I'm Actually Panicking Because My Heart Doesn't Beat (GL) - Chapter 9
When the black car stopped in front of Guan Xiaoxuan’s building, it was a little past 7 p.m.
Xing Tianqing parked the car, then glanced at Guan Xiaoxuan sitting in the passenger seat. Calmly, she said, “If nothing unexpected happens, the Red Girl will come looking for you tonight. Just follow your usual routine and wait for her to show up.”
Guan Xiaoxuan looked at the dim window of her home, then turned back to Xing Tianqing. “Are you sure she’ll come for me tonight?”
“I can’t be 100% certain, but it should be very close to that.” Xing Tianqing said, “The Red Girl took a whole month to gather so many people. She must be in a hurry, so it’s very likely she’ll come tonight. But of course, she might also be cautious and watch for a few days.”
Still, tonight was the most likely time.
Xing Tianqing glanced at Guan Xiaoxuan and said, “Once this is done, I’ll agree to the request you made.”
At the police station, Guan Xiaoxuan had listened to Xing Tianqing and the others’ request. She didn’t hesitate long before agreeing—though she did set two conditions.
First, she wanted to meet Xing Tianqing every day.
This “meeting” could happen at any time but must happen at least once every 24 hours.
Though Guan Xiaoxuan had never experienced her heart actually stopping, she instinctively felt her heartbeat was connected to Xing Tianqing. At least once a day, she needed to see her to keep her heartbeat steady.
Whether Xing Tianqing found this strange or not didn’t bother Guan Xiaoxuan—she had an excuse ready: “I’m scared, and seeing you makes me feel safe.” Whether Xing Tianqing believed that or not, she didn’t care.
When Guan Xiaoxuan said this, Xing Tianqing’s expression clearly changed.
The look she gave Guan Xiaoxuan said four words — 【She Likes Me】
Yeah, yeah, being mistaken for a lesbian was better than losing her life. Guan Xiaoxuan thought if it meant keeping her dog-like life, being seen as a bold lesbian by Xing Tianqing wasn’t such a big deal.
Her second condition was that if she died while trying to catch the Red Girl, Xing Tianqing would find a good home for her cat.
Both requests were reasonable, even easy to agree to. Xing Tianqing had no reason to refuse.
As for Guan Xiaoxuan liking her, Xing Tianqing didn’t think much of it.
A 19-year-old girl? The worst she could do was be a fan trying to use the “meet once a day” rule as an excuse to get closer. No big deal.
Xing Tianqing accepted it.
“We’ll send people to protect you nearby to make sure you’re safe.” Xing Tianqing snapped back to reality and said to Guan Xiaoxuan, “You can go home now.”
Guan Xiaoxuan nodded and pushed open the door to get out.
The April evening breeze was still cold. Guan Xiaoxuan shivered and rubbed her shoulders before stepping toward the stairwell.
Xing Tianqing stayed in the car, watching Guan Xiaoxuan walk away without looking back. Her eyes flickered slightly but she said nothing and drove away.
The old apartment complex wasn’t well maintained. Guan Xiaoxuan’s building was no exception.
The stairwell lights were dim at first, then eventually went out completely, forcing her to climb in total darkness, groping along the wall to move forward.
At the police station, Xing Tianqing had given her a phone, but like its owner, it was completely dead and couldn’t even turn on to provide light.
After much effort, Guan Xiaoxuan finally reached her door and, using the faint light outside, found the keyhole and unlocked the door.
As soon as she opened the door, a pair of eyes caught her off guard, making her pupils freeze in surprise. Then she realized it was Guazi, not the Red Girl.
“Meow—”
Guazi sat on the sofa facing the door, looking at Guan Xiaoxuan with a confused expression in the dim light from outside.
Guan Xiaoxuan breathed a sigh of relief and switched on the lights.
The bright light made her feel a bit more alive. After closing the door and changing her shoes, she lay down stiffly on the sofa.
Miraculously, Guazi didn’t fuss. The cat walked over, looked at her, then snuggled into her arms, curling up comfortably and resting its fluffy little head on her arm.
The two of them just lay there together.
Guan Xiaoxuan reached out to stroke the chubby cat’s head. Seeing how attached Guazi was made her feel even emptier inside.
