Description
Lu Lingxi died.
As a child born by his parents through precise genetic matching, for eighteen years of his life, he lived entirely for his brother, who had leukaemia. He was his brother's shadow, a "medicine reserve bank" for his brother's treatment needs.
Umbilical cord blood, stem cells, bone marrow… whenever his brother needed it, he would have no choice but to quietly lie on the operating table.
Until the last time, when his brother needed a kidney and he never came off the operating table.
When he opened his eyes again, Lu Lingxi became a teenager with the same name Lu Lingxi.
Freed from the shackles of his fate, he possesses the mysterious ability to communicate with plants.
Raising flowers, gardening and running a farm, Lu Lingxi begins a very different life!
Pastoral Daily Life (Rebirth) Chapter 1
"Dr. Liu, the patient has lost his vital signs."
"Prepare for electroshock."
"Wait, the vital signs have reappeared."
"Beep… beep… beep…"
"What's the blood pressure?"
"80."
"What's the pulse?"
"60."
"The patient has been stabilised, continue the operation."
The strange dialogue sounded vaguely in his ears, and Lu Lingxi opened his hazy eyes, seeing in a daze the dazzling light above his head. He moved his head slightly; it was so heavy that he could only tilt it in small increments, indistinctly seeing the overlapping figures around him.
Where is this?
Lu Lingxi thought blankly, struggling to open his eyes to see his surroundings clearly. His vision was blurred and he strained to blink his eyes as bits of memory flashed back; yes, this was a hospital. He was undergoing surgery; his brother's health had gone wrong again. The doctor said his brother had acute kidney failure and he, as his brother's HLA match, was the best candidate for transplantation.
Lu Lingxi closed his eyes, and the image of his mother clutching his hand and crying seemed to be right in front of him.
"Xiao Xi, your brother's condition is getting worse. You are the only one who can save him, you will save him, won't you?"
His father stood behind his mother, the expression on his face obscure and complicated. He looked at his father and then at his mother and nodded obediently.
"Good boy! Good boy!"
There was a sudden glint in his mother's eyes and she hugged him as hard as a drowning man clinging to the last piece of driftwood. He nestled quietly in his mother's arms, as he had every time in the past when his brother's health had gone wrong and he had been required to lie on the operating table. He was the good boy his mother said he was; the reason he existed was for his brother, and he had always known it.
Lu Lingxi was born into the Lu family in Zhongjing eighteen years ago. His father, Lu Guangjing, was the youngest son of the Lu family, and his mother, Li Caiying, was the eldest daughter of the Li family. The two were talented and beautiful, and countless people were envious of the marriage between the Lu and the Li families. But how could there be perfection in this world? Lu Wei'an, the first child of Lu Guangjing and Li Caiying, was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia when he was seven years old. When the initial test results came back, Lu Wei'an's condition was still in the chronic stage. Lu Guangjing and Li Caiying took Lu Wei'an to doctors all over the world, but the only treatment available was allogeneic transplantation.
The chronic phase of myeloid leukaemia had a duration of 3-4 years, which was enough time for the Lu family to find a suitable donor for Lu Wei'an. However, instead of a blood unrelated donor, the doctor suggested that Lu Guangjing and Li Caiying should have another child and use the newborn's umbilical cord blood to extract stem cells to help Lu Wei'an. What the doctor said was very practical. Even if Lu Wei'an's transplantation was successful, there was no guarantee that he would not relapse in the future. The relapse rate of leukaemia after successful transplantation was very high, and instead of having to search for a suitable donor every time, taking into account that such a donor might happen not to be found, it was the best option for them to have another child. On the advice of the doctor, Lu Guangjing and Li Caiying used a sophisticated gene matching technology to conceive and give birth to Lu Lingxi, a perfect genetic match for Lu Wei'an.
From the day he was born, Lu Lingxi lived for his brother Lu Wei'an. He was his brother's shadow, his brother's "medicine reserve bank", umbilical cord blood, stem cells, bone marrow… as long as his brother needed it, he would quietly lie on the operating table. Until this time…
"Xiao Xi, this is the last time, I promise."
On the night that Lu Lingxi agreed to donate, Lu Guangjing appeared in his room alone. Unlike Li Caiying, whose whole heart was on the ailing Lu Wei'an, Lu Guangjing tried his best to treat Lu Wei'an and Lu Lingxi equally.
Looking at his son, who had been well-behaved and obedient since childhood, Lu Guangjing made this promise with difficulty. Lu Lingxi didn't say anything, just opened a pair of dark eyes and looked at Lu Guangjing steadily.
Lu Guangjing could not see any emotion in Lu Lingxi's eyes; neither was he happy nor unhappy. He wanted Lu Lingxi to say something, but Lu Lingxi only looked at him in silence… Lu Guangjing averted his eyes in embarrassment and carefully stroked Lu Lingxi's soft hair, as if to assure and promise: "Xiao Xi, after this operation, Father will send you to study abroad."
Study abroad? To Lu Lingxi, this was too distant a dream. After the car accident in his third year of elementary school, his mother refused to let him out of her sight again. She hired a tutor for him and arranged for him to take classes at home. He understood that his mother was worried about him but was more convinced that she was worried that in case something happened to him, it would be too late to have another child to save his brother.
"Lu Lingxi, you are not anyone's appendage, you deserve a life of your own."
"Xiao Xi, this is the last time, I promise."
Dr. Su's words and his father's words alternated in his mind. Lu Lingxi slowly closed his eyes and once again felt the heavy exhaustion flooding from the bottom of his heart. It would be great if this was really the last time…
"Doctor, why is my son still not awake? Didn't you say he would wake up in a day or two after the surgery? It's been almost a week, is your hospital trying to charge more money?"
"Family member, the patient's surgery was very successful. The current coma is the body's self-healing. He should wake up soon, please wait patiently."
"Wait, how can I wait? Do you know how much it costs to stay in the hospital for one day? Your hospital is so shady, my son has not woken up, are you going to give me an explanation?"
"Family member…"
In the inpatient department of Fengcheng No. 1 Hospital, the doctor looked helplessly at the woman making a fuss in front of him, feeling a terrible headache. The woman in front of him was called Wang Shuxiu, the mother of the patient in Bed 20, and from the time the patient was hospitalised until today, there wasn't a single day that Wang Shuxiu didn't make a scene. Either she disliked the nurse's bad attitude and wanted to complain, or she questioned the hospital for overcharging. The nurses and doctors in charge of Bed 20 were all in distress from her agitation. Fortunately, she only appeared every day in the afternoon and disappeared as soon as the evening came, so they had to endure her only for an hour or two.
"Doctor, tell me, why is my son still not awake?" Wang Shuxiu raised her eyebrows and grabbed the doctor to prevent him from leaving.
The doctor awkwardly tried to free himself from Wang Shuxiu, but did not dare to move too much. It was because Wang Shuxiu was wearing too little, a black low-cut hip-hugging dress, and the doctor felt that if he struggled a little, he might be called a scoundrel.
None of the other family members in the same ward came forward to stop them, all watching the show with interest. The patient in Bed 20 was an eighteen year old boy. He was Wang Shuxiu's son but she really didn't look like a mother of such a big son.
