Chapter 14: Life Blossoming Amidst Death

“What do you mean?” Chen Meng asked.

“Do you remember what the Seventh Hospital was most famous for before we came here?” Chu Tian asked.

“Abortion surgeries!” Chen Meng replied.

“Does a fetus count as a human?” Chu Tian looked at Chen Meng and asked.

“Of course, a person’s identity begins at birth and ends at death,” Chen Meng said.

“Exactly.” Chu Tian pulled a cigarette from his pocket and placed it in his mouth, about to light it, but then thought better of it and put it back. “One surgery, a child who hasn’t even entered the world yet, not yet considered a human, is turned into a ghost again.”

“Do you know what the cruelest thing in the world is?” Chu Tian smiled bitterly and said, “It’s when someone gives you hope, then personally snuffs it out.”

Chen Meng fell silent. “Are all the ghost infants in this hospital like that?”

“Maybe.” Chu Tian opened the window and spat outside. “They’re all damn bastards. If you don’t want to give birth, isn’t wearing a condom enough to avoid the whole mess?”

“So, they… actually want their parents to bring them into the world? To let them see this world properly?” Chen Meng murmured.

“Phew—” Chu Tian exhaled deeply. “When we first came in, the hospital changed. We followed those two little ghosts to get an ultrasound. Actually, the illusion ends around then. If you choose to keep the child, we leave the hospital and they escort us out. If you choose abortion, they’ll kick us out. Even if we come back later, they won’t see us again, because these little ghosts might have never witnessed human evil. They’ve never killed anyone, so even if we make the wrong choice, they’re only angry, not violent. But their limited understanding only allows two choices in this illusion. So when I asked how to nurture the fetus in the hospital, they were stunned.”

“Because they never imagined how the illusion should proceed afterwards!” Chen Meng continued. “They just mimic the daily routines of doctors they once saw in the hospital. That’s why after we leave, the scenes become so chaotic. And once your notebook is altered, they only adjust the illusion bit by bit according to your suggestions. There are things even they don’t understand.”

“That’s right!” Chu Tian nodded.

“Do you think human nature is inherently evil or inherently good?” Chu Tian suddenly asked a seemingly random question.

“Lead to good, it’s good; lead to evil, it’s evil,” Chen Meng pondered.

“These little ghosts have never left this hospital since becoming spirits,” Chu Tian said. “Their grudges entwine and condense, creating a breeding ground for a ghost king. You can tell this ghost king hasn’t fully matured—otherwise, if it left the hospital and grew wild with intelligence, the consequences would be terrifying. Now, perhaps this is the best way to resolve the grudges of these little ghosts.”

“So, we’re here to play out this whole act with them?” Chen Meng said.

“Mm.” Chu Tian said, “Time flows differently inside and outside this illusion. As long as we finish this September illusion, it should be fine.”

***

“So, I’m supposed to carry the child to term?” Chen Meng looked at Chu Tian, then down at her belly, marveling at how strange fate was.

“Anyway, neither of us can have a little fox cub, so it’s not bad to experience this,” Chu Tian said with a sudden smile.

“You’re the one who said it. Are you good at playing the role of a new dad?” Chen Meng lay on the bed, looking at Chu Tian.

After understanding the meaning of this illusion, Chen Meng finally relaxed.

“Well… let’s try it. Maybe they want to see how a warm home slowly forms,” Chu Tian turned and looked at the transparent glass on the ward door. Outside, ghost infants clung like spiders to the walls and ceiling. Their appearances were terrifying, bloodied, with pitch-black eyes, but there was no rage or malice inside—only pure innocence and curiosity. They leaned on the glass, peering inside, as if they thought Chu Tian and Chen Meng couldn’t see them.

“Alright!” Hearing this, Chen Meng suddenly smiled, a maternal glow lighting her face as she looked down at her belly, gently placing a hand on it.

Seeing this, Chu Tian felt a bit ashamed—she slipped so easily into character, making him seem dull.

“Hey, honey, I think the baby’s kicking me,” Chen Meng said sweetly.

“You’re carrying a fox cub, aren’t you? Kicking you at less than two months?” Chu Tian said.

“Mind your own business. They don’t understand anyway,” Chen Meng snorted at Chu Tian. “You said this is acting, so come on, join me!”

“Alright, I’m convinced,” Chu Tian said, starting to take on the role of an expectant father.

Days passed. Chu Tian played the role of a soon-to-be father while exploring the hospital bit by bit.

He needed someone to perform prenatal checkups, so a group of little ghost doctors diligently conducted examinations on Chen Meng daily.

As a husband, he had to prepare nutritious meals for his wife, so the hospital cafeteria opened up to Chu Tian the next day. Whatever ingredients he requested, the little ghost doctors quickly found them.

Chu Tian took the pregnant Chen Meng for walks in the hospital’s garden below. Under his description, the garden gradually filled with trees, flowers, butterflies, and birds. Although the plants and animals didn’t quite match his words, it looked decent. Even if the garden appeared bizarre, after Chu Tian and Chen Meng left, many little ghost doctors eagerly went there to play and see this world they had never truly witnessed but had manifested from their illusions.

Every day, many little ghost doctors followed Chu Tian like a swarm. If not for their frightening appearances, they might have resembled adorable little minions.

Time passed bit by bit.

One month, two months, three months…

The illusion affected Chen Meng’s belly, which grew larger and larger.

***

“Doctor, my wife’s going into labor! Doctor, come help!” Chu Tian suddenly shouted in the ward.

Outside the door, a group of little ghost doctors in white coats pushed open the door and rushed in, flustered and babbling, as if utterly panicked.

“She’s going into labor? She’s going into labor?”

“Oh no, what do we do? She’s going into labor, what now?”

“You’re a doctor, I’m just a nurse.”

“Yes, I’m a doctor, I’m a doctor. My patient’s going into labor, how do I deliver the baby? How do I deliver?”

“I don’t know. Do you?”

“I don’t know either. Then how do we deliver?”

The little ghost doctors began arguing in front of Chen Meng and Chu Tian. Chu Tian was speechless; Chen Meng even thought if she were really pregnant, she’d just reach in and pull the baby out herself rather than rely on these guys.

“Doctors, what are you doing? The patient’s in labor. Push her to the operating room, lay her on the table, her belly will shrink by itself, then the baby will just appear. Don’t you know that?” Chu Tian bluntly instructed, not daring to mention a C-section openly—he didn’t want these immature little ghost doctors grabbing knives and cutting her open.

For a moment, the little ghost doctors froze, then looked at Chu Tian and said, “You’re right!”

Right, my foot! Chu Tian was dumbfounded. But the little ghosts started moving.

“Everyone, attention! Take the patient to the operating room! She’s going into labor!!!”

The little ghost doctors clamored as they pushed Chen Meng’s bed out in a rush.