Chapter 20 This is my little rubber band...
Ling Qiu's expression went blank. She couldn't help but touch her stomach and press it hard. She could indeed no longer feel any pain.
Is Ambot trying to relieve her pain?
That's obviously the case, but Ling Qiu couldn't understand it. If it was to capture her for sacrifice, there was no need for such meticulous care, right? Even if He just said a few kind words or brought her a cup of hot water, she would be very grateful.
Ling Qiu had a strange feeling. This feeling of being parasitized by a monster, apart from a slight numbness in her body and the blood vessels in her skin turning black, she felt nothing at all, and the abnormalities were negligible.
"When you do this, will the pain shift or disappear?" Ling Qiu asked.
“There is no difference,” Amber answered in her mind. “I feel no pain, miss.”
Ah... I see.
No wonder He didn't seem to react at all even after she cut off his feet.
"Have you been to the hospital?" Ambert asked her.
"No," Ling Qiu said. What a joke! Even if she wanted to go to a hospital, she couldn't afford it.
Medical costs in Mante are extremely high, and it's basically only company employees who go there because they have company-provided health insurance.
“Now, go to the hospital for a checkup,” Ambot said.
Ling Qiu almost laughed. A monster was actually advising her, a human, to go to the hospital for a checkup. Who was the monster here?
"I don't have any money." Ling Qiu refused to go, and besides, it was just menstrual cramps; she could endure it for a day or two, and there was no need to spend so much money to see a doctor.
Just then, Lingqiu's chip emitted a slight warmth and a message arrived: "Dear user, your bank card account has received a remittance of 2,000 Mandarin dollars, and the current balance is 89,833.36 Mandarin dollars."
After a moment of silence in the early morning, he said, "You transferred it to me? You still have money?"
Ling Qiu's eyes lit up as she realized what was happening: "2000 isn't enough... Is 2000 enough? What can you do with 2000?"
Subsequently: Dear user, your bank card account has received a remittance of 20,000 Mandarin Dollars, and the current balance is 109,833.36 Mandarin Dollars.
Wow!!
Ling Qiu was silent for a while, then suddenly felt that after so many years, she really should get a full body check-up and have the doctor estimate how many more years she could live.
"Will you come with me, Anbot?" Ling Qiu asked. "I don't like going to the hospital alone."
After a while, the monster slowly separated from her body and merged into the appearance of the dark-skinned cool guy she had chosen. Ling Qiu glanced at his bare upper body and suggested, "Put on some clothes before you go out!"
I changed my clothes and went out. It was eight o'clock in the morning. The sky was a hazy yellow, and the sunset was beautiful.
She took the No. 6 light rail line from the suburbs to Madsen Hospital in the city center, having made an appointment online.
These days, because of the monster, she hasn't had time to go to the hair salon, and her hair has grown a bit long. Ling Qiu prepared a small hair tie in case she needs it during the examination.
She looked around and saw that the light rail line was crowded at this time, mostly with office workers and a few students occasionally. Just when she thought she was going to have to stand the whole time, she found two empty seats in front of her.
Ling Qiu was a little puzzled. She slowly walked over and found that there were no stains or anything like that on the chair.
She sat down slowly and carefully.
"You didn't arrange this too, did you?" Ling Qiu asked Anbote beside her.
Amber responded with a nonsensical remark: "Now, they're only starting to notice us."
But as they sat there, Ling Qiu clearly felt several gazes directed at them.
To be precise, it was directed at Amboldt.
"So handsome."
She heard someone whispering.
Wow, she looks like she has a great figure, and she's dark-skinned too, she's so attractive!
"They must have spent a lot of money sunbathing... Rich people."
Ling Qiu put on her hoodie and buried herself deep inside, trying to minimize her presence. She hadn't slept well all night, and the journey would take about an hour, so it would be a good time to catch up on sleep.
Ling Qiu's sleep quality has been getting worse lately.
With these thoughts in mind, Ling Qiu drifted off to sleep, ignoring Anbote sitting next to her. The light rail was noisy yet quiet, an environment perfect for sleeping.
She was seven years old. Ever since her parents died at the age of seven, many of Ling Qiu's dreams were about that year.
She dreamed of many things, some of which were real, and some of which were figments of her imagination, but all of her dreams ruled out the explosion that killed her parents.
It was as if her subconscious was avoiding this matter; she had never dreamed about it...
But she never expected to dream about it today.
It was a summer day, and seven-year-old Ling Qiu was wearing a thin white vest, wondering whether she should spend money to buy an ice pop on her way to find her parents.