They say that even if a beauty makes an unreasonable scene, she can be forgiven. Wang Shuxiu was such a beauty. She was forty-two years old, but looked completely in her early thirties. With her willowy eyebrows, phoenix eyes and tall, voluptuous figure, her every move was full of charm as long as she didn't open her mouth; it was a pity that her essence was revealed when she did. She had obviously experienced vicissitudes of life, and although the family members of the patients in the same ward were willing to give her another look, they were not willing to deal with her.
While Wang Shuxiu and the doctor were tugging, the patient in Bed 20 slowly started to move.
Lu Lingxi's eyes were closed and he felt the buzzing noise in his ears. He didn't know if it was the after-effects of the operation, but his head felt like it was sawed from side to side with a dull saw, aching vaguely. Lu Lingxi struggled to lift his hands, but his limbs didn't seem to obey him much, and with all the strength he could muster he could only move his index finger slightly.
"It's so noisy!" Lu Lingxi tried to speak, but his throat seemed to be blocked by something and he couldn't make a sound.
"Hey, he's moving, he's moving!" Someone shouted loudly.
"Wang Shuxiu, your son has moved." Another voice reminded.
Wang Shuxiu, who was pulling the doctor, let go of the doctor's hand quickly and rushed to the hospital bed.
"Lu Lingxi, you little bastard, you were born to piss off your mom, weren't you?"
"Lu Lingxi, Lu Lingxi!"
Wang Shuxiu shouted twice in a row, but the person on the bed still did not move. She immediately looked around in discontent and crossed her arms, saying loudly, "Which asshole said my son was awake? You guys come and take a look, where the hell is he awake?"
The two people who had spoken out before wanted to say something, but they were afraid of Wang Shuxiu's cursing skills, so they reluctantly confessed. Wang Shuxiu turned her head, saw that the doctor had already taken advantage of this opportunity to leave and became even more dissatisfied. She felt that they were fooling her in order to please the doctor, and immediately opened her mouth to curse.
"So noisy!" Lu Lingxi finally uttered after numerous efforts. He thought he was very loud, but to the ears of the people around him it was nothing more than a whisper. Luckily, no one was talking in the ward at this time, so Wang Shuxiu heard him and immediately leaned down to him.
"Son, son, Lu Lingxi, little bastard!"
After a series of shouts the young man on the hospital bed finally opened his eyes.
Wang Shuxiu laughed happily, "Little bastard, you are in a hurry to kill your old mom, aren't you?"
Lu Lingxi blinked blankly; what appeared before him was an unfamiliar face. He recognised the voice, it was the same voice that had been making noise in his ears.
When Wang Shuxiu saw Lu Lingxi wake up, her heart finally settled. She said excitedly to Lu Lingxi, "Little bastard, they all said you won't make it, but I didn't believe them, and look, you've been saved, haven't you? Your old lady raised you for so long and hasn't enjoyed your blessings for a single day. If you had died, I would have lost money for all these years. Your dead old man, I don't know where he's gone again, he hasn't shown his face these days. Remember, you've been in the hospital for so many days, and it's my hard-earned money that you've spent."
The woman in front of him kept on talking, and Lu Lingxi understood every word she said, but all together, he had no idea what the other party meant. He watched as the woman's mouth opened and closed, and finally took advantage of the gap to ask his question with an effort.
"Who are you? Where's Father and Mother?"
"What did you say, you little bastard! What Father and Mother, are you trying to lie to your old mom again?" Wang Shuxiu raised her willow eyebrows and slapped Lu Lingxi's head.
"You can't hit the head!" The nurse who came in with the medicine shouted urgently, but unfortunately she was a step too late.
Wang Shuxiu slapped him, and a few minutes after Lu Lingxi opened his eyes, he was once again plunged into darkness.
Pastoral Daily Life (Rebirth) Chapter 2
It had been two days since Lu Lingxi woke up again and became Lu Lingxi. That was a rather odd statement to make, but the truth was even odder than that.
Lu Lingxi didn't know what had happened; after an operation, he was no longer Lu Lingxi, the youngest child of the Lu family in Zhongjing, but somehow appeared in Fengcheng as Lu Lingxi, the son of the woman he had met two days ago.
When Lu Lingxi first discovered this fact, he was really surprised for a long time. His body was no longer the body he was familiar with; without the pallor and thinness of the past, his new body was overflowing with a vigorous energy. The only thing that carried a shadow of the past was his face. The two faces were three or four points similar, but this new one was more delicate and beautiful, and similar in appearance to this body's mother.
Lu Lingxi heard the doctor talk about how his operation had created a miracle. At one point during the operation he had lost his vital signs, but a miracle occurred and his heart managed to beat again after stopping for a dozen seconds. He thought that perhaps it was not a miracle created by the operation at all, but a metaphysical miracle from the underworld. After this body's heart started beating again, the person inside the body was no longer the original Lu Lingxi, but him. What about the original owner of this body? Did he pass away? Or did he enter a strange body like him, a body that originally belonged to him?
This latter thought made Lu Lingxi uneasy. Not only was the idea too odd and he had never heard of anything like it happening, but more than that, his current body was so much healthier than his original one that it gave him an inexplicable feeling of guilt. He imagined the teenager he'd never met waking up inside his body, facing a body that had just been crippled by surgery, and wondered what kind of panic he would feel?
Lu Lingxi felt that he needed to try to contact his family. If the other person was really inside him, he would find a way to swap bodies back with him. The other person was not him. They each had their own life trajectories. He could not take over the other person's existence without permission, let alone selfishly allowing the other person to take over his existence. Even though that was the existence he subconsciously wanted to escape…
As all kinds of random thoughts flashed in Lu Lingxi's mind, he didn't say a word, just lying quietly on the bed alone. In the past, he was the youngest child in the Lu family, and because of his special situation, he had never had any playmates. After years and years of being alone, he gradually developed a non-talkative temperament. Now that he was in an unfamiliar environment, he was even more at a loss as to what to say.
"Doctor, what is wrong with my son? He doesn't remember anything. Didn't you say the operation was very successful?"
"The patient received a heavy blow to the head earlier, which may have affected the nerve centre to some extent. It's not a big problem, he'll be fine after a while."
"He doesn't even recognise me anymore, and you don't call it a big problem? What is a big problem then? Is your hospital normal or what?"
The doctor said helplessly: "The patient's current problem is commonly known as amnesia. If you want the patient to recall things as soon as possible, it's best to talk to him more about things he's familiar with. It will help the patient recover his memory."
"Really?"
"Really!"
The conversation outside the door came to an end as Wang Shuxiu, dressed in a light red low-cut short dress, sashayed in on her ten centimetre high heels.
"Little bastard, did you hear that? You know who I am now?"
Wang Shuxiu landed her butt next to Lu Lingxi. Lu Lingxi looked at her quietly without saying anything.
"You…" Wang Shuxiu raised her hand out of habit and halfway through a slap remembering that she couldn't hit the head, spun her hand in mid-air and slapped the bed, pounding it bitterly, "You're really my retribution. Just like that deadbeat dad of yours, you both are bastards."
