Chapter 2

I woke up from a nightmare, and that person gave me a big scare. However, upon closer inspection, it turned out that it was just Ah Gui, who was standing by the window, looking outside.

Since Ah Gui was awake, I couldn't hide anything from him, so I asked him in a low voice what he was doing. That guy seemed not to hear me, standing there stiffly without saying a word.

He didn't even turn his head.

I had a full bladder and really didn't have the mood to chat. Since he ignored me, I went to the bathroom. The light wasn't on, probably because the fuse had blown. I felt my way in the dark, took off my hospital pants, and put the sheet in the bucket. I realized I hadn't brought a spare pair of pants and couldn't go looking for a nurse in just my shorts, right?

At this time of night, if I acted like this, I might be mistaken for a hooligan and get beaten up.

Thinking about this, I went out to find the luggage bag my colleague had brought. However, just as I stepped out of the bathroom, the light in the ward suddenly turned on, and Ah Gui turned his head.

It was a ghastly pale face, with all the muscles tensed up, and his eyes were fixed. Maybe because he had nightmares all night, when the light came on, I felt that Ah Gui's face was exactly the same as the black-robed man from Mang Mountain.

Eyes...

Yes, especially the eyes, which gave me a chill...

I was so scared that I stood there, frozen. At that moment, the light suddenly went out, and the room was pitch black. I hurriedly pushed the door open, but as soon as I came out, my head started to hurt, and I felt dizzy. I don't know how I ended up tripping and falling.

When I was lying on the ground, I turned my head to look back but didn't see Ah Gui by the window.

I was extremely scared at that moment, but I didn't realize that it was the last time I would see Ah Gui alive.

Ah Gui was dead.

He fell from the sixth floor, headfirst, and crashed into the flower bed below the hospital building, his body shattered, and his brain matter scattered on the ground. It was a very tragic sight.

This is what I heard from others. At that time, I was already lying on the ground, drenched in sweat, as if I was about to die.

I woke up a few hours later. The nurse said that they were on duty and heard some commotion at my ward's door, so they quickly came to help me. When they helped me to the bed, they realized that one patient was missing. They searched everywhere but couldn't find him. Then a nurse on duty looked out the window and saw a shadow by the flower bed under the streetlight, lying there crookedly.

When I woke up, the hospital had already reported the incident. The nurse saw that I was awake and called the police to question me.

As for Wang Lei, they had already questioned him.

Two police officers came, one a young female officer who looked a bit like Kinu Sana but wasn't as sweet, with a stern face. The other was an older officer, nearly fifty, who sat at the head of my bed, speaking in a harsh tone.

It seemed that the death in the middle of the night had really annoyed him.

I didn't see Wang Lei in the ward, probably because he was being kept away. The young female officer was responsible for taking notes, and the older officer, after a brief introduction, started asking about what had happened.

Despite still being shocked by the events, seeing their uniforms made me feel a bit more at ease. I recounted the events to them.

Recalling this, it wasn't a pleasant experience. After I finished, the two police officers stared at each other, speechless for a long time.

After a while, the older officer asked, "Are you sure everything you just said is true?"

I replied with a grudge, "Do I have any reason to lie?"

The older officer's face turned cold, and he glanced at the female officer. She cleared her throat and said, "Wang Ming, be honest, don't try to be clever!"

Hearing this, I instantly got angry.

If it were the stern older officer, I might have tolerated it, but this female officer looked like she had just graduated, a few years younger than me. Besides, I was a victim, and her tone was really annoying. I also put on a stern face and said, "What do you mean? Are you saying I'm lying?"

The female officer pointed around and said, "You said you woke up to urinate in the middle of the night. Let me tell you, your bed is fine, and there's no sign of urine in the bathroom. Even your pants have no trace of urine. Also, according to the other party, Wang Lei, you got up straight and went to the window. He called you, but you didn't respond and just stood there by the window..."

Hearing this, I broke out in a cold sweat.

Was the person Wang Lei described me or Ah Gui?

I went to the bathroom, so how could I have been standing by the window, motionless? If that were the case, wouldn't I be the one who jumped?

Then why did Ah Gui die?

I felt a sudden panic and said, "If that's the case, why didn't I jump?"

The female officer looked at me with a half-smile, "That's exactly what we want to ask you."

I rolled my eyes, sat up, and shouted, "Damn it, are you suspecting that I pushed Ah Gui down?"

The older officer, who had seen it all, saw my anger and stood up, shouting at me, "What are you yelling about? Before we figure out what happened, everyone is a suspect. Don't get emotional, or we won't be talking here!"

I'm a coward, and being scolded by the police made me wilt. I sat back down and swallowed all my words.

The two police officers exchanged glances and asked me a few more questions about Ah Gui, such as his family situation, financial issues, and any emotional problems, trying to find a motive for his "suicide."

Seeing them ask these questions, I felt a bit ridiculous.

Would Ah Gui commit suicide?

Definitely not. He was always cheerful and optimistic. His hometown was in Jinping County, Guizhou Province, and although his family was poor, they were full of hope.

He had a younger sister in college, and most of his salary went to her education. With such a responsibility, how could he think of suicide?

After the police finished their questions, they had me sign the record. I glanced at it and noticed the neat handwriting. I subconsciously looked at the female officer, finding her more and more attractive. However, she glared at me, "Look carefully. If there are no errors, sign it."

To be honest, I had a good impression of the female officer. She was a beauty, and I was a young, single man with high spirits. But her stern words felt like a bucket of cold water, and I immediately sobered up.

That's right, she's a police officer in uniform, and who am I?

A nobody, with no money, no house, what can I hope for in those unreachable things?

I was still deeply lost in this feeling even after the police left.

I don't know how long it was, but someone appeared in front of me. Just as Ah Gui had just jumped, I was instantly scared. Upon closer inspection, it was Wang Lei, who had been taken out to avoid the questioning.

Seeing him, I remembered what the police had said and grabbed him, asking, "Did you lie just now?"

Wang Lei approached me cautiously. When I grabbed him, he was so scared that he backed away. I was a bit confused and asked, "Wang Lei, what's going on with you?"

Wang Lei, seeing my face, seemed to relax. He pulled a chair over, sat at the head of my bed, and said, "Ah Ming, to be honest, you scared me earlier— you don't know how scary you looked..."

I was surprised. What do you mean, scared?

Wang Lei knew I would react this way, so he told me what happened last night, which was similar to what the police said. The only difference was that I was about to jump, but someone at the door called me, so I didn't jump. Unexpectedly, as I just reached the door, Ah Gui slipped and jumped down.

Wang Lei's words made me break out in a cold sweat.

It was early morning, and sunlight was coming in through the window, but I felt cold all over.

Was everything I experienced yesterday just a dream?

Real or fake?