridor.
Ling Xiao jogged into the room carrying a bag.
“Miss Xie, sorry to keep you waiting. I couldn’t find your original clothes, so I brought you a new set. Will these do?”
Looking at the bag he handed over, Xie Jinwen didn’t take it directly.
Instead, she pulled out the contents one by one.
“A disposable bra.”
“Disposable underwear.”
“And this red spaghetti-strap dress… quite distinctive.”
Ling Xiao’s pupils trembled.
If she dared pull them out in the open, he didn’t even dare look.
“Miss Xie, maybe you should take them into the restroom before checking them…”
Xie Jinwen tossed the items back into the bag one by one.
“Yin Ciying’s clothes.”
“I won’t wear them.”
“Take them back.”
Ling Xiao had gone through great effort and embarrassment to borrow the clothes from his older sister.
Only to be rejected outright.
“Miss Xie, you’re still running a high fever. Can’t you just make do for now?”
“Sister Ying’s company has business in the capital tonight, and she’ll be heading back anyway. I’ve already asked her to take you along.”
“I’ve contacted a hospital in the capital. You’ll be admitted for treatment as soon as you arrive.”
Xie Jinwen shook her head.
“No.”
“I don’t make do.”
Ling Xiao was completely defeated.
“Miss Xie, then what exactly do you want?”
Ignoring him, Xie Jinwen began counting.
“One…”
“Two…”
“Three.”
At that moment, Zhao Meiyu walked in carrying a bag.
“Miss Daoist, I asked my boyfriend to bring over some clothes.”
“They’re new. I’ve never worn them.”
Since Zhao Meiyu worked in this ward, she had observed Xie Jinwen coming and going and knew she had virtually no belongings.
After what had just happened, she wanted to thank her.
Coincidentally, her boyfriend had come to visit, so she asked him to make a quick trip.
Xie Jinwen accepted the bag from Zhao Meiyu.
Then she headed to the restroom to change.
Ling Xiao: “…”
For the first time, he was so exasperated he nearly laughed.
Wasn’t this exactly the same thing?
Zhao Meiyu noticed the ever-changing expression on his face and the bag still in his hand.
“Uh… I still have nursing records to write.”
Then she hurriedly slipped away.
Ling Xiao’s phone rang.
The caller ID read: Sister Ying.
He answered.
“Hello, Sister Ying? You’re downstairs already?”
Glancing toward the restroom, he added,
“Wait a little longer. We’ll be down soon.”
After hanging up, he sighed helplessly.
His gaze accidentally landed on the bedside cabinet.
A sheet of paper covered in writing.
And over a dozen small paper figurines.
Remembering that the nurse had called Xie Jinwen “Miss Daoist,” he walked over and picked up the paper.
The moment he looked at it, he was stunned.
Song Lian.
Qin Huai.
And a whole list of other names.
Every one of them belonged to deceased soldiers.
“Go home?”
Different handwriting.
Different wishes.
Yet every one of them shared the same desire—to return home.
Ling Xiao’s heart trembled.
Are they all here?
He reached for the paper, wanting to read the details.
But the moment his hand moved closer, the dozen paper figurines suddenly stirred without any wind.
They were blown onto the hospital bed.
Ling Xiao immediately turned to gather up the scattered paper figures.
This time, the little paper people completely dropped the act.
One after another, they scrambled in every direction trying to escape.
None of them wanted to be touched by Ling Xiao’s hands, which carried such strong yang energy.
Getting touched by him would burn them.