Chapter 13: Apology – I didn’t force you to apologize.
According to his plan, Yu Xia entered the Virtual Community after dinner and read through a portion of the review notes Qing Zheng had sent him. After consuming some mental power, he finally had a good night’s sleep.
Throughout the entire night, there were no signs of mental power manifestation. It was only when he woke up early in the morning that the mental power in his mind was a bit out of control again. Yu Xia took a good while to calm it down.
Because of this peaceful night, Yu Xia’s full physical checkup could finally be delayed no longer.
Early in the morning, Dr. Yu rushed over and took away Yu Xia, who hadn’t even had time for breakfast. Yu Xia only had time to shout: “My breakfast!”
Dr. Yu showed no mercy: “Let Xiao Jin eat it. Some parts of your physical checkup require an empty stomach, so it’s best not to have breakfast. Otherwise, you’ll have to be hungry at noon and do the checkup in the afternoon. Once the checkup is finished, I’ll treat you to a good meal.”
Yu Xia started imagining: “Is there anything delicious?”
Dr. Yu lightly tapped Yu Xia on the forehead. “Stop thinking about it now, otherwise you’ll just get hungrier. Also, after the physical checkup, you’ll likely be uncomfortable for a while. So you’d better be prepared—for the next period of time, you can only have plain white porridge with vegetables.”
Yu Xia’s expression contorted. “So, Dr. Yu, you’re just giving me an empty promise?”
Dr. Yu countered: “No, I’m not. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely remember. Once your appetite is back, I’ll treat you to a good meal.”
The physical checkup process was quite long. Yu Xia felt as though he had been lying in the specialized testing capsule for ages, and his body grew increasingly painful. It was as if the strength was being slowly drained from him, and his body could no longer spare any effort to suppress his rampaging mental power, leaving him in agony.
Yu Xia was in pain for a long time—so long that he felt he was almost getting used to it. Just as he was about to drift into a coma, a voice came to him. It seemed Dr. Yu was speaking to the person performing the checkup.
But he couldn’t hear clearly what was being said. He only remembered that the voice was always there. He couldn’t sleep, and the pain made him restless; his entire being was in distress.
After an unknown amount of time, the testing capsule covering Yu Xia was finally opened. But at this point, Yu Xia had no energy to even open his eyes.
Dr. Yu sighed and reached out to feel Yu Xia’s forehead. “No fever for now, but we still need follow-up observation. Why are there still these kinds of side effects with a full checkup nowadays? For someone like Yu Xia who already has poor health or low immunity, every checkup is like a battle. Can’t they think of another way?”
The technician shrugged. “Do you think we aren’t trying? This kind of equipment doesn’t just appear because you want it to. But Yu Xia’s case is special; you still need to pay extra attention afterward. Upgrade Xiao Jin’s programming. If any unexpected situation arises, have it report immediately. I heard it took a long time to confirm Yu Xia’s last mental power manifestation before it pressed the alarm.”
Dr. Yu raised an eyebrow. “That happened? I’ll check Xiao Jin’s programming later. What do we do with Yu Xia now? Just let him lie in the testing capsule?”
The technician looked at Yu Xia, who was somewhat damp with sweat inside the capsule. “That won’t do. He sweated a lot during this checkup. Let’s take him back to his room. He’ll catch a cold otherwise. Do you need me to call a transport robot for you?”
Dr. Yu pulled up his optical computer. “No need.”
The technician then added: “Oh, right. The Director said he wants to test Yu Xia’s mental power again.”
Dr. Yu had already called for a robot through the hospital system and raised an eyebrow. “Again? Does he think our hospital has too many mental power testers? If we weren’t sure before, that would be one thing. But now that Yu Xia has already had a mental power manifestation, he still wants to test?”
The technician shrugged. “He just won’t believe it. Once another tester breaks, he should be able to confirm it. Besides, a broken tester can actually be fixed and used. It’s quite accurate, just a bit slow to respond.”
Dr. Yu: “…”
Yu Xia didn’t wake up again until quite some time later. Although he had slept for a long time, the entire process hadn’t been very restful. Sometimes he felt someone was constantly whispering in his ear, and other times he felt someone was touching him while he was asleep.
