Chapter 27 The Real World
After a day and a night of sleep, Lin Qiushi finally awoke. His fever had subsided, and although he felt weak, he was able to walk. After an examination, the doctor said he needed another day of fluids to consolidate his condition, and he could be discharged the next day.
Cheng Qianli had been by his side the whole time. Hearing this, he told him not to worry, saying that someone was feeding the cat at home and he didn't need to rush back.
Lin Qiushi thanked him.
Lying in his hospital bed, he felt for the first time how familiar the hospital was. Coming out of the world after entering it for several days felt like a lifetime ago, even though only a dozen minutes had passed in the real world.
On the third day, Cheng Qianli completed the discharge procedures for Lin Qiushi and drove him home.
After Lin Qiushi arrived home, he took out his key and opened the door. Before he even entered, he heard his dog, Li Zi, meowing coquettishly. He tilted his head to look and saw Ruan Nanzhu sitting on his sofa, reading a book. Li Zi, who had always been rather aloof towards him, was nuzzling against Ruan Nanzhu's ankle, whining and occasionally lying down to expose his soft, furry belly for pats.
Lin Qiushi had been treated like this before, but recently Li Zi disliked him very much and wouldn't let him touch or hug her, let alone suck her.
Lin Qiushi's eyes widened with jealousy. Perhaps noticing his burning gaze, Ruan Nanzhu, who hadn't looked up, finally looked over: "Alright?"
"Yeah." Lin Qiushi walked briskly to Ruan Nanzhu's side, sat down modestly, and tried to pretend to casually pick up his cat. But Li Zi dodged his hand with a twist of her hips.
Seeing this, Lin Qiushi shed sad tears: "...Li Zi, don't you love daddy anymore?"
Ruan Nanzhu didn't say anything. He bent down and easily picked up Li Zi. Li Zi meowed and rubbed his head against Ruan Nanzhu's chest happily.
"Touch it." Ruan Nanzhu showed the chestnut to Lin Qiushi.
Lin Qiushi reached out and finally touched his cat: "Lizi, what's wrong with you? Don't you recognize your father?"
Lin Qiushi was heartbroken, like a poor father who had lost his son. Seeing the kitten he had raised with great effort getting attached to another man, he always had a subtle feeling of being cheated on.
"Cats are more sensitive to these things," Ruan Nanzhu explained. "It would be nice if there were a few more doors."
At the mention of the door, Lin Qiushi completely shrank. He leaned back on the sofa and said, "Can I ask why you killed that woman in the end? Didn't you say you couldn't get blood on your hands?"
"I thought the key was in the cake," Ruan Nanzhu said, "but if it isn't, then it must be somewhere else. Do you remember the last scene of the fairy tale?"
Lin Qiushi thought about it and seemed to understand Ruan Nanzhu's meaning. He sat up straight and asked, "The three sisters were resurrected, and the wizard was killed?"
"Yes." Ruan Nanzhu said, "So I suspected..."
"What if it's not?" Lin Qiushi didn't expect that he would be so proactive just because he had a suspicion.
"If it's not, then it's not." Ruan Nanzhu seemed calm. "Look somewhere else, you can always find it."
Lin Qiushi showed an expression of admiration. Most people would not dare to pick up a knife and chop. Moreover, with the previous examples, most people would not want to get their hands on blood. Only Ruan Nanzhu could come up with the idea that the key was in the wizard's body. Not only did he come up with it, but he also chopped the wizard into pieces on the spot.
"Did you get the clue for the next door?" Lin Qiushi thought of something and asked, "Do I have to go through all twelve doors?"
"Okay." Ruan Nanzhu said, "Eat something first, and then I'll tell you slowly."
So the three of them left the house and tried to find something to eat.
Lin Qiushi had just recovered from a serious illness and should have eaten something light, but he had been eating dry bread inside the door for seven days and was extremely greedy, so he took Ruan Nanzhu and Cheng Qianli to a small restaurant serving Jianghu cuisine downstairs and ordered several spicy dishes.
