Chapter 56: Remember Me, Remember Me!
As soon as the words left his lips, Qin Feng smiled and pinched Ji Linmo’s chin, scrutinizing him up and down before abruptly yanking the man close, the iron chains clinking sharply.
“You—”
Just as Ji Linmo was about to lose his temper, the youth leaned in, lips almost brushing his ear, and whispered softly, “Mr. Ji, the medicine is poisoned… Find a way to get to Market Zero and obtain the antidote.”
Medicine?
Did he mean the medicine mentioned in the rules?
Ji Linmo glanced at Qin Feng, saying nothing. The other also cast a meaningful look at the ceiling before pulling away.
So, there was a surveillance camera on the ceiling?
Ji Linmo looked up briefly, then lowered his gaze.
“Well then, Mr. Ji, for the final part, let’s assess your mental state.”
Qin Feng removed his gloves, smiled, and took out a medical record booklet to begin his questions.
“Mr. Ji, have you experienced insomnia lately?”
“No.”
The youth nodded, ticking a box in the booklet.
“Have you had any strange thoughts? For example, believing you’re a mushroom, or thinking you can fly?”
“No.”
“And have you wet the bed recently?”
“……”
“No answer will be taken as a ‘yes’~”
“No!”
Qin Feng proceeded, businesslike, through a slew of questions, then grinned and produced a wig from his coat pocket.
“For the final task, assessing your memory.”
“Mr. Ji, please look at me.”
In the pallid hospital room, the fluorescent light suddenly flickered out, then, like a dying flame, sputtered erratically overhead.
Between darkness and light, the youth donned the wig, placed his hands on the bed, and leaned over Ji Linmo, gazing down at him.
“You—”
Ji Linmo stared in disbelief, brow furrowing, sensing an eerie familiarity in the scene before him.
Yet he could not recall it at all.
The young man, strikingly handsome, let his jet-black hair fall in silken sheets before Ji Linmo’s face, making him appear almost like a young woman.
“Qin Feng… what are you doing? Get off me.”
But the youth’s eyes flashed with a wicked, playful glint.
“Mr. Ji, there’s no need to be nervous. I just want to test your memory.”
Click!
The bulb on the ceiling died completely, plunging the room into darkness. Two hands reached out, caressing Ji Linmo’s face.
“Ji Linmo…”
In an instant, the youth’s tone changed—tender and lingering.
Ji Linmo lifted his head. In the dim light, the “girl” with the long hair gazed at him with intoxicated, peach blossom eyes, gently stroking his cheek and murmuring softly.
“Have you forgotten me?”
[Have you forgotten me?]
“Have you… forgotten the name you gave me?”
[Oh? You want to give me a name?]
[You want me to be like the wind? That’s awful, your naming is terrible~]
Ji Linmo stared, dazed, at the youth with the wig, when a sudden tremor ran through his body, as if he saw something too dreadful to face. He struggled back frantically.
The chains rattled and clanged as the man tried to turn away, but the youth seized the chain and yanked him back.
“Look at me! Really look at me!”
The youth gripped Ji Linmo’s chin, staring down at him, then removed the wig, his gaze growing dark and deep.
[Ji Linmo, no matter what I become, I’ll always find you.]
[So, you must find me too.]
“You…”
Ji Linmo stared at the youth, and suddenly, as if something flashed through his mind, a spark of realization lit his eyes.
He raised a trembling finger, pointing at the youth.
“You… Qin Feng, have we met before?”
The youth’s face stiffened, the ever-present smile vanishing.
He abruptly clasped Ji Linmo’s throat, as if provoked, and shouted, “Why can’t you ever recognize me at a glance?!”
“Why? Why can’t you tell who I am?!”
“Remember me! Remember me! Ji Linmo, I want you to remember me no matter what I become!”
The pressure from the youth’s hands grew, and the man struggled beneath his grip.
As the chains’ violent rattling faded, everything fell silent.
“Well, Mr. Ji, that concludes your physical examination for today. I look forward to seeing you this evening.”
Ji Linmo opened his eyes. The fluorescent light on the ceiling was blinding.
He turned his head and saw the youth still smiling brightly at him.
Strange. Had he just fallen asleep?
“Qin Feng… weren’t you going to test my memory?”
“It’s already done, Mr. Ji.”
“If I may be blunt, your memory is absolute garbage, so to keep you from becoming senile, your daily medication dose will remain unchanged and won’t be increased.”
Qin Feng picked up his pen and made the final note in the medical record, then slowly approached Ji Linmo, smoothing his collar with a smile.
“In that case, let’s part here for now. I look forward to our next meeting~”
Ji Linmo watched the youth’s retreating back as he left the room, unable to suppress a few coughs.
Strange. Why did his throat feel so odd, as if someone had strangled him?
He shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on it.
According to the product guidelines on the slip of paper earlier, they’d only be granted freedom of movement at the appointed time.
But before that, what worried him most was the medication time at 7:30.
Time crawled by. When footsteps sounded again in the corridor, Ji Linmo saw a nurse with an alluring figure outlined by her uniform standing at the door.
“Product in Bed 13, it’s time for your medication.”
The nurse entered with a graceful turn. But when she looked up, Ji Linmo frowned.
—The woman’s eyebrows and eyes were positioned where a normal person’s mouth should be, while her mouth perched at the very top of her head, as if her entire face had been painted upside down—utterly bewildering to look at.
“Here’s your medicine for today. Please take it.”
The nurse unlocked Ji Linmo’s handcuffs, then gently placed a white pill in his hand and offered a glass of warm water.
[Product Notice:]
[1. Take your medication on time—swallow the white pill at 7:30 a.m. and p.m. daily.]
Ji Linmo said nothing, silently staring at the pill in his palm.
“Do you need anything?” The nurse smiled, then, noticing something, reached up to touch her face and apologized.
“Oh, looks like my face has gotten jumbled again. I’m so sorry.”
With that, she dug her fingers into her own eye.
Splurt!
Warm blood trickled down her cheek as she cupped her eyeball, rubbing it across her face.