The old professor carefully studied Qin Zhen’s condition. Researchers from other fields weren’t idle either. Aside from carrying out their own work as usual, they would occasionally offer enthusiastic suggestions for waking Qin Zhen.
“Try tickling her feet!”
Even talismans hadn’t worked. How could tickling her feet possibly help?
But the foot-massage master still returned to his old profession and served her diligently. Unfortunately, the results were less than satisfactory.
“Try a passionate kiss!”
This researcher was rather sentimental and offered a suggestion based on fairy tales.
It was far too unscientific, so naturally, it didn’t work either.
After pondering rigorously for quite a while, the researcher made a well-reasoned guess: “Could it be because you aren’t a prince? Why not find a real prince and give it a try?”
Fu Qi: “...Why don’t you get certified as a witch first, then come back and try playing a part in a Western fairy tale?”
The researcher shut up, crestfallen.
Another person suggested burning talisman paper to summon her soul. When he was a child and had a high fever that wouldn’t go down, his grandmother had treated him that way.
As luck would have it, Zhang Xiping came by to check on Qin Zhen’s condition and overheard him. He scolded the man for engaging in feudal superstition in such a sacred place as the research institute. The entire institute was notified of the incident, and the man was publicly criticized.
From this, Fu Qi reached the conclusion that no matter how outstanding a person was, once they left their area of expertise, they could turn into an idiot.
And he himself was an idiot for listening to these virus researchers spout nonsense.
Science was the only truth.
Fu Qi went back to the old professor.
The old professor said that Qin Zhen’s posture was peaceful and her sleep was exceptionally deep, as if she were lost in a beautiful dream and couldn’t bear to wake up.
Fu Qi knew all about her memories and experiences. He had even gone through each of them with her at her bedside. What else could be making her linger so long that she refused to wake?
No one knew.
The old professor had never seen a young man suffering from such severe anxiety over age. After thinking deeply, he said, “One of the functions of the hypnosis pod is to assist in criminal investigations. It can influence a person’s brain waves to some extent. Perhaps we could try connecting it to another hypnosis pod and enter her dream to wake her...”
This was new research. Before the apocalypse, it had only reached the theoretical stage and had never actually been put into use.
The old professor was fairly cautious and reminded Fu Qi that there was no data to support the procedure, and its chances of success were unknown.
But Associate Researcher Zhuang, who had overheard their conversation, was very confident. “It’s just entering a dream. Even people in ancient times could do it. With modern technology, we can certainly manage it too.”
The old professor asked where she had seen evidence that ancient people could enter dreams. She said she had read about it in novels, and the old professor grabbed her by the ear and gave her a beating.
After joking around, Associate Researcher Zhuang straightened up and said seriously that there were plenty of similar plotlines in science-fiction films as well.
Humans had once landed on the moon and built space stations—things that had existed only in science-fiction films. And now, hadn’t they become reality?
She was brave enough to try and volunteered to take charge of the matter. However, when it came time to carry out the procedure, she was still somewhat worried.
“What if...” she began. “I mean, what if something goes wrong and you can’t wake up either...”
“It’s fine,” Fu Qi said.
He had already notified Academician Jiang and Chen Xiang. If he and Qin Zhen really failed to wake up, he had asked them to go through the trouble of finding a coffin and burying the two of them together.
Associate Researcher Zhuang was deeply moved. “You two really have such a profound bond. You’ll live and die together!”
“Not exactly,” Fu Qi said. “I’m mainly a chauvinist by nature, and I’m also competitive. I absolutely have to see who it is in her dream that she can’t bear to leave... Just think of me as going to catch her cheating.”
Associate Researcher Zhuang burst out laughing.
After making arrangements for what would happen afterward, she carefully inspected the hypnosis pod. She then asked the old professor and Zhang Xiping to come over and check everything once more. Once they had confirmed that the procedure was correct, she started the machine.
Fu Qi was used to staying alert and wasn’t accustomed to being controlled passively. He didn’t relax completely, so the machine took a little longer to take effect than it had the previous time. It was not until half a day later that the indicator changed to a steady green.
Associate Researcher Zhuang could handle the subsequent observation and recording on her own. She saw the old professor and Zhang Xiping out and sent them back to rest. As she left, she spotted Academician Jiang standing silently outside the ward.
When Academician Jiang saw them, he said nothing. He simply turned and walked away. It was impossible to tell whether he had come to see Fu Qi or Qin Zhen.
Afterward, Associate Researcher Zhuang returned to the ward and focused on organizing the day’s data. Partway through, she glanced at the two figures lying on the hospital bed and inside the hypnosis pod. For some reason, she found the sight a little funny.
She smiled. But as she kept smiling, the corners of her mouth drooped. She covered her face with her hands.
Something was blown by the wind onto Fu Qi’s face. He took it down and saw that it was a fluffy pink silk tree blossom.
There were no flowers like this at the Beiyue Base.
