When Song Xuanhe woke up, he found himself lying on a bed in an infirmary.
Before he had the time to examine the crude infirmary and figure out where this place was, he noticed Xiao Yuanmu, who was lying by his hand, fast asleep. His long eyelashes covered the dark circles under his eyes and trembled slightly whenever he breathed. He didn't seem to be sleeping soundly, but he seemed a little softer than when he was awake.
The System's voice came through: [Your body's condition isn't looking good. You've been shot in the thigh and abdomen. Luckily, because the bullet had gone straight through, the surgery was very successful. Most importantly, the surgeon who Xiao Yuanmu had brought was one of the top 100 surgeons in the world. That was why the surgery went successfully without any complications despite the crude circumstances.]
His thigh and abdomen throbbed with pain. Song Xuanhe asked: [When did Xiao Yuanmu arrive?]
【Fifteen hours ago.] The System said: [But according to what I know, he must have encountered many obstacles trying to fly directly here from America. Actually, he had first landed in T Country and then took a car here. If we were to include the time it had taken to prepare for the trip, he probably hadn't slept for thirty-two hours.]
[Furthermore,] the System said: [Although there are no signs of complications yet, the facilities here are unsuitable for your recovery. If you continue to stay here, there's a 96.67% chance that your wounds will become infected. You're in great danger.]
[How dangerous?] Song Xuanhe tilted his head to the side, peering down at Xiao Yuanmu's sleeping visage. He sounded absent-minded like he didn't really care about his body's situation.
[Extremely dangerous!] The System said: [Let me remind you: regardless of whether you choose to go back to your original world or stay here, you only have this one body. If you were to lose the ability to walk in the future because of your infection, you will remain crippled even if you return to your original world.]
[Is Mohammad okay?] Song Xuanhe asked after a brief period of silence: [And, what about the rest of the people who had been protecting me?]
The System didn't want to reply but still did so in the end: [They're fine.]
It didn't want to leave things at that and added: [Your condition is the gravest.]
[Don't worry.] Song Xuanhe said: [It doesn't really hurt.]
【Who cares if you think it hurts or not?!] The System shouted: [...Didn't you used to fear pain?]
Song Xuanhe's gaze was focused on Xiao Yuanmu, and his response was perfunctory: [Mn.]
【The anaesthesia has already worn off. Do you really not feel any pain?】
Song Xuanhe seemed to think of something. The light in his eyes darkened for a second before the corner of his lips rose: [You're a system, so you probably don't know this, but a minor wound hurts more than a major wound.]
[ I am a system, so I can monitor your pain perception. My data is also comprehensive.] The System said: [There's no research that says a minor wound hurts more than a major wound. The larger the wound, the deeper the injury, the more painful....] [Well, I guess it's just different for each person.] When Song Xuanhe saw Xiao Yuanmu's long eyelashes fluttering, he hushed: [Xiao Yuanmu's awake.]
Indeed, a second later, Xiao Yuanmu opened his eyes.
【It's not like he can hear our conversation.] Although it had said that, it still fell silent, Song Xuanhe smiled, "You're awake?"
Xiao Yuanmu sat up. A second later, the drowsiness from his eyes dissipated, leaving behind a bright gaze. There was a biting chill constrained within his pitch-black pupils, however. "Do your injuries hurt?"
"No..." Song Xuanhe frowned, his complexion paling. Still, he kept up his smile. "They don't hurt much."
Xiao Yuanmu quickly got up. He left Song Xuanhe with a rushed "Don't move" before leaving the room.
Very quickly after, a doctor followed Xiao Yuanmu into the infirmary. The doctor lifted the blanket off of Song Xuanhe and examined his wounds. In a solemn voice, he said, "Mr. Song's wounds are showing beginning signs of inflammation. If possible, I would suggest transferring him to medical facilities in another city."
Xiao Yuanmu's heavy gaze grew even heavier, but the cold gradually disappeared. He quietly discussed with the doctor. After the doctor left, Louis walked in less than thirty seconds later.
"Hi!" Louis grinned at Song Xuanhe in greeting. "We meet again."
Song Xuanhe nods. "Louis."
"X Country's government didn't let our plane land here." Louis pulled a chair over and sat down. "You know what the situation here is like. If I were to describe it with a Chinese idiom, I'd choose 'Every tree or bush is an enemy soldier.' (TN: Means to panic and treat everyone as an enemy) They don't even permit private jets. I think that the chances of our negotiations succeeding are close to none. It might be better if we were to just drive to Y Country and take a flight from there."
"No," Xiao Yuanmu rejected his proposal, "His body won't be able to take the jostling on the road. Driving is also much more dangerous."
"But you know that even if Mohammad does everything he can to help us, he doesn't hold much authority. With your identity, you were able to enter the country safely. That doesn't mean that we'll be able to threaten them into bending their rules for us. You should know what the situation is like."
