The Romance Extras Turned Out to Be a Yuri Story - Chapter 24

The hospital room fell silent, save for the sound of the wind slapping the gauze curtain against the wide-open window—a “poof” sound, like the sudden flutter of a white bird’s wings, instantly startling someone awake from a dream.

“You can’t recognize faces?” Zhang Qiu was the first to regain her voice. “Luoluo, you can’t see my face clearly?”

Her gentle voice gave Lin Luoluo a sense of reality. Her eyes remained vacant, falling on Zhang Qiu as she gave a slight nod.

Zhang Qiu gave her a soft smile, and at the same time, elbowed Lin Xiangdong, who was standing beside her with his mouth agape, to stop him from shouting again and scaring Lin Luoluo.

The doctor resumed his questioning. Zhang Qiu took the frantic Lin Xiangdong outside.

“Have you notified your parents? Do they know Luoluo is awake?”

Only then did Lin Xiangdong hurriedly call home. Hearing that Lin Luoluo had woken up, her parents, who had just gotten home not long ago, immediately rushed back to the hospital.

Inside the room, the doctor finished questioning Lin Luoluo about her sensory perception. He kept a neutral expression, but once outside the room, he scratched his head in a troubled manner.

There had never been a patient like this—suddenly falling into a coma, with all physical conditions good, except for an abnormal electroencephalogram (EEG). Now she was awake but had abruptly lost the ability to recognize people. It might be a visual impairment, but the specific problem still required analysis.

Stepping out, the doctor politely nodded to the patient’s family members. “Physically, she’s fine. As for the specific situation, we still need to run more tests. I will invite psychiatry and ophthalmology doctors to consult jointly to determine the cause of the illness.”

Zhang Qiu said, “Thank you for your trouble.”

After the doctor left, Lin Xiangdong wiped his face, deciding not to show his gloomy expression in front of his sister. Her waking up was always a good thing.

Zhang Qiu wordlessly patted his shoulder. “Let’s go in and see Luoluo. I imagine she must be very frightened right now.”

Lin Xiangdong nodded.

Inside the room, Lin Luoluo’s eyes darted around restlessly, scanning everything up, down, left, and right. She realized she only couldn’t recognize faces; the environment and objects were still clear. She furrowed her brows, trying to recall what had happened before.

She had sent a message to Gu Beichen, and the System suddenly returned…

Right! The System should know what was wrong with her!

【System, are you there?】

Just as Lin Luoluo hesitated and asked, the door was pushed open again. Before the System could reply, Lin Luoluo’s eyes trembled nervously, as if trapped in a nightmare.

Who was entering? She stared at the face but still couldn’t distinguish who it was. She had no choice but to focus on the person’s clothes, instinctively avoiding their eyes.

“Brother?” she called out weakly, unsure if she had addressed the right person.

“Lin Luoluo, you scared the life out of us. If you hadn’t woken up, Mom and Dad would have sent you abroad again.” Lin Xiangdong leaned closer, his handsome face directly in front of Lin Luoluo.

Their similar genes were reflected in their equally similar features: delicate profiles and prominent nose bridges.

“Do you really not recognize who I am?” Lin Xiangdong couldn’t help but ask.

Though outwardly rough, he was inwardly sensitive. The moment he entered and focused on Lin Luoluo, he took in all of her reactions.

Lin Luoluo’s curled eyelashes fluttered slightly. She nodded gently and apologized guiltily, “Brother, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t say that…” Lin Xiangdong lightly rubbed Lin Luoluo’s head with his large hand. “I’m just so happy you woke up. It’s all that matters that you’re okay.”

“Although…” Lin Xiangdong pretended to be distressed. “If you had woken up a few days later, Dad might have reconsidered the division of assets. Maybe the family business would have been all mine. Born at the wrong time, I guess!”

He deliberately used playful words, trying to make Lin Luoluo laugh.

Lin Luoluo struggled to lift the corners of her mouth, her smile looking worse than a cry.