While he logically knew no one could do anything to him in the hospital, he still felt uncomfortable.
Not long after Yu Xia woke up, Xiao Jin rolled over on its base. “Yu Xia is awake! Are you hungry? Dr. Yu said that for the next week, you can only eat plain white porridge with vegetables.”
Yu Xia: “…” Not a single piece of good news.
Yu Xia took a glass of water from the bedside table that was at the perfect temperature—likely prepared by Xiao Jin. “Xiao Jin, are the results of my physical checkup out?”
Xiao Jin turned its robot head back and forth—likely trying to shake its head—but the movement looked a bit odd with its robot body. “No! Dr. Yu said the Director of the Hospital’s Mental Power Department will personally deliver the report later. He still wants to test your stabilized mental power value.”
Yu Xia blinked. “When my mental power was tested last time, I was in a coma. So that was an unstable value? What if another mental power tester breaks?”
Xiao Jin’s light screen flashed. “Then let it break. It’s not the first time. It can still be used after being fixed, it’s just that the reaction speed will be slower.”
Yu Xia: “.” Fine.
Xiao Jin used its light screen to roughly check Yu Xia’s current physical condition. It seemed alright, so it pulled out a set of hospital pajamas for him. “Yu Xia sweated a lot when he came out of the testing capsule. Do you want to take a shower now?”
Hearing Xiao Jin say this, Yu Xia also felt sticky and uncomfortable. “Alright, then. I’ll take a shower. There shouldn’t be any more testing items, right? Help me order a meal later; I’m starving.”
Xiao Jin: “Understood!”
The hospital’s ward equipment was very complete, and since Yu Xia was a special patient, there was a private bathroom in the ward. He soaked his entire body in the bathtub and felt himself relax instantly.
No matter the situation, a bath could always soothe the mood. Even the body that had been in constant pain seemed to ease up a bit. Yu Xia submerged himself in the water, blowing a string of bubbles: “Gurgle gurgle.”
After soaking for a long time, Yu Xia finally reluctantly got out of the bathtub. He dried himself off, changed into his pajamas, and walked out of the bathroom, only to see Dr. Yu and Xiao Jin both turn their heads to look at him.
Yu Xia was a bit uncomfortable under their gaze. “I washed my hair while I was at it. Is something wrong? Did I not wash out all the bubbles?”
Dr. Yu coughed somewhat unnaturally. “It’s nothing. It’s quite clean. But remember to blow-dry your hair as soon as possible. Your body is really weak right now; you’ll catch a cold or get a fever if you aren’t careful. While those aren’t major problems, they are uncomfortable.”
Yu Xia gave an obedient “oh” and put on the drying helmet Xiao Jin had found. “Dr. Yu, is there a reason you came to see me now? Is the checkup report out?”
Dr. Yu nodded, then shook his head. “The Director will be here shortly. But there’s something else.”
“What is it?”
Dr. Yu sighed. “The person who caused you to be in the hospital—you remember him, right?”
The protagonist gong, Ye Zhichen? Yu Xia frowned, unwilling to mention that person. “I remember. What about him?”
“His lead mentor brought him here. They said he wanted to apologize to you before they left, so he wants to see you.”
Yu Xia was instantly unhappy. “What kind of apology? He’ll just say those things he said weren’t intentional and that he didn’t know I had Mental Power Disorder. I’ve already come up with his excuses for him. Whether I believe them or not is one thing, but does he even believe them himself?”
Dr. Yu also snorted coldly. “It doesn’t matter if others believe him; what matters most is that he move himself to tears. So, will you see him?”
Yu Xia looked over. “Can I choose not to?”
“It’s not impossible, but I see he’s quite persistent. It seems the head of the Command Department at Imperial Star Academy found out about this and is going to give him a public criticism notice. So he’s very desperate for a letter of forgiveness from you.” Dr. Yu spread his hands. “I heard that from Old Xie.”
Yu Xia tugged at his hair irritably. “Then let him in. I still find it so annoying.”
Dr. Yu nodded. “Then I’ll let him in. The sooner this mess is handled, the sooner we’ll have peace, otherwise, there’ll be no end to it.”
