Chapter 33

On the drive home, He Shangye had already arranged for a family doctor to be present. As soon as they arrived, the doctor was there to examine Ruan Miao. The diagnosis was clear: Ruan Miao's prolonged overexertion and stress had weakened his immune system. The fever was secondary; what he needed was rest. His constitution had always been weak and couldn't afford further strain.

After listening to the doctor, He Shangye glanced at the unconscious Ruan Miao, lying under the covers receiving an IV. He asked, "How long will this condition last?"

"It's hard to say. This illness came on suddenly. The young master may have recurrent fevers for a few days," the doctor replied gently, adjusting his glasses. "I'll draft a nutrition plan for you. Follow it strictly. Forgive my bluntness, but your child's health is quite poor. Who knows what he's been through? It might take a year or two of proper care to fully recover."

He Shangye nodded. "Very well."

After seeing the doctor out, He Shangye returned to Ruan Miao's bedroom to find He Shanglu and He Shangzhi there. "Don't disturb him. He needs complete rest."

He Shanglu, who had finished his exams in the morning, looked at the weak Ruan Miao on the bed with guilt. "If I had known, I would have waited for him to go home together."

He Shangzhi, silently tending to Ruan Miao with a damp cloth, said nothing.

He Shangye, leaning against the window, watched his three siblings, feeling a surreal sense of disbelief. Half a year ago, he would never have believed they could get along peacefully. He Shanglu's sudden maturity was one thing, but even the usually inscrutable He Shangzhi showed such gentle concern for someone. It was astonishing.

Perhaps the new soul inhabiting that body was truly extraordinary.

He Shangye subconsciously ignored his own changes.

He shooed He Shangzhi and He Shanglu out of the room, leaving himself, and ordered the servants not to disturb, except to check the IV bag periodically.

Ruan Miao alternated between feeling hot and cold, wandering in a haze of darkness. He didn't know where he was or where he was going, just wandering aimlessly.

In the darkness, he seemed to see his brother, Ruan Chen.

"Brother!" Ruan Miao suddenly started, remembering something. He ran towards him, shouting excitedly but incoherently, "What are you doing here?"

Ruan Chen opened his arms, catching Ruan Miao, and ruffled his hair, smiling. "Why is my Miao Miao more clingy after a short while?"

"I missed you!" Ruan Miao's eyes reddened as he hugged his brother tightly. "I missed you so much."

Ruan Chen's gaze softened. He patted Ruan Miao's face and sighed lightly. "But you have to walk on your own now. Brother can't accompany you for much longer."

"Be stronger, okay?"

Ruan Miao held back tears, nodding at his brother's words, but then shook his head, saying, "It's too exhausting alone. I just want to go home…"

Ruan Chen was silent for a moment, his eyes full of sorrow.

"But Miao Miao, you're no longer alive."

Ruan Miao's heart trembled as he remembered he had indeed died. Looking up at Ruan Chen's face, he saw the pain and heartbreak and murmured, "Yes, I died a long time ago."

"I can't grow up with brother anymore."

Ruan Chen slowly released his embrace but lifted Ruan Miao's chin to make him look at him. Though Ruan Chen rarely smiled, he never held back from his only brother.

"Miao Miao, don't be afraid. Brother is always with you."

"Brother will have someone else protect you. You just need to look ahead and move forward."

Ruan Miao sniffled, unable to stop crying, clutching Ruan Chen's clothes, unwilling to let go. "But why did I die? Who besides you and our parents cares about me?"

Ruan Chen said nothing, just gently wiped Ruan Miao's tears, and after a long while, he spoke softly. "No one in this world could dislike our Miao Miao."

"So, promise me, keep moving forward, okay?"

Ruan Miao nodded, crying.

Ruan Chen seemed satisfied, stepping forward to kiss his forehead and whispered, "Go on."

He gave Ruan Miao a push, and suddenly, Ruan Miao fell into a void, struggling in panic, only to see Ruan Chen waving goodbye.

Meanwhile, He Shangye, dressed in casual home clothes, sat by the bed with a book. His usually meticulously combed hair now fell casually over his forehead, making him seem less formidable. He read for a while, then noticed Ruan Miao struggling in his sleep, mumbling, his hands clawing the air as if trying to grasp something.

He Shangye put down his book, his hands on his knees, quietly watching Ruan Miao's distressed face. After a while, he suddenly asked softly, "Why didn't you go into the study that time?"

