Gu Xi never imagined that one day she would have the possibility of getting rid of tranquilizers.
The severe rejection caused by the mechanical replacement of limbs and organs results in only endless pain and a shorter lifespan than normal people, in addition to superhuman strength.
He had once witnessed a person with mechanical limbs in the arena who, after his combat power was severely weakened, lost the amusement he provided for the nobles. He could only curl up in a corner, his body, connected to the machines, constantly festering and rotting. After he stopped breathing, his entire body trembled uncontrollably.
Like... a person who has long since turned into a beast.
He once thought that would eventually be his end as well.
But now, the success of this experiment has given him a glimmer of hope.
He was no longer the "slave" who was used for human pleasure and was worse than a beast. He could try every means to prolong his life, but the excruciating pain of rejection could not be resolved.
Now that the experiment has succeeded, he can live like a truly normal person without the need for sedatives.
Besides the limbs.
Therefore, after listening to the researchers explain the basic operation of the experiment and the risks she might face, Gu Xi lay down on the experimental table and did not ask any other questions.
Soon, Gu Xi was anesthetized, and her consciousness faded into a blank white.
He had a dream.
He dreamt of the hellish days of his youth, days he hadn't recalled in a long time.
There, he was instilled with the idea that only the strong prey on the weak, and that maintaining one's dignity was a luxury.
Those high-ranking nobles love fighting, love bloodshed, and love watching lowly humans being torn apart by their "pets" with nowhere to escape. They laugh heartily and readily pull out a wad of banknotes to throw into the arena.
They were butchers who looked every bit the gentleman.
When he first arrived there, he still liked to stand upright until a lion, taller than twice his size, finally broke his arm bones, and he collapsed.
His arm was the first limb to be amputated because he lost, proving that his arm was too weak.
At that time, the person who installed the metal arm on him calmly said to him: "With your back so straight, do you really think you can still be a human being with this thing on?"
This one sentence easily shattered all his pride as a person.
Survival is the only rule here.
The life of a lowly "slave" remains lowly even in death, and it makes no difference whether he stands or kneels.
As long as one is noble, even a beast can make those people kneel down obediently.
The crude chainsaw hissed incessantly as it struck his arm, and he watched helplessly as his bones were sawed through, leaving a bloody mess.
But strangely, it didn't hurt; instead, it brought a tingling sensation, like being gently soothed, dispelling the chill of the dream...
Gu Xi suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze cold and menacing, as if she had just crawled out of hell.
Upon seeing the familiar room before him, he gradually came to his senses. This was his room, and his arm…
Gu Xi lowered his eyes slightly. A woman's delicate hand was curled in his palm, while her other hand was gently stroking the metal bones of his arm. The movements were very gentle, and the sensation was exactly the same as the tingling feeling in his dream.
It felt like... someone was scratching his heart.
Gu Xi frowned, her fingertips twitching unconsciously.
The hand that was stroking his arm paused, and Jiang Fei froze for a moment before immediately looking up.
"You're awake?" The voice was full of surprise.
Gu Xi looked up and immediately met a pair of bright, sparkling eyes. Those eyes seemed to be studded with diamonds, shining brightly in the white room.
He unconsciously avoided that gaze and looked down at her hand, which was still holding his.
Jiang Fei followed his gaze in confusion, then suddenly realized what he meant and quickly let go of his hand: "I'm sorry, it's just that you seemed to have a bad dream just now, your hands were clenched very tightly, and your arm was bleeding a little from where the metal was pressed against it. I was worried, so I let you hold my hand..."
The more she spoke, the softer her voice became, until finally she lowered her head, her ears turning bright red, unable to say anything more.
Gu Xi stared at her hand. On the back of her hand, which was originally snow-white, there were several bloody marks left by his grip, which did not fade away for a long time.
Seemingly sensing his gaze, Jiang Fei curled her fingers and put her hands behind her back: "How are you feeling? Is anything bothering you?"