Fu Qi held the blossom between his fingers and looked up. He saw a broad, tree-lined avenue. The trees on both sides were lush, their branches covered in brilliant silk tree flowers. The blossoms clustered together, like pale pink snow piled among the green leaves, or dandelions blooming on the branches, swaying gently in the breeze.
He had never seen such abundant flowers before. He had only seen this avenue.
But when he had seen it, the road had been filthy and chaotic, packed with foul-smelling zombies. Now, however, tree shadows swayed across the clean, orderly avenue. Every so often, a passerby cruised past on a bicycle, creating an atmosphere of tranquil, distant years.
Fu Qi lowered his head and looked at his hands before walking forward at an unhurried pace.
Not far ahead, he saw a delivery truck parked beneath the trees. It was piled high with watermelons the size of basketballs. One had been split open, revealing juicy, bright-red flesh.
There was a watermelon stall, but no vendor.
“Checkmate!” someone shouted from not far away.
Fu Qi looked over and saw a small wooden table beneath the shade on the opposite side of the road. Several elderly men were playing chess while waving palm-leaf fans. Beside them, a middle-aged man who had been craning his neck to watch shook his head and sighed.
“I knew I shouldn’t have made that move...”
The man had no sense of propriety at all. Other people were playing chess, yet he kept chattering nonstop from the sidelines.
An old man wearing a sleeveless shirt looked somewhat annoyed. Just then, he caught sight of Fu Qi and said, “Someone’s here to buy your melons. Go sell him one!”
The middle-aged man finally managed to tear his eyes away from the chessboard and shouted at Fu Qi, “Thirty cents a pound, young man! Pick one out yourself!”
Everything around him proclaimed that this was a very old era—including the prices.
But Fu Qi’s pockets were completely empty. He couldn’t buy anything.
He walked forward, crossed the avenue, and said, “I’m not here to buy a watermelon. I’m trying to ask for directions, sir. Do you know which way the old No. 1 High School is?”
This was entirely different from the streets Fu Qi had once walked. But with the summer sun slanting westward, he could still identify the direction. He asked the passersby for directions partly to test whether he truly existed.
What he really wanted to ask was what year it was, and whether this place was Linxiang.
“What old No. 1 High School?” the old man asked in confusion. He turned to the people around him. “Don’t we only have one No. 1 High School?”
Fu Qi realized that he had misspoken. Before he could explain, the elderly men were already chiming in one after another.
“There’s only one No. 1 High School. It’s not far ahead...”
“You don’t look like a high school student, young man. What are you going to No. 1 High School for?”
“Are you a new teacher?”
“A teacher wouldn’t come to school now. It’s summer vacation.”
Fu Qi finally found an opening to speak.
“I’m here to find someone.”
“Who are you looking for?” In a small county town, most people knew one another. As soon as the old men heard that someone was looking for a person, they all turned to look.
Fu Qi smiled. “I’m here to find Teacher Qin… Teacher Qin from No. 1 Middle School.”
After a slight pause, he lowered his voice and added, “A friend of mine is related to his family. I heard his daughter was ill, so they asked me to come take a look.”
He had initially wanted to say that he was Teacher Qin’s student, but then he remembered the neatly organized lesson plans and books in that family of three. The couple seemed like very meticulous people, so he decided against it.
The old men showed no particular reaction when he mentioned “Teacher Qin.” But as soon as they heard about his sick daughter, the old man who had lost the chess game realized who he meant.
“You mean Old Qin? Oh, he’s my neighbor. He lives right at the school. Keep going this way—the apartment building beside the school gate is where his family lives…”
“What was his daughter’s illness again? Something wrong with her heart?”
“Some kind of heart-valve disease…” The old men spoke vaguely, sighing more than anything else. “Such a lovely young girl. How could she have ended up with that illness…”
“She’s being treated at Haiyin Hospital now, right?”
“Yes. She’s been admitted again recently…” The old man who had lost the game helpfully reminded Fu Qi, “There probably won’t be anyone at her house. You should look for her at the hospital. If I remember right, her room is on the third floor.”
Fu Qi thanked the old men and headed toward Haiyin Charity Hospital.
This hospital was the source of all the evil, yet in Qin Zhen’s heart, it seemed there had once been a peaceful, happy period of her life—one she had been reluctant to let go of.
Fu Qi stared at the large characters spelling “Charity.” His gaze darkened. He stood at the entrance for quite a while before finally stepping inside.
The hospital had been built very well. It was spotless, and medical workers hurried back and forth. If he had not personally seen the case files, Fu Qi would never have imagined that such cruel things were being done behind the scenes.
His mood grew darker. He stopped once again, closed his eyes, and composed himself before following the signs toward the inpatient department.
As he reached a small path inside, he heard the jingling of a bicycle bell behind him. He turned and saw a girl riding toward him, wobbling badly. Another girl seemed to be sitting on the back, shouting at the top of her lungs.
“Do you even know how to ride?”
