Sitting in KFC, Ruan Qing saw that the call was from a landline and immediately answered. Sure enough, it was from the hospital’s nurse station.
“Ma’am, the one wearing Hanfu has woken up. Have you returned?”
Ruan Qing: “Right away, I’m nearby.”
“Let me ask,” the nurse said, “he doesn’t have his mobile phone on him. Is it with you?”
A knife, yes, there was one. But a mobile phone? No.
Ruan Qing said, “No, I came with the ambulance when we brought him in, and he went straight into the emergency room. I didn’t see his mobile phone.”
The nurse on the other end muttered, “That’s troublesome.”
“Miss Nurse,” Ruan Qing asked, “what’s the situation now?”
The nurse told her, “That person has stress-induced amnesia. He didn’t bring his mobile phone either, so we can’t contact his family. We’re considering calling the police.”
“Don’t call the police!” Ruan Qing blurted out.
Nurse: “Hmm?”
Ruan Qing composed herself and said, “I’m near the hospital and can return immediately. How about this—I’ll go check on the situation first, talk to him, and help him recall what happened when he was injured. If that doesn’t work, we can call the police then.”
The nurse sounded surprised. “You’re quite helpful. Alright, come over first and meet with our doctor.”
Ruan Qing said “Okay,” hung up, drove back to the hospital, and found the nurse who had called her.
“That was quick,” the nurse remarked.
She took her to see the doctor.
“That person is quite a handful. It’s not just amnesia,” the doctor said, tapping his own temple to indicate. “His mind is in disarray. We suspect he might be a TikTok creator. Now, with the trauma-induced amnesia and mental confusion, he can’t distinguish between fiction and reality.”
Ruan Qing asked, “How was his amnesia confirmed?”
The doctor replied, “He said so himself—he can’t remember anything.”
Ruan Qing: “…”
Oh, he said so himself.
Amnesia—such a convenient excuse.
If she were in his shoes, she’d probably use amnesia as an excuse too in this situation.
“Well,” she said, “where is he? Let me see him first. Don’t call the police yet.”
Nian Qi realized that the environment he found himself in was very wrong. Even his replies, which he thought were perfectly fine, seemed off to these people.
The problem was, he couldn’t even figure out what exactly was wrong.
In the past, no matter where he went, he could quickly blend into the surroundings and disappear into the crowd. Only this time, he couldn’t blend in or hide.
So when the white-robed doctor asked, “Did you hit your head?” Nian Qi took the opportunity and admitted that he had bumped his head.
Remembering some strange tales he’d heard before about people hitting their heads and forgetting things—even common sense—he lied, saying his mind was muddled and many things felt hazy.
The white-robed doctor asked him a few more questions.
When asked about his name and family, he said he couldn’t remember.
Then he was asked if he had a “hand chicken.” Nian Qi didn’t know what kind of chicken a “hand chicken” was, how it differed from other chickens, or what a chicken had to do with the current situation. But since he definitely didn’t have this chicken, he honestly asked back, “What kind of chicken is a hand chicken?”
The doctor and the maid both looked troubled.
“Ah, right!” the pink-clad maid suddenly remembered. “The girl who brought him here went to eat. She said to call her if he woke up.”
The doctor said, “Could she have taken his mobile phone?”
"Possibly, I'll go call her. She left her number at the nurse's station." The maidservant turned and left after speaking.
Though he didn't understand words like "hand chicken" or "calling," Nian Qi grasped that someone had brought him to this medical hall.
Upon further inquiry, the physician said, "It was a young girl. She even paid your fees upfront."
A beautiful face flashed through Nian Qi's mind. He remembered now—just before losing consciousness, he had indeed caught a fleeting glimpse of a woman.
The physician told him not to wander off and to rest here for now: "Call a nurse if you need anything." He raised a hand, pointing toward the pink-clad women moving briskly about.
Nian Qi suddenly understood—these maidservants were called "nurses" in this place.
Considering their duties, the term made literal sense.
He nodded.
But after the physician left, Nian Qi still stood up—the environment here was too peculiar, and he wanted to look around.
The room was large, with what looked like twenty or thirty beds, nearly all occupied by patients. There were also some family members keeping vigil.
Beside the neighboring bed sat a family member, head bowed, staring at a strange square object in their hands. How could that thing glow, casting shifting colors on their face?
In this bizarre place, glowing objects were everywhere.
Incredible.
Too many questions piled up in Nian Qi's mind, yet he had to feign an air of calm indifference and composure.
