Chapter 1 – The Awakening

T/N Chapter titles are made up by us. The Chinese novel did not have chapter titles.

ZhouXiang tried to open his eyes but they were dry and the light was so blindingly bright that he could only squint his eyes. Coming into his sight is pure whiteness, so white that there wasn’t even the slightest feel of human warmth. All the senses in his body gradually returned. He could smell the familiar disinfectant. He knew that he’s in the hospital and was very shocked.

I’m actually still alive? Falling from such a high cliff, I am actually still alive?

It must be that his moral character was too good, so good that God was unwilling to accept him, leaving him to continue on living. Anyway, it’s a good thing that he got his life back. But he didn’t know whether he had any broken arms or legs. He couldn’t feel them…his hands, his legs, he couldn’t feel them at all. He was so frightened that he sweated profusely. Perhaps, it’s a good thing that he’s alive. But if he’s disabled, isn’t death better than living?

“ZhouXiang? ZhouXiang? You awake?” A middle-age woman’s voice rang in his ears. The voice sounded solemn, tinged with a deep sobbing tone.

ZhouXiang exhaustively tried to turn his neck toward the voice. She’s a woman in her fifties, looking very frail and very kind. Even though she called his name but ZhouXiang didn’t know her.

Who is this?

“ZhouXiang……” That woman wanted to cry but was trying very hard to suppress herself. Stumbling to the door, she grabbed a nurse and shouted excitedly, “My son is awake! My son is awake! Quickly call the doctor.”

Son? Who is your son?

ZhouXiang opened his mouth to try and talk but his throat was as coarse as the fire. He tried for the longest time but still couldn’t make a sound.

Gradually, he began to feel his limbs. He moved his toes and he could feel them. His hands and feet, he could also feel them!

Soon after, a group of doctors and nurses rushed in and busily surrounded him. The nurse sighed, “He really woke up. He had been in a coma for two years, he actually really woke up. This is such a miracle. Auntie, congratulations!”

That woman cried and laughed simultaneously, so excited that she couldn’t even speak clearly.

A nurse poured ZhouXiang a glass of water and used a spoon to feed him a sip. She only fed him a little bit before taking the water away. She softly muttered, “Don’t worry, right now you need to get used to it first.”

ZhouXiang asked coarsely, “I……how am I?” His voice sounded so coarse, it didn’t seem like sounds that could come from a human being.

“ZhouXiang.” The middle-aged woman rushed over to caress his face while crying, “Mom knew that you’d definitely would wake up. You finally woke up. Mom wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer.”

ZhouXiang looked at her in shock. Does this woman really think that I’m her son?

ZhouXiang recalled his memories and it seemed fine. All his 33 years of experiences are still so vivid in his mind. Even though the days before his death were passed by in agony, he rather wished that he could completely forget everything connected to that person. But he was sure that he didn’t forget. And this woman definitely didn’t exist in his memories. Even though…even though her sobbing made him feel distressed, her tears were so heartfelt, these are tears from a mother.

“You……you are……Auntie, I don’t know you.” ZhouXiang spoke this complete sentence with much difficulty.

The crying stopped as the woman look at him startled. The doctors and nurses were all stunned. It took them a while to react and the doctor patted the woman’s shoulder, “Ms. Chen, ZhouXiang’s brain has sustained serious impact. Anything is possible after he wakes up. If it’s just memory loss, he is considered to be very lucky.”

ChenYing brushed away her tears and touched ZhouXiang’s face with her trembling hand, “ZhouXiang, son, you really don’t remember me? I’m your mother.”

His name is really ZhouXiang but his mother died when he was eight years old. In his dreams, he still wished that he had a mother, but……

“Ms. Chen, please restrain yourself from your emotions. Don’t put too much pressure on the patient. How about this… go out and get some rest first? We’re going to give him a more thorough check up, okay?”

The doctor winked at the nurse. The nurse softly said to ChenYing, “Auntie, let’s go out first. Calm down.” After saying that, she took her out without hesitation.

ZhouXiang was pushed out of to the ward for x-rays and other exams. His mind was drowsy. He wanted to go back to sleep again. As he unconsciously turned his head, he sees his face reflected on the doctor’s computer monitor.

When he saw his face clearly, he was utterly shocked. Reflected on the dark computer monitor is a face that is not very clear but enough to distinguish the facial features. ZhouXiang looked at the person’s sluggish expression, who is this person? This is not his face……who is……this person?

The doctor waved his hand in front of him, “What’s wrong?”

“Mirror.”

“What?”