In the past eighteen years of Lu Lingxi's life, it could be said that he had almost never heard anyone swear. Occasionally he would see some on TV or in books, but this was the first time he had ever encountered a mother scolding her own son like this. But for some reason, although Wang Shuxiu's tone was rude, Lu Lingxi felt that beneath her rude tone was a concern for this body.
Lu Lingxi's eyes were too clean and he looked at Wang Shuxiu with an innocent expression. Wang Shuxiu's "little bastard" was on her lips, but she swallowed it back and changed it to "Are you hungry?"
Lu Lingxi nodded in embarrassment. He hadn't eaten for nearly a week and he was really hungry.
Wang Shuxiu took a thermos cup from the side, opened it and poured out a bowl of chicken soup. In the past, when Lu Lingxi was in a coma, he didn't need to eat as long as he was given an infusion, but now that he was awake, he couldn't rely only on infusions anymore, and he needed nutrition. The freshly poured chicken soup was still a bit hot, so Wang Shuxiu stirred it with a spoon while quietly complaining in her habitual manner: "I can't sleep at night at work, so I rely on the morning to catch up on my sleep, and now I can't sleep in the morning either 'cause I still have to bring you food every day. If you dare not be filial in the future, this old lady will find someone to break your legs."
Although she was complaining a lot, her movements did not slow down at all. After cooling a spoonful of soup, she carefully fed it to Lu Lingxi's mouth.
Lu Lingxi cooperated by taking a sip of the soup and whispered, "Thank you."
Wang Shuxiu looked at Lu Lingxi strangely with a spoon in her hand. When did the little bastard become so sensible? But then she thought about the fact that Lu Lingxi had lost his memory and was now almost like a blank sheet of paper. She used to say that her son was smart and sensible when he was young, but he had been ruined by that old bastard. So it seemed that memory loss was not a bad thing.
Lu Lingxi finished his soup one spoonful at a time and was debating how to tell Wang Shuxiu that he needed to make a phone call. The door of the ward was pushed open and two policemen walked in, followed by a tall man who was supporting an old man, and headed straight for his hospital bed.
Lu Lingxi's eyes widened in surprise when he saw the man's appearance. Dr. Su, why was he here?
Dr. Su that Lu Lingxi mentioned in his mind was called Su Lang, one of Lu Wei'an's former doctors. In the past, Lu Lingxi had often been hospitalised together with Lu Wei'an, so he got to know Su Lang over time. Su Lang took great care of Lu Lingxi and to a certain extent he sympathised with his situation, but as a doctor he could not say anything to accuse the Lu family of doing something wrong. The only thing Su Lang could do was to comfort the young man who was quiet most of the time after his repeated bone marrow punctures.
Compared to Lu Lingxi's surprise, Su Lang was even more surprised to see him. He was dealing with his resignation in Zhongjing when he suddenly received a call from home. Grandpa Su had met a group of punks brawling when he was out for his morning walk, and had accidentally been caught up in it and injured. When Su Lang rushed back to Fengcheng, he heard from the police that the gang of punks had all run away, leaving a seriously injured one in the hospital, the one who seemed to be called Lu Lingxi.
The name evoked memories that Su Lang did not want to think about. He originally thought that the punk he heard from the police only had the same name as the teenager he remembered, but he did not expect that the boy in front of him even had some similarities in appearance to the Lu Lingxi in his memory, except that the teenager in front of him looked a bit more stunning.
Su Lang was only momentarily surprised; the policeman had already walked up to Lu Lingxi's side. "Awake?"
They had come when Lu Lingxi was first brought to the hospital. At that time Lu Lingxi was still a non-mainstream teenager with a head of yellow hair. Perhaps it was because of the convenience of the hospital examination, but the boy's yellow hair had been shaved clean, leaving only a short stubble. The colourful makeup was also washed off. A clean face, coupled with an appearance that resembled his mother's, made for a really beautiful teenager. The policemen's serious expressions unconsciously eased and they smiled kindly at him.
Wang Shuxiu put down the bowl as soon as the police came in and stood in front of Lu Lingxi with her arms crossed like an old mother hen protecting her chickens.
"Why are you guys here again? Didn't I tell you that it wasn't my son who hit this old man? My son was almost killed, what do you mean by coming here several times? Can the police bully people? Are you bullying us orphans and widows who don't have a man around?"
As soon as Wang Shuxiu opened her mouth, the police felt helpless. They had already experienced Wang Shuxiu's cursing power before, so they said kindly: "There was a misunderstanding before. We found the surveillance video of the park, and the one who injured Elder Su was not your son, so we just want to ask him for information."
"Ask for information? What information? My son has lost his memory, he doesn't remember anything."
"Amnesia?" The policeman said in surprise.
Wang Shuxiu rolled her eyes in disgust, "My son was hit on the head by such a big brick and spilled so much blood that he almost lost his life. If you guys don't believe me, go ask the doctor, go ahead!"
The two policemen looked at each other and smiled bitterly. On the one hand, they came here to clear Lu Lingxi's name of suspicion, and on the other hand, they also wanted Lu Lingxi to come forward to identify the people in the video. Now that Lu Lingxi had lost his memory, there was no hope for the latter. Since nothing could be asked, the two policemen didn't stay much longer. Instead Su Lang helped Elder Su to sit down.
"What are you doing?" Wang Shuxiu said warily.
Elder Su smiled good-naturedly, "I've come to thank this young man. I watched the surveillance video and this young man helped me. If it wasn't for him, that brick would have hit me on the head."
He had a kind attitude and Wang Shuxiu couldn't kick them out, so she let them stay in the ward and went outside to wash the bowl and her thermos.
Once Wang Shuxiu left, Lu Lingxi looked at Su Lang and lowered his head. He knew that Su Lang would definitely know about his original body's situation, but he couldn't ask, he couldn't explain how he knew. Even if he didn't understand the world, he knew that the idea of changing bodies was too inexplicable, and depending on whether Su Lang believed him or not, he might be transferred from this hospital to a mental hospital.
When Lu Lingxi did not say anything, Grandpa Su pushed Su Lang, signalling him to speak first. For young people, it was easier to close the distance.
Su Lang picked up on Grandpa Su's hint and finally emerged from his trance-like state of mind he had been in since seeing Lu Lingxi. Perhaps it was because Lu Lingxi's half-lying pose was too similar to the young man in his memory, Su Lang said almost ghost-like, "I know a friend, his name is also Lu Lingxi."
Lu Lingxi's heart thudded as he lifted his head and said softly, "Really?"
Su Lang nodded hesitantly; he didn't know why he had brought up this topic, but it seemed a little late to regret it.
Lu Lingxi hesitated for a few seconds, but finally did not resist asking, "How is he now?" Realising that the question was inappropriate, Lu Lingxi explained covertly, "I mean your friend with the exact same name as me, what does he do?"
Su Lang's expression darkened slightly and he whispered, "He passed away, just a few days ago."
"Passed away?" Lu Lingxi couldn't say exactly how he felt when he heard the news. He subconsciously asked, "How did he die?"
Su Lang was silent for a few seconds and said slowly, "He had an operation a few days ago, and as a result, his spleen ruptured and haemorrhaged during the operation and he was not rescued."
