Truth and falsehood intertwine; humans and spirits become indistinguishable.

Chen Sheng noticed that as soon as the woman finished speaking, the look she gave him became subtly different—rather reminiscent of a mother-in-law sizing up her future son-in-law.

He hastily explained, “I happened to meet Miss Rongrong yesterday morning, but that was our first encounter.”

As he spoke, Chen Sheng quietly observed the short-haired policewoman. He saw that when he mentioned having met her, a flicker of emotion appeared in her previously vacant eyes, as if she were struggling internally.

But the change was fleeting—like a night-blooming flower—so brief that, had Chen Sheng not been watching closely, he might never have noticed.

What, he wondered, could have happened to this short-haired policewoman to leave her like a walking corpse? And why had her balding superior offered such cryptic remarks?

And then there was Liu Susu—did she really resign because of an affair, or had she already died long ago?

A nameless dread crept over Chen Sheng.

This whole affair was far too strange.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Sheng spoke in a calm voice, “Let’s do a checkup for Miss Rongrong first. I can’t say much more for now. But please rest assured—I’ll do everything I can to help her recover as soon as possible.”

“I’ve heard of your reputation, Doctor Chen. I’m counting on you,” the woman replied at once. Before coming to the hospital, she had naturally investigated Chen Sheng’s background; otherwise, she wouldn’t have trusted him with her daughter’s care.

Although Chen Sheng was occasionally the subject of complaints, it was always because he couldn’t abide the behavior of certain patients’ families, and would sardonically criticize them for it. For example, those who would drop off a patient, pay the bill, and then completely neglect their loved one.

But the patients themselves were mostly grateful to him.

Once the woman and the short-haired policewoman left, accompanied by a nurse, Chen Sheng’s brow furrowed tightly.

“Could it be a ghost?”

He swallowed hard, his hands and feet turning cold—not from physical weakness, but from fear.

He paced restlessly around his office, searching for a solution. But no matter how he thought it over, he realized that when confronting such inhuman forces, he was nothing more than a lamb to the slaughter.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. Without hesitation, he rushed out the door.

He quickly arrived at the door of Room 12.

But before he could knock, the door swung open and a small head peeked out from behind it.

“Well, if it isn’t old Chen—what a rare visitor!”

“I brought you a fruit basket,” Chen Sheng said, his face expressionless.

As soon as she heard this, Yu Youxin’s eyes darted about, but seeing that Chen Sheng was empty-handed and there was nothing placed on the floor nearby, confusion spread across her delicate features. “Where’s the fruit basket?”

“It’s not convenient to bring it to you right now,” Chen Sheng replied, looking for all the world as if he were telling the truth.

Yu Youxin rubbed her smooth chin with a pale little hand, giving Chen Sheng a suspicious glance. “Old Chen, what brings you here? You wouldn’t be buttering me up for no reason, would you?”

“I do have something to ask.”

“What is it?”

“I think I’ve run into a ghost,” Chen Sheng sighed softly.

Yu Youxin’s face immediately became odd. She widened her beautiful eyes, put her little hands on her hips, and said, somewhat exasperated, “I don’t know how to catch ghosts.”

“Do you know anyone who does?” Chen Sheng finally revealed the reason for his visit.

A strange look flickered in Yu Youxin’s eyes, and deep within her clear pupils, a trace of coldness seemed to emerge. But in the next moment, she broke into a sweet smile.

Then she said, “Oh, if that’s what you’re asking, I just happen to know someone!”

“Who? Where can I find this master?” Chen Sheng was overjoyed. He had come to Yu Youxin only as a last resort, never expecting that he might actually get a lead.

“Old Wang in Room 203 downstairs.”

Chen Sheng’s face froze. “...”

“Hasn’t Old Wang always claimed to be a descendant of a heavenly master, with the power to exorcise demons and subdue evil? All you have to do is transfer her 250, and she can unlock the seal placed on her, restoring her powers,” Yu Youxin said, glancing at Chen Sheng, her little face entirely serious.

Chen Sheng: “...”

After a moment’s silence, Chen Sheng said coolly, “Alright, I’ll go ask the police to file a report on Sister Wang soon.”

“Why?”

“She’s far too practiced at this scam,” Chen Sheng rolled his eyes. Restoring her powers for a transfer of 250? Wasn’t that just buying her a meal? And wasn’t the number itself a mockery?

“Old Chen, that unlucky thing you mentioned before, was it related to seeing a ghost?”

Chen Sheng sighed inwardly. At this point, he saw no reason to hide anything, and recounted the entire story to Yu Youxin.

As expected, before he finished, silvery laughter filled the ward.

Chen Sheng’s face darkened; he stared at this schadenfreude-filled woman expressionlessly.

Feeling the pressure from his gaze, and perhaps also sensing the noose—visible only to her—sneaking toward her neck, Yu Youxin stopped laughing, pouted, and said, “Old Chen, have you considered that perhaps she just happened to have a seizure when she came to you? Some parasites can infect the brain, making people dull and unresponsive, even unconscious—and they can be contagious!”

“What do you mean?” Chen Sheng was taken aback. Though it sounded far-fetched, it wasn’t impossible.

Parasites in the brain could certainly cause abnormal behavior.

“But if that’s the case, why does everyone say Liu Susu was murdered long ago?” Chen Sheng pressed.

“Maybe it’s just a coincidence of names? You don’t know everyone in this hospital. It’s possible they made a mistake. Besides, if something as gruesome as a murder and dismemberment, or a big fire, really happened, how come you heard nothing about it? Maybe the murder was covered up to avoid panic, but what about the fire?” Yu Youxin spread her hands, her analysis logical and thorough.

Chen Sheng said nothing, but inwardly he was half-convinced. There were indeed two nurses named Liu Susu in the hospital, but the other worked in a different building, so Chen Sheng had never seen her during working hours.

Just then, a nurse knocked and entered. On seeing Chen Sheng, she said immediately, “Doctor Chen, Miss Jiang Rongrong’s test results are back.”

With that, she handed him a stack of reports.

Chen Sheng glanced through them, and soon a look of delight spread across his face. He turned to Yu Youxin, “Thank you!”

The results were just as Yu Youxin had suggested—there were signs of suspected parasitic infection in the brain.

It really had been a false alarm!

“Old Chen, I think you’re just too stressed—you need to relax, or if you keep letting your imagination run wild, you’ll end up a patient in this ward,” Yu Youxin said breezily.

With his worries dispelled, Chen Sheng felt much lighter. He shook his head and replied, “I could only afford a room like Sister Wang’s, not a single room like this.”

After all, the odd-numbered and even-numbered rooms in this hospital were all special wards—ordinary folk simply weren’t eligible to stay in them.