(1)
April 3, 2010, Saturday.
As the Qingming Festival approached, the rain in the small city became more frequent. The rows of white-walled, black-tiled houses in the distance appeared hazy amidst the drizzle, evoking the feeling of a watery town in the Jiangnan region.
At the dock, several moored ships bobbed gently with the sea. A cruise ship was slowly docking, but only An Jing and Yu Minghui were waiting to board.
This ship had been sent specifically to pick up An Jing for her examination. It looked large enough to hold at least a hundred people, but at this moment, both the Deck and the Cabin were empty, forming a stark contrast to the nearby ships that would only depart when fully loaded with people and cargo.
“I’m An Jing’s guardian. Here is our Pass Card.” Yu Minghui stepped forward and handed a card to a staff member, who took it and swiped it on a nearby machine. Accompanied by a ‘beep’, the yellow light on the machine turned green. The Automatic Gate enclosing this section of the dock slowly opened, and the stairs leading up to the cruise ship’s Deck gradually descended.
Naturally, the cruise ship stood much higher than ordinary vessels, making it impossible to just step aboard with a single stride—it was necessary to use the stairs.
As the two walked up the stairs, the Automatic Gate behind them closed again. At the top of the stairs, two fully armed Soldiers stood guard, each holding a long rifle. An Jing couldn’t help but steal a few curious glances at them.
The two Soldiers were as motionless as wax figures, their eyes fixed ahead without the slightest movement—giving An Jing a strange feeling, as if they were both fully alert yet lost in their own thoughts.
“Hello, I am the Inspector for this ship. Welcome aboard, distinguished guests.” A young woman in a smart suit greeted them with a faint smile. “Our destination is the astronomical research institute on the island. To minimize discomfort, the ship won’t travel too quickly, so the journey will take some time. Please follow me to the Cabin to rest. We’ve prepared refreshments and tea for you…”
This trip to the research institute for her check-up was obviously more formal than before. It seemed that higher-ups had approved new plans, arranging a safer and more official means of arrival for them.
Or perhaps, An Jing had become an important part of some Check Plan Project.
This feeling of being monitored—even in everyday life—made her uncomfortable. Although she understood it was for her protection, it also felt as if an invisible hand was quietly restricting her freedom.
She lazily propped her chin on her hand, gazing at the rolling waves outside the window.
The cruise ship was large and steady, almost as if she were still on land—she could barely feel it sway.
On the table before her sat tea and some snacks, but she had little appetite for any of it.
“What’s wrong, are you feeling down?” Yu Minghui smiled, taking a small sip of Longjing Tea from a transparent glass cup. “The Longjing Tea here is very authentic. Xiao Jing, would you like to try it?”
“It all tastes the same to me anyway.” An Jing mumbled, shaking her head. “It’s too hot right now, I’ll drink it later…”
“What about the snacks? Don’t you want to try some? They’re very delicately made.”
“I have no appetite, Huihui-jie.” An Jing let her hand fall from her cheek, leaning slightly against the window. “Going to be a lab rat again—I just can’t bring myself to care.”
“Look on the bright side—this is also to keep you from having any health problems. You wouldn’t want to suddenly feel awful one day, unable to sleep or eat, or be in so much pain you have to roll around in bed, right?”
“Does it really help? Even if they find something, can today’s science really do anything about it?” An Jing pursed her lips. “For now, they can’t even explain much of what’s happened to me. If they could, I’d wish they’d just change me back into a boy first.”
“No matter what, it’s still better to have a check-up than not. Besides, aren’t the researchers there all very gentle? Don’t always think of yourself as a lab rat or a specimen—they actually treat you as an equal…”
“Tch…” An Jing shook her head. “Huihui-jie, you don’t have to comfort me. I know sometimes I just get moody and uncomfortable for no real reason. I’m not a child, I’ll still cooperate when I need to.”
“Pfft… Xiao Jing, you’re still a kid, you don’t need to pretend to be a grown-up.” Yu Minghui laughed softly, picking up a piece of snack and taking a delicate bite. “By the way, most check-ups require fasting, but it seems like they don’t have any special requirements here. Is it because their examinations are different from those at the hospital, or are the instruments more advanced?”
“Who knows… Anyway, I’ll skip the food, just in case they say I can’t get checked today because I ate, and make me stay overnight for more tests.” An Jing took a sip of tea, scalding her tongue. “Hiss—still so hot.”
“If there were requirements, they would have told you in advance.”
“Who knows, just because a place looks impressive doesn’t mean it’s reliable. Maybe they just forgot to notify us.”