"Why didn't you obediently send the documents to the business bureau?"

"Why didn't you want to bring me down?"

He asked a series of inexplicable questions, seemingly hoping for answers from the sleeping Ruan Miao, yet not expecting any.

Ruan Miao opened his eyes, groggy, vaguely hearing someone asking him questions. He seemed to see Ruan Chen sitting by his bed. He reached out, grabbing the hand he thought was his brother's, feeling suddenly calm.

He pulled the hand to his pillow, nuzzling it, and murmured, "Because you're my brother…"

He Shangye looked down at Ruan Miao's flushed, dependent face and felt a sudden sense of clarity.

Those doubts no longer mattered. Many of his tests had been unnecessary. Regardless of who this person really was inside, from the moment he came into their family, he was his brother.

Perhaps, he could also be a good brother.

He Shangye finally lifted his other hand to pat Ruan Miao's head, whispering, "Get well soon."

"When you're better, I'll give you whatever you want."

Ruan Miao couldn't hear clearly but felt his brother seemed happy, which reassured him. He drifted back into a deep sleep.

______

Ruan Miao stayed ill for three days, waking up intermittently but never fully conscious. On the fourth day, he woke up completely to a bright sunny day.

He sat by the window, watching the icicles reflecting light. He Shangye sat beside him, peeling an orange. Ruan Miao scratched his head, embarrassed. "I've caused you trouble, big brother."

"It's no trouble." He Shangye didn't look up. "You were well-behaved while sick. He Shanglu was a nightmare when he was little, crying, fussing, and being disobedient."

Ruan Miao opened his mouth to speak but started coughing. He Shangye patted his back and handed him the orange. "Eat."

"Thank you." Ruan Miao took the orange respectfully, eating a piece and stealing glances at He Shangye, feeling something was off. Though He Shangye had always been kind, his sudden gentleness was unsettling, making Ruan Miao wonder if he was about to be kicked out.

He Shangye didn't seem to notice his thoughts, slowly wiping his hands with a handkerchief, and said, "Your homeroom teacher called yesterday about your final exam results. Do you want to know?"

Ruan Miao stopped eating the orange immediately. His memory was still stuck at the moment he left the exam room, and he had no recollection of what had happened during his coma. Who would have thought that he would have to face his exam results as soon as he woke up?

He was extremely nervous. Although he had some confidence that he wouldn't do too poorly, he hadn't felt great during the exams. What if he had underperformed?

"How... how did I do?" Ruan Miao swallowed the orange with difficulty, asking anxiously.

He Shangye, arms crossed, leisurely watched him. Just as he was about to speak, He Shanglu burst in with a plate of small cakes, exclaiming, "I can't believe you actually did it! Your teacher said you improved by twenty-one places, a full twenty-one places!"

"It's a miracle. In all his years of teaching, he's never seen a student make such a significant improvement in such a short time."

He Shangye didn't seem upset at being interrupted. He simply glanced at He Shanglu, "Why are you so excited about Miao Miao's results?"

"I'm just happy," He Shanglu said cheerfully. "Now I can brag that besides Shangzhi, my brother is also amazing!"

Ruan Miao blushed at the praise, "Did I really do that well? I was worried I might have underperformed."

He Shangye stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Better than I expected. At your current rate, by the end of high school, you should be able to choose from any domestic university except for the very top ones."

"Really?" Ruan Miao brightened up, not feeling sick anymore. "Then all my effort wasn't in vain!"

He Shangye nodded, tucking in his blanket, "I'll arrange for some better tutors. You won't need to go to the tutoring center anymore; studying at home will be more convenient."

Ruan Miao hesitated. He had developed a friendly agreement with Yu Wenyan at the tutoring center, and Yu's teaching had greatly helped him improve. He still wanted to continue learning from him.

Seeing his hesitation, He Shangye didn't press the issue, "If you have any ideas, feel free to tell me. Now, let's talk about something else."

"I promised you a reward if your exam results were good. What do you want?"

Ruan Miao was taken aback. He had forgotten about this promise.

Looking at He Shangye, who was waiting for his answer, Ruan Miao felt torn. He didn't have anything specific in mind that he wanted right now.

"Can I go to the seaside after the college entrance exams?" Ruan Miao asked cautiously, "I heard from Xi You that it's really fun there, and I've never been."

He Shangye's eyes sparkled with amusement, and he replied gently, "Of course."

"Anything Miao Miao wants."