Chapter 7

The cut across her hand was deep enough to expose bone, and blood dripped all over the floor, a terrifying crimson sight.

The nurse carefully bandaged Zhong Yingzhi’s hand. “Please bear with it. It may hurt a little.”

She needed three stitches. Throughout the entire process of stitching, dressing, and bandaging the wound, Zhong Yingzhi did not even furrow her brows. Mu Cheng, who was standing off to the side, was the one who felt the pain for her.

When Mu Cheng saw the needle and thread pass through flesh, she made a fuss in shock. “They don’t use anesthetic for stitches? How painful must that be?”

Zhong Yingzhi looked up at her, smiled, and comforted her. “It doesn’t hurt.”

Mu Cheng froze for a moment. Zhong Yingzhi had actually smiled at her? She never saw her smile normally, so seeing it so suddenly was truly rare.

“President Zhong, you need to pay attention to the wound on your hand these next few days. Try not to let it touch water,” the nurse reminded her.

Zhong Yingzhi nodded and asked, “Where’s Lin Zhuo?”

The nurse finished wrapping the last loop of gauze, looked up, and replied respectfully, “Doctor Lin said he’ll be here very soon.”

Zhong Yingzhi waved a hand. “Got it. You can go out first.”

The nurse answered yes, packed up the bandaging supplies, and quietly retreated, closing the door on her way out.

After the nurse left, only the two of them remained in the hospital room. Mu Cheng and Zhong Yingzhi stood facing each other, staring at each other with wide eyes.

The atmosphere was far too quiet. Mu Cheng was the first to speak, looking for something to say. “The wound on your hand… it’s nothing serious, right?”

Zhong Yingzhi did not answer. Instead, she said, “You just woke up, and your body hasn’t recovered yet. Don’t keep standing. Go lie down on the bed.”

Mu Cheng waved a hand. “It’s fine. I’m doing pretty well.”

To prove that her body was fine, she even raised bailiantales.comher arm upward. But the moment she lifted it, it pulled at her wounds, making her hiss in pain. Her body lost control and was about to fall to the floor.

Zhong Yingzhi quickly stepped forward and supported her, snapping with restrained anger, “Why are you moving around randomly? I told you to lie down.”

No matter how many years had passed, this person’s tone when speaking was still the same as ever—fierce and icy.

Mu Cheng stopped trying to act strong and obediently lay back down on the bed.

“When Lin Zhuo comes, I’ll have him examine your body again. Before that, don’t run around or move randomly. Lie there quietly. If you’re tired, sleep a little more.” Zhong Yingzhi tucked the blanket around her. Although her voice was cold, her movements were slow and gentle. “I’ll stay beside you. Sleep at ease.”

Mu Cheng blinked, a little unaccustomed to being taken care of by her.

For some reason, the atmosphere turned quiet again.

Mu Cheng had not forgotten the most important matter. But the difficult problem before her was how exactly she should ask Zhong Yingzhi what had happened to her. How could she ask without making it seem abrupt?

It seemed that no matter how she asked, the other person would find it strange. But she [read the original at bailiantales.com]could not just not ask.

Forget it. Who cared whether it was abrupt or not? “Um, there’s something I want to ask you.”

Zhong Yingzhi looked at her. “Ask.”

Mu Cheng did not directly ask about jumping off the building. First, she took a roundabout approach. “Why are you the one taking care of me? Where’s my grandma? And why aren’t my parents and older brother here?”

Hearing this, Zhong Yingzhi’s brows twisted slightly, and she looked at her in confusion.

Zhong Yingzhi did not answer for a long time, making Mu Cheng anxious.

She could transmigrate back at any moment. It was better not to keep rambling. She should just make up an excuse and get straight to the point.

“My head is a little messy. Maybe I’ve lost my memory. Right, right, right. It’s amnesia.” Mu Cheng said seriously, “Anyway, no matter what, I just don’t remember. I’m in a bit of a hurry and don’t have time to explain too much to you. Just hurry up and answer my questions.”

