Chapter 85

Chapter 85

York held Emily and coaxed her for a long while before she finally drifted off to sleep.

The girl was gently laid down on the hospital bed, one hand still tightly clutching a corner of his clothes.

Seeing this, York couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.

-How dependent she was on him.

He gently pulled his clothes from Emily’s hand and spoke to Tu Nan in a low voice. “We can leave now.”

He appeared to be perfectly considerate.

Tu Nan silently glanced at Emily on the bed and nodded. The two of them lightened their footsteps and opened the door to leave.

The moment she closed the door, Tu Nan subconsciously glanced back at Emily, only to suddenly meet a pair of pitch-black eyes.

Her movement to close the door faltered. She focused her gaze again, but Emily was still quietly sleeping with her eyes closed, as if everything just now had been an illusion.

She gently pulled the door shut.

Turning around, she realized that the Duchess had been sitting on the waiting bench outside the ward the whole time without leaving.

The Duchess had been dozing with her eyes closed, but upon hearing the sound of their departure, she slowly opened them.

Tu Nan nodded to her in greeting.

The Duchess stood up, her cold gaze sweeping over Tu Nan before landing on York beside her. Her voice carried a warning. “You should understand the consequences of deceiving my daughter.”

York smiled nonchalantly. “Madam, your protective instinct over her is excessive. Emily is a mature adult with her own thoughts; she has the ability to distinguish right from wrong.”

The Duchess gave a mocking smile and let out a cold snort before pushing open the ward door and walking inside.

“Let’s go.” York shrugged and headed toward Ward 404.

Tu Nan checked the time as she escorted York back to Ward 404; it was exactly time for rounds.

Ward 404 was no different from when she had left. Eric was lying obediently in bed, and the Peters were huddled together on a single bed. After watching York lie down, she went next door to Ward 403.

Everything was normal in Ward 403 as well.

Maria was leaning back in bed reading a book. Tu Nan noticed that almost every time she entered Ward 403, Maria had a book in her hands.

“Good evening.” Maria seemed to be in a good mood. She looked up from her book and shot a quick glance at Tu Nan. “You don’t look very well.”

No worker could maintain high spirits after working a full day.

Tu Nan rubbed her throbbing temples. “It’ll be break time soon.”

“Big sister, are you very tired?” Little Red Riding Hood suddenly asked.

Tu Nan was somewhat surprised that she would strike up a conversation. She immediately turned around, crouched down, and said with a smile, “I’m just a little tired.”

Little Red Riding Hood sighed. “Sister Xia Xia was always tired like you, too.”

It was Sister Xia Xia again.

Tu Nan had a hunch that this might be a useful piece of information. She asked softly, “Was Sister Xia Xia just like me? Since she was the one taking care of you before, why isn’t she here anymore?”

“She is here.” Little Red Riding Hood tilted her head and looked toward the foot of the bed, frowning with a bit of distress. “She’s nagging me to go to sleep… I know it’s time for rounds, okay, okay, I’m going to sleep.”

Little Red Riding Hood lay down on the bed, her large eyes blinking as she very obediently said “Goodnight” to Tu Nan.

Tu Nan glanced toward the foot of the bed and forced a smile. “Goodnight.”

“She’s always like this, likes talking to herself.” Maria, who was nearby, was unfazed by the behavior. “Your complexion is terrible; you should hurry back and rest.”

Tu Nan nodded. She circled around to the last bed to check on Lepei. After confirming she was in her bed, Tu Nan walked out of the room.
She thought she really needed a good rest.

This day had been almost non-stop, an excessively long ordeal.

The staff dormitory was located in a building outside the hospital’s main wing, and she had to circle around the Rear Garden to reach it.

When she had visited the Logistics Department earlier that day, Dawson from the department had conveniently given her the room number for her dormitory.

The hospital, bustling by day, had become quiet and eerie now that night had fallen. As Tu Nan stepped out of the hospital building, the world outside was already pitch black. Fortunately, there were streetlights along the path, so she wasn’t completely blind to the road ahead.

The hospital’s gardens were lush with vegetation, planted with all sorts of flowers and trees, many of which she couldn’t even name. Passing through during the day, she had thought the scenery was quite pleasant, but now that night had descended, that beauty had transformed into a sinister atmosphere.

A night breeze blew past, making the nearby trees rustle. Tu Nan rubbed her arms with her hands and quickened her pace.

As she passed through the middle of the Rear Garden, she suddenly heard an unusual rustling coming from the bushes.

Tu Nan paused, instinctively looking toward the sound.

It seemed like something was in the bushes.

She took two steps back. Experience told her that at a time like this, it was best not to let curiosity get the better of her.

But before she could prepare to leave, a dark shadow suddenly lunged out from the bushes and tackled her to the ground.

Tu Nan’s eyes widened. Caught off guard, she was pinned down by the shadow.

The next second, hot breath sprayed across her face, followed by a wet sensation against her cheek.

The rapid breathing, the slightly stinging licks, and the weight pressing down on her allowed her to recognize the shadow instantly.

“Hans?” Tu Nan spoke, her voice laced with surprise.

Hans’s warm body rubbed against her incessantly, his tongue giving her cheek another heavy lick. In the darkness, his large eyes shone brightly.

She struggled to push his head aside, reached out to scratch his chin, and climbed up from the ground, feeling like she wanted to cry but had no tears.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, puzzled.

With a size like Hans’s, he wasn’t even locked up at night. What if he hurt a passerby?

She led Hans to his doghouse. The chain lay scattered on the ground. Tu Nan couldn’t find a lock, so she had no way to secure him. She could only pat his head.

“Stay here and be good. Don’t go running around scaring people.”

She was truly exhausted. All she wanted was to find her room as quickly as possible and collapse into sleep.

Hans sat obediently on the ground, watching her walk away.

*

The dormitory was a somewhat aged building that looked out of place compared to the main wing.

The light on the first floor seemed to be malfunctioning, flickering on and off. The lobby was a shifting landscape of light and shadow, exuding the atmosphere of a horror movie.

Tu Nan pushed open the door to the first floor and walked in, carefully observing her surroundings.

The next second, a man dressed as a security guard abruptly appeared before Tu Nan, giving her a fright.

His eyeballs protruded, his complexion was a pallid green, and his lips were deathly white; he didn’t look like a living person no matter how one viewed him. That sinister gaze swept over Tu Nan, making her skin crawl.

“Newcomer?” The security guard’s voice was hoarse, grating against her ears like grinding gravel.

Tu Nan nodded. “I’m the new intern nurse.”

“Give me your ID badge.” The guard ignored her words.

Tu Nan hurriedly showed him the ID badge hanging around her neck.

The guard took the badge and studied it seriously for a long time under the flickering light of the first floor before finally handing it back.

“Go on in.” His face remained stiff as he turned and walked toward the darkness.