A Phone Call in Two Worlds

Li Huowang told him to just say it standing in the yard. Gao Zhijian hesitated, glancing at the empty space to his left and right. "I—I—I mi—might… be… huang…………"

Gao Zhijian’s voice dropped from high to low, until it was barely a mosquito’s hum.

“What? You’re huang what? Speak up.”

Hearing Li Huowang say this, Gao Zhijian’s broad face flushed with embarrassment. He hung his head and walked inside.

“What, now you’re not saying it? What’s this guy playing at? Huang what? Huangjin? Huangtian? Huangtu?”

Puzzled, Li Huowang was about to go downstairs and ask, but after thinking it over for a moment, he closed the window and walked toward the already-made bed.

He had plenty of his own problems. He didn’t have the energy to bother with other people’s private matters.

Besides, he, a Heart-Element himself, wasn’t exactly reliable in this area. He wasn’t suited to giving others advice—he might just lead them astray.

As for Gao Zhijian apparently having some hard-to-say secret, Li Huowang had no interest in digging it out.

The guy was slow-witted, not a complete fool. He had to have his own reasons. When the day came he wanted to talk, he’d tell him on his own.

After waiting a while, seeing that Gao Zhijian really wasn’t coming up, Li Huowang blew out the candle and lay down on the bed, staring at the dim roof beam above.

“Hey, do you remember where that fool was trying to go?”

Bai Lingmiao, eyes closed, nestled a little closer into Li Huowang’s arms.

“I asked him a few days ago. He couldn’t really explain it himself. Last time he mentioned Liang, this time he said Qingqiu. He probably doesn’t know either.”

“Qingqiu, huh…”

Li Huowang conjured up the map in his mind. Past Later Shu was Qingqiu, and past Qingqiu was their destination—Liang.

Once they reached Bai Lingmiao’s hometown, Niuxin Mountain, this long journey would finally be over. He could finally put down roots.

“When we get there, what will I do? Hold a wedding banquet just like today’s and marry Miaomiao? No—I’m going to her house. That counts as marrying into the family.”

Li Huowang lifted his head slightly, rubbing his chin against her soft hair.

There was nothing earth-shattering between them. No love at first sight.

He wasn’t good at coaxing girls, and Bai Lingmiao didn’t know how to act spoiled.

It was like a slow, steady stream—flowing on and on until it had carved out a great lake.

Li Huowang didn’t feel anything special. He just felt comfortable being around her. He wanted to stay that way forever.

But still, he couldn’t quite let go of his worry. He was still troubled by his one and only burden.

“Is there really no way to fix the Heart-Element problem?”

It wasn’t just about responsibility. More importantly, it was a future隐患.

Li Huowang had no confidence now. He was truly afraid that one day he would mistake that world for the real one again, and abandon Bai Lingmiao completely.

For a while back there, Li Huowang had been absolutely certain that now that he recognized that world as the fake one, he would never fall into bewilderment again.

But reality had taught him a lesson. Anything was possible. He no longer had the certainty he once did.

As he thought, he couldn’t help but recall what the Zuowandao had said before dying.

“That old nun Chen Hongxiu doesn’t know a damn thing! I’ll tell you the truth! One of the Four Joys of the Zuowandao, the North Wind, is a Heart-Element! He lived to be a hundred and ninety, and he was doing just fine! No bewilderment ever touched him again!”

He had mulled over those words for a long time. The more he thought, the more troubled he became.

Suddenly, Li Huowang realized he had fallen into their trap again. He cursed under his breath. “Fuck! Those madmen—even dead, they’re still trying to fool me!”

“Senior Brother Li… what’s wrong…?”

Looking at the sleepy-eyed Bai Lingmiao, Li Huowang was about to speak when he suddenly sensed something. His expression changed instantly. “Quick! Get the chains!”

Bai Lingmiao didn’t ask questions. She scrambled over Li Huowang’s body, climbed off the bed, grabbed the iron chain wrapped in cloth, and began binding him.

“Harder! Pull it tight! Tie it good! Don’t let me break loose!!”

Watching Bai Lingmiao busy herself over him, he gave her a reassuring look. Relieved, Li Huowang flopped back heavily.

The next moment, the rustling husk pillow behind his head became a soft one.

Li Huowang slowly lifted his head and looked around at the pure white surroundings. This ward was unfamiliar—not the one he had been in before.

Having stayed in hospitals so much, Li Huowang understood the layout. This was clearly the layout of a psychiatric restraint ward. An ordinary hospital wouldn’t have this.

He thought for a long moment before piecing together the hallucination. “I’ve been transferred?”

Saying this, Li Huowang shook his head with a bitter smile. What did it matter? Since it was all a hallucination, anything could happen.

Staring at the white ceiling, Li Huowang didn’t know what to do for a moment.

He glanced at the wide cloth straps binding his hands, then lifted his head toward the microphone by the bedside. “Is there a nurse on duty? This is Room 13. Could you bring me my phone? I need to make a call.”

After a brief crackle, a man’s voice came through the speaker. “Li Huowang, right? Hello. I’m already familiar with your case.”

“My surname is Wang. You can call me Nurse Wang. Who do you want to call? I can patch you through directly to the bedside speaker.”

“A male nurse?” Li Huowang pursed his lips. “Alright, Nurse Wang. Call Yang Na for me—”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Bai Lingmiao’s familiar face burst into his mind. “What am I doing? Why am I voluntarily interacting with a hallucination? Bai Lingmiao is the living person. Yang Na is the fake one.”

“Ahh!! Annoying! Calling this early in the morning!” A familiar voice came through the bedside speaker.

Hearing that familiar morning grumpiness, all the conflict in Li Huowang’s heart vanished. “Nana.”

“Huowang!!” Yang Na cried out, delighted.

“What time is it? Still not up? Where did you go yesterday having so much fun you’re this exhausted?”

At this, Yang Na immediately launched into a litany of complaints.

“When do I have time to have fun? Freshman year is just senior year of high school all over again! I’m busy every single day!”

“You don’t even have evening study hall anymore. And you’re still tired when you don’t have a full schedule of classes every day?”

“Who said that? You’ve never been to college. Wait until you go, you’ll find out. The teachers saying college is all fun and games—that’s a lie!”

As soon as she said this, Yang Na fell silent for a moment. Then, in a more cautious voice, she said, “Huowang… sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Li Huowang looked at the dark bedside speaker and smiled knowingly. “That little bit isn’t enough to upset me. It didn’t even break through my defenses. By the way, that day—when I celebrated your birthday—did you hear me?”

“Mm, I heard it. Thank you for celebrating my birthday with me. I’m still waiting for my birthday present, you know.”