“Xiao Jing, you know quite a lot~ That’s true, the world isn’t always as professional and rigorous as ordinary people think. But I doubt the research institute would make such a mistake.”
“Still, I really don’t have any appetite…”
“It’s a rare opportunity—aren’t you really going to try any? This is my first time tasting such delicious snacks that aren’t the least bit greasy.”
“No.” An Jing stared at the blurred outline of the distant island, letting the wind gently tousle her hair. “I’m just not in the mood.”
Yu Minghui smiled softly and didn’t try to comfort her further.
Because it was clear that wouldn’t help. It was better to let An Jing have a moment of peace to herself.
(2)
When the cruise ship arrived, a nurse who had previously cared for An Jing at the institute came to greet them.
She had an oval face and crescent-shaped eyes, always seeming to smile.
“Long time no see, Xiao An Jing.” She greeted her affectionately, ruffling An Jing’s hair. “How does it feel to be a girl? Are you getting used to it?”
“Whether I’m used to it or not, I still have to adapt…”
“Today we’ll be doing a more comprehensive physical examination. Don’t worry~ To make you more comfortable, we’ve even renovated a special room just for you to use as a Check Room.”
“Huh?”
“You’ll see in a bit!” The nurse pinched An Jing’s cheek, then turned to greet Yu Minghui. “Miss Yu Minghui, I’ll have to borrow Xiao An Jing for a while. Please wait in the Rest Room.”
“Alright. She’s… not in a great mood today, so I hope you’ll be gentle with her.”
“Don’t worry, we’ve considered all of that!”
“Didn’t you say there was a new Check Room? Isn’t this still a room full of big machines?”
“There’s no helping it. Don’t worry, only a few of the exams need to be done here. The rest don’t use this equipment!”
“Really…”
“Go ahead and change back into your clothes. The rest of the exams don’t require a sterile or dust-free environment.”
“That’s good… Wearing just this Examination Gown with nothing underneath feels so strange…”
“Is it uncomfortable? It shouldn’t be—I picked the softest material.”
“That’s not it, it’s just… weird, especially when you’re wearing it too.”
“So, want to change together in the changing room with your big sister?”
“N-no need!!”
“Haha—just teasing you, you silly girl.”
“Hey…” An Jing drooped her eyelids, but for some reason, she felt a lot lighter inside.
Maybe this fooling around washed away some of the coldness she’d felt while passing through so many disinfected rooms and lying on so many pieces of professional equipment.
To be honest, lying on those big machines really made her feel like just an object, rather than a living person with thoughts and a will of her own…
(3)
“All right, here we are. This is the room we renovated just for you. Does it feel a little more familiar?” Now dressed in her own clothes, An Jing had already suspected something. When she opened the door, she stood there dazed.
It was a classroom, looking almost identical to what most people would picture. Only the number of seats was fewer—around thirty desks and chairs in all.
But everything you’d expect to see in a classroom was there, from the teacher’s podium to blackboards at the front and back, to the projector and the box of chalk… all present and accounted for.
Some desks even had personal items on them, as if people used them during the week but not on weekends, just like an ordinary classroom.
It was completely at odds with the research institute’s usual minimalist and sterile style.
But probably no other classroom had a view of the sea outside the window, nor the running tracks that most schools had.
“Yeah, it does feel familiar.” An Jing licked her lips. “But… can you really do check-ups in here?”
“Just put two desks together and you’ve got a temporary examination bed! It’s just to help you relax a bit more.” The nurse spun her pen around her fingers, then suddenly paused. “Oh! There it is! Sit in the back row by the window—that spot makes people feel safer.”
“Ahem, that’s actually my favorite seat, but lately I’ve always been made to sit in the front row.” An Jing scratched her head. “So what’s the first test?”
“Some basic surface checks, nothing hard. Just sit and chat for a bit, like you’re at school.”
“What about the doctor?”
“There isn’t anyone else—it’s just me.”
“Eh? Aren’t you a nurse?”
“I’m a nurse here, but I actually graduated as a doctor from the inspection department!” The nurse patted her chest with some pride. “Everyone here is more capable than I am, so I rarely get to show my skills. But today is different—if I do your exam, it’ll probably make you feel less nervous, right?”
“You didn’t have to say it out loud…” An Jing replied, a bit embarrassed.
“Okay, okay, go sit down first. The first test will check whether your involuntary reflexes are normal.”
“Uh… like the knee-jerk reflex?”
“That’s one of them.”