Ruptured spleen and haemorrhage… So he had died, Lu Lingxi thought blankly. He thought that he had swapped bodies with the owner of this body, but it turned out that he had died and had come to life again inside this body. Lu Lingxi could not tell what he felt in his heart, he seemed to be sad, but beyond that there was a vague hint of relief.
He remembered the words his father had said, "This is the last time…"
When his father said it at the time, although Lu Lingxi did not say anything, there was actually expectation in his heart. From his childhood, he had been taught that he was the only one who could save his brother, that he existed for his brother. For his brother, he donated his umbilical cord blood at birth. For his brother, he lay on the operating table several times and endured severe pain of bone marrow punctures. For his brother, he did not go to school, did not make friends and just stayed quietly at home. For his brother…
He knew he shouldn't have any complaints. His life was given to him by his parents, and the only reason he existed was because his brother needed it. But in the late hours of the night, when he was too sore to sleep after his bone marrow puncture, when he couldn't go to school and watched alone as his neighbours went to school, he occasionally thought that he hated this life, that he wanted to be free of his family and free of his brother.
Every time he saw his brother struggling to come alive from death and smiling at him, he was ashamed of his selfish thoughts at that moment. He felt conflicted, on the one hand agreeing that he should save his brother, but on the other hand he was really too tired. He couldn't remember how many times he had been admitted to hospital because of his brother's condition since he was a child, especially when he and his brother were lying weakly in a hospital bed at the same time, and his mother always had only his brother in her eyes.
Now that he was dead, now that he had given away his life, was it fair to say that he no longer owed his parents? That the life they had given him, the kindness they had raised him with, he had finally paid it all back.
Lu Lingxi was silent and didn't say anything. Grandpa Su glared at Su Lang in discontent. How could one tell a patient such a thing? What about someone with the same name who died in a failed operation, isn't that scaring people? Look, the young man is scared, right?
Su Lang smiled bitterly in silence as he tried to change the subject to something lighter, and the teenager on the bed raised his head to ask one last question.
"Your friend is dead, was his family upset?"
Pastoral Daily Life (Rebirth) Chapter 3
Grandpa Su and Su Lang stayed at the hospital for a while and then left. Wang Shuxiu also packed her things and prepared to leave. She was a supervisor in a KTV. Unlike during the day, the night was the time when there were many customers and many things to do.
"I'm leaving, you can manage alone, right?"
Wang Shuxiu looked at Lu Lingxi suspiciously. She wanted to stay, but she still had to earn money to support her family. If a woman couldn't rely on her husband, she could only rely on herself.
Lu Lingxi nodded, "I can manage."
When he said this, his expression was very serious, and his little face was solemn as if he was making some kind of promise. Wang Shuxiu hadn't seen Lu Lingxi behave like this since he was three years old, so she smiled and squeezed Lu Lingxi in her arms, patted his head and kissed him on the forehead.
"Little bastard, with you looking like this I won't worry about not having food to eat in the future."
Lu Lingxi's whole face was pressed against Wang Shuxiu's chest, and his cheeks instantly turned completely red. He had never been this close to his mother for as long as he could remember, not to mention the fact that although Wang Shuxiu was the mother of this body, she was still a stranger to Lu Lingxi. He was embarrassed and tried to break away from Wang Shuxiu's embrace. Looking at him, Wang Shuxiu kissed him on the forehead several times and reprimanded him with a smile, "What are you ashamed of? Did you forget it when you were a baby and were breast-fed?"
Lu Lingxi: "…"
The male family members in the same ward looked envious. When Wang Shuxiu stood up straight and nonchalantly instructed Lu Lingxi to ask the others in the ward to help him if he wanted to drink water or go to the toilet or whatever, they were all enthusiastic.
Lu Lingxi nodded awkwardly as Wang Shuxiu gave a few more instructions and, seeing that she was going to be late for work, left the hospital in a hurry on her high heels.
Once Wang Shuxiu left, Lu Lingxi didn't know what to say to the people around him, so he closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. The ward he was in was a four-patient room, with Bed 20 at the far end near the window. Lu Lingxi lay on his side facing the windowsill, and the words Su Lang had said earlier flashed in his mind.
His parents were very sad when he died. That was enough, Lu Lingxi thought. His operation had failed, but his brother's operation to replace his kidney had been successful. He had used his own life to exchange for his brother's, so he had repaid his parents' kindness. As long as his brother's health got better, it wouldn't be long before his parents would gradually forget about his existence. In the future, he would have nothing more to do with the Lu family in Zhongjing.
He was now Lu Lingxi; Lu Lingxi, the son of Wang Shuxiu of Fengcheng. Although he did not know why he had entered this body, since he had become Lu Lingxi, he should take up the responsibilities that belonged to him. When he thought of Wang Shuxiu, what Lu Lingxi was most impressed with was the words "little bastard" and the closeness he felt when Wang Shuxiu kissed him at the end, the closeness he had never felt with his mother.
"I'm your mom, remember?" Wang Shuxiu's words to him echoed vaguely in his ears.
Lu Lingxi hugged the pillow and called out soundlessly, "Mom."
It was hard for him to describe how he felt about Wang Shuxiu. The other party acted completely different from his mother, without the dignity and elegance that his mother should have in his impression, yet he subconsciously wanted to be close to her.
Mom…
As it was in the hospital, everyone rested very early. The summer weather was sultry, and the family members who were taking care of the other patients in the same ward all haphazardly spread out a few newspapers and slept on the floor. Lu Lingxi, whose bed was shaking with a cacophony of various snores, tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Now he missed the days when he was in a coma. After staying up until 12 o'clock, Lu Lingxi couldn't sleep and sat up with difficulty, holding the edge of the bed.
The corridors of the hospital generally did not turn off the lights at night, and the bright light shone through the large piece of glass in the ward door. Lu Lingxi looked around enviously; the other three patients and their families were all sleeping soundly, and he was the only one who could not sleep in the whole ward. In the middle of the night, Lu Lingxi could not do anything, and after he looked around the ward, his eyes unconsciously fell on a pot of chlorophytum on the windowsill.
The soil in the pot was completely dry and the leaves were yellow and dull, looking very unhealthy and lying limply on the edge of the flowerpot. Lu Lingxi's heart moved and he gently stretched out a finger to touch the leaves in front of him. He remembered that at his bedside there was mineral water that Wang Shuxiu had bought, and one bottle was enough to water the plant. This thought flashed in his mind; he turned around and just reached for the mineral water bottle when a white panel suddenly appeared in front of him.
Lu Lingxi: "…"
The panel in front of him was about the size of two sheets of A4 paper and as thin as paper, too. In the centre of the panel was a black display with a very textured appearance. Without the help of any external force, the white panel just floated lightly in front of him. Lu Lingxi subconsciously looked around; the other people in the ward were still sleeping, and their snores continued to sound non-stop. His gaze returned to the panel. Perhaps because he had just experienced the miracle of dying and coming back to life, he was strangely not afraid at all, but had a little urge to see what the white panel in front of him really was.