Jianghu cuisine is a rather special type of cuisine here, with a strong spicy flavor, and it goes best with beer.
Lin Qiushi ate so much that a thin layer of sweat appeared all over his body.
"Your next door should be in about ten days." Ruan Nanzhu wasn't as happy eating as Lin Qiushi. He didn't seem to be able to handle spicy food. After just a few bites, the tip of his nose turned red, and his eyes lost their usual coldness and became moist. "You can rest well for these ten days."
"What's the clue inside the door?" Lin Qiushi was quite concerned about this matter.
"I can't tell you." Ruan Nanzhu actually said this.
"Why?" Lin Qiushi was a little confused.
"That door might not necessarily be yours. It could be someone else's, and you might not go in then," Ruan Nanzhu said. "The hint of a door is only given to the first person to open it. Whoever opens the door holds the hint and has more initiative, but they may not necessarily use it themselves."
Lin Qiushi was stunned: "Doesn't that mean I haven't given you a clue about the next door?"
Ruan Nanzhu: "The situation is quite complicated. Let me put it this way, your next door can be a long journey."
Lin Qiushi was disoriented by what he heard.
In the end, it was Cheng Qianli who explained. He said, "A door can only have one theme. However, if you and I enter the same door, then this door is both yours and mine. This door has other rules. For example, if I open the fourth door and you open the second, then if you follow me into the world of the fourth door and come out, then your first three doors will automatically open."
Is there such a good thing? Lin Qiushi's eyes widened: "If I find one with twelve doors..."
"How can such a good thing happen?" Cheng Qianli took a bite of the food and said vaguely, "You must not cross too many such gaps, otherwise you will die miserably. There are still some things you don't know, so I can't tell you too clearly."
Lin Qiushi said, "Why not?"
Cheng Qianli: "Because even if I explain it clearly, you will still continue to ask why."
Judging from the expressions of the two men, it was obvious that they both hated newcomers like the one who asked "100,000 Whys". Seeing this, Lin Qiushi did not want to embarrass himself and just quietly shut up and ate.
Sure enough, Cheng Qianli sighed and said that Brother Ruan had a good eye. Look at the newcomers brought back by others, they all have countless problems. The worst thing is that right after they finished decrypting the information for them, they died in the world of the door in the next world, and all the words they said before became nonsense.
Lin Qiushi: "...But you only know four gates, why are you so proficient?"
Cheng Qianli: "Although I only have four doors, my brother has already passed eight." He muttered, sounding like he was complaining about something.
Lin Qiushi ate his meal while thinking about what the two of them had said. After thinking for a while, he wanted to ask another question.
Ruan Nanzhu probably noticed his hesitation and held up a finger, "The last one."
"Then why did I meet you in my first world?" Lin Qiushi asked, "Didn't you know anyone in your first world?"
"Those are two questions," Ruan Nanzhu said. "Also, who said I don't know anyone in there?"
Lin Qiushi was shocked: "...Who do you know?"
Ruan Nanzhu: "Remember the two who died on the first night?"
Lin Qiushi: “…I remember.”
"One of them was my customer." Ruan Nanzhu coughed dryly, "I got the wrong person."
Lin Qiushi fell into a mysterious silence.
Ruan Nanzhu: "I thought you were my customer, but when I realized something was wrong the next day, my customer was already dead." He wiped his mouth and said something astonishing in a very calm tone, "Then I found out you had good qualifications, so I brought you back."
Cheng Qianli, stifling a laugh, told Lin Qiushi not to be surprised, explaining that this wasn't the first time Ruan Nanzhu had misjudged the customer. It was mainly because Lin Qiushi and the customer were wearing similar-colored clothes, and they'd already met on the sidewalk...
Lin Qiushi thought about it carefully and it seemed to be true. He then asked why Ruan Nanzhu had treated him so specially at the time, and it turned out to be this reason: "...I thought it was because we hit it off right away."
