Chapter 63

Liang Fangqi walked through a dim alley. It was clearly just midnight, yet the street was completely empty except for her.

Every household had its doors tightly shut, with no light seeping through, as if no one was home.

A gust of wind blew past, and Liang Fangqi hugged her arms, murmuring in a low voice, “Why isn’t there anyone out tonight?”

Her voice was barely audible, yet the alley suddenly echoed back in a sharp tone:

“Why isn’t there anyone out tonight?”

“Why isn’t there anyone out tonight?”

Liang Fangqi was never particularly brave. Over twenty years ago, when she worked as an obstetric nurse in a hospital, she was often frightened by the strange occurrences there. Now, hearing this eerie echo sent goosebumps crawling up her arms.

She quickened her pace, eager to leave this dark alley, but something was wrong—it felt much longer than usual. She used to be able to walk through it in under a minute, so why was it taking so long tonight?

Fear gripped her tighter. She lowered her head and started jogging, but no matter how fast she ran, she remained trapped in the alley.

Could she have stumbled into a ghostly maze?

Liang Fangqi began trembling, hastily pulling out her phone to call her husband, only to find that there was no signal at all.

Panic swelled within her, and she was on the verge of tears. She didn’t dare to look around, much less turn back. Dear heavens, she was already sixty years old—why was she encountering something this terrifying? Was it trying to scare her into a heart attack?

She let out a small sob, whispering a desperate prayer, Amitabha, please protect me. But her prayers did nothing.

From behind her came the rhythmic click-clack of footsteps—heels tapping against the pavement. It had to be a woman approaching.

She turned around excitedly. “Miss, you also—ah!”

The alley was completely empty.

On the ground, a pair of red high heels stood alone. No one was wearing them, yet they moved forward on their own, producing that unmistakable click-clack sound.

Liang Fangqi’s legs gave out beneath her, and she collapsed onto the ground, trembling. She scrambled backward, tears and snot covering her face.

“D-don’t come any closer! I haven’t done anything wrong! Why are you after me?”

The heels paused for a moment. Then, the red on them deepened.

Only then did Liang Fangqi realize—their crimson hue came from blood. As the color darkened, fresh blood began dripping from the shoes, slowly pooling toward her.

“AAAAH! Please, I beg you, let me go! I swear, I’m a good person! I’ve donated to orphanages and nursing homes for years—I don’t want to die, please, spare me!”

Her features twisted in terror as she sobbed hysterically, screaming, I don’t want to die! over and over again.

The spreading blood began to form the shape of a face. A mouth gaped open wide, dripping with crimson.

“Liang Fangqi, you owe me a life. You owe me a life!”

With those words, the blood-drenched face lunged at her.

Liang Fangqi let out a soul-wrenching scream.

—

“Huff, huff, huff, huff…”

Liang Fangqi jolted awake from her nightmare, her entire body drenched in cold sweat. It felt so real—for a moment, she was certain that bloodied face was going to devour her.

Beside her, her husband had been roused by her labored breathing—or rather, by her terrified screams. Seeing her pale complexion and sweat-soaked body, he was alarmed.

“What happened? A nightmare?”

“Mm…”

She recounted the dream in full detail. Her husband shuddered, rubbing the goosebumps from his arms.

“Good lord, how did you even dream of something that terrifying?”

“It felt too real… I feel weak all over, and I’m covered in sweat.”

Her husband quickly turned on the light, got out of bed, and poured her a cup of warm water.

“Here, drink this to calm down. Then take a shower and wash off all that sweat.”

Liang Fangqi forced a weak smile and took the cup. Just as she was about to drink, she noticed something inside the water.

She brought the cup closer to her eyes.

Inside the water… was a face.

A beautiful face.

Smiling at her.

Liang Fangqi’s hands trembled violently, and the warm water, which was supposed to be gentle, suddenly felt as if it burned at a thousand degrees.

The scalding sensation seared her palm.

She cried out in pain, clutching her hand.

“Guodong! My hand—my hand is burning!”

Luo Guodong hurriedly took the cup from her hands and tested the temperature.

“…It’s not hot at all.”

“AH! It hurts! Guodong, my hand—my hand is melting!”

Liang Fangqi writhed on the bed, screaming in agony.

Luo Guodong couldn’t ignore her pain any longer. He bolted out the door, waking their eldest son and urging him to rush her to the hospital.

On the way there, Liang Fangqi lost consciousness from the pain.

—

When she finally woke up, it was already the next day.

“Fang, you scared me half to death! How could you faint just from lukewarm water? It’s just bizarre…”

Luo Guodong rushed to her bedside as soon as she opened her eyes.

