Chapter 46: The Feeling Is a Slow Death

Su Li hadn’t returned yet, and the room felt a bit cold and empty.

You Xue looked around in confusion, only knowing she was in a hospital room.

But it didn’t look anything like the base’s cold architectural style.

Before she closed her eyes, she remembered being hit by a Wind Blade.

Alice must have held back.

Otherwise, her Wind Blade could have easily cut a person in half.

You Xue reached out and groped downward, following her smooth skin.

The touch was smooth, warm, with the softness of skin itself.

Nothing special, just a little itchy.

Confused, she lifted her hospital gown and looked.

No wound, no bandages, not even a scar.

Just then, the door opened.

Su Li walked in carrying a thermos.

You Xue was still holding up her clothes.

Her brain short-circuited again.

Su Li’s expression didn’t change much.

He walked to her bedside and first placed the thermos on the nightstand.

Seeing You Xue frozen like a wooden doll, still pinching the hem of her shirt, revealing a pale slice of her waist and belly.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Su Li’s mouth.

“What are you doing?”

Her frozen brain received new information.

You Xue finally let go of the hem and answered somewhat dully.

“…I wanted to check my wound.”

Su Li smiled almost imperceptibly.

His childhood sweetheart was sometimes such a dazed person.

At times like this, he felt like he was dealing with the same girl he’d grown up with.

“Don’t bother looking. The wound has already been healed by Doctor Mei Lulu’s ability.”

Su Li explained.

“Oh, oh.”

You Xue finally came to her senses.

This was, after all, a fantasy world with superpowers.

Wound recovery wasn’t anything surprising.

It was just that in the past, when she got hurt, she always had to endure slowly by herself.

She was used to that slow, painful way of healing.

She remembered that Mei Lulu’s ability was [Merciful Rain].

In the early stages of the story, she was only a second-tier Superpowered Individual.

But someone of that rank could already heal external injuries that in her previous life would have been completely untreatable.

Right.

She lived in a world where people could be easily hurt, but also easily healed.

Yet she suffered from an illness for which there was no treatment at all, because the essence of healing abilities was still related to Magic Power.

Although that Magic Power could guide cells to heal themselves, it couldn’t change the fact that her body inherently rejected Magic Power.

That was why when she woke up, the pain had actually worsened.

The residual Magic Power from the treatment dissolved into her cells, and on top of the cells already burdened with heavy Magic Power, it only made things worse.

You Xue thought to herself, but didn’t say it out loud.

She was used to bearing pain alone.

‘I need to find a chance to take some painkillers.’

Her hand instinctively reached for her pocket, only to realize she was wearing a hospital gown with no pockets at all.

The painkillers were gone.

The Engraved Throwing Knife was gone.

Even her eye patch was missing.

Her heart suddenly panicked.

She cautiously looked up at Su Li.

Then she got a question.

“What’s wrong?”

His voice came from above her head.

“N… nothing.”

You Xue answered instinctively.

She wanted to find her things, but didn’t want to trouble Su Li, so she didn’t have the courage to ask.

Su Li didn’t press.

He opened the thermos.

Inside was eight-treasure congee, still steaming.

“Eat something first. You’ve slept for so many days, you must be hungry.”

He held the bowl in one hand and the spoon in the other, slowly bringing it closer to You Xue’s mouth.

Huh?

She stared blankly as Su Li leaned closer and closer.

His pupils grew clearer, his long eyelashes magnified, until she could finally see her own reflection in those glass-like eyes.

A girl in a hospital gown, with grayish-white hair draped over her shoulders, her face a little pale.

Her two eyes were completely different colors.

One was a clear blue, the other a slightly dull gold.

Her expression was dazed, as if lost in some philosophical thought.

But actually, You Xue was just thinking, why was Su Li so close?

It wasn’t until he scooped up a spoonful of congee and brought it to her lips that she understood.

Su Li wanted to feed her.

She shook her head vigorously.

“N… no need. I can do it myself.”

