Chapter 56: Is It Really True?

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=2188414
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.


"Okay, watch TV," Ruan Yesheng said with a slight smile, then simply got up from the edge of the bed and sat up straight.

On the program, Yang Fei stood in the muddy pool, wiping the mud off his face, repeatedly praising, "I didn't expect Qingqing to be so strong, I lost, I admit defeat."

The other team members didn't believe him. How could Qingqing, who seemed like a weak sister, be strong? So they all thought he was putting beauty first, deliberately letting go, and continued to tease him.

Reality shows nowadays seem like a bunch of celebrities having fun and joking around, improvising freely. This approach is different from acting in movies, seeming to show the audience a star's true self in life, but it's only superficial.

Actually, it's an open secret in the industry that reality shows have scripts. The production team sets up the roles for each celebrity from the start, like who plays the cute role, who's the smart one, who's the funny guy, and so on, all meticulously planned out. Even the interactions, dialogues, occasional incidents, and sometimes conflicts are scripted to create buzz.

Of course, some segments genuinely reflect reality, but because of the existence of scripts, it's hard to distinguish what's true from what's not.

What seems true is not true, what seems false is not false.

Xi Mo knew this truth well, so when she saw Shen Qingbie push Yang Fei down, and Yang Fei said she was strong, she didn't think anything of it, including the reactions of the team members.

This must have been a segment set up in advance by the production team.

As for Shen Qingbie, she's either obsessed with taking selfies, sipping tea under the afternoon sun, or talking about what she ate and drank today. Sometimes, she reads books and recites a few melancholic poems, making every day seem peaceful and serene, like the flow of water through the years. Even when attending events, she's graceful and elegant, with graceful steps. To push Yang Fei this time, who has always had amazing explosive power from years of fitness training, into a plight and roll into the mud, no one would believe there wasn't a script planned for this.

Ruan Yesheng laughed and said, "They don't believe what Yang Fei said, but her strength is actually very strong. She even practiced karate. When Shen Qingbie grabbed Yang Fei just now, it must have been quite a grip."

Xi Mo slowly turned her face to her and stared at her, saying, "How do you know?"

Ruan Yesheng slightly froze, with a hint of flicker in her eyes, then quickly said, "It's all gossip heard from the grapevine. You know gossip is usually nonsense, just listen and forget."

Xi Mo narrowed her eyes.

After a while, she looked back at the TV screen.

Ruan Yesheng also continued watching TV without saying anything.

The duration of a reality show episode is neither short nor long. During the show, Xi Mo glanced at her phone multiple times, lighting up the screen and then immediately putting it down again.

Finally, there was another commercial break, and Xi Mo glanced at her phone again. Ruan Yesheng turned to her and said, "It's almost ten now, right?"

Xi Mo was caught red-handed by her, she put down her phone with a serious face, saying, "I wasn't checking the time, I was replying to a message."

"Oh, I see," Ruan Yesheng smiled, raised her hand to check the time, and said, "Let me tell you, it's almost ten."

Xi Mo: "..."

Ruan Yesheng said, "In ten minutes, I have to keep my promise and leave."

She emphasized each word of "keep my promise" slowly and deliberately.

Xi Mo just stared at her, while Ruan Yesheng initially smiled and waited to see if she would say something righteous again. After waiting for a while, Xi Mo remained silent, and Ruan Yesheng gradually felt exposed under her focused gaze, unable to hide anything.

"There are still ten minutes, that should be enough for you to say what you want," Xi Mo said.

"...What?"

Xi Mo said calmly, "Since you came over today, you fed me fruit, chatted with me, and watched reality shows with me without a moment's rest. But I can tell you're hiding something in your heart. You're anxious and want to tell me something. I've been waiting for you to speak up, but you still haven't said anything."

Ruan Yesheng widened her eyes, impressed by Xi Mo's perceptiveness.

The time spent with Xi Mo in the ward tonight was both joyful and relaxing for her, but also filled with anxiety. Everything that happened during the day was still fresh in her mind. No matter how much she tried to relax now, those events still haunted her like a nightmare, as if she were standing on the boundary between light and shadow.

