Chapter Ninety-Six: Lu Zhishen’s Soft, Tearful Whimpering

“I mean, aren’t you the doctor on duty? How did you sneak out?” Shen Shi, seeing that Qin Sheng seemed not to have heard her at all, repeated her question.

Qin Sheng was silent.

Relief washed over Qin Sheng. So that was it—this kid had only overheard her earlier conversation with Dr. Lin, which had frightened her, making her think he’d actually heard about the ICU situation.

Trying to hide her embarrassment, Qin Sheng rubbed the tip of her nose. Suddenly, an idea came to her. She lowered her head, feigning disappointment, and whispered, “Could you not tell anyone that I came out here?”

Shen Shi looked a bit bewildered. Turning his head, he saw Qin Sheng hanging her head in dejection. He clenched his fist and slowly replied, “I won’t tell anyone.”

A surge of delight rose in Qin Sheng’s heart. This kid was much easier to fool than she’d imagined. Drawing on all her acting skills, she squeezed out two tears and, lowering her voice to a grief-stricken tone, gazed at him, saying, “My friend is ill… I’m just a lowly nurse, and I’m not allowed in the ICU. I can only try to sneak a look at her during my shift…”

The ambition that usually shone in her eyes was now hidden beneath layers of sorrow and pain. The usually placid lake of her gaze was now a surging torrent. Shen Shi stared at her for a long while, speechless.

Seeing that Shen Shi still didn’t respond, Qin Sheng decided perhaps her performance wasn’t dramatic enough, and tears streamed down her face, two of them even falling onto the back of Shen Shi’s hand, which rested beside her.

The moment the hot tears touched his cold skin, Shen Shi admitted to himself that his heart ached.

The weeping girl before him looked just like he had months ago, with hardly any hope of even a single glimpse.

Qin Sheng felt that she was nearly out of tears to shed, yet this kid still didn’t react.

She sniffled, her voice hoarse with pleading. “Please, just let me see her, even if only for a moment…”

“Alright.”

Shen Shi suddenly agreed. Qin Sheng was visibly stunned; she hadn’t even finished what she’d planned to say!

“Alright… thank you…” Qin Sheng wiped away her tears, slowly stood up, and even swayed a little, as though she had just endured a wave of sorrow and was struggling to recover.

Shen Shi quickly reached out to steady her.

“Go ahead. I’ll be leaving now. Be careful on your way back,” Shen Shi said, his eyes lowered, as if he too were shrouded in sadness. After speaking, he turned to leave.

Qin Sheng quickly wiped away her tears, looking after Shen Shi in confusion.

She was baffled.

It seemed she was the one playing the tragic figure, but why did it feel like Shen Shi was the one who’d been drawn into the drama?

“Nevermind…” Qin Sheng had neither the time nor the energy to ponder this. She soon found the ICU and located Lin Xing’s room.

The door was tightly locked, and there was no way to open it.

It wasn’t impossible to break the lock, and there were no cameras here, but it would certainly draw attention.

Qin Sheng frowned deeply and instinctively touched the phoenix on her wrist.

In the next moment, the ICU hallway was empty.

Unintentionally entering the space, Qin Sheng pressed her palm to her forehead in exasperation and knocked herself on the head. Next time, she needed to be more careful in her thoughts; what if someone else accidentally slipped into the space with her?

That would be even more unsettling than a magic trick.

She took a few steps, then touched the phoenix on her wrist again. In a heartbeat, she was out of the space.

Qin Sheng was stunned.

She was inside the ICU!

She instinctively glanced at the person sleeping soundly in the bed and patted her chest in relief.

It seemed that the steps she’d taken in the space corresponded exactly with those in the real world. Why hadn’t she noticed this before?

Qin Sheng was filled with questions—this had never happened before. But if the space worked like this, it would make things much more convenient for her.

Every step she took in the space would be mirrored in reality.

That meant next time, she could sneak into the space, take two steps, and be right at Guo Jun’s bedside?

How delightful!

The thought of scaring that old man half to death brought a sly smile to her lips. Clearly, a mischievous idea was taking root…

Lin Xing lay in bed, unable to sleep. Just as he finally started to drift off and turned over to close his eyes, he was startled awake. He thought he’d just seen someone standing at the door.

That figure looked just like his great-aunt, whom he hadn’t seen in ages…

Qin Sheng snapped back to herself. As she approached Lin Xing’s bed, she was met with a scene for which she had no words.

A young man, nearly six feet three, was clutching his pillow and weeping bitterly, his huge fists—nearly the size of soup bowls—wiping away his tears as he sobbed, “Great-aunt… wuwuwu…”

Qin Sheng rubbed her forehead with exasperation, feeling this scene was oddly familiar.

