The Strange Illness That Kept Her Indoors

After breakfast, we headed to President Chen's house. By the time we arrived, the questionnaire was already underway.

Right there in the living room.

There was an elegant, richly dressed woman, a round-faced man in glasses who looked very cautious, and a young girl who was struggling to hold herself back.

President Chen and I quietly found somewhere to sit, and I heard the man ask the girl, "Can you hear sounds that other people can't?"

"No," the girl replied coldly.

"Can you see things that other people can't?" the man asked again.

The girl paused, looking as though she had just about reached her limit. After a long moment, she finally forced a single word through gritted teeth. "No."

"Can you..." The man was still asking questions.

"Can you leave my house?!" the girl snapped, cutting him off.

As she spoke, she stood up and left the living room with an icy expression.

The male counselor looked at President Chen and gave an awkward smile. "So far, there doesn't seem to be any major psychological issue. She's just a little irritable."

"Thank you for your hard work!" President Chen politely saw him out.

I stood in the living room, quietly looking around. The sofa was to the left of the entrance, a television hung on the east wall, and there was some lucky bamboo. Calligraphy and paintings hung on the north wall. Nothing seemed wrong.

"Please sit down and have some tea, sir. I'm Gula's mother," the woman introduced herself.

I nodded. So the girl's name was Gula.

Turning, I saw that President Chen had returned. I glanced at Mrs. Chen, then at him, and asked, "Would it be all right if I took a look around?"

"Of course!" President Chen led the way.

I nodded to Mrs. Chen, then followed President Chen outside to make a circuit of the house first.

It was a detached villa, with its main entrance facing due south. There was a lawn and parking space out front, and the kitchen was at the back.

Looking out, I saw small villas all around us, and the terrain was flat.

Everything was fairly conventional, with no major problems.

The bedrooms were on the second floor. I glanced up, hesitating as I wondered whether it would be appropriate to take a look.

President Chen asked, "Would you like to look at my bedroom first?"

I nodded and went upstairs to take a look, but I found no major problems there either.

President Chen gently knocked on the door of the next room. "Gula?"

"Come in." Cold and curt, as though she refused to waste even one extra word.

Still, she didn't sound particularly irritable.

I stood in the doorway and looked inside. The room was very dark, with the curtains drawn. I turned to President Chen and asked, "Could I speak with Gula alone?"

President Chen looked at Gula. Her face was expressionless. She didn't agree, but she didn't refuse either.

"You two talk, then. I'll go downstairs and prepare some fruit to bring up," President Chen said before heading downstairs.

I went in without closing the door, found a chair near the doorway, and sat down without waiting for an invitation.

"Talk about what?" Gula asked icily.

"I can see things other people can't," I said slowly.

Gula snorted with laughter. "Then you should take that questionnaire from earlier. Maybe they'll lock you up once you finish it."

"That's why I won't take it," I said with a smile.

One corner of Gula's mouth shifted slightly, but she said nothing more.

"Could you open the curtains?" I asked.

"I don't like it too bright," she said.

"Then... could you open them just a little?" I asked tentatively.

With a swish, she pulled the curtains halfway open. But she remained just as cold, not saying a word.

"Your parents are very worried about you. They asked me to come and see whether I could help," I said bluntly.

"What can you do?" she asked.

"Look at ghosts," I joked.

She gave a faint snort. "Have you seen any, then?"

"No," I said.

"At least you're honest." She snorted. "Can you leave now, then?"

"Could I sit here a little longer?" I asked.

She gave me a speechless glance, said nothing, and turned away to read at her desk.