ZhouXiang suddenly shouted loudly, “Give me a mirror!”

The doctor is shocked. He thought for a moment and then handed him a mirror, “Your face is all fine. Relax, don’t get so emotional.”

ZhouXiang snatched the mirror to take a look at himself. It clearly reflected a young attractive man’s face. This young man appears to be twenty-five to twenty-six years old. His eyes aren’t big but very vibrant. Although this face was pale but after looking closely, he still looked very manly.

But this is not him, ZhouXiang!

No wonder that auntie called him her son. She was not mistaken but she just didn’t know that there was a different soul in her son’s body.

So, he still died, at least his body. Falling from such a high cliff, how could it not have been smashed to bits? But his soul is reborn into another person’s body. This young man is also named ZhouXiang.

The doctor looked at him strangely, “What’s the matter? Feel any discomfort?”

ZhouXiang threw the mirror to the side and weakly lowered himself back on the bed, covering his eyes with his hands, murmuring, “I’m fine.”

His whole person is still in shock. How could he accept everything that is in front of him?

Maybe it’s because they have the same name so God took the wrong soul?

In any case, this is all too bizarre. He had always been an atheist. He never believed in ghosts and spirits and was never afraid of it. But what happened now in front of him has shaken him to his core. For a moment, he really didn’t know how to react aside from being in shock.

The doctor empathetically added, “Just close your eyes and rest. You slept for two years and just woke up. Your psychological burden is too heavy. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. Sleep.”

The doctor’s low and deep voice is like a hypnosis needle. ZhouXiang closed his eyes as he felt a wave of fatigue rising in his heart. Gradually, sleep consumed him.

This is also not bad. He survived but with a completely new identity. This is an opportunity that God had given him so he can start all over again. He can cast aside his past and live well.

Put aside all that…all that he felt are failures and not look back at it.

“Come, drink this chicken soup. Drink some soup before eating to nourish your body.” ChenYing looked at ZhouXiang distraughtly, the kindness in her eyes made ZhouXiang feel grieved.

He could not tell a mother, who had tirelessly raised her son, that another soul is living in his body.

“Drink it. Why are you in a daze? Even if you don’t remember me, you definitely would remember the taste of this soup. You love to drink my stew soup since you were young. Drink it.”

ZhouXiang took the soup bowl and scooped a spoonful of the flavorful chicken soup. He took a sip and it tasted delicious. He couldn’t help but drink a few more mouthfuls.

“Slow down, don’t burn yourself.”

After ZhouXiang finished the bowl of soup, he looked at ChenYing and softly said, “Ah……Mom, you don’t have to bring me food every day. The hospital also has food.” It’s been three days since he woke up and it had rained for two days. Every time ChenYing comes, he saw that her pants is all wet. This short and thin woman took a half-hour bus ride and walked for more than ten minutes just to bring her son a hot meal. He felt sad and touched. This is the feeling of having a mother. He thought he would never experience this in this lifetime.

ChenYing said with sorrow, “What’s the big deal with bringing you meals? Before when I brought it, you can’t even eat it.” Thinking of all the hardships in the past two years, ChenYing’s eyes were a little red, but she immediately laughed, “Don’t say these things. You waking up is great. Mom is not going to ask for anything else and won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to. I only want you to live well.”

ZhouXiang faintly thought that there was more than just the obvious meaning in ChenYing’s words. But he didn’t ask for fear that it would provoke her sadness again. Hearing from her and the doctor’s mouths, he was able to decipher that some heavy objects had fallen on this body two years ago. Everyone had thought that he would be in a vegetative state the rest of his life. Unexpectedly, he woke up. ZhouXiang also knew that it had been two years since he accidentally fell off the cliff during the storm.

He also looked at the elderly man in the bed next to him. This double ward had only the two of them. The old man had been lying there for more than half a year from a stroke. It is said that he is still conscious but is similar to that of a dead person. The old man didn’t have a wife, just a son. His son is busy with work so he could only come once or twice a week. ChenYing sometimes helped the nursing staff take care of the elderly man. As ZhouXiang watched ChenYing exhaustively helped the caregiver wipe down the elderly man’s body while sweating profusely in the process, he can imagine how ChenYing took care of him in the past two years. How much did this woman suffer for her son? But when he woke up, she didn’t mention anything. When ZhouXiang looked at her, he couldn’t help but imagine if his mother is still alive today, would she worry about him like this?

In his heart, he gradually accepted the fact that ChenYing was his mother. He even felt a little glad. Even in his dreams, he wanted a mother. Now having woken up, he actually has one. God really treated him well. Not only giving him a second life, but also giving him a mother.

