TPPCGEM Chapter 32

The boy’s breathing was shallow, and his words were filled with undisguised reluctance towards going to the hospital. His face was deathly pale.

Yan Ci’s heart clenched. Holding him with one arm, he patted Xia Zhinian’s head to comfort him, speaking softly, “We still need to go. We’ll be out soon, okay?”

The boy didn’t respond.

The sound of the ambulance siren grew louder. Yan Ci looked down to see Xia Zhinian’s eyes closed tightly, his chest heaving violently, but his breathing weak and difficult.

Yan Ci’s face darkened, “Xia Zhinian? Xia Zhinian?”

The person in his arms had already lost consciousness.

The ambulance soon arrived downstairs. Yan Ci pressed his lips together and quickly carried Xia Zhinian onto the ambulance, laying him on the stretcher. The nurse swiftly placed a simple breathing mask on his face.

“Allergic reaction compounded with asthma?”

“Do you know the allergen?”

“Kiwi Fruit.”

The nurse nodded and efficiently administered medication, inserting the needle into the back of Xia Zhinian’s hand. The boy lay motionless, pale, with the breathing mask on, like a manipulated puppet.

Teacher Qin wanted to get in the ambulance with them, intending for Yan Ci to return to class, but Yan Ci persuaded him in a few words to go back.

“I’ll go with Classmate Xia, he needs to be comforted, and I’ll make sure nothing happens to him.”

“This is an ambulance from the Xia family’s private hospital. Inform the Xia family and head straight to the hospital.”

Teacher Qin sighed and nodded, telling him to call if anything happened. Watching the ambulance door close, he took out his phone to call Jiang Yuan.

The boy was taken to a room and connected to various machines. The beeping of medical monitors echoed in the empty room, making the atmosphere tense.

Yan Ci pressed his lips together, calming himself as he waited at the door. Jiang Yuan and Xia Wenhan arrived hurriedly. 

Jiang Yuan looked anxious, stopping at the door, “Xiao Ci, what’s going on with Niannian?”

Xia Wenhan held Jiang Yuan back, patting her on the back. Yan Ci explained what had happened at school.

“We’ll have to wait for the doctor’s diagnosis for more details.”

“Did he have a history of allergies or asthma?”

Jiang Yuan shook her head, extremely worried, “Niannian lived abroad for many years. He didn’t have it when he was little, and he never mentioned it after coming back, but we don’t know about those years in between.”

“It’s our fault for not taking good care of him.” Jiang Yuan’s delicate face was filled with worry. Xia Wenhan patted her shoulder.

—

Xia Zhinian’s consciousness was hazy like he was dreaming or recalling memories. A loud crash echoed endlessly, followed by the voices of an elderly couple.

“How could he survive such a serious car accident?”

“It would have been better if it were someone else.”

“This child was sickly since birth, and now he’s taken the lives of his parents and younger brother. He’s truly a curse.”

“What a tragedy.”

—

The voices faded away. Xia Zhinian opened his eyes, staring at the pure white ceiling. His gaze shifted slightly to the IV drip hanging above, the tubing winding its way to the needle in his hand, connected to various cold instruments.

He raised his hand to look at it, then pushed himself up, surveying the quiet hospital room. His amber eyes flickered with confusion.

Am I back in the hospital?

Wasn’t I… wasn’t I just taking the college entrance exam and attending a coming-of-age ceremony?

I was reading a book at night, and then…

Did I have a dream?

“Click.”

The hospital room door opened. Xia Zhinian turned to see a gentle, refined boy walking in. Upon seeing him awake, the boy was momentarily stunned, then quickly approached, asking warmly.

“You’re awake. Do you still feel uncomfortable?”

Xia Zhinian tilted his head, quietly watching him. His amber eyes were like inorganic glass, their unfamiliarity making Yan Ci’s heart skip a beat.

“Xia Zhinian.” Yan Ci walked to the boy’s bedside, meeting his gaze. His voice was soft as he called out to him.

“…Xia Zhinian?”

Xia Zhinian was dazed for a moment, slowly returning to his senses. He moved slightly as if a soul had been inserted into an empty puppet, blinking a few times, his almond-shaped eyes regaining their colour.

The door was half-open. Jiang Yuan and Xia Wenhan, hearing some noise, quickly entered.

“Nian Nian?” Jiang Yuan smiled with relief, “Mom’s here. Everything’s okay.”

Xia Zhinian looked at the excited Jiang Yuan and Xia Wenhan, holding a lunch box. Hearing the word “Mom,” his heart tightened slightly, but he said nothing.

Xia Wenhan placed the lunch box aside, signalling Jiang Yuan to calm down, and walked to the window.

“We found out the reason for his condition,” Xia Wenhan said in a low voice—

“Allergic asthma.”

