Future Love Contract (GL) - Chapter 14

Zhao Xinyun lay on the bed and simply said, “Thank you so much.” Then she closed her eyes and said nothing more. Gresya figured she probably needed rest at the moment, so she nodded at the doctor and quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.

After waking up, Zhao Xinyun began to piece together some of the memories she had recovered. She connected them to the recurring dream that had long troubled her. The once-blurry face of the man in her dreams now aligned perfectly with the man she had just seen. It was him!

Even though her memory hadn’t fully returned, Zhao Xinyun could vaguely deduce some of what had happened. The initial chase and escape in the dream were self-explanatory. She still couldn’t recall the full story, but when she remembered blending into the crowd and jumping onto a bus, it now symbolized her rushed decision to go to Venus just to avoid him. The fact that he didn’t see her and stopped chasing meant that during her dream period, he hadn’t found her. And Gresya’s face appearing at the end made sense too—she was the first person Zhao Xinyun saw after arriving in this world.

After sorting through all this, Zhao Xinyun made a firm decision: the fake relationship with Gresya must continue. Judging from the man’s bouquet of red roses, the dream’s pursuit likely symbolized a love gone sour—hatred born from rejection. Presenting herself as already in a relationship could serve as a shield. It felt a little unfair to Gresya, but she had been the one to suggest the fake relationship in the first place. She must have had her own reasons, right?

And there was another reason too. In her dream, Gresya’s face gave her a sense of peace. Zhao Xinyun wasn’t sure whether this foreshadowed something or simply meant Gresya truly made her feel safe. Either way, it was a good thing.

Just then, the man snuck into the room while the doctor wasn’t looking. Gresya had just gone to the restroom—otherwise, she would have blocked him. Zhao Xinyun, lost in thought with her eyes closed, didn’t hear the soft sound of the door opening. When she opened her eyes, she saw the man standing at her bedside.

“Jiang Yongxi! You again?!” A sharp pain shot through her head, as if more memories had suddenly returned.

“Xinyun, I admit I was too impatient in the past. I didn’t handle things well, but I’ve been working to change.” His tone and expression seemed sincere, but his next words pushed her over the edge. “But I truly believe that only a kind and gentle girl like you deserves to be my wife! So, Xinyun, I won’t give up!”

Zhao Xinyun’s head throbbed even more. The physical pain was nothing compared to the mental frustration. How could someone be so narcissistic?! She nearly shouted, “Stop acting like a big shot! You’ll get struck by lightning!” but swallowed the words at the last second. What kind of disaster had her past self caused to attract this lunatic?! She was now certain: rejecting him had been a wise move, and she’d continue to do so.

“I don’t care what qualifications you think I have. I don’t need them, thank you very much,” she replied coldly, trying to maintain her composure from bed. “And my answer will not change.”

Jiang Yongxi’s expression didn’t falter. He took a small step back and said, “I believe that ten years from now, you’ll regret saying this. Xinyun, I love you, and I don’t want you to regret it.”

“I swear to the heavens I will never regret it!” Zhao Xinyun blurted out in frustration, raising her hand dramatically. “You’ve already forced me to flee to Venus to escape you! What more do you want?!”

Jiang Yongxi was about to respond when the door suddenly slammed open.

Gresya rushed in, worry written all over her face. “Zhao Xinyun, are you okay?!”

“Ah? I’m fine. Just annoyed by this guy.” Zhao Xinyun guessed Gresya had left briefly, then realized the man was missing and assumed he had snuck into the room, hence her panic.

“Zhao Xinyun is my girlfriend. You have nothing to do with her,” Gresya said, staring coldly at Jiang Yongxi. “She’s recovering right now. I’m warning you: if you don’t want her condition to worsen, leave. Now.” She motioned toward the door. “Unless, of course, you’d rather I call the doctor and have hospital security escort you out.”

Jiang Yongxi glanced between the two of them, weighing his options. At last, he left a parting remark: “Xinyun, I’m a very forgiving man. If you ever come to your senses, I’ll still be here for you.”

