Accompanied by Huo Qing, Nie Jia walked in and spotted an easel by the lake, where a small boy sat. Huo Yun, with waist-length hair, held a cup of red tea while sitting on a rattan chair nearby, flipping through a novel penned by her husband, having read halfway through. Despite a hint of melancholy between her brows, it didn't mar her resplendent beauty. She seemed like a noble princess seated in a tower of gems, harboring an unknown sorrow.
"Mom, Uncle's back with a guest," Ye Xiaojue hurriedly dabbed colors on the canvas, stealing a glance.
Huo Yun lifted her gaze, her fingertips tightening. She recognized Yan Su, the renowned neurosurgeon abroad. Yet, even with Yan Su's fame, Huo Yun had previously sought more renowned experts for her husband's condition, never considering this young doctor in recent years.
The Huo residence, vast but sparsely populated, housed only servants, medical staff, the Huo siblings, Ye Xiaojue, and the long-dormant Ye Shuming. Everywhere remained eerily quiet, save for the sound of footsteps.
After a brief greeting with Huo Yun, Nie Jia went to check on Ye Shuming's condition with the medical staff. Huo Qing intended to follow but was pulled back by Huo Yun.
"Brother..." Huo Yun nervously gripped Huo Qing's hand.
"Relax, he's in good hands," Huo Qing reassured his sister.
Huo Yun tightened her grip on his hand, falling silent, becoming incredibly cautious even in her breathing.
He shouldn't have said this to Huo Yun before Ye Shuming opened his eyes. After all these years of shattered hopes, Huo Qing inexplicably had full confidence in this young doctor, unable to pinpoint why. He felt buried memories regarding Yan Su in his mind but couldn't recall them.
Inside the room, Nie Jia assessed Ye Shuming's condition, queried the medical staff, then fell into silence. She simply lounged in her chair, lazily gazing at a painting on the wall.
The painting depicted an enigmatic and graceful ghost orchid, beautifully composed yet wholly mismatched with its jade frame, like a clump of soil in a jewel box.
This ghost orchid was Meng Qian's creation, auctioned for three million by Jiang Yang and gifted to Huo Yun.
Huo Yun, a prominent painter, held a stature equal to Ye Shuming in the literary world. To her, this painting, in the presence of a genuine artist like herself, resembled a toddler's scribble. Yet, she cherished it, encasing it in a high-priced frame and placing it in her husband's room.
"Does Doctor Yan like this painting?" Huo Qing entered, immediately catching Nie Jia's fixed gaze on the wall's painting.
Nie Jia's fingertips grazed her lower lip, soon staining it red. Huo Qing's eyes darkened. A strange urge surged within him, wanting to touch the doctor's slender fingers, caress their soft strands of hair, or even kiss those crimson lips. He swallowed hard, suppressing this inexplicable impulse toward the doctor.
"Is there anything particularly likeable about this painting?" Nie Jia remained unaware of Huo Qing's inappropriate thoughts, continuing to scrutinize the painting.
Huo Qing smirked, "It's not a great painting, just Ye Shuming's favorite ghost orchid. Little Yun is happy about it, so we hung it."
"I see..." Nie Jia murmured.
The marriage between Ye Shuming and Huo Yun wasn't public knowledge. Nobody knew Ye Shuming was Huo Qing's brother-in-law, nor did they know he had become a vegetative patient or his liking for ghost orchids. It was all mere coincidences, thanks to Jiang Yang and Meng Qian's fortuitous status.
"Doctor Yan, how is my husband's condition?" An anxious Huo Yun stepped in.
Nie Jia remained leisurely seated, calmly stating, "The patient's physical condition is excellent, ready for surgery anytime."
Huo Yun, unchanged in demeanor, slightly pursed her lips. "Doctor Yan, what I mean is, what's the success rate of the surgery?" She still had some doubts about this young doctor.
In an instant, Nie Jia flashed a brilliant smile, "100%."
Last night, Nie Jia had arranged the surgery details with the First Hospital. Although Huo Yun wasn't entirely trusting, with Huo Qing's support, Ye Shuming was admitted swiftly. In truth, skipping the surgery was possible, but it was all a facade for Nie Jia in this relatively ordinary world.
Huo Qing stood by Huo Yun outside the operating room, her palms sweating nervously.
The surgery lasted 16 hours until the early morning. Nie Jia hadn't expected the limited availability of supernatural abilities due to world restrictions. It took 16 hours and an overexertion of abilities to fully repair Ye Shuming's brain trauma and four years of muscle damage. For Nie Jia, exhausting her abilities was excruciating, especially given Yan Su's body's limited tolerance for external energies. The surgery's end signified Nie Jia enduring a form of torture.
"Doctor Yan!" As the operating room door opened, Huo Yun immediately stood, tense.