“Brother…” She choked on a single word, unable to say anything more.

This was the person closest to her, standing right in front of her, yet she couldn’t even clearly see his face.

“Don’t be afraid. Medicine is so advanced now, there will be a way.” Zhang Qiu’s voice also intervened softly. “It’s all my fault; I should have taken you home last time.”

Lin Luoluo’s eyes landed blankly on the side. She tried hard to widen her eyes to see what Zhang Qiu looked like now, but staring at her face remained dull and wooden. Her empty eyes held a mist, and Zhang Qiu’s beauty was suddenly gone.

Lin Luoluo’s slender hands tightly gripped the quilt, her beautiful knuckles turning white.

Zhang Qiu’s heart clenched as she met Lin Luoluo’s eyes. In those vibrant eyes, it was as if darkness was corroding them. A deep sorrow enveloped her, preventing her from escaping.

Zhang Qiu suddenly opened her arms and hugged Lin Luoluo.

Lin Xiangdong’s mouth dropped open.

Didn’t Zhang Qiu always dislike being touched? Even when she was with Gu Beichen, she often showed clear aversion.

Zhang Qiu leaned into Lin Luoluo’s ear and chuckled softly, “Welcome back, Luoluo. I missed you.” Then she released her as if nothing happened. Just as she was about to straighten her sleeves, she suddenly heard a voice from behind her.

“This must be Zhang Qiu, right? You’re Luoluo’s friend. Thank you for visiting her.” Lin Father spoke.

Zhang Qiu turned around rigidly, greeting them with difficulty, “Hello, Uncle and Auntie.”

Good friends naturally hug. Zhang Qiu told herself she was just encouraging Lin Luoluo.

Zhang Qiu hadn’t been nervous at all before seeing Lin Luoluo’s parents. Now that they were suddenly standing behind her, she froze, especially since they had caught her hugging Luoluo.

Zhang Qiu didn’t know why she was so nervous. Her heart was racing, wildly dancing in her chest. Her face quickly flushed, but fortunately, no one was paying attention to her.

Lin Luoluo was quickly seized by a fragrant breeze as her mother, Tan Yi, hugged her, terribly worried.

“You brat, suddenly fainting like that, and finding nothing wrong. Your mother was so worried.”

Lin Luoluo opened her mouth, “Mom, I’m fine now.”

Her eyes subconsciously looked toward Zhang Qiu. She had just been scared about how she had suddenly lost the ability to recognize faces, but after Zhang Qiu’s comfort, she relaxed a bit and could smile at her mother.

Her pale face still showed a hint of weakness from her illness. She had been sustained on liquid food for the two days she was asleep. Lin Luoluo acted spoiled with her mother, “I’m hungry. Is there anything to eat?”

“Of course, there is!” Tan Yi wiped her tears. “I’ve had the kitchen prepare your meals these past few days, afraid you’d be hungry when you woke up. It’s all easy-to-digest food. Your dad even said I was wasting food, but see? It came in handy.”

Tan Yi still held Lin Luoluo, unwilling to let go. Her mother’s sweet-smelling embrace was very different from Zhang Qiu’s, but it made Lin Luoluo feel equally secure. She closed her eyes and quietly hugged her mother for a moment, her inner anxiety significantly driven away.

So what if she couldn’t recognize faces? She still had family members who loved her very much.

Lin Xiangdong and his father opened the food containers. Zhang Qiu and Tan Yi helped feed her, one on each side. The two men walked out. At this moment, the father spoke sternly, “What did the doctor just tell you? Tell me again.”

The hospital room was now filled with laughter, and the winter in the Lin family was finally over.

Tan Yi was very pleased watching Zhang Qiu attentively taking care of Lin Luoluo, especially since this young girl was beautiful, yet had no hint of arrogance and was very approachable.

She had always worried that her family’s excessive attention would make it hard for Lin Luoluo to make friends her age. She hadn’t expected her to make a few close friends after returning home, when she hadn’t made many true friends overseas.