Gu Xi looked away, then suddenly realized something: "How long have I been asleep?"
Jiang Fei: "Two days and one night."
Gu Xi was startled and subconsciously looked at her arm to see if there were any new needle marks.
Jiang Fei, however, seemed to know what he was doing and hurriedly said, "I haven't given you any sedatives these past few days."
Gu Xi froze.
He understood perfectly what Jiang Fei meant by those words; it meant that he had truly gotten rid of the sedative and had truly achieved a state where he could no longer feel the pain caused by the rejection...
"How are you? Does it still hurt?" Jiang Fei asked again when he didn't answer. "Why aren't you saying anything? Is it still hurting somewhere? Don't keep it to yourself..."
Gu Xi looked up at Jiang Fei, her words filled with obvious concern.
However, whether it was his imagination or not, she seemed to have lost weight, looked pale, and was much weaker in the few days he hadn't seen her.
"It doesn't hurt," he suddenly said.
"Don't worry, I will definitely find a way to stop your pain..." Jiang Fei was still saying something when she realized what she had said, "What did you say?"
Gu Xi pursed her lips and said nothing more.
Jiang Fei laughed: "I heard you. You said it doesn't hurt, right?"
Gu Xi gazed at her smile, as if she weren't the one who hadn't shown up at all a few days ago because of his "I don't feel anything." Thinking of this, Gu Xi coldly lowered his eyes and said, "Hmm..."
Before he could finish speaking, Gu Xi's vision went dark, and Jiang Fei rushed forward and hugged him tightly.
A big hug.
To prevent her from falling, Gu Xi instinctively braced her waist with his hand, but stopped abruptly.
She has indeed lost a lot of weight.
"That's great," came Jiang Fei's murmur, "That's great..."
After an unknown amount of time, footsteps were heard outside the door.
Jiang Fei realized what was happening, quickly released Gu Xi, and stood aside with her head down.
The next second, a knock came at the door. The researchers were doing their routine check. After thoroughly examining the instrument data, they told him to take a good rest for the next few days and then left.
Jiang Fei remained standing there until those people left, then whispered, "You need to rest well these next few days."
Gu Xi glanced at his fingertips, and for some reason, he could still recall the feeling of holding her waist just now. But she quickly let go of him at the sound of movement, as if he were someone who couldn't be seen in public. He frowned and said, "Hmm."
"Can I ask you for a favor?" Jiang Fei paused for a moment, then seemed to have mustered up her courage to speak.
Gu Xi looked at her.
"Could you come with me in a few days? I promise I won't leave your sight, but... I want to do something." Jiang Fei said, lowering her head.
"What is it?" Gu Xi asked in return.
Jiang Fei pursed her lips and glanced at him quickly: "You'll find out then."
Looking at her expression, perhaps it was the joy of the successful experiment, Gu Xi remained silent for a while before nodding in agreement.
Jiang Fei's eyes lit up, and she stepped forward to take his hand, shaking it solemnly: "Thank you, Gu Xi!"
Gu Xi's favorability rating: 25.
...
Jiang Fei certainly didn't really intend to go out with Gu Xi.
In fact, in the original storyline, Ji Wei and Lin Ran had a conflict on the eve of their engagement. During the conflict, Lin Ran blurted out that "Gu Xi is very good to me" and then ran away from home.
When Gu Xi found out, he naturally went to find Lin Ran. Unfortunately, his feelings for Lin Ran stemmed from the only possessiveness in his life, which was as lifeless as an ancient well. So what he wanted was for Lin Ran to willingly return to his side. However, Lin Ran still couldn't forgive him for the deception he had suffered back then, and in the end, she chose Ji Wei.
Coincidentally, this day also marked exactly two years since Gu Xi brought the original owner out of the slums.
Two years of use.
That day.
Jiang Fei dressed up early in the morning, carrying only an exquisite box, and did not put on makeup.