Ruan Nanzhu: "You can think so."
After dinner, Lin Qiushi prepared to go home.
Ruan Nanzhu told him that if possible, it would be best to move to the villa so that everyone could take care of each other.
"What could possibly happen?" Lin Qiushi was a little confused. "Hasn't he already left the door?"
"In reality, there are other people like us." Cheng Qianli said, "Some of these people are already mentally abnormal... Well, if you can come, try to come. It's not wrong."
"Okay, let me think about it." Lin Qiushi nodded, indicating that he understood.
The three of them finished their meal and saw a huge billboard on the side of the road as they were walking back.
Ruan Nanzhu pointed casually and said, "Hmm, she is Xu Xiaocheng."
Lin Qiushi looked up and found that the billboard had a popular actress printed on it. This actress was a queen with a cold expression and arrogance in every move. She was completely different from Xu Xiaocheng, the crybaby in the world inside the sect.
Lin Qiushi was surprised at first, but when he thought carefully that the big man next to him with a cold expression was actually a girl in the sect, he felt relieved.
"We'll go back first. You'll be safe at home. Call me if you have any questions." Cheng Qianli said, "Bye."
"Goodbye." Lin Qiushi waved and waited until they got in the car and drove away before turning back to the house.
After returning home, he lay on the sofa to rest, and Li Zi sat beside him, watching him from a distance, and refused to come over to let him touch her. As for wanting to lie on Li Zi's belly and suck on her like before, it was even more impossible.
Lin Qiushi fell into a deep sleep while watching TV. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he heard a cry for help from downstairs. He woke up instantly, his first reaction being that he might be hallucinating. However, the screams grew louder, accompanied by other noisy discussions.
Lin Qiushi climbed up from the sofa and walked to the window. He saw a man running wildly in the community, and another man chasing him with a knife.
The scene was too fantastical. Lin Qiushi rubbed his eyes hard to make sure that he was not seeing things.
The one being chased was a girl. She looked completely unfamiliar, but her clothes seemed somewhat familiar. Unfortunately, it was too dark at this time, and Lin Qiushi could not see clearly.
The noise also drew the other residents to the windows to watch. After Lin Qiushi confirmed he wasn't mistaken, he quickly called the police, briefly explained the situation, and grabbed a clothesline to help. But just as he reached the elevator, he heard a shrill scream, and then it abruptly stopped...
It’s over. Lin Qiushi understood everything instantly.
Sure enough, when he went downstairs, the girl was lying in a pool of blood with a dagger stuck in her chest.
The man who killed her sat next to her and laughed, saying, "You stinky bitch, now you have come to this day. Let's see how you can go out and seduce others again."
When he saw Lin Qiushi coming, he didn't react and just kept talking to himself like a lunatic.
Lin Qiushi didn't dare to provoke him anymore. He took out his cell phone and called 120, then waited by the side. Fortunately, the police and doctors arrived quickly and quickly ended this absurd incident.
As an eyewitness, Lin Qiushi went to the police station and learned that the girl died on the spot without even a chance of rescue.
The next day, the incident made the social news. It turned out the murder wasn't a murder of passion at all, but rather a mentally disturbed lunatic whose family hadn't watched him closely and released him from the house, leaving the girl to suffer such an unprovoked disaster. The worst part was that the mentally ill person wasn't held legally responsible...
After reading the news, Lin Qiushi went to the villa, found Ruan Nanzhu, and asked if they knew this girl.
"It should be Tang Yaoyao." Ruan Nanzhu took a look at the newspaper and came to a conclusion.
"She's dead?" Lin Qiushi asked, "How could her death be so strange..."
"Anyone who can enter the door is about to die," Ruan Nanzhu said. "Car accident, murder, illness, accident. Even if you don't enter the door, you will die."
When Lin Qiushi heard Ruan Nanzhu's words, he suddenly remembered the physical examination report he had not yet picked up.
