Chapter 57: She Clearly Knew, But Still Threw Out The Question
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Brink of death, that's standing on the edge of a deep abyss called death. Just one more step forward, and there's no turning back.
Who dares to mess with death, who dares to take that risk?
The reason why being on the brink of death is frightening is indeed because of the impact death itself brings. People fear death, so they fear anything related to death. In theory, death means total nothingness, while being on the brink of death at least offers a glimmer of hope. Logically, death should be scarier than dying, but whenever you ask those who have experienced being on the brink of death, the usual answer is that the feeling of dying is actually more terrifying than death itself.
Because death means no more feeling, perhaps dying is painful, but then it dissipates completely. On the other hand, being on the brink of death not only deeply feels the pain, struggle, hesitation, and despair when death approaches but also, after crawling back from the boundary between life and death, if one still remembers the situation of being on the brink of death, no matter how long ago, that feeling will become a shadow etched into the bones, accompanying one's entire life, making them shudder at the mere thought.
Suddenly bringing up such an exceptionally heavy topic, the atmosphere immediately became tense, and both of them fell silent.
Ruan Yesheng took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and then continued her analysis: "If one of the conditions is being on the brink of death, then do both people have to be in that state, or is it enough for at least one person to be on the brink of death? Previously, at the hotel, although we were both unconscious, no, perhaps we were both on the brink of death, but today only you fell into a deep sleep while I was perfectly fine. However, there was still a brief exchange. Perhaps this means that as long as the body and consciousness of at least one party reach a weakened state simultaneously, this process can proceed. If we strengthen this weakness to the brink of death, then it might be possible to fully switch back. Therefore, by the same reasoning, as long as one party reaches the brink of death, it should suffice, and both people don't need to meet the brink of death condition at the same time, right?"
She lowered her head and pondered for a moment, feeling that there were still some loopholes. So she added, "Of course, if it's because my physical condition was normal today, and it led to a very short exchange time, affecting the stability of the exchange, then perhaps one person being on the brink of death could also affect the outcome. Maybe in the end, both people need to be on the brink of death to truly achieve it. However, whether it's at least one person on the brink of death or both, it's actually possible. We can't determine it for sure right now; we can only consider them as alternative conditions."
After analyzing like this, she wanted to hear Xi Mo's opinion, but she found that Xi Mo had just been staring at her face without saying a word.
"Did I analyze something wrong?" Ruan Yesheng couldn't help but ask when she saw Xi Mo's expression.
"No," Xi Mo said. "You analyzed it very well."
She paused for a moment, and a quiet light filled her pitch-black eyes. "Aren't you afraid?"
If one of the conditions for switching back is indeed being on the brink of death, then obviously they only have three options in front of them.
One is that this condition is too difficult to achieve, and they won't be able to switch back in their lifetime, so they'll have to live forever in each other's identities.
Or they experience being on the brink of death and switch back.
Or they experience being on the brink of death and never wake up again.
The first option is already hard to accept, and the latter two options, no matter how you look at them, have a much higher chance of never waking up again. When someone is on the brink of death, can they still control their own fate? Life is so fragile; it might only be a hair's breadth away from its end.
Even though the road ahead was so dangerous, Ruan Yesheng could still remain calm and analyze the topic of being on the brink of death with ease.
Ruan Yesheng didn't expect her to ask like this, so she hesitated for a moment before smiling and saying, "I'm afraid."
"You don't look afraid."
"I am afraid inside, but I can't show it. Fear is one thing, but we still have to face and solve the problem. Being afraid won't help."
"Why can't you show it?"
Ruan Yesheng said seriously, "This matter can't be disclosed to outsiders. Basically, it can only rely on the two of us. If I show that I'm very afraid, it will definitely burden you a lot and leave you feeling isolated and helpless. I don't want to hold you back; instead, I hope to be your support."
