Chapter 27.1: So strict
Comforting Bi Fan to calm down was not an easy task. She easily became anxious when excited, even due to a few words or external sounds.
Tang Cuo didn’t have many friends in school, and his job in the Crisis Management Office was quite dull. It was only when he joined the Adjustment Department and was guided by Bai Xiaoyuan and Xie Zijing that he gradually learned to tell a couple of jokes, though Bai Xiaoyuan often referred to them as “awkward” jokes.
Tang Cuo thought that convincing Bi Fan to stop crying and shouting and to put an end to all her hysterical actions was a massive undertaking, enough to make him show off in the department group.
There was, however, no new information in the group other than what Xie Zijing and Bai Xiaoyuan had previously discussed regarding a disagreement between sentinels and guides. Tang Cuo hesitated for a moment and then turned off the screen.
“Will you save me?” Bi Fan asked.
“I’ll… I’ll definitely save you,” Tang Cuo replied, gripping the panda’s ear. “But how do I save you?”
He said the last sentence very softly, fearing Bi Fan might hear it.
Bi Fan’s abnormal behavior was even more severe than he had anticipated. Tang Cuo decided to probe her for more information. In a normal, casual tone, he asked her how many pills she had left. Bi Fan indeed produced a bunch of pills. They were all unpackaged and separated into small bags, one for each day, all stored in a pillbox.
She said she had to take these pills every day.
However, as Tang Cuo examined the pills, Bi Fan leaned in and whispered, “But I haven’t taken them in a long time.”
Tang Cuo: “Why?”
Bi Fan: “I broke my leg, so I can’t take them. These pills will affect the healing of my leg.”
She raised her hand to her mouth, looking mysterious, “That person told me to take them, but he’s here to harm me. I won’t listen to him.”
Tang Cuo: “…”
Bi Fan’s voice grew quieter, trembling more with excitement or nervousness. “He sent many things to monitor me. He’s in my head! He even controls my spirit, so I won’t let it come out.”
“Is your spirit animal really a cat?”
“It’s not a cat. Bi Fan gestured, “It’s a little squirrel about this big… It’s so pitiful. It’s being monitored by that person too. I know it; the neighbors across and the property management are all his people.”
Tang Cuo could only lightly pat her hand.
It was a typical case of delusional paranoia. Since she refused to take her medication, her symptoms have worsened. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much knowledge about the abnormal situation in the “sea area,” but Qin Ge must understand.
If Bi Fan did indeed have a mental disorder, Tang Cuo would have to wait for her guardian, Bi Xingyi, to return before he could leave with peace of mind.
Now he completely understood why Bi Xingyi had taken away Bi Fan’s phone and didn’t allow her to use the computer. It could easily lead to various problems. Thinking about Bi Xingyi’s already busy job, Tang Cuo even felt a bit of sympathy.
He sent a message in the group to inquire if the situation had been resolved, and Xie Zijing replied, saying they had just taken Bai Xiaoyuan home.
“Aren’t you afraid of staying alone at someone else’s house?” Xie Zijing sent him a voice message. “Tang Cuo, come on. I think Bi Xingyi is acting a bit strange too, letting his sister stay at home by herself. What are you worried about?”
[She’s mentally unstable, and I’m very worried. Let’s wait for her brother to come back.] Tang Cuo replied.
Xie Zijing sent a trembling emoticon to him directly: “You’re too kind.”
Seeing that it was already close to nine o’clock, Tang Cuo was really hungry. He left the panda to accompany Bi Fan and decided to make something to eat for himself.
The rice was half-cooked, and the steamed pork ribs had just come out of the pot when he heard the doorbell ring.
Tang Cuo, carrying the steamed pork ribs, had just stepped out of the kitchen when Bi Xingyi walked in.
“Sorry, I made something for myself,” Tang Cuo explained awkwardly. “There are two more dishes; I can handle them. You stay with Bi Fan.”
Bi Fan, nervous, huddled by the table. Tang Cuo didn’t think it was a good time to communicate Bi Fan’s situation with Bi Xingyi.
When Bi Xingyi walked in, there was a smile of apology on his face. “I’m sorry, I’ve been too busy…”
His voice abruptly stopped. Bi Fan was hugging Tang Cuo’s panda tightly and didn’t dare to look at Bi Xingyi.
