CH 42.1

Lu Li asked him anxiously, “Do you know what your name is?”

Xie Jianwei said: “Xie Jianwei, who else can I be?”

After he said this, both of them were shocked.

The timeline Xie Jianwei thought he was in was years ago. It’s been too long and Lu Li couldn’t remember a lot of things from that time so he tried hard to recall some of his memories.

Xie Jianwei who seemed like he suddenly thought of something, asked: “By the way, I haven’t introduced myself to you yet, have I?”

Lu Li stared at him unblinkingly, apparently still trying to remember the events at that time.

Xie Jianwei smiled and said, “My name is Xie Jianwei. The others call me young master, but you don’t have to follow them. You can call me Jianwei.”

His voice was very soft, but it made Lu Li’s heart beat faster¾ it’s like it wanted to jump out of his chest.

Although Xie Jianwei’s complexion looked wan and sallow,  the shape of his brows and the mild cast in his eyes were gentle.  It’s like his elegance with a slight sense of alienation was seeped deep into his bones, but because of the raised corners of his mouth, he looked approachable.

Lu Li’s blurry memories of the past suddenly became clear.

Like a timelapse from black and white films to 3D-movies, his dim past became colorful and bright because of the young man’s few words and expression.

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Lu Li was fifteen years old that year. He’s at an age where most children acted arrogant and willful, but he  was living a gloomy and difficult life.

His mother’s dream of being a “rich man’s wife” got broken, so she poured her anger and frustration on him.

Who knew that such a skinny woman could exert great strength whenever she acts up?  Of course, Lu Li could subdue her, but she is his mother. No matter how unbearable and cruel she was, she still carried him inside her for months.

His life was given by her, and for that reason alone, Lu Li would never hurt her.

He always took a beating and scolding from her.  Alcohol ruined her sanity and magnified her dark thoughts infinitely. There was even a time when she aggressively slammed an alcohol bottle directly on Lu Li’s head.

Although Lu Li managed to avoid it, the sound of the glass breaking shattered his heart into pieces.

If he didn’t manage to hide, would she have killed him?

Lu Li’s breathing froze just thinking about this answer

Then one night, his mother, the crazy woman’s body finally succumbed to illness because of her long-term alcoholism.

Lu Li took her to the hospital, but their impoverished home couldn’t afford the high medical expenses.

Should he just watch and let her die?

That might give him some relief, but the moment when she’s gone, he would truly have nothing left.

The fifteen-year-old boy stood in the hospital’s corridor throughout the cold night— hesitant, confused, unable to find a home or see a way forward.

That was until the thin light of the dawn pierced the haze and spilled on the gray marble that he saw a young man who was bathed in light.

They were obviously of the same age, but the other was like an angel on the cloud with his white skin and touching smile ¾ a being blessed with countless happiness.

In contrast, he is like a monster in the mud, filthy and depraved, an existence constantly sinking into the abyss of hell.

At that moment, a very sinister thought rose in Lu Li’s mind.

He wanted to ruin him.

Seeing that boy filled with light made him feel the extreme injustice of fate.

And because of that, he wanted to…

But the boy suddenly spoke to him in a clear and soft voice: “Do you need help?”

Lu Li didn’t know what to say.

After glancing at Lu Li for a bit, the boy turned his head slightly and asked the person next to him, a doctor at the hospital.

After talking to the doctor, the boy looked at Lu Li, “Don’t worry, your mother will be fine.”

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It’s been years, and Lu Li honestly couldn’t remember the appearance of that boy. He only knew that he was the third young master of the Xie family; a proud son of the heaven and loved by innumerable people; a person who was far away and unreachable.

But at staring at Xie Jianwei now,  two individuals suddenly overlapped with each other.

His heart was beating wildly.

Lu Li was shocked by the realization and he almost lost his ability to think.

What happened?

The boy that time wasn’t Xie Zhiwei, but Xie Jianwei?

But… wasn’t Xie Jianwei in poor health his entire childhood so the Xie family kept and raised him at home?

Countless questions came to Lu Li’s mind, making him unable to sort out his thoughts for a while.

But deep in his heart, there was a voice that kept shouting: Xie Jianwei was the one who saved him.  Xie Jianwei was the boy who gave him a new life. It turned out that from the beginning to the present, the only person he attached with most importance to, was this man, only this man, in front of him.

This voice was like a magical bean stuck beneath the soil that had been casted with a spell as it grew in a rapid manner, instantly engulfing his entire world.

Does this mean that since he and Xie Jianwei had such a wonderful encounter between, their ending will also become better? How nice.

