Chapter 38 The Young Lady in the Wheelchair 38: Why are you telling me this?

After the crisp sound of glass shattering, the red apple, having exhausted all other options, used this method to attract the attention of those around it.

Sure enough, several people rushed into the half-closed ward door and immediately saw Xi Congshuang, who was half-asleep and drowsy. They were overjoyed.

"He's awake! He's finally awake!"

"Doctor, go get the doctor!"

"You're finally awake. If you hadn't woken up by tomorrow, the anesthesiologist would have gone crazy."

"It's been four days already. If he hadn't woken up soon, it would have been really dangerous. Luckily, he has."

A cacophony of voices filled her ears, making Xi Congshuang frown and want to close her eyes and fall asleep again.

The people outside shouted even louder, "Don't sleep! The doctor will be here soon!"

"Think about your mission! Think about your health! Xi Congshuang, don't sleep!"

Only Xi Congshuang could hear it; the excited, cracking electronic voice entered her ears, and a figure appeared in her mind.

The chaotic thoughts finally grasped a sliver of reason, broke through the shackles of obscurity, and returned to reality.

Dr. Xu bent down to examine Xi Congshuang's pupils. The situation was better than she had expected: "Ms. Xi has woken up. She should rest now and we'll do a full check-up tomorrow to assess her recovery."

Xi Congshuang quietly cooperated with the doctor. While Dr. Xu and Chairman Xi were talking, she turned her gaze to the stand with the nutrition needle attached.

A red apple grew on the bare iron IV stand, looking down at her face.

After everyone in the ward had left, it came down and said with lingering fear, "You're really not afraid of death, aren't you? You actually pulled through. I was so afraid you'd really die these past few days."

Xi Congshuang: "Me too."

Red Apple choked. If she was afraid, why did she still insist on having this surgery?

Xi Congshuang had been sleeping for too long and was in a rare mood to chat with the system: "If I really die, what are you going to do?"

If there were other people around, they would definitely yell "Don't say such unlucky things!" and cover her mouth.

Still angry but too embarrassed to argue with the patient, Red Apple huffed, "What can I do but abandon you and find a new host?"

Xi Congshuang: Really?

Red Apple had a strange feeling that something was wrong, but surely the patient who had just been anesthetized couldn't be playing tricks on her now?

But its hesitation at this moment betrayed its true situation, and even the red apple's angry remark, "What else? There are millions of people in the world, not everyone will waste their chance at rebirth like you," could not make up for it.

Xi Congshuang took in its reaction and gave a pale, weak smile: "So that's how it is."

Red Apple: "Of course, it's in this hospital that I can find more than ten dying people to sign contracts with at any time, to work honestly for me and complete my missions."

Seeing the smile on her lips, Red Apple helplessly remembered to add a condition: only those who meet the standards can sign a contract.

Those who meet the standards aren't like cabbages; they're not something you can just come up with on a whim.

*

The subsequent results were unexpectedly smooth, with almost everything going smoothly.

Dr. Xu also exclaimed that he had never seen a patient with such a strong will to live. Upon learning that rehabilitation therapy could be tried, Xi Congshuang felt a great weight lifted off her shoulders.

On the seventh day after the surgery, Xi Congshuang began to get out of bed and move around. Half a month later, at her insistence, Dr. Xu agreed to let her undergo rehabilitation.

This time, instead of sitting in a wheelchair and undergoing rehabilitation that only strengthened his upper limbs, he stood on the ground with the support of a pair of crutches.

This feeling was indescribable. Xi Congshuang felt as if the blood in her body had come alive, and a sense of ease was flowing through her limbs and bones.

The doctors and nurses kept encouraging her, but did not support her immediately taking to walk, starting her rehabilitation by trying to stand.

The patient remained calm and, following the doctor's instructions, supported himself with his crutches and laboriously placed his feet flat on the ground.

The long-awaited, intense pain came from my legs, but it was more reassuring than when my legs were numb and unresponsive; at least my leg muscles were finally responding.

Xi Hanran was extremely flustered and wanted to reach out to help the trembling person from a distance.

But after looking at her for a while, she suddenly said, "Xi Congshuang, have you grown taller? You used to be a few centimeters shorter than me."

Xi Congshuang's cane tilted, her body leaned, and she was about to fall.

"Hey, hey, hey!" The nurses rushed over and helped the person steady.

Another nurse approached with a smile and politely asked her to leave so as not to disturb the patient's rehabilitation.

Even after being kicked out, Xi Hanran remained unrepentant, peering through the observation window and gesturing to show her height.

“She’s really grown taller, I’d say by about three centimeters.” Xi Hanran continued gesturing, pointing to her eyebrows. “I’m 175 cm tall, and Xi Congshuang used to be around my height.”

Xi Hanran's assistant: "..."