She didn't have much money in her pocket, only 5 Mandarin dollars. This was the money her parents gave her to take the light rail. If she spent it, she would have to spend an extra several tens of minutes walking there.
After hesitating for a long time, Ling Qiu couldn't resist her craving and bought a blueberry popsicle. When she put the popsicle in her mouth, she felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
Just as she was about to walk to her parents' company, she received a message: "Hey Qiuqiu, you don't need to come here."
It was sent by her mother.
The mother said, "My darling daughter Qiuqiu, why don't you come home and see? The gift is in the refrigerator."
Seven-year-old Lingqiu was overjoyed. Wow, she not only bought popsicles, but she also didn't have to go to the company to find her parents.
Lingqiu didn't think much of it when she received the message; her parents were probably going to work overtime again and wouldn't be able to go to the restaurant they had agreed to eat at.
Ling Qiu was very sensible from a young age, and she replied, "Okay, Mom."
Then I turned back and started my journey home.
When she got home, it was still early, and she couldn't wait to open the refrigerator to check. Inside, she found a beautifully packaged blueberry ice cream cake!
Ling Qiu certainly remembered her birthday. She happily hugged the cake and looked at it for a while before putting it in the refrigerator.
When Mom and Dad come back, we can eat together!
When it was seven o'clock, Ling Qiu felt it was about time to come back. She curled up on the sofa and played video games for a while. Before she knew it, it was past eight o'clock.
Ling Qiu glanced at her watch. Aren't they coming back yet?
Ling Qiu wanted to send a message to confirm, but when she sent the message, she received a red exclamation mark.
Ling Qiu paused, knowing that this meant the other party had deleted her.
But she sent it to her mother.
Ling Qiu froze. At the same time, a sense of unease spread through her. She almost wanted to go out and look for them immediately, but then she remembered her mother's words: "There are a lot of cult members around lately. It's not safe outside. Never go out by yourself after dark."
Ling Qiu recalled those strange red armbands and suppressed the urge to go out and look for the person.
She stayed home alone, waiting and waiting. After a long time, the time dropped from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. Ling Qiu suddenly woke up. Yes, she had fallen asleep.
But she didn't wake up in her little bed; she was still curled up alone on the sofa, with no one else in the house.
Ling Qiu was terrified. This had never happened before. If her parents were busy, they would at least tell her.
The room was completely dark, with no lights on, and Ling Qiu suddenly felt very scared.
She turned on all the lights in the room, and then, with a nervous heart, turned on the TV to try and bolster her courage with the sound.
The television program that came into view was a news report. Ling Qiu didn't like watching this, so she switched channels.
Frequency switching, frequency switching.
She switched the program several times and found that it was always broadcasting the same news story. Ling Qiu calmed down and took a few more glances at it.
"At 18:59:59 this afternoon, a massive explosion occurred at Huanyu Company. The entire building was blown to pieces, and all employees inside perished. Thick smoke still billows from the building's ruins..."
...
A sharp hissing sounded in Ling Qiu's head, and her expression went blank.
...
That's impossible, isn't it? It shouldn't be that bad. Maybe he was just injured and stayed behind to handle some things, or maybe he was taken to the hospital or something...
Ling Qiu took a slow, deep breath, her gaze fixed on the news report, and then she saw the news begin to broadcast the list of victims.
A total of 99 employees died.
Ling Qiu watched intently as the list of names scrolled by.
She clearly saw two names side by side: Ling*he and Ling*.
Ling Qiu felt as if her heart was being gripped tightly, and she gasped for a moment before tears streamed down her face before she could even react.
"It can't be," she kept telling herself.
But why haven't Mom and Dad come home yet? Why? Why hasn't she been able to wait for them to come home yet...?
There's still a blueberry ice cream cake in the refrigerator.
Much later, Ling Qiu received some compensation, and everyone told her that it was an accident, a regrettable accident.
Ling Qiu has been living alone since she was eight years old.
She breathed, deep breaths, incessant breathing, like a drowning person, her hands involuntarily flailing about, then she grabbed something and clenched it tightly in her hand.
Ling Qiu woke up with a start. She found herself leaning on Anbote's shoulder, her forehead covered in sweat, and her left hand gripping tightly...
Ling Qiu was stunned for a moment, while she was gripping Anbote's pectoral muscles tightly.
She jerked her hand back as if she'd been electrocuted, burying her head even deeper, not daring to look at anyone around her.
"...Why didn't you stop me?" Ling Qiu asked in a muffled voice.
"Why?" Amber asked generously. "These are all yours."
"..." Ling Qiu wiped his sweat. "How long have I been asleep?"
“We’re almost there,” He said.
