Chapter 2: Encounter

Jiang Yuan smiled in surprise, "Xiao Ci is here. Speak of the devil, please come in."

She turned to Xia Zhinian, "Nian Nian, Xiao Ci came to see you."

The door of the ward was pushed open, and a tall and long-legged boy stepped in. His face was like jade, and even in a patient's gown he looked like a gentleman. He resembled a green cypress under the bright moon. He nodded politely to Jiang Yuan.

"Hello, Aunt Jiang. I was worried about classmate Xia's health, so I came to see him."

He turned to Xia Zhinian, his eyes showing concern. He asked gently, "How are you feeling, classmate Xia? You suddenly fainted with a fever before. You scared me. You need to rest well."

Xia Zhinian: "..."

Pretend, keep pretending.

His neck still hurts!

Jiang Yuan sat by his bed and said softly with a smile, "Nian Nian, you have a weak body. You had a car accident a few days ago and caught a cold in the cellar last night. You had a high fever of 39 degrees. Xiao Ci put his coat on you. Thanks to him, you are not in serious trouble."

Xia Zhinian: "...". His trouble was probably caused by Yan Ci.

Yan Ci smiled gently, without any weakness or irritability when he was sick. Xia Zhinian felt a lump in his heart and felt a faint pain in the back of his neck. He glared at him with his round apricot eyes and quickly lowered his eyes.

"I fell asleep before."

He guessed that Yan Ci came to confirm whether he was really asleep or not in the cellar. He suppressed his voice and acted like the original owner: gloomy, taciturn and reluctant. He said to his "love rival", "I didn't expect to wake up in the hospital. Thank you for taking care of me."

"Oh, you fell asleep?"

Yan Ci looked at him slowly with an ambiguous tone.

The boy leaned against the bed, with soft blankets piled up on his waist. He wore a large patient's gown on his upper body, exposing his delicate collarbone. He hung his head and pursed his pretty and rosy lips.

He looked very deceptive.

Yan Ci smiled faintly, "I didn't pay attention to that. When did you fall asleep, classmate Xia?"

Xia Zhinian casually reported a time before Yan Ci had an episode.

Since the original owner never discovered the true face of the protagonist shou, he had to pretend to be stupid and swallow his own loss.

Fortunately, Yan Ci didn't ask any more questions. He touched his wrist and turned to leave. Jiang Yuan was also persuaded by Xia Zhinian to go back and rest, telling him to take good care of himself.

The ward finally became quiet.

Xia Zhinian breathed a sigh of relief. His nerves had been tense since he was in the cellar. He spread himself out on the bed and touched his head.

Under the soft hair, there was a small bump that was not obvious. He pressed it and felt a dull pain. He withdrew his hand.

In the original text, "Xia Zhinian" had two car accidents. One was in the later stage when he drove behind Yan Ci and accidentally collided with a truck and died.

The other one was two days ago when he came in.

The original owner was unhappy that Yan Ci and the protagonist gong were close. He threatened him to stay away from the protagonist gong. Yan Ci ignored him, so he boldly pulled him. He was subconsciously thrown away by Yan Ci who had a cleanliness obsession.

Unfortunately.

A truck was speeding by not far away.

The original text said that Yan Ci reacted quickly and pulled him back. They were both unharmed, but in reality, the car was too close.

The original owner hit his head and died on the spot.

Two car accidents.

Both related to Yan Ci.

The original owner was supposed to die in the second accident, but now he died unexpectedly in the first one. The plot related to him in the later part was vacant, so there was someone with the same name and surname who came into the book.

Xia Zhinian had also read a few books about crossing into books. The people inside were all dead before they crossed. They also accepted the crossing calmly.

But he was different.

He was still alive and wanted to go back.

He had to go back.

There was no system prompt. He thought for a while and wanted to go back to the original world. The only way he could think of was to follow the plot.

Xia Zhinian cleared his mind. He had no appetite for the light patient meal that Jiang Yuan had sent. He ate a few bites and stopped. He went downstairs and got some fresh air.

The private hospital was quiet and elegant. There was a beautiful garden under the building, next to a small artificial lake.

Xia Zhinian walked around the garden in his patient's gown. He suddenly heard one or two weak meows.