The voice was clear and bright, a little anxious. It sounded both familiar and strange, and Fu Qi froze in place.
The bicycle had already reached him. The girl riding it had a slightly dark complexion, but she was full of energy. With complete confidence, she said, “Don’t worry, we won’t fall… Hey, don’t move!”
The girl on the back looked seven parts like Qin Zhen.
The remaining three parts were different mainly because of her age, complexion, and build.
She looked about eighteen or nineteen. She wore a blue-and-white striped hospital gown, emblazoned with the glaring letters “DF.” Unlike the bruised, gaunt figure Fu Qi was familiar with, this girl had slightly chubby cheeks and fair, rosy skin. Beads of sweat glistened on her forehead, though he could not tell whether they were caused by the heat or by anxiety.
In any case, she looked full of life.
Wrapping her arms around the rider’s waist, she shouted, “Don’t you dare let me fall! I’m seriously ill, you know. I can’t get hurt!”
“It’ll be fine,” the girl riding the bicycle said. “If you really do fall, my grandaunt will never forgive me… Whoa, whoa, whoa!”
Before she could finish her confident assurance, the bicycle rolled over a raised stone. The front wheel veered, and the bike shot toward the flower bed beside the path.
Fu Qi did not even have time to rush over and catch them. The two young girls screamed as the bicycle and its riders toppled into the flower bed together.
They had been moving slowly, so the greenery cushioned their fall. Neither appeared to be hurt. Their hair, however, had been caught in the plants and was now a tangled mess, leaving them looking rather disheveled.
“You said you knew how to ride!” Qin Zhen complained miserably as she sat beside the flower bed. She tore off a handful of green leaves and threw them at the girl on the bicycle.
The rider shook the leaves from her hair and said sheepishly, “I’m sorry… Why don’t you take me for a ride instead?”
“I’m a patient, okay?”
The familiar, fiery, aggrieved complaint was too much for Fu Qi. He could not stop himself from laughing.
Both girls looked over at him. Their puzzled gazes swept over him once before they warily turned away. They smoothed their hair and went to pick up the bicycle.
The girls were fine, but the bicycle was in terrible shape. It looked as though it had struck the rocks beneath the flower bed. The handlebars were crooked, and the front tire had gone flat.
The rider inspected the bicycle and said, “Your bike is awfully flimsy.”
“Jiang Little Crazy!” Qin Zhen snapped. “Are you seriously blaming this on my bicycle?!”
“Bicycles aren’t safe in the first place…” the girl muttered. Seeing Qin Zhen about to throw another handful of leaves at her, she quickly changed the subject. “I passed the written driving test with a perfect score. My parents said they’ll buy me a car in a few months, once I get my license. Then I’ll drive you around.”
“Really?” Qin Zhen immediately stopped being angry. She looked delighted and envious, though her expression soon turned worried. “You’re leaving for college in September. Won’t you have to wait until winter break to come back?”
“Can’t I just hurry up?” Jiang Little Crazy declared confidently. “I learn everything quickly. Getting a driver’s license will be a piece of cake. Maybe I’ll have it by next month!”
Qin Zhen clearly trusted her. She brightened again. “Great! Hurry up, then. We can take a road trip together.”
“You’re Jiang Little Crazy?” Fu Qi could not hold himself back any longer. He walked over to the two girls and looked down at the rider.
The girl watched him warily. “Yes. Why?”
“Take my advice.” Fu Qi spoke with complete sincerity. “You, Jiang Little Crazy—give up on getting your license as soon as possible. For the rest of your life, don’t touch any kind of vehicle.”
After saying this, he looked at Qin Zhen. In her round, shining eyes, he saw his own reflection, and his heart softened without him realizing it.
He gestured toward Jiang Little Crazy and said solemnly to Qin Zhen, “And you, Qin Xiaozhen—if you don’t want to regret it, never get in her car.”
Fu Qi considered himself quite capable of making Qin Zhen, that little lecher, come after him again and again. At the very least, he had dignified brows, handsome features, and a respectable background. By any measure, he gave off a thoroughly upright impression.
He had also offered his advice sincerely and had not done anything inappropriate. Unfortunately, his good intentions earned him the girls’ displeasure.
Jiang Little Crazy looked indignant. “What do you mean by that? Are you looking down on us just because we’re girls?!”
Fu Qi: “…Do you really have no idea how lacking in self-awareness you are?”
Jiang Little Crazy flew into a rage. “Hey, you!”
“Don’t mind him.” Qin Zhen grabbed Jiang Little Crazy and made her push the bicycle. She walked slightly behind her and whispered, “Don’t pay attention to him. He’s probably crazy… Let’s go. If he tries to harass us again, I’ll take him down. Don’t worry. He looks like one of those puffed-up weaklings. I haven’t trained in two years, but I can still handle him easily.”
Fu Qi, the “puffed-up weakling”: “…”
As expected of best friends.
No wonder the two of you were able to become friends all over again, even across forty years of time.