If Guan Xiaoxuan hadn’t switched into this body, and if no one knew she was caring for the cat, Guazi might have starved to death.
Though the original owner had suffered because of poor judgment, the cat was innocent. Guan Xiaoxuan felt lucky to have woken up in this body—it was a kind of salvation for both her and the cat.
“Hope we can get along well.” Guan Xiaoxuan closed her eyes and said to Guazi, “From now on, it’s just the two of us.”
If she could survive this.
Maybe because too much had happened today, Guan Xiaoxuan had barely rested since waking up. Lying on the sofa now, her mind grew fuzzy, and she became drowsy and weak. She didn’t even have the strength to get up to wash or turn off the lights.
As she slipped into sleep, she felt something was wrong. No matter how tired she usually was, she never felt like this.
Something… was wrong…
Guan Xiaoxuan sensed she had fallen asleep, but in her dream, she was lying on the sofa again. The lights were off, and the whole room was pitch dark.
In a daze, she suddenly sat up and looked toward the door, sensing something outside.
She couldn’t see anything, but she felt something climbing the stairs step by step.
Then it stopped right in front of her door.
Looking around, the house was still the same. She was still wearing the clothes from her return from the police station.
Nothing had changed. If she wasn’t fully awake, she wouldn’t have realized this was a dream.
A lucid dream?
She stopped examining herself and turned her attention back to the door.
Through the door, she saw the Red Girl standing outside.
It was a red fox, quietly sitting by the door, with bl00d-red eyes that looked calm yet pitying.
Suddenly, as if by some force, her door opened, and the Red Girl slowly stood and walked inside.
“Well done.”
The red fox spoke in a human voice, saying, “You completed the first task. Out of so many, you did the best.”
Guan Xiaoxuan frowned. She tried to get up but found her body couldn’t move. She could only stare at the Red Girl.
The little fox looked at her with amusement, took two steps, then said lazily, “Your wish is to see your parents again. That’s a very simple wish, and I can grant it.”
It turned back to her. “Now, I want you to do a second thing—give me your body. If you give your body to me without hesitation, you can meet your parents right away.”
Guan Xiaoxuan finally opened her mouth and asked, “What if I don’t want to?”
The red fox smiled with curled lips. “Then it’s not up to you!”
Guan Xiaoxuan suddenly opened her eyes to find the sharp fox face right in front of her.
It was the Red Girl!
Her spirit instantly tightened. She opened her eyes wide, staring at the red fox pressing down on her chest. But no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t break free.
This wasn’t a dream, but Guan Xiaoxuan really couldn’t control her body!
Her face went pale, but her brain was still working hard. She didn’t know if Xing Tianqing and the others would come back to save her. She had to save herself!
She struggled to move her pinky finger, staring fixedly at the red fox and asked, “Why me?”
The Red Girl noticed her attempt and pressed its sharp claw against Guan Xiaoxuan’s neck.
“Don’t try to resist me,” it said. “You have no chance to escape.”
It sighed slowly, looking into Guan Xiaoxuan’s eyes with pity and sympathy, like looking at a fish about to die.
“After all these years, I finally get a human body,” the Red Girl said, examining Guan Xiaoxuan’s face and laughing lightly, “Though not beautiful, it’s still a very young body. It’ll last me a long time.”
It lowered its head close to her face and smiled, “Girl, if you want to blame anyone, blame your bad luck. But I’m a person who keeps my word. I’ll send you to meet your parents right away.”
The red fox opened its bl00d-red mouth wide, as if about to swallow Guan Xiaoxuan whole!
At that moment, Guan Xiaoxuan suddenly felt her body lighten, as if breaking free from control.
When she raised her head, she saw a woman in a black trench coat holding an ancient golden book stepping out from her wall.
Following her were several others in black trench coats rushing in.
“First rule of the ban,”
Wearing thin-framed glasses, Xing Tianqing looked like a goddess, floating in the air. She opened the golden book, her pupils turning golden and slit like a cat’s.
Holding the book in one hand and pointing at the Red Girl with the other, she spoke in a solemn, mysterious voice,
“No one may enter here without permission.”