Firstly, the original owner was naturally beautiful, and although her complexion was a bit pale, she could make people feel even more sorry for her when she acted pitiful; secondly, there was no need for it, since Gu Xi would not stay.
That's exactly what happened.
As soon as Jiang Fei and Gu Xi stepped out of the Gu family's gate, a black sedan stopped at the entrance. A man in a black suit walked up to Gu Xi and whispered something in her ear, causing Gu Xi's expression to change.
Jiang Fei stood aside with a normal expression. Although she couldn't hear, she could guess that they were talking about Lin Ran and Ji Wei arguing and running away from home.
Seeing Gu Xi's thin lips pressed tightly together, Jiang Fei hesitated for a moment, then cautiously stepped forward: "Gu Xi?"
Gu Xi quickly replied as usual, glancing at her and saying, "I'm afraid I won't be able to go out today; I have other things to do."
Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and left.
“I’ll wait for you,” Jiang Fei said almost immediately.
Gu Xi paused for a moment, but ultimately neither agreed nor refused, and quickly left.
The staff member following behind the two glanced pitifully at Jiang Fei, who was full of disappointment, and hurriedly ran forward, holding an umbrella to follow Gu Xi.
Jiang Fei watched in a panic as Gu Xi's car completely disappeared into the rain, and only after a long while did she slowly walk back.
Those who knew the inside story cast sighs of pity at her. After all, Miss Jiang had given so much to Mr. Gu, yet Mr. Gu still left without hesitation.
Judging from Miss Jiang's pale face now, she is probably truly heartbroken.
As for Jiang Fei, the person involved, after returning to her floor, she was too lazy to pretend anymore and simply lay down on the sofa, enjoying the scenery outside the window.
...
Lin Jiu was assigned a task today: to deal with a researcher who had fled the Gu family with some research data.
The researcher fled to the research lab in the Ji family building. After secretly handling the situation, he saw Lin Ran running out of the building, looking extremely heartbroken.
Jiang Fei said that his feelings for Lin Ran were simply called liking.
But Lin Jiu himself didn't know why, he had no desire to chase after them, only feeling utterly exhausted.
Is this what liking someone is?
Is human affection so heavy and oppressive?
He eventually returned to the Gu family, but as soon as he entered the Gu family building, he heard the rumor that "Jiang Fei was abandoned by Mr. Gu." He was stunned for a while before he wanted to go back to the laboratory to deal with the excess fingerprints left on the bionic skin.
Jiang Fei had told him to stop following her.
She doesn't want him anymore.
However, when he heard them say, "Miss Jiang looks very pitiful and is still waiting for Mr. Gu," he stopped in his tracks.
He knew that Gu Xi must have gone to find Lin Ran.
Gu Xi has always wanted Lin Ran.
So... even if Jiang Fei didn't want to see him, he simply told her not to wait any longer, and that was all.
By the way, I can take another look at her.
Thinking of this, Lin Jiu quickened her pace and headed straight upstairs.
On the other side.
Near the Ji family's residence.
Lin Ran ran haphazardly in the rain, her steps unsteady and her eyes red. Before long, her long black hair was soaked by the rain.
She never imagined that just now, when she found Ji Wei and went up to him to take his arm as before, he turned his head and called out a distraught "Jiang Fei". Although he quickly covered it up, she couldn't pretend that nothing had happened.
She didn't understand why the person who had been so gentle to her back then was now so cold to her, even less so than... less than Gu Xi, who had been deceiving her all along.
The longer she stayed by Ji Wei's side, the more she couldn't help but compare herself to him, and the more aggrieved she felt.
She kept running forward, and no one was chasing her.
As it approached an intersection, a black limousine suddenly stopped.
Lin Ran quickly stopped, lowered her head to hide her disheveled state, and hoped the car would leave soon.
But the car didn't leave. Instead, she heard the sound of a car door opening, and footsteps approaching her. A black umbrella was held over her head.