Liang Fangqi, however, couldn’t stop trembling. The memory of that face in the water made her heart pound uncontrollably.

“Guodong… when you handed me that cup, I saw—I saw a face inside it.”

Her grip on his arm was so tight that it hurt.

“…What face?” he frowned.

“The same one from my nightmare. The bloody one…”

Luo Guodong inhaled sharply. He didn’t want to believe it, but recalling her terrifying dream, a chill crawled down his spine. Even in broad daylight, he broke into a cold sweat.

“…Are you sure you weren’t seeing things?”

“I’m not mistaken!”

Tears welled up in Liang Fangqi’s eyes.

“She even smiled at me… Guodong, do you think I’ve been haunted by something evil?”

Before Luo Guodong could respond, the hospital room door suddenly swung open.

A group of well-dressed individuals strode in, their tailored suits and expensive accessories marking them as people of status.

Luo Guodong had never seen them before.

Startled, he stood up cautiously. “Excuse me… did you come to the wrong room?”

“No, we didn’t go to the wrong room. Liang Fangqi is in this ward, right?”

Gu Qinglan spoke in a deep voice.

Special Assistant Yuan had acted quickly, and within two days, he had uncovered the truth about what had happened back then.

There had been two doctors assisting Gu Qinglan’s mother, Ms. Pei Yuanning, during childbirth: Kang Guangcheng and Deng Liqi. There had also been two midwife nurses: Zhang Peiwei and Liang Fangqi.

Kang Guangcheng had passed away in a car accident three years ago, and Deng Liqi had retired and moved to Lan Country with her family.

Zhang Peiwei had resigned after getting married and moved to Ganxi with her husband. Only Liang Fangqi had remained in the Imperial Capital.

However, she too had left her job early and started running a supermarket with her husband.

Now, she had built up some modest savings.

Hearing her name, Liang Fangqi raised her head in confusion and carefully examined Gu Qinglan and the others, her expression perplexed. “I don’t know you people.”

“You don’t need to know us. It’s enough that we know you.”

Gu Qinglan’s expression was icy. Meanwhile, Shen Lihuan took a few steps back, reached out, and shut the ward door before locking it.

Seeing the door locked, both Liang Fangqi and Luo Guodong looked at them in panic. “What do you think you’re doing by locking the door? Don’t forget, this is a hospital. If you try to harm us, you won’t get away with it!”

“Relax, we’re not here to harm anyone. We just have some old matters to ask you about.”

Shen Lihuan gave a cold smile.

They had come to the hospital as a family to find Liang Fangqi, and she had even brought medicine with her. There was no way Liang Fangqi wouldn’t talk.

“What old matters? Why would you come to me?”

Liang Fangqi looked at them nervously, her heart racing.

“Thirty-four years ago, you were a midwife nurse at the First Affiliated Hospital of the Imperial Capital Medical University. On February 6th, you assisted in the delivery of a woman named Pei Yuanning.”

As Gu Qinglan’s cold voice fell, Liang Fangqi’s expression became increasingly terrified. “I don’t know anything! I don’t know anything! Don’t ask me!”

At that moment, she finally remembered why that bloodstained face had felt so familiar—it was linked to the only guilty act she had ever committed in her life.

To save her own life and for money, she had betrayed her own moral integrity.

She had once truly loved her profession. She was a midwife nurse, and from the day she started working, she had never had a moment of rest, always rushing about. But despite the hardship, she had found it all worthwhile the moment she heard a newborn’s first cry.

But she had left her job long ago—because of what she had done.

“What’s this? I haven’t even asked you anything, and you’re already claiming not to know? Has your memory deteriorated that much?”

Gu Qinglan sneered, while Gu Tingyu snapped harshly, “Or are you just feeling guilty and afraid to speak?”

Luo Guodong looked at his wife in confusion. “What’s going on? This has to do with something from over thirty years ago?”

Covering her face, Liang Fangqi sobbed quietly. “I really don’t know… It was so many years ago—how could I possibly remember?”

“You don’t remember?”

Shen Lihuan scoffed. “Let me ask you—back then, when you assisted in Pei Yuanning’s delivery, did her child really die shortly after birth?”

“I really don’t remember. Please, go ask someone else.”

Liang Fangqi pleaded desperately.

“You don’t remember? But the reason you resigned back then was that you said you couldn’t handle the grief of a newborn dying so soon after birth. And now you’re telling me you don’t remember?”

Gu Tingyu abruptly stood up, cracking his knuckles, his face full of rage.

