Chapter 29: Coincidence

　　After closing the door, I collapsed onto the bed. Staring at the white light of the ceiling lamp, past events floated through my mind like a movie. Why do so many things keep happening to me? After struggling so hard, I never imagined I would end up like this, as if I were a mental patient.

　　A heaviness settled in my chest. The only solution now seemed to be to find that unscrupulous Professor Li. He promised that there would be medicine for me in three days, though I couldn't be sure if he was telling the truth.

　　Regardless of whether the medicine is real or not, I must go find him! If I want to cooperate with him, he has to cure me first, but whether I will help him research the hallucinogen afterward is another matter.

　　Resolute, I felt a bit lighter. I didn't want to go to bed too early, so I took out the books and pen from my bag and started reviewing. I couldn’t slack off just because the college entrance exam was over; university is another hurdle.

　　The results aren’t out yet, but I’m confident in myself. I studied until after midnight, around one or two a.m., before heading to bed.

　　In these three days, I placed orders for two stickers I had saved on the Pinduoduo app and kept myself holed up at home, either chatting with my parents, watching TV, or studying.

　　In the blink of an eye, three days had passed. That morning, just as I finished folding my blanket, my phone rang. It was Yumeng calling.

　　Ring, ring!

　　Ring, ring!

　　“Hello, Yumeng, missing me already?” I said half-jokingly.

　　But on the other end of the line, Yumeng's voice was weak and seemed to carry a hint of grievance. “Xia Ning, can you come over to my place and stay with me for a few days?”

　　“What’s wrong? Did something happen to you?”

　　“Don’t ask, Xia Ning. Just come stay with me for a few days, okay?” Yumeng’s voice trembled, and she even started to cry.

　　“Alright, I’ll let my family know!”Yumeng’s home is in City S, about 100 kilometers away from where I live. After informing my parents, they agreed to it. I have some freedom at home; as long as I don’t return too late, my parents generally don’t interfere. With Yumeng calling my parents for leave, it made it even easier for me to go.

　　The weather was quite nice today, with a slight breeze. As long as it wasn’t too hot, I considered it good weather.

　　I grabbed my pink backpack and left the house. I found a corner downstairs in the residential area with no one around and called Professor Li.

　　After a beep, he answered the call. “Miss Xia Ning, I’m pleased to receive your call…”

　　“Is the medication ready?” I interrupted him.

　　“Medication? What medication?”

　　Just as I was about to lose my temper, I heard him chuckle and say, “Don’t be angry, I’m just joking!”

　　“Professor Li, that joke isn’t funny.” I said angrily.

　　“You’re truly adorable in your simplicity…” His laughter over the phone was unbearable. It felt like he was toying with me, and I didn’t like it at all.

　　We scheduled the time and place for our next meeting. He apologized that he wouldn’t be able to treat me to a meal this time and asked if starting the formal treatment in five days would be alright. I said it was fine, and we ended the call.

　　The meeting point was an arcade in City H, where we agreed to meet at 10 AM sharp. When I arrived at the arcade in City H, I saw Professor Li, wearing glasses, looking around. He was quite punctual. I checked my phone; it was only 9:40.

　　He was wearing the same clothes as that day, standing under the large sign of the arcade.

　　The area was bustling with people, and even the scorching summer heat couldn’t dampen their enthusiasm.

　　I grabbed my backpack, got out of the taxi, and nearly stumbled as I stepped on a water bottle. I yelped and grabbed the car door for support.

　　After steadying myself, I sighed. People these days have no civic sense, leaving trash everywhere.

　　As I closed the car door and looked up, I met Professor Li’s gaze. He had been watching me the whole time. I picked up the water bottle and threw it in a nearby trash can.

　　With a stern face, I walked towards Professor Li.

　　“Miss Xia Ning, still looking as lovely as ever. But why are you wearing the same clothes today? How about I take you shopping for some new clothes?” He smiled as I approached him.