Ling Qiu then looked up at the screen; the next stop was right there.
She hurriedly got up and waited at the door, then quickly left the carriage after the light rail stopped.
“You’re sleeping soundly,” Amber whispered in her ear.
"Hmm." Ling Qiu took off her hat. "I had a dream."
Anbote didn't ask her about her dream, and Lingqiu didn't want to talk about it either. They arrived at the hospital in silence, waited in line for the doctor to write out the test order, and Lingqiu had her blood drawn.
After the blood draw, it was time to eat. Ling Qiu was walking towards the restaurant with her test results when she was surprised to find that it was her turn for an ultrasound scan. Luckily, the scanning room was very close to the restaurant.
The ultrasound scan required her to lie down, so Ling Qiu casually put the small rubber band she had brought on Anbot's wrist and told him to sit in the restaurant and wait for her for a while.
The restaurant was quite crowded at this time, and they were unlucky, apparently running into a company's employees undergoing a group annual inspection.
He found a secluded spot to sit down and then remained silent.
Meanwhile, in the examination room where Ling Qiu was located, a pair of hidden eyes appeared on the white soundproof walls.
"Hello, handsome."
It sounds like someone is talking.
He spared a wisp of his spirit and saw a woman sitting opposite him, with long hair, 27 years old.
"Want to grab a drink? You look really sexy," the woman said.
He did not respond, not even raising his eyes, his indifference was surprising.
The woman, who was strikingly beautiful, was clearly taken aback for a moment, but then, undeterred, tapped the table with her hand.
"Hi, I see you have a small rubber band on your hand. Can I borrow it for a bit? Of course, if you're interested, we can also have a meal together, or I can return it to you after I'm done using it."
She often borrowed personal, inexpensive items from strangers she fancied, and returned them with her own scent.
Actually, she came to see her boyfriend today and had no intention of cheating, but... this dark-skinned handsome guy is just too hot and eye-catching, it's hard to resist, right?
As the woman spoke, she reached out her hand, intending to use the topic of the rubber band to touch the back of the man's hand. Once their skin touched, everything would fall naturally and skillfully into place.
Moreover, this man looked so aloof... he seemed hard to catch, which piqued her great interest.
Unexpectedly, just as she was about to touch the small rubber band on the man's wrist, he suddenly withdrew his hand with great vigilance and stared at her warily.
The woman paused for a moment, then instinctively explained, "I just wanted to..."
“This is my rubber band!” he said coldly.
The woman was completely stunned.
"Get up now, turn around, and go back to your own seats," He commanded coldly.
Then, the woman's eyes became unfocused. She obediently got up, turned around, and slowly walked back to her seat.
Ling Qiu returned after her checkup. Looking at Anbote's pale face, she asked, "What happened?"
Amber didn't answer, but instead asked, "When will the test results be available?"
Ling Qiu shrugged: "There are a lot of people today, so we probably won't be able to get out until the afternoon. Shall we eat something at the hospital first, or would you like to eat out?"
Ling Qiu felt that she could finally splurge a little; she had a bit of money!
“Whatever you want,” Anbote said.
Ah, she forgot that monsters don't need to eat, so it doesn't matter what they eat, right?
However, Ling Qiu can only eat vegetarian food, so it seems there's no difference between going outside and staying here.
Since we're already here, why not try the hospital food?
Ling Qiu looked at the menu for a while and ordered a steak and a bowl of noodles.
She pushed the steak toward Amber and said, "Would you like to try some? You might like the meat here."
Ambot took a bite, then quickly pushed it away.
“Cooked meat tastes disgusting,” He said.
"..." Ling Qiu didn't dwell on the topic any further. What if Anbote suddenly got excited and wanted to taste her flesh?
Feeding monsters meat is a bad habit.
After finishing their meal, Ling Qiu and Anbote waited in the area where the test reports were being processed. During this time, no fewer than five people came up to Anbote to ask for his contact information. Sometimes Anbote would coldly refuse them, and sometimes he would simply ignore them. Ling Qiu found this quite amusing.
It seems she has great taste.
I wonder if these people would still be so enthusiastic if they knew that beneath the dark-skinned, cool guy's skin was actually a creepy monster with many tentacles.
At 2 p.m., Ling Qiu received her medical examination report. There were many values on the report that she couldn't understand, so she went to consult a doctor.
"Your lung leukemia is quite severe. Do you experience chest pain at other times?"
Ling Qiu nodded: "I've also been sleeping poorly lately."
"Hmm... if we delay any longer, the situation won't be very optimistic. We recommend that you get a prosthetic lung as soon as possible."
