I'm Actually Panicking Because My Heart Doesn't Beat (GL) - Chapter 63

Everything happened so suddenly.

Xing Tianqing brought Guan Xiaoxuan to the Weird Affairs Bureau and ran a series of tests. They discovered something strange—unless someone was looking directly at Guan Xiaoxuan while she was speaking, about 80% of her words couldn’t be heard.

Xing Tianqing’s expression changed dramatically. Last night, the patrol teams checked all the bus stops but found no trace of the red-dressed woman, which only made everyone more uneasy.

“When will the Class-A item arrive?” Xing Tianqing called Xiao An over.

“It’s still on the way. It should’ve arrived by now, but for some reason, it hasn’t been delivered.”

“Follow up right away. That thing could save her life—we can’t afford any delays!”

“Got it. I’ll call them now.”

Once Xiao An left, Guan Xiaoxuan reached out and poked Xing Tianqing, making her look at her.

“Don’t worry too much,” Guan Xiaoxuan said. “It’s just a bit inconvenient. Everything else is fine.”

Although she now had to make sure people looked at her while she spoke—otherwise, they might not hear her—it wasn’t the end of the world.

She had originally thought the red-dressed ghost would hunt her down and kill her. But instead, the ghost seemed to be slowly erasing her presence. Guan Xiaoxuan guessed the ghost would only show up when she had completely faded from the world.

Xing Tianqing stared at her and let out a long sigh. “I know you’re trying to make me feel better,” she said, “but I really can’t relax. Just stay in my office today. I’ll have Qiu Nan come and see if she can perform a cleansing ritual—maybe it’ll help.”

When Qiu Nan arrived, her arm still wrapped in bandages, she started waving willow branches and spraying charm water on Guan Xiaoxuan, leaving her looking like a complete mess. But it didn’t work—nothing changed.

“What now?” Qiu Nan looked at the willow branch soaked in spiritual water and said helplessly, “I’ve already used every method I know. Looks like that ghost has truly locked onto you.”

Xing Tianqing looked deeply troubled. She decided to dig through some old files to see if there was a solution.

Once she left, only Qiu Nan and Guan Xiaoxuan were left in the office.

Guan Xiaoxuan poked Qiu Nan to get her attention, then asked, “Is your injury getting better?”

Qiu Nan smiled. “Don’t worry. I was just thrown out of the bus and dislocated my arm. Now it’s mostly just some pulled muscles. I protected my head during the fall, so it’s nothing serious. But you really had me worried.”

“I’m fine now,” Guan Xiaoxuan said. “Once the Class-A item arrives, I should be safe.”

“Class-A items aren’t magic. It’s still just an object—you still need to be careful.”

Guan Xiaoxuan nodded, then asked, “What about Chen Man? How is she doing?”

“You mean the girl who was on the bus with us?” Qiu Nan said. When Guan Xiaoxuan nodded, she replied, “She’s still unconscious and in the ICU. I heard they managed to reattach her severed limb, but it’ll probably take at least six months for a full recovery.”

“At least she’s alive,” Guan Xiaoxuan said. “That means our bl00d wasn’t spilled for nothing.”

Qiu Nan nodded. She looked at Guan Xiaoxuan and said, “Xiaoxuan, when we left you alone on that bus, I was scared out of my mind. If anything had happened to you, I wouldn’t have known how to face Captain Xing.”

Guan Xiaoxuan looked at her, confused.

Qiu Nan said, “Not long after I landed, Captain Xing showed up. When she found out you were facing that creepy thing alone on the bus, her face turned green. She ran like crazy to get to you.”

Thinking back to Xing Tianqing’s expression at that time still gave Qiu Nan chills.

She had never seen Xing Tianqing so anxious before. It really showed how important Guan Xiaoxuan was to her.

Guan Xiaoxuan stared at Qiu Nan, thinking for a while before she said, “Captain Xing just cares about me. She treats all her team members really well.”

“But you’re different to her,” Qiu Nan said, looking straight at her. “If you make it through this, try getting along with Captain Xing. Honestly, I think you two are a great match.”

Guan Xiaoxuan gave an awkward smile. “Don’t say things like that. It might cause misunderstandings.”

“Alright, alright, I won’t butt into your business. I’m just worried about you,” Qiu Nan said seriously. “Trust Captain Xing. She’ll protect you.”

Guan Xiaoxuan nodded.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust the Bureau or Xing Tianqing. She just didn’t see herself as someone weak and helpless. She felt she needed to take her own precautions, too.

She spent the whole day staying quietly in Xing Tianqing’s office, researching and looking up all kinds of information. She even posted a reward on a paranormal forum, asking for help.

But whether no one was capable enough, or the post was just blocked by the site, there wasn’t a single reply.

That night, just before bed, Xing Tianqing looked at her for a long time before asking, “Do you want to sleep in my room tonight?”

Guan Xiaoxuan, who was just about to head back to her room, froze.

Xing Tianqing scratched her nose, looking embarrassed. “I’m just worried something might happen tonight. Don’t overthink it.”