Lu Lingxi settled down, carefully reached out and tapped on the white panel. There was a flash of blue light like ripples on the water, and the black screen in the centre of the panel lit up, and a pot of somewhat yellowed chlorophytum appeared on the screen. Next to the chlorophytum were three short lines of text:
Plant name: Chlorophytum
Plant needs: Water
Plant viability: High
Lu Lingxi looked at the chlorophytum on the screen in shock, and then turned his head to look at the chlorophytum on the windowsill. Both were exactly the same, even the colour of the poor quality plastic pot underneath the chlorophytum was exactly the same. He wondered if he was dreaming and reached out to pinch his arm. It hurt! The feeling was very clear, so it should not be a dream. Since it wasn't a dream, it meant that what was in front of him was real. His eyes flicked over the words 'plant needs', and after a few seconds of hesitation, he picked up the mineral water he had just unscrewed and poured it into the flower pot on the windowsill.
The dry soil in the pot was quickly wetted with water and the word 'water' behind the plant needs on the panel became 'none'. He was surprised at the change in the panel when a green light flashed at the bottom end of the long bar below and the words appeared at the top of the bar.
Meeting the needs of the chlorophytum plant, reward +1 plant heart.
Lu Lingxi: "…"
What was in front of him was so fantastical that he had no idea what was going on. Out of some sort of exploratory mentality, Lu Lingxi tried tapping on the chlorophytum on the panel.
As he tapped his finger on the chlorophytum's image, the plant that had been stationary suddenly rotated, showing itself to him from all angles, front and back, left and right. Lu Lingxi's mouth opened in surprise and his eyes fell on the three small lines on the left. Whichever line he tapped on, the small characters in that line would become larger and jump out. After tapping on everything he could one by one, his finger finally moved to the long bar below.
1∕100 (Level 0)
This data made Lu Lingxi's heart stir. He had just watered the chlorophytum once and gained 1 plant heart, so if he watered the chlorophytum a hundred times, wouldn't he be able to gain 100 plant hearts?
Lu Lingxi was absorbed in his thoughts when the patient on the bed next to him muttered something and rolled over. Startled by the movement behind him, Lu Lingxi carefully glanced back to make sure everyone was asleep, and then his gaze returned to the white panel in front of him. Just as he had turned around, the white panel had also shifted its position with him, remaining at a distance of about 30cm in front of him.
Lu Lingxi tried shifting his body left and right for a long time, but no matter how he moved, the panel would always move with him. Was this white panel just going to keep following him in the future? Was there any way to make it disappear? This thought just flashed through his mind when Lu Lingxi was surprised to see that the white panel in front of him disappeared. He blinked and thought tentatively "Appear", but there was nothing in front of him. "Panel appears", still nothing. He struggled to recall the image of the panel in his mind, and this time the white panel reappeared.
Lu Lingxi's interest was piqued. It was as if he had been given a fun toy; his full attention was focused on figuring out how to use the panel. Until the sky started getting bright, Lu Lingxi didn't figure out what this sudden panel was. He just knew that he could see the needs of the chlorophytum on the windowsill through the white panel. And once he satisfied the chlorophytum's needs, he would get a little plant heart as if he was playing a game. He looked at the long, pitiful display of 1∕100 (Level 0) below and wondered a little what would happen if he gained 100 plant hearts and upgraded to the next level.
The sound of nurses walking down the corridor came, and Lu Lingxi put away the panel, slightly exhausted; he had just had surgery, after all, and although he was mentally alert, his body was still not in the best condition. He lay on the bed with his eyes closed and couldn't help but think once again of the white panel that had just appeared. What exactly was the panel? How did it appear? Did it belong to the original owner of this body?
Lu Lingxi didn't know the answers to the first two questions, but he faintly felt that the answer to the last question should be negative. If the panel belonged to the original owner of this body, it was unlikely that the plant heart bar would be 0. But if the panel did not belong to the original owner of this body, then what the hell was going on here? He thought back carefully to his experience of waking up, and an absurd thought came to his mind.
Could it be that the mysterious white panel had appeared after the death of the original owner of this body, and that the key to his rebirth was this white panel? Lu Lingxi recalled that the doctor said that this body's heart had stopped beating for more than ten seconds. What had happened during those ten seconds?
These unanswered questions plagued Lu Lingxi as he repeatedly thought about his experience during that time. He had died and come back to life, not only with a healthy body, but also with a strange "toy". He rolled over gently, thinking of the way Wang Shuxiu had called him "little bastard", wondering what would happen if he told Wang Shuxiu the truth. Probably she would slap him unceremoniously and decide that he was lying.
The corners of Lu Lingxi's mouth curled up unconsciously as he imagined this scene; drowsiness enveloped him and he finally fell asleep in a daze.
Pastoral Daily Life (Rebirth) Chapter 4
Lu Lingxi lay on the hospital bed for a few more days, and after various tedious examinations, he was finally able to get out of bed freely. The doctor repeatedly said that he was a miracle, recovering so well from such a serious injury, it was unbelievable. Wang Shuxiu was the happiest with the doctor's praise, changing from her usual acrimony to clutching the doctor's hand and thanking him incessantly, making the not-yet-married doctor blush in embarrassment.
After a few days of lack of sleep, taking care of Lu Lingxi and working the night shift, Wang Shuxiu looked a little haggard. However, this haggardness did not detract from her beauty at all but added a touch of pitifulness to it. As Lu Lingxi's health improved, Wang Shuxiu began to tell him about the past in the hope that Lu Lingxi would remember something.
Today she was telling him about Lu Lingxi's junior middle school life. According to Wang Shuxiu, Lu Lingxi had never liked studying since he was a child, and while he had been able to get a pass in primary school, he could barely keep up in junior middle school. He either skipped classes or got into fights every day, and dropped out of senior middle school in the second half of his junior year, never going back to school after that.
"Do you still remember the time you got into a fight with a classmate in junior middle school and were grabbed by the teacher?"
Lu Lingxi shook his head and lowered his eyes; he didn't dare to meet Wang Shuxiu's eyes whenever she mentioned something from the past. His eyelashes were very long and when he lowered them slightly like this, the long eyelashes seemed to cast small shadows under his eyes, fluttering lightly, almost as if scratching one's heart.
"Forget it, forget it if you can't remember."
Wang Shuxiu took one look at Lu Lingxi's expression and immediately skipped the topic. She didn't have to make Lu Lingxi recover his memory either, she even felt that Lu Lingxi was better off like this now. If it wasn't for the doctors saying every day that restoring his memory would be helpful to Lu Lingxi's recovery, she wouldn't bother talking about it.
"Are you hungry?"
Wang Shuxiu's attention quickly shifted to another thing she had been passionate about recently, namely fattening up Lu Lingxi. She had always known that her son was good looking, after all, she had given birth to him. As long as he looked like her, he couldn't be too bad, not to mention the fact that Lu Lingxi had picked up exactly the best she and the bastard of his father had to offer. It was just that in the past, Lu Lingxi was too rebellious and liked gothic and heavy metal styles, something she didn't understand at all, and painted his face in such a way that his real features couldn't be seen. She couldn't remember how long it had been since she had seen Lu Lingxi's clean face. After the incident, Lu Lingxi's personality changed drastically and he never painted his face like a ghost again. Wang Shuxiu looked at Lu Lingxi's white face and the more she looked at it, the more she liked it. The only bad thing was that it was a bit too thin. Boys, especially adolescent boys, should be stronger.
"Come on, have a chicken leg."
