Rooftop, Multiple Women, Coma

Flame City Private Hospital

Rooftop

Su Cheng tilted his head at a 45-degree angle, eyes closed, seemingly enjoying the refreshing breeze against his face. But in truth, his heart was tangled in a mess of bitterness, sorrow, guilt, and suffocating pressure.

He opened his eyes, gazing at the vast blue sky dotted with a few passing birds.

After a moment, his lips parted, and he murmured softly, "Always believe something wonderful is about to happen."

But the moment he turned his head, his expression immediately darkened—because on the rooftop bench, three girls lay unconscious.

He smacked his own forehead hard. "What the hell am I supposed to do now?"

He was utterly at a loss. He’d thought Li Guanqi would be his salvation, only to realize she was the disaster itself!

Now he could only keep hitting his own head in frustration, furious at his own stupid decisions.

The three girls were Xuan Ying, Zhao Yan, and Li Guanqi.

How did it come to this?

Let’s rewind an hour.

----------

When Su Cheng pulled Xuan Ying aside to talk about her issues with Zhao Yan, he could already feel two pairs of burning eyes on his back. So, he decided to lead Xuan Ying somewhere Wang Guancong and the others couldn’t see.

"Xuan Ying... we’re friends. Don’t be nervous."

Su Cheng took a deep breath, forcing a smile, trying his best to look natural.

After all, he was the one meddling in someone else’s friendship—of course, he felt awkward, unsure where to even begin.

"Ah! Oh, I-I’m not nervous..."

Xuan Ying lowered her head, blushing shyly, her voice barely louder than a mosquito’s hum.

"Let’s talk on the hospital rooftop," Su Cheng suggested, glancing back at Wang Guancong and the other guy, who were still following.

Since the hospital was nearby anyway, he might as well call Zhao Yan over too. Settling things among all three of them at once seemed like the best move.

"O-okay."

Xuan Ying nodded hurriedly.

The hospital rooftop wasn’t under the disciplinary committee’s jurisdiction, so it was open to the public.

As he led Xuan Ying toward the hospital, Wang Guancong and Gao Ye exchanged a look.

"Guess he really doesn’t want us following."

"Doesn’t matter, as long as they patch things up."

Gao Ye shrugged indifferently, and the two of them stopped trailing, opting to rest under a nearby tree while waiting for Su Cheng’s "good news."

--------------------

Meanwhile.

Su Cheng and Xuan Ying climbed the stairs one after the other, with him in front, texting Zhao Yan to join them. Since this mess involved all three of them, he figured they should hash it out together.

"Zhao Yan’s coming too," Su Cheng said as he pushed open the rooftop door, turning to glance back at Xuan Ying.

"Wha—?!"

Xuan Ying’s head jerked up, her eyes widening in panic. In her fluster, she lost her footing, her body tilting backward—she was about to tumble down the stairs!

A fall like that would definitely leave her injured. Her face paled instantly, but before she could even scream, a strong hand yanked her forward, pulling her hard against a warm chest.

Xuan Ying froze, then looked up, her vision suddenly crystal clear—Su Cheng’s face had never been this close before. She felt dizzy.

But then, his scent hit her like a shockwave, and her pale face flushed a deep red in seconds.

She stiffened, unsure what to do, not daring to move an inch.

Then she realized—her chest was pressed against him.

Her body seemed to be emitting some kind of fatal allure, making her head spin and her blood boil. Her already-red face burned even hotter, the blush spreading down her neck and ears.

Her brain short-circuited like a steam engine, white smoke practically puffing out of her head. Her pupils rolled back, her vision darkened—and she passed out completely.

"Hey! Wake up!"

Su Cheng grabbed her shoulders, shaking her desperately, but it had no effect.

"What the hell? Since when does this kind of anime nonsense happen in real life?!"

He couldn’t hold back his rant. "This is way too unrealistic!"

He lifted her chin with one hand, gently prying open an eyelid to check her pupils.

"Big eyes, sure, but not anime big."

Su Cheng frowned. Was he trapped in some kind of simulation? Why else would something this illogical happen?

