by A Sick Frog
“Why are you suddenly so pesky and gossipy? You’re done with the exercise questions?”
“Tch, finished them long ago.” He was just being concerned about his mental health!
“I mean these exercise questions.” Yin Xu Dong threw He Yi a question booklet and slanted a disdainful glance at him.
He Yi flipped through the question booklet in suspicion. “Freaking hell! Do you need to mug so hard?! Fine, fine, I’ll let you have the number-one seat in the future, I’m not competing against you anymore! So don’t work so madly! It won’t be worth the candle if you wreck your health!”
From then on, He Yi was granted another nickname—jinx-er.
Perhaps he really had been studying too crazily, or perhaps it was He Yi that jinxed it, but regardless, Yin Xu Dong finally fell sick this day. He went to the washroom to wash his face to wake himself up. Shaking his head, he walked out, his steps heavy. When he saw the new classmate, he raised a hand to greet her lifelessly. “Hi.”
“You’re very skinny.” Zhuo Xiao Xian told him expressionlessly.
“Hah?” This was very serious; Yin Xu Dong’s illness was grave enough he’s hearing things now.
Zhuo Xiao Xuan: “You have to live on properly.”
“Hah?” But he didn’t have thoughts of suiciding!
Yin Xu Dong’s head got even dizzier. Turned out he was indeed quite ill…
Thump!
Zhuo Xiao Xuan lowered her head to look at the flushed Yin Xu Dong that had fainted on the ground. Bending down, she pulled him up onto her back and carried him to the school infirmary.
By the time Yin Xu Dong had awakened, he was already lying on the sickbed. When the school doctor saw him struggling to get up, she quickly asked: “What wrong?”
“I need to go for my lessons, can you help me undo the needle for the drip.” Yin Xu Dong raised his hand and said to the school doctor.
The school doctor was shocked: “You’re running a fever now, and you need to rest properly even after the medicine in the drip finishes and your fever goes down.”
“I’m fine, I know my body. Please help me take out the needle.” Yin Xu Dong persisted.
Whoosh! The curtains by the sickbed were suddenly drawn by someone. Zhuo Xiao Xuan walked over to his side, pushed him back down on the sickbed and said flatly: “Rest properly.”
Yin Xu Dong lied weakly on the sickbed, a wave of dizziness hitting his head again. In his daze though, he suddenly recalled what He Yi had said, that she really did seem a little like Xuan Xuan, even the voice… even though Xuan Xuan didn’t like to smile, she still had a neighbour-next-door vibe with her quiet and nice appearance. Zhuo Xiao Xuan however had a very reserved cool elegance to her, especially when she had a poker face one.
Zhuo Xiao Xuan sat on the chair beside the sickbed, took out the item in the bag she was holding and placed it on the table.
The school doctor asked curiously: “Where did you buy the porridge from?”
“Restaurant.”
“Restaurant? Outside school? How did you manage to go out?”
“Flipped the wall.”
“…” The school doctor’s face twitched. If she didn’t remember wrongly, the school had especially built the school walls higher to prevent students from flipping the walls out. How did she flip herself out?
Zhuo Xiao Xuan opened the porridge container and handed it to Yin Xu Dong. “Finish it.”
Yin Xu Dong turned his head. “Not eating.”
“Don’t make me force you.”
Yin Xu Dong was stunned. Freaking hell, she sure was like her. He turned to look at Zhuo Xiao Xuan, asking earnestly: “Who exactly are you?”
“Zhuo Xiao Xuan.”
“Xuan Xuan?”
“You can call me that.”
Hah? Yin Xu Dong’s eyes widened, before recalling that she had a “Xuan” in a name as well. At that, he laughed self-mockingly: “We don’t even know each other.”
“We can start knowing each other now.” Zhuo Xiao Xuan held the porridge in front of him. “Drink it.”
“I’m tired, I don’t want to eat it. Eat it yourself, I’ll sleep a bit.”
Zhuo Xiao Xuan placed the container down and stretched to hold Yin Xu Dong’s arms to lift him up into a sitting position to lean against the pillows at the head of the bed. Then, she sat down, took the porridge container up again and used a spoon to scoop a mouthful and raised it to beside his lips. “Open your mouth, drink it. You still need to eat your medicine later.”