“I am a free man,” Ling Qiu said.
"I see..." the doctor paused for a moment, "Do you have the money to pay for today's consultation?"
"Don't worry," Ling Qiu said. "Besides this, do I have any other questions?"
"Your menstrual cramps are related to your constitution. Eat more meat; your health is very poor," the doctor said.
Ling Qiu didn't want to emphasize again that she was a free person and couldn't eat meat, so she just gave a perfunctory reply.
“You have some nodules, but they’re not serious yet. Right now, the most likely fatal issue for you is your lungs,” the doctor said, looking at Ling Qiu with a compassionate gaze. “If you need euthanasia services later on, we’d be happy to provide them.”
"Thank you, I will think it over carefully." Ling Qiu put away the examination report.
"How much longer do you think I have to live?" Ling Qiu asked.
"Hmm..." the doctor said, "Based on the current trend of lung leukopenia, conservatively speaking, it will take two or three years."
It's much faster than she imagined... Ling Qiu thought she would live to be 30 at least.
When she left the examination room, Anbot did not ask her about the test results. Ling Qiu thought that if the monster wanted to know, it would naturally have many ways to find out; if it didn't want to, there was no point in her asking.
"Let's go home," Ling Qiu said. Actually, she wanted to go see Lu Lu Lan, but with the monster following them, she was afraid of implicating Lu Lu Lan. What if this pervert took a liking to Lu Lu Lan again and wanted to drag her down with him as a sacrifice?
Lululan can live for a very long time.
As usual, I took the light rail home. Just as I was about to get on the elevator, someone came out—it was Wang Zheng, whom I hadn't seen for a few days.
Wang Zheng acted indifferently, as if he was about to walk away without even glancing at them.
Ling Qiu was already used to it, and she took the initiative to greet her: "Are you going out?"
"Ah!" Wang Zheng seemed startled. He struggled to open his eyes for a while, and Ling Qiu knew that his vision problem had worsened again.
"It's Ling Qiu!" Fortunately, Wang Zheng had a good memory and remembered everyone's voices.
"Hmm." Ling Qiu was waiting for Wang Zheng to bring up the matter of borrowing money. She wasn't necessarily eager to give money away. If Wang Zheng didn't mention it today, she would just pretend that she hadn't mentioned borrowing money last time.
"I...I'm going to the supermarket to buy some...ham," Wang Zheng stammered. "My mother...wants to eat some."
Ling Qiu frowned; she noticed that Wang Zheng's expression was a little off.
"What happened?" Ling Qiu asked softly.
Unexpectedly, Wang Zheng burst into tears as soon as she asked the question.
“My mother doesn’t have much time left…” Wang Zheng cried bitterly, “It should be in the next day or two. I don’t have anything I can do for her. I can’t afford any fancy meals, so I can only buy her some ham…”
"Don't be sad," Ling Qiu said. "She's over sixty years old, which is considered quite old in Mante City. Try to think more positively."
She glanced back at Anbote and said to Wang Zheng, "If you don't mind, I'll go see her too."
Ling Qiu hadn't met Wang Zheng's mother many times, but she had eaten steamed buns made by the mother herself a few times.
Wang Zheng went to the supermarket, bought ham, and brought Ling Qiu and Anbot home with him.
Ling Qiu was shocked by his mother's condition. The kind-faced old woman he remembered was completely gone. Her skin was dark, and she was emaciated, looking like a dried corpse.
"If I greet her, will she know?" Ling Qiu asked softly.
Wang Zheng shook his head: "She is completely out of her mind. She doesn't even recognize me. The doctor said she has a rare brain disease, similar to Alzheimer's."
Upon hearing this, Ling Qiu decided not to disturb him any further.
After looking at Wang Zheng's mother, she subconsciously glanced at Wang Zheng's house. It was a dilapidated house with dark walls and floors, but it was very clean.
Ling Qiu couldn't help but bring it up again: "If you need money, you can still borrow it from me."
Before he could finish speaking, Wang Zheng burst into tears again.
"Thank you, Ling Qiu," he said. "I will seriously consider it after I've dealt with my mother's matter."
"Good luck." Ling Qiu turned and left Wang Zheng's room.
She closed the door and stood in the hallway, suddenly feeling a lump in her throat.
She tried her best to restrain herself for a while, casually looking around before waiting for the elevator to arrive.
But when she stepped into the elevator, in the enclosed space, she couldn't control her emotions no matter what.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, and Ling Qiu, her eyes red, kept wiping them.
Ah, she misses her mother.
At the same time, some tentacles unconsciously extended and then filled the entire elevator, gently enveloping her in their embrace.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