Xi Mo is her light.

But she couldn't be greedy for that warmth and forget the dangers lurking behind.

"I can never hide anything from you," Ruan Yesheng said with a helpless smile.

"Is it not convenient to say now?" Xi Mo assessed her expression and whispered, "If it's not convenient, it's okay. You can tell me when you're ready."

"It's not inconvenient, actually. I can say it now," Ruan Yesheng suddenly felt a sense of relief. With Xi Mo's mental resilience, telling her now probably wouldn't make much difference.

Xi Mo waved her hand, motioning for her to come over.

Ruan Yesheng moved her chair closer and sat beside Xi Mo. "You're right," she began. "When I came here, I was eager to tell you something important. But then I saw you had a high fever and needed rest, so I was afraid that telling you would make you worry too much and you wouldn't be able to sleep well. So I changed my mind and decided to wait until you were discharged from the hospital tomorrow."

She sighed. "But since you've asked, I'll tell you the truth now."

From Ruan Yesheng's words, it was evident that the situation was indeed quite serious. Xi Mo furrowed her brow. "During the day at the hotel, I was in a prolonged state of unconsciousness. Something happened during that time, right? Although my eyes were closed, I occasionally had vague awareness. It felt like I was being pulled and thrown around by something. It was very uncomfortable."

After some consideration, Ruan Yesheng said, "Actually, you had that feeling because at that time, we switched bodies."

Xi Mo: "..."

She reached out and grabbed Ruan Yesheng's wrist, holding it tightly. There was a hint of undeniable agitation in her breath as she confirmed slowly, "What did you say? We switched back then?"

Ruan Yesheng glanced at Xi Mo's hand holding hers. She knew that swapping back had always been Xi Mo's wish. Telling her now that they had indeed switched back must have caused a great upheaval in Xi Mo's heart. Otherwise, Xi Mo, who usually kept her distance, wouldn't suddenly have such direct physical contact with her.

Ruan Yesheng's fingers twitched slightly, feeling the urge to hold her hand back at that moment.

But then she thought that Xi Mo had only grabbed her hand because she was too excited. If there ever came a day when, in a calm and undisturbed state, Xi Mo could simply hold her hand like this just because she wanted to, how wonderful would that be?

Would such a day ever come?

The way Xi Mo treated her now was very different from before, and Ruan Yesheng could feel it completely. Sometimes, Ruan Yesheng secretly wonders; does Xi Mo has some feelings for her?

It would be good, even if it was just a little bit.

People's hopes and wishes are countless, each different from the other. Some are fervent, some twisted, some humble, some gentle. Even the most difficult wishes to articulate add a special color to the heart of the wish holder.

That color is so intense, just a glance seems to suck away all the soul, it could be poison, it could be medicine. Some wishes make people ecstatic, some make them ruthless, some make them lose themselves, and some make them both sweet and bitter. This color, called wish, has ruined many and redeemed many. It comes in so many different forms, yet there is a common thread among them.

That's when people find themselves looking from a distance, and they're unable to resist the urge to try everything to get closer. But when the day finally comes to get closer, they become even more cautious.

The closer people get, the more they begin to doubt themselves. Is it really true?

Is it an illusion, or a fantasy?

Are they really about to fulfill their wish?

Or are they just overthinking things?

Ruan Yesheng understood that Xi Mo was indeed treating her well now, but she wasn't sure if this was how Xi Mo treated her good friends. From her understanding, Xi Mo had very few friends, so if someone became Xi Mo's close friend, Xi Mo would undoubtedly show them particularly special care.

This kind of special care could easily be misunderstood. Sometimes, she really couldn't figure out what Xi Mo was thinking, so she could only probe multiple times. The results of her probing mostly made her secretly pleased, but after probing, she became even more anxious.

They say straight women are the best at flirting, but they do it unintentionally, which can easily lead to misunderstandings. Many lesbians have been led to believe that someone likes them when they're actually just being friendly. This is a common phenomenon.


Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=2188414
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.


