The Unruly Immortals

"A birthday gift? Okay, what gift do you want?" Li Huowang asked softly with a smile, leaning towards the bedside.

He remembered that he had indeed told Yang Na he would give her a birthday gift that day.

Yang Na's voice quieted for a moment, then she said cautiously, "Huowang, I... I hope that someday, once your condition stabilizes and you have some time off, you could come to my school gate to pick me up. I've told them I have a boyfriend and that he's really handsome, but my roommates just don't believe it."

"I showed them our photos, and they actually thought they were edited. Ai, those three crazy women, really."

Condition stabilizing? Li Huowang felt a twinge of bitterness at these words.

This hallucination was far too logical, almost no different from reality, but no matter how real it was, it was still a hallucination.

"Okay." Li Huowang rarely lied.

"Mm! At that time, I'll make all those single dogs jealous to death!"

After saying this, their conversation fell into silence.

"You... are you doing okay?" Yang Na's question left Li Huowang somewhat at a loss for a response.

Remembering all that had happened before, Li Huowang found it difficult to say anything positive. "Not bad."

Yang Na's voice grew softer, a slight grievance in her tone as she said, "Huowang, I like you, I really really like you, but this kind of liking needs to be maintained by both of us."

"If it's just me, I'm really afraid that one day I won't be able to keep going, and then... end up just like my parents. They were really affectionate towards each other when I was young, but in the end, they grew to hate each other."

Li Huowang took a deep breath and once again gave a noncommittal reply.

But this time, Yang Na would not let it go. "Li Huowang! Take me seriously! Stop just saying 'okay,' you need to take action!"

"Auntie says you're very resistant to seeing the doctor, and that's not good!"

"I know you, don't I? You keep everything bottled up inside! Are you avoiding something again? You've been stubborn since you were a kid, and you're still the same now!"

"I know things are hard for you now. You've got a serious illness, but if you're sick, you need to get treatment."

"Only by doing so can you show me your commitment, let me know that you are trying just as hard as I am. Otherwise, I'll feel uneasy, I'll start to worry. I'll wonder if you're thinking of abandoning me yet again."

At these words, Li Huowang clenched his hands tightly. "Nana, I promise you, I will absolutely not give up on you, even if... even if..."

"Even if what?"

"Even if you are a hallucination." This sentence, Li Huowang kept deep in his heart.

"Even if my illness never gets better, as long as you keep fighting, I will definitely not give up."

Upon receiving Li Huowang's affirmative reply, Yang Na's voice regained its former vitality. She started chatting with Li Huowang again about the interesting things at her new school.

And so, they talked for half an hour, until Nurse Wang reminded them, and they finally hung up the phone reluctantly.

Li Huowang lay in bed, heaving a deep sigh. He knew that what happened in a hallucination wasn't constant. But faced with Yang Na's birthday wish, he really didn't know what to do.

After the last incident, the hospital wouldn't even consider letting him leave temporarily, let alone unbinding him, without going through layers of approval.

Not to mention that Yang Na's university was in another place; even if it were local, he couldn't go.

"Seeing how normal you were chatting with her, do you want to try having a consultation with the doctor today?"

Hearing Nurse Wang's words, Li Huowang turned his head away in irritation.

"Hey, kid, I'm getting quite moved here. For such a great girl, you can't let her down, don't give up on treatment, alright?"

"Is this any of your business? Are we that familiar with each other?" Li Huowang was extremely annoyed at the moment.

"You may not be familiar with me, but I'm pretty familiar with you. Bathing, changing catheters, cleaning bedpans—it's all been us taking care of you. Honestly, I haven't even been this attentive to my own mother."

"But you're fairly easy to handle, no need to turn over. Young people have good bodies. You've been lying here so long and haven't even developed bedsores. Bed nineteen, though, has to be turned every few hours."

For some reason, Nurse Wang really enjoyed chatting with him. Faced with her endless chatter, Li Huowang became even more irritated.

"I'm tired. Can I rest for a while?"

"Oh, kid, you've practically grown into the bed, and you're still tired? Tired of lying down? Why not chat with me? This hospital is so heartless—they don't even let us use phones in the duty room. If it weren't for the good pay, and the benefits including social insurance and housing fund, I would've quit a long time ago."

"Kid, are you really not going to let the doctor check on you? What would your Yang Na think if she knew about this?"

His words made Li Huowang's expression become slightly serious. "Fine, let the doctor come over."

Even if it was an illusion, he didn't want to upset Yang Na.

"Oops, I forgot to say, today's Sunday, the doctor's off. Are you free tomorrow?"

"Are you messing with me?" Li Huowang was starting to dislike this Nurse Wang.

"Now, why would I mess with you? Your mother is tough, who would dare to mess with her precious son? I wouldn't want her to file a complaint against me. The doctor really isn't here; tomorrow, tomorrow for sure, I'll pass on the message."

"Oh, right, will you be here tomorrow? The doctors said your condition is pretty rare. They're even thinking of naming the disease after you."

Li Huowang silently closed his eyes, not wanting to listen anymore.

Amid the incessant babbling, Li Huowang drifted sleepily into slumber.

When he woke up again, he found himself back on the wooden bed, relieved only after realizing he was wrapped in chains but covered with a blanket.

Li Huowang looked at Bai Lingmiao on one side. Gradually, her face began to overlap with Yang Na's.

Illusions were always just illusions. Having experienced one, he knew he had to cherish reality above all else.

As he watched, a thought crossed Li Huowang's mind.

"Was Bai Lingmiao thinking the same as what Yang Na considered?"

Under his gaze, Bai Lingmiao's long, white eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Seeing Li Huowang's eyes regain clarity, Bai Lingmiao smiled faintly. "Senior Li, it's only the fourth watch. I'll unchain you so you can sleep a bit more."

After saying that, she lifted the blanket and busied herself with the chains on Li Huowang.

Looking at the face so close in front of him, Li Huowang suddenly asked, "Today, were you very envious of the bride?"

Bai Lingmiao's cheeks flushed red, and while shy, she did not feign any denial. "Yeah, very envious indeed."

"Senior Li, when we get to our place, will you... will you marry me? You won't despise me, will you?"

Hearing this, Li Huowang gently extended his head and pecked her soft lips.

Bai Lingmiao was clearly startled by his actions, standing there completely at a loss.

Li Huowang sat up, pulled her into the warm blanket with him, and that day, Li Huowang got up very late.