Xuan Ying had fainted in front of him before, but never like this.

Was she some kind of walking steam machine?

"I have to test this."

Since Xuan Ying was just unconscious and otherwise fine, Su Cheng—now deep in thought about the world’s absurdity—decided he needed to figure out the rules of this reality.

He pulled out the voice-changing bow tie his senior sister Liu had given him and turned on the recording function.

Then, one hand slid beneath Xuan Ying’s waist, the other under her knees—he hoisted her up in a princess carry and headed for the rooftop.

"Heavier than Li Guanqi."

He adjusted his grip on her soft, plush body, muttering to himself as he climbed the steps.

His stamina stat was a solid 7.

He could carry one in each arm, maybe even piggyback a third, and still move like the wind.

Xuan Ying was slightly chubby—soft, squishy, and sweet-smelling.

She wore a gym uniform and sneakers, her skin giving off that subtle, fresh-girl scent. Su Cheng couldn’t help but glance down at her a few times.

"Mmm... wh-where am I...?"

Just then, Xuan Ying stirred in his arms, letting out a tiny whimper before blinking her eyes open, utterly confused.

But the second she realized she was being carried like a princess, her pupils shrank.

Her entire body jolted as if electrocuted, limbs flailing wildly—but within a second, she was steaming and blissfully unconscious again.

Su Cheng watched the whole scene unfold without a word, his frown deepening.

He felt like he was on the verge of uncovering the truth of this world.

And how, exactly, was he testing it?

By doing things that only made sense in anime—things that defied all logic in the real world.

Not only might this experiment help patch things up between the girls, but it might also reveal the nature of this reality!

...

On the other side,

Zhao Yan had just finished playing tennis with her classmates and was wiping the sweat from her forehead with a towel when she suddenly noticed a message on her phone.

She pulled out her phone and saw it was from Su Cheng.

Her expression froze for a moment, then, as if realizing something, she took out her makeup kit from her bag, crouched in a shaded spot, and began touching up her makeup.

...

On the rooftop.

Zhao Yan strode forward with her long, slender legs, step by step, until she reached the rooftop and pushed open the door.

Just as she arrived at the entrance, she saw only one figure inside. However, she didn’t immediately step in. Instead, she lingered at the doorway, scanning the surroundings. The only person there was Xuan Ying, sitting on a chair with her head hanging low, motionless.

"Where’s Su Cheng?"

Zhao Yan frowned, feeling puzzled. Su Cheng’s message had said both he and Xuan Ying would be here. Yet now, only Xuan Ying was present, sitting in an odd posture without moving a muscle.

"I sent him away. I thought it’d be better if we handled this ourselves. So I told him to leave."

Xuan Ying’s voice suddenly rang out, but Zhao Yan instinctively took a few steps back. Despite the words, Xuan Ying’s head remained lowered—she wasn’t moving her mouth at all. Though the voice was unmistakably Xuan Ying’s, Zhao Yan was certain the words weren’t coming from her. Instead, they seemed to originate from behind her.

A shiver ran down Zhao Yan’s spine, and she retreated another step.

"If you’re going to talk, lift your head and speak properly!"

Despite her demand, her eyes were locked warily on the wall behind Xuan Ying, half-expecting a monster to leap out at any moment.

Yet, as soon as she finished speaking, the voice came again.

"This works just fine."

"Who talks without moving their mouth or vocal cords?"

Zhao Yan’s face darkened with unease, fear creeping in as she hastily backed away, positioning herself just outside the door, ready to bolt at the slightest sign of danger.

"It’s ventriloquism. I just learned it. What do you think?"

"Ventriloquism, my foot! That voice is clearly coming from your backside! And if you’re so confident, lift your head!"

"Oh, this is… ‘gluteal speech.’ My neck’s just stiff, so I can’t move it. Don’t misunderstand."

Xuan Ying’s voice echoed once more from behind, followed by an unnecessary elaboration: "Fundamentally, speech relies on airflow to convey sound, so—"

"Shut up!"

