Hu Na blinked, instinctively wanting to laugh it off, but seeing Gu Ya's serious face, she suddenly panicked. She stood up and picked up her stool, preparing to leave.
"Didn't you say you were joking?" Gu Ya quickly tried to salvage the situation.
Hu Na froze, offering Gu Ya a smile of disbelief. "It's not funny at all!" she said, then put the stool back down and sat down.
"You're really something. You shouldn't joke like this anymore. I'm afraid you'll scare me." Now that things were back to normal, Hu Na resumed her chatty mode while watching videos.
Perhaps it was Hu Na's naturally inclusive nature, but even though Gu Ya wasn't quite herself all evening, they talked a lot.
As they parted, they agreed to have lunch together in the hospital's back garden the next day.
The next day at noon, to Gu Ya's anticipation, he waited for Hu Na in the back garden.
Today she wore a large, thick white t-shirt, paired with tight light blue jeans and white sneakers. She looked very ordinary, the kind of person who wouldn't attract attention walking down the street.
But her face was still as beautiful as ever, a face one would never forget after a single glance.
"What are we eating today? The cafeteria again?" Hu Na poked at Gu Ya's meal and said with disappointment. Then she smiled, "Try what I made."
As she spoke, they swapped their lunches. She naturally picked up a disposable chopstick and started eating. "What are you waiting for? Eat up."
"You're very good to me, thank you," Gu Ya said gratefully.
"This is called being good? It seems you don't have many friends. My male classmates and I often swap lunches, it's no big deal," Hu Na said with a smile, not minding sharing her personal life.
Gu Ya asked, "Your relationships with your classmates and friends are very good, right?"
"Hmm, about average. Maybe I'm just more easygoing and don't have so many restrictions, hee hee."
For some reason, Gu Ya's mood suddenly soured.
It wasn't because of Hu Na; she was kind and natural. It was rather that he felt like an unrestrained child in front of her.
Gu Ya didn't find the same sense of ease with Hu Na as he did with Ye Ying.
Although the two looked exactly alike, their personalities were completely different.
Perhaps this was how girls who had never experienced hardship or danger were supposed to be: innocent, pure, cheerful, and easygoing.
"You're frowning again?" Hu Na asked with concern. "Always with a stern face like you're going into battle. It's not good for your health. You're waking up now, and things will get better slowly."
Gu Ya nodded and said nothing more.
That evening, they met on the balcony to chat again. This time, Hu Na video-chatted with her classmates for a long time. Gu Ya sat by her side like a fool, quietly listening to her delightful laughter.
It wasn't until late at night, when no more patients were strolling in the hallway, that they returned.
"Sorry for leaving you hanging all night," Hu Na said apologetically.
Gu Ya shook his head. "It's nothing. Seeing you happy makes me feel better too."
"This is my phone number, and it's the same for other chat apps. You can find me to chat when I'm at school," Hu Na said with a smile, handing him her phone.
The moment their fingers touched, Gu Ya felt an incredible current surge into his brain.
Ye Ying's face appeared in Gu Ya's mind at an astonishing speed. She looked at him calmly and said softly, "Is this real?"
Gu Ya's eyes widened, and the scenery before him instantly changed.
A giant mecha appeared again. This time, Ye Ying was piloting the mecha, soaring over the sea.
Behind the Nightingale mecha were the vast Unbound Red, Red Beast, Green Duke, and Peach Creek, as well as a mecha with strangely black-coated armor.
Immediately after, the scene shifted, blurring his vision, as if he were enveloped in a pool of living water, yet he could breathe smoothly.
Through the winding and continuous line of sight, Gu Ya saw a familiar woman struggling to shake a U-shaped handle in the distance.
The scene changed again. This time, Gu Ya was at the bottom of a cylindrical well. Although there were several blue guiding light strips leading straight up the well wall, the well was too deep. Looking up, he couldn't see the exit!
Such a deep well instantly made Gu Ya unable to breathe.
Suddenly, boundless darkness encroached upon his vision again.
In the darkness, Gu Ya could faintly hear someone humming an extremely strange melody, slowly approaching him.
"Who!" Gu Ya shouted angrily.
"...Who..."
"...Who......"
The echo, mixed with the strange melody, reverberated from all directions.
The strange voice suddenly spoke, "You are me, and I am you!"
"...You are me, and I am you..."
"...You are me... I am you..."
"Gu Ya!" Hu Na's shout pulled him back to reality.
Gu Ya gasped for air, looking at Hu Na blankly. "What happened to me?"
