Chapter 322: Seems Like Not Human

“Enjoying the flowers.”

Liu Xie explained, though it wasn’t exactly convincing.

“These flowers are fake. You could stare at them for days and nights and they’d look exactly the same.”

Liu Anran reached back and touched the foam petals.

“And why are you facing away from the flowers while enjoying them?”

“Chrysanthemums are flowers too.” Liu Xie started twisting the argument.

Liu Anran indulged Liu Xie anyway, crouching down beside her.

“Didn’t you say you needed to use the bathroom? Are you taking care of that here too?” Liu Anran seemed to remember something and asked Liu Xie.

“Perfect timing for fertilizing.” Liu Xie kept her head down as she answered.

“But these flowers are fake. They don’t eat waste.” Liu Anran reminded her.

Liu Xie, head still lowered, paused for a moment before speaking again: “That’s fine. It’s not like I’m actually pooping.”

Liu Anran thought for a moment, then shrugged, conceding victory to Liu Xie’s sophistry this time.

“So then, why did you run out here? Is the disinfectant smell in the hospital bothering you?” Liu Anran said.

“No.” Liu Xie gently shook her head. “I just…”

“…can’t stand that kind of atmosphere.”

Liu Xie was usually carefree and thoughtless, rude and impolite.

When gaming, she’d go so far as to wish her trash teammates’ mothers’ souls would scatter to the wind.

But when it actually came to facing these scenes of life and death, forgive her—she couldn’t do it.

Even though she knew her relationship with the old Dean wasn’t that close, and the only connection between them was Liu Anran.

She just couldn’t stand it—how someone could be chatting so pleasantly one moment, then suddenly close their eyes and pass away, never to be woken by anyone again.

Maybe it was because she’d become a girl and grown a bit sentimental, or maybe she’d always been this kind of person.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have brought Liu Anran home from beside that trash pile.

As someone who had once been male, Liu Xie couldn’t easily claim it was because she was emotional, because she was kind enough.

Kindness was always something undervalued and looked down upon in today’s world, often manifesting as meaningless sacrifice.

The Liu family had raised Liu Xie well.

Even though Liu Xie’s abilities weren’t up to par—whether in academics or business acumen, she didn’t seem like she could’ve been born from that couple.

But Liu Xie’s parents doted on her, perhaps because even though she hadn’t inherited any of her parents’ excellent talents, she had inherited all the kindness from both sides, kneaded together and passed down.

That was also the reason she met her current roommates, and the reason she met Liu Anran.

“Is there really nothing that can be done?” Liu Xie suddenly lifted her head, her eyes filled with helplessness.

She always tried to turn to Liu Anran for help in situations where she had no solutions herself.

Usually, Liu Anran would respond at times like this—just like Nobita, after being bullied by Gian, would go to the Blue Robot Cat for gadgets to try and conquer Gian.

Then he’d end up inside Suneo’s rectum, about to be penetrated by Gian who was preparing for intimate activities.

Speaking of which, Liu Xie had even shared that series in the dormitory group, and even Yang Shuli had called her an idiot back then.

“There’s no way.”

Liu Anran shook his head.

“A person’s aging, the failure of organs—these are irreversible. Like a weapon with durability in a game, one day it’ll shatter in your hand with a cracking sound.”

“Compared to this situation, that somewhat irrelevant cancer almost seems friendly.”

“The old Dean is seventy-nine now. The cancer cells would need at least another ten-plus years to finish spreading.”

“To put it bluntly—and this blunt remark was the old man’s own words—he said he’d definitely not live to see the cancer start spreading. Even if he died in a couple of days, by age alone it would count as a joyful funeral.”

“Besides, having worked in the mines when he was young, done heavy physical labor, and smoked for decades, still being this hale and hearty at his age is clearly heaven’s mercy, rewarding a lifetime of good deeds.”

Every time he thought about how the old man had managed to live this long, Liu Anran couldn’t help but doubt whether there really was such a thing as gods in this world.

After all, he’d originally thought that, given the old man’s age, he might receive news of his sudden death before he even grew up.

Maybe there really were gods in this world.

Then he’d watched with his own eyes as Liu Xie turned into a girl, and even had a phone call with a probationary goddess.

Reality was far more fantastical than he’d ever imagined.

“Why does it have to be like this…” Liu Xie clenched the hem of her clothes a little tighter.

Liu Anran raised an eyebrow slightly and moved a bit closer to Liu Xie, their bodies pressing together.

This sentimental kindness was also an indispensable part of what made Liu Xie who she was.

“Don’t worry, things are still relatively fine right now.” Liu Anran comforted her. “She might even live another ten years.”

Liu Xie looked up at Liu Anran’s expression.

Liu Anran’s expression was faint, as if there were no emotional fluctuations at all, like he was merely stating a cold, hard fact.

But Liu Xie knew Liu Anran was just trying to comfort her.

Having been sent to the hospital with no way to turn things around, Liu Xie wasn’t stupid—of course she understood how dire the situation really was.

Right now, between her and Liu Anran, it should be Liu Anran who was more concerned about the situation, and Liu Anran who should be more heartbroken.

But Liu Anran was still forcing himself to suppress his grief and heartbreak, hiding all his despair and sadness behind that calm facade identical to his usual self, all to comfort her.

Liu Anran must have already tried many things.

She couldn’t even imagine her brother, who succeeded at everything he did, hitting walls everywhere on this matter, staring helplessly at the black-and-white report sheet in his hands.

Even so, Liu Anran still put on that calm demeanor to comfort her.

And what could she do? All she could do was add to the burden at a time like this, leaving a few more marks on Liu Anran’s already grieving heart—but definitely not helping to mend the wounds on it.

It shouldn’t be like this. Their relationship should be about helping each other, supporting each other.

She should do something.

Liu Anran looked at Liu Xie’s expression, feeling like she seemed to be overthinking things again.

“I’m being serious with you. The old man’s health is very good right now.” Liu Anran repeated.

“Yeah, I know.”

Liu Xie responded, but her eyes carried a determination that hadn’t been there before.

This time, it was her turn to help Liu Anran.

“As long as you know.” Liu Anran regarded her with slight suspicion, genuinely unsure whether Liu Xie could understand human language.