The man on the screen showed no reaction. He faced the window, his eyes unfocused.
The woman walked over, bent down, and put an arm around his shoulders. She whispered something in his ear.
But the man still didn't react.
The woman pushed the rocking chair around halfway, then stood beside it and looked at the expressionless man. Gently, she smoothed his hair.
"Sorry, he's ended up like this... Last Tuesday, I woke up in the middle of the night and saw him standing beside the bed. I thought I was dreaming. He didn't react at all. I held onto him and talked to him for a long time, then held him as we slept through the night. When I woke up in the morning, he was still there... I don't know what he went through, but I'm so glad he came back." The woman smiled and looked ahead. "I guessed something big might have happened. I've been watching the news lately, and I've seen things about it... Is it all right that he's like this? Is it like he told me before—that his soul will recover if he's given some time?"
Wu Ling took a few steps forward, stopping in front of the man.
The woman watched Wu Ling expectantly.
"Qiu Ming," Wu Ling called.
The man was like a statue.
Wu Ling crouched down and took the man's hand.
After a while, Wu Ling stood up and looked at the woman. "His condition is a little like that of someone who has just died. We've encountered souls who came back to the human world from the underworld before, and they weren't like this."
Worry appeared on the woman's face. She smiled bitterly. "I don't understand any of this. For the past few days, I've just treated him like