NOVEL WEB Chapter 448
"Not only his physical condition, but his mental state is also very poor."
"I advise you not to get too close to him. His defensiveness and aggression are both severe."
After learning about He Xiang's condition from the doctor, Ji Nian handed over the medication she had brought. After some thought, she still decided to go see him.
A sudden change of environment, and someone inexplicably offering him treatment—most people would have been moved to tears with gratitude. But not He Xiang.
He simply believed the person behind this had a greater ulterior motive.
Even if it wasn't obvious now, it would eventually reveal itself.
What was it this time?
What use could a cripple like him have? Were they after his organs?
The moment the door opened, He Xiang jolted awake. He grabbed the fruit knife he had stolen from a caretaker, holding it between his teeth, and glared fiercely at the intruder.
When their eyes met, both were stunned.
Even though she had mentally prepared herself, seeing He Xiang in this state made Ji Nian feel she hadn't done enough.
The stumps of his missing hands were wrapped in bandages, and his bare torso was covered in dense scars, his ribs starkly visible.
The calm, deep eyes Ji Nian had once adored were now filled with hostility.
The He Xiang here bore no resemblance to the healthy man she remembered. His skin was deathly pale, his cheeks sunken, his lips tinged with purple. The doctor had even mentioned he had a heart condition.
In short, if not for Ji Tingzhou's certainty that they hadn't mistaken the person, Ji Nian might not have recognized him even if they passed each other on the street.
Gu Xiuyuan frowned uncomfortably at the sight of He Xiang's suffering—a peer his own age.
He turned to Ji Nian, wanting to ask if she was sure they hadn't found the wrong person.
After all, the man before them looked nothing like the He Xiang she had described.
Ji Nian had said He Xiang was 195 cm tall, but even lying in bed, Gu Xiuyuan could tell he wasn't even as tall as himself.
"He Xiang."
Ji Nian glanced at Gu Xiuyuan, seemingly reading his doubts, and nodded at him before turning back to call He Xiang's name.
At the sound of his name, He Xiang's expression flickered with momentary confusion.
Because…
It had been so, so long since anyone had called him by his name.
So long that even he had grown unfamiliar with the sound of it.
Though he didn't know how she knew his name—or why she said it so naturally—He Xiang was certain he had never met her before.
He studied her striking emerald-green eyes.
If they had met before, he would never have forgotten.
So why… did she feel so familiar?
Beyond that, his gaze shifted to Gu Xiuyuan beside her.
Unlike the unfamiliar-yet-familiar Ji Nian, he recognized Gu Xiuyuan.
In a distant memory, back when he was still in school, he had seen him once.
On the day he left campus.
Having gone days without food and weakened by the scorching sun, he had been walking slowly with his belongings when dizziness forced him to stop and rest.
It was this person who had given him a bottle of water and a piece of bread.
Not personally, though—he had sent someone else to deliver it.
When He Xiang looked up, he saw Gu Xiuyuan standing under a tree, watching from a distance. The person who had handed him the food ran back to Gu Xiuyuan and said something, and only then did he look away.
Even someone as isolated as He Xiang had heard of the student council president's reputation.
He knew this person came from a wealthy, powerful family—brilliant, handsome, and outstanding in every way. The kind of figure people gossiped about, someone from a world entirely separate from He Xiang's own.
But he never imagined someone like that would ever cross paths with him.
"You know him."
After observing He Xiang for a moment, Ji Nian came to that conclusion.
Gu Xiuyuan frowned, his expression silently questioning: How did you figure that out?
He Xiang didn't hide the hostility in his eyes.
But he lowered the knife from his mouth.
"You might not remember me, but I was also your classmate."
"Hello, my name is Ji Nian."
She didn't approach recklessly, maintaining a distance that kept He Xiang at ease.
The name meant nothing to him.
"You might wonder why I saved you. Once you're stronger, I'll explain everything."
Ji Nian set down the items she had brought—aside from the medication, there were books.
All the textbooks from every grade level, from the time He Xiang had dropped out until now.
"Focus on recovering. If you get bored, read these."
"No one here will harm you. If you want revenge, the most important thing now is to heal. Our reasons for saving you don't matter—what matters is that you use every resource available to take care of yourself."
"Only when you've recovered can we talk about the future."
As she spoke, He Xiang showed no reaction.
But Ji Nian knew he had heard her.
A man who had survived hell was far more perceptive than anyone realized.
...
"I had no idea."
"Our school once had a student like this."
After they left, Gu Xiuyuan's eyes were clouded with unease.
Ji Nian said nothing about his mood. Instead, she had him wait for her somewhere while she went out and bought two ice creams, handing one to him.
Mint sea salt—Gu Xiuyuan's favorite flavor.
His family rarely let him eat outside food, and he had developed a habit of instinctively refusing such things.
So he didn't take it.
But Ji Nian smeared it straight onto his mouth.
Gu Xiuyuan, now with ice cream all over his lips: "……"
He pulled out a handkerchief, wiped his mouth clean, and then skeptically took a bite.
To his surprise, it wasn't bad. Though not as refined as what was made at home, it had its own charm.
"Good, right?"
"This is the power of artificial flavors," Ji Nian declared.
"What was the other version of me like?"
Though Ji Nian had told him many stories about their alternate selves, Gu Xiuyuan still didn't fully understand that version of himself.
Ji Nian licked her own ice cream and said, "Cold and aloof on the outside, but incredibly thoughtful. Never took advantage of the weak—instead, he used his influence to advocate for protecting vulnerable groups."
"He remembered every student's name. People went to him with their problems, and the student council office door had to be repaired at least twice a year. In the school's 'Most Beautiful Spot' rankings, the student council office always came in first."
"He was always busy. Sometimes, when he couldn't get away, everyone would bring food and eat together with him."
"During breaks, he liked feeding the campus animals—mostly stray cats and dogs that students had brought in."
"At first, he objected, but he couldn't resist their persistence and eventually gave in. Who would've thought he'd end up being the one who fed them the most? He even gave each one a name."
"Everyone at school adored him. He was the most outstanding student council president in history."
Gu Xiuyuan listened, his expression somewhat dazed, as if Ji Nian's words had conjured up the image of someone who shared his face and family background yet was entirely different from him.
That version of him was also the student council president, but he couldn't remember every student's name. Though equally popular, his appeal stemmed solely from his looks and family status. He had never kept a pet, and there were no stray cats or dogs on campus.
Most importantly…
He had no friends.
"He's outstanding, but you're no less remarkable," Ji Nian said, patting his shoulder as if reading his thoughts.
Gu Xiuyuan brushed her hand away, his expression turning haughty. "Of course I'm not inferior to him."
They were both Gu Xiuyuan—whatever that other version could do, he could do just as well.
Watching him snap back to his usual self so quickly, Ji Nian couldn't help but grin.
See? This was the real Gu Xiuyuan.
After visiting He Xiang, Ji Nian threw herself back into her work.
This time, she didn't ask Bruce for help—unlike how things had been in that other world.
Instead, she spent about a week alone in the lab.
A week later, she emerged with a small box in hand.
Squinting up at the long-missed sunlight, Ji Nian thought to herself:
Soon. She could go back.