Back in his room, Wu Qiong shouted into the empty air:
"Qingqing! Come out! Bai Qing! QINGQING!!!"
He shouted for a while—no response.
Thinking back on his recent ghostly encounters, he realized they always happened when he was half-awake, half-asleep. The spirits only came to him in that liminal state.
Well, then—better get to sleep. Once he was dreaming, he could see Bai Qing again.
But the more he tossed and turned in bed, the more wide awake his mind became. No matter how he rolled around, sleep just wouldn't come.
He got up and popped a sleeping pill. That should do the trick.
The medication worked fast. He had no idea how long he'd been asleep when, in that hazy in-between place, he felt a large hand gently brushing his hair. It felt comforting, and he leaned into the hand instinctively.
Half-opening his eyes in a daze, he saw Bai Qing watching him—his eyes filled with complex emotion.
"Qingqing!" Wu Qiong immediately hugged him.
"I know you can see what I can't. And I know you have your principles—you can't reveal future events. But I'm so worried. The killer keeps steering suspicion toward Whale Fall City, and the police have suspected me from the start."
"If you're innocent, the truth will speak for itself," Bai Qing soothed.
"You didn't kill anyone. As long as the police can't find hard evidence, you won't be wrongly convicted."
"But that doesn't stop the damage!" Wu Qiong sighed.
"How can a criminal suspect run a hospital? Who would dare come to Whale Fall City for treatment ever again?"
"Don't worry," Bai Qing said gently.
"Trust me, the police are already starting to suspect someone else. And if someone really tries to frame you, I'll come forward and testify."
"Huh?!" Wu Qiong suddenly sobered up a little.
"It's not that I don't trust you—it's just… you're a ghost! How would the police believe you?"
Pfft! Bai Qing chuckled.
"Don't worry. I'll speak human language when I talk to them."
"Ahhh, you're the best!" Wu Qiong nuzzled against him with a smile.
"My Qingqing's always the most reliable!"
Feeling at ease, Wu Qiong closed his eyes again and murmured:
"Qingqing… how long can you stay in this spiritual form? I know time in space isn't strictly measured, but… can you come keep me company more often?"
Just as Bai Qing opened his mouth to answer, a frown suddenly creased his brow.
In the blink of an eye, Bai Qing vanished.
One second Wu Qiong was cuddling in his arms, and the next—bam!—he collapsed onto the bed with a thud.
"Qingqing?!" Wu Qiong sat up in a panic, looking around.
"Qingqing, where'd you go?!"
"Who are you calling?"
A voice colder than any ghost's came from the doorway.
Bai Shuang stood there, eyes sharp as blades, staring straight at the flailing Wu Qiong tangled in the bedsheets.
"Shuang'er?" Wu Qiong rubbed his eyes.
"Are you the real-life Shuang'er or a dream Shuang'er?"
She walked in, turned up the lights, and stood silently at the edge of the bed for a while.
"You… weren't just visited by my father's ghost, were you?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Wu Qiong nodded immediately.
"He was just here, sitting with me, talking to me!"
"I see." Bai Shuang dimmed the lights and walked out.
Wu Qiong was completely confused—even though he was the one who'd just witnessed the whole thing.
Meanwhile, Bai Shuang's mind was sharp and focused. She clutched a small round mirror tightly in her hand.
On her way to his room, the mirror had clearly reflected what she needed to see.
Wu Qiong was alone again. He glanced toward the empty air, his voice sheepish:
"Qingqing… are you still here? Shuang'er's gone, you can come back out now..."
—
Bai Shuang returned to her room, took two deep breaths, and calmed herself.
"Xiao Hei!"
By the time she walked through the door, she was back to being a sweet, gentle girl with a soft, lovable tone.
Zhuang Mo yawned and lazily pulled her into his arms.
"Where'd you sneak off to in the middle of the night?"
"Ugh!" Bai Shuang sighed.
"Things just keep getting busier. Did you see the news tonight? The Six Great Families are hosting the preliminary rounds of the Whalefall Tournament.
"And the entry requirements are ridiculous. Anyone with chronic conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes is disqualified. They said Whale Fall City wouldn't be involved—but of course, we're the first ones dragged in!"
"How is that our problem?" Zhuang Mo muttered sleepily.
"Didn't they agree to leave us out of it?"
"Yeah, right!" Bai Shuang fumed.
"To prove the participants are healthy, guess who they all have to see for medical checkups? Us! Whale Fall City!
"And that stupid Federation University president—he's the one who came up with this crap idea! Said it'd help drive business, increase revenue…"
She was getting worked up.
"It's a lose-lose! If anyone's unhappy with their test results, they'll say Whale Fall City faked it. We don't even get the real benefits—just the fallout!"
Zhuang Mo tried to calm the squirming little firecracker in his arms.
"There's something I've always wanted to ask… If your dad is Wu Daoist, why's your surname Bai?"
Bai Shuang deflated a little.
"You won't believe me even if I tell you."
That woke Zhuang Mo up a bit.
"If you say it, I'll believe it. My Shuang'er would never lie to me."
She reached out to scratch the stubble on his chin.
"What if I told you my biological father was Bai Qing, the old city lord?"
Zhuang Mo froze.
So—she knew.
"Told you you wouldn't believe me." Bai Shuang rolled away and curled up.
"Shuang'er." Zhuang Mo pulled her back into his arms.
"I already knew. I know Bai Qing was your real father. I just don't get… why keep it a secret?"
"Ha!" Bai Shuang turned back to face him.
"With those six ravenous families circling like wolves, how do you think I'd survive if they knew? Especially when my dad had just died—I was just a kid!"
"Don't get upset." Zhuang Mo stroked her back, her skin warm and soft under his fingers.
"I understand now. If those families had known Bai Qing's heir was just a baby, they would've taken Whale Fall City 25 years ago. Your father held them off to buy you time to grow up."
"Xiao Hei…" Bai Shuang whimpered softly in his arms.
"You're the first person I've ever told this secret to—aside from my father."
Zhuang Mo hugged her tighter.
"I'm honored to be the first. Don't worry—even if the whole world turns against you, I'll stand by your side."
"Xiao Hei!" Her starry eyes glistened with joy.
"Promise me—never leave me. Not in this life."
Bai Shuang had seen every kind of man the world had to offer.
Honest ones. Deceitful ones. Kind ones. Cruel ones.
Zhuang Mo was the most ordinary of them all.
But also the most extraordinary.
Because in this world, just as there are no two identical leaves—
There would never be another Zhuang Mo.