Perhaps noticing that something was wrong with his expression, Ruan Nanzhu asked, "What's wrong?"
"No," Lin Qiushi said, "I just remembered something. I'm leaving now."
Ruan Nanzhu nodded and didn't stop him.
Lin Qiushi went to the hospital and got his physical examination report. He tore open the envelope containing the report, turned to the page with the results, and saw a few neat small words: early stage liver cancer.
Lin Qiushi: “…” How could this happen? Lin Qiushi smiled bitterly.
He never smoked, rarely drank, and had no other entertainment activities besides work. But despite his diligence and hard work, he ended up like this.
Lin Qiushi returned home in a daze after receiving the medical examination report. His frustration reached its peak when he faced Li Zi, who was still unwilling to get close to him at home.
The cell phone rang, but Lin Qiushi lay in bed without moving. He didn't want to answer anyone's call right now and just wanted to be alone for a while.
The phone rang and stopped, stopped and rang again. After two or three times, it finally stopped.
Lin Qiushi thought the person who called him had given up, but half an hour later, there was a knock on his door.
Lin Qiushi walked to the door and saw Ruan Nanzhu standing outside through the peephole. He opened the door, but before he could say anything, Ruan Nanzhu stepped in and asked, "What happened?"
Lin Qiushi shook his head.
Ruan Nanzhu looked Lin Qiushi up and down and said, "Go ahead."
Lin Qiushi was silent for a moment, then turned and pointed to the medical examination report on the table.
Ruan Nanzhu reached out and took it, flipping through it briefly before tossing it aside. "That's it?"
"What do you mean by that?" Lin Qiushi thought he would offer some words of comfort, but instead of comfort, he was treated with this attitude. He was shocked: "Liver cancer!! A terminal illness!!"
Ruan Nanzhu: "Didn't you remember what I said?"
Lin Qiushi: "What?"
"I told you, anyone who can get through that door is dying. Now that you're in, you're no exception," Ruan Nanzhu said. "You're still lucky. At least you have a buffer period. Did you see Tang Yaoyao yesterday? She was dying. If she had made it out of that door, she could have avoided that psychopath, but she didn't."
Lin Qiushi: "But I have liver cancer. Can this method cure it?"
"Is it possible that you won't believe me even if I tell you? It will be fine after a while." Ruan Nanzhu raised his hand to check the time. "You should move to the villa. When you didn't answer the phone just now, I thought you were dead."
Lin Qiushi: “…”
Ruan Nanzhu: "I'll help you move tomorrow."
Lin Qiushi wanted to say something, but Ruan Nanzhu gestured for him to stop and pointed at Li Zi: "Li Zi might have let you touch her in the villa."
Lin Qiushi, who hadn't seen his little cutie for almost a month, immediately rebelled: "Then...then let me try?"
Ruan Nanzhu: "..." He thought Lin Qiushi would continue to struggle.
That night, Ruan Nanzhu did not go home, but stayed at Lin Qiushi's house for the night.
Lin Qiushi felt embarrassed to let him sleep on the sofa, so he gave up half of his bed, one on each side, and they chatted under the covers.
Unlike the world inside the sect, Ruan Nanzhu in reality seemed quiet, even a bit aloof. Fortunately, when facing Lin Qiushi, he answered every question and was relatively gentle.
Lin Qiushi was deeply moved by this, yet at the same time, he felt a sense of schizophrenia, as if the person in the door wasn't actually Ruan Nanzhu, but Ruan Nanzhu's older sister...
Fortunately, he was a little tired today, and fell asleep in a daze not long after the split.
It was not until the next day that Lin Qiushi found himself waking up in Ruan Nanzhu's arms.
Their posture was perfectly natural. He leaned against Ruan Nanzhu's chest, clinging to her like a koala. It was a rather awkward situation, but the most awkward thing was the reaction Lin Qiushi's body had.
He silently wanted to move away, but Ruan Nanzhu, who was still sleeping beside him, suddenly opened his eyes and looked at him silently.