“Whose is this?” Bi Xingyi’s voice changed rapidly. “Your spiritual brother?”
He looked at Tang Cuo.
Tang Cuo had just put the steamed pork ribs on the table. “It’s mine.”
As he spoke, a thick, tentacle-like appendage, as thick as a pillar, suddenly struck his back from behind.
Tang Cuo’s panda leaped from Bi Fan’s arms to his back in the instant he was attacked, taking the brunt of the powerful blow for him. Tang Cuo rolled onto the sofa, but before he could stabilize himself, his feet was suddenly grabbed, and he was immediately dragged back toward the dining table.
The steamed pork ribs, along with the plate, shattered on the floor, and the fragments cut Tang Cuo’s face. He had to grab the table leg immediately to avoid being lifted upside down.
His panda reappeared at his side after a brief disappearance, showing its claws and teeth and fiercely biting the tentacle wrapped around Tang Cuo’s ankle.
In his daze and pain, Tang Cuo realized that Bi Xingyi had attacked him.
“What are you doing to my sister?” Bi Xingyi yelled behind him, accompanied by Bi Fan’s hysterical screams. “She’s sick!”
For the first time in his life, Tang Cuo cursed, “Are you f*cking insane too? I haven’t done anything!”
“Fanfan…” Bi Xingyi went to hug Bi Fan.
Bi Fan emitted even sharper screams, like a threatened fledgling bird, “Get away!!!”
“I really haven’t done anything!” At this point, Tang Cuo finally began to regret. He should have either left as Xie Zijing had suggested or followed Bai Xiaoyuan’s advice to train his body. Even though the time was too short to achieve significant results, at least he could have defended himself rather than being so miserably controlled here.
As Bi Fan cried and murmured something, the tentacle wrapped around Tang Cuo’s ankle suddenly loosened after a while.
Tang Cuo immediately flipped his body, leaping up like a carp.
In that instant, he saw a long and thick tentacle retract rapidly into Bi Xingyi’s body, leaving only a faint, weird, and foul-smelling spiritual presence in the air.
The tentacle was covered in suckers. Tang Cuo recognized it; it was an octopus’s arm.
His heart pounded. Spiritual presence couldn’t be this nauseating, and it was evident that Bi Xingyi’s spirit animal was far from normal.
Bi Xingyi stood up from beside Bi Fan and continued to gaze at Tang Cuo with a strange expression. Tang Cuo pretended to hold his panda tightly, with one hand desperately fumbling with his phone’s screen. He couldn’t remember if he had closed the group chat interface a moment ago.
“Bi Fan said you were just keeping the panda with her.” Bi Xingyi looked at Tang Cuo, then at the remnants of the steamed pork ribs on the floor, and slowly smiled. “Sorry, I get really nervous when it comes to my sister. Her mental state isn’t good, and she can easily get frightened by contacting other people’s spirit animals.”
In Tang Cuo’s eyes at this moment, Bi Xingyi’s smile, which was mixed with terror, was more terrifying than any monstrous expression in the world.
Finally, the rice cooker made a sound indicating it had finished cooking, more piercing than Bi Fan’s sobbing.
“Mr. Tang…” Bi Xingyi approached Tang Cuo.
Tang Cuo quickly glanced at the door. It was not good; Bi Xingyi happened to be in a straight line between him and the exit. There was no way he could get past Bi Xingyi and run out of the door.
His phone didn’t respond. Tang Cuo didn’t dare to do anything that might trigger Bi Xingyi into a frenzy.
He now believed that not only did Bi Fan have paranoid delusions, but Bi Xingyi’s mental condition was also clearly not well.
In an effort to divert Bi Xingyi’s attention and appear friendly, Tang Cuo suppressed his fear and feigned calmness. “Does Bi Fan have paranoid delusions of being victimized?”
Bi Xingyi’s smile disappeared, replaced by the same displeasure from earlier, like a trapped beast whose sea area had been encroached upon. “What did you see?”
“When we were chatting,” Tang Cuo said with a forced smile, “I noticed it. I work in the Psychological Adjustment Department, and I understand some of the symptoms of mental disorders. How long has she been ill? What medication is she taking?”