Lin Ran looked up abruptly, only to see the man's cold and handsome face, like a sculpture, with light-colored long hair and deep-set eyes.
She paused, momentarily thinking she had returned to the time when her memories were swapped.
"What happened?" Gu Xi's voice was husky and magnetic as he gently tucked her slightly damp long hair behind her ear.
Lin Ran's eyelashes trembled, a wave of grievance rose in her chest, and her eyes reddened even more.
The next second he suddenly realized what was happening and quickly pushed Gu Xi's hand away: "Don't touch me..." But halfway through his sentence, he couldn't hide the sob in his voice, which gradually softened, "You're a liar..."
Gu Xi's hand was brushed away, but his expression remained unchanged. He withdrew his hand, the umbrella still over Lin Ran's head: "Indeed." He admitted frankly.
Lin Ran looked up at him, her eyes red-rimmed, seemingly wondering why he had admitted it, but her gaze froze when she saw his half-wet shoulder.
He was shielding her from the rain, just as he had silently indulged her during that time.
"Come with me first." After Gu Xi finished speaking, he grabbed her wrist and tried to lead her away.
"And then?" Lin Ran didn't follow, but instead took a step back and shook him off. "Will you lock me up in the Gu family like a prisoner again? Or will you replace my memories with someone else's, making me stay by your side like a puppet..."
Gu Xi glanced at her hand that had been flung away; the metal on her wrist was rubbing against her flesh and bones, causing a slight pain.
Jiang Fei always liked to gently stroke that spot.
Gu Xi snapped back to reality, his gaze darkening. He shouldn't have thought of Jiang Fei. "Getting wet in the rain isn't good for your health. I'm just going to avoid the rain," he said in a deep voice, his clear blue eyes like a vast ocean, mysterious and profound.
Lin Ran stared straight into his eyes, her heart beating faster. She knew he was right, but she dared not and did not want to admit it.
Just then, footsteps sounded from the opposite direction, followed by a low, husky male voice: "Ranran."
Gu Xi looked up.
Ji Wei was standing there, calling out "Ranran" to him, but her eyes were fixed on him, silently confronting him. There was an undercurrent in her gaze, but her expression remained calm and composed.
Lin Ran pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, and finally walked towards Ji Wei.
Gu Xi remained standing in place, holding a black umbrella, her tall figure and straight back. After a long while, a smile, though not reaching her eyes, appeared on her face as she stared at the departing figures of the two people until they disappeared from sight.
The staff member who followed behind Gu Xi watched his back for a long time before pausing and slowly stepping forward: "Mr. Gu, let's go."
Gu Xi did not move.
After a moment of silence, the staff member mustered their courage and said, "Mr. Gu could also look at the people around him..."
Gu Xi finally moved this time, turning her head slightly, her gaze devoid of any warmth.
The staff member quickly lowered his head, not daring to say anything more.
Gu Xi spoke up: "The people around you?"
The staff member was surprised, but honestly replied, "Ms. Jiang endured that kind of pain for Mr. Gu..."
"That kind of pain?" Gu Xi interrupted him, a hint of confusion in her eyes. "Which kind?"
"You don't know?" the staff member said, "Miss Jiang willingly served as a guinea pig. Her contribution to the lab's rapid success in this experiment is indispensable..."
The staff member stopped talking, and for the first time, he saw Mr. Gu's expression show a kind of "dazed and confused" emotion.
But soon, Gu Xi turned around and strode back the way she came.
He naturally knew why the experiment had failed over the years, but it was almost impossible to make a person endure level twelve pain without anesthesia and not even have much emotional fluctuation.
But Jiang Fei... endured it for many days.
No wonder she has looked very thin these past few days.
But...why?
Why.
What does she want? Or what does she want to get from him?
He doesn't believe that someone being kind to another is purely altruistic.
"Mr. Gu, where are you going?" a staff member asked from behind.
Gu Xi remained silent throughout, only giving a deep command after getting into the car: "Go back to the Gu family."
