Chapter 28: Forced Discharge

I looked inward with my mind's eye and found she was right. Flustered, I asked, "Then what about my soul?"

Inside my body, she tugged at my liver and lungs, traced my heart and spleen, and compared them to my kidneys. With a flash, my soul wobbled and crawled out. Like hers, it had no form, which was extremely strange!

This was my true body, just as it had always been—a genuine man.

She tried to drive my soul out of the body, but Qu Shilai, once inside, would not leave. With bulging eyes, he roared, "Get lost! Otherwise, I won't be polite!"

Her soul swirled around and said calmly, "This is my body; you cannot stay here. If you do, I will fight you to the death!"

Qu Shilai appeared remarkably stubborn and let out a harsh, unpleasant sound: "Leave at once! Or else..."

Fearing Qu Shilai might do something disgraceful, I tried my best to stop him: "No!"

Qu Shilai stared at me, smiled, and said, "There are two souls in this body now. Either you die, or I do. Otherwise, the only way is..."

I didn't understand what he meant and couldn't help but ask, "What are you talking about?"

Her soul understood clearly. Wearing a look of reluctance, she tried to stop him violently: "Get lost! This is my body; how can I let someone else inhabit it? You must be driven out!" She threw punches and kicks, but with a feminine air—how could she possibly drive Qu Shilai out? Qu Shilai, who already possessed martial arts skills, grabbed her wrists and twisted them back...

How strange! Her expression softened, and she let out a sweet, womanly sound, as if she had fallen into a vat of honey, wearing a blissful smile...

Qu Shilai whispered, "Zhengtai, let us become one! We shall be sweet forever. If you reside in Zhengtai's body for a long time, your desires will be fulfilled eternally."

The two of them had reconciled and become a true pair, though they were actually in my body.

I looked inward and saw that she was gradually expanding, filling the space of my body until it became Zhengtai. Naturally, I was no longer afraid. But I felt as if I had become a different person, with two souls inside me. I shifted my focus back, turned off the light, and broke out in a cold sweat. I rested for a moment and drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

The ringing of my phone woke me up. I grabbed it from the nightstand, took a look, answered it, and held it to my ear, waiting for the caller to speak.

After a long hesitation, Jiang Meili's voice came through: "Zhengtai, are you home?"

Hearing her voice made me feel at ease. I said casually, "Yes, haven't you gotten up yet?"

"Hurry up and open the door. I'm at your house!"

This was unexpected. I hung up the phone and hurried out. As the door opened, a beautiful young girl appeared.

She was wearing a grass-green miniskirt, black silk stockings, and high-heeled crystal sandals. With light makeup and bright red lips, she stepped inside and hugged me tightly: "Zhengtai, I missed you so much! I didn't sleep well all night! I want to be with you every single moment!"

I shut the door tight. I felt a sense of revulsion in my heart, yet I also liked her. I said offhandedly, "I am a woman too!"

She held my body tightly and shook it, not wanting to hear such words: "So what if you're a woman? We don't need men!"

I knew that her parents had a deep influence on her; she was so young, yet already unable to pull herself away. I put my arm around her shoulder, went into the small room, and sat on the edge of the bed. What I cared about most was her back, so I asked, "Does it still hurt?"

She flipped up the edge of her green skirt to reveal her back and said, "As long as nothing touches it, it doesn't hurt at all!"

My heart ached. The whip marks on her back were all caused by me; I was the true sadist! However, it was not of my own volition.

Unexpectedly, she crawled under my quilt and called out, "Come in!"

I had just climbed out of bed and wanted to sleep a bit more, but a scent drifted into my nostrils, and I couldn't help but take a deep breath...

Jiang Meili curled her feet, looking blissful, and said, "Let this life be as it is. In the next life, you must become a man, and I will still be a woman, and then I will marry you!"

For a young girl whose heart had just awakened to love, the world looked rosy and full of wonders everywhere. Her hope for a life for two grew stronger and stronger...

I felt unexpectedly sweet and light, as if I had become an immortal, living a life without a care in the world.

Just then, the phone rang. I picked it up from the bedside, took a look, and answered: "Hello, Mom?"

My mother's sobbing came through immediately: "Zhengtai, what should we do? Mom tried so hard! I went to all our relatives, but I couldn't borrow any money. They are telling your father to be discharged. Can you beg Mo Liping again? Borrow a little first, and we'll pay it back later!"