Zhao Yan’s expression twisted in irritation, feeling as though her intelligence was being insulted.

She took a deep breath, studying the wall behind Xuan Ying as she tried to rationalize the situation.

This scenario felt eerily familiar—like something out of a detective anime she’d watched before.

The protagonist would knock someone out with a tranquilizer dart, then hide nearby to conduct his deductions. And now, here was…

A ‘sleeping’ Xuan Ying.

Could it be…?

Was Su Cheng trying to use this method to reconcile them?

As for why Xuan Ying was unconscious…

She’d probably passed out from embarrassment.

And voice changers were common enough on the market.

With that thought, a flicker of hope ignited in Zhao Yan’s chest. Her earlier fear and tension melted away, replaced by excitement and anticipation.

She decided to play along with Su Cheng’s act—to see what he was up to.

After a long silence, Xuan Ying’s voice drifted from behind the wall again: "So… you really don’t believe me?"

As if anyone would!

"Cut the nonsense. Just say what you need to say."

Zhao Yan ignored the absurd explanation and cut straight to the point, secretly amused by how poorly Su Cheng had fabricated this lie. It was almost… endearing.

"If we’re handling this ourselves, how do you want to proceed?"

She took a few symbolic steps toward Xuan Ying, crossing her arms as she stared at her.

"Come a little closer."

"Is this close enough?"

Now that she was certain it was Su Cheng, Zhao Yan didn’t hesitate to take a few more steps forward.

But the next instant, she felt a sharp prick on her neck. Her eyes widened in shock as she reached up to touch the spot, her face draining of color.

"H-how…?!"

She couldn’t believe it—she’d definitely been pricked by something, right near her ear.

Her mind raced.

Was this really a tranquilizer dart, just like in the anime?

Now the question was: Should she pretend to faint or not?

And if she did, what kind of elegant, painless pose should she adopt?

"Wait—Su Cheng actually shot me with a tranquilizer?! What is he planning?!"

Enraged, she glared at the wall behind Xuan Ying and snapped, "Enough! This isn’t funny at all. Do you realize how dangerous this is?! And don’t think I haven’t seen anime before!"

"Huh? Why isn’t she passing out?"

Xuan Ying’s puzzled voice came from behind the wall.

Zhao Yan nearly laughed in exasperation, unable to hold back her retort: "You’re seriously unprofessional! Tranquilizer darts only work if they hit a major nerve!"

"Oh, my bad."

Then—whoosh—followed by a cheerful "Thanks for the tip!"—Zhao Yan’s legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

A champion’s aim never misses.

Su Cheng stepped out from his hiding spot, crouched beside Zhao Yan, and hoisted her up, seating her next to Xuan Ying.

"Though, to truly test this theory, the only way would be to either commit suicide or deliberately act against my own principles—live in direct opposition to my nature."

He clasped his hands behind his back, gazing up at the sky with a sigh as he reached this conclusion.

Then he chuckled self-deprecatingly, suddenly wondering if he was suffering from delusions.

Maybe Xuan Ying turning into a ‘steam-blushing maiden’ was actually her special ability?

After all, this world was full of bizarre yet plausible supernatural traits. Like Li Guanqi’s ability to become unnoticeable, Cornelia’s brief bursts of intelligence, or Ji Qingyi and Gu Ruoxue’s freakish strength—capable of lifting a steamroller with one hand…

In a parallel world, anything was possible. Hell, he even had a system—was this really so strange?

Wait… a system?!

Wasn’t that the standard protagonist package in web novels?

Su Cheng’s frown deepened as he stared at Zhao Yan, now slumped against Xuan Ying’s shoulder. Then, after a moment of contemplation, his pupils shrank in horror.

"Wait—why the hell did I just knock someone out?!"

Only now did he grasp the gravity of his actions.

Earlier, he’d been lost in some manic frenzy, driven by an irrational urge to uncover the truth of this world.

Though the dart was made of special materials—dissolving harmlessly in the bloodstream—he still hastily pulled out a red potion and dripped it onto Zhao Yan’s neck.

The tiny wound healed instantly, but Zhao Yan remained unconscious.

