Lin Lu herself wasn’t injured, so she completed the discharge procedures that same afternoon.
It was already almost 6 PM.
‘Wow, they’re this efficient? They’ve already cleaned up most of the damage caused by the Shadow Beast.’
Lin Lu and the others had returned to their normal identities.
Standing at the hospital entrance, they looked at the city streets that seemed almost unchanged from usual, feeling slightly surprised.
The destruction was limited.
Aside from the large buildings that couldn’t be repaired immediately, everything else was fixed quickly under full-scale efforts.
“Of course, you know, Shadow Beasts don’t deliberately destroy houses or buildings,” Su Tang explained to Lin Lu.
Lin Lu thought about it and realized that was true.
Shadow Beasts wouldn’t go around gnawing on buildings.
Any damage was just collateral from chasing people or fighting.
Chen Xingye and Su Tang stood on either side of her.
All three of them were so hungry their stomachs were growling.
The lunch they’d eaten had long since been digested.
Lin Lu turned to them and said, “How about… we go eat first? My treat, consider it a celebration.”
“Uh… ahem.” Lin Lu laughed awkwardly as her stomach protested.
“Alright! I want hotpot! Hotpot! Hotpot!” Chen Xingye shouted, raising her fist.
“I’m fine with anything. If Xingye wants a hotpot, then hotpot it is.” Su Tang rolled her eyes at Chen Xingye.
“This one kept insisting while you were unconscious that she absolutely had to have a big meal once we were free.”
Lin Lu smiled and started walking, “Alright, let’s go for a hotpot then. Luckily, I know a place nearby.”
The three of them walked down the street.
The winter sunlight was thin, offering no warmth.
The evening breeze carried a slight chill.
Taking in the lively atmosphere of the street, Lin Lu took a deep breath.
After the crisis, everyone felt grateful to have survived and went out to eat and celebrate with friends and family.
The food street was crowded too.
The hotpot place wasn’t far—just a ten-minute walk.
They found a table by the window and sat down.
Chen Xingye grabbed the menu and ordered a huge spread all at once.
Lin Lu was startled by the dense checkmarks on the menu and said, “Chen Xingye, are you a pig? How are we supposed to finish all this? Anyone would think you’re a starving ghost reincarnated.”
“Oh come on! We’ll pack what’s left! Sister Lin’s treating!” Chen Xingye leaned back in her chair and grinned.
“It’s fine. Order whatever you want.”
Then she looked out the window.
The shop across the street had already started hanging red lanterns.
The glass door was decorated with the character for “fortune.”
A few kids were setting off poppers on the empty lot by the roadside, their “pitter-patter” sounds filtering through the glass.
Lin Lu paused, took out her phone, and checked the date—the 18th of the twelfth lunar month.
Less than two weeks until the New Year.
“Sister Lin, what are you looking at?” Chen Xingye leaned in.
“Ah… just checking the date.” Lin Lu put down her phone and said, “It’s almost New Year’s.”
Su Tang blinked, then also glanced outside, “Yeah… it’s almost New Year’s.”
Both Su Tang and Chen Xingye fell quiet, as if marveling at how fast time passed.
Before they knew it, New Year was almost here.
The hotpot arrived.
Red oil roiled, steam rising in thick plumes.
“Alright, alright! Hotpot’s here! Dig in!”
The three picked up their chopsticks and started swishing meat in the pot.
Lin Lu grabbed a slice of tripe, swished it seven times up and down, then popped it into her mouth.
The crisp, tender texture exploded on her tongue.
“Mmm~” Lin Lu narrowed her eyes and let out a satisfied sigh.
“Sister Lin, your phone keeps lighting up,” Su Tang said, pointing at the phone on the corner of the table.
Lin Lu picked it up and her heart skipped a beat.
The screen was packed with missed calls and unread messages—from Lin Xiaoxi, from Mom, from Dad.
The day she’d fallen unconscious, she’d set her phone to Do Not Disturb because some Shadow Beasts were sensitive to sound.