Xi Hanran lowered her head and tapped her phone rapidly, then said, "I heard that you can grow taller after a leg is broken, could it be because of that?"

Seeing Xi Hanran look at her legs, then at her phone, and finally turn to look at Xi Congshuang, who was working hard on her rehabilitation, with an envious gaze, the assistant was speechless.

Although the boss is very capable at work, he is also really clueless in other aspects.

Everyone has flaws, more or less, but her boss's flaws were so obvious that she sometimes felt embarrassed in front of Xi Congshuang's assistant.

The assistant quietly covered her face, unwilling to see Ni An's face as she approached.

*

"Bang!"

The person, who was holding onto the parallel bar, lost their grip and fell to the ground with a thud. The nurses rushed over to help them up, and the side of their face was visibly red from the impact.

Xi Congshuang has thin skin and little facial fat, making her prone to leaving marks.

The nurse skillfully examined Xi Congshuang's knees and found two more bruises.

The nurse suggested, "If continuing is too strenuous for you, why don't you rest for a while, treat your injury, and then come back?"

Xi Congshuang nodded: "Okay."

The nurse immediately brought a spray to apply medicine to her wound. The spray, with its strong medicinal smell, was sprayed onto her legs and hands, giving off a cooling sensation.

As Xi Congshuang slowly felt the stinging pain from the wounds on her legs, a sense of pleasure unexpectedly welled up inside her.

The legs below the trousers were thinner than normal, with faint scars remaining on them, and various falls and bumps layered on top of the old wounds.

Her eagerness to advance made her more vulnerable to injury than others.

It's likely that her physical appearance isn't much better than that of a soul-transmigrated character. It's a one-to-one replica of the original owner's car accident injuries and post-operative scars. Sometimes when she looks in the mirror, she almost can't tell who she is.

The nurse gently lowered the trouser leg that had been pushed up, turned around to pack her things, leaving Xi Congshuang to rest where she was.

Pale sunlight streamed into the room through the sheer curtains. Xi Congshuang was drawn to the reflective floor and looked over, her gaze falling on the curtains fluttering in the wind.

Through the crack, she could see that the leaves on the treetops outside had already fallen, and winter was approaching.

It turns out winter is almost here.

Red Apple has been slacking off lately, appearing more and more frequently, and recently she's been keen on watching Xi Congshuang's recovery.

Seeing her fall down again and again, and get up again and again, deepened the system's impression of her—a stubborn person.

The ruler's life is miserable; he's encountered a stubborn fellow, and a stubborn fellow who loves gambling at that.

Once again, he lost his grip and fell. As the nurse advised him to rest on the side, a red apple flew over.

It doesn't understand: "If you had completed the task properly, you would already be in the next world, and you might not have needed to go through all this trouble to get overhauled."

Every day I fall and get bruised all over. After trying so hard for so long, I can only stand up and move a few steps carefully.

It's a perfect example of achieving twice the result with half the effort; I can't understand what she's insisting on.

Xi Congshuang stared at the red apple. No matter how many times she looked at it, she still felt that it looked a lot like the poisoned apple in Snow White's hand.

It seems that neither side has a very good first impression of the other.

The red apple, a little fuzzy, stepped back and said, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Xi Congshuang said, "Before I transmigrated, the me you saw was about to die. Actually, before that, I gave up an operation."

"The doctor said that if I don't give up, I can live for at least three more years."

“But I always felt like a fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of others, and I was tired of it, so I gave up the surgery.”

"When you arrived, I felt life slipping away from my body."

Red Apple: "…………"

Apple is shocked.

Good heavens! No wonder she was so quiet back then; even with a chance to be reborn, she remained so profound.

Even after time-traveling, he wasn't very dedicated to his work; he was either eating or watching melodramatic soap operas.

I never imagined this person had no intention of living!

Why did my God, the main system, agree to let it sign a contract with this person? What did it do wrong?

The red apple felt it had fallen into some kind of trap. It couldn't figure out what was wrong and broke down, saying, "Logically speaking, someone like you would never easily tell me your true feelings, even if it meant death. Why are you telling me?"

"..."

Xi Congshuang smiled and, leaning on her cane, moved herself out.

The red apple virtual screen slid across a patch of pure white, and he hurriedly chased after it.

"No, what exactly do you mean by all this?"

"Are you trying to say that something has given you renewed hope for life? What is it? Tell me!"

"I haven't settled the score with you for your skyrocketing Honkai value yet! How are you going to pay me back for what you owe me?!"

Xi Congshuang didn't answer its question, which only made the red apple even redder with anger.

*

"That stuff on your face is so unsightly, when will it all go away?"

Beside the hospital bed, Xi Hanran crossed her arms and frowned as she stared at the scars on Xi Congshuang's face.

After some time, the marks on Xi Congshuang's face faded considerably, but because of her fair skin, even the slightest mark would be very noticeable.

