Sun Fatty had built up quite the reputation in the hospital—no one dared to mess with him. I downed the bowl of rice porridge, which had the consistency of watered-down rice paste, in just a few bites. Then I stared longingly at Sun Fatty, who was happily digging into two big bowls of rice with fatty meat and fish. A strange craving for food surged through me, stronger than anything I'd felt before. I thought about asking Sun Fatty for a bite, but of course, he wasn't about to share. The nurse, helpless under my pleading eyes, asked the doctor and finally brought me a small half-bowl of porridge. I was puzzled—how could I be so hungry after sleeping for two years?
Right after that meal, I lay back in bed feeling bored out of my mind, watching Sun Fatty pick his teeth in front of the mirror on the wall. Suddenly, I sensed a chilling, familiar presence from outside the door. As soon as it hit me, a name escaped my lips:
"Yang Xiao…"
"Huh?" Sun Fatty didn't quite catch it. He turned around and asked, "Lazi, what did you just say? Who's laughing—?"
Before he could finish, the door opened. A white-haired man walked in. Sun Fatty's eyes went wide. He looked at the newcomer, then at me, clearly shocked. "Not gonna lie… how did you know?"
That baby-faced, cautious-looking man with white hair—who else could it be but Yang Xiao?
He shot me a quick glance when he walked in. For a fleeting second, I thought I saw something like envy—or even jealousy—in his eyes. But it passed in a blink. He seemed to have known I was already awake. Looking at my white hair, he chuckled, "You slept well these past two years, huh? Who would've thought you'd cross the hardest threshold just by being unconscious? That step almost cost me half my life back then."
Before I could say anything, Sun Fatty cut in: "Wait a sec, Old Yang. Who told you Lazi was awake?"
"Well now," Yang Xiao said cheerfully, "Deputy Director Sun, I didn't even see you standing there—my bad." Judging from his tone, it was clear that in the two years I'd been unconscious, he and Sun Fatty had become much closer than before.
Yang Xiao grinned as he added, "As for who told me Shen La was awake… does that really need to be spelled out?" As he said this, he made a subtle hand gesture toward Sun Fatty. Sun Fatty glanced at it and gave a barely noticeable nod.
Yang Xiao had his back to me, probably thinking I couldn't see the exchange—but the mirror Sun Fatty had been using earlier gave it all away.
Sun Fatty grabbed his coat from the chair and shrugged it on, muttering, "Anytime something involves your Director, things always get murky. Anyway, you're here now—Lazi's in your hands. I'm heading back to the Bureau for a bit. If nothing big comes up, I'll swing by again tonight."
The hand signal, the quick departure—it didn't add up. I was too familiar with Sun Fatty to miss the tightness in his brows, no matter how well he tried to cover it.
At first, I thought Yang Xiao's signal had something to do with Director Wu Ren'di—maybe Sun Fatty wanted to avoid him. But thinking it over again, it didn't feel right. The gesture wasn't a warning, but rather a confirmation—like something had been taken care of on Sun Fatty's behalf, something he didn't want me to know about.
Once Sun Fatty was gone, Yang Xiao pulled up a chair and sat by my bed. He didn't speak—just sat there grinning at me. His stare was unnerving. I sighed and said, "If you keep staring like that, I really will blush. How about you say something instead?"
"Hahaha…" Yang Xiao laughed heartily. "I was looking at your blessing lines. They've changed since before. After your spiritual rebirth, even your facial lines don't look normal anymore. Only one person I've seen lately has stronger lines than you."
"You read faces now?" I asked, surprised. "Old Yang, how come I never knew that?"
"There's a lot you don't know. I had to have a few tricks to stay alive, didn't I?" He lit a cigarette—didn't offer me one—and took a drag before continuing, "Remember my uncle Lin Huo? He's been hunting me down for years. There were a few close calls. If I hadn't foreseen the danger and gotten out in time, he would've caught me and turned me into potion ingredients centuries ago."
Two years away, and now he was openly telling me things like this. From the way he spoke, it was clear he already considered me one of his own. But I didn't take his words too seriously—if he were that good at predicting danger, how did Wu Ren'di manage to catch him in the first place?
Wait… that thought struck something. When Yang Xiao was caught by Director Wu, that was when his hair turned white. That was when his wife reincarnated.
Looking back, maybe… just maybe, that was the best possible outcome for him.（Note: When Yang Xiao first appeared in the story, his hair was not white. This is because both he and his uncle, Lin Huo, had each taken only half of an Elixir of Immortality. As a result, their bodies were only partially immortal and not fully perfected. This incomplete transformation is also the reason why Lin Huo pursued Yang Xiao—he intended to consume his nephew in order to mend the defect within himself. Later on, however, Wu Rendi completed Yang Xiao's body, granting him true immortality—marked by his now white hair.）
Seeing Yang Xiao still grinning as if nothing had happened, I couldn't help but wonder—did he really predict all this? Maybe he did. But that's not something I could ask and expect a straight answer to.