Lin Qiushi smiled awkwardly: "Good morning?"
Ruan Nanzhu: "Okay."
Lin Qiushi: "I... will get up first." He released his arms from Ruan Nanzhu and pretended to move away from him casually.
Ruan Nanzhu remained silent until Lin Qiushi was about to sit up. Then he suddenly said, "You're blushing."
Lin Qiushi: “…”
Ruan Nanzhu: "It's okay."
Lin Qiushi: “…”
Ruan Nanzhu: "We are all men, I understand."
Lin Qiushi's expression was painful, and he only begged Ruan Nanzhu to stop talking. However, Ruan Nanzhu ruthlessly exposed everything, saying, "I'm hard too."
Lin Qiushi fled in panic. He discovered that despite their dissimilar personalities, Ruan Nanzhu outside the sect was just as difficult to deal with as Ruan Nanzhu inside, though the types of difficulty were slightly different.
Lin Qiushi got up in a panic and went to the kitchen to make breakfast. Ruan Nanzhu lay in bed and said he wanted to eat noodles.
"What does it smell like?" Lin Qiushi asked him.
Ruan Nanzhu said, "It's the one you made inside the door."
"Okay." Lin Qiushi put on an apron and went into the kitchen.
Ruan Nanzhu was lying on the bed, not knowing what he was doing. After a while, there was a knock on the door.
"Someone's knocking on the door." Ruan Nanzhu said.
"Go open it." Lin Qiushi was frying eggs inside. "It might be a courier."
"Yeah." Ruan Nanzhu went to open the door and saw a girl standing there. The girl was stunned when she saw him and said, "Hello, I found Lin Qiushi."
"Qiu Shi, I'm looking for you." Ruan Nanzhu turned around.
Because he had slept here the night before, Ruan Nanzhu was still wearing Lin Qiushi's pajamas. The pajamas were a little small for him, so he didn't button them up. His beautiful six-pack abs were faintly visible, which inexplicably made him look more sexy.
So when Lin Qiushi came out, he saw his colleague Cao Ying standing at the door with a red face and a helpless look.
"What did you do?" Lin Qiushi looked at Ruan Nanzhu.
Ruan Nanzhu was puzzled. "What can I do?" He paused. "Instead of asking me what I did to her, you should worry about what I will do to you."
Lin Qiushi: “…”
"Cough cough cough." Choked by the conversation between the two, Cao Ying started coughing violently.
Lin Qiushi's ears also turned red, but he still forced himself to remain calm: "Is there something wrong, Cao Ying?" He had already submitted his resignation and completed the handover work.
"You left something behind." Cao Ying took out a notebook from the bag she was carrying.
"Oh, thank you," Lin Qiushi said as he took the notebook. He used it to record his work, and it was quite important to him. He just didn't know how it had been taken away.
"Excuse me, is this person your..." Cao Ying's eyes shifted to Ruan Nanzhu again.
"My friend." Lin Qiushi said.
"Oh." Cao Ying said with a blush, "I haven't seen it before."
"You..." Lin Qiushi was about to ask her if she wanted to have breakfast together, but Ruan Nanzhu said expressionlessly, "I'm hungry," and then closed the door.
Lin Qiushi frowned, but when he looked up, he saw Ruan Nanzhu's eyes. He was frightened and took a step back: "Ruan Nanzhu?"
Ruan Nanzhu asked, "Why?"
Lin Qiushi: "What does that expression mean?"
Ruan Nanzhu raised the corner of his mouth and smiled: "It means I'm hungry and want to eat something." He looked Lin Qiushi up and down with a very blatant look. Lin Qiushi was about to speak when he saw him turn around and go to the kitchen. A moment later, the sound of eating noodles came from inside.
Lin Qiushi: "..." He must be overthinking it!
The author has something to say: Ruan Nanzhu: I want to eat you down there.
Lin Qiushi: ???
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