Suppressing these doubts, he stepped out the door of the large room.
Seeing the scene outside, he halted, unable to suppress a soft intake of breath.
What a long corridor!
How enormous must this building be?
Bright as daylight! Priceless lamps were embedded one after another in the ceiling—too many to count at a glance.
Extravagant to the point of absurdity!
The owner of this medical hall must be immensely wealthy, perhaps a local magnate?
I wonder if they have any enemies who want them dead? If they need someone eliminated, Nian Qi could offer them a new-customer discount.
The steward in charge of taking contracts at the hall had once said that thirty percent of their business came from repeat clients.
Such a lucrative customer should be nurtured for long-term development.
While pondering what discount would be appropriate, Nian Qi tried to walk down the corridor with an expression that said, "Nothing I see here surprises me," not giving up on blending into this environment.
Yet, as he walked, the many weary patients and vigilant family members in the corridor all turned their gazes toward him in unison.
Nian Qi couldn't help it—his clothing and hairstyle were simply too different from everyone else's here.
He also found it puzzling. Though the people here spoke with an accent, it was still the language of the Central Plains. Even if they were a different ethnicity, this should be a civilized region where Central Plains people were no strangers. Why, then, did everyone look at him, a proper Central Plains man, with such strange eyes?
Why did some people's first reaction upon seeing him be to laugh?
Thinking further, the most unbelievable thing was that the place he had jumped from the cliff was in the mountains dozens of li outside Jiangcheng, deep in the heart of the Central Plains. How could he have opened his eyes to find himself in such a bizarre place?
How had the person who rescued him transported him from outside Jiangcheng to here? Why not seek treatment locally in Jiangcheng?
It made no sense, no sense at all.
He could only wait for that person to arrive and ask.
Fortunately, the people in the hallway adapted to him rather quickly. Most couldn't help but take a second glance, some smiled, while even more simply looked once before turning back to their own business.
No one seemed particularly shocked or alarmed. This restored Nian Qi's confidence in blending into his surroundings.
As he walked, he observed the environment and the people around him.
Suddenly, something caught his eye. Nian Qi stopped in his tracks.
The nurse was leading Ruan Qing toward the emergency room when halfway there, both of them spotted Nian Qi standing in the hallway.
Tall, dressed in black ancient-style clothing. The belt cinched at his waist accentuated the lean, attractive lines of his back and torso.
His profile was sharply defined, exuding a rugged handsomeness. Among the weary, sluggish patients on the first floor, he stood out conspicuously.
He stood before an LED advertisement screen for a shared charging station, staring fixedly at the screen, motionless as if frozen in place.
Seeing him like this, Ruan Qing paused her steps.
"The one in Hanfu, the one in Hanfu!" the nurse called out as she walked straight over to him. "Didn't you say you wanted to meet the person who brought you here? She's here."
Nian Qi was still immersed in shock.
Not even the bright, daylight-like lights on the ceiling had stunned him this much. Nor had the sight of men and women exposing their arms and chests.
Because he had traveled far and wide, visiting many places. The more experienced and knowledgeable one was, the more one understood that customs varied greatly across the world, and there were many rare treasures one had never even heard of.
But this—this thing before him—exceeded the category of "rare treasures"—
Nian Qi had leaned in to look: it was merely a flat panel, about four fingers thick. There was absolutely no way a person could be hidden inside.
Yet his eyes did not deceive him. Not only did he see living people talking, singing, and dancing, but he also saw mountains, rivers, and towering buildings that seemed to rise straight from the ground.
Dense as a forest, they stood tall upon the earth, forming a vast city.
And the perspective—it was as if an immortal were flying high above, looking down from the sky.
Unbelievable.
Just as he was reeling from the shock, the nurse's voice snapped him back to reality. Nian Qi abruptly turned his head.
Not far behind the nurse stood a woman.
Her hair was tied into a loose little bun at the back of her head, and she carried a small bag slung diagonally across her body. Her skirt was short, not only exposing her arms but also revealing a pair of snow-white, straight legs with a beautiful shape, boldly and bare, outside her clothing.
Her eyes were bright and alert, fixed on him.
"This kind person was the one who brought you here and even covered your medical expenses," the nurse chattered on. "Don't worry if you can't remember anything right now. Just relax and take your time. Talk to her about the circumstances when you were found—maybe it'll help jog your memory."
She then said to Ruan Qing, "You two chat first and see if it helps. If you need anything, come find me at the nurse's station."