Lu Lingxi felt helpless. He had just had his lunch not long ago and really couldn't eat. But before he could say no, Wang Shuxiu thought she had guessed what he was thinking and gave him a nonchalant squeeze on the face, "What? Didn't wash your hands before eating? Little bastard, don't make a fuss."
Wang Shuxiu felt that washing one's hands before eating was a hassle, it wasn't as if the little bastard had gone out to work and gotten dirty. He hadn't even gotten out of bed all day, to need to wash his hands. But although she thought so, she couldn't resist Lu Lingxi's insistence, so she was forced to adapt to Lu Lingxi's habits. Wang Shuxiu put the shoes on Lu Lingxi's feet and looked like she was going to help him wash his hands.
Lu Lingxi: "…"
He didn't want to go against Wang Shuxiu's good intentions. He touched his stomach; forget it, although it was a bit full, he could still eat another chicken leg if he tried hard.
The four-patient ward did not have a separate washroom, so you could only go out of the ward to the public washroom. Lu Lingxi was washing his hands alone in there, and before he had finished, he heard Wang Shuxiu's scolding voice coming from the doorway.
"Little bastards, how dare you show up here!"
Lu Lingxi didn't know who Wang Shuxiu was scolding, so he took a few quick steps and saw three oddly dressed, ragged teenagers standing in a row against the wall at the entrance to the washroom with their heads bowed, and Wang Shuxiu, holding one of her hands on her waist, was slapping them with the other.
Lu Lingxi: "…"
Wang Shuxiu looked like a queen. "You little bastards, why don't you ask around and find out who I, Wang Shuxiu, am! You dare to run away after leaving Lu Lingxi alone in the hospital when something happened, huh? Run, huh? Now you dare to come over here again, you think I won't take care of you, do you?"
The teenager in the lead looked up sheepishly, "Auntie, I…"
This "Auntie" stirred the hornet's nest again. Wang Shuxiu willow eyebrows rose up as she sneered, "Auntie?"
The second teenager was smart enough to change his words immediately, "Sister, we were wrong."
The third teenager looked up to follow suit and admit his mistake, but saw Lu Lingxi. He was so used to Lu Lingxi's painted face that he was a little afraid to recognise the current Lu Lingxi, hesitating to say hello.
The other two teenagers looked over along with him and were simultaneously shocked by Lu Lingxi's appearance.
"Mom." Lu Lingxi stood quietly beside Wang Shuxiu. Wang Shuxiu was not used to hearing him call her "Mother", and Lu Lingxi also intentionally wanted to separate himself from his past life, so after Wang Shuxiu mentioned it once, he never addressed her as "Mother" again. After greeting Wang Shuxiu, Lu Lingxi turned his eyes to the three people standing against the wall. Judging from their age, they seemed to be friends of this body's original owner, but their outfits were really too strange.
The three teenagers: "…"
It was Lu Lingxi who looked strange.
Wang Shuxiu compared her son to the other three little bastards and once again felt that Lu Lingxi's amnesia was not a bad thing. Although she scolded fiercely, she also knew that it was thanks to these three Lu Lingxi had been brought to the hospital in time and it was also the three of them who called to inform her, so she let it go after scolding them a few times. However, Wang Shuxiu forced them to clean their faces and comb their hair in the washroom before they went to the ward.
She had been rolling in society for many years and she knew exactly the contempt that occasionally flashed in the eyes of the ward families when they met her. She didn't care, but she didn't want Lu Lingxi to be looked down upon in the same way as she was. Now that Lu Lingxi had lost his memory, he had managed to reverse his image of a punk in the eyes of the public, and she didn't want it to be ruined by these three little bastards. There was no way to dye their hair black, but their faces had to be washed clean.
Wang Shuxiu supervised as the three teenagers washed their faces over and over again until their skin was almost rubbed raw. Finally the paint was washed off their faces to reveal their original appearance. Ten minutes later, the three of them, wet and obedient, were herded by Wang Shuxiu to Lu Lingxi's ward.
Lu Lingxi: "…"
After having washed away the vivid colours from their faces, all three looked very clean. One of the teenagers, who was presumably the closest to Lu Lingxi, was the first to speak up, "Lao San (Old Third), we're sorry." He had just found out about Lu Lingxi's rather serious injuries and memory loss; he didn't expect that the consequences would be so serious.
The young man who spoke up was called Yi Hang. He was Lu Lingxi's neighbour and the oldest of the four. The teenager who had acted the smartest earlier was Zheng Tan, three months older than Lu Lingxi. The remaining teenager was called Bai Yuan, and he was a month younger than Lu Lingxi. The four of them used to be junior middle school classmates and were together since they were young. Later, when they graduated from junior middle school and dropped out of senior middle school together, the four of them were inseparable and so close that they could wear the same pair of pants.
When Lu Lingxi had an accident, they sent Lu Lingxi to the hospital and then notified Wang Shuxiu. They didn't dare to go home for the next few days and were hiding outside. A few days ago, Yi Hang heard that all the people they fought with that day had been arrested, so they panicked and discussed coming to the hospital to see Lu Lingxi before going to the surrounding cities to hide. As a result, they were arrested by the police before they could reach the hospital and were only released last night after a few days in jail. They rested for the night and made an appointment to see Lu Lingxi the next day, not expecting that Lu Lingxi had actually lost his memory.
When Yi Hang told Lu Lingxi all that, his expression became more and more guilty. Lu Lingxi didn't know what to say. What Yi Hang was talking about was like a story from another world to him. Fighting and brawling, being arrested by the police, was completely beyond his imagination. Although Lu Lingxi had probably guessed from the police's appearance to Wang Shuxiu's intermittent narration that this body's lifestyle was not very peaceful, he really didn't expect the original owner of this body to be such a punk.
Facing the apologetic eyes of the three people opposite, Lu Lingxi shook his head, "It's okay, I forgot all about it."
When he said this, Yi Hang and the others were visibly relieved. In order to liven up the atmosphere, Zheng Tan said with a smile, "Lao San can forget everything else, but when you get rich, don't forget your brothers."
Yi Hang slapped Zheng Tan and said to Lu Lingxi, "Don't listen to Zheng Tan, what about getting rich or not, Lao San, you should get well."
Lu Lingxi was quite uncomfortable with the name "Lao San", but considering that the other party was a friend of this body and he was now Lu Lingxi, he had to naturally learn to adapt to the original owner's life.
"I know." Lu Lingxi nodded politely. Although he tried hard to talk similar to the way the other teenagers talked, his years of upbringing were deeply rooted and decent manners were almost engraved in his bones.
Yi Hang and the others were obviously not used to the current Lu Lingxi. Originally they thought they would hug and be best buddies as always when they met, but Lu Lingxi did not remember anything, and what was even more odd was that his speech had changed from his usual rudeness to elegance. If everything was normal, Yi Hang would have slapped Lu Lingxi, "Pretend if you want to pretend." But with the current Lu Lingxi, he couldn't slap him in any way.
After an afternoon of whispering, once they left the hospital, Zheng Tan was the first to shout out.
"I almost died of suffocation this afternoon. Is Lao San possessed, didn't he used to hate this kind of well-behaved and quiet look? Look at him now, Lao Tzu (I (arrogant)) has to think carefully before talking to him, just in case it scares him."