All Yin Xu Dong did was to open his mouth woodenly to swallow the porridge she’d stuffed into his mouth; he didn’t have the strength to protest. It was only after he finished the porridge and the two pils did he meekly say: “You’re so strange.” They’d never talked before this, yet when he happened to faint in front of her, she ended up taking care of him so meticulously; what a kind-hearted girl. Was this what they called having a heart of gold despite smiling seldomly?
“Enh.”
After being taken care of by Zhuo Xiao Xuan when he fell sick, or perhaps it’s because she felt so much like Xuan Xuan, their relationship bloomed from nothing to good friends, and the two of them, along with He Yi, became a solid trio.
He Yi teased Yin Xu Dong: “Who would have thought, I really didn’t think that you fella would still make your move on the pretty girl. Spill! Leniency to those who confess, severity to those who resist, what trick did you pull?!”
Yin Xu Dong pushed He Yi’s head away, scolding as he laughed: “What are you thinking? I’m not as vile as you!”
“What are you saying! You’re the one that’s vile! Your entire family’s vile!”
After a while, He Yi stuck his head over again. “Have you figured out which uni you’re gonna apply?”
“Yeah. X Military University.”
“Hah? You really want to be a military doctor?!”
“Yeah, is there a problem?”
“Yes!”
He Yi looked at Yin Xu Dong in shock. “I didn’t say that.”
At that, the two of them turned their heads collectively to see Zhuo Xiao Xuan frowning as she stared at Yin Xu Dong.
Chapter 55 - Obsession
* * *
“Cough cough, what problem do you have with it?” He Yi looked at the frowning Zhuo Xiao Xuan is askance. What’s with her violent reaction? She couldn’t have fallen for Dong’zi could she?
Zhuo Xiao Xuan frowned, saying to Yin Xu Dong: “Don’t be a military doctor.”
Yin Xu Dong replied in annoyance: “This has nothing to do with you, don’t mind my business.” Yin Xu Dong wanted to apologise after realising his tone had been nasty, but Zhuo Xiao Xuan had already turned to leave.
After this little event, the three of them still studied together often. Yin Xu Dong had also dismissed it as a little trivial matter. It was only after the NCEE results came out did he realise how terribly wrong he had been.
“You! Why are you in my room?!” Yin Xu Dong opened the door to his room only to be greeted by the shocking sight of Zhuo Xiao Xuan seated at his desk
Zhuo Xiao Xuan waved his NCEE College Application Form in her hand and placed it on the desk. She patted the desk lighty, her tone bland as she said: “Come here, change your aspiration college.”
Yin Xu Dong closed his door and looked at Zhuo Xiao Xuan in silence just like that, as though trying to see through her. Suddenly, he rushed over to the balcony to close the balcony door and draw the curtains, before rushing over to Zhuo Xiao Xuan, his hands stretching to cup her face. His two hands felt around her face for the longest time. “Who exactly are you? Are you wearing a mask?!” No matter how he felt around though, nothing felt strange. At that, the slight anticipation that had risen in his chest instantly sunk.
Zhuo Xiao Xuan said faintly: “Are you only capable of recognition by appearance?”
“Enh?” Yin Xu Dong raised his gaze to look into Zhuo Xiao Xuan’s dark eyes. His heart paused in that moment, before ecstasy flooded him
. He leapt at her, both arms circling Zhuo Xiao Xuan into his embrace, shouting in excitement: “Xuan Xuan! It’s really you! You really didn’t die! You didn’t die!”
“If you shout any louder, I will really die.”
Yin Xu Dong immediately shut his mouth. His hold dropping, he asked with a suppressed voice, reprimanding: “Why didn’t you tell me you’re Xuan Xuan?! How can you lie to me?!”
“Have I denied I am Xuan Xuan?” Zhuo Xiao Xuan swept him a bland glance as she said expressionlessly. She’d been making herself known floating in front of him, and for a few months at that, yet he was completely not in the know.
Yin Xu Dong recalled the time when they were in the infirmary, she really didn’t deny that she was Xuan Xuan. “But, but…”
“But nothing. All that tells me is that your ability to discern people is still lacking. Don’t tell anyone that I am Qin Ke Xuan.” She hadn’t actually wanted to hide it from him, however, she was constantly under surveillance and monitor, so it wasn’t convenient to reveal her identity. She had shaken off her tails and secretly came down, but she’s definitely going to get badly reprimanded by the lao ye’zi* after she return later. She had to seize every moment of the time to complete her mission today. “Change your aspiration college now.”