Nie Jia, pale-faced, leaned against the wall, gasping weakly. "If nothing unexpected occurs, he'll wake up soon and can rest in the ward."
Just as Huo Yun's heart surged with relief, Nie Jia nearly collapsed, but Huo Qing swiftly caught his waist, firmly saying, "I'll take you back to rest."
Nie Jia hung limply onto Huo Qing, feeling too weak to resist. Nodding faintly, he didn't want to appear stubborn. Surprisingly, Huo Qing swept him up without a care, ignoring the hospital's regulations as he swiftly left.
Without a word, Huo Qing departed, leaving Huo Yun to gaze oddly at his elder brother's departing figure, wondering what was going through his mind. Shortly after, Ye Shuming was ushered out. Without much thought, she hurried into the VIP ward.
Nie Jia weakly clutched at Huo Qing's collar, feeling a bit uncomfortable being held so intimately. But Huo Qing's grip was unyielding, rendering Nie Jia unable to resist. He stole a glance at Huo Qing's profile, then quietly released his grip, exhaustedly resting against Huo Qing's shoulder, slipping into sleep.
Instead of taking Nie Jia back to the Jiang Residence, Huo Qing instructed his assistant to drive to the lakeside villa, carrying Nie Jia into his own room. Huo Qing helped the youth out of his outerwear, gently wiping the sweat from his neck. Seemingly fatigued, Nie Jia showed no signs of awakening even when brought over, immediately sinking deeper into sleep upon touching the pillow. Lying there, he resembled the curled-up figure from when they first met at the Jiang Residence.
He seemed terribly insecure.
Quietly keeping watch by the bed, Huo Qing observed the youth's sleeping face, akin to a lonely and vulnerable child. After a prolonged gaze, a troubled frown creased Huo Qing's brow. Something felt profoundly off.
The following dawn, the young man remained asleep, having only shifted positions recently. Huo Qing almost suspected he'd fainted if it weren't for this slight movement.
"Boss, Miss's on the line," the assistant entered, lowering their voice as much as possible. Dr. Yan has slept for an entire day since returning from the hospital, and the boss has been steadfastly watching by the bed, leaving the assistant both perplexed and hesitant to inquire further.
Huo Qing wordlessly took the call. On the other end, Huo Yun's voice trembled with excitement, "Bro... just now, Shu Ming's fingers moved! It's not my imagination, Shu Ming's fingers really moved!"
"Su Su is supposed to wake up soon, take care of him and make sure to rest yourself," Huo Qing murmured softly.
Su Su? The assistant stood behind him, eyeing the sleeping doctor, utterly surprised. Not only did the sudden familiarity with Dr. Yan catch them off guard, even the boss's reaction to the news of Mr. Ye's imminent awakening seemed too composed and indifferent...
Huo Qing ended the call with Huo Yun after a few brief words, tossing the phone to the assistant indifferently, saying, "Don't disturb me."
The sleep lasted over sixty hours for Nie Jia, lying in bed for more than two days. Despite feeling a bit dizzy, his body had mostly recovered. Gazing towards the brightness in the unfamiliar bedroom, the curtains were left open, casting the golden hues of dusk into the room. In such twilight moments, most people waking up would often feel a sense of abandonment by the world. However, Nie Jia found solace in this solitude instead.
As he sat up in bed, stretching lazily, he was startled when a deep voice sounded, "Awake?"
Thinking he was alone in the room, Nie Jia was taken aback, retracting his hand mid-stretch, turning with a startled expression to see Huo Qing seated nearby, his eyes contemplating.
"You've slept for a long time," Huo Qing remarked.
Relaxing his tense nerves, Nie Jia, who had slept for nearly three days, still appeared a bit weary. Languidly, he asked, "Has Ye Shuming awakened?"
"Not yet," Huo Qing's gaze remained unchanged, fixed on Nie Jia.
Unaware of Huo Qing's observation, Nie Jia felt a pang of disappointment upon hearing that Shu Ming hadn't woken up yet. He couldn't demand his share until Shu Ming woke up. Besides, the funds wouldn't be urgently needed until Qin Yi Ran's side finalized the land reclamation project. Suddenly, Nie Jia paused, recalling that his phone was damaged in Yunnan. Even if Qin Yi Ran wanted to contact him now, he couldn't be reached.
"Mr. Huo, may I borrow your phone?" Nie Jia asked.
Huo Qing frowned slightly, immediately passing his phone to Nie Jia. Nie Jia logged into his email, finding no emails from Qin Yi Ran, which eased his mind. As he was about to return the phone, a sense of darkness enveloped him, followed by an irresistible force pushing him down.