...
The Gu family.
Jiang Fei was lazily enjoying the beautiful scenery when she received a message that "Gu Xi's favorability rating is fluctuating rapidly".
That spoils the mood.
Jiang Fei muttered a curse to herself before turning over to continue admiring the scenery.
Just then, a very light footstep came from outside the half-open door. The sound stopped at the doorway, as if hesitating. After a long time, a knock came slowly.
Jiang Fei ignored it and continued to look out the window with her back to the door.
The area outside the door fell silent again. After a long wait, the door was gently pushed open, and the young man walked in slowly. His white shirt accentuated his exquisite features.
Lin Jiu looked at the woman's back, which was turned away from him. She was looking out the window, and on the table next to her was an exquisite box with an unopened bow tied on it.
Lin Jiu stared at that figure for an unknown amount of time, her heart aching, before slowly walking forward and whispering, "Don't wait anymore."
But Jiang Fei remained seated with her back to him, ignoring him.
“He went to find someone else,” Lin Jiu walked to her side, “Jiang Fei…”
The sound stopped abruptly when he saw her expression.
She was staring straight out the window, but her eyes were unfocused. She tried to appear calm on her pale face, but one could see through her sadness at a glance.
"Jiang Fei..." Lin Jiu's voice unconsciously softened.
“I know,” Jiang Fei said in a low voice.
"..." Lin Jiu looked at her without saying anything.
"He went to see Miss Lin, didn't he?" Jiang Fei lowered her eyes, gave a self-deprecating smile, and then turned to look at Lin Jiu. "And what about you? What are you doing here?"
"Miss Lin, something seems to have happened today. Don't you want to go and see..."
"Jiang Fei!" Lin Jiu interrupted her in a voice that was almost frantic.
Jiang Fei looked up at him, puzzled.
Lin Jiu, however, regained her senses and said in a low voice, "Don't mention other women anymore..."
In particular, he was paired with Lin Ran.
He felt neither happy nor shy, only annoyed.
Jiang Fei was stunned for a moment, looked at him for a while, and then looked away: "Sorry."
As she spoke, she stood up, walked to the table next to her, picked up an exquisite box, opened it, and inside was a cake that wasn't perfect, but you could tell that the person who made it had put their heart into it.
"Today marks the day he brought me here to start a new two-year cycle," Jiang Fei smiled. "But it seems no one remembers. Do you want some?"
Lin Jiu was stunned, looking at the cake in her hand. This seemed to be the first time she had taken the initiative to invite her since that incident.
"Look at me, I forgot you don't need to eat at all..."
"Okay," Lin Jiu suddenly said.
Jiang Fei looked surprised for a moment, but quickly recovered, smiled and put the cake down. The two sat on the ground in front of the French windows.
Lin Jiu took a bite of the cake. He couldn't taste anything, but he knew that the cake should be sweet.
He felt a touch of sweetness in his heart.
Because sweetness gives people a feeling of pleasure.
Is it possible for them to go back to those days?
"That's not love, is it, Jiang Fei?" Lin Jiu said softly, looking out the window.
He didn't actually like Lin Ran.
"What?" Jiang Fei turned her head and looked at him in confusion.
Lin Jiu met her gaze, but when she saw her current appearance, she swallowed the words she was about to say.
Perhaps because she had eaten cake, there was a little cream on her lips, which stood out against her skin and... looked adorable.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Fei asked, puzzled.
Lin Jiu shook her head, then inexplicably laughed. She swallowed back the words she wanted to say to her, reached out and gently wiped the cream away from her lips.
At the same time, a person was walking briskly towards them down the corridor, with a cold and expressionless face.
Lin Jiu's hand was about to brush against Jiang Fei's lips.
The door was pushed open, and a person who had been walking hurriedly stopped abruptly. Looking at the two people intimately inside, the person suddenly said coldly the instant their hands and lips touched: "Jiang Fei!"
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