* 老爷子 = lao ye’zi; referring to maternal grandfather or a polite appellation for an elderly male (usually around the age of one’s grandfather)
“I’m not changing! I’ve already decided!” Yin Xu Dong rejected her. After meeting Zhuo Xiao Xuan’s gaze, his tone ran a little softer: “I won’t go to college to be a military doctor if you don’t enlist in the army again.”
Zhuo Xiao Xuan: “…”
The fact that she was able to take the NCEE was because Zhuo lao ye’zi* saved her from the execution room and made use of his authority to let Qin Ke Xuan “die” before giving her a brand new identity as Zhuo Xiao Xuan. When he came to her that day, he told her: “You shouldn’t die because of something like this, you can become an advantageous weapon to our country. Qin Ke Xuan will die. Xu Le Le will die. From tomorrow on, you will no longer be Qin Ke Xuan, neither will you be Xu Le Le, but ole Zhao my distant granddaughter. Are you willing?” Losing a Qin Ke Xuan, Xu Le Le and gaining a Zhuo Xiao Xuan in this world was perfectly fine as long as no one discovered it.
* Zhuo lao ye’zi is the General Qin Ke Xuan saved during the previous mission (the one where Xu Mei Li sacrificed).
She’d never wanted to die. She wanted to live, and this was the best possible opportunity for her, and so, she nodded her head without hesitation. Hence, even though the proof of her office as her Xu Le Le identity was written off, her identity as Zhuo Xiao Xuan was born. To her thoguh, it was but a change in codename.
Because Qin Ke Xuan and Xu Le Le died, what symbolised them—their faces—must also be altered. It was absolutely not a problem for her to change her own appearance on her own, however, she didn’t want to allow the fact that she had such a jianghu-esque ability to get out, therefore, she listened to Zhuo lao ye’zi’s orders and was sent abroad for cosmetic surgery. For one to be able to completely alter one’s appearance without donning a skin mask, the technology in this world was indeed advanced. Under her instructions, she had the surgeon alter Qin Ke Xuan’s face to look like the killer An Ye, herself, from her previous life. That was how she’d looked like to begin with. After so long, she had surprisingly missed her face a little …
Zhuo lao ye’zi had his conditions as well. He had her enter the military school via normal procedures with her current identity, or in his words, to shine outstandingly when her talents are utilised. More basically put, she was given amnesty to enlist.
Zhuo Xiao Xuan raised her head to look at Yin Xu Dong: “Don’t be a military doctor.”
Yin Xu Dong replied earnestly: “Then you don’t continue being a soldier. Even though I’m not sure what exactly happened to you, but my guts tell me that you went on really dangerous missions, and they can take your life any moment.”
“Does that mean that you’ll follow me wherever I go?” Zhuo Xiao Xuan’s gaze at Yin Xu Dong was one of complication.
“Yes!” Yin Xu Dong nodded his head firmly.
“Then if I’m seeking death, you will seek death too?”
“…no I won’t do that with you.”
Zhuo Xiao Xuan raised her brows and her lips tilt self-mocking. Looks like she’d overthought.
In the same moment though, Yin Xu Dong’s lips pulled into a smile. Eyes beaming, both her hands reached to cup Zhuo Xiao Xuan’s cheeks, and he lowered his head to peck a gentle kiss on her forehead before saying, beaming: “I won’t let you die.”
Zhuo Xiao Xuan delved into momentary stun, before returning to her sense. Scarlet dusting her cheeks, even her ears tinge a bright red. She opened her mouth several times, before asking in reply with difficulty: “With your abilities, won’t you agree that you can’t protect me?”
“…” Yin Xu Dong paused. Freaking hell, you’re purposefully breaking the atmosphere aren’t you!
Yin Xu Dong flushed, saying, unconvinced: “I’m a lot stronger now. I’ve been training diligently every day. Come at me if you don’t believe me.”
“I don’t have the time for that now, but you must change your aspiration college.” Zhuo Xiao Xuan demanded stubbornly. She was very elated that he was willing to walk with her, but…
Yin Xu Dong frowned. “Why are you so obsessed about this?”
