Ning Wei calmly opened the door, and the head nurse was scrutinizing her.
"What were you doing in the bathroom?" the head nurse demanded.
Many patients went to the bathroom after taking their medication, all to induce vomiting. Having worked in this hospital for so long, the head nurse was very experienced with such minor tricks.
"I was using the toilet," Ning Wei said, looking the head nurse directly in the eye, completely unfazed.
The head nurse clearly didn't believe her. She put down the meal tray and walked into the bathroom.
This bathroom was only cleaned when patients were changed. Ning Wei was a clean person, so the bathroom was in a passable state.
A recently used bathroom would have a smell. The head nurse lingered inside for a minute, sniffing like a dog, and finding nothing, she finally walked out.
Ning Wei was already sitting at the table, starting to eat. The head nurse's gaze fixed on her back, making her skin crawl and her body freeze, unable to move.
It seemed older women were harder to fool.
Seeing Ning Wei eating heartily, the head nurse, despite her suspicions, had no evidence to suggest Ning Wei was being cunning. After watching for a while, she closed the door.
When the nurses finished their shifts, the entire corridor fell silent.
The glare of the fluorescent lights, though bright, made one feel a surge of anger.
Something was wrong with tonight's meal. It was likely the head nurse, fearing Ning Wei hadn't taken her medication, had mixed it into the food again.
She had tasted it from the first bite and sensed something was off. But with the head nurse watching her, she had no choice but to force down a considerable amount.
After the head nurse left, she slowed down her pace of eating.
As soon as the nurses were off duty, she rushed to the bathroom to induce vomiting.
Suddenly, the sound of the lock turning sent a chill down Ning Wei's spine.
She quickly wiped the corners of her mouth with paper, pretending nothing had happened, and walked out of the bathroom.
There, leaning against the doorframe, was Li Ye, a mocking smile on his face.
Ning Wei, furious, kicked him. "Do you know that scaring people can kill them!"
"So you've been seeing me as a person all along?"
Ning Wei ignored him. Since someone was there to keep watch, she could safely proceed with inducing vomiting.
Ning Wei was ruthless to others, but even more so to herself.
If she couldn't vomit, she'd use her fingers to force it, not stopping even when her throat tasted of blood.
Li Ye, highly sensitive to such things, assumed Ning Wei was self-harming and rushed into the bathroom.
Ning Wei had just finished vomiting, to the point of expelling bitter bile.
Wiping her mouth with tissue, she looked at Li Ye with displeasure. "What's wrong with you, barging into the women's restroom?"
Li Ye offered no defense. Seeing that Ning Wei was unharmed, he left.
It wasn't yet lights out, so no one could wander around freely.
After vomiting, Ning Wei still felt unwell. She drank some hot water and lay down in bed.
"When the patrol leaves, come and call me."
Li Ye closed the door for Ning Wei, giving a soft hum.
Ning Wei lay on the bed, staring blankly at the light bulb, her gaze unfocused.
She thought to herself: This is bad, I must have absorbed some of the drug's effect.
The aftereffects were coming on fast and fierce. Ning Wei looked towards the door, her hope now resting entirely on Li Ye.
As the time approached, all lights vanished, leaving only a faint moonlight filtering through the bars onto the floor.
Ning Wei had already fallen into a deep stupor, oblivious to her surroundings.
She lay on the bed, appearing as if she were asleep.
A beam of light shone on her through a small hole, but she remained unaware.
The patrol was diligent, checking every ward. Once they confirmed everything was in order, they left the building.
Others in the ward had made arrangements with Ning Wei during the day. So, after the patrol departed, they all eagerly awaited Ning Wei to open the door.
However, due to the medication, Ning Wei had fallen into a coma.
Li Ye had been waiting for a long time. Ning Wei usually came to open the door for him quickly, but why hadn't she appeared yet today?
Recalling Ning Wei's earlier instructions, Li Ye thought: Could she really be asleep?
He stepped out of his ward and peered through the peephole. Ning Wei was indeed asleep, her breathing steady, eyes tightly shut.
Li Ye reached out and pushed twice. "Wake up!"
Ning Wei didn't respond.
His eyes darkened, and he immediately guessed that Ning Wei had fallen into a trap.
After a quick check and finding she was merely unconscious, Li Ye felt relieved.
The other passengers were still waiting for Ning Wei, and Li Ye felt he might have been here too long, his mind going fuzzy.
He proceeded to open the doors one by one, retrieved the pills, offered Ning Wei a brief explanation, and then spread the powdered medication into the water dispensers on each floor, with the fifth floor receiving the largest amount.
These were tasks Ning Wei was supposed to perform every night. Since she couldn't, Li Ye did them for her.
Having completed this, Li Ye went to the elevator entrance and tried again.
This time, he peered through the thick elevator doors and saw inside.
The elevator shaft was filled with ghosts of various forms, their bloody hands covering the entire confined space.
They struggled upwards, climbing over each other, but they could never force open the elevator doors.
The cause of their deaths was unknown, but they were all crushed beneath the elevator. Neither daylight nor moonlight could reach them.
What remained for them was eternal darkness.
Since he couldn't enter, Li Ye searched the head nurse's office for a key or anything useful.
Unfortunately, the nurses' station contained nothing but a precisely counted amount of medicine.
The people behind this mental hospital were incredibly meticulous, leaving no room for escape.
Li Ye returned empty-handed, feeling a rare sense of defeat.
He, who could once turn the world upside down with a mere gesture, was now reduced to being by the side of an ant. It was utterly infuriating!
Ning Wei slept through the entire night, even missing the morning dose of medication and breakfast.
Nurse Mu Qing, having rested for a night, felt slightly better.
Her first action upon starting her shift was to drink large amounts of water, completely oblivious to the powdered medication settling at the bottom of her cup.
The ceramic cup wasn't transparent enough, so she refilled it several times, single-handedly consuming all the powdered medication Li Ye had prepared the previous night.
She felt particularly energetic today and was eager to see Ning Wei.
However, Ning Wei had been given a large dose by the head nurse, causing her to remain unconscious all morning.
With her energy untapped, she paced the corridor.
By the time Ning Wei opened her eyes, the sunlight was blinding.
Her gaze was unfocused, and it took her a long time to regain clarity.
Recalling the events of the previous night, she knew she had fallen victim to the head nurse. Fortunately, nothing had been done to her.
Peeking through the peephole, she saw Nurse Mu Qing passing by.
There was no clock in the ward, so Ning Wei could only guess the approximate time.
"Ning Wei, you're finally awake." Nurse Mu Qing was overjoyed to see Ning Wei.
"I'm hungry, why didn't they give me breakfast?" Ning Wei looked at Nurse Mu Qing with a hint of grievance.