Yi Hang glared at him discontentedly, "Who's possessed? Don't you know that Lao San has lost his memory?"
"That's why it's so strange, he's changed too much!"
Bai Yuan muttered, "I do think that Third Brother is fine now. Second Brother, don't you like that girl from Fengcheng No. 1 High School? She didn't look at us before, now we can push Third Brother in front of her, no problem." (Yi Hang and Zheng Tan are older than Lu Lingxi, so they refer to him as Lao San. Bai Yuan is younger, so he calls him Third (elder) Brother).
"Fuck off! If she really likes Lao San, what will I have?"
They bumped their shoulders into each other and left the hospital. Lu Lingxi was standing in front of the window watching their backs, his eyes flashing with a hint of envy. He could feel the restraint of Yi Hang and the others during the afternoon chat. He had been trying to fit in with them but didn't seem to be successful. He wondered if Yi Hang and Zheng Tan would think he had become weird and thus he would lose these few friends.
Not long after Yi Hang and the others left, Wang Shuxiu also rushed off to work. Lu Lingxi was alone again, tet-a-tet with the chlorophytum in front of him. After watering the chlorophytum last time and getting a little plant heart, Lu Lingxi asked around the next day to find out that the chlorophytum was raised by the patient in Bed 17. When he tried to tell the patient in Bed 17 that he wanted to take care of the chlorophytum, the guy said with a smile that he had forgotten that he had such a pot and readily gave it to him. After carefully experimenting with the white panel that was invisible to everyone but him, Lu Lingxi opened it every day when he was alone to study the chlorophytum. He soon discovered that he did not get a plant heart every time he watered the chlorophytum, he had to water it when it needed water. After he watered it when the chlorophytum did not need watering, he was even deducted a heart plant.
This experience made Lu Lingxi realise that taking care of flowers and plants was not as simple as he thought. In the past, when he was at the Lu family's house, when he had nothing else to do, he would occasionally go to the garden to watch the gardeners water the plants and cut the branches. At that time, he thought it was very simple, but when he started taking care of this chlorophytum himself, he realised that even such a simple thing as watering had a lesson to learn.
Due to his previous health problems, the doctor had been restricting Lu Lingxi's movements, so his research on the white panel could only be carried out around the chlorophytum on the windowsill. Now that he could finally move around freely, Lu Lingxi decided that he would have to find some other plants to look at as soon as possible. He wondered if the panel could only show this chlorophytum or if other plants were also available? He thought a bit and quickly came up with the idea of the large-leaved golden pothos on the ground floor of the inpatient department.
Pastoral Daily Life (Rebirth) Chapter 5
Lu Lingxi's ward was on the third floor of the inpatient department. He remembered that there were a few pots of large-leaved golden pothos placed at the entrance of the lobby on the ground floor of the inpatient department. He had seen them when he was pushed by the nurse to the ground floor for a CT scan last time.
Thinking of those pots, Lu Lingxi quickly straightened his hospital gown and changed his shoes with the intention of going to have a look.
"Xiao Lu, where are you going?" The person who asked was Sister Tian, the wife of the patient in Bed 19, Brother Li.
During the past few days of Lu Lingxi's hospitalisation, although the people in the ward had a bad opinion of Wang Shuxiu, they could not find anything wrong with Lu Lingxi. The child was good-looking and polite, and was very pleasant to be around. In particular, although Lu Lingxi was alone and had no one to take care of him, he rarely bothered anyone else, even the nurses, and did everything he could alone. The people around felt that he was so sensible that it was heartbreaking, and everyone was usually willing to give him a hand with anything.
Sister Tian had just fed Brother Li and turned her head to see that Lu Lingxi was going out, so she asked casually.
"Going downstairs to buy some things." Lu Lingxi explained.
"Can you do it alone? Do you want me to accompany you?" Sister Tian felt a bit uneasy.
Lu Lingxi smiled shyly, "It's okay, I'll be fine alone."
After Lu Lingxi left, the few people in the ward sighed; this child was really quite pitiful. He had been in hospital for so many days but they had not seen any other relatives apart from Wang Shuxiu. The child also had a father, but it was better to have no father at all than a father like that, who neither contributed money nor effort, and seemed to have a bad relationship with Wang Shuxiu and his son. In the beginning, they were a bit uncomfortable with Wang Shuxiu, especially the female family members, who felt that Wang Shuxiu was immodest. But after spending more time together, they found out that Wang Shuxiu only dressed a little extravagantly and was not really what they thought she was. In particular, although Wang Shuxiu was rude and often quarrelled with the doctors and nurses, she was still very attentive to Lu Lingxi. Considering that it was not easy for a woman to support the family, everyone was not as critical of Wang Shuxiu as they had been at the beginning.
Lu Lingxi didn't know about all the gossip behind the scenes; he was actually a bit bad at getting along with people around him. His social life used to be too monotonous in the past and he didn't really see many outsiders apart from his parents, family members and doctors. A small environment like a multi-person ward was something he had never experienced before. He could feel the kindness of the people around him, but he did not know how to respond and how to measure his response.
Lu Lingxi did not use the elevator but took the stairs to the ground floor. He also felt that his body was recovering well and was usually willing to move more whenever he had the chance. After buying something from the kiosk on the ground floor, he pretended to be curious and stood in front of the potted plant at the entrance, reaching out quickly to touch the green leaf in front of him while no one was around. Soon the white panel appeared.
Plant name: Golden pothos
Plant needs: None
Plant viability: High
Lu Lingxi's eyes lit up. Just as he had expected, the white panel was not just able to show the chlorophytum, but other plants as well. The pot of golden pothos in front of him was obviously well looked after, and although he hadn't obtained a plant heart, Lu Lingxi was still in a good mood. He walked around the hall on the ground floor, intending to look at all the golden pothos on the ground floor.
One pot, two pots, three pots… By the time Lu Lingxi got around to the west door, the record on the white panel changed.
Plant name: Golden pothos
Plant needs: Water
Plant viability: High
Lu Lingxi quickly unscrewed a bottle of water and carefully poured it into the pot. But unexpectedly, the plant needs on the panel did not change, still showing the need for water.
"Watering the flowers?" A familiar voice sounded behind him.
Lu Lingxi was startled, "Dr. Su."
Behind Lu Lingxi, Su Lang stood in a simple T-shirt and jeans, looking at Lu Lingxi with a gentle expression. After taking off his hospital white coat, Su Lang looked a little less serious and a little more bright and cheerful as a young man should be.
Lu Lingxi nodded and Su Lang smiled as he stood behind him, looking at the plant and pointing out, "The soil is almost wet but the leaves also need some spraying."
Lu Lingxi listened to his words and gently sprinkled some water on the leaves. The plant's needs quickly changed. A strange expression flickered in his eyes and he subconsciously looked up at Su Lang.
"What's wrong?"
Lu Lingxi smiled, "You know so much, Dr. Su."
Su Lang saw his smile and couldn't help but look slightly dazed. It was already the second time that he saw the shadow of that teenager in Lu Lingxi. Ever since that teenager had died of sudden haemorrhage during surgery, that incident had become Su Lang's heart demon.
