Chapter 11: I Never Left
“Your dad got drunk and had her take him home… but she took him to a hotel instead. And everything that followed—your mom found out.”
It all made sense now. No wonder their twenty-year marriage shattered so suddenly.
So this was the real reason.
“Then she claimed she was pregnant. But it turned out the baby wasn’t mine—it was her ex’s. I got played like a fool.”
Dad spread his hands with a bitter smile, as if unsure whether to laugh or cry.
He sighed deeply. “Well, I guess in the end, it cleared my name. Just a shame your grandma never got to know the truth.”
Yeah…
If Grandma had known, maybe she wouldn’t have left me.
“That bowl of chicken soup… in the end, no one drank it.”
“What chicken soup?”
I suddenly remembered the bowl of chicken soup I drank in the dream.
“You didn’t know? Before your grandma passed, she made chicken soup. One bowl for your mom, one for you—none for me.”
“In the end, no one got to drink it.”
So that was it.
No wonder the rule insisted I had to drink the chicken soup.
Thankfully, I did. At least I didn’t leave that regret behind.
“Come on, let’s go home.”
Mom began packing my things, urging Dad over and over.
I finally stepped outside the hospital and felt real sunlight on my face.
If only Luo Ping were still alive—maybe we could’ve left together today.
“Oh no, I spilled the soy milk!”
“Does anyone have tissues?”
Mom fumbled with the bags—there was too much in her hands—and accidentally spilled the cup she was holding.
I reached into my pocket.
I usually carried tissues with me...
But instead, my fingers brushed against something unfamiliar.
“What… is this?”
I pulled it out.
It was a piece of paper.
My eyes widened.
I dropped straight to the ground.
On the paper, in cold clear print, were the words:
【Congratulations on surviving the second night. Here are the rules for Day Three:】
- Do not trust your parents. They are manifestations of lingering resentment.
- Do not leave the hospital. Home may not be the safe haven you think it is.
- Be wary of your attending doctor. Guard your internal organs carefully.
- Protect this note at all costs. If someone takes or destroys it, you will be trapped in Day Three forever.
How could this be?
I hadn’t left yet.
I hadn’t truly returned to reality.
But if this was still part of the twisted world I was trapped in…
Then maybe… Luo Ping wasn’t really dead.
Maybe Grandma was still alive.
Maybe… everything was still possible.
I couldn’t give up now.
I had to break free from this time loop.
“Nuannuan, come on. Let’s go. Mommy has to change clothes when we get home—and I made ribs before we left!”
Mom’s voice was soft and sweet, smiling at me like everything was fine.
But I kept my eyes locked on her, frozen.
This woman—this “mom”—suddenly felt so unfamiliar.
I tried to see through her kind smile into whatever lay beneath.
“…Mom, I want grilled squid. And steamed crab, too.”
My voice was cold, flat.
“Sure,” she replied gently. “We’ll go home first, and I’ll get it for you.”
“But I’m allergic to seafood. Mom, did you forget?”
The woman in front of me froze, her expression flickering for just a moment.
She looked surprised.
Caught off guard.
When I was a kid, I once ate half a crab during a family dinner and ended up in the emergency room.
Ever since, we never touched seafood at home.
There’s no way Mom would forget that.
Unless…
She wasn’t really my mom.
“I’ll say this one last time,” she said, her voice turning low.
“Come home with me.”