Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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In the long darkness, Tang Ran’s consciousness struggled to wake up from the chaos little by little.
The first thing that reached her nerve center was a slight pain from the eyes as the anesthetic gradually wore off. Next, the restored sense of smell brought back the faint smell of disinfectant in the air. Finally, the vague and erratic sound of conversation came from a place that was indistinguishable in distance:
“The operation was successful. There were no emergencies or problems. Don’t worry…”
“There is no such thing as complete recovery from corneal transplant surgery. Even if the recovery is very good in the later stage, you should always pay attention to eye problems and have regular follow-up visits to avoid the disease not being treated in time…”
“Rejection reactions vary from person to person. In the initial recovery phase, I will prescribe some anti-rejection drugs for her based on her recovery condition… Corneal transplantation has the highest success rate among allogeneic transplants, so don’t worry too much. Just have regular checkups…”
The sounds were sometimes high, sometimes low, sometimes far, sometimes near. Although Tang Ran still wanted to listen, the effect of the anesthetic was obviously not completely gone, and her consciousness soon fell into darkness again.
This happened two or three times, and Tang Ran finally became fully conscious at a time she couldn’t quite determine.
On the other side of the ward, there seemed to be the sound of low voices talking.
It was still dark in front of her, but there seemed to be a glimmer of light – the light was too strange and long-lost to her, making Tang Ran unable to be sure whether it was real or just her illusion and fantasy.
So she subconsciously raised her right hand and touched her eyes.
“…Ran Ran!”
In the silent ward, a hoarse cry was drowned out by the sound of two or three hurried footsteps.
A second later, Tang Ran’s wrist was grabbed by someone. The knuckles holding her were slender and warm, with a temperature that she was familiar with.
Tang Ran opened her bloodless lips and spoke in a hoarse voice: “Luo…Luo?”
“It’s me.”
Luo Zhan let out a long sigh of relief, pressed the girl’s hand back onto the bed, and hid it under the quilt. Then he looked up.
“The dean said that you will need to keep your eyes bandaged for two or three days after the surgery. During this period, no matter how you feel, don’t touch them yourself, okay?”
After two seconds, Tang Ran spoke, her voice slightly weak: “Okay.”
“You……”
Luo Zhan seemed to want to ask something in a low voice, but his voice was too soft and was drowned out by the voice of a boy who was standing a few meters away on the other side of the ward.
“Sister Tang Ran, how are you feeling? Are you okay? Are you feeling well?”
Tang Ran was stunned for a few seconds before she reacted. She asked softly, “Is the store manager here?”
Luo Zhan hummed.
Tan Yunchang’s voice came to the bedside: “I rushed here early in the morning, hoping that I would be the first person our sister Tang Ran can see when she opened her eyes – but when I arrived I found out that I had to wait another two days. I was so anxious, really!”
“…Why are you everywhere? Why are you so anxious?” Luo Zhan said to him coldly.
Tan Yunchang said angrily: “You are allowed to be anxious, but we can’t be anxious, right? No matter what, Sister Tang Ran is still a friend like my own sister!”
“Who are you taking advantage of?”
“Hey, how can I be considered taking advantage of you—” Tan Yunchang met Luo Zhan’s cold gaze, and a string in his head suddenly tightened.
After a second or two, after realizing the fact that “If Tang Ran is his sister, then the person in front of him is his future brother-in-law”, Tan Yunchang smiled awkwardly: “Oh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, ancestor, I really didn’t mean to take advantage of you.”
Anyway, he was not talking to the little girl, and the little girl on the bed was not completely awake yet. Luo Zhan was too lazy to deal with it, so he just hummed perfunctorily as a response. Then he took the chair beside the bed and sat down.
When Luo Zhan leaned back in his chair, his hand was still motionless, controlling the strength, half-gripping the girl’s wrist through the quilt.
Tan Yunchang naturally saw it, and he couldn’t help laughing: “Sister Tang, it’s such a pity that you didn’t see it just now.”
Tang Ran, who was lying on the hospital bed, responded slowly: “Regret?”
“Yes. Luo Zhan and I were talking about something before you woke up. There was no movement in the room, but he suddenly stood up and rushed over to you in the middle of our conversation!”
Tang Ran was slightly stunned.
Tan Yunchang raised his voice in an exaggerated manner and said with a frightened tone: “My goodness, he rushed to the bedside in two steps from a distance of seven or eight meters – I thought something serious had happened, it scared me! As for the result.”
Tan Yunchang’s tone became playful at the end of his words. He turned his head to look at the young man who was lazily sitting in the chair with his eyes half closed, then he raised his hand and patted the man on the shoulder: “You were staring at our sister Tang all this time, right?”
Luo Zhan placed one hand on the bedside holding the girl’s hand under the quilt, and supported his cheekbone with the other hand, his eyelids drooping lazily.
Hearing Tan Yunchang’s words, he quirked his eyelids and said, “Well, just keep staring at it, isn’t that okay?”
Tan Yunchang said with a click of the tongue: “While my idol has gone to see the doctor to find out the follow-up instructions, you are so unscrupulous as to pry into his corner. Isn’t this not good?”
Luo Zhan frowned slightly: “Get lost.”
After a few seconds of silence, he tightened his grip on the girl’s wrist a little and hummed lightly: “Even if it is, it’s still my corner.”
“Okay, okay,” Tan Yunchang said both angrily and amusedly, “Yours, yours.”
This familiar way of getting along made Tang Ran not be able to help but curl up her lips and smile, and she slowly relaxed from the uneasy state she had just woken up from after the operation.
She thought of something and asked, “What time is it now?”
