Chapter 117: Falling in Love, the Whole World Has Become My Rival (17)

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Today, while Bai Yao was at work, Dr. Ma suddenly asked, “Nurse Bai, do you have a boyfriend?”
Bai Yao replied, “Yes, I do.”
Dr. Ma continued, “Don’t you think that patient with the surname Huo is even more peculiar compared to other patients with mental health issues?”
Bai Yao answered objectively, “He is indeed very strange.”
It wasn’t unusual in this world for someone to suddenly become mentally ill. What was strange was someone, upon falling ill, would become fanatically obsessed with someone they used to dislike, as if transformed by that obsession.
Dr. Ma took a sip of water from his cup, his tone calm as he said, “I’ve seen patients who suddenly go mad, as if they’ve become a different person before. But…”
Dr. Ma looked at Bai Yao, his gaze obscure. “But I’ve never seen a case where someone is abruptly seized by such an intense craving and pursuit of another person.”
Bai Yao replied evenly, “I only graduated this year and just started working. I haven’t met as many patients as you have, Dr. Ma. There’s a lot I don’t know.”
Dr. Ma withdrew his gaze and handed her a list. “Go fetch these medicines for me. I need them for an experiment.”
With that, he picked up his pen and began scribbling on paper, wholly absorbed in his work, as if Bai Yao were no longer there.
Bai Yao glanced at the list and left the office, carrying it with her.
The medicine storage was in another building. There weren’t many people in this one, and on the second-floor corridor, Bai Yao encountered an elderly man.
He was dressed neatly, looking spirited, though one of his legs seemed weak, forcing him to rely on a cane for balance.
This wasn’t the outpatient clinic or the inpatient ward, so the presence of an elderly man here was rather odd.
Bai Yao politely asked, “Do you need any help?”
The old man looked at her and smiled kindly. “I just wanted to take a walk. I didn’t expect to get lost and forget the way back.”
“I can show you the way out,” Bai Yao offered.
The old man followed her, his gaze roaming the old building as he began to chat. “Young lady, you look quite young. Did you just start working at this hospital?”

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Bai Yao nodded. “I started half a month ago.”
The old man chuckled, “Are you getting used to the job?”
Bai Yao smiled, “I’m doing quite well.”
The old man spoke with a tinge of nostalgia. “It reminds me of decades ago, when I came here too. Back then, the hospital was even busier than it is now. Returning to this old place, some things have changed, but some remain the same.”
He smiled and added casually, “I remember the young people back then liked to share strange stories. Since this place is far from the city, they would pass the time with tales like these.”
Bai Yao replied with a smile, “Nowadays, after work, we mostly play on our phones.”
Strangely, she didn’t ask for any of the bizarre rumors, as if young people these days lacked curiosity.
The old man cleared his throat, his expression kindly. “Yes, our generation didn’t have smartphones, so we could discuss even the smallest matters for ages. Let’s see, forty years ago, when I was hospitalized here, I heard the nurses talking about the curse of the Smiling Demon.”
Bai Yao laughed, “We live in a scientific age now. Surely there are no such things as curses from demons.”
Did this girl really have no curiosity at all?
The old man’s smile stiffened a little. “You can’t say that for sure. There are still many things in the world that science can’t explain. Haven’t you ever heard of that story about the demon’s curse? They say those cursed will smile unconsciously, and anyone who sees that smile will become the next victim.”
Bai Yao shook her head. “I’m always busy at work—I haven’t noticed if my colleagues talk about such stories.”
The old man wanted to say more, but they had already reached the entrance.
Bai Yao pointed, “Just head that way and you’ll find your way out.”
The old man composed himself and said with a cheerful smile, “They also say that if you can please the demon, you’ll be granted eternal life. Who knows if it’s true or not. Well, enough of that. Thank you for helping me, young lady. I’ll be on my way.”
He walked off a few steps, and hearing no curious questions from behind, he thought to himself how disappointingly uncooperative young people were these days—not a single detail revealed, and his time wasted.
Bai Yao turned back and climbed the stairs. She collected the items Dr. Ma needed, and as she walked down the corridor, she saw another figure.
It was the back of a woman in a hospital gown, one arm in a sling wrapped in gauze, moving slowly forward.

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It was Huo Ruanruan.
A layer of white gauze was draped over her head. She stared straight ahead, her pace calm and measured, as if drawn forward by an invisible force, though no one was beside her.
Every so often, Huo Ruanruan let out a laugh. The sound echoed eerily in the empty corridor, adding an inexplicable sense of dread.
As she was about to walk straight into the dark wall, Bai Yao called out from behind, “Huo Ruanruan.”
Huo Ruanruan came to a halt.
A sudden gust of wind swept through the corridor, chilling to the bone.
She turned around. There was a fixed smile on her face, her lips curved unnaturally, as if a living face had become a deathly, smiling mask.
Bai Yao glanced down. “Your shoelace is undone. If you fall down the stairs, your family will blame the hospital again, won’t they?”
Huo Ruanruan stood motionless for a long time. Then, quite suddenly, the emptiness in her eyes cleared, and she took in her surroundings. In confusion, she asked, “Why am I here?”
She distinctly remembered being in her hospital room, and the thing on her head…
She whipped off the gauze, her panic rising. “What’s going on? Why… why can’t I remember?”
Her eyes darted about in alarm, finally coming to rest on Bai Yao. Frowning, she demanded, “Did you bring me here?”
Bai Yao replied, “Do you really think I could carry you all the way here without anyone noticing?”
Huo Ruanruan couldn’t come up with a retort. She only recalled resting in her hospital bed, and when she regained awareness, she was standing here. She had no recollection of what happened in between.
She then remembered the odd patient she’d seen at the door a few days ago. The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became, her whole body beginning to tremble. “I… I was just sleeping. How did I end up here? Did I really run into a ghost?”
The moment she uttered the word “ghost,” it was as if the temperature in the air dropped sharply. The gloomy corridor was swept by a chilling wind, and goosebumps sprang up all over her skin.