Su Li didn’t insist.

His eyes showed some concern as he asked.

“Do you still have the strength?”

You Xue raised her hand and waved it slightly.

It was a little weak, but not to the point where she couldn’t lift a spoon.

She pushed back the covers and sat up in bed.

“I can do it myself.”

Su Li stared at You Xue for a long moment, then finally placed the congee on the nightstand.

The table was just the right height for a patient sitting in bed to eat.

“Okay.”

Su Li nodded, then handed the spoon to You Xue.

You Xue took it, her fingers gripping the handle, and began to eat in small bites.

Warm, a little sweet, pretty good.

You Xue kept her head down, appearing to focus entirely on the food in front of her.

But in reality, she was constantly watching Su Li’s movements.

Ever since she had transmigrated into this world, she had never really interacted with Su Li properly.

The past memories were very clear, but they weren’t hers after all.

So now, in this completely caught-out situation, she didn’t know how to deal with it.

So she could only play the ostrich, pretending nothing had happened.

She felt like a death-row prisoner about to be executed, still fantasizing about a chance to live even though death was imminent.

Actually, the situation wasn’t as suffocating as death.

It just felt a little awkward… very awkward.

Pretending to be someone else, interacting with someone else’s friend.

It was really uncomfortable.

And in his eyes, she couldn’t find any trace of herself.

Not to mention, in Su Li’s eyes, his childhood sweetheart had done many incomprehensible things.

You Xue’s mind was a tangled mess, but her hand was still moving mechanically, spoonful after spoonful to her mouth.

“I couldn’t find any apples. If you want, I’ll bring some tomorrow.”

Su Li’s voice came.

“Huh?”

You Xue’s reaction was a beat slow.

After thinking for a moment, she understood what Su Li was talking about.

“Actually… I don’t really want them.”

You Xue turned her head, trying to minimize contact with Su Li by focusing on her congee.

But when she bit the spoon, she found the bowl was already empty.

She bit the empty spoon, like a bird holding a twig in a daze.

“Still hungry?”

You Xue glanced at Su Li out of the corner of her eye, then jerked her head away as if scalded, and put the spoon back into the thermos.

“I… I’m full.”

Her voice unconsciously became very small.

“Thank you.”

“You Xue.”

You Xue heard Su Li call her name, but he didn’t continue for a long time, so she slightly raised her head.

She saw Su Li’s gaze fall on her face.

The emotions in his eyes were so complicated that she couldn’t read them.

“This is the Enlightenment Academy’s school hospital. Your condition should be much better. Tomorrow, let the doctor check you again, and then you’ll be discharged.”

“Oh.”

You Xue answered blankly.

“There are really a lot of questions I want to ask you.”

Su Li’s tone was serious.

“But you just woke up. You need quiet rest. I don’t want to put too much pressure on you.”

You Xue stared blankly into Su Li’s eyes.

There was confusion, concern—so real.

She couldn’t help but think of how close they used to be.

But You Xue only felt she couldn’t breathe, because she knew she was never that person.

She had never experienced those times with Su Li.

His concern had long since lost its meaning.

She lowered her head, grayish-white hair covering her golden eye.

“Yeah. I’m sorry.”

“I want you to tell me yourself what happened.”

“I will.”

Actually, she wouldn’t.

Hearing that, Su Li’s voice softened a little.

“If there’s any difficulty, we can face it together. I’m not afraid. I’m just afraid of you bearing it alone. Every time I see you, you’re covered in wounds…”

Su Li couldn’t go on, so he changed the subject.

“I’ll bring you breakfast tomorrow morning. Sleep well tonight.”

“Okay.”

You Xue nodded and agreed.

Su Li left.

The night outside the window was thick.

Staring at the ceiling, the gray world overlapped with the colorful world.

Every object had a double image.

You Xue stared blankly at the ceiling, completely unaccustomed to it.

But she didn’t care much right now, because her mind was on something else.

What kind of lie should she tell tomorrow to cover up her illness?