Huo Ci gazed at Chu Lianxing, who was fast asleep on the bed, falling into a trance.
Buried beneath the ruins, apart from the arm that was struck by the lamp, Chu Lianxing had suffered no other injuries.
Even the rescue personnel had found it astonishing.
Only Huo Ci knew that it was the Will of the World issuing a warning to him; because Chu Lianxing was married to him, he had already broken away from the original plot, and the Will of the World could not casually kill him.
Furthermore, its control over the world was growing weaker and weaker as time passed—these were things he had once been completely unable to speak of.
Perhaps in the near future, he would be able to break free from it entirely.
Huo Ci placed his palm against Chu Lianxing’s cheek, rubbing it twice, though it still left a faint mark on his skin.
‘Xingxing, if you decide to leave when the time comes, I will lock you inside the villa and ensure you can never leave me.’
In his slumber, Chu Lianxing involuntarily shivered.
The next day, Chu Lianxing was jolted awake by the urgent need to urinate.
When he opened his eyes, the white ceiling that greeted his vision led him to think he was in a hospital, yet his nose failed to catch the scent of disinfectant.
He turned his head to scan his surroundings. The room was spacious and appeared to be a master bedroom, complete with an attached bathroom and a walk-in wardrobe.
A small table stood by the windowsill, holding books and a bunch of fresh jasmine flowers.
The room featured a minimalist style with warm, cozy tones; this was neither his own home nor any of his personal properties.
He pulled back the duvet, intending to get out of bed, but unfortunately overestimated his physical condition.
Having frozen half the night outdoors, his already injured legs ached so intensely that he simply couldn’t stand up.
His knees felt as though they had been pierced by a hundred steel needles, throbbing with soreness.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he collapsed straight onto the floorboards.
The floor was covered in wooden planks, and the indoor heating was turned on, so logically speaking, it shouldn’t have been cold.
However, because the house had been moved into temporarily, the heating had only been turned on for half a day.
The floor remained ice-cold.
Sitting on the floorboards, Chu Lianxing felt an overwhelming hatred for this crippled body at that moment.
What he hated even more was Huo Ci, the culprit who had robbed him of his ability to walk.
Huo Ci pushed open the door and happened to walk in just in time to catch this exact scene.
Chu Lianxing sat with his back to the door, curled up into a ball, his slender spine bulging beneath his thin pajamas.
One hand rested against the bed frame, trying to leverage some strength to stand up, but reality seemed to be playing a cruel joke on him.
Even though his fingers turned flushed red from exertion, he still failed to stand up.
Finally, he drooped his head in defeat, wrapping his arms around his back to hug himself.
With a heart full of heartache, Huo Ci scooped Chu Lianxing up from the floor.
Seeing his tear-stained face, Huo Ci felt as though his heart was being pinched by a mousetrap, aching with a piercing pang: “What’s wrong, Xingxing?”
Chu Lianxing scrubbed blindly at his face. His eye rims were red and pitiful, and he gritted his teeth as if enduring something: “I need to use the bathroom.”
From last night until now, a full ten hours had passed without him using the restroom.
Huo Ci realized this as well, bending down to carry Chu Lianxing into the bathroom.
He didn’t put Chu Lianxing down in front of the toilet, instead asking with a hint of playful mischief: “Do you need my help?”
Chu Lianxing flushed red from his neck down to his earlobes, squeezing a single word out from between his teeth: “Yes.”
Huo Ci’s movements were very slow. Even though the two of them had already shared a bed countless times, having his pants pulled down in broad daylight still made him feel a trace of shame, prompting him to urge: “Hurry up, don’t force me to slap you.”
Knowing that if he kept teasing him, the person would truly get frantic, Huo Ci deftly helped him pull down his pants.
After finishing in the bathroom, Chu Lianxing delivered a slap across Huo Ci’s face, and feeling unsatisfied, followed it up with another.
He knew he had gone too far with his teasing; how could someone as proud as him ever allow himself to lose even basic self-care abilities?
Those two slaps dealt to Huo Ci were meant to vent his anger.
He loathed to death this wretched state of his where he couldn’t even care for himself without someone else’s help.
The primary culprit responsible for this was Huo Ci himself—even if it had been done under the manipulation of the plot, it was still indeed executed by his hands.
Cradling Chu Lianxing in his arms like a baby, he raised his other hand with the intention of stroking Chu Lianxing’s head, only to have his hand ducked away from.
Huo Ci withdrew his hand, looking completely unbothered by the rejection.
He placed Chu Lianxing back onto the bed and coaxed him: “I have good news, do you want to hear it?”
“Speak.”
“There’s a class reunion tonight.”
Chu Lianxing gave him a look that clearly said, You call this good news?
Huo Ci didn’t look the least bit surprised by his expression: “Gu Jinyu will be going.”
The moment those words left his lips, Chu Lianxing’s eyes instantly lit up.
Huo Ci believed himself to be the earliest one to awaken, but in reality, the earliest person to awaken had been Chu Lianxing.