After waking up, she hadn’t noticed the messages.
She scrolled through.
The earliest missed call was from three days ago, exactly the day of the Shadow Beast incident.
She opened Lin Xiaoxi’s WeChat.
The last message was from this morning: [Sis, if you’re still alive… reply. We’re worried sick about you.]
“…Crap.” Lin Lu smacked her forehead.
“I’m going to make a call.” She stood up, grabbed her phone, and walked out of the shop.
The evening breeze was a little chilly, but comfortable against her face.
She leaned against the wall, took a deep breath, and dialed Lin Xiaoxi’s number.
It rang only once before the other end picked up.
“Sis?!” Lin Xiaoxi’s voice was frantic and sharp, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
“You finally answered! Do you have any idea how many days you haven’t replied?! I thought you were dead! Something this big happened in Beijiang, and you were completely unreachable. I thought… I thought you…”
“Xiaoxi, Xiaoxi, calm down.” Lin Lu quickly soothed her, “I’m fine. I’ve just been… busy these past few days. My phone was set to Do Not Disturb, so I didn’t notice the messages…”
“Something this big happened in Beijiang! They locked the whole area down a few days ago, and you were unreachable. I thought…” Lin Xiaoxi’s voice choked up, “Busy? Busy with what?”
Lin Lu sighed.
It really was her fault for worrying her family, but being unconscious for so many days had made it impossible to contact them.
She leaned against the wall and spoke gently, her voice soft as she comforted Lin Xiaoxi, “I’m sorry… for making you and Mom and Dad worry.”
There was silence on the other end for a moment.
“Hmph… you’re a terrible big sister.” Lin Xiaoxi had calmed down.
“I deliberately lied to Mom and Dad to keep them from worrying too much. I told them you were fine. Mom said to come back early for New Year’s—she made your favorite sausage. Dad didn’t say much, but you could tell they both want to see how you’re doing.”
Lin Lu swallowed the bitterness rising in her throat.
“Okay,” Lin Lu said softly, “Tell Mom I’ll be back in a few days. Soon.”
“Really?” A hint of a smile crept into Lin Xiaoxi’s voice.
“Really. If I’m lying, I’m a dog.”
“Fine. When you come back this time, you’d better bring me some good stuff to thank me. Otherwise, Mom and Dad would have been worried to death.”
“Alright, alright~ I’ll definitely bring back lots of New Year goodies so my little foodie can eat her fill.”
After a few more exchanges, Lin Lu hung up.
She took a deep breath, put her phone in her pocket, and turned back into the shop.
Chen Xingye and Su Tang were still eating.
Half the contents of the pot had already been fished out.
When she saw Lin Lu come back, Chen Xingye looked up.
“Sister Lin, who was that? Such a long call.”
“Oh, it was my little sister, Lin Xiaoxi.” Lin Lu sat down, picked up her chopsticks, and grabbed a piece of meat.
“She wants me to come home early for New Year’s. So in a couple of days, I’ll probably have to go back to my hometown for the holiday.”
Chen Xingye and Su Tang exchanged a glance but didn’t ask further, “Oh… I see.”
The hotpot steam blurred the condensation on the window.
Streetlights flickered on one by one, casting an orange glow through the glass and onto the table.
Lin Lu’s chopsticks paused mid-motion, as if something had occurred to her.
She turned to Su Tang and Chen Xingye and asked, “By the way, I never asked—what are you two planning to do after the New Year?”
“Huh? Uh… I just want to sleep at home,” Chen Xingye replied.
‘…Of course, that’s so in character for Chen Xingye.’
“Me… I want to go traveling a bit,” Su Tang said after thinking it over.
Then she turned to Lin Lu and said, “We could go together! We’ll have annual leave anyway, so we’ll have time to hang out.”
“Sounds great! If we’re free, let’s go out together.”
Lin Lu smiled and nodded.
“I can’t wait… Ah! Damn it, Su Tang! Give me back my beef!”