The clock ticked relentlessly toward six in the morning when the heavy door to the examination room swung open. The doctor emerged, his weary face set in a mask of resolute professionalism. Donghua had slumped into a restless sleep, his head bobbing on the chair, while Yifong paced the dim corridor like a caged animal, every ounce of his anxiety radiating through the tense lines of his posture.
"How is he, Doc?" Yifong's voice wavered slightly, the urgency of his question cutting through the silence.
"I did the best I could," the doctor replied, his tone low and measured. "Now it's up to him."
The finality of those words struck Yifong like a chill wind, threatening to freeze him in place.
"You both need rest. I have a guest room upstairs where you can regroup. He's stable for now."
Feeling the crushing weight of helplessness, Yifong gently nudged Donghua awake. Together, they ascended the creaky staircase to the guest room on the second floor, their minds swirling with dread for Kai's fate.
In the depths of unconsciousness, Kai found himself inexplicably transported back to the Thor residence—a surreal twist of fate that felt more like a nightmare. The room was dim, shadows clinging to every corner, and there in a forgotten nook sat Xing Li, curled up and weeping against the wall. A tight knot formed in Kai's chest.
"Who's there…?" Kai's voice trembled, its softness cutting through the thick silence like a fragile thread.
Xing Li turned, fury and despair battling within his gaze. "You trapped me here!" he rasped, the accusation slicing through the air.
"I didn't mean to! I was… I was transmigrated here," Kai stammered, desperation coloring his words. "This wasn't my choice!"
"It's either you or me who dies here!" Xing Li spat, eyes blazing with a fierce intensity.
"What do you mean?" Kai felt a chill creep into his bones, a profound sense of foreboding wrapping around him like a shroud.
"That poison…," Xing Li's voice lowered, each word heavy with meaning, sending a shiver racing down Kai's spine.
"It's one of the deadliest. Just a scratch, and it's over. Because of my extraordinary health, you've survived this long."
A horrifying realization began to seep into Kai's mind: only one of them could continue to exist in this shared vessel. The weight of destiny settled upon him, heavy and suffocating.
"Did you want your life back?" Kai ventured, unease curling in his stomach.
"Want it back? So I can return to that hell?" Xing Li roared, his face contorted in anguish. "I was talented, gifted! But they shunned me. I was on the brink of madness when my second brother Ying pushed me into the pond. I thought I was finally free."
Empathy washed over Kai like a cold wave. "Xing Li, I know your pain. I want to change your future. I want to help—"
"Kai," he interrupted, grief flooding his eyes. "I'm tired. So very tired. You can have my life."
Time seemed to freeze, suspended in a moment of agonizing clarity. The weight of Xing Li's offer bore down on Kai like a crushing burden. He would be stealing a life, yet how could he refuse? Hua Xia wanted him to live, to fight.
"Be aware of older brother Rong Yue," Xing Li whispered, his final words laced with ominous foreboding as his form began to flicker, fading like a candle's flame in the wind.
With a jolt, Kai awoke, drenched in cold sweat, the morning sun slanting through the window like a harbinger of hope yet unrecognized. Blinking away the remnants of his specter-laden dream, a sudden commotion erupted at the door. Yifong and Donghua burst in, their faces a chaotic blend of relief and astonishment.
"Xing Li! You're awake! BUT WAIT, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HAIR!?" Donghua exclaimed, astonished, his eyes wide as saucers.
Kai raised a trembling hand to his head and froze. Where once had been a cascade of dark hair was now an ethereal shock of white, shimmering unnaturally in the morning light. It felt as if the very essence of his being had been altered.