“Yes… you’re a professional.” Bi Xingyi, as if awakening from a dream, smiled again. “She has been ill for a long time. I’m from out of town and just started working at Second Middle School this year. I brought my sister with me to take her to 267th Hospital. Mr. Tang, don’t be angry; I’m just very nervous. You’ve got a lot of…”
Tang Cuo glanced at Bi Fan.
He saw that Bi Fan had put the small pillbox she had taken out behind her back, out of Bi Xingyi’s sight.
“Teacher Bi, don’t be upset. I’m not angry.” Tang Cuo pretended to be understanding, raising his eyebrows. He looked young and friendly. Seeing Tang Cuo relax, Bi Xingyi also gradually relaxed and chuckled a bit.
“I’ve dealt with many patients with mental disorders and their families, you know, in our department… Yeah, it’s my job. I can be considered a semi-professional. Could you show me Bi Fan’s medical records?” Tang Cuo, feeling nervous, lied as he continued to pretend to be an expert. “And about 267th Hospital, I know some people there. If Bi Fan needs any help, I can introduce her. Also, let me take a look at the medication she’s currently taking.”
Bi Xingyi didn’t seem to suspect anything. “Sure, sure! Medical records, medication… I’ll go find them.”
He went into his room.
Tang Cuo swallowed hard with difficulty. Bi Xingyi’s emotional changes were too rapid and irregular. He couldn’t stay here any longer.
Bi Fan took out the pillbox from behind her back and handed it to Tang Cuo. Tang Cuo quickly raised his index finger to signal her to keep hiding it.
Before she could return the pillbox to its hiding place, Bi Xingyi had already come out of the room and immediately entered Bi Fan’s room.
Tang Cuo’s panda disappeared from his arms in an instant. He quickly grabbed his backpack from the chair and leaned over to say a few words in Bi Fan’s ear.
“I’m a bad person. I told you to lie, and then ran away.” He spoke quickly, “Just tell your brother this and put the responsibility on me.”
He patted Bi Fan on the shoulder before sneaking to the door.
Luckily, Bi Xingyi had not locked it when he came home.
Tang Cuo opened the door as quietly as possible. After slipping out, he discreetly closed the door behind him.
Bi Xingyi was still looking for something in Bi Fan’s room. Bi Fan sat in her wheelchair, staring straight at Tang Cuo as he was about to leave.
The door closed. Tang Cuo dared not take the elevator; he found the emergency exit and rushed down.
From the balcony, he could see the road leading out of the residential complex. Ignoring the strange looks from people around him, he slipped through the dense greenery. When he finally rushed out of the complex gate, his body was covered in golden fragments of osmanthus flowers.
He collapsed by the roadside, his heart pounding incessantly; even the blood vessels in his temples were throbbing and interfering with his concentration.
Tang Cuo couldn’t forget the look in Bi Fan’s eyes in that final moment, which was a clear and desperate plea.
He couldn’t be sure whether Bi Fan was in her right mind at the time, but since he knew that both of them were not well, he couldn’t just stand by, especially since Bi Xingyi was a high school teacher and could potentially pose a threat to his students. Tang Cuo wiped the sweat from his forehead and tried to inform Qin Ge and the others about the situation.
But the phone screen was cracked, and it couldn’t be turned on.
“Tang Cuo hasn’t replied,” Xie Zijing looked at his phone and said.
He had asked Tang Cuo if he had safely left, but even when he and Qin Ge returned to their own home, they hadn’t received any response in the group chat.
Qin Ge stood at the door, waiting for him to open it. Xie Zijing thought about calling Tang Cuo, but then he figured that a person as big as Tang Cuo wouldn’t run into any problems. He decided that their situation was more critical, so he put his phone back in his pocket.
“Didn’t I give you the key?” Xie Zijing said, “The one with a lion head on it.”
“Who would carry around that silly thing all the time?”
Xie Zijing took out the keys.
The keychain was similar but with a palm-sized rubber rabbit head.
Qin Ge: “…”
Xie Zijing: “Buy one, get one free, two for the price of one.”
The rubber rabbit head dangled as he unlocked the door. Qin Ge stared at it for a moment and thought, ‘You clearly don’t like my rabbit at all, do you? It’s nothing like it.’