Yu Xia clasped his hands together. “I hope that after this, I can completely get rid of him and Yun Shaocheng.”
Not long after, Ye Zhichen and his lead mentor followed Dr. Yu into the ward.
Ye Zhichen was originally very dissatisfied with Yu Xia. After all, because of this person, he had a record in the military. If his future performance wasn’t good, he wouldn’t be able to clear it. Now he was forced to get a letter of forgiveness from him, otherwise, the school would also punish him. But seeing Yu Xia now, he couldn’t find it in himself to be angry.
Ultimately, it wasn’t as if Yu Xia had done it on purpose. Mental Power Disorder had tormented him for three years, and the mental power backlash wasn’t something he wanted.
The current Yu Xia’s face was even paler than the last time he saw him. It was clear how much more he had suffered after this latest mental power backlash.
Ye Zhichen let out a light sigh and took a step forward. “Yu Xia, regarding this mental power backlash, it was indeed my fault for speaking out of turn and not being considerate. However, before this happened, I didn’t know you suffered from Mental Power Disorder. If I had known, I definitely wouldn’t have said those things… In short, I’m truly very sorry. It was my fault.”
Yu Xia waited until he finished before looking at him and asking, “So, what you mean is, if I were an ordinary person without Mental Power Disorder, there would have been no problem with you telling me that I’m wasting the Empire’s resources, right?”
Ye Zhichen’s expression, which had a hint of apology, contorted upon hearing Yu Xia’s words. “Then what do you want?”
Yu Xia lay on his hospital bed. “I don’t want anything. I just think you’re making excuses. If you’re going to apologize, then just apologize properly. Why say all that useless stuff? Who wants to know what you were actually thinking when you were insulting me? You don’t even have to think to know—when you’re insulting someone, you definitely feel that way with all your heart. Who doesn’t get heated during an argument? If I hadn’t gotten heated then, I wouldn’t be here now. But since you don’t actually think what you said was wrong, then why are you apologizing to me now?”
“Can’t you just go your way and I’ll go mine? I didn’t force you to apologize.”
Dr. Yu stepped back and quietly, silently, gave a round of applause.
After all, this was a student he had brought over. Seeing the scene, the lead mentor also took a step forward. “Ahem. Well, Student Yu Xia, since Student Ye has come to apologize, he’s definitely recognized his mistake. An apology still needs to be made. It’s a matter of attitude…”
Yu Xia’s face was full of mockery. “What attitude? The ‘I was wrong, and I’ll do it again next time’ attitude?”
The lead mentor: “…” This student Yu Xia really has a personality.
By this point, Ye Zhichen had also lost his initially polite attitude and asked directly with a frown, “Then what will it take for you to accept my apology?”
Yu Xia laughed somewhat arrogantly and said, “It’s not that I don’t accept it. We’re all adults; just show the attitude. Since you’ve come to give a hypocritical apology, then I’ll hypocritically accept it. Don’t expect much sincerity from me since you don’t have much yourself. From now on, you and your Yun Shaocheng stay far away from me. If I see you from afar, I’ll automatically avoid you. Let’s stay out of each other’s way in the future.”
“I heard your goal is a letter of forgiveness? Write it yourself and bring it here for me to sign. You don’t expect me to write it for you too, do you?”
Ye Zhichen & Lead Mentor: “…”
This time, Dr. Yu really wanted to applaud Yu Xia. He struggled with all his might to hold it back. He managed to hold back the applause, but he couldn’t hold back the laughter. A “pfft” sounded exceptionally loud in the silent ward.
Dr. Yu waved his hands repeatedly. “It’s nothing, it’s nothing. You two continue.”
After obtaining the letter of forgiveness, Ye Zhichen and his lead mentor quickly left the hospital.
Anyone with eyes could see that while Yu Xia signed the letter, he actually just wanted some peace and quiet and didn’t want anything to do with Ye Zhichen or that Omega, Yun Shaocheng, who was originally from their orphanage. The mentor was also too embarrassed to stay in the hospital and be an eyesore.
As for Ye Zhichen, the more he thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. As the only son of the great Major General Ye, when had he ever suffered such a grievance?
But now, what else could be done? He could only endure for now.
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