Zhuo Xiao Xuan minced her lips, took a pen and changed Yin Xu Dong’s aspiration college. Upon seeing that, Yin Xu Dong immediately reached out in an attempt to snatch his form back. However, Zhuo Xiao Xuan tugged the form with her and flashed a distance away from him. “You really don’t want to change it?”
“Of course! Return it to me, let’s not make a scene okay?”
Zhuo Xiao Xuan’s gaze lowered. “I just don’t want to you die in front of my eyes…”
Yin Xu Dong blanked for a moment, before continuing: “I’m only going to become a military doctor. The world’s so peaceful now, and our country’s not going to war either, how would I die so easily? Everything’s going to be fine, you’re worrying too much.”
“My… my jie jie and Xu Mei Li sacrificed themselves to protect me. They died right in front of me. I don’t want that to happen to you either, do you get me?”
When her jie jie and her were orphaned then, they were caught by the organisation after having being stranded homeless, and sent into their training chamber. Because she was too frail and weak, her jie jie in her attempt to protect her was stabbed to death by the others who, similar to them, were thrown into the training chamber. She could never forget her jie jie’s small, contorted face with eyes widened in terror. If it hadn’t been for her, her jie jie wouldn’t have died in their hands. What was laughable was that after her jie jie’s death, she was stripped of her cowardice. She glared at the other children all day and night, awaiting the moment when their alertness dropped to seize the opportunity to throttle them with her own hands. By the time she’d walked out the training chamber across their corpses, the steps she’d taken had already brought her where she was—the organisation’s top killer.
She’d long become numb when it came to taking lives after having killed countless. It was only till that day when Xu Mei Li blocked herself in front of her and died before her did it elicit her memory of her jie jie’s cause of death. That incited her terror of seeing people close to her dying, and aroused her resentment. Submerged in the interweaving torment of the two emotions, she persevered with whatever’s left of her of rationality to find the separatist’s old factory base, and tear them all apart with…
When Yin Xu Dong saw the faint grief and pain surfacing on Zhuo Xiao Xuan’s face that was otherwise always stony and cold, he walked over and hugged her dearly, caressing her hair. “I don’t know what exactly happened, but I promise you I will never die in front of you. I don’t want you to be somewhere I don’t know and get hurt. Maybe I�
��m not as powerful or capable as you, but I want to be able to heal you when you’re injured. Will you let me be a military doctor and be by your side?”
“…okay.” Zhuo Xiao Xuan buried her head against his chest, only replying Yin Xu Dong after a heavy beat of silence. After which, she raised her head and said fiercely: “Even if you want you die, don’t die in front of me.”
“Hehe, I won’t die. We won’t die. We’ll be fine, together.” Yin Xu Dong ruffled Zhuo Xiao Xuan’s hair, smiling.
Zhuo Xiao Xuan slapped away his paws. “I need to go.”
“Hah? So soo? Can’t you not go?”
“No.”
“Then where are you living at the moment?”
“I’ll tell you next time. I’m going.” Zhuo Xiao Xuan pulled the curtains open with a swoosh, opened the door and leapt down from the balcony just like that before her figure merged into the darkness of the night swiftly.
Yin Xu Dong looked in the direction Zhuo Xiao Xuan’s figure had disappeared off to, muttering: “Aye, I’m not done hugging you yet…”
What Yin Xu Dong regretted the most after that was that he forgot to ask Zhuo Xiao Xuan for her mobile number. He didn’t manage to see her during the holidays after NCEE either, so he had no way of asking which school she’d applied to. And so, Yin Xu Dong was spent his every day lifelessly either being invited out by ah Lang to carousal, or dragged out by his parents to see his relatives, or followed his classmates to pay a visit to his teacher’s place. He’d thought that he would somehow be able to meet Zhuo Xiao Xuan, but he didn’t even catch her shadow after visiting all his teachers.
At seeing him all washed out, He Yi howled: “Can you not put up a melancholic face as though you flunked your NCEE? If someone like you flunked NCEE, what about everyone else?! God, you’re pissing me off!” Even though he managed to get into the college of his fancy, the field of study wasn’t his first choice, so he was beyond glum.
“Oh.” Yin Xu Dong replied, and then his mind continued drifting.
He Yi was helpless, and continued: “Didn’t think that Zhuo Xiao Xuan would apply for military school though, how’s she gonna stand the intensive training with that little frail body of hers?”