Forget Me

As the Spring Festival approached, the festive atmosphere on the streets seemed to grow thicker. Although the vibe in the city was far less vibrant than in small towns and villages, it still managed to dress this metropolis of steel in bright red.

Chao Yiyu's health was deteriorating day by day. Apart from losing all her hair, as seen last time, she was now completely unable to swallow any food and could only rely on IV drips to maintain her vital signs. She had originally been slightly plumper than Anshi Yu, but she had lost dozens of pounds in a very short period of time.

When her organs finally failed completely, Chao Yiyu would depart this world forever as nothing but skin and bones.

And...

Ye Shuang could do nothing for her.

Perhaps Anshi Yu had a bucket list, but Chao Yiyu did not. She lay quietly on the hospital bed, letting the doctors and nurses handle her shriveled body that looked as if it belonged to a seventy or eighty-year-old. She looked as though she was peacefully accepting the arrival of her final moments.

During this time, Ye Shuang ran to the private hospital every day and also went to see Old Master Anshi.

"The death of an experimental subject is actually something I have experienced many times," Anshi Yilang sat in his apartment, holding a cup of long-cold green tea, his brows furrowed deeply.

"Even though it's something I've experienced many times, I find myself unable to face it calmly." Anshi Yilang actually knew very well that he treated both Anshi Yu and Chao Yiyu equally as his own granddaughters.

Although Chao Yiyu was initially created with the purpose of providing a suitable heart for Anshi Yu, as they spent time together, there was no doubt that the old man had developed a grandfatherly affection for her as well.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been unable to accept the plan of swapping Chao Yiyu's heart for Anshi Yu's in the first place.

"Is there any way? Ye Shuang." Anshi Yilang looked at Ye Shuang, no longer calling him kid or brat, but asking with utmost solemnity. However, Anshi Yilang knew the reality better than anyone. He had sought out experts and professors from all over the world recently, and apart from some wildly impractical ideas, there was not a single viable solution.

"There is no way..." Ye Shuang spoke truthfully, even though he couldn't bear to shatter the old man's hopes.

"The reason a miracle is a miracle is because it cannot be replicated."

Anshi Yilang seemed to understand this. He let out a long sigh. The already slight and thin old man appeared even more hunched over at this moment.

"I'm sorry," Ye Shuang said.

"It has nothing to do with you. The fact that you could save Little Yu is already something I wouldn't have dared to dream of," Anshi Yilang smiled bitterly. "Of course, if you could save that child too, I would be willing to give you my entire family fortune, and both of my granddaughters as well."

The forced, lighthearted joke failed to have any effect. Ye Shuang gave a self-deprecating smile and ultimately shook his head.

After finishing his conversation with Ye Shuang, Anshi Yilang left. Even though he knew it was impossible, he still chose to continue searching for a solution.

Even if it was just a way to keep Chao Yiyu alive, he was willing to give it a try.

But Ye Shuang knew very well that if Chao Yiyu had to live in such a state, lying in a hospital bed hooked up to IV drips for the rest of her life, she would rather die.

The biggest difference from Anshi Yu was that Chao Yiyu had foreseen the arrival of her own death much earlier and was fully aware of her supposed ending.

Evening.

Ye Shuang bought a bouquet of flowers and arrived at the door of the hospital room.

Knock, knock. He knocked gently, but there was no response from inside.

Ye Shuang pushed the door open.

On the spotless hospital bed, Chao Yiyu was sitting up, now wearing a breathing apparatus over her nose.

Perhaps noticing Ye Shuang, she looked over. Chao Yiyu no longer had the strength to stand up; even sitting up required the help of the bed's electric controls.

She was enveloped in an aura of death, looking like a completely different person from the Chao Yiyu who had once subdued a criminal single-handedly.

The most terrifying thing about illness is that it destroys not only a person's body but also their spirit.

The current Chao Yiyu could no longer speak, nor did she have the strength to hide from Ye Shuang. She simply looked at him quietly with clouded eyes.

"Do you want to watch some TV? Or a gaming livestream?" Ye Shuang sat down by the head of the bed and talked to Chao Yiyu.

"..." Chao Yiyu did not respond. Her cheeks were deeply sunken, and it seemed difficult for her to even make a reaction.

Even the doctors had said that given Chao Yiyu's current condition, she probably couldn't even undergo an examination and could only lie there as much as possible.

Seeing no response from Chao Yiyu, Ye Shuang continued talking, almost as if he were muttering to himself.

He talked about other things, about the approaching Spring Festival, and about the games that might be released soon.

Knowing Chao Yiyu's personality, she would perhaps smile and tell him to burn the games for her as an offering once they came out after she died.

But now, the young girl lacked even the strength to respond. Only a hint of emotion squeezed out from the corners of her eyes.

Ye Shuang sat and kept Chao Yiyu company for a while. Just then, he suddenly noticed her lips seem to move.

"Hmm? What do you want to say?" Seeing that Chao Yiyu looked like she wanted to speak, Ye Shuang leaned in closer.

Seeing Ye Shuang lean in, Chao Yiyu, who had always been bold, seemed a bit embarrassed at this moment.

This embarrassment wasn't shyness, but rather because she looked a bit ugly right now. Chao Yiyu didn't even have the courage to look in a mirror anymore. Yet, despite this, Ye Shuang stayed very close, seemingly completely unbothered by her appearance.

"Go ahead, I'm listening."

"It doesn't matter if you speak slowly."

Hearing Ye Shuang's words, Chao Yiyu looked at him and seemed to relax quite a bit.

But the moment she opened her mouth, she realized she couldn't make a sound no matter how hard she tried.

Her throat was hoarse, and she couldn't even swallow her own saliva.

It took her a full ten minutes before she could finally force out a sound with great difficulty.

"If I die... there's still... the other one... so it's... fine..."

Hearing this, Ye Shuang looked at her deeply.

"How could it be fine?" Ye Shuang said slowly. "You are you. You are an independent individual. Your soul and your personality belong entirely to you."

"You are not anyone's replacement."

Ye Shuang suddenly held up a finger. "Speaking of which, I actually came up with a name for you back then."

"How about Anshi Yi? Though I don't know if you'll like it..."

Hearing this, a smile suddenly appeared at the corners of Chao Yiyu's eyes.

She moved her lips.

"The words... you said..."

"And the name..."

"I remember them..."

"Because... my... memory is very good..."

"So..."

"You must... forget me... You can do it..."

"Mister..."

"The name..."

"I like it very much..."

"And... that guy..."

The young girl's eyes brimmed with tears. Using almost all the strength she had left, she squeezed out one final smile for Ye Shuang.

Slowly closing her eyes, her frail figure was like a candle flame blown out by the wind, drained of life.

A single teardrop slid silently down her face.