ZhouXiang finished his meal under ChenYing’s watchful eyes. ChenYing fanned him with a fan and looked at him with a smile. Her eyes were full of warming kindness. ZhouXiang was a bit embarrassed by her. ChenYing immediately asked, “Son, do you want to watch TV for a bit?”

“Oh, OK.”

ChenYing turned on the TV but the two did not concentrate on whatever was showing on the TV. ZhouXiang asked, “Mom, when can I be discharged from the hospital?” He could tell that ChenYing is not rich. He feels that he is fine so it’s not necessary to continue staying in the hospital.

ChenYing responded, “There’s no hurry. Most of the money had already been used up these couple of years so what is the difference of staying a few more days?  Mom wants you to leave the hospital in good health. Let’s listen to the doctors’ advice. The few doctors that treated you are very good. When they say you can be discharged, then that’s the time that you will be discharged.”

ZhouXiang nodded and asked, “Mom, can you tell me about our family? The doctor also said that if you tell me more stuff, maybe I will remember things.” Each time he says the word “Mom,” ZhouXiang felt his heart beating faster. He doesn’t know whether it is because he feels thankful or because of his guilty conscience.

ChenYing smiled, “This, we also don’t need to rush. Once you leave the hospital, I’ll show you pictures of you when you were young. We’ll look and talk. The doctor said that your mind can’t get too exhausted. You just need to rest. Don’t think too much.”

ZhouXiang also didn’t force the matter. He inadvertently glanced at the TV screen. The TV is broadcasting a movie’s news conference. The camera moved and a very familiar figure appeared on the screen.

ZhouXiang’s eyes opened wide.

WangYuDong!

The director gave the male movie star a close-up. This man is undoubtedly very attractive, graceful and cool. His tailored well-fitted suit accentuated his slender and tall body, the corners of his mouth slightly raised into a smile like that of the glorious warm spring breeze. It’s no wonder that many women’s heart were mesmerized by him. ZhouXiang is more than familiar with this extremely popular movie star. He was this man’s martial arts stuntman for many of his previous movies due to their exceptionally similar figure and back silhouette.

If it weren’t for this reason, YanMingXiu really wouldn’t have glanced at him. Unfortunately, he didn’t know this initially. If he had known, he would’ve calmly be at ease in just being friends with benefits with YanMingXiu. Then he wouldn’t have fallen into such a wretched state.

Waves of painful sorrow struck him in his heart. This heart that is not exactly considered to be his heart ^(T/N) but it still hurts because of these depressing matters. It’s really unbearable. ZhouXiang laughed at himself, “Mom, let’s change the channel.”

T/N: he’s a soul in someone else’s body, so naturally it’s not physically his own heart.

“Okay,” ChenYing turned to look. “Isn’t this WangYuDong?”

“You know him?”

“Hey, your mother is not so old that I don’t even watch TV, right?” ChenYing smiled and glanced at him. “Who doesn’t know WangYuDong? He’s a very famous big star. When he got married earlier in the year, our neighbor, that Auntie Zhang’s daughter, cried and whined as if there was no tomorrow. I really don’t know what these children are thinking these days.”

ZhouXiang shuddered. “He……he got married?”

ChenYing glanced at him strangely, “Son, you remember him?”

“No, I don’t remember. Just that…don’t male stars usually get married late? I think he’s in his 20s, no more than 30.”

“Yeah, the newspaper said that he and his wife had been together for several years and said that the woman’s background is very mysterious. Anyway, she’s very likely an influential family’s young miss. The reporter can’t dig up too much news. I just remembered that his wife’s surname sounds particularly nice. The surname is Yan, not the Yan from swallow ^(T/N), it’s……”

T/N: The surname Yan (晏) and the yan (燕) are   pronounced the same but    different meanings. Yan (晏) means peaceful while yanzhi (燕子) is a swallow bird.

Whatever ChenYing said afterwards, ZhouXiang didn’t hear any of it. What kept repeating in his mind is that WangYuDong and YanMingMei are married.

If they got married then how would YanMingXiu be? Wailed and sobbed pathetically? Wanting to die? YanMingXiu was so infatuated with WangYuDong, seeing WangYuDong changed from being his sister’s boyfriend to his brother-in-law, he will go crazy right?

Ha, it’s ridiculous. Speaking of this, although he and YanMingXiu are not the same, they both made the same mistakes. That is, they coveting for something that don’t belong to them.

End of the chapter