Jing Minghe gently pushed open the door to the twins' room. It wasn't completely dark inside; two bedside lamps were on, casting a dim light that allowed him to see everything clearly.
Jing Minghe scanned the room. The two children were sound asleep. Strangely, despite the quiet night, he couldn't hear a single breath, as if they had completely merged with the silent darkness.
This scene made Jing Minghe hold his breath. He tiptoed closer to the twins. Just as he was about to reach them, both children suddenly sat up simultaneously, though their eyes remained closed.
Puzzled, Jing Minghe approached one of the little girls and whispered, "Feifei?"
The girl responded as if she heard Jing Minghe's voice, or perhaps she was murmuring in her sleep.
"I don't know, Dad already ate."
Jing Minghe narrowed his eyes and glanced at the girl in the other bed. He lowered his voice and pressed, "What did Dad eat?"
As Jing Minghe finished speaking, the girl in the other bed suddenly started giggling, her laughter identical to the one she made during dinner.
At the same time, the girl opposite him began to cry, just like she did during dinner.
Their cries and laughter grew louder. Jing Minghe had a suspicion, so he quickly left the twins' room and returned to their own, leaving the door ajar to observe the situation outside.
However, a long time passed, and Jing Minghe felt that if he let the twins continue crying and laughing like that, their throats would surely be hoarse the next day. Yet, the children's mother had not appeared.
"What's going on?" Wen Sha asked, sitting up with difficulty and looking at Jing Minghe standing at the doorway. "What did you do? And why do the children's crying and laughter sound like they did at dinner?"
"They sound the same?" Jing Minghe looked back. "I thought so at first too, but if you listen carefully, they seem different."
Wen Sha got out of bed, holding her wound, and walked step by step towards the door.
The twins were still crying and laughing hysterically. There was no movement in the hostess's room, as if she couldn't hear her children's cries and laughter at all.
Wen Sha leaned her head close to the crack in the door, concentrating to judge. Then, she leaned against the wall and whispered, "They're different, really different. The laughter is suppressing the crying, like a strong declaration of ownership. What… what does this mean?"
Jing Minghe shook his head. "I don't know."
He then turned and closed the door. "Let's forget it and talk about it tomorrow."
"Okay."
Wen Sha didn't press further. Instead, she swayed back towards her bed.
"You seem unwell?" Jing Minghe asked with concern.
"Yes," Wen Sha sat on the edge of the bed and turned on the bedside lamp. Her face looked even paler in the light, and she seemed completely drained of color. "My wound seems to have gotten worse."
"How can that be?" Jing Minghe walked over to Wen Sha, concerned. "Is it inflamed? I have some anti-inflammatory medicine here."
As he spoke, Jing Minghe took out some emergency medicine that You Mi had asked him to carry. He found the anti-inflammatory pills and handed them to Wen Sha. "Take these. I'll go get you some water."
Wen Sha took the medicine from Jing Minghe, her voice weak. "Thank you."
Jing Minghe went to get water. Wen Sha put down the medicine and slowly lifted her clothes, using the lamplight to examine her wound. Although it had bled quite a bit before, the wound itself was very small, and she had treated it. It shouldn't have been a serious issue, but now, a large area had rotted. Two-thirds of her stomach had turned into a putrid mess.
"How can this happen?"
Wen Sha recalled suffering many injuries on her journey, but she always found ways to treat them. However, this wound today gave her a terrible headache. She couldn't even find the reason why it had worsened so much, let alone know what to do.
It was clearly a small wound, and it didn't seem like poisoning, yet the wound was rotting so rapidly within a few hours.
Forget three days; if this continued, she might not even last one.
Jing Minghe returned quickly. Wen Sha hastily put down her clothes.
"Take your medicine," Jing Minghe said, walking over and placing the water in Wen Sha's hand. He comforted her, "Take your medicine and rest well. Don't worry, we'll get out of here."
Wen Sha nodded, managing a weak smile. "Thank you."
After taking the medicine, Wen Sha lay down and forced herself to sleep. No matter what, she had to conserve her energy for tomorrow. Although she had heard that Jing Minghe was very capable, she couldn't rely on him completely.
Placing her life in someone else's hands was an extremely dangerous decision.
Jing Minghe lay on the bed, his gaze drifting to Wen Sha, who was struggling to fall asleep. When he entered the room earlier, he had accidentally glimpsed Wen Sha's wound on her stomach at the moment she lowered her clothes. It had already worsened considerably.
However, since Wen Sha was deliberately concealing it, he couldn't ask too many questions. He could only ponder how to clear the level as quickly as possible and lead his companions out of this game stage.
Everything that had happened in the house from the afternoon until the evening flashed through Jing Minghe's mind like a revolving lantern. He tried to analyze everyone's words and actions, searching for clues to clear the level.
At this moment, Jing Minghe realized how much he missed his Ge. They hadn't been separated for so long since entering the City of Death. With Chi Hao not by his side, Jing Minghe felt as though his brain wasn't working as quickly as it used to.
Jing Minghe let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
They had only been apart for a short while, and he was already missing him. What would happen later?
Human emotions were truly the most wondrous things in the world.
No.
Jing Minghe cautioned himself.
He absolutely could not become dependent on Hao Ge. In the City of Death, dependence could ultimately harm the person you cared about the most.
After an unknown period, Jing Minghe heard that the twins' room had suddenly fallen silent. The crying and laughter had ceased simultaneously. He immediately got out of bed, ready to check.
As soon as he opened the door a crack, he heard a sound from the hostess's room. Jing Minghe froze, his movement halted. He looked out through the sliver of the open door.
He saw the hostess open her door, hesitate for a moment, then tiptoe into the twins' room.
Seeing that the hostess didn't close the door after entering, Jing Minghe immediately went out and quietly approached the twins' room, leaning against the doorframe to look inside.
Fortunately, the two small bedside lamps were still on. Jing Minghe saw the hostess cautiously approach one of the little girls. Suddenly, she pulled out a slender object from her sleeve, its shining white light startling Jing Minghe.
Jing Minghe stared intently at the woman's raised hand, wanting to see if she would make the move he suspected.