He usually didn’t speak more than ten sentences in a day, but he was constantly engaged in debates in his mind. At this moment, he had unspoken thoughts, but Xie Zijing seemed to be able to hear them. He turned around and raised the rabbit to him, saying, “At first glance, they don’t look alike, but the longer you look, the more similar they become. They’re both very cute.”
Qin Ge: “…Well, it’s your purchase, so it’s whatever you say.”
Xie Zijing smiled at him and closed the door after he entered.
Cut off from the outdoor airflow, the indoor air suddenly became heavy. Qin Ge bent down at the entrance to change his shoes, feeling as if his neck was sore. Xie Zijing’s aura was distinctly present in this space, omnipresent, permeating everything, and it was the air itself, the essence of all matter.
Taking advantage of Xie Zijing’s inattention, Qin Ge took out a suppressant from his bag. He had developed the habit of carrying suppressants with him now.
After swallowing two suppressants dry, his restlessness and agitation were relieved.
An invisible veil of restraint enveloped him, isolating him from the hot air and matter outside. All external movements seemed to weaken. Qin Ge sat on the couch in a daze. The brief side effects of the suppressant manifested in a short period of lethargy and delayed reactions. He felt safe, but at the same time, he felt reluctant. Being surrounded by the intense heat was indeed frightening, but he was also curious.
Curiosity turned into a desire he was unwilling to admit: to be completely drawn to someone’s pheromones, to be completely controlled by primal instincts—he had no such experience, and now it felt as if he was teetering on the edge of an abyss. The abyss extended temptations to him, and he was afraid that once he fell in, he would never be able to escape.
“Why are you in a daze?” Xie Zijing handed him a can of Red Bull, looking at the blank wall as he spoke. The furnishings in this house were extremely simple. When Xie Zijing first rented it, it was the same as it is now. The living room had nothing but a sofa and a coffee table, and the only signs of human presence in the kitchen were the cooking utensils that Bai Xiaoyuan brought when they ate hotpot.
“…Red Bull?” Qin Ge wondered. “Why Red Bull?”
“Weren’t we supposed to have an all-night talk?” Xie Zijing sat down beside him and turned to look at him. “Or would you prefer alcohol?”
Qin Ge shook his head. The suppressants he had taken earlier had left a clear feeling of a foreign object in his throat, as if there were still pills stuck there. He drank half the can in one go.
He desired Xie Zijing. But it wasn’t love that sparked that desire.
After coming to this realization, Qin Ge let out a long breath.
“Rabbit.” Xie Zijing placed the glass down and turned to Qin Ge, holding out his hand. “Hurry up.”
Qin Ge: “The tone of your voice makes me feel like I’m doing some kind of improper business.”
“Indeed, it’s not proper.” Xie Zijing said, “Ever since you came in, my mind has been filled with improper thoughts.”
Qin Ge raised his hand above Xie Zijing’s hand, looking cold and frosty. “Xie Zijing, I’m going to patrol your ‘sea area’ soon. Do you believe I can make it so you’ll never have any improper thoughts in your mind again?”
Xie Zijing obediently closed his mouth, watching the rabbit form in the palm of his hand.
Why is Qin Ge’s rabbit so small? Why is it not only small in size but also excessively timid? Xie Zijing had many questions in his mind, but when the long-haired rabbit’s claws hooked onto his finger, all of these questions became unimportant. Xie Zijing held it with both hands, rubbing his face against it.
Qin Ge: “Did you wash your face?”
Xie Zijing: “I did in the morning. The weather is so dry; there’s no need to wash twice a day.”
The rabbit immediately disappeared. The white mist dispersed, and Qin Ge had an icy expression. Xie Zijing hurriedly washed his face and rushed back to the sofa.
“So damn strict.” He once again managed to hold the rabbit. “Oh, those little paws.”
The rabbit disappeared again.
Qin Ge: “What did you just say?”
Xie Zijing: “So damn strict.”
Qin Ge looked angry, but under Xie Zijing’s urging to “release the rabbit,” he had no choice but to let the rabbit out once more.
The rabbit jumped into Xie Zijing’s palm eagerly, squinting its eyes, flicking its ears, and wagging its tail, clearly in a very good mood.