Xi Mo was so thoughtful and observant, how could she not guess that Ruan Yesheng would answer like this? She clearly knew, but still threw out the question, wanting to hear Ruan Yesheng's answer firsthand. Perhaps even she didn't understand her own interest in doing so.
Maybe she was just bored from being sick.
"I'll tell you," Xi Mo's voice was steady. "I'm not afraid."
Ruan Yesheng felt the hand that had been holding her wrist tighten slightly, the pressure just right, not hurting her but conveying a comforting strength.
Xi Mo continued, "So you don't need to be afraid either. You can also—"
She glanced away.
"What can I also do?" Ruan Yesheng's heart was already pounding wildly as she was held by her.
"You can also rely on me."
The last three words were uttered softly, as light as a breeze, but Ruan Yesheng caught them accurately and amplified them in her own ears. It was as if she had been gently brushed by the nonexistent wind, and Ruan Yesheng's ears turned red.
"After all, you said this matter can only be solved by the two of us," Xi Mo said, adopting her usual righteous tone. "Besides me, there's no one else you can rely on."
Ruan Yesheng: "..."
Her ears alternated between red and white, and she felt annoyed.
Sometimes she felt that Xi Mo was clearly a block of unfeeling wood, but when she got closer, she discovered how skillful she was with words, able to stir up waves in one's heart in an instant, making one blush from head to toe. Just when she was feeling pleased, she was drenched with Xi Mo's righteous explanation, leaving her even more conflicted because she didn't know if it was intentional or not.
Xi Mo asked: "Now shall we continue analyzing?"
Ruan Yesheng lazily raised her eyelids, glancing at her with a hint of resentment, and nodded weakly. What else could she say?
Xi Mo also glanced back at her and said, "We've been discussing the condition of being on the brink of death. Next, we'll build on the assumption that being on the brink of death is one of the necessary conditions and make further deductions. Actually, after that hotel fire, I privately looked into the situation. Do you remember when we woke up in the hospital, we didn't have any obvious injuries, except for switching bodies, everything else was fine? If we were on the brink of death at that time, it would mean we lost any ability to act because of being in a life-threatening situation due to certain reasons. However, the situation was so urgent at that time, with the fire ready to engulf us at any moment. How could two people on the brink of death then emerge nearly unscathed?"
Ruan Yesheng immediately understood what she was about to say and waited for her to continue.
Xi Mo said, "The only possibility is that an external force safely removed us. I initially inquired about it, and there were many casualties during that incident. Even many firefighters were seriously injured during the rescue. At first, I thought it was firefighters who came in to rescue us, but later, after some investigation, I couldn't find any specific firefighters who rescued us. Of course, because it was so chaotic at the time, everyone was busy rescuing people, who would remember exactly who they saved? That's understandable. Firefighters who remembered us said that everyone who was rescued was placed in one area, and we were lying there. The scene was too chaotic, and no one knew who rescued us. So, there's a question here."
Pausing as if reminiscing about the scene, she continued, "We lost consciousness at that time, unable to call for help or attract attention by moving around. We were hiding in a remote restroom on a high floor, and the fire would have undoubtedly caused thick smoke everywhere, greatly reducing visibility. It would have been very difficult to find people, let alone those lying on the ground. I believe that firefighters, from receiving the fire alarm to entering the building, might have been able to rescue many other people, but they couldn't have found us in the first place. We ended up as the few survivors who weren't seriously injured. So, I don't think it was firefighters who saved us, but rather someone else, and it must have been someone nearby at the time. Only someone nearby could have arrived at our location first, lent a helping hand, and pulled us back from the brink of death. Otherwise, how could we have had a chance to survive after being on the brink of death?"
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Ruan Yesheng's eyelashes drooped, the scene of the fire was still vivid in her mind, to the point that even now, just thinking about it, she could almost feel the suffocating heat, as if her skin was about to burn.
She said, "I do remember something outside the door. I saw a dark shadow through the crack in the door. I don't know what it was, maybe a person. There might really have been a third person present."