Or perhaps it could be said that Chu Lianxing had never been controlled by the plot. In the original plot, Chu Lianxing had his ego crushed after being rebuffed by Huang Chuyan, so he hired someone to rape her, only to be rescued by a passing Gu Jinyu.
Zhou Nannan also lost her mobility due to him, stepping out of her shadows with the help of Gu Jinyu’s good brother, Lu Yuze, and ultimately aiding Gu Jinyu in upholding justice by exposing her own family’s company for tax evasion.
Because Chu Lianxing’s awakened state steered the plot further and further off course, the plot could only patch itself together using one bug after another.
Moreover, their initial hostility toward each other should have stemmed from Chu Lianxing falling in love with Su Zhili.
Chu Lianxing was the ultimate variable; he was the key to restoring the world to its proper order.
“Slap.”
Yet another slap pulled Huo Ci back to reality. He looked slightly dazed, though even when struck, his first instinct was to soothe the palm of the hand that had hit him until the redness faded.
Chu Lianxing demanded, “Were you even listening to me?”
With a look of heartache, Huo Ci answered an entirely different question: “Next time, don’t use your hand to hit people; your hand is all red from hitting me.”
Chu Lianxing rolled his eyes and repeated his previous words: “Go help me find a wheelchair.”
His leg injury had worsened and he couldn’t move; his old wheelchair was left behind in the collapsed villa.
Huo Ci realized this as well: “I’ll have someone send a wheelchair over.”
Just as Huo Ci finished hanging up the call, a knock sounded at the door. Wondering when his people’s efficiency had become so high, Chu Lianxing looked toward the entrance.
An elderly man with braided hair walked in carrying a medical kit, escorted inside by Wang You.
The old man was Elder Zhang, the traditional Chinese medicine practitioner who had always treated Chu Lianxing’s legs.
Disregarding his desire to bicker with Huo Ci, Chu Lianxing dived straight back under the covers in a single second.
Heaven knows that Chu Lianxing feared nothing in this world except this old Chinese medicine doctor.
On the surface, Elder Zhang was Elder Chu’s family doctor, but in reality, the two of them were close, lifelong friends.
In his younger days, Elder Zhang had been high-spirited and hot-tempered, offending a powerful boss and resulting in his medical clinic being smashed to pieces. Elder Chu appreciated his talent, protected him, and helped him stage a comeback.
He was an elder who had watched Chu Lianxing grow up since childhood.
Ever since Elder Chu passed away, he had remained by Chu Lianxing’s side to treat his leg injuries.
Chu Lianxing had acted like a little tyrant his entire life, and heaven knows he hated pain most of all which was also the reason why he was a school bully yet never actually fought anyone (fighting is bad).
Elder Zhang’s acupuncture treatment for legs was extremely effective, but it was also painfully real.
Bone-deep, excruciating pain.
Chu Lianxing mouthed silently to Wang You: ‘Why is he here?’
Not knowing how to answer, Wang You glanced toward Huo Ci.
“I asked Elder Zhang to come.” Huo Ci hauled Chu Lianxing out from beneath the covers.
And imprisoned him securely in his embrace.
Carrying his medical kit, Elder Zhang bantered with Chu Lianxing: “Such a big person and still afraid of pain.”
As silver needle after silver needle was driven into his skin, the color drained from Chu Lianxing’s face visibly, beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolling down alongside tears.
The heartache overflowing from Huo Ci’s eyes was almost tangible; he wished he could be the one bearing the pain in his stead.
“Mh.” Chu Lianxing let out a muffled groan, then immediately bit down hard on his lips, refusing to let another sound escape him.
Staring at his lips bitten until they bled, Huo Ci forcefully pried his mouth open with a firm grip, shoving his own finger inside to replace his lips for him to gnaw on.
The acupuncture session lasted half an hour. When the silver needles were finally pulled out, Chu Lianxing was drenched in sweat and went completely limp, collapsing powerlessly against Huo Ci’s body.
Huo Ci wiped away his sweat and, to prevent him from catching a cold, thoughtfully tucked the duvet tightly around him.
Leaning down, he pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead: “Get some good rest.”
With that, he rose to his feet to see Elder Zhang out.
Though he had slept for a long time, Chu Lianxing still felt extremely drowsy, sinking into a deep sleep less than twenty minutes after lying down.
Chu Lianxing was awakened by Huo Ci.
Keeping his eyes closed while Huo Ci dressed him, he raised an arm whenever told to raise it, and extended a leg whenever told to extend it.
He experienced the joy of playing with a BJJD (ball-jointed doll).
They were the last ones to arrive. As they drew closer and closer to the hotel, Chu Lianxing’s sense of unease grew heavier and heavier.
Stepping inside the venue, Chu Lianxing spotted quite a few familiar faces, yet after scanning a full circle, he failed to spot his good buddy, Song Yushun.
In a gathering like this, it was impossible for Song Yushun not to show up, so he looked toward Gu Jinyu, the host of the gathering: “Where is Song Yushun?”
Before Gu Jinyu could answer, their former sports committee member spoke up first: “Are you still half-asleep, monitor? I know you and Song Yushun were close, but he died five years ago.”