Pretending To Be Affectionate [Transmigration] - Chapter 19

Ward 309 was the last room on the right side of the hallway. The hallway was empty. It was probably because Gu Ting and his mother caused a scene every so often. As a result, the adjacent rooms were either empty or occupied by people like the limping uncle who would sit at the nurses’ station and wait for the commotion to end.

When Ling Yu was still three meters away from the door, the doctor on duty came out. He saw Ling Yu approaching and frowned. “Are you here to watch the show, little girl?”

Ling Yu saw that the old doctor was clearly trying to shoo her away. She discreetly glanced at his name tag on his chest. A shy smile appeared on her face as she took two steps forward to greet him. “Good evening, Uncle Qin. I’m Li Xuemei’s grandniece from room 201. It was so noisy here that I… came to see what was happening.”

Ling Yu’s attempt to be friendly didn’t come across as greasy. She was naturally good-looking, and now she had a pair of rimless, gold-framed glasses on her nose, which hid the alluring curves of her foxy eyes. Her long hair was half-tied, and strands framed her face. When she spoke, her eyelashes fluttered, and her starry eyes met the doctor’s gaze with a hint of playfulness, making her look obedient and gentle.

The suspicion in Dr. Qin’s eyes vanished visibly. His tone softened. “The argument is almost over. It’s okay for you to watch from outside, but don’t go in.”

Ling Yu nodded eagerly. Just then, an emergency call bell rang at the nurses’ station. Dr. Qin looked at the bed number, hung up his stethoscope, and left in a hurry.

The cursing inside the ward became much quieter. The door was closed. Ling Yu stood at the door and waited for a good five minutes. The fierce argument didn’t resume. It wasn’t appropriate for her to keep waiting at the door. It was raining outside. Ling Yu glanced at the dark rain curtain. She took out her phone and texted Gu Qing.

[Sister, are you free? It’s raining so hard outside. I’m stuck at the hospital and can’t go back. Can you please bring me an umbrella?]

[Sorry for bothering you so late.]

[The address is Central Hospital, Rehabilitation Department.]

Ling Yu sent three text messages in a row.

008 let out a timely sigh. [Host, sometimes I think you’re pretty good at bossing people around. It’s raining so hard. Can’t you just call a ride? Why do you have to make the protagonist come?]

Ling Yu pointed at Ward 309. [Gu Qing is inside.]

[What?] 008, who had just been released from solitary confinement, didn’t know what had just happened. It quickly read through the information Ling Yu had shared with it. After a moment, it sighed. [The original text didn’t say much about Gu Qing’s adopted mother and brother. I didn’t expect the protagonist’s situation to be so suffocating…]

Ling Yu stared at the closed ward door and murmured, [Babe, did I make a mistake?]

008 was puzzled. [What?]

[Nothing.]

Ling Yu smiled to herself. [I just suddenly realized that the reason Gu Qing has become so unfeeling is that she has never been truly loved. And now, to pull her out of the darkness, I have to give her unconditional love and care. But babe, I don’t like Gu Qing. The premise of completing this task is that I’m still a normal human being with flesh, blood, and my own likes and dislikes. To be honest, you’re asking me to be a “simp” and deceive her, and I can’t do it…]

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy. 008’s voice was a little panicked. [Host, how can you think that?]

008 counted on its fingers and advised. [Do you really think your acting is so brilliant and outstanding? Don’t be ridiculous. Besides the first two months when you were wholeheartedly doing your job as a simp, your persona has completely shattered recently. You’ve been slacking off and being arrogant in front of the protagonist. Someone as smart as the protagonist has already seen your true nature.]

Seeing Ling Yu remain silent, 008 decided to use a harsher method. [And don’t forget, the protagonist’s affection for you has been stuck at 0. What does that mean? Your terrible simping can never fool her. Don’t ever insult the word “deceive” again.]

008 ranted and raved, spewing a bunch of insults. Ling Yu rubbed her chin and thought about it carefully. The hesitation in her eyes slowly disappeared, and she said lazily, “I didn’t know you thought of me that way.”

[So, host, shouldn’t you rush in there and be a damsel in distress?] 008 cleverly changed the subject.

[No.] Ling Yu put her phone back in her pocket. [I’ll wait for her at the door.]

008 said regretfully, [Why? This is a great opportunity to take advantage of the situation!]

Ling Yu walked and looked at the dark sky outside the window. [Because… not everyone is willing to let others see their scars. And someone as proud as Gu Qing… definitely not.]

008 was a system after all and couldn’t fully grasp human emotions. It nodded, half-understanding. [Okay. Did the protagonist agree to come and get you?]

[No,] Ling Yu answered shamelessly. [In fact, with Gu Qing’s personality, she probably won’t even bother. But that doesn’t stop me from running into her at the hospital.]

Outside, lightning flashed and thunder roared, followed by a heavy downpour. When Ling Yu got to the elevator, a bolt of lightning struck, cutting off the hospital’s power. The nurses’ station used a backup generator to keep the patients’ equipment running, but the entire hospital’s power consumption was high, so to save electricity, the elevators were shut down.

