Chapter 32: Dandelions
A problem?
Luo Ling’s first reaction wasn’t shock, but confusion.
Since he could say such a thing, it meant he wasn’t part of the Patient Exchange Group.
But the question was… if he wasn’t part of the group, how did he know there was a problem with Qingshan Hospital?
“Don’t you disbelieve me, there really is a problem!”
Seeing Luo Ling’s indifferent reaction, the man became even more agitated, waving his arms and legs.
“It’s true! I’m not lying!”
“So, what’s the problem?” Luo Ling asked calmly.
“This hospital…”
The man put on a mysterious expression and said slowly, word by word,
“Has no dandelions!”
“?”
A giant question mark appeared above Luo Ling’s head.
“There are dandelions everywhere in the city, but not a single one in the hospital!” the man exclaimed dramatically. “Do you know how unbelievable that is? This hospital definitely has a problem!”
“…Maybe it’s because there are no fields or hillsides in the hospital.”
Luo Ling rubbed her temples. What was she thinking? This was a psychiatric hospital! Why was she listening to the ramblings of a mental patient…?
“No, no, no, not the kind of dandelions that float around, but the kind that walk on the streets, they move, in clumps, so many of them!”
The man grew even more agitated, reaching out to grab Luo Ling’s hand.
But before Luo Ling could dodge, the man froze, as if struck by a sudden realization, staring intently at her.
“You, you…”
“Me?”
Luo Ling was bewildered by the man’s erratic behavior, but the next moment, he jumped up and shouted in terror,
“No, no, that’s not right! You’re also a dandelion! You’re the biggest dandelion! Aaaah…”
After that, the man collapsed to the ground, convulsing, foam bubbling from his mouth and staining the floor.
“Orderly, orderly… Patient from bed 142 has escaped again, oh, there he is…”
Several medical personnel rushed over, restrained the convulsing man, and dragged him away.
Even as they disappeared down the hallway, the man’s terrified screams could still be heard.
“Run! There’s a dandelion here! The dandelions have invaded!”
The orderly left behind to clean the floor saw Luo Ling standing frozen in place, seemingly frightened, and said apologetically,
“Little girl, I’m so sorry. We’re short-staffed recently, and some patients escape sometimes… Did he scare you?”
“I’m fine.”
Luo Ling shook her head, looking in the direction the man had been taken away, a thoughtful expression on her face.
Many dandelions?
She was also a dandelion?
Dandelions… could he be referring to the Puppet Ballad?
But she wasn’t controlled by the Puppet Ballad… There were no mycelia threads from Spore growth inside her.
Li Tianming, Wu Qin… wait, those who had become Meat Puppets, their flesh and blood had been replaced by Spore mycelia, completely controlled by the Puppet Ballad’s true form.
It couldn’t be that a bunch of people on the street, like her, possessed the Puppet Ballad’s ability…
“Little girl, you don’t… believe what he said, do you?”
Seeing Luo Ling’s thoughtful expression, the orderly’s face was filled with concern. She put down her mop and said,
“He’s been shouting about dandelions running around since he was admitted last year. He says it to every new face in the hospital. Don’t believe what these mental patients say. We had another patient who said we were all radishes growing in petri dishes.”
The orderly said this because she saw Luo Ling as a naive little girl and was afraid she would be influenced by these mental patients.
Little girls always received more care, especially those who were pretty and well-behaved.
“No, I know he’s talking nonsense,” Luo Ling replied calmly.
“That’s good. But, little girl, why are you here?” The orderly looked puzzled. “A psychiatric hospital isn’t a place for children to play…”
“I’m here to see… Uncle Ji,” Luo Ling said after a moment of thought.
“Ji… oh, the director?” The orderly suddenly understood and asked kindly, “Do you need me to take you to him? But the director seems to be quite seriously injured recently…”
She wondered about Luo Ling’s relationship with Director Ji, her attitude becoming even more enthusiastic.
Could she be a relative?
Hiss, she had to be more attentive…
Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital was a private hospital, and Director Ji Shinian was practically the chairman of the board. It was normal to want to curry favor with the chairman.
“No need,” Luo Ling pointed towards the reception desk. “She can take me there.”
The receptionist today wasn’t the girl who loved watching soap operas yesterday, but a languid woman with heavy makeup, Yang Meili.
She was currently holding her phone, posing and talking to herself.
Saying things like “Thank you for the Super Rocket, little brother, love you, mwah,” and so on…
Seeming to sense Luo Ling’s gaze, she glanced over and immediately broke into a bright smile.
“Oh, it’s little Bai! You’re here so early?”
As she spoke, she put down her phone.
“Mm.”
Luo Ling replied flatly.
“You know… Director Yang?” The orderly’s eyes widened slightly, then she turned stiffly and continued mopping the floor. “Then… you two talk.”
She didn’t want to get involved with the eccentric rehabilitation director. If she caught her attention, she might be assigned some troublesome patients, which would be a huge headache.
Yang Meili’s attention was now fully on Luo Ling. She looked meaningfully at the beanie stuffed with Luo Ling’s long white hair and said with a smile,
“I didn’t see you join the group chat yesterday. Did Liu Songyi keep you busy all night interrogating you? He interrogated me for days.”
“…I haven’t bought a phone yet.”
For some reason, Luo Ling had felt that Yang Meili’s tone was a bit sarcastic yesterday, but perhaps it was just her habit.
“Not yet? Didn’t Liu Songyi give you money? Wasn’t it enough?” Yang Meili clutched her chest dramatically. “Or… do you think phones aren’t fun?”
“You should have unregistered SIM cards here, right?” Luo Ling said calmly.
Hearing this, Yang Meili’s exaggerated expression softened. She looked at Luo Ling with amusement.
“Tsk, quite cautious, aren’t we?”
This was a trap. SIM cards required real-name registration. If Luo Ling registered a SIM card herself, all her information would be under surveillance.
No one in the Patient Exchange Group had mentioned this. Elsa, who was isolated from the world, might not understand, but the others couldn’t possibly not know.
They deliberately didn’t mention it, setting a trap.
And now that Luo Ling had brought it up directly, if they continued to play tricks… it would be intentional, giving her grounds for complaint.
“Of course we do. Wait for Cyber Girl to arrive, she’ll make one for you,” Yang Meili shrugged. “Her craftsmanship can completely bypass official channels. Liu Songyi has confirmed this.”
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