Chapter Sixty-Five: Resolution

The stalemate in the consultation room was swiftly broken by a knock at the door.

Shengyao’s body jolted; he glanced at the door behind him.

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound rang out again, resolute and unwavering.

He exhaled, turned the handle, and opened the door.

Bai Xiao stood at the threshold, a faint smile at her lips.

She looked at Shengyao, then leaned in to peek at the doctor behind him, offering a greeting, “Good evening, doctor.” With that, she raised her gaze to Shengyao. “Why are you here to see the doctor so late? Didn’t you say you were busy these past few days?”

Her tone was neither accusatory nor curious, but the concern in her voice and eyes was unmistakable. She scrutinized Shengyao, as if checking him for signs of illness, then glanced at the doctor’s desk, surveying the office for traces of medication or medical instruments.

Her gaze was subtle, but Shengyao noticed it all.

He sighed and smiled at her, “It’s nothing, just something about another patient.”

Bai Xiao’s head snapped up, her mouth slightly open in surprise. “Is it Tong Bin? What happened to him?” Her brow furrowed, worry flickering across her expression.

Shengyao was about to answer, but the doctor stood up.

Bai Xiao quickly grasped Shengyao’s hand, apologizing to the doctor, “Sorry to disturb you so late.”

The doctor remained indifferent, casting a glance at Shengyao. “Don’t stay overnight in the clinic.” With that, he turned and walked toward the other door in the consultation room.

The door opened, revealing utter darkness beyond.

Even Shengyao, with his sharp vision, couldn’t discern a single outline in that shadowed space—not even the shape of the room. The darkness seemed bottomless, boundless.

The doctor stepped inside, and without any visible action, the door closed behind him as if on its own.

Silence fell over the consultation room.

Bai Xiao tugged at Shengyao’s hand. “What’s really going on? What happened to Tong Bin? Is it serious?”

Shengyao turned to her, helplessly sighing. He stroked her cheek. “Yes. He... he’s got some issues. He attacked someone... it’s possible...”

Bai Xiao drew a sharp breath. “He was stalking that person before, and now... has he gotten worse?”

“Mm.” Shengyao nodded.

“So... what should we do...” Bai Xiao was troubled.

Shengyao took two deep breaths. “I’ll figure out how to stop him.”

Bai Xiao’s brow remained furrowed.

But Shengyao didn’t notice her expression; his eyes lowered in thought.

The earlier fight had proven that, physically and in terms of agility, he could subdue that... creature. The monster’s disappearance after being severely wounded—or even killed—suggested some special ability. He was just an ordinary person, albeit with good physical condition. Physical attacks were manageable, but “spells” were another matter.

Suddenly, he felt a warmth in front of him.

Bai Xiao flung herself into his arms, holding him tightly around the waist.

“It’s too dangerous. And after you stop him, then what? Are you planning to call the police? And then what? What if he mentions the monster clinic, or you... or the police trace you as the informant... what will you do?” Bai Xiao’s voice was low.

Shengyao was stunned.

“Why do you have to do this? He has nothing to do with us, and that woman... though she’s pitiful, she’s not connected to us either, is she? Why risk everything for strangers?” Bai Xiao raised her face, her dark eyes trembling in their sockets. “It took us so much effort—so much effort—to finally be together again. You lost me before, and I don’t want... If it were me... Shengyao, you’re all I have...”

Her voice choked, tears gathering in her eyes. Before they could fall, she buried her face in Shengyao’s chest.

“Shengyao, I’m scared... Thirty-five years... Thirty-five years have passed. I’m dead, with no ID, no registration. If I’m discovered... you too. You look nineteen now. We can’t let people see us... we’d frighten them. We’ve already scared someone before... It took so much to smooth things over, to fool those people. What are you planning now?” Bai Xiao lifted her head again, eyes red but no tears left. Her gaze brimmed with accusation. “We’ve finally reunited, and yet these months you’ve been busy with this and that, always caring for unrelated patients... we’ve finally come together again!”

Shengyao’s throat tightened.

His heart contracted as if squeezed by an invisible hand, aching with pressure.

Images flashed through his mind: Maomao turning into a monster, the tumor growing on Liu Yu, the carapaced creature with countless eyes, ears, and mouths, and the swift, relentless attack it launched at him.

He opened his mouth, but faced with Bai Xiao’s worried, fearful, anxious, and slightly doubtful face, he could not speak.