"Doctor Yan, have we met before?" Huo Qing grasped Nie Jia's delicate wrist, pinning him down on the bed, his gaze penetrating, carrying an intense heat as it bore into Nie Jia's eyes. Dismissing his earlier gentlemanly demeanor, he now aggressively restrained Nie Jia, akin to a hungry lion.
"No, please let go of me," Nie Jia struggled, but Huo Qing's hands felt like iron, unyielding. Unable to bear it, Nie Jia turned his head, avoiding Huo Qing's gaze.
Unheeding Nie Jia's words, Huo Qing noticed the small evasive action, which only fueled his faint smirk. "Is that so? But ever since you appeared, I've had this strange feeling, a certainty that we've met somewhere." Especially during your slumber.
"Perhaps in a past life," Nie Jia teased, not entirely incorrect. After all, wasn't he acquainted with Huo Qing, or rather, Shi Chan, in a previous life? Suddenly, feeling flustered by this thought, Nie Jia hastily continued, "Mr. Huo, I had a sixteen-hour surgery; my wrist hurts. Could you please let go?"
Furrowing his brows, Huo Qing immediately released his grip. "Apologies, it wasn't intentional."
Nie Jia propped himself up, rubbing his sore wrist, averting his gaze, whether to avoid Huo Qing's eyes or something else.
This strangeness only grew. Feeling uneasy, Huo Qing was left somewhat perplexed.
"You've slept for a long time. Are you hungry? The restaurant has food prepared for you," Huo Qing spoke softly.
Nie Jia remained silent, his head still lowered. Huo Qing stood up. "I'll wait for you downstairs. Come down after freshening up."
Once Huo Qing left the room, Nie Jia finally breathed a sigh of relief, reclining on the bed lost in thought. Soon, hunger pangs struck him. He contemplated freshening up and, while getting ready, discovered himself wearing a men's shirt two sizes too large.
"Who changed my clothes?" Nie Jia furrowed his brows.
The system eagerly volunteered, "Director did! Report, the Director even touched your face secretly while changing you, touched it several times!"
Nie Jia recoiled onto the bed, silent for a long time. The system asked, "Mr. Nie, are you upset?"
"What do I have to be happy about?" Nie Jia retorted, feeling agitated.
The system said
, "You like the Director, and the Director favors you. Isn't that something to be happy about?"
"How do you know I like Shi Chan? You spied on me!" Nie Jia snapped.
Startled, the system hurriedly explained, "I didn't mean to. I accidentally discovered it during routine subconscious checks while you were unconscious..."
Nie Jia angrily threw off the covers, entered the bathroom, and started showering, ignoring KK.
The system shook its virtual head, slightly confused about Nie Jia's current state of mind. It cautiously asked, "Mr. Nie, I assure you I won't reveal your current mood to the Director. Besides, deep down, you know the Director likes you, don't you?"
Nie Jia remained silent. He had been aware of Shi Chan's feelings for him since their youth. Back then, amidst his own affection, Nie Jia could sense the emotions hidden in Shi Chan's eyes. However, that was ages ago. Nie Jia was fully aware that his present self was no longer the person Shi Chan had liked. At least, the past Nie Jia wouldn't have cold-bloodedly severed someone's hand and ignored it.
Shi Chan had now intervened in this world as Huo Qing, devoid of memories. Yet, when this world concluded and data merged, he'd undoubtedly realize that Nie Jia wasn't the person he once admired.
The scene would be nothing short of awkward, Nie Jia thought inwardly.
Having showered, Nie Jia descended the stairs, noticing the darkness outside despite the day's end. The lights weren't on downstairs. He saw Huo Qing standing by the window, a faint red glow flickering intermittently at his lips. Huo Qing was smoking, his silent figure exuding profound loneliness.
Nie Jia hesitated but eventually didn't call out to him, proceeding to the dining room.
Three days later, Ye Shuming woke up. Huo Yun had rushed to the First Hospital for a full-body examination of Ye Shuming. Finding no major issues, she directly brought him home to the lakeside villa. Ye Shuming's case astonished the doctors at the hospital, but being part of the Huo family, no news was to be disclosed publicly. Therefore, even the most precious or astonishing case wouldn't be discussed at any conferences.
Despite awakening, Ye Shuming had lain for four years. His muscles had slightly atrophied, requiring a period of rehabilitation before fully regaining his strength. Currently, even standing up proved somewhat challenging for him. So, Huo Yun simply wheeled him back home.
The day they returned, the sunlight was unusually bright. Huo Yun stepped out of the car, her eyes still red from crying at the hospital as she carried Ye Shuming. Not informing Huo Qing beforehand, she hurried back excitedly, intending to surprise him. As she wheeled Ye Shuming into the lobby, she spotted Huo Qing sitting with Dr. Yan, conversing quietly, with two policemen standing nearby.