Mu Cheng looked at her expectantly. “Why did I jump off the building? And what’s bailiantales.comgoing on with the depression? Did I go through something?”

Zhong Yingzhi’s brows furrowed even more tightly, and her expression gradually turned solemn.

“Say something. Don’t just keep staring at me,” Mu Cheng urged anxiously.

“Knock, knock, knock.” Someone knocked on the door.

Zhong Yingzhi turned her head. “Come in.”

The person who walked in was Lin Zhuo. He was Mu Cheng’s attending physician.

Lin Zhuo was the Doctor Lin who had worked in the school infirmary. It was just that, compared to him nine years ago, he now had many more white strands in his hair, and quite a few wrinkles had appeared on his face.

Lin Zhuo stepped forward, wanting to check Mu Cheng’s physical condition.

Mu Cheng waved a hand and interrupted him. “Wait, hold on. I don’t need an examination right now. If you really have to examine me, then please wait until later. I’m really in a rush. For all I know, I might transmigrate back in the next second. I know I look a little crazy right now, but I’m really ​unauthorized copy​in a hurry, so please hurry and answer my question. Why did I jump off the building?”

Lin Zhuo frowned and turned back to glance at Zhong Yingzhi.

Zhong Yingzhi’s face showed worry. “She’s been asking strange questions since just now. I’m guessing she might have injured her head.”

Lin Zhuo’s expression turned serious. He flipped through the medical record and said in confusion, “That shouldn’t be the case. The several previous examinations all showed that her head wasn’t injured.”

“Um,” Mu Cheng spoke up. “There’s nothing wrong with my head.”

No one paid attention to Mu Cheng’s words.

Lin Zhuo closed the medical record. “Let’s do a brain CT first and see if anything was missed.”

Zhong Yingzhi nodded.

“Um,” Mu Cheng spoke up again. “There really is nothing wrong with my head.”

Zhong Yingzhi looked at her, worry rising in her heart. “She seems a little serious to me.”

No one paid any attention to Mu Cheng the entire time. In the end, she was inexplicably pushed away to get a brain CT.

Experts and doctors gathered together, studying the CT results. The final conclusion they reached was that her head was completely normal. There were no injuries that could have caused any pathological changes. In the end, they classified it as traumatic amnesia.

Seeing their serious manner, Mu Cheng rolled her eyes speechlessly.

Zhong Yingzhi poured a cup of warm water and handed it to her.

Mu Cheng accepted the water and gulped down two large mouthfuls. “You’ve done the examination now. Whether it’s traumatic amnesia or my brain really being broken, none of that is important. Can you answer my questions now?”

Zhong Yingzhi said, “It’s not anything worth remembering. It’s better that you forgot.”

She was really determined not to let Mu Cheng get an answer. Mu Cheng held her forehead and ​unauthorized copy​looked up at the sky helplessly.

Zhong Yingzhi smiled faintly, somewhat relieved. “You were always lifeless before. Seeing you angry and anxious like this now feels quite nostalgic.”

Mu Cheng looked straight at her, placed both hands on her shoulders, and said with a sincere expression, “I’ll tell you the truth. I’m actually Mu Cheng from nine years ago. I suddenly gained the ability to travel through time. Right now, I have to know the reason I jumped off the building. That way, after I go back, I’ll have an idea of what to do, and I can prevent this tragedy from happening again. Do you understand?”

Zhong Yingzhi lowered her head and laughed softly.

Mu Cheng patiently continued, “I know this sounds absurd. Actually, I also thought it was especially absurd at first, but it happened, and it’s real.”

“Such a rich imagination. Very cute.” Zhong Yingzhi reached out and pinched Mu Cheng’s cheek, her eyes filled with deep affection.

Having her face suddenly pinched, Mu Cheng froze.

Mu Cheng took a step back, covered the place that had been pinched, and said in alarm, “Why are you pinching me? And why are you looking at me with such tender, affectionate eyes? It’s kind of terrifying.”

Zhong Yingzhi stepped closer. “Looks like you’ve also forgotten exactly who I am.”