　　“Where’s the medication?” I asked coldly.

　　“Alright… I’m not kidding anymore!” He laughed and took out a small paper packet from his inner pocket and handed it to me.

　　I opened it to find three white tablets inside.

　　“How do I use this medication? What are its effects?” I asked, looking at his black-rimmed glasses.

　　He smiled and said, “This medication is a type of sedative. It will temporarily relieve you of your personality disorder, but it also has side effects, like slowed thinking. There’s no way to avoid that.”

　　“So… how long until I can get rid of that state?” I hesitated.

　　“Sleep it off, or drink plenty of water to increase excretion. You’ll be fine after a pee.”

　　“Only three tablets?” I asked.

　　“Three is enough. I’ll start your treatment in five days.” He replied.

　　“Why in five days? Can’t it be sooner, like tomorrow?” I asked, putting the tablets in my pocket.

　　“I also need time to prepare, don’t I?” He replied with a smile.

　　In his demeanor and words, I couldn’t find anything wrong, maybe I was just too naive.

　　So, not detecting anything out of place, I said, “Alright, we’ll see each other in five days.” I said with no expression.

　　He seemed to always have an annoying smile on his face as he said, “Aren’t you going to play inside? It’s on me.” He gestured towards the arcade and handed me 500 yuan.

　　I ignored him and immediately hailed a taxi towards the train station, not even glancing back to see his reaction.

　　In the taxi, I took out my phone and bought a ticket to City S. I chose a window seat. High-speed trains are incredibly convenient now; what used to take a whole morning by bus only takes a little over an hour by train.

　　When Yumeng visited my house last time, it might have been because she was in a hurry or worried about finding my place. In retrospect, it was probably better for her to just take a taxi. It’s not a big deal; I’m fine with taking a few trips.

　　Upon arriving at the train station, I followed the crowd, scanned my ID, and boarded the train.

　　I placed my backpack in front of me and looked out the window. The train hadn’t started moving yet, and I saw many people queuing up to board.

　　As the scenery outside slowly moved backward, I sighed and took out the small packet of medication, hoping I wouldn’t need to use it in the next five days.

　　“Xia Ning?”

　　As I was lost in thought, a man’s voice came from across from me. I turned to see it was Zhang Yang!

　　Seeing me, he immediately ruffled his hair to look more presentable, then gave me a silly grin and said, “Xia Ning, I can’t believe it’s really you. Just now, I didn’t even recognize you.”

　　I was a bit stunned to see him. It was such a coincidence. I smiled and said, “It really is a coincidence.”

　　“Coincidence, coincidence, it really is,” he repeated, laughing awkwardly before lapsing into silence. We were then caught in an awkward atmosphere.

　　Zhang Yang usually seemed fine, but seeing me made him so nervous he didn’t know what to say. Especially after receiving his love letter, now I saw his hands trembling slightly.

　　I quietly found it amusing; it helped lighten the gloom I felt inside.

　　At this point, I noticed a woman next to me holding a sleeping child. Beside her was a short-haired man with glasses, engrossed in his phone and occasionally laughing to himself.

　　“Xia Ning… Xia Ning, are you… thirsty? I have water here!” After a long pause, he finally spoke, pulling out a small can of Coke from his bag.

　　“No, no need. I don’t drink Coke. Thank you though,” I said politely with a smile.

　　He stared at me for a while, seemingly hurt by my refusal. I thought he might be embarrassed, so I added, “I have water with me. Drinking sugary drinks can make you gain weight.”

　　He continued to look at me blankly. I was a bit puzzled and asked, “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

　　He finally reacted and said, “Xia Ning, you’ve changed…”

　　“Changed?” I looked at him curiously, waiting for him to explain.

　　He nodded and said, “You’ve changed from before!”

　　I laughed and asked, “How have I changed?”

　　“Before, if I offered you Coke and you didn’t want it, you would have been more straightforward about it, not so polite like now.”