Ling Yu had no choice but to turn around and walk towards the emergency exit stairs. But as soon as she entered the staircase, she heard sobbing. Ling Yu didn’t have a habit of eavesdropping. She stopped and was about to leave. The next second, Gu Ting’s slurred voice came to her ears.

“My dad named you ‘Qing,’ the ‘Qing’ from ‘Qingzhu Nan Shu’ (countless crimes). He probably never thought that it would become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The sins you’ve committed against our family, just like your name, can never be washed away.” Gu Ting was lying on the railing of the staircase, his limp hands hanging on the ground. He looked miserable and helpless, but his face held a morbid excitement. “Sister, don’t you get it? Both my mom and dad hate you. Only I am the person who loves you the most in this world… your family. I can tolerate all your flaws… and provide the cleanest skin for your monthly bouts of madness.”

Gu Ting finished speaking. He stared at the syringe in Gu Qing’s pale fingers and licked his dry lips. Then he turned his head and offered his limp neck to the tip of the needle.

Seeing this, Ling Yu was filled with a strong sense of horror. She was shocked and moved her gaze to Gu Qing, who was leaning against the corner. The woman didn’t say anything. She just lowered her eyes, a syringe held between her delicate fingers, like a cigarette. The transparent liquid inside the syringe shook back and forth.

After Gu Ting finished speaking, Gu Qing finally moved her gaze from the syringe’s markings to Gu Ting. The young man’s face held a chilling smile. He encouraged her, “Sister, come on, don’t hold yourself back.”

“You don’t deserve to be my brother? A brother who encourages his adopted sister to inject him with a sedative?” Gu Qing repeated. She looked down at Gu Ting, her gaze like she was looking at a madman. “Gu Ting, do you really think I won’t strangle you?”

Gu Qing put one hand on the wall and bent down. The light from the fluorescent bulb above the staircase shone on her delicate profile. The light enveloped her lips, which were a pale color. The straight line of her mouth was cruel and bloody. Gu Ting had been undergoing rehabilitation for the past few years. Although his limbs were weak, he could still move them on his own. He tried to get up but couldn’t, despite his best efforts.

In the dim light, the woman’s pair of beautiful, indifferent blue eyes were half-closed. Her pale fingers were tightly gripping the syringe. Gu Ting was drooling, and it was all over the floor. Gu Qing didn’t seem to mind the mess. Her high heels scraped against the ground, and she took two steps forward. Her thumb and forefinger rubbed the syringe. Suddenly, she applied pressure and pressed the syringe against Gu Ting’s neck. The coldness of the syringe touched Gu Ting’s limp neck. Danger hung over his head, and he let out a terrified and excited scream. But the scream was quickly muffled by a silk handkerchief.

Gu Qing’s eyes fluttered open. A hint of killing intent crawled into her eyes. “Useless thing.” The woman’s voice was very slow, and her eyes were half-closed. She stared at Gu Ting’s neck as if she were inspecting prey. A moment later, her fingers moved. Just as she was about to inject the sedative into Gu Ting’s neck, there was a loud thunderclap outside.

Gu Qing’s murderous intent vanished in the deafening sound of the thunder. Her blue pupils were filled with disgust. She threw the syringe away and savagely crushed the needle with her high heel. Gu Ting, who had his eyes tightly shut, slowly opened them and met Gu Qing’s calm gaze. He looked humiliated, and his eyes were bloodshot. “Why?”

Gu Qing’s heel was on the syringe. She said scornfully, “Because it’s dirty.”

Through the dim light of the lightning, Ling Yu saw the wetness in the woman’s eyes. She felt a chill run down her spine.

[Holy crap, holy crap.]

[Host, I’m so scared.]

[Sh-she… the protagonist… the protagonist… is so scary.]

008 was babbling incoherently, its voice trembling. Ling Yu’s gaze, however, was on the syringe under Gu Qing’s foot. A trace of Gu Ting’s blood was on the tip of the needle, which Gu Qing had crushed viciously, as if she were crushing a pigeon’s egg, full of a desire for destruction.

Just as Ling Yu was about to take a closer look, a crisp phone ringtone suddenly echoed in the quiet staircase. “Beep, beep, beep, you have a call.” “Beep, beep, beep, you have a call.” “Beep, beep, beep, you have a call.” Ling Yu looked down, instinctively reaching for her bag. The phone inside was ringing, and she didn’t have time to turn it off. She looked up again and met Gu Qing’s deep eyes. Separated by the stairs, their gazes met in mid-air. The air fell into a deadly silence. The woman leaning on the railing below stiffly raised her chin. The sarcastic curve of her lips froze on her face. It seemed to take her a long time to recognize Ling Yu. Then, her face, which had always remained calm even in the face of a collapsing mountain, showed a never-before-seen look of panic and fury.