Tan Yunchang didn’t catch up, but Luo Zhan replied, “You had surgery last night, and it’s almost noon now.”
Tang Ran was surprised: “Have I slept for so long?”
“It’s normal since you were under the effect of anesthetics,” Luo Zhan said.
Only then did Tang Ran feel relieved.
Tan Yunchang stood by the bed and took the opportunity to say something: “Sister Tang, you did sleep for a long time, but Luo Zhan is different. I heard from the nurse that he started watching over you after you came out of surgery yesterday, and he hasn’t closed his eyes yet – ah -!”
The conversation ended with a scream.
Luo Zhan drooped his eyelids and retracted his left foot which had been stepping on Tan Yunchang’s instep: “If you don’t speak, no one will think you are dumb.”
Tan Yunchang jumped to the side holding his feet and complained with tears in his eyes: “I am speaking for you, how can you not tell the difference between good and bad!”
Luo Zhan sneered and ignored him.
Before Tang Ran, who already showed an uneasy and worried expression, could speak, Luo Zhan turned back and said, “Don’t listen to his exaggeration. I rested in the ward last night.”
Tan Yunchang said angrily, “There’s not even a sofa in this ward that you can lie down on. Are you sleeping by hanging yourself in the air like Xiao Longnu[1]?”
“…”
Luo Zhan turned his head lazily and looked at Tan Yunchang expressionlessly.
Under the threat of this threatening look, Tan Yunchang stiffened his neck for a few seconds but finally closed his mouth and turned away obediently.
Tang Ran said worriedly: “Luo Luo, don’t be like this, you will get sick. I’m fine now, wait–“
“How long has it been since you came out of the operating room? You’re already worrying about me?” Luo Zhan interrupted Tang Ran helplessly, “I can take care of myself, and you are the most important thing now. If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, you must tell me or the doctors or nurses as soon as possible, understand?”
Tang Ran wanted to say something, but Luo Zhan’s tone this time was unusually firm, leaving her with no room for resistance.
Tang Ran could only nod: “Okay.”
After the three of them chatted for a while, the sliding door of the ward was opened, and Lan Jingqian, who also had not had much rest, walked into the ward with a tired look on his face.
Seeing Luo Zhan and Tan Yunchang beside the bed, Lan Jingqian suddenly stopped.
After being silent for a few seconds, he lowered his voice and asked, “Xiao Ran… is she awake?”
Luo Zhan was silent for two seconds, then stood up: “Well, she’s been awake for ten minutes.”
Lan Jingqian moved his lips, as if he wanted to speak but didn’t know how to start.
Luo Zhan glanced at Tan Yunchang beside him, then he leaned over to the bed and said to Tang Ran, “I’ll be away for a while – I’ll take Tan Yunchang downstairs and ask the nurse to change your dressing.”
Tang Ran nervously grasped the bed sheet under her fingers. After two or three seconds, she nodded slightly: “Okay.”
After getting the girl’s approval, Luo Zhan stood up and walked around the bed to the door. And Tan Yunchang followed him with understanding.
Luo Zhan walked to the door and stopped when he brushed shoulders with Lan Jingqian. His voice was so low and hoarse that it was almost indistinguishable: “Before the stitches are removed, she should try to avoid major emotional fluctuations.”
Lan Jingqian came back to his senses and smiled bitterly: “I know.”
“…”
Luo Zhan reminded him, looked back at the bed reluctantly, then stood up and left.
Five minutes later, in the lobby on the first floor of the hospital.
“What?” Tan Yunchang was so shocked that his voice rose an octave. “Are you really going? You don’t have a fever, do you, ancestor?”
Luo Zhan leaned against the marble wall, frowning. The accumulated fatigue from more than 36 hours of sleeplessness quickly engulfed him after the girl woke up and he relaxed his tension, and he fell into a drowsy state.
After hearing what Tan Yunchang said, Luo Zhan paused for a few seconds and spoke in a hoarse voice: “This competition was decided a year ago, and I am the person in charge. Do I have to suddenly announce my absence and withdrawal when the competition is so close?”
“No, this Songke Cup is not a big competition. Don’t you have enough trophies, certificates and medals to hang on the entire wall of the laboratory? This one shouldn’t be missing, right?”
Luo Zhan frowned: “This is not just my game. If I am absent at this time, what will happen to the other people in the project team?”
“Well, then everyone can understand that.”
“…”
Tan Yunchang came forward and asked, “Grandfather, please think carefully. The Songke Cup will take at least half a month, right? And if we really want to go, we have to leave the day after tomorrow. You won’t be able to see sister Tang Ran at all for the first month after her eyesight is restored!”
Luo Zhan remained silent.
Tan Yunchang was anxious: “What on earth are you thinking? I thought you were going to lose your life because of Tang Ran’s matter before, why are you getting confused at this critical moment——”
Tan Yunchang’s words stopped abruptly.
After a few seconds, his eyes widened.
“No way…”
Luo Zhan raised his eyelids, and the cold white skin of his lower eyelids was set off by a faint black color. His expression was lazy and indifferent: “Is there something?”
Tan Yunchang froze for several seconds before he said, “You’re not insisting just for the competition. You’re mainly… afraid that Tang Ran will recognize you, which will affect your stitch removal and recovery later?”
Luo Zhan pursed his thin lips.
He didn’t say anything, just turned his face to the side, his clenched cheekbones showing sharp profile lines.
Tan Yunchang stood frozen for a long time, then said awkwardly: “You better think positively. What if, what if Tang Ran didn’t recognize you at all?”
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[1] Xiaolongnü is the fictional female protagonist of the wuxia novel The Return of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong.