After Hardship Comes Happiness

The air in the ward felt exceptionally warm and comforting at that moment.

Lu Yan could clearly feel that, as his consciousness fully returned, the Frequency that had nearly shattered him in his dream was now quietly settling in every cell of his body.

The pain is still there, but the tearing sensation is receding rapidly.

He felt that Frequency was restoring his body at an unprecedented speed.

Those subcutaneous tissue tears that previously baffled doctors are now repairing themselves at a speed that defies the laws of biology.

Aemeath Lu Yan remained silent for a long time, only staring quietly upwards, Amy's heart, which had just settled, tightened again. Her grip on the water glass tightened involuntarily. "Are you feeling unwell again? I'll call the doctor..."

"No need, Aemeath." Lu Yan slowly withdrew his gaze, his voice still a little hoarse, but it had gained some strength compared to before.

He turned his head slightly and gave her a reassuring smile. "You might not believe it, but I feel my body recovering very quickly."

He tried to move his fingers; although he could still feel the pulling sensation, the numbness had disappeared.

"I have a feeling that I'll be able to get out of bed and walk in a few days."

Aemeath paused for a moment, then, as if confirming something, leaned closer to carefully examine Lu Yan's face.

Indeed, his face, which had been almost translucent with pale skin, now had a faint rosy glow, and the bloodstains that had seeped from the gauze had dried and were no longer seeping out.

She let out a long sigh, and sat back down in her chair as if all her strength had been drained. Tears still clung to the corners of her eyes, but she couldn't help but smile.

"That's good... that's good."

"The doctor said before that it would be a miracle to survive such an injury, and the recovery period could take several months... If you really recovered in just a few days, the hospital director would probably want to take you away and use you as a specimen for research."

Although she joked, a lingering shadow always lingered in Aemeath's eyes.

She hesitated for a long time, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the rim of the water glass, the soft sound sounding somewhat awkward in the quiet ward.

"A-Yan..."

She called softly, her voice hesitant, filled with a mixture of wanting to ask and fearing the answer, "How... how did you become like this? The doctors can't find the cause, but I know it's definitely not a simple reason."

Looking at Aemeath's appearance, Lu Yan sighed inwardly.

He knew that some things couldn't be kept secret, and that Aemeath this all along, but just hadn't told him.

"Aemeath, just like last time, I had a very long dream." Lu Yan's voice was very soft.

Aemeath didn't speak, but held her breath and stared intently at him.

"I've returned to the past Rinascita."

Lu Yan spoke slowly, his gaze piercing through the walls of the ward, looking towards the distant past, "I saw you, still studying at the Star Torch Academy."

"Wearing a purple school uniform, still acting like a hero."

Upon hearing the words "purple school uniform, "Aemeath's hand trembled violently, causing ripples to spread across the water in her cup.

"I watched you fill out your volunteer form for 'saving the world,' and watched you risk everything to drive the Tunneler to protect civilians you didn't even know."

Lu Yan's voice carried a hint of heartache, "When that simulated combat turned into a real disaster, you wanted to Overclocking the Tunneler to save those people."

"I know that if you force Overclocking, your physical body will dissipate, and you'll become an electronic ghost like in the game."

"So I couldn't resist, and I sneaked into your training pod." Lu Yan chuckled self-deprecatingly. "I lied and said I was in your VIP seats, but actually, I was there to be your lightning rod."

Lu Yan turned his head, looking at Aemeath's eyes, which were once again brimming with tears, and his tone became incredibly gentle:

"I originally thought it was just a projection of my consciousness, but I never expected that the shattering in my dream would be reflected back to my body exactly as it was."

A deathly silence fell over the ward.

Aemeath's shoulders trembled violently, and tears fell like broken beads onto the back of her hands.

In her long memory, there was A-Yan, who appeared to save her when she fell into the water, comforted her when she was sad, and finally shattered into golden light in her arms.

"Waaah... you idiot..." Aemeath finally couldn't hold back and let out a soft sob.