Xi Hanran couldn't help but advise, "Why don't you reduce the time a bit? Don't stop to rest only when you're completely exhausted. Plan your time more reasonably."

It's always heartbreaking to see such a beautiful face covered in scars, even if it's your own boss.

Ni An, who was eating the fruit platter from the boss, nodded repeatedly and tried to swallow the grapes in her mouth: "Being injured all the time will affect the recovery process, right?"

Xi Congshuang remained silent, ignoring their words.

The two knew that they couldn't persuade Xi Congshuang with just their words, so Xi Hanran used a trick and called Chairman Xi.

Summoned, Chairman Xi appeared out of nowhere, arriving directly from the airport to the hospital. After some persuasion, Xi Congshuang finally agreed not to force herself so much.

However, Xi Congshuang's image of avoiding medical treatment was deeply ingrained in people's minds. After much painful reflection, Chairman Xi canceled his flight and stayed behind to personally oversee Xi Congshuang's recovery.

Anyway, she's retired, so she has plenty of time.

Xi Congshuang: "..." I miscalculated.

Xi Congshuang spent this year in the hospital.

After her daily rehabilitation session, before her visitor arrived, she put on her coat and sat by the window watching the snow.

It was a lively time outside, but the hospital was much quieter than usual, and the world outside the window was covered in white snow.

In a daze, Xi Congshuang seemed to have returned to the past, where she was quietly enjoying the snow by the window.

Aside from nurses reminding her not to catch a cold and pushing her wheelchair away from the window, no one will rush in with wet palms to show her the snowflakes melting on her hands from their body heat.

A notification sound came from the laptop behind her. Xi Congshuang stood up, leaning on her cane, and slowly moved over to sit down.

Moving the mouse to open the email, the content wasn't long; Xi Congshuang could read it all at a glance.

Wen Lingwang protected her very well, making it difficult to obtain more information about her; one could only get bits and pieces of information about her from an outsider's perspective.

The only information we have now is that she is still in school and is gradually getting involved in the company's business under the guidance of Wen Lingwang.

As for the specific details, there are none.

With her eyes closed, Xi Congshuang thought of the female protagonist described in the information. If you remove the gloomy and ruthless traits, the rest is almost identical to Cheng Zhishu.

She will become a person of high status and unparalleled elegance.

Suddenly, a voice came from beside Xi Congshuang: "If you don't cherish people when they're right in front of you, what's the use of looking at them from a distance of 108,000 miles away?"

Looking down, there it was again, that red apple, facing the computer, flapping its wings: "The female lead, far away in another country, won't voluntarily reduce her Honkai value just because you're watching her."

It was just a casual jab at Xi Congshuang, but to its surprise, she agreed with it, saying, "You're right."

After tapping her long, slender, white fingers for a moment, Xi Congshuang sent an email, permanently ending the transaction between the two parties.

Red Apple: "..."

It was precisely at this moment that I suddenly felt morally upright.

See where you'll find someone to lower the Honkai value and complete missions when you finally figure things out.

Even now, Red Apple hasn't given up on the fantasy that Xi Congshuang suddenly understood and completed the mission.

Moreover, there are still nine years until Xi Congshuang's death due to mission failure. As long as Xi Congshuang doesn't do anything reckless during this period, there is still hope.

Xi Congshuang was seriously injured in the car accident. It took her more than two years to go from being able to walk and jog normally after the operation to being able to get out of bed again. Every time she went for a check-up, the doctor was amazed by her speed of recovery.

From a situation where the chances of standing up were slim, or even impossible, to now being able to walk freely, it has been incredibly difficult.

Xi Congshuang still felt it was too slow. Even now, she still can't go very far, and her wristwatch reminds her to rest every two hours.

She seems to be free, but she is still trapped in a limited space.

Year after year has passed, and four years have already gone by.

In the third year, she finally received her doctor's approval to travel a long distance for a short period of time, but she still needed to pay attention to rest.

Four years have enabled a wheelchair-bound person to stand up and a deaf kitten to grow into a triangular rice ball.

When he sat down on the ground, he was like a small mountain covered in snow, and his voice grew louder and louder.

The stylists who were adjusting Xi Congshuang's dress carefully advised, "Big Fatty... oh wait, Little Kitty, why don't you go play over there? There are cat treats over there."

The little girl didn't know that the cat in front of her was deaf and couldn't hear her at all. She stubbornly stretched out her white paws to try and hook the silver tassels on her skirt.

Another girl tried to pick up the cat, but this startled Nao Nao, who then rolled over and pretended to bite her hand.

The girl screamed and quickly let go, only to realize upon checking the back of her hand that it hadn't bitten her at all.

"You scared me!" The girl patted her chest.

Nao Nao stared at them with dissatisfaction in its blue eyes. It was the king of the house, and these people had invaded its territory and wouldn't even let it play with its shiny toys. They deserved to die.

Cat hitting gavel, you're guilty.jpg

Nao Nao caught a glimpse of Liu Su moving out of the corner of her eye and instinctively reached out her paw to hook it: "Meow!"

The costume designers hurriedly whispered, "No, no, no! The haute couture is going to break!"

Long, slender hands reached out, grabbed the cat by the armpits, and picked it up. All eyes turned to the person who had suddenly appeared.

Nao Nao was still fixated on the tassels on her skirt, and turned around while perched on the slender shoulder: "Meow!"

Xi Congshuang raised her hand and stroked the cat from the top of its head down its back: "Nao Nao is deaf by nature. I accidentally didn't lock the door properly and it ran out. I'm sorry."

Everyone was momentarily stunned by the cat's owner, then quickly waved their hands, saying, "It's nothing, it's nothing."

Xi Congshuang then picked up the cat and left. She walked slowly but steadily.

All eyes followed her until she walked into the room carrying the cat, and then hushed conversations began.

"She can walk, so why is everyone criticizing her..."

"She's so beautiful. If there were photos of her online, she would definitely have a huge following of fans."

"Alright, that's enough. Let's get ready, the banquet is about to begin."

It's early summer again, and Ms. Xi is celebrating her 80th birthday. She is still in good spirits and her eyes are bright.

In recent years, after she took off her responsibilities, she traveled around and carefully looked at the places she had passed through in her youth.

But to everyone's surprise, her energy kept getting better and better. She could go up mountains and down to the sea and surf without any problem. Her physical fitness was so strong that even Xi Hanran and Xi Congshuang combined couldn't compare.

Xi Congshuang attended the event in a wheelchair. She hadn't exceeded her exercise limit today, but she didn't want to exchange pleasantries with people and didn't want to miss Chairman Xi's birthday banquet. She decided to attend for half an hour and then have Ni An push her away.

Since Xi Hanran took over as CEO of Xi's Group, Xi Congshuang has no longer been bothered by people chatting around her and has been able to live a life of leisure and wealth.

She has not made any public announcements about the recovery of her legs, as she feels it is unnecessary.

Xi Congshuang sat in her wheelchair, occupying a corner to eat. She would occasionally raise her hand to check her watch. Half an hour had almost passed since she had reserved the time, and Ni An would soon come to push her away.

For some reason, Ni An was late today. Three minutes past the appointed time, she still hadn't appeared. Xi Congshuang frowned slightly and prepared to leave on her own.

"Is Miss Xi alone?" A voice asked from the side. Without thinking, Xi Congshuang quickened her pace to leave.

The man was taken aback, then sped up and caught up, blocking Xi Congshuang's path.

The moment the other person saw Xi Congshuang's face clearly, a look of amazement flashed in their eyes.

Although her legs aren't great, she's really good-looking. And who says that having bad legs means there's no fun in it? Being manipulated by others in bed is part of the fun.

Xi Congshuang looked at the woman coldly. She was unfamiliar with her and had never seen her before. The frivolity in her eyes and brows was very obvious.

He probably saw her as a target for his advances, using the pretense of healing her emotional wounds, but ultimately he was just using her looks to seduce her.

Over the years, she has seen many such cases, and none of them ended well.

Seeing that Xi Congshuang didn't move, the woman thought she had a chance and went on to say, "It's too noisy here. Would you like me to take you to a quiet place for a drink? I just found a spot that's perfect for stargazing."

Little did she know that if she continued talking, Xi Congshuang would send her to heaven to be a star.

Before Xi Congshuang could speak, a commotion arose in the center of the banquet hall, and a familiar blonde man walked in.

She felt as if she had returned to five years ago, when she still habitually wore a shirt with a vest over it, accentuating her slender waist.

The young woman muttered under her breath, "Why are people from the Ander Group here all of a sudden?"

Xi Congshuang: "..."

After many years apart, I saw Flora again.

She still came under the pretext of attending Chairman Xi's birthday party.

This piqued the curiosity of everyone present. The Xi family and the Ander Group had not cooperated for many years, so why was she here?

Could there be some good news between the two companies that is not known to outsiders?

In fact, Xi Hanran looked completely bewildered. She had no plans to cooperate with Ander in the near future. Holding her champagne, she looked at Chairman Xi not far away.

Unsurprisingly, she remained calm and unperturbed.

Great, nobody really knows what Flora is up to this time.

Now that the guest had arrived, she couldn't slack off, so Xi Hanran changed her drink and chatted with her.

Seeing that she was already surrounded, the carefree rich kid who had come with the intention of hunting for women wasn't interested in Flora's untamable type. She preferred...

Looking down, I saw that the seat next to me was empty.

"Where is Xi Congshuang???"

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This isn't a spoiler, is it? See you tomorrow! [Sprinkling emojis]