Luo Guodong quickly stepped in front of his wife, afraid that he might suddenly hit her.

Growing impatient with the useless questioning, Shen Lihuan stepped forward and swiftly stuffed a pill into Liang Fangqi’s mouth. Liang Fangqi’s eyes gradually lost focus.

Luo Guodong quickly pushed Shen Lihuan’s hand away, staring at her warily. She withdrew her hand without anger and pulled a recording pen from her pocket. Holding down the middle button, she powered it on, then pressed the bottom button to start recording.

“What is your name?”

“Liang Fangqi.” Liang Fangqi answered truthfully.

Luo Guodong’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at his wife. Annoyed that he was blocking the way, Shen Lihuan stuffed a pill into his mouth as well. Luo Guodong froze, only his eyes still capable of movement.

Gu Qinglan and the others stared intently at Liang Fangqi, while Gu Tingyu held his breath.

“Let me ask you—thirty-four years ago, when you assisted in Pei Yuanning’s delivery, did her child die shortly after birth?”

“No, she gave birth to a very healthy baby boy.”

At those words, Gu Tingyu clenched his fist so tightly that he nearly bit his own hand. A storm of emotions raged inside him.

“Then why was Pei Yuanning told that her child had died shortly after birth?”

This was the question everyone wanted answered the most.

“We took Pei Yuanning’s baby out to show his father, Mr. Gu Xiujin, and inform him of the good news. But Mr. Gu Xiujin was already holding another baby in his arms. He handed us the baby he was holding and said, ‘This is my wife’s baby—take him inside to her.’

“I protested, saying that this was deception, but Mr. Gu Xiujin threatened us. He said, ‘If you dare reveal the truth, be careful—your families might disappear one day.’ At the time, the other nurse and I were only in our twenties. Terrified by his threat, we obeyed and took that baby inside.

“At that moment, Pei Yuanning had already passed out from exhaustion, so she knew nothing about what had happened. But not long after, the baby we brought inside died. When Pei Yuanning woke up and learned of the tragedy, it was as if she had aged twenty years overnight.”

Liang Fangqi’s voice was dry and hollow, but Gu Qinglan and Gu Tingyu had tears in their eyes.

Especially Gu Tingyu—knowing that his mother, whom he had never met, had been heartbroken over him, he couldn’t hold back his tears.

Shen Jiashu wrapped his arms around his wife’s shoulders from behind, offering her strength and support.

“What about the two doctors who assisted in Pei Yuanning’s delivery? Did they know about this?”

Gu Tingyu gritted his teeth as he asked.

“I don’t know. Pei Yuanning’s labor was complicated, so both doctors stayed in the delivery room and didn’t come out with us.”

“How could they not know? The baby they just delivered changed faces within two minutes of leaving the room, and then not long after, the baby passed away. Do you really think they wouldn’t have noticed anything?”

Gu Tingyu, furious, kicked the wall. Those two doctors were definitely bribed by Gu Xiujin.

The hateful part was that one of them was already dead, and the other had moved to Lan Country, making them difficult to track down.

Shen Lihuan asked again, “Was Gu Xiujin the only one waiting outside the delivery room when Pei Yuanning was giving birth?”

If the maternal family had been present, how could Gu Xiujin have had the opportunity to swap the babies?

“Yes, it was late at night when Pei Yuanning went into labor, so only Mr. Gu Xiujin was outside.”

“He must have deliberately kept Grandma and Grandpa in the dark, preventing them from accompanying her during labor. Otherwise, how could he have dared to switch Tingyu with that illegitimate child?”

Gu Qinglan’s eyes were filled with hatred for Gu Xiujin. A man like that was unfit to be a father!

“Do you know where Gu Xiujin took the baby Pei Yuanning gave birth to? Or do you know whose child he swapped in?”

“I’m not entirely sure. Later, Mr. Gu Xiujin gave us a card with 200,000 on it to keep us quiet. I was so afraid the truth would come out that I quickly resigned. But before I left, I accidentally saw Mr. Gu Xiujin leaving the hospital in a hurry with another woman and the baby. Instinctively, I followed them and heard Mr. Gu Xiujin speaking to the woman in an unusually gentle tone, calling her Jiang Yue. I saw it clearly—the baby in their arms was the one Pei Yuanning had given birth to!”

“I was terrified after discovering this, so I resigned as quickly as I could. I didn’t dare to contact my former colleagues, let alone meet with them.”

Shen Lihuan pressed and held the D button to stop the recording. “Alright, we’ve recorded everything we need. With this recording, let’s see how Gu Xiujin and Luo Jiangyue can possibly escape now!”