While Lu Li was immersed into his thoughts, Xie Jianwei stared at him unblinkingly.

After hearing about Lu Li’s mother for the first time, this idea sprouted in his mind.

The truth is not important at al.  The key lies in what Lu Li thinks.

Lu Li thought that Xie Zhiwei was the one who saved him back then, and that was Xie Zhiwei.

But this time, Xie Jianwei hinted that he was the one who saved him back then, so Lu Li couldn’t help thinking as such.

Xie Jianwei and Xie Zhiwei ¾there’s no question who Lu Li preferred between these two.

The scene fifteen years ago was so important to him. If the boy at that time is the man that he likes now…. Such beautiful coincidence would make anyone feel thrilled.

Even if Lu Li notices something wrong, as long as Xie Jianwei continues to hint and help Lu Li fill-out some details,  he could change the “past”.

What’s more, Xie Jianwei had already paved the way beforehand.

Even without the assistance of “God’s Will”, Military Advisor Xie could fake such past events, not to mention now, when Lu Li’s subconscious was giving him a helping hand.

Lu Li asked him cautiously, “Do you…remember what day it is today?”

Xie Jianwei had done enough homework a long time ago, so he confidently stated the date “today”.

Upon hearing his answer, Lu Li’s heart and soul trembled again.

Yes… after recalling carefully, this day should be about two days after his mother was admitted to the hospital for treatment.

Could it be…the boy that time was really Xie Jianwei?

But how did Xie Jianwei forget everything? And why would Xie Zhiwei know the details at that time? Or should he ask: Who is the Third Young Master Xie?

Aside from personal feelings, Lu Li was more inclined to  believe that Xie Jianwei was the boy back then, because of the date Xie Jianwei mentioned.

He did tell Xie Jianwei about this before, but it’s completely impossible for him to know the exact date.

Xie Jianwei’s face was already full of fatigue after saying just a few words. He tilted his head and leaned on the pillow, closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.

Lu Li immediately went to the doctor after he recovered his thoughts and he explained Xie Jianwei’s situation.

The doctor pondered for a moment: “This type of thing shouldn’t have happened, but…” The doctor paused and said, “Some people reacts differently to anesthetics, and may be in a subconscious state while the drug was still in effect.“

Lu Li’s eyebrows furrowed slightly and he asked: “Then… is what he said true?”

The doctor gave an example and said, “His mind isn’t sober yet, so  it’s hard to tell whether his words are true or false… But even if it’s something ‘he doesn’t know’, his subconscious might be one working earlier so it’s very like that it’s true.”

Lu Li mulled over it for a long time, and finally, he decided to consult some neurological experts  about memories,

The final information he got was that with professional mental suggestion and drug control, people could forget many things or even have their memories replaced.

But this kind of memory-tweaking has great side effects and can directly destroy the mind of that person. And even if it succeeds, it would be extremely unstable.

And if you stop the suggestion and drugs, the person could remember his memories, albeit slowly.

Lu Li was currently in M country, but his trusted subordinates were all in Z country. After some instructions, he began to investigate the Xie family.

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Over the next few days, Xie Jianwei was weak. He spent most of his time sleeping, and on times when he’s awake,  he wouldn’t always speak: sometimes he’d just stare into emptiness while on the other times, he would recognize Lu Li and ask him a few questions about the time they met.

Lu Li wanted to chat with Xie Jianwei for longer periods of time but was worried about his physical condition, so he had no choice but to hold back.

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This groggy state of Xie Jianwei’s gave Lu Li the time to investigate.

Of course, Xie Jianwei had already made his own arrangements before he came to M country, therefore, Lu Li Now Lu Li could only find out what he wanted him to find out.

Anyway, there are many loopholes in this memory.

Imagine , how did the Xie family  managed to hide Xie Jianwei, a living person, inside the Xie household all the time?

Why should a boy be raised as a girl?

Even if he really was psychologically impaired, he should have received treatment. How was he treated?

Another strange thing was: Why did Xie Jianwei and his mother leave the Xie household? Was it really because the relationship Mr. and Mrs.  Xie were at odds with each other, just like what Xie Zhiwei had said?

No matter how bad their relationship was, could she really bear to let such a young sick child experience hardship outside? What about her other children? Didn’t they matter to her?

Also, if the Xie family really wanted to find and get Xie Jianwei back, given with their power at that time, they could have easily done it.

There were a lot of missing and questionable details about “Xie Jianwei’s” background, and  Military Advisor Xie displayed his excellent logical thinking ability and attention to details as he exploited these points to sketch his “new past”.