Chapter 112

Chapter 112

The next day, He Ling handed the dying York over to Emily.

“What a pity.”

Emily glanced at York, who was covered in blood. There was hardly a patch of intact skin on his body, and two bloody holes marked his knees, having received only the most basic first aid to stop the bleeding.

He Ling’s face was pale, her eyes dull and silent. “I have processed him for you. From now on, he will never be able to leave your side again.”

Emily looked at her, sounding quite intrigued. “I thought you wouldn’t be able to resist killing him.”

“That would be too easy on him,” He Ling said with a faint smile. “He should spend the rest of his life atoning for the sins he committed.”

Emily, wearing a pair of beautiful stiletto heels, pressed the toe of her shoe against York’s shoulder. The man lying on the stretcher furrowed his brows in pain while unconscious, his eyelids twitching slightly.

Someone nearby splashed water onto his face.

York’s eyes flew open in panic. He began to tremble reflexively, letting out muffled, incoherent whimpers from his throat.

“Why can’t he speak?” Emily asked, curious.

“I pulled out his tongue,” He Ling replied expressionlessly.

Emily clicked her tongue in appreciation. She crouched down as York watched her with utter terror, a sweet smile playing on her lips.

“Dear, did you sleep well?”

“Mmph! Mmph!”

“It seems you must be looking forward to your future life, aren’t you?” Emily’s smile grew increasingly tender. “Don’t worry. I will be sure to treat you… very, very well.”

She placed a heavy emphasis on the words “very well.”

York stared at her in horror, shaking his head violently, struggling to say something, but not a single word could escape.

He Ling had stripped him of his right to speak, in a sense, to ensure Emily would never have the chance to soften her heart.

“I’ve already told Mother that I want to be discharged and return to the Manor to recover. She agreed,” Emily said, standing up. “As for my request to keep a ‘dog’ by my side, she has already informed the Dean. From today on, you and I can be together forever.”

York closed his eyes in despair.

He could already imagine what his future would be like.

“Thank Tu Nan for me,” Emily said, looking at He Ling. “I quite enjoyed the ‘play’ she invited me to watch. If there’s an opportunity in the future, I will certainly return the favor.”

Upon hearing this, a trace of a smile finally appeared on He Ling’s face.

“I will pass on your words. It is a long journey to the Manor; I wish you a safe trip.”

She nodded politely to Emily.

*

Tu Nan was currently in the Dean’s office.

She had helped Priestley resolve the Duchess’s anger, so he was expected to keep his promise and lower the difficulty of her assessment.

Priestley was currently playing with Hans. The intimidatingly large dog was exceptionally submissive in front of him, sticking out its tongue to lick his palm.

“Of course I haven’t forgotten.”

He stood up and looked at Tu Nan. “The Dean is a man of his word. Originally, you were responsible for two wards and needed the approval stamps of all patients. Within my authority, I can waive one ward for you. In other words, you only need five stamps now.”

Five.

She already had three.

Tu Nan pondered for a moment. As for the remaining three patients, Eric spent all day lying in bed, and she had no idea where he had hidden his stamp. If she could find it and just stamp it herself…

“I’m warning you, don’t try to take shortcuts,” Priestley said, as if reading her mind. “The approval stamp must be applied by the patient’s own hand, otherwise it is invalid.”
“You can actually tell them apart?” Tu Nan couldn’t help but ask.

“We can’t, but the hospital can,” Priestley said vaguely. “I can’t tell you too much about the specifics. In short, there’s a limit to how many people the hospital can promote to permanent staff each year. You’d better move fast. If someone else beats you to it, the difficulty of the Instance will increase to a point where you won’t be able to pass at all.”

“I understand.” Tu Nan nodded.

Priestley crouched down again and began to play with Hans.

“Is this your dog?” Tu Nan asked. “Why would you keep a dog in an Instance?”

“To be precise, this is the dog kept by successive Deans.” Priestley scratched Hans under the chin. “He’s a veteran employee of the hospital. He’s been here much longer than I have.”

“Then… you must have been the one to hire the Head Nurse, right?” Tu Nan looked at Priestley.

Priestley paused and looked up. “Why are you asking about her?”

“I’m just a little curious why you’d hire an Octopus to be the Head Nurse,” Tu Nan said, feigning casual interest.

“Don’t you think having an Octopus in a hospital is quite interesting?” Priestley smiled. “I met her in a certain Instance. Originally, she wasn’t willing when I invited her, but she only agreed after hearing I was the Dean of Fairy Tale Hospital. Actually, I didn’t intend for her to be the Head Nurse. It’s just that the previous one…” He paused there, cutting himself off.

“Don’t you have work to do?” He looked at Tu Nan. “It should be time for ward rounds now.”

Tu Nan knew he was dismissing her.

“You haven’t been Dean for long, and you already know how to exploit your employees?” she joked half-seriously.

“I have no choice,” Priestley replied, his tone equally ambiguous. “In this position, I have to follow the Dean’s Rules.”

Tu Nan gave a noncommittal smile and left Priestley’s office.

*

With the number of patients in her two wards suddenly cut in half, her colleagues were all very envious.

“You’re so lucky,” Nurse A sighed. “I don’t know when I’ll ever be able to discharge the patients in my ward.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Nurse B mocked. “You’re not an Intern Nurse. As soon as one patient leaves, another one is added.”

Nurse A’s eyes were vacant, with dark circles bruising the skin beneath them. “Yeah, I’m really afraid I’ll drop dead at my station one day.”

“Even if you do, you’ll just be a ghost of the hospital,” Nurse B chuckled.

Tu Nan shuddered for no apparent reason. She gave a polite smile and used the excuse of ward rounds to escape the conversation.

Room 403 was missing Maria, but the other two girls were the same as ever-one sitting at the table playing with building blocks, the other sitting by the window brushing her hair.

“Sister Tu Nan, you’re here!” Little Red Riding Hood called out sweetly when she saw her.

“Yes, I am.” Tu Nan walked over and patted her head. “Did you sleep well last night?”

Little Red Riding Hood looked up at her and nodded, then suddenly shook her head rapidly.

“What’s wrong?” Tu Nan asked. “Did you have a nightmare?”

Little Red Riding Hood looked a bit dejected. She lowered her head and whispered, “Sister Xia Xia said she’s very lonely all by herself. She wants me to go keep her company.”

Tu Nan was slightly stunned and immediately became alert. “Does she say that often?”

“She used to, occasionally…” Little Red Riding Hood suddenly covered her mouth, her eyes wide with panic. “The Head Nurse told me not to tell anyone. I accidentally let it slip. Sister Tu Nan, you absolutely mustn’t tell the Head Nurse!”