Mei nodded and wiped her tears with her handkerchief. Her vulnerable expression made her look like a helpless kitten in need of care.
"I'll go see Young Miss now and come back for you once she gets permission from the medical master," she said with a smile.
Li Wei nodded in response and watched as she left the room, closing the door behind her.
He let out a sigh.
"What a pain in the ass," he muttered to himself before jumping onto the bed.
He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling of the room. The whole situation felt unreal to him, as if he was living in a dream.
He did some leg raises to stretch his muscles and realized how different it felt to move his body now.
'Guess being stuck in that broken body for so long made me forget the sensation of having a normal body,' he thought.
He smiled, feeling happy that he finally had the chance to become someone great.
Lost in his thoughts, Li Wei gradually drifted off to sleep.
____
Xue Ying barged into the Clan head room and called out to her father in a loud voice.
"Father! I require an audience with Master Zhang," she said.
The room was occupied by a burly man and a beautiful woman.
The man had a strong and handsome appearance, with no traces of age on his face.
The woman, on the other hand, seemed annoyed at Xue Ying's sudden presence.
The man, Xue Cheng looked sternly at her and spoke in a firm tone,
"Ying'er, you know we cannot disturb Master Zhang for every small thing. She is our family's benefactor, not the other way around."
Xue Ying's face fell, and her father could see her sadness.
It pained him to see his daughter this way, as she had not spoken to him much since her mother's death.
"Why do you need to see Master Zhang?" he asked, hoping for a good reason.
"I accidentally injured Wu Xiang's servant, and he lost his memories. I presumed Master Zhang would be the only one who could heal him," Xue Ying replied, looking at her father with pleading eyes.
Xue Cheng's face turned disappointed, but he concealed it quickly, not wanting his daughter to see it.
He let out a sigh and softened his expression, saying,
"Fine, I'll send someone to inform Master Zhang. But don't get your hopes up. She's a busy person."
Xue Ying nodded gratefully.
"Thank you, Father," she said before turning around and leaving the room.
Lady Liu, who was sitting beside Xue Cheng, tugged at his clothes and leaned in to whisper in his ear.
"She's becoming more and more spoiled by the day," she said, a hint of annoyance in her voice.
Xue Cheng's face remained unchanged as he looked down at his second wife.
"That's none of your concern, Lady Liu," he said sternly.
Lady Liu froze at her husband's words, but soon regained her composure and forced a smile.
"I understand, Husband," she said, her tongue darting out to lick her lips.
____
Li Wei jolted awake as a voice cut through his slumber.
"Hey!" the voice called out again, louder this time.
He rubbed his bleary eyes and looked around, taking in the familiar sights of the classroom. Rows of desks and chairs, a blackboard at the front, and other students in uniform seated around him.
'That's right...I am in the classroom,' he thought to himself as he rubbed his eyes.
"Are you seriously sleeping right now, Student Wei?"
Li Wei's gaze turned towards the source of the voice, landing on Zhou Qianru, the class representative and the most beautiful girl in their freshman year.
He felt a pang of nervousness in his stomach as he realized that he had been caught sleeping in class.
Zhou Qianru continued, her voice laced with annoyance.
"It's only the second week of school and you're already slacking off. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get into this academy? You should be grateful for this opportunity."
Li Wei could feel the stares of the other students on him, adding to his embarrassment.
He quickly tried to come up with an excuse.
"I'm sorry, I just didn't sleep well last night."
Zhou Qianru frowned even deeper.
She couldn't understand how someone like him had managed to get into the prestigious academy.
Maybe he had pulled some strings or used his disability as an excuse to gain special treatment.
However, Li Wei's reality was far from her assumptions.
He didn't know how he had ended up in this body or even in this world.
He had been hit by a truck and when he woke up, he was paralyzed from the waist down, confined to a wheelchair.
"I'll let you off for now," Zhou Qianru said, her tone dismissive as she turned away from Li Wei.
He let out a sigh of relief.
As he tried to focus on the lesson, he could hear whispers coming from behind him.
He turned to see a group of students whispering among themselves, their eyes fixed on him. Despite their handsome appearances, there was something sinister in their glances.
Li Wei tried to ignore them and concentrate on the lesson, but his mind kept wandering.
He struggled to stay awake, trying his best not to doze off in the middle of class.
...
Li Wei was approached by a towering handsome boy who had an everlasting smile on his face. Li Wei felt a chill looking at him and couldn't help but feel pale in comparison to the other boys surrounding him.
"Hey! Nice to meet you! You are Li Wei, right?" The handsome boy asked.
Li Wei hesitated for a moment but eventually responded, "Y-Yeah, I'm Li Wei. Nice to meet you too!" He extended his hand for a handshake.
The handsome boy shook his hand, but Li Wei felt a trace of disgust pass by his face. The expression vanished soon after.
"I'm Wu Xuan. I heard about you from my father. You're amazing!" Wu Xuan said with a fake exclamation of admiration.
Li Wei felt uncomfortable with the flattery.
"H-Haha really?" he awkwardly replied.
Wu Xuan smiled and continued, "Yes, he said I have a lot to learn from you since you got a scholarship based on your merit."
Li Wei felt a cold sweat behind his back.
He was never the one to study that well; he was above average at best.
This reincarnation really screwed him over by giving him an intellectual body.
"H-haha," Li Wei forced a smile, feeling more awkward than ever.
Wu Xuan maintained his smile as he inquired.
"If I have any academic questions, would you be willing to assist me?"
Li Wei looked at Wu Xuan's seemingly innocent face and felt a sense of unease wash over him.
'What the Fuck... I don't know jackshit bro'
"I'll try my best," Li Wei responded tentatively.
Wu Xuan's smile widened, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I knew I could count on you. You're going to be a valuable asset to our friend group."
Li Wei didn't like the sound of that. He wasn't sure he wanted to be part of any friend group, especially not one that included people like Wu Xuan.
"Um, thanks," Li Wei mumbled, his discomfort growing by the second.