Tan Yi liked Zhang Qiu more and more. Her satisfaction made her unable to resist asking questions.

Zhang Qiu responded appropriately and had nothing to hide about her family background. Lin Luoluo, however, kept interrupting, not wanting her mother to ask about Zhang Qiu’s sore points.

Zhang Qiu lost her father at a young age, and her mother accidentally drowned when she was eight. Since then, she has lived only with her grandmother. Her grandmother is eighty this year, her background is clean, and there’s nothing much to discuss. Lin Luoluo knew all of this.

She also knew that Zhang Qiu had excellent grades since childhood and could have attended a better university, but it was because Longhai University offered a generous scholarship and free tuition for four years that attracted Zhang Qiu, who was admitted early.

Her excellence had a clear track record, and her character was evident.

Growing up in the mud, she didn’t become cynical but worked hard and planned her life well, growing into a lush, green poplar sapling.

So vibrant and green that Lin Luoluo noticed her right away.

Tan Yi really liked Zhang Qiu and couldn’t help but joke, “I originally wanted to have a girl for my first child, but I ended up with Lin Xiangdong, this stinky boy. How about this, Zhang Qiu? You be my goddaughter! Then Nuonuo will have a big sister too!”

She planned to adopt Zhang Qiu if she agreed, as encountering such a wonderful girl made her eager to “hunt” for one.

Zhang Qiu froze and subconsciously looked at Lin Luoluo. Lin Luoluo hadn’t finished chewing her food when she spat out a single sentence, “No way!”

Then she choked herself.

The person she liked couldn’t become her sister! Even if they were to become a family in the future, it shouldn’t be by entering her family’s household registration like this!

Lin Luoluo was awkward and dared not look at Zhang Qiu, afraid her small secret would be exposed.

Zhang Qiu, however, was busy patting her back, handing her water, and getting a tissue, having completely forgotten Tan Yi’s joke. Her eyes were fully focused only on Lin Luoluo.

“Be careful. Don’t choke again.”

Lin Luoluo pouted. Tan Yi was also startled and didn’t mention the matter again.

The door was pushed open once more. Lin Father and Lin Xiangdong had just gone to ask the doctor in detail again. Their hearts were relieved somewhat, but a faint, hard-to-distinguish gloom still hung between their brows.

The doctor said that because Lin Luoluo’s fainting had no clear cause, and her waking up was also without a clear sign, the hospital had used all available tests and methods. They could only find that her EEG was abnormal; even in a coma, her brain waves were unusually active. They didn’t rule out that Lin Luoluo might be suffering from hypersomnia (a sleep disorder, possibly referencing Kleine-Levin Syndrome or a similar condition here).

With this disease, the patient can fall asleep without any awareness. They might wake up the next second, or they might sleep for a lifetime. To them, waking up is just the continuation of the next moment; their words and state will remain as they were at the time of falling asleep, but to the patient’s relatives, it is immense suffering.

Lin Father and Lin Xiangdong both understood the doctor’s meaning, and their hearts trembled.

Lin Luoluo had been raised meticulously since childhood. How could she contract such a strange disease? There was no known specific cure. They could only protect her body while she was asleep and use medical means to sustain her vital signs.

They heard that some people, if not discovered, could starve to death in their sleep.

Lin Father looked down at the lively, awake Lin Luoluo, his heart filled with love.

He and Tan Yi couldn’t accompany Lin Luoluo forever. Now that Lin Luoluo had contracted this strange illness, she might fall asleep at any moment. He didn’t want Lin Luoluo to suffer, and he certainly didn’t want her to starve to death. It would be best if someone could take care of her for the rest of her life.

When his daughter was born, he had promised her that he would give her the best.

Lin Father spoke, “Since Luoluo is awake, this week’s engagement will proceed. I will discuss the wedding with the Gu family and have you get married as soon as possible.”

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