“I’m not overthinking.” Guan Xiaoxuan looked at her and didn’t take long to decide. “Alright. Let’s sleep together tonight. I’m worried too.”

Hugging her pillow, Guan Xiaoxuan watched as Xing Tianqing cleared some space on the bed for her and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Your bed’s a mess.”

Xing Tianqing gave a sheepish smile. “Living alone, things get a little messy. But I keep it clean. I sun the blankets often.”

Guan Xiaoxuan didn’t mind. After putting her pillow down, she glanced around the room.

The closet door was open, stuffed with clothes that had been haphazardly folded. The coat rack was overflowing with layers of clothes—no telling if they were clean or dirty.

But several identical black trench coats were hung neatly in a row.

Looking around at the chaotic bedroom, Guan Xiaoxuan said, “I’ll help you tidy up tomorrow. This place is way too messy.”

She had actually wanted to say it looked like a dog’s den, but felt that was a bit rude, so she held back.

Xing Tianqing smiled warmly. “Sure. Didn’t expect you to be so young and already this good at housework.”

“I’m not that good. Just normal.” Guan Xiaoxuan climbed into bed and lay down. “I’m turning off the light now, okay?”

Xing Tianqing quickly got in bed too. “Okay, go ahead.”

With a click, the room went dark. Guan Xiaoxuan snuggled under the covers and closed her eyes.

They each had their own blanket. The bed was big, and there was no fighting for space. It was very comfortable.

But Xing Tianqing kept tossing and turning, which made it hard for Guan Xiaoxuan to fall asleep too.

“What’s wrong?”

Guan Xiaoxuan asked, but there was no answer. She realized Xing Tianqing probably hadn’t heard her, so she turned over.

When she did, she saw Xing Tianqing’s black eyes staring right at her, which startled her a little.

Xing Tianqing, caught red-handed, flinched and quickly said, “I couldn’t sleep. I wasn’t staring on purpose.”

Guan Xiaoxuan: “…”

That was basically a confession.

Maybe a little embarrassed, Xing Tianqing scratched her nose and turned to lie flat. “I won’t bother you. Let’s sleep.”

Guan Xiaoxuan thought of what Qiu Nan had said earlier and reached out from under her blanket to poke Xing Tianqing, getting her attention.

When Xing Tianqing turned her head, Guan Xiaoxuan said, “I didn’t get a chance to thank you back on Bus 444. If you hadn’t shown up in time, Chen Man and I might not have made it.”

Xing Tianqing looked into her eyes and said seriously, “You don’t need to thank me. If anything happened to you, it would’ve been my fault.”

“But I still want to thank you,” Guan Xiaoxuan said. “You’ve helped me so much.”

Xing Tianqing gazed at her for a while, then looked down and said softly, “If you really want to thank me, then when this is all over, take me out for a proper meal.”

“Okay.” Guan Xiaoxuan closed her eyes, sleep creeping in. “If I’m still alive by then, I’ll definitely treat you…”

Xing Tianqing watched her breathing slow and knew she had fallen asleep.

“Guan Xiaoxuan…”

She let out a soft sigh, gently reaching out to touch Guan Xiaoxuan’s soft cheek and whispered, “Do you really like me that much?”

Was that why she had risked everything to join the Bureau? Why she’d ended up in this situation on her very first mission?

Xing Tianqing had been liked before, but no one had ever gone to such lengths for her.

She stared at Guan Xiaoxuan, puzzled—what was it that made her so likable?

Still, despite those thoughts, she knew one thing for sure—her heart had been moved. Once this ordeal was over, she’d give Guan Xiaoxuan a real answer and be with her.

“You have to hold on,” she whispered, resting her head gently against Guan Xiaoxuan’s. “I’ll be right here with you…”

It was the same dream again.

Guan Xiaoxuan was sitting in the living room of her own home, completely lost on what to do.

Then, she heard the sound of high heels—slow and steady, step by step—getting closer until they stopped right outside her front door.

Someone was outside.

She stood up and, almost like she was being pulled by a string, walked to the door and stared at the black surface.

No one knocked, but she could feel it—someone was standing there.

A woman in a red dress, with dripping wet hair, standing right outside. Water pooled at her feet.

Don’t open the door.

No matter what, do not open the door!

Guan Xiaoxuan quickly locked it and stepped back. Then she ran to her bedroom and locked that door too.

Just when she thought everything was okay, she turned around—and saw the soaking wet woman standing outside her window. She slowly raised her hand and bang, slapped it against the glass.

Guan Xiaoxuan flinched in fear.

[Found you.]

The woman grinned, her mouth stretching wide, like she was thrilled to see her.

In the next moment, Guan Xiaoxuan jolted awake, gasping for air, nearly screaming.

Her sudden movements woke Xing Tianqing, who rubbed her eyes—just in time to see something leaving the room, and the spot next to her already empty.

Guan Xiaoxuan hadn’t gone far. She opened the front door of Xing Tianqing’s home and looked across at the entrance to her own apartment—where, just like in her dream, a puddle of water had formed at the doorstep.

She’s here. She really came.

Guan Xiaoxuan’s face turned deathly pale. She stared at the water and whispered, “She found me.”