Chapter 32: Yaoxing Academy 32 Part 1

Three years later.

Xun Family Private Hospital.

Yu Fangbai sat by the window as usual, propping up an easel and painting. The canvas depicted the sleeping face of a blond youth, peaceful and serene, as if trapped in a dream world by a witch’s spell, unable to wake.

“You always paint the same thing. Does your skill improve at all?” Yan Qian munched on an apple, curled up on the hospital room’s sofa, his fingers clacking away nonstop on his laptop.

Yu Fangbai frowned impatiently. “Can’t you do your graduation project back at school? What’s with loitering in the hospital room all the time?”

Yan Qian paused, retorting, “You’re always hanging around here too, aren’t you?”

Yu Fangbai: “My gallery is designing a project for Xun Corporation.”

Yan Qian: “My family’s orchard is a long-term partner of Xun Corporation!”

Yu Fangbai looked disgusted. “Then why don’t you go home and farm? Tapping away on that computer—don’t you know the patient needs quiet to recuperate?”

Yan Qian argued back, “Farming these days combines with tech, okay? What do you know about farming, you outsider? Besides, if this little noise could wake Young Master Xun, he would’ve…”

Yan Qian’s words cut off abruptly. His eyes widened like he’d seen a ghost.

“Woken up how?” Yu Fangbai sneered. “Can’t even finish your sentence.”

He twirled his paintbrush casually, his peripheral vision sweeping over the hospital bed without thought.

Clatter.

The paintbrush dropped to the ground.

Yu Fangbai shot to his feet, knocking over the easel in front of him with a loud bang. The blond youth on the hospital bed was drawn by the noise. He slowly turned his head, opening a pair of amber eyes.

Yu Fangbai stood stunned for a moment, then took a deep breath. His voice trembled uncontrollably. “Qu-quick, call the doctor…”

Yan Qian finally snapped out of it, scrambling to his feet in a panic. “R-right, call the doctor… Doctor! Doctor! Doc—tor—! Young Master Xun is awake!!! Doctor—!! Young Master Xun—has woken up!!”

His clear voice cracked several times, echoing down the private hospital’s corridor.

Chaos erupted in the room as medical staff rushed in without pause, swarming Xun Ji with various instruments.

Soon, Xun Qian arrived with his entourage. The small room crammed full of people.

Finally, Xun Qian waved them all out, leaving only the attending physician and two nurses. Xun Ji finally felt some quiet in his ears.

Oh, not entirely quiet.

【Host, boo hoo hoo, my poor Host, boo hoo hoo hoo!】

“Alright, what exactly happened?” Xun Ji was still a bit dazed.

【Doesn’t Host remember? You accepted the OOC Punishment and fell into a coma for a full three years!】

“A three-year coma?” Xun Ji was shocked. He only felt like he’d taken a long nap.

【How could Host choose to accept all the OOC Punishments at once? OOC Punishment isn’t a joke—even a single one hurts a lot. Accumulating so many and activating them all at once? Of course the punishment was extremely severe!】

So, before losing consciousness, that falling billboard had been the System’s punishment at work.

Xun Ji was speechless. “Warn me ahead of time next time.”

The System sounded a bit guilty: 【The System did warn Host not to go OOC, but Host didn’t take it seriously.】

The medical staff flipped Xun Ji over and over like a pancake for checks. He felt his limbs were terribly weak and limp.

【Host lay in bed for three years, so muscle atrophy is normal!】 The System comforted him. 【But don’t worry, Host—the System handles after-sales service. The injuries from the OOC Punishment have been completely healed. Right now, aside from weak limbs that might keep you from walking, everything else is perfectly healthy!】

Xun Ji: …How wonderfully healthy.

He suddenly remembered something and hurriedly asked the System, “What about Lu Zhou? Why didn’t I see him just now?”

System: 【That ungrateful Protagonist wolf didn’t visit Host once in these three years! But Yu Fangbai, Yan Qian, Lin Yule, and the others came often. Xun Qian brought Lu Ting over every day.】

Xun Ji’s heart sank. Lu Zhou absolutely wouldn’t know he was injured and not come visit. So it was extremely likely that Lu Zhou hadn’t returned at all in the three years since leaving at the airport.

Was he still searching for Lu Ting?

Xun Ji’s brow furrowed involuntarily. It had been something that a single phone call could’ve cleared up back then. Why had it turned out like this?

The punishment from the heavens had stolen three years of his time and made Lu Zhou endure three years of anguish from separation from his closest kin.

“Young Master Xun, is something wrong?” The doctor noticed his frown and asked with concern.

Xun Ji shook his head. “I’m fine. Go call my brother in.”

Xun Qian entered the room. Three years had passed, and the man’s mature face had lost some gentleness, gaining a sharper edge instead.

But at this moment, all that sharpness melted into heartache, reddening his eyes.

Xun Qian sat by Xun Ji’s bed and held his hand, speechless for a time.

“Bro.” Xun Ji called out obediently.

“You finally woke up.” Xun Qian’s voice was hoarse, his scolding words delivered in the gentlest tone.

“Bro, I’ve slept so long my whole body feels awful. My limbs have no strength at all.” Xun Ji whined pretend-complaint. He knew exactly what worked on his brother.