Chapter 39: In Reality, I Am Not Yang Qingyan

Mu Nanhe is undergoing surgery, and Yang Qingyan specially arranged for just the two of them to be in the operating room. Inside the operating room, the bright lights glare down, various medical instruments are neatly arranged, gleaming with a cold, hard light, and the atmosphere is so tense it feels suffocating.

As the surgery begins and his leg is being cut open, she starts to speak while working: “Nanhe, I need to confess something to you.”

Mu Nanhe endures the pain; his forehead is already covered with beads of sweat, but he still manages to force a smile and respond, “Wife, you say it. I’m listening.”

Seeing his painful expression, Yang Qingyan feels a pang of heartache and secretly gathers her abilities, channeling a bit more into his body. Then she asks, “Do you feel a little better, that it doesn’t hurt as much? Do you know why?”

Mu Nanhe’s eyes are filled with confusion and curiosity as he gently asks, “Why?”

Yang Qingyan pauses slightly, seeming to muster her courage, and slowly says, “Actually, I’m not from this world. The real Yang Qingyan died of starvation while living in your house; I am the one whose soul entered her body at that time. I am also Yang Qingyan.”

As she speaks, her hands do not stop, steadily working on the surgical instruments to begin repairing Mu Nanhe’s damaged nerves.

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashes across Mu Nanhe’s eyes, but it quickly transforms into calmness. He says earnestly, “Wife, I’ve actually known all along that you are not her. Although I don’t know why this is so, I know that my love is for you.”

Yang Qingyan’s heart warms; her movements become even gentler and more precise. She continues, “I come from a world at the end of time; my world is on the verge of extinction. I have a special ability to channel energy into people’s bodies, just like now, I’m using this method to repair your nerves.”

Mu Nanhe furrows his brows, filled with concern as he asks, “Will it harm you?”

Yang Qingyan shakes her head gently, reassuring him, “No, it just makes me a bit tired; I just need to rest.”

After a moment of silence, Mu Nanhe’s eyes are filled with affection and reluctance as he asks again, “Will you leave me? Will you go back to that world?”

Yang Qingyan stops her movements, quietly channels her abilities, looks directly into Mu Nanhe’s eyes, and says sincerely, “I don’t know, but I think I probably won’t. I can’t bear to leave you. I love you, Nanhe.”

Mu Nanhe says with a serious expression, “Wife, don’t tell anyone about this, okay?”

A glimmer of understanding flashes in Yang Qingyan’s eyes; she nods firmly, “I understand. But you are not just anyone; I trust you.”

Throughout the surgery, Yang Qingyan remains attentive to Mu Nanhe’s condition, performing her work precisely while softly talking to him and occasionally checking if he feels anything.

Mu Nanhe endures the pain, trying hard to respond to her, his focus being scattered, yet he finds it somewhat bearable to endure the excruciating pain from the nerve repairs.

To maintain a conscious state during the surgery, Yang Qingyan knows the pain is harder for an ordinary person to withstand, and Mu Nanhe’s nerve damage is much more extensive than Xia Tianyou’s. Thus, she chose this moment to pour out her heart, hoping it could help him through this difficult time.

As time passes second by second, the indicator light outside the operating room stays lit. Finally, after a long, grueling 10-hour operation, the surgery is successful.

Yang Qingyan lets out a long breath, looking at Mu Nanhe with a mix of fatigue and relief, while Mu Nanhe gazes back at her, his eyes brimming with gratitude for surviving the ordeal and a deeper affection for her.

After exiting the operating room, Doctor Wang and several specialists are already waiting eagerly at the door. When the door opens, they immediately rush forward. Yang Qingyan announces, “The surgery was successful.”

Doctor Wang’s eyes are filled with awe and admiration as he rapidly check’s Mu Nanhe’s vital signs, mumbling, “It’s unbelievable! The difficulty of this surgery was extremely high, yet Doctor Wang managed to conclude it perfectly. It’s truly miraculous!”

Other specialists nod in agreement, whispering about the wonderful details of the surgery, speaking nothing but praise for Yang Qingyan’s medical skills.

Xia Tianyou pushes to the front, his eyes sparkling with excitement and joy, his voice slightly trembling as he says, “Commander Mu, that’s great! You finally made it through! Now we can fight side by side again.” The summer commander also has tears in his eyes; he pats Mu Nanhe on the shoulder, filled with emotions: “Nanhe, you’ve suffered, but you’ve finally made it through. You need to take good care of yourself from now on.”