Zhao Xinyun nearly shouted, “I’ll never come to my senses! Give it up!” but held back. With a guy like Jiang Yongxi, pushing too hard might lead to something even worse.

Jiang Yongxi walked off with an infuriating air of composure. Gresya grabbed Zhao Xinyun’s hand. “Are you okay? What just happened? I’m so sorry—I was only gone for a minute, and this hospital… how could they let a lunatic like him in?!”

“Don’t blame them. They probably thought he was family here to visit. And it’s not your fault either—you weren’t obligated to keep watch over me. But yes, he’s insane. You should’ve heard what he said.” Zhao Xinyun recounted Jiang Yongxi’s words, and by the end, Gresya couldn’t help laughing.

“How can someone like that exist?!”

“There are all kinds of people in this world,” Zhao Xinyun sighed. “What’s strange is I still don’t fully remember how I got involved with him.”

“So, what are you going to do about him now?” Gresya asked, concerned.

“What can I do? Just take it as it comes. Let’s talk about something happier, shall we?”

Gresya pulled up the Venus sunrise footage on her tablet. “Not much has changed. We didn’t miss anything. Cheer up.”

“I’m not cheered up!” Zhao Xinyun laughed at last. “That just means the real sunrise is still ages away! What a boring, so-called romantic activity. Honestly, a trip on Earth would’ve been more fun. By the way, did the doctor tell you anything?”

“He just said your body is fine. With a day or two of rest, you can be discharged.”

“I’m leaving today! It’s just a memory recovery—no reason to stay in a hospital!” As she spoke, Zhao Xinyun began to climb out of bed, only to be stopped by Gresya.

“I won’t stop you from leaving, but it has to be with the doctor’s approval.”

Just then, the doctor came in. Gresya left quietly to avoid interfering. Seeing her chance, Zhao Xinyun persistently persuaded the doctor to let her go. Eventually, worn down and convinced that she was full of energy and didn’t need to stay, he gave in. He reminded her to call immediately if anything went wrong and arranged her discharge for that evening.

Zhao Xinyun had several reasons for wanting to leave that day. First, she knew exactly what was wrong with her—no need to stay for observation. Memory recovery didn’t require hospitalization. Second, if she stayed, Gresya would definitely insist on staying with her, and there’d be no convincing her otherwise. Third, slim as the chance was, what if someone discovered she had time-traveled?

The discharge process went smoothly. That evening, Zhao Xinyun left the hospital. Gresya started the car, then spread out her arms and legs in the seat, almost like she wanted to lie down in the shape of a giant starfish—if only the car had more room.

“For a moment, I thought Jiang Yongxi would be waiting outside the hospital,” Zhao Xinyun said.

“No way. There are guards around. If he’s got half a brain, he’d know better than to try something there.” Gresya adjusted the airflow with a button on the seat. “But seriously, why were you in such a hurry to leave? Are you really okay now?”

“Never been better!” Zhao Xinyun raised her voice slightly. “There was nothing wrong to begin with, and they still made me take some capsules.”

“You should be thankful. Thanks to nanobot technology, there’s no pain, no toxins, no side effects. Back in ancient times, people had to get injections—metal needles stuck in their arms to deliver medicine.”

When Gresya mentioned “ancient times,” Zhao Xinyun froze, breaking into a cold sweat. Her limbs stiffened. Was Gresya testing her, suspecting she was a time traveler? She avoided looking at Gresya’s expression, hoping the seatback would hide her reaction.

“Ancient times are ancient times! Why not go even further back to when they didn’t even have computers? And besides, I wasn’t even sick! They just stuffed me full of nanobots. Sure, it didn’t hurt, but you’d be annoyed too.”

“Alright, alright, I was just making conversation. Anyway, the doctor told me to report if anything seems wrong. So if you feel unwell, you’d better let me know.”

Zhao Xinyun nodded. “Don’t worry, I will. Right now, I just want to rest well and try to fully recover my memories.”