Ning Xin rubbed her ears hard, doubting if she heard correctly.
Nie Ran didn’t explain, just said, “Get ready.”
He didn’t want to reincarnate. As long as he lived, even if he climbed to the highest position of power, there were still too many things that couldn’t be achieved. Rather than enduring torment under a different identity, it was better to end it all here.
What kind of feeling was it to disappear as a soul?
Probably never feeling pain, hatred, or anger again.
Naturally, that included happiness.
Nie Ran took a deep breath and walked upstairs.
Ning Xin understood his words and hurriedly followed.
“Wait, are you sacrificing your chance to reincarnate to let the Ghost Emperor send me back to my original world?”
He nodded.
“What about you? Don’t you want to go with me?”
He laughed self-deprecatingly, “Some things are just not welcomed by others.”
Nie Ran turned and entered the room, closing the door.
The last trace of his smile kept flashing in Ning Xin’s mind repeatedly, leaving her feeling uneasy, sensing that he had changed a lot.
Should she really accept his help?
“If I could go back to the 21st century and continue living, that would be amazing.”
Neither of them had the mood to finish their meals. They stayed in their respective rooms, waiting for the appointed time to arrive.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the old lady appeared again in the dilapidated building.
More accurately, she should be called the Ghost Emperor.
He no longer disguised himself, revealing his true form: tall and slender, dressed in magnificent attire, standing there, making the asylum’s living room shine.
Ning Xin walked up to him, biting her lip.
The Ghost Emperor smiled and asked, “Have you made your decision?”
“I…”
She was about to speak when Nie Ran hurriedly came downstairs and spoke before her.
“We have another request.”
“Oh?”
He pushed Ning Xin forward and said in a tone that brooked no refusal, “Send her back.”
The Ghost Emperor chuckled. “She’s already dead, where would she go back to? Wander the world as a soul? I’m afraid it won’t be long before she’s gone for good.”
“I know you have a way.”
“No one can have two lives.”
“What if I use mine to trade?”
The Ghost Emperor fell silent.
Ning Xin felt somewhat nervous in the tense atmosphere between them. She discreetly tugged at his sleeve, signalling him not to be so impulsive.
But Nie Ran continued, “Just wait to go home.”
Go home? But she didn’t really have a home.
If she went back alive, perhaps only her landlord would be happy because someone else would be paying the rent.
Ning Xin, who usually had a thick skin, couldn’t help but ask at this moment, “Why are you so good to me?”
Nie Ran froze.
Why?
Maybe it was her soft embrace in the cave, maybe it was the bowl of hot porridge she brought when he was weak, maybe it was her anxious calls in the dark.
Or maybe it was because he had been lonely for far too long, and she suddenly barged into his life with her brazen attitude.
She made him realize that he hadn’t turned into a walking corpse yet.
Nie Ran became more determined and looked up at the Ghost Emperor.
“What’s your answer?”
But the Ghost Emperor turned his gaze to Ning Xin.
“What do you think? If you insist, it might also be possible.”
In other words, as long as she agreed, she could go back?
Her breathing became rapid, and she could even hear the rush of blood in her ears. Summoning courage, she opened her mouth.
“I…”
She glanced at Nie Ran, whose eyes were silent as death, probably prepared to face complete destruction.
“I…”
Sister, sister, I’m scared.
“I…”
Ning Xin squeezed her palm hard, the pain bringing her clarity. She said loudly, “I’ll stay!”
The Ghost Emperor’s face revealed an expected smile, while Nie Ran turned his head in surprise.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m staying. If I want to stay, then I’ll stay. No one else can make this decision for me.”
She took two steps forward and lifted her chin towards the Ghost Emperor.
“Come on, I’ll be the director of this asylum.”
The Ghost Emperor smiled meaningfully. Nie Ran couldn’t accept her decision at all and pulled her back beside him, whispering angrily, “Are you out of your mind?”
“Hey, be polite.”
Ning Xin pushed his hand away, straightened her clothes, and said, “From now on, I’m the director, and you’re the patient. You have to listen to me.”
“…,”
Nie Ran was completely exasperated. “Didn’t you want to go back? Didn’t you want to leave here? Now you’re changing your mind?”
She lowered her eyes. “Let’s talk about this later.”
The Ghost Emperor watched for a while and asked, “Have you both decided?”
Ning Xin stepped forward.
“Alright, I’ve decided to stay.”
“No turning back now? There won’t be a chance to regret it later.”
Well, as if other choices can be regretted.
Ning Xin nodded earnestly.
The Ghost Emperor raised his hand, holding a milky white halo in his palm, and sent it into her body.
She felt enveloped by a warm current, so comfortable she wanted to sigh. Her consciousness became muddled, then gradually cleared up. From head to toe, inside and out, she felt as if she had been cleansed.
“From now on, you are the director, with three abilities.”
“First, transporting the asylum between different worlds, but limited to those you have already experienced. Each time you admit a new patient, you can expand into a new world.
Second, exchanging resources between worlds, and you can exchange currencies at will.
Third, during your tenure, you will not age or die.”
The Ghost Emperor paused, then continued, “The first two abilities can be controlled by your consciousness. You will have one opportunity each month to stay in a foreign world for no more than seven days. As for the third ability, it can be negotiated when someone wants to succeed you or if you become unable to fulfil your duties for some reason. Any other questions?”
Ning Xin was still immersed in the recent comfort, unable to pull herself out, and shook her head blankly.
“Well then… I wish you success in your work.”
With that, the Ghost Emperor vanished into the air.
Ning Xin took a few steps back and sat on a chair, still dazed, feeling a surreal sense of being in a dream.
Nie Ran turned to look at her and said coldly, “Satisfied now?”
“Shh.”