"Meow, meow--"

Xia Zhinian's eyes lit up. He followed the sound to a corner and stopped in front of a small bush. He squatted down, his slender ankle bones protruding. He poked his head in and looked inside.

"Kitty?" He lowered his voice, afraid of scaring the little creature inside. "Kitty, are you here?"

He looked down and saw a thin tabby cat standing in the depths under the dense branches and leaves. Its tail hung casually and swayed. Its round cat eyes stared at him and tilted its head at him.

"!!"

Jiu Min, head tilt kill!

Xia Zhinian's face smiled, but he bit his lips, afraid of scaring the cat. He whispered, "Kitty, how did you get here? Are you hungry? I'll go buy you some food, okay?"

The kitten's tail moved slightly and swept over its hind leg. Its round eyes stared at him.

Xia Zhinian was charmed by its cuteness. He wanted to go to the supermarket, but he was afraid he wouldn't find the kitten when he came back. He carefully stretched out his hand. "Meow meow, be good. I'll take you to buy some food."

The kitten tilted its head and looked at him. Slowly, it took a few steps forward.

Xia Zhinian held his breath and kept his hand still. He watched the kitten get closer and closer, barely holding back his joy.

"Meow!"

The kitten stopped suddenly when it was still a bit away from him. It snorted at him, screamed, and darted forward. Its sharp claws scratched at his hand.

Xia Zhinian was stunned and didn't dodge. But the kitten stopped again when it was a little bit away from him. It glared at him fiercely, scratched the ground with its paw, and ran away quickly.

Xia Zhinian's lips drooped slightly. He didn't expect to be hated by cats even after changing his body.

Maybe he was just more annoying.

Xia Zhinian lowered his eyes and gathered his messy thoughts. He slapped his cheeks and smiled to himself. He got up and left.

He had just followed the cat's cry to a secluded place. The sun had completely set below the horizon, leaving only a faint afterglow. It cast a horizontal shadow on the tall and sturdy trees, covering a large area of darkness.

In the corner, a tall and thin boy stood under a tree, blocked by the shadows.

Yan Ci's lips were a bit pale. His veins bulged on the back of his hand. He clenched his wrist slightly and then grabbed his arm through his sleeve.

The evening air wrapped around him through his clothes, cold and piercing. But a deep and indescribable desire surged from his body, hot and scorching. It spread a layer of tingling on his skin.

He wanted something warm to touch him.

Yan Ci lowered his eyes and suppressed his uncontrollable thoughts. He frowned slightly and grabbed his arm casually. He took out his phone.

[Are you here?]

The other side replied: [Soon! I'm in the hospital!]

"Brother Yan."

Soon, a boy approached from afar and slipped into the corner. He whispered, "Brother Yan, how are you?"

"I'm fine. Did you bring the stuff?"

Meng Chen nodded and took something out of his small bag. He snapped it open.

The syringe was thin and long. The needle tip gathered a cold light. It flashed under the light and pierced into the blue-green elbow vein.

Xia Zhinian stood under the shade of the trees. He couldn't see the face of the person opposite him, but he clearly saw the liquid being pushed into his body. His pupils shrank.

...What is this?

Although this was a hospital, no hospital would give injections under the trees in the corner, right? And the boy outside was wearing casual clothes, obviously not a doctor on duty.

Sneaky injection... Could it be that he was taking drugs?! [Note!]

Xia Zhinian's apricot eyes were round and wide. He turned around quietly and wanted to leave. But as soon as he lifted his foot, his whole body tensed up. He was locked by a gaze without warning.

"!!"

Damn.

His heart thumped wildly. A strange intuition surged to his heart. He ran without hesitation in an instant. But his shoulder suddenly became heavy. He was grabbed by a hand.

The force was so strong and terrifying that he had no room to struggle. He was pulled back by a hand, his wrists were held, and his eyes were quickly covered. His vision fell into a deep black.

"!!!"

"Help--!"

The moment his skin touched, Xia Zhinian trembled like an electric shock. He opened his mouth and shouted. A low male voice suddenly came from his ear.

"Shh, don't scream."

His wrist was pinched threateningly, and hot breath spilled over his ear. The person said casually: “If you dare to make a sound, I’ll throw you into the lake.”