"You suddenly started rolling your eyes and twitching. You really scared me!" Hu Na said, relieved.
Gu Ya's pupils trembled. He grabbed Hu Na's hand and asked urgently, "Tell me, is this real?"
"What's wrong?" Hu Na awkwardly withdrew her hand, looking hesitant.
"I don't want to guess anymore. Tell me!" Gu Ya stood up impulsively, grabbing Hu Na's hands again. "Is this real or not?"
Hu Na no longer struggled to break free from Gu Ya's hands. She said with pity and seriousness, "You're still struggling between dreams and reality, aren't you? It's okay, my mom had trouble distinguishing them when she first woke up."
"This is real, don't worry," Hu Na said with certainty.
Gu Ya felt slightly relieved and slowly sat back in his wheelchair.
Hu Na reached out and gently hugged Gu Ya, patting his back. "You must be confused after being in a coma for so long, it's okay, you'll get better slowly. You have your family with you, and of course, your friend, hee hee."
"Hu Na, thank you," Gu Ya said, breathing a little easier.
Hu Na laughed heartily and said, "Just call me Nana. All my friends call me that. And don't be so jumpy in the future; you scared me half to death late at night."
"Okay..."
After that night, Gu Ya and Hu Na's relationship seemed to have grown closer. She would visit Gu Ya from time to time and tell him about things at school.
Even after Hu Na's mother was discharged from the hospital, she would still visit Gu Ya occasionally, bringing him fruits and snacks. Their relationship had become much closer.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye, and it was finally time for Gu Ya to be discharged.
His father had returned from out of town and went to handle the discharge procedures. His mother, Hu Na, and Hu Na's best friend helped Gu Ya pack his belongings.
"This can't go here! If you put it down like that, you won't find it," Gu Ya said calmly, taking the water cup from Hu Na's hand and placing it in another suitcase.
"Hee hee, you're so serious about everything," Hu Na pouted her tongue and said with a mischievous smile.
Hu Na's best friend looked at them with envy. While Gu Ya was packing, she pulled Hu Na aside and whispered, "Sigh, you two are so compatible. You're carefree, and he's serious. You're about to graduate, shouldn't you consider making it official?"
"Oh, you're so annoying. Let's talk about it after we get out of the hospital," Hu Na whispered evasively.
Gu Ya overheard this private conversation between the best friends and felt naturally happy. Hu Na's best friend was a great assist!
Just as Gu Ya turned, he came face-to-face with Hu Na. In that moment, Gu Ya's mind flickered, and he suddenly realized that Hu Na had transformed into Ye Ying!
It all happened too suddenly. This inexplicable transformation made Gu Ya unable to distinguish between reality and dreams.
Although they looked identical, Gu Ya knew clearly that it was Ye Ying, not Hu Na!
Ye Ying looked at Gu Ya with a determined gaze and asked softly, "Is this real?"
Gu Ya's mouth hung open, and he didn't know how to answer.
"Is this real?" Ye Ying continued to ask.
Gu Ya dazedly retorted, "Isn't this real?"
Immediately, Ye Ying transformed back into Hu Na. Hu Na looked at Gu Ya with a sympathetic and anxious expression. "What's wrong?"
Gu Ya came back to his senses, took a breath, and smiled. "Nothing, you're very beautiful." He then lowered his head and continued packing.
However, in Gu Ya's heart, Ye Ying's question echoed again and again: "Is this real?"
"I've already transmigrated back, why is Ye Ying still appearing? This has happened countless times."
"Real... real... real?"
Suddenly, Gu Ya froze. The apple he was holding fell onto the hospital bed.
"REAL!"
Gu Ya suddenly realized. He looked up and stood straight, scanning his surroundings.
The real scene, the real people, the real objects, the real sensory perceptions!
All of this was real!
No wonder he had never discovered the weakness of this world – it was too real!
Why had he never thought of this before!!
"Gu Ya, what's wrong with you again? Don't scare me. Can't you distinguish them even after being discharged?" Hu Na asked worriedly.
"Fake! You are all fake!!! Real fakes!!!" Gu Ya wanted to shout.
But Black Star could make this world so real, which meant they had ways to keep him immersed in it!
He had to be careful, lest he be considered mentally unstable and locked up. At that time, Black Star would surely use stronger drugs to delude him!
"I'm fine. Let's go," Gu Ya said with a faint smile, picking up his suitcase and walking out of the ward.
But Gu Ya knew that all of this was fake.
To find a way to break through this illusion, he needed to find a way to break through the reality.