Wasn’t there a buzzword on short video platforms that described this—Lu Zhishen, sobbing and sniffling~

She had never imagined this meme could be so vividly embodied.

“Great-aunt, you finally came to see me… I was nearly tormented to death.”

Qin Sheng moved closer to Lin Xing. Seeing that he really was safe, she felt at ease, though his mental state was clearly not great.

“Enough, stop crying. Aren’t you ashamed?” Qin Sheng gently patted Lin Xing’s cropped hair. Though her words were dismissive, the worry in her eyes was unmistakable.

Lin Xing quickly wiped his tears when he heard her. “When will you get me out of here, great-aunt? I’ve been locked up so long—if this keeps up, I’ll waste away to nothing!”

Qin Sheng pursed her lips. Nearly a month without seeing Lin Xing, and instead of losing weight, he actually looked a bit plumper.

It seemed the doctors didn’t dare neglect him.

Even if Lin Xing refused to cooperate with their investigation, they still made sure he ate and drank well.

“Losing weight? Hardly. Looks to me like you’ve put on a few pounds.”

Lin Xing blushed, embarrassed, but continued, “But I want out, to be with you all.”

Qin Sheng nodded, her expression growing serious. “I know. I’ll get you out.”

Lin Xing looked crestfallen. “So you can’t get me out right now, great-aunt.”

Qin Sheng shook her head helplessly. For now, there was no way. Smuggling Lin Xing out would only draw attention, and since this was the district chief’s direct order, if he escaped, the entire safe zone would be turned upside down to find him.

If she tried to take him out now, it would only put him in greater danger.

“But don’t worry, great-aunt, I trust you’ll find a way,” Lin Xing said, sensing her predicament and fully aware that he couldn’t jeopardize her plans for his own sake.

Qin Sheng patted his shoulder gently. “I can’t stay long. I’ll be quick.”

Lin Xing nodded, his expression turning serious. “I’m listening, great-aunt.”

“They’re keeping you here because you have an awakened ability. They want to study it.”

Lin Xing frowned at this—he hadn’t noticed anything unusual himself.

Seeing his confusion, Qin Sheng guessed he was unaware. “Do you remember you had a sudden fever the day before coming to the safe zone? That was when your ability started to awaken. Haven’t you noticed you’re stronger, or that you sometimes feel an odd power inside you?”

Lin Xing thought hard, then nodded vigorously. “Yes! When those doctors forced me to do tests, I don’t know where the strength came from, but I shoved several of them away at once. No one’s dared come near me since.”

Qin Sheng nodded. “Exactly. Your ability has awakened. Be careful these days—they’ll try all sorts of ways to get you to undergo more tests.”

She was uncertain how to advise him further, so she simply told him to be cautious. She couldn’t interfere with his independent judgment.

Lin Xing was indignant. “They still want to experiment on me after all this?”

Qin Sheng pressed her lips together. “Just remember—if you don’t want to be tested, no one can force you.”

Lin Xing nodded, then asked worriedly, “Great-aunt, have you and the others awakened abilities too?”

When Qin Sheng nodded, Lin Xing immediately tensed up. “Then… if they find out about you, will they lock you up too?”

Qin Sheng had considered this. Since neither she nor Chu Xingyu could control their abilities well, Lin Xing’s words gave her pause.

“Don’t worry about us. I’ll handle everything out here. Just remember what I told you.”

Lin Xing nodded emphatically. “Don’t worry, I’ll remember everything you said.”

Qin Sheng checked the time. It was almost up; she needed to go.

“I have to leave now. Once I’m out, I’ll find a way to get you out.”

The moment she said she was leaving, Lin Xing jumped up, his face full of reluctance, but he knew she couldn’t stay.

“Great-aunt…”

Qin Sheng had meant to pat his head for comfort, but she couldn’t quite reach, so she settled for his shoulder and smiled. “Let’s play a game.”

“What?” Lin Xing was puzzled. Since when did she joke around at a time like this?

Qin Sheng kept smiling, making it impossible for him to read her mind.

“Turn around, close your eyes, and count to three.”

Lin Xing nodded and did as she said, muttering, “Why so mysterious, great-aunt?”

No answer came from Qin Sheng.

Three seconds later, he opened his eyes and turned around—she was gone.

Lin Xing searched the whole room, but there was no sign of her.

The lock outside the door was still perfectly in place. For a moment, he wondered if he’d been dreaming, but the sensation of her small hand on his shoulder still lingered…

His figure looked forlorn as he climbed back into bed and closed his eyes.

In an instant, it was as if the whole encounter had been a dream.

But everything Qin Sheng had told him remained perfectly clear in his mind.

Abilities…? Experiments…?

Lin Xing decided not to dwell on it. All he wanted was to get out and reunite with the companions he hadn’t seen in so long…