Chapter 3: The Smiling Girl, Chen Nanxing
Chen Nanxing felt as though her entire body were burning with pain.
This time, the pain was even more intense than before.
She knew this was a sign that her life was coming to an end.
As usual, she gritted her teeth and refused to make a sound. She didn’t want her parents to see how much she was suffering.
But this time, the pain was more unbearable than any she had experienced before.
She felt like she couldn’t hold on anymore…
Just as her consciousness was beginning to fade, she suddenly felt a warm, large hand gently pinch her mouth open.
Then something fragrant was placed inside her mouth.
It melted into a cool stream that flowed down her throat and spread throughout her body.
The sensation was incredibly soothing.
The burning pain gradually disappeared bit by bit.
The feeling was so intoxicating that it was almost like being trapped in a wonderful dream.
Chen An looked at the woman in his arms.
Her pale complexion had gradually become rosy, and it seemed to be getting healthier by the second.
He couldn’t help feeling confused.
What was going on?
Why did this feeling seem strangely familiar?
Before he could figure it out, the woman in his arms opened her eyes.
The two of them stared at each other for a few moments.
In the end, Chen An was the first to speak.
“Miss, it doesn’t hurt anymore, does it?”
“Thank you. You saved me, didn’t you?”
Chen Nanxing looked at the handsome man with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes in front of her and sincerely thanked him.
Chen An helped her sit down on the bench.
If he remembered correctly, the woman in the original story was actually a little rich lady.
Would it really be too much to ask her for some money given his current situation?
“Yes and no.”
Chen An gave an ambiguous answer.
Chen Nanxing looked confused.
“What do you mean?”
“I was sleeping here just now. You collapsed a few meters away from me. When I helped you up, I realized that you seemed to be close to death.”
Chen Nanxing’s expression darkened.
Just moments ago, she had been imagining that if she had met a handsome man like this a month ago, perhaps she would have impulsively asked him to be her boyfriend.
She didn’t want to leave behind any regrets.
Even if she only had a month left to live.
But now…
“You’re right. The doctor said I have at most one week left to live…”
Chen An awkwardly rubbed his nose before reminding her,
“Actually, that’s not accurate. You have at least half a year left to live now.”
“That’s impossible… Don’t try to cheer me up. But thank you anyway…”
Chen Nanxing smiled.
When Chen An saw that smile, he instantly felt as though he had been struck by electricity.
The trace of gloom in his heart caused by the fusion of memories seemed to fade slightly.
Sure enough, smiles really were contagious.
No wonder she was a woman capable of bringing happiness to others.
Bah, what am I thinking about?
Given his current situation, this wasn’t the time to think about such things.
Chen An understood what he should do now.
So he deliberately put on an embarrassed expression and said,
“Well, although you look very beautiful when you smile, I’m really telling you the truth. You really can live for another six months.”
Chen Nanxing stared into Chen An’s eyes.
She realized that he didn’t seem to be joking.
But the doctor had clearly told her that she had at most one week left.
And she knew her own body better than anyone…
Just as she thought about it, she suddenly froze.
Only then did she realize that something seemed to have changed in her body.
For a long time, she had been unable to sleep properly, so exhaustion had always followed her.
Her neck, head, and even her back had been aching badly.
But now, all of that was gone.
Her body felt incredibly light and relaxed.
It was almost as if…
As Chen Nanxing’s expression changed, Chen An tentatively asked,
“Are you feeling very relaxed and comfortable now?”
“You… how did you know? What exactly is going on?”
Chen Nanxing looked at Chen An anxiously.
She desperately wanted to know what had happened because she couldn’t believe that any of this was real…
Tap.
For some inexplicable reason, Chen An suddenly flicked her forehead with his finger.
Chen Nanxing felt a slight sting and looked at him in confusion.
“Well… now you know you’re not dreaming, right?”
Chen Nanxing paused halfway through rubbing her forehead and rolled her eyes at him.
“Come on. I haven’t started hallucinating. I know I’m not dreaming. Hurry up and tell me what happened just now.”
Chen An immediately began making up a story.
After she had woken him up, he had realized that she was close to death and had originally intended to take her back for emergency treatment.
But before he could do so, Chen Nanxing had already fainted.
Worried that she would die just like that, he had given her one of the treasures his master had passed down to him—the priceless treasure of their Taoist temple.
Chen Nanxing’s mouth fell open.
If she hadn’t genuinely felt the incredible changes in her body, she would definitely have assumed Chen An was a fraud.
She forced herself to calm down and asked softly,
“So… you’re saying you have medicine that can cure my illness?”
Chen An immediately covered the pocket containing the pill and looked at her warily.
“I advise you not to get any ideas about it. Giving you one-tenth of it was already because fate brought us together.”
“You should be satisfied that you can live another six months. I’ve already paid a huge price for this.”
“This pill has been passed down in our Taoist temple for hundreds of years. I can’t give it to you…”
Chen Nanxing stared at Chen An in astonishment.
She hadn’t expected him to react like this.
Thinking back to the sensation she had experienced when she swallowed the medicine while half-conscious, as well as the incredible condition her body was in now, she began to believe Chen An’s words.
Perhaps she really could live for a little longer…
Thinking about this, Chen Nanxing smiled.
“Don’t worry. I won’t try to take it from you. I can tell that it’s very important to you.”
“Thank you for helping me today. By the way, I still don’t know your name.”
“Hello, my name is Chen Nanxing.”
The woman smiled sincerely and extended her hand toward him.
Chen An felt a little emotional.
She really was a cute girl.
Just a little too naïve.
He had dropped such an obvious hint, so why hadn’t she taken the initiative to offer him something?
“Hello, my name is Chen An. Chen as in Chen, and An as in peace and happiness.”
“Chen An?”
Chen Nanxing repeated his name before smiling.
“Looks like we really are quite fated to meet…”
“By the way, you said you were sleeping here just now. Do you have a family member in the hospital?”
Chen Nanxing was extremely curious about Chen An.
“I don’t have any family. I’ve been an orphan since I was little and was adopted by my master.”
“My master passed away almost a month ago, so now there’s only me…”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I brought up something painful for you.”
Chen Nanxing looked apologetic.
Chen An shook his head and looked at her strangely.
“What is there to be sad about?”
“I’m alive and doing perfectly fine. They’re all gone, so shouldn’t I be happy?”
“The ones who should be sad are the people who died, right?”
Looking at Chen An’s expression, Chen Nanxing thought about it carefully.
There was actually a strange kind of logic to what he said.
“Then why are you sleeping here? Were you looking at the stars?”
“Looking at the stars? Where else could I sleep if not here? I don’t have any money.”
Chen An rolled his eyes at Chen Nanxing as if saying,
Are you stupid?
Even though they had only known each other for a short time, Chen Nanxing had already discovered that Chen An seemed to think about things differently from ordinary people.
It was novel and rather unexpected to her.
And, indeed, the question she had just asked was somewhat inappropriate.
When did I become so bad at making conversation?
Chen An was already thinking about how he should take the initiative and steer the conversation in the right direction.
