Chapter 9: She Said Her Name Was Twin Flower
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Li Guanqi was suddenly pulled by an unexpected force, causing her to lose her footing and slam her knee sharply against the edge of the bed, sending a sharp pain through her. Her body lost balance and toppled forward. She exerted an irresistible grip, clutching his wrist and pressing it against her waist. An ambiguous atmosphere filled the room.
Her heartbeat faltered; her rosy lips parted and closed, but only breaths escaped—no words could be spoken. Li Guanqi froze, unsure how to respond. If this were a romance drama, the male lead would surely lower his head, inch closer, and finally press his lips to hers.
Alas.
He was both a gambler and a doctor, doubly resistant to romantic advances.
“I should go now,” Li Guanqi said softly.
Though his voice was low, their bodies were pressed so close that her ears caught every word clearly.
The Twin Flower gave a bitter smile, released his wrist, and gently took the glasses from his pocket, carefully putting them on him. The gesture was delicate, with a faint tremor barely perceptible.
Her fingers brushed lightly against his cheek like feathers, carrying a faint floral fragrance that caused Li Guanqi’s heart to skip a beat.
This was how such scenes were filmed on TV.
Before a husband leaves on a journey, his wife tidies his clothes gently, filled with affection, tenderness, and a trace of sadness.
“You…” Li Guanqi wanted to say something, but words failed her.
“Go,” the Twin Flower said, her eyelashes fluttering softly.
She slowly sat up, turned her back to Li Guanqi, remaining silent as she gazed quietly toward the ventilation window.
Watching her silhouette, Li Guanqi’s heart swirled with mixed emotions.
“Um…” he cleared his throat, breaking the silence. “I’ll find someone for you.”
The Twin Flower stared out the window, the breeze lifting her hair as she murmured absentmindedly, “My name is Twin Flower.”
“Twin Flower…”
“One red blossom, one blue blossom…”
She seemed lost in thought, repeating the words over and over.
“Don’t forget me…”
The air fell into an eerie stillness, like the instant of quiet after the priest’s vows in a wedding chapel.
“Li, do you take XXX as your wife? Will you love, comfort, respect, and protect her from this day forward, through good times and bad, wealth and poverty, health and sickness, joy and sorrow, for all your life?”
The whole world awaited a single promise.
“Uh.” Li Guanqi felt inexplicably pressured but nodded lightly. “Yes.”
He turned and left, gently closing the door behind him.
The old door sign clattered to his feet—a weathered plaque bearing the numbers 505.
“Why did she choose this room?” he muttered softly.
“Of all the rooms, she picked the most dilapidated one…”
He looked at the door number, puzzled, then glanced down the corridor, empty and unnervingly silent.
He pulled out his phone—no new messages, the screen spotless.
“Why so few patients today?”
Li Guanqi frowned, suspicious. Normally, this time of day, the corridor would be crowded.
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A bad premonition stirred within him as he hurried toward room 510 at the end of the hallway.
Knock, knock, knock.
He raised his hand to knock but before he could speak, the door creaked open on its own.
“Hmm?”
He hesitated, calling out tentatively, “Doctor Zhang?”
No answer.
He pushed the door open; the room was dim, curtains drawn tightly, only the computer screen emitting a faint blue glow.
Empty.
“No one here?!”
Li Guanqi stood dumbfounded, his mind blank.
It felt as though he had stepped into an absurd dream, utterly unreal.
“Where has everyone gone…”
His breathing grew rapid as he rushed from room 509 to 508—still not a soul in sight.
Turning at the elevator corner, the elevator lights lit up sequentially as it ascended:
2…
3…
4…
5…
The scene triggered memories of a conversation, striking Li Guanqi like a thunderclap.
“Did the doctor bring you to 505, or did you sneak in yourself?”
“I came in on my own.”
“Where are you from?”
“Level Four Fortress—Edge Moonfall.”
“Now is not the time for dueling…”
“Third round, third round!”
“I’m leaving…”
“My name is Twin Flower.”
“One red blossom, one blue blossom…”
“Doctor Li, can’t you see…”
A sudden chill ran down his spine; his pupils dilated wildly.
“Impossible…”
“How could this be…”
His breath quickened, gaze darting like a headless fly, overwhelmed by a strange, misty haze blurring reality and illusion.
*Ding—*
The elevator arrived on the fifth floor with a crisp chime, shattering the suffocating silence.
The elevator doors slid open slowly, like a beast opening its maw, waiting patiently for prey to step inside.
Inside, nothing but cold metal walls reflected the pale light.
Li Guanqi felt his heart grasped by an invisible hand, halting its beat.
The doors closed automatically; the elevator lights glowed again, the crimson numbers stabbing his eyes.
5…
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4…
3…
2…
Each number felt like a death knell, pounding on his fragile nerves.
“Doctor Li, can’t you see…”
Twin Flower’s words echoed in his mind again.
He spun around and bolted for the stairs, desperate to escape this suffocating place.
Fourth floor—empty.
Third floor—empty.
Second floor—empty.
First floor—empty.
The entire hospital resembled a ghost town, deathly silent.
Li Guanqi felt like an abandoned spirit, wandering alone in this cold prison.
As he burst out of the hospital’s main entrance, a gust of cold wind hit him, whipping his thin white coat noisily.
The world was utterly deserted.
Dim streetlights cast a yellow glow over the empty streets; a few dead leaves twirled in the chill wind, rustling softly.
Several abandoned shared bikes lay toppled by the roadside, like forsaken orphans.
The hospital’s dark windows stared down like the icy eyes of a god, laced with mockery and indifference.
Li Guanqi stood frozen at the entrance, his mind buzzing to blankness; his rapid breaths sounded painfully clear in the stillness, like a trapped beast’s low growl.
A sudden chill crept down his back, as if something was watching him.
He whipped around.
There sat the girl called Twin Flower by the window of room 505.
Her legs dangled freely, gently swinging.
Lost in thought.
She looked down and met Li Guanqi’s gaze below.
Their eyes locked—one above, one below; one filled with sorrow, the other wide with shock.
She smiled suddenly—a smile tinged with relief and melancholy, like a white rose trembling in a storm, about to wither.
Her body slowly leaned forward.
Her fingers loosened gradually, as if bidding farewell, or seeking release.
Li Guanqi’s eyes widened in terror; his heart felt crushed by an invisible hand, suffocating him instantly.
He opened his mouth to shout, but his throat seemed strangled by an unseen force, no sound emerged.
A sudden rush—
The girl fell.
Crashing heavily to the ground.
Her deep red strapless dress.
In the dark void, from above to below, a heavy stroke was drawn—
Vivid.
Dazzling.
Indelible.
1.