With every step she took forward, Mu Cheng took a step back. “I haven’t forgotten. Your name is Zhong Yingzhi, I know that. You’re my university roommate.”

“Roommate?” Zhong Yingzhi forced her into the corner, her gaze dark and unreadable. “Only a roommate?”

They were too close. Mu Cheng felt an inexplicable panic rise in her heart. She held both hands in front of her chest and stammered uncertainly, “A-aren’t you?”

Zhong Yingzhi gave a cold laugh. Then she lowered her head and leaned down toward her, a faint, fresh mint scent lingering at the tip of Mu Cheng’s nose.

Closer and closer, closer and closer, close enough that Mu Cheng could see the tiny downy hairs on her face.

Mu Cheng swallowed. Her eyes were wide and round. She wanted to retreat, but behind her was the wall. There was nowhere left to go.

At the critical moment, the scene changed, and Mu Cheng returned to the dorm.

Mu Cheng sat up, clutching her wildly pounding ​unauthorized copy​heart, still frightened. “That scared me to death. Why was she leaning so close just now? Was she going to kiss me?”

“No way, no way.” Mu Cheng’s head shook like a rattle drum, shaking wildly. “Impossible.”

At some point, Xiao Xiaoli had leaned over and was crouching by the bed, smiling lecherously as she looked at her. “Who was going to kiss you?”

Mu Cheng rolled her eyes at her. “What direction are you thinking in now? I didn’t have an erotic dream.”

After saying that, Mu Cheng ignored her and instead began seriously thinking over whether she had gained any useful information from this time travel.

The answer, of course, was no.

She could only transmigrate once a month, and how long she could stay on that side was unstable and unfixed. Sometimes she only stayed for a few minutes, while other times it lasted several hours. This time just now, she had stayed for nearly three hours.

Although she had stayed there for quite a while, unfortunately, she had been too rash and reckless, causing her to fail to obtain any useful information this time. But it was not too serious. After all, there was still the ninth of next month. She could take it slowly.

Mu Cheng was trapped in her own thoughts, while Xiao Xiaoli at the side was stolen content still chattering away with great interest.

“I didn’t even say anything, and you confessed without being pressed. Fine, no need to hide it anymore.” Xiao Xiaoli retreated while pointing both hands at her, raising her brows in a lewd, suggestive way. “We’re all adults. I understand you.”

Mu Cheng made as if to raise her hand and hit her. “Are you done or not? Your head is full of dirty nonsense. What do you understand? I think you’re asking for a beating.”

The two of them chased and fought around the dorm, making it extremely lively.

While they were chasing each other, Mu Cheng’s foot slipped, and she fell backward. Just as she closed her eyes and prepared to have an intimate encounter with the ground, Zhong Yingzhi happened to walk in from outside.

At this distance, as long as Zhong Yingzhi reached out slightly to support her, Mu Cheng absolutely would not fall.

But…

Zhong Yingzhi took one step back and avoided her.

With a bang, Mu Cheng fell face-first to the floor, hard enough that one of her slippers flew off.

Zhong Yingzhi glanced at the person sprawled on the ground, lifted her foot, and stepped over her.

Mu Cheng: “…”

Mu Cheng rubbed her aching knee and glared at Zhong Yingzhi, who was taking off her coat. “Fine, you didn’t help me. But did you really have to step over me? The path is this wide.”

Zhong Yingzhi turned back to look at her and asked doubtfully, “Were you talking to me?”

Mu Cheng climbed up and “smiled” at her.

“I didn’t even complain that you were blocking my way, yet you’re already thinking I’m the one in the wrong?” Zhong Yingzhi narrowed her eyes, speaking as if she were being perfectly serious.

“Sorry. I fell too widely and blocked your path. I’m truly terribly sorry,” Mu Cheng said irritably.

Zhong Yingzhi said, “An insincere apology is better replaced by directly shutting your mouth.”

The corner of Mu Cheng’s mouth twitched. She had nothing to say in response.

How exactly had Zhong Yingzhi heard that and decided she was apologizing to her?