"Dr. Su?"
Su Lang quickly returned to his senses and smiled covertly, explaining, "I just know a little bit about it, I learnt it from my grandfather. He likes to raise flowers, plants and stuff since he's retired and has nothing to do."
Lu Lingxi had a very good impression of Grandpa Su and was concerned, "Is Grandpa Su feeling better?"
Su Lang nodded. The old man's health was actually fine; it was more that because of a sudden incident his blood pressure was a bit high due to the stimulation, so he was okay after he recuperated.
"That's good. If there's nothing else I'll go back to the ward first, Dr. Su." Lu Lingxi said politely. He and Su Lang used to be quite familiar with each other, but because of that he was a bit afraid of Su Lang, afraid that Su Lang would notice something. Although the idea of a soul transfer was a bit absurd, there was no guarantee that he would not resemble his past self too much and cause Su Lang's suspicion.
Su Lang seemed to want to say something, but the phone rang just in time. Lu Lingxi turned around and with his peripheral sight saw Su Lang picking up the phone, so he went straight upstairs without pausing.
"Hello?" Su Lang hastily waved his hand to Lu Lingxi and picked up the phone.
"This is Ye Kang." The person on the other side of the phone said in a deep voice.
Su Lang's expression relaxed a bit, "Something happened?"
"Yan Yue has returned to China, let's have a meal together."
"Yan Yue has returned to China?" Su Lang was quite surprised by this news, then said regretfully, "There's no chance for dinner. I resigned, now I'm not in Zhongjing but back in Fengcheng."
"You resigned?" This time it was Ye Kang's turn to be surprised, "Why? Weren't you about to be promoted to deputy director soon?"
"Something came up at home." Su Lang explained vaguely.
"Forget it then, Yan Yue will probably stay in the country for a bit longer this time, let's talk about it when we have time."
The two said a few more words and quickly hung up the phone.
Su Lang and Ye Kang had met when they were studying abroad. The two were students at the same medical school, one in clinical medicine and the other in psychology. As they were both from China, they met at a compatriot meeting and soon became friends. Through Ye Kang, Su Lang got to know Yan Yue. Yan Yue was a finance student at another university. He had been friends with Ye Kang since childhood and their families were close to each other. For several years, the three of them had a good relationship and would often have dinner together until Su Lang and Ye Kang returned to China while Yan Yue stayed abroad to take over the Yan family's company.
Su Lang remembered that when he spoke to Ye Kang on the phone about Yan Yue some time ago, Ye Kang said that Yan Yue would not be returning to China anytime soon. But within a few days Yan Yue suddenly returned to China, and according to Ye Kang, he was going to stay here for a while. Although Su Lang had a good relationship with Yan Yue, probably because of Yan Yue's personality, he had never known much about him. He had vaguely heard Ye Kang say that Yan Yue's family was rather troublesome; could it be that something had happened to Yan Yue's family? After thinking about it, Su Lang couldn't come up with any clues, so he decided to call Yan Yue later to say hello.
Zhongjing Ye Family's Psychological Clinic
Ye Kang hung up the phone and returned to his office. In front of the floor-to-ceiling window, Yan Yue, dressed in a black suit, was standing looking out of the window. His well-cut suit outlined his strong and slender body, making him look even more upright.
Hearing the sound of the door closing, Yan Yue turned around, "What did Su Lang say?"
Ye Kang whistled at Yan Yue, "Hold this pose, I'll take a picture and sell it to my cousin."
It was nearly evening and the streetlights outside were turned on, the bright lights illuminating Yan Yue's profile, handsome and dazzling. Among the three of them, Su Lang, Ye Kang and Yan Yue, Su Lang had the best personality, Ye Kang was the most narcissistic, and Yan Yue was the most handsome, a heroic kind of handsome.
Yan Yue did not take Ye Kang's words seriously, pulled out the chair in front of the desk and sat down, repeating the question, "What did Su Lang say?"
Ye Kang spread his hands, "He resigned, he's not in Zhongjing now, dinner is out of the question."
"Resigned?" Yan Yue was as surprised as Ye Kang, "Didn't you say he was going to be promoted soon?"
Ye Kang shook his head, "Maybe there's something going on at home."
The reason of something going on at home resonated with Yan Yue; his brow furrowed slightly and although it quickly smoothened, it was still noticed by Ye Kang. Ye Kang had heard Yan Yue talk about the reason why he had returned to China this time. What he was worried about was not Yan Yue's inability to handle things at home, but the state of Yan Yue's mind.
"Have you been in contact with Professor Susan recently?"
Professor Susan that Ye Kang spoke of was his teacher when he was studying and was quite knowledgeable in psychology. Yan Yue had always had serious psychological problems because of his family environment. It was just that Yan Yue refused to mention it and Yan Yue's parents didn't even know about it. Ye Kang actually had chosen to major in psychology that year because he was influenced by Yan Yue. He knew that Yan Yue was very reluctant to talk to strangers about his family and when he had to return to China a few years ago, he entrusted Yan Yue to Professor Susan, who knew both of them well.
Ye Kang's question made Yan Yue frown and say instead of answering, "Didn't you cry that you were hungry? Let's go eat."
The more he avoided the topic, the more Ye Kang felt that Yan Yue's problem was aggravated. But Yan Yue did not want to talk about it; a trace of worry flashed in Ye Kang's eyes as he held back from asking again.
It was after nine o'clock when the two of them finished dinner. Ye Kang had his own house in downtown Zhongjing, so Yan Yue drove back to the Yan family mansion by himself. The Yan family mansion with a four-entry antique compound was located at the foot of the most prestigious Xiangshan Mountain in Zhongjing, covering a wide area. When Yan Yue's grandfather built the mansion, he wanted the Yan family's children and grandchildren to blossom and live together in peace and harmony. Unfortunately, until the old man's death, the only owners of the Yan family's mansion were Yan Yue's parents and Yan Yue. Later on, Yan Yue's parents abandoned the young Yan Yue and moved out of the mansion, leaving Yan Yue the only owner of the mansion.
When Yan Yue returned, there were only a few lights flickering in the house, and most of the mansion was shrouded in deep darkness. Compared to the brilliant lights and liveliness of the Ye family's house not far away, the Yan family's house looked like a ghost mansion.
Upon receiving the news of Yan Yue's return, the Yan family's housekeeper quickly welcomed him. "Shaoye (young master)."
Yan Yue nodded and walked past the housekeeper towards his courtyard.
The housekeeper took a few steps closer to follow behind Yan Yue, carefully peering at Yan Yue's expression, asking awkwardly, "Second Miss, she…"
Yan Yue paused slightly and said without looking back, "What's wrong with her?"
The housekeeper answered carefully, "Second Miss said she wanted to see you, Shaoye, saying that Madam has a message for you, and that if she can't see you, she… she is going to die."
Yan Yue's expression remained unchanged as he lightly instructed, "Then let her die."
The housekeeper wiped a cold sweat and looked at Yan Yue's back with a bitter smile, not daring to say anything. As for the Second Miss, who did not justly deserve this name, the housekeeper shook his head and thought, "Madam let the things go on like this, now Shaoye really doesn't have the slightest bit of mother-child affection with her."