I really had no way out. Mo Liping's attitude had changed, and it wasn't as if I hadn't called her already.

My mother, however, pinned her last hope on me. I had no choice but to hang up and dial Mo Liping's number, but it went straight to "power off." I felt it was strange; it had gone from an invalid number to "power off"—could there still be a glimmer of hope? I had to call my mother and tell her this. However, my mother just cried loudly: "Let your father be discharged! Even though he didn't have surgery, the hospital fees are high. Maybe we can get a partial refund!"

I was speechless. I had secretly tried to find ways, but I still couldn't borrow the money, so I could only say, "Mom, you decide."

My mother wept loudly over the phone, and the call was disconnected intermittently...

I was sick of it. I never expected that beating my beastly father would bring such great trouble. If Zhengtai's mother also had a job, it wouldn't be this miserable.

Jiang Meili was very sweet, but the phone showed it was 2:00 PM. No wonder I was starving! I had to suggest getting up to eat. Jiang Meili lingered for a while before getting up with me.

I went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator; there were only eggs inside. Jiang Meili watched from the side; I didn't know if she had ever cooked at home.

Unexpectedly, she wanted to make something for me. She took out ten eggs, fried them into sunny-side-up eggs with oil, sprinkled a little salt on them, and brought them into my room, placing them on the desk. I brought two small bowls and two pairs of chopsticks, setting them in front of her and me. I picked one up, put it in my mouth, and took a bite—it was delicious!

My stomach was extremely empty; I actually ate seven of them. She only ate three, saying she had already eaten and just wanted to keep me company.

There was the sound of a key in the lock outside. Jiang Meili and I hurried out; my mother and Zhengtai's father had returned and were sitting on the sofa...

Jiang Meili took the opportunity to wave goodbye and left...

Zhengtai's father sat on the sofa, wearing a casual outfit, looking listless. His nose was flattened, his lips were swollen and bruised, and the blood had congealed. He wanted to speak but lacked the ability.

I remembered that it had only been two days since the incident. I wondered how much money my mother had paid; they couldn't even hold on at the hospital!

My mother looked at me and said, "With your father like this, he won't be getting better anytime soon. We have to think of a way to borrow money."

Zhengtai, inside my body, used my mouth to ask, "Mom, how did Dad end up like this?"

My mother felt very strange. It was clearly the daughter who had beaten him, so why would she ask that?

"This, this?" These words left my mother stunned, not knowing how to answer.

I tried to stop Zhengtai inside my body, but she wouldn't listen and continued: "Since Dad is like this and we can't borrow money, why not go out and find work?"

My mother couldn't help but shed tears. As she cried and wiped her eyes, she kept muttering, "I'm so old, I don't know if anyone would hire me."

Qu Shilai, inside my body, also wanted to say something and spoke with my voice in a feminine tone: "There is a citywide women's martial arts competition. I'll sign up; perhaps I can win first place."

My mother thought, even if she won first place, what good would it do? It wouldn't solve the problem of putting food on the table.

Zhengtai, inside my body, said again, "Dad can go back to work after resting for a while; wouldn't that solve the problem?"

This was a major provocation. Zhengtai's father made "ah-ah" sounds for a long time, but I still couldn't understand what he meant.

My mother had learned to interpret his speech and explained it to me: "Dad says his injuries are still too severe, so he can't go to work. He has to call his boss."

This was something my mother should have done, but she didn't know the boss's number.

Zhengtai's father took out his phone, dialed, and held it to his ear. The other party's voice came through: "Hello? Speak!"

He put forth a great effort, slightly opening his ugly mouth to make "ah-ah-ah" sounds.

The person on the other end became very annoyed and roared, "What 'ah'? If you have something to say, say it!"

My mother, driven to desperation, snatched the phone from him and explained into the receiver: "I'm Niu Zhenqing's wife..." She cried while she spoke, even bringing up the fact that she wanted to borrow money from the boss.

The male boss's voice came back: "If he can't work, what will he use to pay back the loan..." He paused for nearly a minute before replying: "Your husband isn't very old, and you probably aren't either. Clean yourself up, dress nicely, and come over so I can take a look. If I'm satisfied, you might just get the money."

As soon as I heard this, I was furious and wished I could punch him hard: "If you're going to lend it, lend it! If not, forget it! How can you say such shameless things?"