The white paper held only two colors — red and black. Fan Yu's style hadn't changed at all.
"This is the room we were staying in. Your sister was lying right there." Fan Yu's finger traced across the drawing, passing several small black figures before stopping at a black window.
The nurse standing nearby stared at Fan Yu's drawing with dark circles under her eyes. She had been standing near that very window moments ago — according to Fan Yu, a spider-like humanoid horror monster had been hovering right above her head.
"Lingling, let's go back to our room and play, okay?" The nurse crouched down and tried to pull her gaze away from the drawing.
Reason told her that the monsters Fan Yu had drawn were products of an overactive imagination, but the longer she looked, the more a creeping unease settled over her, as if something truly lurked beside her.
"No wonder so many psychiatrists end up going crazy themselves. Spend enough time around abnormal patients and you start developing an unconscious sense of empathy with them."
In the nurse's eyes, her growing fear and unease were nothing more than psychological suggestion.
She tried to carry the little girl away, but the girl wailed and thrashed, refusing to leave Fan Yu's side.
"Let me handle it. You can't be that rough with children." Chen Ge set the snacks and toys he'd been holding onto the table and gently took hold of Jiang Ling's small hand.
"Rough?" The nurse stood to the side, exasperated. "I just think that constantly looking at such disturbing drawings is going to be very unhealthy for Jiang Ling's development. I want to take her away."
"I understand. Taking care of kids really isn't easy." Chen Ge appeared mature and confident, his smile carrying an indescribable warmth. The nurse glanced at him, gave a quiet hum, and pretended to look away nonchalantly — though her gaze still drifted back to him from time to time.
"Jiang Ling, I've seen your sister." Chen Ge got straight to the point — he wasn't treating Jiang Ling like an ordinary child. "I went to Lincun Village, and I've figured out everything about you and your sister. In a while, I'll be heading deep into the mountains to Coffin Village to get to the bottom of everything."
The moment she heard the names Lincun Village and Coffin Village, the little girl abruptly stopped crying. A strange emotion flickered in her glistening eyes — something like surprise, tinged with a hint of fear.
Neither of them spoke. The room fell sudden silent, and the nurse's heart began to race.
"What is this guy doing? Coffin Village? Investigation? Why has he suddenly started playing pretend? There's a limit to deceiving a child!"
What shocked the nurse even more was that Jiang Ling, who had been sobbing just moments before, suddenly fell calm. Obediently, she reached out and grabbed the sleeve of Chen Ge's shirt.
"Don't go."
"Is it dangerous there?" Chen Ge had heard from Old Man Bai that Jiang Ling had a slight deformity — she likely shared her sister's bloodline from that eerie village and probably knew some of its secrets.
"Mm." The girl nodded docilely. "My mom told me there are a lot of people like my sister there. They're very bad."
"Like your sister? What else has your mom told you?"
"Don't touch the coffins." Jiang Ling clenched her left fist while her right hand gripped Chen Ge's sleeve and refused to let go. "Don't go. If you go, you won't come back."
"I know, sweetheart." Chen Ge ruffled Jiang Ling's hair and lifted her onto a chair. The whole time, she didn't resist at all.
"What were you two talking about?" Afraid that Chen Ge would say more strange things, the nurse promptly carried Jiang Ling and left.