She raised a finger to her lips, indicating for him to be quiet.
Nie Ran frowned, sensing her nervousness.
Ning Xin closed her eyes, carefully feeling her renewed body. After some time, she opened her eyes excitedly.
“I’m really the director now!”
“You didn’t seem so eager before.”
“Yeah, I was really worried before, but I didn’t expect to feel this good.”
Seeing her so excited, Nie Ran realized there was no turning back now and headed upstairs.
She suddenly chased after him and blocked his way.
“What’s up?”
“Today is my first day in office, and you’re my first patient. Let’s celebrate.”
“Celebrate?”
She looked back at the kitchen and happily suggested, “Let’s make a big feast.”
Nie Ran responded coldly, “If you’re making it, then you’re making it.”
“I’ll handle it myself. Just wait patiently to eat.”
Ning Xin ran into the kitchen, rummaging through the ingredients she wanted.
Nie Ran returned to his room, intending to take a nap, but his mind kept replaying the scene from earlier.
“I’m staying”—why did she suddenly change her mind?
Well, whatever it was, it couldn’t possibly be because of him.
Downstairs, there was a continuous commotion. After a while, he pretended to go downstairs for water, casually glancing at her.
Ning Xin couldn’t move her injured shoulder, so she could only use one hand to chop vegetables. The cured meat was tough and the knife was blunt, making it difficult for her to cut. It looked particularly laborious.
He was about to head back upstairs with his water glass when she suddenly placed the knife on the cutting board and wiped the sweat from her forehead, looking disheartened.
“I thought you would be happy that I stayed.”
Nie Ran was surprised and halted in his steps.
She moved a stool over and sat down to rest.
“In fact, my original world wasn’t that great either.”
He turned around. “Were those things you said last time just to deceive me?”
“Not at all, everything I said was true. The society was indeed good, but as for myself… sigh.”
She sighed and propped her chin. “If I had known you didn’t want me to stay, I would have just reincarnated.”
Nie Ran cautiously asked, “You think I wanted you to stay?”
“Yeah, otherwise why would you suddenly try to please me these past few days? What were you up to?”
He didn’t say anything, pondered for a moment, then set down his water glass and headed towards the stove, picking up a knife.
“What are you doing? Didn’t you say I should be the one cooking?”
Ning Xin squinted in confusion.
He earnestly began chopping the vegetables and calmly replied, “You go and rest.”
Rest was out of the question; her mind was too wired, and she couldn’t sleep at all.
Ning Xin squatted beside him, helping to wash the vegetables and dishes. Together, they spent several hours preparing a table full of food.
She filled two glasses with water and proposed a toast.
“Come, let’s toast to the future development of the asylum.”
What did the development of the asylum even look like? Building a large facility filled with mentally ill patients?
Ning Xin imagined the scene and couldn’t help but chuckle.
Nie Ran rolled his eyes, suspecting that she had also been affected by this world’s abnormality.
“Oh, by the way, you can start getting ready now.”
Ning Xin talked as she ate.
He asked, “What are we preparing for?”
“To go back to my original world. We can spend seven days there each month, and there are so many things to do.”
Firstly, she planned to take him to a proper psychiatric clinic to get him registered and diagnosed by professional doctors, and to get prescribed medication for him.
Secondly, she would withdraw her savings to purchase supplies needed for the asylum.
Finally, she wanted to visit the orphanage. She wasn’t sure if there would be another chance in the future.
These three tasks fueled her with endless motivation. After finishing her meal, she fetched a notebook and a pen, running up and down to list the items she needed to buy.
Nie Ran, thinking about finally leaving this place, felt eager but unsure of what to do.
The next morning, Ning Xin washed her face and hair, tidied up, and pushed open his door.
“Are you ready? We’re about to set off.”
The figure sitting by the window turned around.
“Sister, where are we going?”
“…”
With separate memories for each personality, Ning Xin had to suppress her excitement about leaving and spent over an hour explaining the situation to him, including his condition.
He listened in a daze. “I can’t go back to the palace?”
“That era has long passed. We’re now thousands of years ahead.”
“What about my mother? Where did she go?”
Ning Xin, afraid that he would feel sad, gently touched his head and asked softly, “How about from now on, you treat this place as your home and me as your family?”
Nie Ran looked like a lost child, his bewildered expression tugging at Ning Xin’s heartstrings.
Ning Xin wanted to give him some time alone to process, but he suddenly grabbed her hand.
“Have you made up your mind?”
“Sister, you wouldn’t lie to me, right?”
He was so cautious, so reserved.
Ning Xin hugged him tightly. “Don’t worry, from now on, you’re my little brother. Anyone who dares to bully you is bullying me. Come on, let me take you to a fun place.”
“What place?”
“You’ll see when we get there.”
With over a million yuan in her savings, there was no need to buy a house right now. She decided to spend it all, just to make this kid happy effortlessly.
Hand in hand, Nie Ran kept looking back every few steps.
“My knife, where’s my knife?”
“We can’t bring that, it’s too troublesome. Let it stay here. It’s safer in the asylum since nobody comes here anyway.”
Convincing Nie Ran, the two entered the living room. Ning Xin took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and concentrated on controlling her consciousness.
A white light enveloped them, and a few seconds later…
Beep beep beep!
Car horns blared, startling Nie Ran, who immediately covered his ears.
The driver stuck his head out and cursed, “Are you trying to get yourself killed? Jumping onto the road like that?”
Ning Xin glanced around and realized they were on a busy four-lane road. She quickly pulled Nie Ran’s hand and led him to the sidewalk, stopping to laugh awkwardly.
“Are you okay?”
He looked around at the towering buildings, his mouth hanging open in astonishment. “Sister, where are we?”
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