Back at Zhidan Garden, I tried to put aside the troubling thoughts and opened my computer to write some notes. Honestly, the experience with the “Malevolent One” was far more terrifying and surreal than what I had seen and heard these past few days, and reflecting on that experience helped me face the current issues with more calm. I was confident that I could extract some information from Ruan Xiwen the next day.
Then there was a knock at the door. Without thinking, I opened it to see Su Ying with her flowing long hair. I realized it was already past seven. Could it be… My perception of Su Ying had shifted several times over the past few days, so seeing her now left me somewhat flustered.
“I saw your light was on, so I knew you were back. I’ve come to chat. Do you have time?”
Su Ying indeed came to invite me for another chat. Her persistence over the past few days moved me, and I felt it would be rude to refuse her again, so I agreed and went up to her room.
During our conversation, Su Ying was still lively, often bringing up the topic of sea people. Ever since the intern revealed her history of mental illness, listening to her talk about sea people felt increasingly uncomfortable, much like a child who has seen their parents hide gifts in stockings and no longer believes in Santa. While pretending to listen, I was guessing if she was hallucinating or if childhood shadows made her take her fantasies as reality.
“Have you ever been on a swimming team?” I asked casually.
“Yes,” she looked surprised and somewhat displeased. “How did you know?”
“I guessed. Your swimming skills made me suspicious,” I laughed.
Her expression softened. “You’re quite clever. But I wasn’t on the swimming team because of that. I was born like this. Swimming came naturally to me.”
“Is that so?” I thought she was going to claim to be a mermaid again, so I quickly changed the subject. “The swimming pool at your university is pretty nice. I’ve visited several school pools, and none are as clean as yours.”