With that, she hurried off, bustling away.
Night shifts in the emergency room were always like this—nonstop busy.
The two of them watched the nurse leave before turning their attention back to each other.
Nian Qi took a step forward, his gaze unwavering: "May I ask, was it you, miss, who brought me here for treatment?"
A passerby happened to overhear, glanced at him in surprise, stifled a laugh, and walked on.
["May I ask"]
["Was it you"]
["Miss"]
Help! Ruan Qing's toes were curling in embarrassment!
But what made Ruan Qing's scalp tingle even more was the air of utter calmness that radiated from the person before her.
How could he remain so calm? Did he even realize his current situation?
From the hair on his head to the soles of his shoes, he stood out starkly from everyone around him. Anyone else would have been flustered and at a loss, yet he carried himself with the confidence of "I'm a local through and through."
Seeing Ruan Qing's subtle expression but receiving no answer, Nian Qi was about to speak again when another person walked past them.
Ruan Qing loudly cleared her throat.
Nian Qi immediately closed his mouth—every time he spoke now, someone would laugh, whether it was doctors, nurses, or passersby. He knew he must be saying something wrong, but he couldn't figure out what it was.
Ruan Qing's throat-clearing was clearly a signal for him to be quiet.
Sure enough, once the passerby had moved on, Ruan Qing leaned in slightly and lowered her voice. "There are too many people here. Shall we find another place to talk?"
Nian Qi nodded. "Alright."
Ruan Qing looked around and spotted the directional signs hanging from the ceiling.
"Let's go over there," she said, pointing in a direction.
Nian Qi knew nothing about this place, so he naturally followed without objection, trailing behind Ruan Qing as they walked toward the far end of the long corridor.
As they walked, he marveled at the sheer size of the building.
This wasn't like the winding corridors in courtyards, whose lengths could vary freely. This was an indoor hallway, and its length reflected the overall scale of the structure.
Ruan Qing walked ahead, with Nian Qi following behind.
He tried his best to control his gaze, ensuring it never fell below Ruan Qing's shoulders.
In his line of work, his hands were stained with lives, and he wouldn't dare claim to be a man of virtue. But Nian Qi was certainly no lecher who would take advantage of someone in the dark.
Ruan Qing led him through the long corridor, away from the emergency department, and into the outpatient hall.
The emergency department had its own registration, payment windows, and pharmacy, separate from the outpatient services. The outpatient hall was now closed for the day, its main doors locked. The vast, empty hall was completely deserted, making it the perfect place for a private conversation.
The two of them stopped in a corner.
Nian Qi had already realized that the more he spoke, the more mistakes he made, so he refrained from initiating conversation and waited silently for Ruan Qing to speak.
Ruan Qing took the lead. "Telling them you have amnesia won't work."
A glint flashed in Nian Qi's eyes. "Please enlighten me, miss."
He didn't deny or evade the issue. As long as he was willing to be honest, communication would be easier. Ruan Qing asked him, "Do you know what will happen if you say that?"
Nian Qi admitted, "I don't. I'm quite puzzled."
Ruan Qing explained the situation to him. "If you claim to have amnesia, the hospital will be responsible for you and won't just let someone with memory loss leave. They'll report it to the police, and the police will come to investigate you."
Nian Qi asked, "Police?"
Ruan Qing smoothly switched her wording. "The authorities."
Nian Qi understood and nodded. "And then?"
Ruan Qing said, "You definitely don't have an ID card, which is this…"
She took out her own ID card and showed it to him.
Nian Qi took the small card and rubbed it with his fingers.
In his line of work, besides killing, he also had to learn skills like disguise, voice imitation, and forgery. Even if he wasn't proficient, he had to know a little, and even if his skills weren't deep, he had to have an eye for recognizing such things. But holding this tiny card in his hand, he couldn't even tell what material it was made of.
He was certain he couldn't forge it. Not only him—probably even the master forgers in the organization wouldn't be able to replicate it.
He asked, "What happens if I don't have this?"
Ruan Qing told him, "There's a chance you could be taken away, or at the very least, they'll search the identity database to try and figure out who you are. Hmm, the identity database is where everyone's identity information is compiled."
"And then, things will get worse."
Ruan Qing didn't actually know exactly how the police would handle it, but she reasoned logically, and it wasn't hard to draw a conclusion.
She stared at Nian Qi and said, "Because they'll discover… you're a person without an identity."
Upon hearing this, a sharp gleam flashed in Nian Qi's eyes.