The Taming of the Yandere

I haven"t been to the hospital in a long time. The nostalgic smell of rubbing alcohol filled my senses.

The ceiling was white, the walls were white, the floor was white, the cabinets were white, and the person on the bed was pale as a sheet.

I always avoid hospitals. It was too quiet, and the atmosphere was always dense and bulky.

Everyone"s face was extremely serious. The heavy air was expected, though. This is humanity"s closest place to death.

The morgue room was right next door to ours. It might as well have been in a whole other dimension.

I have a natural fear for hospitals, because of inhumane modern medical practices.

Walk-in appointments are slipping further away from simple questions and inquiries, and more relying on icy-cold electronic equipment.

The increasing accuracy of these machines also escalate humans" fear towards them.

Nowadays, a small cold would require a p.r.i.c.king blood test and an IV drip *. An injury would need a whole surgery, complete with knives and saws, like a broken machine replaced with new parts.

*Since there are too many people in China and too few doctors, hospitals rely on blood tests to prescribe medication, or a.s.sign you an IV drip. You go to a counter, a nurse p.r.i.c.ks your finger with a needle, and collects some blood in a vial. You come back a while later, and receive your medication. Hospitals in China do feel like processing plants, as our MC has said.

When my generation grows old, our bodies will definitely be scattered with pockmarks and holes.

My mother scrambled through Jiang Muqing"s front door. She dropped her handbag in surprise when she saw the gruesome scene before her.

A young girl sprawled on floor and I, standing nearby like a criminal.

All the scenarios she could think of flashed before my mother"s eyes.

She arranged the scenarios" probabilities in order, and thought for a moment.

"Fan, this is…."

My mother glared at me.

"Mom, this is my cla.s.smate, she doesn"t feel well, so…."

My words had little to no effect.

She"s literally out cold on the floor. Are you really going to tell Mom that she"s just "not feeling well"?

My mother looked at the spread-eagled Jiang Muqing, and then looked at me. I was clearly nervous, but my words were steady and calm.

"Give me your backpack."

Mom"s scorching glower suddenly closed up, and became gentle. She stretched her hand towards me.

"Eh?"

I didn"t get what she meant.

"Are you really going to ask your elderly mother to carry a whole person? I"ll get your bag for you, so you better carry her. We need to get to the hospital as soon as possible." My mother ordered.

I hesitated, and gave her my bag.

She then hurriedly walked to Jiang Muqing, and roughly checked her symptoms.

"Her fever is really high!"

My mother pressed her forehead to the girl"s, and worriedly said.

"Quick, don"t waste a second. How could children study if their brains are fried?"

She lifted up the unconscious girl by the shoulders, and slung her on my back.

I easily carried the shoujo, who was quite light in weight. I reminded my mother to bring Jiang Muqing"s phone, keys, cards, and other important materials.

We quickly locked her door, sped downstairs, and waved down a taxi.

We arrived at the city hospital"s emergency clinic. My mother swiftly put down Jiang Muqing"s name, paid fees, and tried to find a doctor.

We were both extremely worried, as if Jiang Muqing was a family relative.

At last, the doctor looked at the lab report. His expression was calm, and we were relieved.

The report said that she had a high amount of white blood cells, low blood sugar, and dehydrated.

He took her temperature, and she indeed had a fever. Her throat and tongue were also sore.

It was merely the common cold, but more severe than usual since she didn"t take any medication.

The doctor opened two prescriptions. He instructed us to give her the first one immediately. If her fever cooled down during the night, she won"t have to take any more. The second medication was to be taken three times each day, for three days.

He then set up an IV drip for nutrition and salt intake. Once the bag was dry, we could go home.

That time, Jiang Muqing acted as if she was dying. It really scared the c.r.a.p out of me, I thought she had some late-stage terminal illness.

But even so, the mild result was expected. It was just a normal cold, pumped with poor nutrition and violent emotions.

It was only when the nurse hooked up Jiang Muqing"s IV that I put her down and sat beside her.

Jiang Muqing woke up a while ago, but her senses were still dulled by fatigue. Her skin was already cooler than before. Whatever medicine that doctor gave us was more effective than a bucket of ice water.

Now that she was in a better condition, my mother took her phone, and started going through her contacts list, calling her parents.

"Is this how you treat your child?!"

"You don"t even come home to see how your daughter"s doing?"

Mom shouted furiously outside the door.

I"ve never seen her this angry, even while growing up.

I suddenly remembered my homework. I finished most of it in study hall, but there were still some mistakes that I couldn"t figure out.

I decided to make some distance between me and the girl, and take out my mock exams.

Thankfully, I"d written down the teacher"s corrections on the side with red pen.

I"ll use this time to go over it again, since I didn"t have the chance to study tonight. Once we send Jiang Muqing home, I"ll probably have to pull another all-nighter.

After a while, I started to wonder why the IV room didn"t have a desk. Writing in midair proved to be very difficult.

Wouldn"t most people use their drip time to read a book or newspaper? A table would prove to be incredibly useful. I cursed the hospital"s inadequate furnishings.

I studied my tests, focusing entirely. The hospital was very quiet, and everyone was fixated on their own tasks. It was the perfect studying environment.

"Screech…."

The IV pole scratched the floor. I looked up to see Jiang Muqing, standing in front of me.

Is she going to try killing me with that pole? I peered at her with caution.

"Do you feel a bit better?"

My tone was stiff and tense.

To someone who tried to stab and kill me, I really didn"t know how I felt towards her.

"Sleepy."

No wonder. Once the body calms down, it"ll want to rest for a night.

She glanced at my papers, and furrowed her brow. Then, the girl sat down in a natural manner, clasped my elbow, and leaned her head on my shoulder.

She closed her eyes, and soon started lightly snoring.

What?

Is she asleep?

Why does she need my shoulder?

Outside, my enraged mother became louder and louder. Under the urge of the hospital staff, she finally hung up, and walked in the room with fury.

She saw the girl sleeping on my shoulder, and the papers in my hands.

"Fan, what are you two doing?"

"I"m studying, and she"s… sleeping?"

I calmly replied.

"I"m asking, why are you two so close together?"

Her face was full of suspicion.

"We"re sitting close together, because we"re sitting close together."

I retorted.

"If that"s the case, then drop your test papers. Stop being such a killjoy!"

Mom"s eyes flashed, and she chuckled.

"Say, I was wondering why you came home so late these days, with that strange expression on your face. So, it was all because of her?"

I was starting to get annoyed of my mother"s sly tone.

"Mom, are you misunderstanding something?"

Usually, if high school students start dating, their parents will become livid when they find out. *

*Asian parents are really strict. It"s a basic fact, not some sort of stereotype. They know that if their child is unsuccessful, they"ll end up in poverty, and not live a happy life. Their strictness pays off, though. You don"t see that many Asians in Western countries who aren"t doing well. White parents are different. Most just want their kids to be happy.

"Idiot son. You have good taste in women!"

My mother relaxed her serious expression.

"Is that really the issue at hand here? Mom!"