Little Duckling - Chapter 6

Telling people too earnestly that you turned into a pet duck after a car accident would likely land you in a mental hospital, or at the very least, a stint in psychological therapy.

Jian Xin desperately wished it had all been a dream, but the memories were too vivid. Even now, awake in her hospital bed, she struggled to distinguish reality from illusion.

She cautiously glanced at her phone.

The cracked screen showed 10:20 AM. The alarm had already gone off twice.

A moment later, the alarm stopped.

Watching the sunlight stream through the window and spill across the floor, Jian Xin found herself thinking of the duck confined in its cage. The first rays of dawn had filtered into the duck’s cage in just the same way.

So, had she truly become a duck? Had she really been chased to near death by a Corgi? And most importantly…

Had she actually met the real Yan Lu?

Jian Xin was deep in thought when her phone alarm suddenly rang again.

She was alone in the hospital room, and with her injured limbs, she couldn’t reach to turn it off. She had no choice but to let it continue ringing.

Fortunately, she was quick to rationalize the situation and managed to calm herself down within seconds.

Let it ring, she thought. The volume isn’t even that loud anyway.

Since I’m injured like this, I definitely won’t have to work overtime at the office.

And if I don’t have to work overtime, then this usually soul-crushing alarm loses all its power!

With that thought, her mood instantly brightened.

See? You can’t look at things one-sidedly. Everything has two sides!

In fact, upon closer reflection, the memories of her time as a duck, though seemingly vivid and real, contained numerous glaring inconsistencies.

She had clearly seen Yan Lu’s current appearance during the day, yet that very night, she “encountered” Yan Lu.

The person who hit her with the car happened to be Yan Lu’s cousin, and after the accident, she just happened to “soul-travel” into Yan Lu’s pet.

Yan Lu, who had been missing for seven years, was even in the same city as her…

Come on, even in a novel, you wouldn’t dare write such a coincidence!

Even if all of the above were true, what about that cousin?

She had known Yan Lu since high school. Even if she couldn’t measure up to her now, they had once shared a heartfelt friendship. Yet she had never known Yan Lu had a cousin.

Considering all this, while the memory could be real, it seemed highly improbable.

Perhaps she should approach this bizarre situation from a scientific perspective.

Jian Xin frowned in deep thought for a long time, then suddenly had a flash of insight!

She realized she must have suffered a brain injury from being hit by the car last night, causing a brief hallucination in her dissociated state—she had read about similar cases in novels.

In simple terms, it was a psychological defense mechanism. Her brain was reducing her perception of the physical pain she had endured, helping her cope with the ordeal!

Yes, that must be it!

Ha! Humans truly are the pinnacle of the universe, the crown of all creation!

Such an intricate and magnificent bodily structure—only we humans possess it!

By this point, Jian Xin had completely convinced herself.

Finally understanding the full picture, she exhaled with a sense of relief.

The next moment, the door suddenly swung open.

A girl with an unfamiliar face, her expression strained with exhaustion, shuffled in carrying a small bag of fruit. Her movements were listless.

The moment she noticed Jian Xin was awake, her expression transformed. Her eyes lit up with a mixture of surprise and nervous anticipation.

Jian Xin opened her mouth to ask something, but the girl quickly pulled out her phone, dialed a number, and hurried back to the doorway before the call connected. She covered half her face as if whispering, but her voice was loud and dramatic.

“Cousin! Your old friend is awake!”

“Cousin, hurry! Come… come help me!”

The pleading tone and words felt strangely familiar, making Jian Xin want to avoid the situation altogether.

Sister, could your cousin possibly be named Yan Lu?

“If you could transform into a small animal, never have to work again, and be cherished and cared for by a gentle and beautiful owner, what kind of experience would that be?”

Jian Xin, who prefers to remain anonymous, replied:

“Thanks for the invitation, but please don’t invite me again.”

Having had the “distinct honor” of experiencing this firsthand, she found that her already fragile worldview, painstakingly pieced together with her limited knowledge, had completely shattered.

Yan Lu, the rising literary star, the cousin of the girl who accidentally knocked her into the hospital, and her ex-girlfriend, was currently sitting in her hospital room, her head bowed as she peeled an apple.

The clothes she wore, the bag she carried, even the color of her phone case—everything was identical to what Jian Xin had seen last night when she was a duck!

Science had ceased to exist; it was time to switch to the paranormal channel.

Silence hung heavy in the air, thick with awkwardness.

Three people in one hospital room, yet not a single word had been uttered for what felt like an eternity.

Yao Wenqian, her eyes wide, kept glancing between Yan Lu and Jian Xin. When neither of them showed any sign of speaking, she finally raised her hand and executed the “urinary escape” maneuver.

Now the room was completely empty except for the two people who had long since run out of things to say to each other.

This awkward stalemate couldn’t continue. After much deliberation, Jian Xin decided to break the ice first.

“Long time no see,” she said.

“Mm.”

“What a coincidence, running into you here.”

“Not a coincidence. My cousin bumped into you.”

“Still quite a coincidence, though, that it was your cousin.”

“True.”

“Haha, how strange…”

“……”

Jian Xin took a deep breath, unconsciously clenching her back teeth.

I can’t take this. This conversation is going nowhere. I’m about to die of embarrassment…

The small hospital room was filled with an overwhelming silence.

Jian Xin closed her eyes, determined to shut out this unbearable awkwardness.

Suddenly, a voice broke through the silence.