"How am I going to explain this later?"

Su Cheng exhaled in relief that she hadn’t woken up yet—at least he had time to think of an excuse.

He finally decided to tell the truth.

But an explanation from one person alone would always sound feeble, so...

Without overthinking it, he took out his phone and contacted Li Guanqi, sending her a direct message: "Hospital rooftop, come quickly!"

………………

Hospital

Traditional Chinese Medicine Department, Acupuncture Clinic.

Li Guanqi sat on a nearby chair, waiting for the medical staff to administer her acupuncture treatment. Every week, she would spend one afternoon at the clinic for therapy.

Though the treatment had almost no effect, it was still better than nothing.

But today, her thoughts were elsewhere, preoccupied with how Gu Ruoxue had managed to do... that earlier.

The day's events had left her shaken.

What was the essence of it all?

That was the question lingering in her mind.

The essence was transforming one’s feelings into words—put simply, if you like someone, say it out loud. Only then could a relationship move forward.

Even if it ended in symbolic failure, one should still express their feelings without hesitation, if only to leave no regrets.

So, the core purpose was to voice one’s thoughts, to make them known, and to find inner peace.

Unlike a confession—which was a request for a relationship—this was about articulating what was truly in one’s heart.

"System..."

Li Guanqi murmured softly, her eyes flickering for a moment before piercing through layers of obstructions as if she could see straight into a distant place.

Ding-dong~

The special notification tone from her bag snapped her back to reality. She pulled out her phone, glanced at the message, and instinctively looked up toward the rooftop. Realizing Su Cheng was waiting above, she didn’t hesitate—she locked the screen, tucked the phone away, and quickened her pace as she hurried upstairs.

……

Rooftop

Su Cheng stood by the railing, gazing down at the bustling city below. A cool breeze swept past, making him seem even more untethered.

Meanwhile, the two unconscious girls lying nearby remained peacefully nestled against each other, deep in slumber.

Then, footsteps echoed from the stairwell.

Su Cheng stiffened—he was certain it couldn’t be Li Guanqi. He had been watching the entire time, and she hadn’t arrived yet.

Prepared to turn invisible, he decided to assess the situation first before taking action.

But the next moment, when Li Guanqi stepped into view, he froze in surprise before rushing toward her.

"How’d you get here so fast?"

"I was already downstairs."

Li Guanqi’s gaze shifted to Zhao Yan and Xuan Ying, motionless on the chairs, and her brows furrowed slightly. "What happened to them?"

"It’s... a long story. Xuan Ying fainted from embarrassment, and Zhao Yan—well, I knocked her out with a tranquilizer."

Su Cheng awkwardly scratched his head, offering a brief explanation.

"A tranquilizer?"

Li Guanqi blinked in surprise. "Why do you have something like that?"

"Senior Sister Liu gave me a detective’s toolkit."

Su Cheng hastily pointed to his watch. "This has a built-in launcher and some anesthetic equipment."

"I see. So—did Zhao Yan see you?"

"No."

He shook his head.

Li Guanqi tilted her head slightly, studying the watch on Su Cheng’s wrist before abruptly saying, "Give it to me. You should leave first."

Without waiting for a response, she reached for it.

Su Cheng barely had time to process her words before the watch was already in her palm.

Realizing she intended to take the blame for him, he quickly protested, "No, no—that’s not what I meant! I was planning to explain everything honestly. You just need to be here as a witness."

He tried to take the watch back, but Li Guanqi held firm, shaking her head. "You misunderstood. I have a better solution."

Then—

In the midst of their struggle, the watch’s cover snapped open, and a tranquilizer dart shot out, landing squarely in Li Guanqi’s neck.

The next second, her body went limp, collapsing against Su Cheng.

He caught her, the familiar scent filling his senses as he looked down at the unconscious girl in his arms. But he couldn’t muster even a hint of amusement—because the dart hadn’t hit a vein.

Li Guanqi had done this on purpose.

Which meant...

She had never intended to handle this situation.

This entire thing—it was all a carefully laid trap.