Many times, Xi Mo's responses are quite ambiguous, but Ruan Yesheng can feel the sweetness in that ambiguity. So, she is happy, thinking Xi Mo might have some feelings for her. However, Xi Mo hasn't shown anything explicitly. Ruan Yesheng is inherently meticulous and cautious. If things are not clear, it might mean she's just being overly hopeful. Like when Xi Mo held her hand this time, it might have been just a reaction to hearing a shocking news. The more Xi Mo acts like this, the less certain Ruan Yesheng becomes.

But what she can be sure of is that she is now Xi Mo's good friend. However... she doesn't want to be just her good friend.

"What's on your mind?"

A soft voice echoed in her ear, and Ruan Yesheng lifted her gaze to look at Xi Mo.

Xi Mo's expression was somewhat strange. "I asked if we switched back. Why aren't you speaking?"

Ruan Yesheng smiled. "No, it's because the situation was a bit complicated at the time, so I wanted to organize my thoughts and find the right way to describe it to you."

Xi Mo glanced at her again, her expression somewhat ambiguous, but she remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

Ruan Yesheng carefully concealed her fluctuating emotions and continued, "We indeed switched back, but I checked the time and it was very short, only a few minutes."

Xi Mo received her clear answer, knowing that they did indeed switch back, and her expression softened considerably. Then, she furrowed her brow and said, "A few minutes is still significant. At least we switched back. With such a result, there must have been a trigger that caused it."

Ruan Yesheng added, "I also considered that trigger at the time."

Xi Mo, who was always logical and clear-headed, had now entered a state of calm reflection. She said, "Both times resulted in a swap, so there must be something common between them. There should be commonalities in the swapping process, and finding those commonalities might help us identify the trigger."

She continued, "Initially, we both believed that during the hotel fire, something happened to cause the body swap, but we were both unconscious at the time and didn't know what exactly happened. This time, I was also unconscious and unaware of the situation. If we're looking for similarities, then at least one party was unconscious. When a person is unconscious, they lose consciousness, and their mind is in a very fragile state. In other words, during this period, consciousness has very weak control over the body."

Ruan Yesheng understood her meaning and replied, "Although when we woke up in the hospital, there were no traces of burns on our bodies, which suggests that the fire may not have reached us, but the fire would have brought thick smoke, which could have affected our bodies. Perhaps something else happened at that time, causing us to pass out. So I think our bodies were also weak at that time. And when you were sick with a fever, your body naturally wasn't in good condition either. So another similarity is that at least one party had a weak body. Therefore, is it a necessary condition for swapping when a person's mental and physical states are both very weak?"

"It's possible," Xi Mo pondered. "But there are still differences between these two instances. The first swap felt very thorough to me, while the second time, you said it only lasted for a few minutes. So perhaps the degree of weakness was different?"

Upon hearing Xi Mo's words, Ruan Yesheng also realized something and her expression changed slightly. "So it's possible that the weakness caused by the fever resulted in the mental and physical states being too weak to sustain the swap for long, and it quickly reverted to normal?"

Xi Mo replied, "That's a possibility. Even if someone is injured, there are different levels of severity to consider. The bodily changes caused by a cold or fever, compared to more serious injuries or illnesses, may not be significant."

Ruan Yesheng lowered her head.

After a long silence, Ruan Yesheng spoke slowly, "Xi Mo, do you think that during the hotel fire, there's a possibility that, due to some reasons we're not aware of... we almost died?"

Xi Mo's heart skipped a beat.

For patients lingering on the sickbed, death might seem close at hand, but for most young and healthy individuals, it's very distant. People go about their daily lives, studying, working, and living, rarely thinking about the topic of death unless they're constantly plagued by illness or suffering from severe depression.

If one day you realize you might have narrowly escaped death, the feeling can be terrifying. Reflecting on that moment can send shivers down your spine, making even the calmness of your current life feel unreal.

Xi Mo stared at Ruan Yesheng and said, "Are you suggesting that the level of weakness caused by fever or similar conditions wasn't enough to trigger the swap back, and if we were to switch back completely, at least one condition that needs to be met is... being on the brink of death?"

Ruan Yesheng also looked at her and nodded slowly.