Still, something else he said stuck with me. "Old Yang, you mentioned someone's blessing lines were even stronger than mine. Who is it?"
Yang Xiao's smile widened as he squinted at me. "Who just left your room?"
I knew it. When it came to sheer luck, no one could outmatch Sun Fatty.
I had thought Yang Xiao would ask me what had happened that night I fell into a coma. But he didn't. He talked about everything except that. In the end, I couldn't take it anymore and asked him directly, "Old Yang, aren't you going to ask how I ended up unconscious for two years?"
But all he did was flash another smile and say in an unhurried tone, "What I'm more interested in is how your body changed over the past two years. Unfortunately, it seems like you don't have the answer to that just yet."
That smug look on his face made it feel like he knew everything already. So I turned the tables and asked, "In that case, I suppose you also know who sabotaged your wife's reincarnation back then?"
The smile froze on Yang Xiao's face. What replaced it was a cold smirk—eerily similar to the expression he wore the first time I saw him at the top of the Qilin Building.
He stared at me, cold as ice, like I was the one who nearly ruined his wife's reincarnation. I felt a chill crawl down my spine, and just as I was about to tell him the answer, Yang Xiao sneered and said it for me: "I'll settle the score with Lin Feng... slowly."
As he said this, the entire room was engulfed in a bone-chilling cold. The air around him began to thicken, as if it were starting to freeze.
I knew he wouldn't hurt me, but the oppressive coldness he exuded made it hard to breathe. Just then, a scorching heat flared up inside my chest—the very heat that had disappeared before. But this time, it was even fiercer.
"Aaah!" I cried out as I leapt from the bed, but my legs gave out and I collapsed right back onto it.
Startled, Yang Xiao took a step back, his chilling aura vanishing instantly as he stared at me in shock.
I could feel the blazing heat rampaging inside me, seeking a way out. Finally, it burst from every pore on my body like steam. Within seconds, I was completely enveloped in heat—a stark contrast to the frigid energy Yang Xiao had just unleashed.
Once the heat found an outlet, I felt my body cooling down. The oppressive fire receded, and the steam surrounding me slowly dispersed. I lay there drenched in sweat—my clothes, even the sheets underneath me, soaked through. I felt like a pile of broken bones, barely able to breathe.
Yang Xiao returned to his usual self. He helped me sit up and propped me against the headboard. Then he found a bottle of mineral water Sun Fatty had left behind and handed it to me. After I gulped it down, the last trace of the heat inside me was finally gone.
"I'm not just envious anymore," Yang Xiao said as he sat back down, "I'm actually jealous. Looks like Director Wu gave you quite the gift. If I'm right, you're on the same path he once walked."
I glanced at him and said weakly, "Don't flatter me. If you want this path so badly, you can have it."
"Have it?" Yang Xiao's eyes lit up, but the spark quickly faded. "Too late. The path I'm on is already set. Even Director Wu couldn't change that now."
There was a strange sadness in his voice—like a man who'd once had a choice, but no longer.
Not wanting to get caught up in his envy, I nodded politely, then asked, "Old Yang, let's talk about 'paths' later. Can you first explain what just happened to my body? That burning sensation—I thought I was going to spontaneously combust!"
"Spontaneous combustion…" Yang Xiao chuckled dryly and gave me a mocking smile. He looked like he was about to explain, but after blinking a few times, he changed his mind. "You should ask the one who made you burn. It's his story—I can't speak for him."
Before I could ask more, the hospital room door opened. Several doctors and nurses came in to check on me.
It was obvious they were already familiar with Yang Xiao. While the doctors examined me, a few of the younger nurses drifted toward him, giggling as they chatted about which new movies had come out.
Yang Xiao was like a different person—no trace of the grim, vengeful spirit from just moments ago. He even blushed a little, politely smiling and chatting back. He looked just like the young rookie cop I'd first met.
To be fair, his baby face really did attract women. His wife, the beauty of the Qilin Division, was proof enough. And now, here were these nurses, clearly smitten.
Just as I was starting to feel a strange pang of jealousy, my heart suddenly tensed. I sensed a faint, lingering aura of death just outside the door—like a corpse had been parked right outside our room. But it wasn't just any ghost—this lingering death energy in broad daylight couldn't be from some average spirit.
I shoved aside the old doctor checking my knee reflexes, pointed toward the door, and said, "Old Yang, the door—"
But even before I spoke, Yang Xiao had already noticed the disturbance outside.
What I didn't expect was that instead of charging out to investigate, Yang Xiao took a step back—subconsciously hiding behind a few of the nurses.