Chapter 147: Confirming the Live Stream Time
The silly grin on Wang Shenglong's face had long vanished. He erased the words on the drawing board, and a flicker of pain passed through his small eyes, nearly buried by his plump cheeks.
"We're all monsters?" Chen Ge slammed against the door panel, his back stinging from the impact.
Hearing the noise from the bedroom, Dr. Gao and Wang Shenglong's family rushed over. "Chen Ge, what's wrong?"
"I slipped and hit the door." Chen Ge rubbed his back and stood up.
"Is it serious? I have some medicated oil at home." Wang Shenglong's elderly father didn't suspect Chen Ge's words and turned to look for the oil in the living room. Dr. Gao, standing nearby, seemed to notice something. He glanced at the flat carpet on the floor but said nothing.
"It's fine, no need to trouble yourself." Chen Ge was helped up by Dr. Gao as he walked out of the bedroom. Things weren't going well. Wang Shenglong had hidden the biggest secret from everyone. On the surface, he appeared to be actively cooperating with treatment, but in reality, he was misleading them all, concealing the true cause of his illness.
Why would Wang Shenglong do this? Did he have his own reasons?
Chen Ge clearly remembered the expression on Wang Shenglong's face when he wrote that sentence. He was helpless and in pain, and most importantly, he didn't want to change himself.
Rolling his shoulders, Chen Ge suddenly realized that Wang Shenglong's strength far exceeded that of an average adult.
"This guy seems harmless, but he's actually very dangerous."
Wang Shenglong wasn't willing to tell Chen Ge the truth. With his father and brother present, Chen Ge couldn't use force, and even if he did, he might not win.
After some thought, Chen Ge had no choice but to pull Dr. Gao away, hoping to ask him to uncover the secret hidden within Wang Shenglong.
Wang Shenglong's father saw Chen Ge and Dr. Gao to the door. As they exchanged contact information, Chen Ge noticed from a distance that Wang Shenglong, looking dejected in the bedroom, had picked up the drawing board again.
It seemed he knew Chen Ge was watching. He casually sketched a few lines, then held the board upright, facing the door.
"What did he draw?"
Several small figures sat in a room. On the shoulder of the shortest one stood a monster, bending down to look around, as if preparing to jump onto the others.
"Is this a hint for me?"
Chen Ge memorized the drawing and left Wang Shenglong's rented apartment with Dr. Gao. Downstairs, they entered Room 304 to pick up Men Nan's belongings.
"Dr. Gao, don't you think Wang Shenglong has a big problem?" Chen Ge closed the door, making sure the Wang brothers hadn't followed, before speaking.
"He is a bit unusual." Dr. Gao spread out Men Nan's bedsheet and wrapped the quilt and mattress inside. "Based on his father's description, the boy's condition should be quite severe. But from my questioning, I found he has no psychological disorders. He's optimistic, clear-headed, and that creates a stark contrast with his dull smile. A sharp-minded person shouldn't be unable to control their facial expressions. I'm certain he's hiding something from me. This patient is smart and good at concealing his true thoughts, but he's a bit too obvious about it."
Chen Ge hadn't expected Dr. Gao to notice as well. "You're the professional. But since you've already figured it out, why not confront his father directly? That would make treatment easier."
"Managing the relationship between a patient's family and the doctor is an art. Don't be fooled by how polite his father was today. If something goes wrong, he'll side with his child, and then it'll be hard to get close to Wang Shenglong again." Dr. Gao carried the bundled sheets out of the room. "Come help me pack the books and notebooks from Men Nan's drawer into a box. Those are important to him."
Chen Ge entered the bedroom and pulled out books from the drawer one by one. When it was nearly empty, he spotted a photo at the very bottom.
A woman in a hospital gown lay on a bed, with a shy, timid little boy beside her.
"Is this Men Nan and his biological mother?" Seeing the photo, Chen Ge was a bit surprised. The mother in the hospital bed was strikingly beautiful, almost flawless. "With a wife this beautiful, how could Men Nan's biological father be unsatisfied? How could he bear to stay apart for so long and even cheat?"
His first love letter had come from a vengeful spirit, so Chen Ge didn't know much about romantic relationships. He simply felt that Men Nan's father might have psychological issues.
Tucking the photo into a book, Chen Ge packed everything up, dragged the box, and left Room 304 with Dr. Gao.
Stepping out of Haiming Apartments, Chen Ge took a deep breath. "Finally, no more of that stench."
"Speaking of stench, isn't it stronger here?" Dr. Gao pointed with a strange expression at the mountain of trash piled outside the building.
"Didn't you smell a weird odor in Wang Shenglong's room?"
"No, his place was quite tidy. It's clear his father has been taking good care of him." Dr. Gao sighed. "That kid is pretty lucky. At least his family is helping him, staying by his side, hoping he gets better."
"They are a good family." The worry of loved ones can't be faked; Chen Ge could feel it. He dragged the box a few more steps before stopping. "Family?"
"What's wrong? Some patients' families just dump them at a rehab center and forget about them."
Dr. Gao misunderstood Chen Ge, who was actually thinking about something else.
In Wang Shenglong's final drawing, several small figures sat together. The one with a monster on his shoulder was likely himself, and the others were probably his family.
The monster was about to jump onto the other figures. Did that mean Wang Shenglong was also acting against his will? If he did something wrong, the monster might hurt his family.
This drawing also proved from another angle that, after all these years, the two-meter-tall monster still stood on his shoulder. Their game didn't seem to be over.
"That stench must be coming from the monster. But why can only I smell it?" As soon as one problem was solved, another emerged. To find all the answers, he might have to enter the Third Ward.
After loading all of Men Nan's things into the trunk, Dr. Gao drove Chen Ge back to New Century Amusement Park.
As soon as he got out of the car, Chen Ge received a call from Liu Dao.
"Brother, Qin Guang's next paranormal live stream time is set! It's tomorrow night!"
"So soon? Do you know where he's broadcasting?"
"Mu Yang Middle School, the same place you streamed last time." Liu Dao mentioned a familiar name. "This time, Qin Guang learned his lesson. He didn't copy your plot entirely but hired someone to write a script. It's just following the trend, not plagiarism, so the platform can't do anything about it."
Chen Ge was silent for a moment, and Liu Dao thought he was angry. "Some things are frustrating, but as long as we focus on our own content, it'll be fine."
"I'm not angry. If you get the chance, I hope you can pass a message to Qin Guang for me."
"What message?"
Chen Ge looked at the Horror House in the night. "Tell him he'd better stop copying me. If he keeps this up, he might end up getting himself killed."
There will be another update around 11 PM.