Han Jiaojiao died contentedly.
In her heart, she thought, "Finally, I can be with my brother, truly... I've waited so long..."
With this hope, Han Jiaojiao aimed the gun at her temple and pulled the trigger.
In that final moment, it seemed as though a wind had arisen, the vast currents buffeting her body, but she didn't care; by now, nothing could stop her.
She was going to her brother.
Her brother had been waiting for her for far too long. The ground was so dark, so cold; how could she let her brother be all alone? Fortunately, she was about to see him.
......
Han Jiaojiao waited for death filled with expectation. She struggled in the darkness; the whole world felt like a quagmire, soaking her through with cold. She thought she must be dead.
...This was really, so good.
The waiting in darkness seemed as long as a century, yet also, it seemed only a moment.
When she opened her eyes again, all she could see was darkness.
Han Jiaojiao felt a slight headache as she slowly sat up, somewhat bewildered.
The touch under her was a soft bed—how long had it been since she had slept in a bed? Maybe half a year, maybe a year? It seemed that since her brother's death, she had never once slept peacefully. For a long time, she had lived in a small cave in the Gobi Desert, with furs of mutant beasts laid on the ground as her bed.
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Han Jiaojiao surveyed her surroundings.
White walls, elegant curtains, simple yet beautiful furniture, very clean floor, a thick plush carpet laid along the bed's corner; Han Jiaojiao gazed absentmindedly at the IV stand beside her bed. This place looked familiar, yet she couldn't immediately recall where it was.
She sat on the bed, lost in thought, trying to clear her mind as the back of her head throbbed intermittently.
Han Jiaojiao touched her head, feeling a thick layer of gauze.
Was she injured?
But...wasn't she already dead?...
Han Jiaojiao grew even more bewildered.
Had abilities become so advanced now that even a brain shot could be survived?... But she had never made friends with anyone with a Healing Ability, so who would go to the effort to save her?
In this world, aside from the brother who loved her most, who truly cared for her? Who would help and save her without expecting anything in return?
...No one, there wouldn't be.
Han Jiaojiao held her head in her hands, letting the tears fall drop by drop onto the pristine white bedding, quickly dampening a large area...
Perhaps because the night was too quiet, even such slight sobbing seemed especially clear.
The door on one side of the room suddenly swung open, and a middle-aged woman stood at the threshold of another room inside. She looked in astonishment at Han Jiaojiao, who was crying on the bed, and asked, "Miss?... Why are you crying? Do you have a headache? Or is something else uncomfortable?"
As she spoke, she walked towards Han Jiaojiao's bedside, pressed the switch to turn on the bedside lamp, and immediately, the room filled with a warm, bright light that was not harsh on the eyes.
Seeing the familiar face of the visitor, Han Jiaojiao's emotions churned tumultuously, unable to calm down!
It was Sister Wu! Was Sister Wu not dead? What was going on? Was she dreaming? Or had she arrived in the Underworld, and that was why she could see a long-departed friend?
"...Sister Wu?..." Han Jiaojiao called out to her with a voice so gentle, as though she feared a louder sound might shatter this beautiful dream.
Seeing Han Jiaojiao's pale face and her big eyes brimming with tears, Wu Xuelan immediately said sympathetically, "Why have you started crying? Does it hurt that much? Ah? Don't worry, I'll call the doctor right away..." As she spoke, she reached for the call button on the table.
Han Jiaojiao abruptly pulled her hand back. Due to the swiftness, it instead startled Wu Xuelan.
"...Miss, don't be scared, let's just have the doctor take a look, just a look, there won't be any injections..."
Hearing this, Han Jiaojiao's tears flowed even more fiercely.
It really was Sister Wu, that tone of comforting a child, and that familiar accent—it truly was her, the Sister Wu who had taken care of her attentively since she moved into the Han Family at the age of eight.
"Miss needn't be afraid. The doctor mentioned it's just minor concussion, and with two days of observation, there'll be nothing wrong. If Miss doesn't like the hospital, we can go home tomorrow and let Doctor Chen come over to have a look again..." Wu Xuelan initially wanted to add that the young master's injuries were more serious, and he would probably need to stay in the hospital for a few more days. If Miss went home alone, the young master would definitely be worried. However, remembering their strained relationship, she changed her advise, "Just that, the person who fired the gun hasn't been caught yet, going back alone might not be safe... Why not wait until the young master is a bit better, then..."
—That's right, she remembered now.
There indeed had been a shooting incident. At the time, it caused a big stir, and the provincial newspaper continuously posted news about it for half a month. However, as the virus spread and the apocalyptic world descended, the incident went unresolved.
She also remembered that the day was the opening ceremony of the university, which she had no desire to attend. It was her brother who took her there. Their relationship was very tense at the time; although she despised him, she was also extremely afraid of him. With great reluctance, she sat through the ceremony, and just when it was about to end, she suddenly heard a gunshot. Someone in the audience fired at her brother, and chaos ensued. The crowd rushed toward several exits, and in the panic, she fell down the stairs...
So, had she returned to the time before the apocalyptic world?
Han Jiaojiao could hardly believe it.
How could such an unbelievable thing happen to her? Could it just be a coincidence, a dream? Because she missed her brother so much that she had this dream?
Han Jiaojiao extended her hand to gently touch the injury on her head, which had been stitched with five stitches, and the hair around it had been shaved off. She still remembered how she had thrown a tantrum over this strand of hair, and even resented her brother for taking her to the opening ceremony. If it weren't for him, the ceremony wouldn't have turned chaotic, and she wouldn't have cracked her head and lost a lock of hair. She had obsessed over her own misfortune, never considering whether her brother might have been injured. In fact, during the chaos, her brother had been shot in the arm. Despite his injury, he had protected her throughout, preventing her from being trampled after her fall.
Thinking of her brother's care, an odd smile appeared on Han Jiaojiao's face, as if it were the epitome of happiness as well as sorrow.
With mixed feelings of joy and sorrow, her tears fell even more heavily, thinking—if all this was just a dream, then let her see her brother once more. If she could see her brother again, she would definitely apologize properly. She would never curse at him or oppose him again; she would treat him well, striving to be the best little sister in the world, making her brother the happiest brother in the world.
Wu Xuelan, noticing the mixture of laughing and crying on Han Jiaojiao's face, was horrified, fearing that the blow to Han Jiaojiao's head might have caused some damage.
"Miss... What's the matter?" Seeing Han Jiaojiao constantly touching her wound, she wondered if the Miss was worried about her hair. Young girls at that age do care a lot about their appearance, and getting upset over hair isn't unusual, "Are you worried about the wound? It's fine, it's only a bit shaved off, and it will grow back quickly. I assure you it won't be noticeable from the outside at all. If you don't believe me, I'll bring a mirror the next time we change the dressing so you can see for yourself—it really isn't noticeable at all... Does the wound still hurt? We should still have the doctor take a look, there are doctors on duty even at midnight..."
Sister Wu rambled on, adding a touch more reality to this beautiful dream.
Han Jiaojiao laughed while wiping the tears from her face, "I'm fine, I just... miss my brother so much..."