Chapter 62: Where Is She?

The nurse flipped open the booklet and said, “Sorry, we don’t have a patient named Song Wenwei here.”

For a moment, Lu Nan felt a pang of distress, as if an unseen hand were squeezing her heart tightly. Cold sweat had already soaked through her clothes.

She couldn’t find her. There was no one… She couldn’t even find Song Wenwei.

“Okay, thank you, Nurse Sister.” Lu Nan forced down her inner unease and expressed her thanks.

As she stepped out of the hospital doors, Lu Nan felt the world spinning around her. The lights overhead drifted in her vision, her steps growing heavier. The road wasn’t even that long, but it felt endlessly prolonged.

Unable to hold back any longer, Lu Nan squatted down on the ground. The tears she had been suppressing poured out all at once. Pain and negativity surged straight to her head, like being in a raging river without even a piece of driftwood to cling to. She could only vent her anxiety through sobs.

“I can’t find you… Why can’t I find you? I can’t find you…”

Fear and terror dominated her mind. Lu Nan covered her face, tears smearing her features. She mumbled, “I should’ve brought tissues when I left.”

Everything had been heading in a good direction. They had only just become lovers, only just fallen in love. Why did this have to happen?

“Where on earth are you…?” Lu Nan’s mental defenses crumbled completely. She leaned against the wall, racking her brain. If not here, then where?

In a situation like this, Song Wenwei’s father should have been notified, and the aunt who had brought her back should still be in the city.

How could she contact her aunt, her father…? A sudden idea struck Lu Nan: ask the class teacher for Song Wenwei’s family number!

Yes, back in high school, the school had registered details for left-behind children to ensure quick contact with family in case of issues. Both of them had filled it out. With no one at home, Song Wenwei had listed her father far away in a foreign country and her aunt, while Lu Nan had put down Li Erning and her big brother.

With that thought, Lu Nan wiped away her tears, not letting them blur her vision. She pulled out her phone from her pocket and messaged the class teacher, then, fearing no reply, also asked a few close friends.

[Class Teacher: Wait a moment, I’ll check. There should still be a file on the computer.]

[Class Teacher: I’ve sent you the numbers. Try calling them. Song Wenwei’s father works in a place abroad with no signal, so if it doesn’t connect, try a few more times or call again after a few hours.]

[Lu Nan, if there’s anything I can help with, call me. You two are both good kids. Take care of yourself too.]

Lu Nan quickly dialed the two numbers. Beep, beep, beep—just like before, no one picked up.

Nothing… There was nothing left…

“I saw her…”

A person emerged behind her. That person looked dazed. Seeing Lu Nan, she let out a startled cry, then staggered over to stand in front of her.

Her voice held no emotion, like mechanically reciting a story. Lu Nan looked up and met her calm eyes.

“What?” In the dim light, it took Lu Nan a while to recognize who it was. “Xia Zhengyun, what are you doing here?”

Xia Zhengyun raised the bracelet on her wrist and muttered, “If you’re sick, you’re here…”

Her expression was vacant, her mental state seeming far from normal.

Lu Nan stood up and supported her, suppressing her own sadness. She asked, “Where’s your room? Let me take you back…”

“Shh.” Xia Zhengyun put a finger to her lips in a silencing gesture. She glanced left and right, and seeing no one, she leaned close to Lu Nan—

“I just saw the red Song Wenwei.”

“Where?”

Only after asking did Lu Nan realize she was too hasty in her concern. Xia Zhengyun was ill; her words could be half-true, half-false, and their reliability was questionable.

Xia Zhengyun pointed upward with her thin, bandaged hand. Lu Nan followed her gaze: the vast sky was overcast, devoid of stars, not even a moon, as a plane flew overhead.

She said, “Here.”

“What?”

Xia Zhengyun said flatly, “Wind Chime Flower, Jasmine Flower Ring, amusement…”

Her words trailed off there. She frowned in thought, looking somewhat convincing.

Lu Nan grew anxious watching her. How did she know these things? More than feeling creeped out, Lu Nan wanted to know if Xia Zhengyun knew anything else.

She grabbed Xia Zhengyun’s shoulders and pulled her close. In the dim corner, Lu Nan’s eyes burned with questions. “Amusement what? How do you know these? Do you know where Song Wenwei is?”

Startled like hunted prey, Xia Zhengyun averted her eyes. Lu Nan’s grip was too tight, hurting her shoulders. She twisted uncomfortably, trying to shake off Lu Nan’s hands.

Realizing her rashness, Lu Nan quickly let go and apologized, softening her tone. “Sorry. Do you know where Song Wenwei is?”

“Amusement park…?” She shook her head evasively. “I… I don’t know. I don’t know, I don’t know!”

Xia Zhengyun’s voice rose, and perhaps from speaking too loudly, she started coughing violently, choking herself.

—

Watching the person now lying in bed, Lu Nan propped her head in her hands, covering her face.

A figure flashed by in the hallway, then hurried back, leaving an afterimage in her swift steps.

The voice arrived before the person—”Thank you so much. My sister always runs off; if not for you, it’d be hard to find her.”

“You’re welcome.”

The person came to a stop, dressed in a suit. Seeing Xia Zhengyun was fine, she relaxed before turning to look at the person beside her. Upon recognizing her face, her pupils contracted slightly, but the fleeting emotion vanished.

She extended a hand to Lu Nan. “By the way, I’m Xia Yubing, her sister. You’re Lu Nan, right? I’ve seen you before.”

Lu Nan had no impression of her and didn’t want to chat.

“What’s wrong with her?” Lu Nan asked. Back in high school, Xia Zhengyun had been lively and energetic; now she seemed off.

She hadn’t fully believed Xia Zhengyun’s odd words at first, but Xia Zhengyun had accurately mentioned the Jasmine Flower Ring and amusement park—things that mattered deeply to her.

Xia Yubing shook her head helplessly, her tone full of regret. “Mental illness, hereditary in the family. Nothing to be done.”

Lu Nan looked at Xia Yubing with a hint of sympathy.

Sensing it, Xia Yubing waved her hands hurriedly. “I’m her stepsister. I won’t inherit it.”

“Sorry.”

“No need to apologize.”

Lu Nan cut to the chase. “Has she been in the hospital the whole time?”

Xia Yubing nodded. “Of course. You saw earlier—her condition isn’t great. She’s been hospitalized for over a year now with frequent episodes. Why?”

“Nothing.”

Seeing she wouldn’t get more, Lu Nan stood to leave. She still needed to find Song Wenwei; no time for small talk.

Doubts lingered in her mind. Either Xia Yubing was lying, or it was pure coincidence—but there were no such coincidences in the world.

After Lu Nan left, Xia Yubing sat on the bed and pulled her into an embrace with open arms.

She stroked her face and smiled. “Doesn’t sister like her a lot? Since she’s in trouble, why don’t we help her out?”

The person in her arms shrank back, as if startled from a dream.