That one white commander stands tall beside them, a smile of relief appearing on his face. He steps forward, his voice loud and authoritative: “Doctor Wang, this surgery was a tremendous success! You truly are a miraculous doctor! On behalf of the troops, I thank you for giving our excellent soldier a chance to recover.”

Yang Qingyan smiles modestly and responds, “You flatter me, Sir. However, recovery still requires rehabilitation before he can return to normal; Nanhe will still have to endure some hardships.”

Lying on the gurney, Mu Nanhe softly tells Yang Qingyan, “This commander is Bai Yiling’s father.”

Yang Qingyan gives a slight nod, pondering to herself: This commander and Bai Yiling don’t seem to be on the same page; it’s really a case of good bamboo producing poor shoots.

Once they’ve all left, only Mu Nanhe and Yang Qingyan remain in the hospital room. Xia Tianyou’s recovery is going well; he only needs to do regular rehabilitation, so Yang Qingyan, considering his situation, approves him to return home to rest and just come to the hospital every three days.

Having been busy for so long, Yang Qingyan is utterly exhausted. Mu Nanhe sees this and feels a pang in his heart. He gently pats the side of the bed, softly telling Yang Qingyan, “Wife, you’re exhausted. Come lie down here and rest for a bit.”

Yang Qingyan, feeling truly tired, doesn’t refuse but instead slightly worriedly reminds him, “If it hurts badly later, be sure to wake me. I can give you acupuncture to ease it. You absolutely cannot take painkillers; they will affect your nerve recovery.”

Mu Nanhe looks at her with affection and concern, softly saying, “Wife, you sleep. I’m fine.”

Yang Qingyan sleeps deeply, and after an unknown amount of time, she hazily feels the person beside her starting to tremble slightly. She wakes up instantly, rapidly sitting up to see Mu Nanhe gritting his teeth, his body shaking uncontrollably, drenched in sweat from the pain.

Yang Qingyan feels both heartbroken and slightly chastising as she says, “Didn’t I tell you to call me? Look at how much pain you’re in.”

Mu Nanhe grits his teeth, each word escaping his lips with difficulty: “Wife… I… I’m… fine… I… can… endure… I… just… wanted… you… to… sleep… more… you… used… too… much… energy… for… this… surgery…”

With tears welling in Yang Qingyan’s eyes, she quickly grabs the medical kit from beside her, takes out a silver needle, finds the right acupoint, and steadily inserts it while channeling her abilities to gradually enter Mu Nanhe’s body.

As she works, she says, “You’re just like Xia Tianyou—a stubborn one, insisting you’re fine even after all this pain.”

The tension in Mu Nanhe’s furrowed brows gradually eases. He holds Yang Qingyan’s hand, quietly responding, “Wife, I know I was wrong. I realize you channeled quite a bit of your abilities into me during the process, and I couldn’t bring myself to wake you.”

Yang Qingyan gently shakes her head, filled with emotions and helplessness: “We’re husband and wife; you’re my man. If something bad were to happen to you out of pain, I would also feel heartbroken.”

A weak smile appears at the corner of Mu Nanhe’s lips: “Don’t worry, wife, I’m doing well. With you by my side, I will definitely recover quickly.”

Once the pain subsides, Yang Qingyan looks at Mu Nanhe’s sweat-drenched clothes. She gently gets up, brings a basin of warm water, and takes some clean towels and a change of clothes, returning to his bedside.

“Nanhe, I’ll help you wipe your body and change your clothes; you’ll feel more comfortable this way.” She speaks softly.

Mu Nanhe wants to refuse; after all, he doesn’t want Yang Qingyan to tire herself further. But looking into her determined eyes, he swallows his words.

Mu Nanhe quietly watches her, his eyes full of tenderness and emotion, softly saying, “Wife, thank you for your hard work.”

Yang Qingyan glances up at him and smiles, “Why are we still talking about hard work? Just focus on recovering.”

After she finishes wiping him down, she helps Mu Nanhe change into clean, comfortable clothes and tidies the bed so he can lie more comfortably. The two of them cling tightly to each other in the hospital room, their love and care for one another deepening and dispersing the gloom brought about by pain.