She felt both heartache for Lu Yan's suffering to save her and a sense of relief, as if something heavy had finally been lifted from her shoulders.

"Is this... the truth behind your injury?"

She looked up, her swollen eyes gleaming with a complex light. "So, every day after that, the Frequency I felt, still present in the amulet, kept searching for you..."

"A-Yan, I've never brought these things up before..." Aemeath lowered her head guiltily, her voice muffled, "Will you blame me? Even though I know everything, I've always pretended not to know anything, taking your care for granted and relying on you in this world..."

Lu Yan laboriously raised his hand and gently rubbed the top of her head; the hair felt soft and real to the touch.

Why should I blame you? Actually, I should thank you for not saying so.

Aemeath looked up in confusion. "Why?"

"Because I'm a coward, Aemeath."

Lu Yan candidly revealed the softest, and most insecure part of his heart:

"If from the very beginning you had told me you were contacting me to repay a debt of gratitude, that you were only being so kind to me because I saved you..."

"I might be scared. I might feel that you love the Lu Yan who saved you in the past, not the Lu Yan you know now."

"If I had been told beforehand, and without knowing the full story, I might have backed out for this reason, and perhaps... we wouldn't be together as lovers now."

Aemeath blushed deeply at these blunt words, her face turning bright red all the way to her ears.

She lowered her head shyly and protested softly, "It wasn't to repay a debt of gratitude... I was just..."

"That's possessiveness, isn't it?" Lu Yan interrupted her with a smile.

"You!" Aemeath glared at him playfully, then seemed to remember something, her expression turning somewhat forlorn.

"However, you're right. I really didn't dare to say it before. I was afraid of breaking this hard-won peace."

"Then why did you admit it now?" Lu Yan asked, his eyes fixed on her heart.

Aemeath took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind.

She straightened up, and her originally haggard face radiated a sense of holiness at this moment, a steadfastness that came after countless years and vicissitudes.

"Because everything is completely closed loop," Aemeath said softly.

She held Lu Yan's hand tightly, even though it was covered by gauze, as if she wanted to transfer her strength to him.

"It was because of this incident that Aemeath made up her mind that no matter how many years it took, even if she had to turn the entire Solaris upside down, she would find you."

"You must have suffered a lot to find me, right?" Lu Yan looked at her, his eyes filled with heartache.

He could imagine a girl, guarding a memory, searching for a figure unknown to anyone but the Rover and Chun—how lonely that must be.

Not to mention that both the Rover and Chun will have their memories erased afterward.

Aemeath looked at him and suddenly laughed happily.

Her smile was incredibly bright, like the warmest red plum blossom blooming in the dead of winter.

It would be a lie to say it's not bitter.

Aemeath sniffed, and said slowly, her voice a mixture of tears and laughter:

"At that time, I was thinking... am I going crazy?"

"Is it possible that... A-Yan doesn't exist at all, and you... are just a hallucination I had when I fell into Jian Lake as a child...?"

"If I hadn't met Sister Rover, who had amnesia, and she hadn't asked Sister the Shorekeeper and told me you existed, I probably would have gone crazy."

Aemeath wiped away her tears and leaned closer to Lu Yan, their breaths almost touching.

In her eyes, all that remained now was an intense, overwhelming sweetness.

"But A-Yan, now I feel... those hardships don't seem so important anymore."

She gently kissed the small patch of skin peeking out from the edge of Lu Yan's mask, her voice as sweet as honey.

"Although life used to be incredibly bitter, every minute and every second now is extremely sweet."

"It's so sweet that I feel I'd be willing to search for you for countless more years."

Lu Yan felt this love, which was somewhat heavy yet incredibly sincere, and wanted to immediately pull her into his arms and kiss her hard.

"Since it's so sweet," Lu Yan teased with a smile, "Then after I recover and am discharged from the hospital, you'd better keep an eye on me and not let me disappear again."

"That's for sure!"

Aemeath said with a sweet yet aggressive look in her eyes, "Lu Yan, don't even think about leaving. I'll be watching you forever!"