Xiao Yuanmu lowered his eyes in contemplation.
Louis then turned to Song Xuanhe and teased, "Oh great designer, did you really come here to learn about dyeing cloth? Are you artistic folk all this crazy?"
Song Xuanhe's temple throbbed. Xiao Yuanmu's expression that had just eased up once again sunk. He cast a mild look towards Song Xuanhe before telling Louis: "Can you give us some space? I would like to speak to him alone."
Louis didn't think anything of this. He smiled as he waved at Song Xuanhe. "See you later."
Song Xuanhe shook his fist at Louis's back.
"Louis is right." Xiao Yuanmu sat down next to the bed. His gaze was lowered, pinned on the pale Song Xuanhe. He asked, "Why did you come here?"
"Dyes." Song Xuanhe looked at him with an innocent expression on his pale face. "I had been researching this for a long time. I've always been intrigued with the dyes here. I had just so happened to meet a merchant from X Country while in R Country, and he had given me information about Mr. Hashemi. So, I had decided to come take a look."
Xiao Yuanmu's voice was low. There was a harsh rasp as he spoke. "Did you know what kind of place this is?"
"I hadn't thought it was this bad." At this point, Song Xuanhe did feel some guilt and regret. "Mohammad was hurt as well. Is he going to be okay?"
"No one's more hurt than you are." Xiao Yuanmu's voice was frosty, and there was concern hidden in his chilly eyes. "Why don't you ask about your own condition?"
"The doctor already told me," Song Xuanhe said, "The wounds might get inflamed, but they might also be fine. Actually, you don't have to worry so much. I know my body best. Besides, you know how afraid I am of pain. If I was really suffering, I wouldn't be acting as calm as I am now."
"I really don't know if you fear pain or not," Xiao Yuanmu said, "Sometimes, I wonder if you care more about yourself or other people. Or rather, it feels like you don't care about anything at all."
After saying this, Xiao Yuanmu stood up and said in a flat voice, "I'm going to discuss the matter regarding our flight with Louis. Rest."
Song Xuanhe's lips were slightly pursed. Xiao Yuanmu left, not looking back.
[Xiao Yuanmu's right.] The System said: [You act as if you don't even care about your own life. You didn't care about your body's condition after waking up. My data is telling me that your body is gradually deteriorating. Your compromised immunity combined with the environment has raised your chances of infection to 99%. Furthermore, your temperature is rising. I would suggest that you let Xiao Yuanmu take you away from here as soon as possible.]
[ l hadn't thought he would come.]
After saying this, Song Xuanhe fell quiet. Had he really not thought that Xiao Yuanmu might rush to his side if something were to happen to him?
[My data tells me that you're lying.] The System said: [I don't know what you're thinking. The thought processes of you humans are extremely complicated. You, especially, are much more complicated than the vast majority of humans. Analyses based on my data cannot tell me why you had done what you did. I'm even starting to get confused as to whether you want to stay or leave.]
[You chose to stay here and complete your mission for a healthy body, right? You have that now. All you needed to do was wait two months, and you would be able to go back to your original world. But, your risk-taking behaviour contradicts your original intentions. After conducting all sorts of analyses, my only conclusion is that you actually want to stay here.]
Song Xuanhe remained silent, so the System continued: [But even if that were true, it still doesn't explain your actions. So, I still don't get why you did that.]
"There are many things that humans do that are done without reason." Song Xuanhe's voice was quiet and light. "Often, humans don't even know what it is that they want."
The System: 【Do you know what you want?]
Song Xuanhe shut his eyes, his face as pale as the snow-white wall next to him. He was silent.
[At times like these, it's often helpful to think of the opposite.] The System said: [Do you know what you don't want? Or rather, what you fear?]
Song Xuanhe's eyelashes trembled. He had been about to speak when his ears picked up the sound of gradually approaching footsteps. He opened his eyes.
Xiao Yuanmu appeared at the door. He silently stared at Song Xuanhe's pale face. Their gazes met, but neither of them spoke.
A few seconds later, Xiao Yuanmu walked over. He bent down at the waist, his lips planting a short, soft kiss on Song Xuanhe's lips. "Don't be scared, I'm here."
Song Xuanhe blinked. Instantly, the sting in his nose spread to his eyes, causing bitter tears to form. A second later, the tears fell.
He knew what he didn't want. He knew what he feared. He didn't want to be alone again. He was afraid that there would never be an existence like Xiao Yuanmu in his world again.
But, he hadn't been able to free himself of the shackles around his heart. He had only been able to discharge his guilt through self-destructive means.
——————
Eve: An emotionally-charged chapter, that is going to be followed by another emotionally-charged chapter. The next chapter really squeezed my heart.