—Allergic asthma.

Xia Zhinian simultaneously echoed in his mind.

He had guessed it. After all, he had lived with this condition for over ten years. Eating that kiwifruit confirmed it.

Xia Zhinian lowered his head slightly. The loose neckline of his hospital gown revealed his delicate, porcelain-white neck, exuding a fragile elegance.

Xia Wenhan glanced at his brother, his narrow eyes heavy with pressure.

“So far, the only allergen identified is kiwifruit. Did you know about this condition?”

Xia Zhinian shook his head.

The original Xia Zhinian didn’t like kiwifruit and only tried it once when he was young. He found it unpalatable and felt uncomfortable after eating it, so he never ate it again.

All these years, the condition had never been discovered.

It’s quite coincidental that he and the original Xia Zhinian share the same name, appearance, and now even the same illness. However, he had more allergens than this.

When he had a flare-up, no one would visit him in the hospital.

Yan Ci noticed that he kept his eyes down, his expression almost indifferent, and his heart skipped a beat. He took a step forward, speaking gently.

“Don’t think too much about it. Rest a bit more. Is there anything you’d like to eat?”

Xia Zhinian looked up slightly and finally spoke his first words since waking up, his voice hoarse, his eyes looking directly at Yan Ci.

“I want to eat… Zou Ziqian’s barbecue.”

“Barbecue?”

Jiang Yuan was worried, “Nian Nian, you just had an asthma attack. You should eat something light first, okay?”

Xia Zhinian paused, not saying anything, just nodding without insisting, his voice very soft.

“Okay.”

He had just thought that he should if he could still eat with the original Xia Zhinian’s body. If he returned to his original world or, as he feared, if he were wrong and couldn’t go back, dying in the car accident… then he wouldn’t be able to eat it anymore.

But being refused was not unexpected.

Quietly, he did not argue, his obedience making people feel sorry for him.

Feeling his heartache, Yan Ci patted his head and turned to the Xia family, speaking calmly and warmly.

“I’ll go buy a small amount, and some porridge too.”

Xia Wenhan frowned at his hand, “I’ll go. It’s faster by car. Give me the address.”

Yan Ci nodded and sent the address over.

Xia Zhinian slept a bit more. When he opened his eyes again, the room was empty.

He didn’t want to be in the hospital, but now that he was here, he had grown accustomed to its sterile quietness and stopped struggling. Taking a few breaths, he decided to open the window.

His hand still had the IV needle, which he skillfully removed. He pushed open the window and took a deep breath.

“Creak”—the door opened.

“Xia Zhinian?”

A low voice sounded, with a hint of displeasure, “Who took out your IV?”

Xia Zhinian: “??”

He was startled and turned around.

Xia Wenhan, dressed in a suit, stood in the doorway, glancing at the window and then at the half-empty IV drip by the bed. He frowned, “Which nurse did this?”

“…Brother.”

Xia Zhinian nervously swallowed, hiding his hand behind his back and honestly admitted, “I, I did it myself.”

“…I wanted to open the window.”

“Opening the window, so you took out the IV? You’re quite capable.” Xia Wenhan sneered, his gaze dropping, “And you’re running around barefoot. Haven’t you had enough fever for a day?”

Xia Zhinian: “…”

Xia Zhinian’s toes wiggled uneasily. Feeling like a quail, he quickly returned to the bed and sat down obediently.

Xia Wenhan pressed the nurse call button to have the nurse reinsert the IV. 

“You pulled it out too quickly without pressing on the spot afterward,” he said, noticing the small drops of blood on the back of Xia Zhinian’s hand and the bruising around the needle mark.

The nurse exclaimed, “Oh dear, this is going to be harder to insert now.” She wiped the blood away. “How did this happen?”

“I… I’m sorry, it was an accident,” Xia Zhinian said quietly. He didn’t resist as the nurse inserted the needle into his other hand, watching the tip pierce through his skin.

Xia Wenhan handed him the bag of barbecue and a container of porridge. “Your classmate went back to school. You’ll need to stay in the hospital for observation for two days. Mom went home to get some things. I’ll stay here with you tonight.”

“That’s not necessary,” Xia Zhinian immediately refused, not wanting to trouble him. “I’m fine now, I can just go home.”

Xia Wenhan ignored his protests and sat on the sofa, opening his laptop to finish some emails. Xia Zhinian pouted and opened the bag of barbecue, the aroma making his eyes light up. He devoured the barbecue, completely ignoring the porridge.

With a full stomach, he glanced at his brother, who was still working and quietly played on his phone.

The school forum was as lively as ever, with the top post being—

“Ahhh, everyone come see! I don’t believe there’s nothing special between these two!”

The main photo shows Yan Ci holding Xia Zhinian as he gets into the ambulance, protecting him with one arm.