“Have some fruit.”

Jian Xin opened her eyes to find a plate of peeled and sliced apples on the bedside table.

Did she actually peel these for me?

Jian Xin had assumed Yan Lu was going to peel the apple in front of her, then eat it herself to deliberately provoke her.

Staring at the apples, Jian Xin pursed her lips. “My hands are a bit awkward right now.”

Before she could finish speaking, a slice of apple was already being held to her mouth.

She froze for half a second, then opened her mouth to accept it, mumbling a muffled thank you.

After swallowing the apple, Jian Xin couldn’t resist asking, “What brings you to Jin City?”

“Writing novels,” Yan Lu replied casually. “It doesn’t matter where I live. My cousin’s here, and she wanted me to come, so I did.”

“I see…” Jian Xin said.

“Mm-hmm.”

The conversation stalled again, leaving Jian Xin feeling like she’d encountered the legendary conversation killer.

After a brief silence, she tried again. “Speaking of which, I drifted around the Imperial Capital for two years after graduating. Couldn’t really make a living there, and I didn’t want to go home and be ridiculed by my relatives. I had some acquaintances here, and I figured it’s always good to have someone to rely on when you’re away from home, so I came here.”

Yan Lu picked up a toothpick and fed Jian Xin another piece of apple.

Chewing, Jian Xin continued, “You’ve met my relatives before—they’re such gossips!”

“Ugh, I can practically hear them now, if I went back. They’d say—” She cleared her throat, mimicking the gossipy tone of her relatives, “A music degree from the Imperial Capital? What good is that? All that money wasted on music lessons, dreaming of becoming a star, and in the end, you couldn’t even make it in the big city. Now you’re back home, relying on your parents!”

Finally, she sighed, “I’d rather fight for pride than steam a bun. No matter how tough things get, I’m never going back.”

Yan Lu nodded silently, still not speaking.

Seeing this, Jian Xin bit the inside of her lip and quietly stopped her awkward attempts to make conversation.

The apple on the plastic plate was quickly finished. Now, she just wanted to ask Yan Lu when she would leave so she could rest in peace for a while.

But Yan Lu suddenly spoke up.

“I guessed you wouldn’t want your parents to know about your hospitalization, so I didn’t call them.” Her tone was flat, as if discussing a business matter. “My cousin hit you where there was no crosswalk, and you were clearly drunk. Technically, you bear some responsibility for the accident. But considering we’ve known each other for so many years, we’ll cover all your medical expenses, nutritional supplements, and lost wages. Just focus on recovering.”

“Then…”

“Who do you need to inform about your hospitalization—family, your boss, or friends?” Yan Lu picked up Jian Xin’s phone and held it out. “Unlock it, and I’ll make the calls for you.”

Jian Xin instinctively wanted to say the password hadn’t changed, but when she opened her mouth, the words caught in her throat.

“I can’t unlock it myself—my fingers are all bandaged up,” Jian Xin said, gesturing with her chin toward her heavily bandaged left hand. “Either my index finger or thumb will work. Just pick one and press it.”

Without changing her expression, Yan Lu used Jian Xin’s index finger to unlock the screen.

“Who should I call?”

“No need to call my parents… If they found out, they’d rush over immediately. The doctor said it’s not serious—no need for them to worry.” Jian Xin paused, lost in thought for a moment.

In the end, she only told two people about the car accident: Director Niu and Zheng Xinyue.

It wasn’t about keeping it a secret; she simply couldn’t be bothered to repeat the whole story to more people.

She believed the world was a circle. Once these two knew, everyone who needed to know would eventually find out.

After making the two calls, she felt the awkwardness between her and Yan Lu in the room had finally eased.

But that didn’t stop Jian Xin from feeling somewhat conflicted.

To be honest, she had never imagined she would see Yan Lu again in her lifetime.

Just as she had never imagined that one day she would lose all contact with Yan Lu.

The feeling was truly unbelievable.

She and Yan Lu had met in high school and shared a part of their university years together.

Yan Lu knew her personality inside and out.

Yan Lu knew her dreams and aspirations.

Yan Lu was familiar with her family.

Yan Lu even knew almost all of her close friends.

Yan Lu had once permeated every corner of her life, so much so that for a long time, she always felt that no matter what happened, if she told Yan Lu, she would be understood and understood.

Just now, those casual complaints that slipped out seemed to be yearning for Yan Lu’s response.

But they had been apart for so long.

Time always dilutes many things, even the most passionate emotions.

Perhaps it was for the best that their feelings had faded. That way, their reunion wouldn’t be as tense as she’d imagined, and they might even be able to remain calm and composed.

As Jian Xin pondered this, she suddenly saw Yan Lu get up to leave. Unable to stop herself, she called out to her.

Yan Lu paused, turning back to ask, “Is there anything else?”

Jian Xin stared at Yan Lu by the door, her mind blank. She blurted out, “Will you come again tomorrow?”

Yan Lu: “……”

Realizing what she’d said, Jian Xin quickly tried to recover. “Oh, I didn’t mean anything by it. I just wanted to ask… I can’t move around easily right now, so I might need someone to…”

Yan Lu: “My cousin and I will take turns caring for you until you’re discharged.”

Jian Xin blinked. “Oh,” she replied, pressing her lips into a thin line.

The moment Yan Lu left, Jian Xin’s lips twitched uncontrollably.

A second later, she frowned and squeezed her eyes shut.

A good horse doesn’t graze on old pastures!