Qin Xin looked at Nalan Ye Jue’s serious expression and wondered if she had said in her dream that she was a reborn person and scared him.
Nalan Ye Jue’s long arm passed over the pillow between them and gently touched her shoulder: "You mentioned a person’s name."
Qin Xin was taken aback: "Hmm?"
It seemed she hadn’t yet been so obsessed with anyone that she would call out their name even in her dreams.
Nalan Ye Jue: "It’s Xiangxiang. You mentioned Xiangxiang’s name."
Luckily, it wasn’t a man’s name, otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to remain so calm.
Qin Xin was silent.
Yes, even though she didn’t say it out loud, for the past two days, she had been constantly thinking about Xiangxiang.
The surgery was completed, but Xiangxiang hadn’t woken up. Her heart and lung functions were dependent on artificial organs, and if this continued, they would eventually fail.
Whether human or machine, awakening requires the power of one’s own will.
The will to survive.
These past two days, she’s been busy with Xiao Shuang’s matters, happy to help Xiao Shuang win a medal at the school sports day, but because she was always concerned about Xiangxiang, even her smile carried a trace of heaviness.
Nalan Ye Jue understands her better than anyone else.
He slowly began to speak: "I just received a report, Xiangxiang has woken up. Do you want to go see her?"
Qin Xin quickly threw off the blanket and sat up: "Of course! I’m going now!"
She put on her shoes in a second and was about to head out the door.
Nalan Ye Jue coughed: "Please don’t rush, I’ll drive you there. And might you want to fix your hair first?"
Only then did Qin Xin look down at herself.
Because she had taken a nap, her clothes were a bit rumpled, and her long hair lazily draped over her shoulders, if she walked out like this... cough, cough.
The secretarial office of Nalan Ye Jue would likely explode.
The gossip material would be plentiful.
Qin Xin went to the bathroom to tidy up.
When she came out, Nalan Ye Jue was already waiting for her at the door like a gentleman, with two engineers and some equipment.
Qin Xin: "These are..."
Nalan Ye Jue: "To conduct some tests on her."
Qin Xin felt a vague sense of unease.
The car drove to the Imperial Central Laboratory.
She walked briskly ahead and pushed open the lab door first.
Xiangxiang’s hospital bed was right in the center, still connected to the artificial heart and lungs, unable to get up, she remained lying down.
Her innocent big eyes half opened, looking somewhat dazed and weak.
Seeing Qin Xin walk in, her gaze slowly shifted to her.
Qin Xin held her breath, suppressing her fluctuating emotions, changed into a sterile gown, and then walked to Xiangxiang’s bedside: "Xiangxiang, I’m here."
Xiangxiang stared at her for several moments, her throat producing a slightly hoarse and mechanical sound: "Little Miss..."
A surge of warmth washed over Qin Xin.
A feeling of post-disaster survival relief: Xiangxiang not only woke up but also remembered who she was.
However.
The next second, Xiangxiang painstakingly said, word by word: "Little Miss, I’ll go and cook for you, you’re growing and need to eat more protein every day, I’ll add more cheese and deep-sea fish for you, and there’s also your schedule for tomorrow..."
The more Qin Xin listened, the more something felt off.
"... there’s your schedule for tomorrow, I’ve copied it for you, first class is third grade English book, second class is third grade Chinese book, third class is PE class..."
Third grade!
This was when Lan Qingxin was nine years old, right?
Ten years ago!
Xiangxiang’s current state is stuck ten years ago?
Nalan Ye Jue stood behind Qin Xin, seeming to already know, and spoke softly: "This was ten years ago, when we first saved Xiangxiang from her father’s room and the program settings repaired her. Back then, her main task was to take care of your daily life and remind you about homework and coursework. She was very young then and didn’t know much."