“This isn’t fresh news,” someone commented. “The commotion from the ambulance was seen by all the classes near the square.”

Another person posted a photo from the last time Xia Zhinian had a stomachache, and Yan Ci carried him to the infirmary.

“Same posture, same destination,” someone noted.

Another user commented, “What’s with this frail beauty setting? My heart is excited to ship this CP.”

Xia Zhinian frowned and clicked back, entering the second top post.

“Shocking! Guess whose relationship ended again!”

The main text was short: “Chu Qingjian’s girlfriend went abroad!”

Xia Zhinian was stunned, scrolling down quickly.

“Is this true? My CP is revived?”

Another user chimed in, “Wake up, it’s not Yan Ci blocking this CP, it’s Lord Chu.”

“As long as they’re both single, there’s still hope.”

“But Chu Qingjian changes relationships too quickly.”

“Maybe it’s a long-distance relationship?”

“Chu Qingjian has dated many from Shengguang International School. Those about to go abroad often write him love letters, and it’s said he’s sent many off.”

“So, Xia Zhinian sent so many love letters and didn’t succeed?”

“The forum has already defaulted to shipping Xia Zhinian and Yan Ci. Besides, his grades are so poor, he probably writes terrible love letters.”

Xia Zhinian was speechless. Could this be true?

He remembered Chu Qingjian saying he got together with a girl because of her love letter.

… Is she going abroad now?

Is this some new bizarre setting for the protagonist gong?

Xia Zhinian was confused. He recalled when he first transmigrated and Chu Qingjian, thinking he and Yan Ci were together, said—

“I’m experienced in dating. If you don’t understand something, just ask me.”

At the time, he didn’t take it seriously. But now, could it be true?

Xia Zhinian thought about the crumbling main characters’ relationship lines.

As he lay in the hospital, he often felt like he was back in his original world, detached from the original owner’s perspective, viewing things coldly.

Chu Qingjian had many relationships, and Yan Ci had this strange skin hunger condition, but since his transmigration, the main plot has continued to follow its course.

Does this mean that the plot can still progress normally as long as he doesn’t interfere with the romantic storyline?

But this is a sweet romance story, with eighty percent of its content about the protagonists’ love story. Even the original owner’s car accident exit is tied to the main characters’ romance.

Xia Zhinian felt lost.

—

Yan Ci was at his family home, gathering some things. He rarely stayed there but needed to pick up a few items.

His mind kept replaying Xia Zhinian’s condition at the hospital. Something felt off.

He remembered the little rice cake getting a fever and a stomachache, always saying he didn’t want to go to the hospital or the infirmary. But if Xia Zhinian was newly diagnosed with allergic asthma and had no severe illnesses before…

Why was he so resistant to hospitals?

Yan Ci gathered his things and was about to leave when he bumped into a pair of malicious twins at the door.

Yan Yichen feigned friendliness, “Big brother, you haven’t stayed home for so long. Dad misses you. Can’t you stay for a few days before leaving again?”

Yan Ci’s expression was calm, looking at the two.

Yan Erqing nudged Yan Yichen, smiling sweetly, “Brother, I heard from friends at your school that you’re getting close to someone named Xia Zhinian. But he seems to like Chu Qingjian more. Is that true?”

“He didn’t secretly do anything to you, did he?”

Yan Ci looked at the two fools, smiling slightly, with a gentle expression but cold eyes. “You should know better than me if he did anything.”

Yan Erqing’s face changed, his smile faltering, “What do you mean by that, brother?”

Had they been found out?

Yan Ci’s smile remained, his voice patient as if giving advice, “You two are still young. Think before you speak and act, alright?”

Yan Yichen’s face twisted in anger, “Are you calling us stupid?!”

Yan Ci clicked his tongue, glancing at the time. He wanted to check on the little glutinous rice ball. He smiled warmly at them, “Of course not. But these petty tricks are tiresome. I was over them by the time I was five.”

“You—!” Yan Yichen raised his voice to curse.

“Yan Yichen.” Yan Ci’s eyes darkened slightly, his smile unchanged, his voice slow and low, “I have something to do later. I’m not in the mood for this today.”

“Are you sure you want to keep blocking the way?”

Yan Yichen seethed, his face red with anger, but something in Yan Ci’s eyes made him hesitate. Yan Erqing was already pulling at his sleeve.

With a glance at each other, Yan Yichen gritted his teeth and left, dragging Yan Erqing along.

Yan Ci didn’t make it to the hospital that day. Xia Zhinian was observed for a few days without any major issues and returned to the Xia family.

The next day, Xia Zhinian returned to school. As soon as he entered the classroom, Zou Ziqian spotted him and yelled, rushing over.

“Ah, my deskmate!”

“You finally came back!”