If Bai Xiao knew she too might become a monster, how would she react?

Shengyao’s mind conjured the scene at Changshou Cemetery.

He seemed to see Bai Xiao’s decayed, unrecognizable body leaning against the gravestone.

He had always known Bai Xiao could never accept such a reality. She wouldn’t stay by his side with that risk.

Shengyao embraced Bai Xiao, burying his face in her shoulder.

“Let’s not think about all that. Darling, let’s not worry about any of it. Just the two of us, for the next thirty-five, forty, fifty years... As long as you’re with me, and I’m with you... In this world, I have only you, and you... only me...” Bai Xiao patted his back, whispering softly, letting herself be enveloped by his embrace.

For a moment, Shengyao wanted to nod and promise her.

Liu Yu had problems, Maomao had problems, Tong Bin had problems... but except for Tong Bin, the other person and cat were fine. Besides, as long as Bai Xiao was with him, they’d be like Maomao and Lu Meimei, relying on each other... Plus, Bai Xiao’s temperament was so much better than Liu Yu or Tong Bin’s. So gentle, so calm. In their six years together, he’d seen her angry, but knew she always adjusted her mood quickly. She was so easily satisfied, so happy...

See, there were so many reasons!

Just as Shengyao was about to let go and agree with Bai Xiao, he remembered Kong Yajie’s haggard face.

The monster had burst out of Kong Yajie’s room through the window.

Blood stained its teeth.

Shengyao tightened his embrace around Bai Xiao.

So many reasons...

“You are the most important thing to me,” Shengyao said in a low voice.

Bai Xiao’s body stiffened.

Shengyao gripped her shoulders, gently pushed her from his arms.

He gazed into her frightened eyes, smiled softly, and kissed her forehead.

“Shengsheng, you are the most important thing to me.” He pressed his forehead to hers and repeated the words.

If that weren’t true, he should have first checked Kong Yajie’s safety—that moment, amid the sound of shattering glass, he heard voices from the house, even the heartbeats and breaths of two people, Kong Yajie and her husband Gao Yan; they must have been unharmed. Yet, he had unhesitatingly chosen to pursue the monster.

The doctor's question had struck at his core.

He had extended some kindness and patience to Tong Bin, but that kindness paled compared to his love for Bai Xiao.

Bai Xiao stared at him intently.

“But some things, I can’t just ignore.” Shengyao’s smile faded, his expression turning grave.

Tong Bin had already become a monster and killed someone. He hadn’t harmed Kong Yajie or Gao Yan; he must have killed someone else.

“This isn’t something I can call the police about,” Shengyao continued. “At least, not yet... You’re right; you have no identity, and I have issues too. We can’t easily interact with others.”

He embraced Bai Xiao again. “You have only me, and I only you. Right now, we have only each other. But I can’t just watch these things happen. Besides... Tong Bin will eventually draw the police’s attention. It’ll be impossible to clean up then.”

He gave many reasons, but didn’t say that he needed an answer, had to find out what side effects that injection the doctor used might have. It concerned Bai Xiao’s future health, and his own.

A tremor ran through Shengyao; he hugged Bai Xiao even tighter.

He had always worried about Bai Xiao’s health, but hadn’t considered his own situation.

He too had been injected with that drug, rejuvenated. He too could suffer those side effects, transform into a monster, lose his mind, and harm Bai Xiao.

Shengyao closed his eyes.

Whether from emotion or reason, he couldn’t stand idly by.

“I understand,” Bai Xiao replied in his arms.

Shengyao looked down at her.

“So, what do you plan to do next?” she asked.

He instinctively glanced at the doctor’s desk, then at the heavy door.

“Is there anything in the clinic?” Shengyao asked softly.

The doctor could cure with his panacea—maybe there was another drug to treat side effects.

Or perhaps...

Shengyao looked at the medical records left on the desk.

Maybe there was information in the clinic, maybe the doctor had studied the side effects and had detailed countermeasures.

Bai Xiao said, “I’ve been here so long, and I haven’t seen anything like what you’re looking for.”

She held Shengyao’s hand, hesitating.

He saw her reluctance to support his plan.

He patted her head, “It’s alright. I’ll ask the doctor again.”

With that, he walked toward the door the doctor had entered.

Bai Xiao stood behind him, expressionless, watching as he knocked, called out, and turned the handle.

Bai Xiao’s pupils contracted; her gaze shifted to the medical record belonging to Shengyao.