The faint beeping of hospital machines echoed in the ward. The doctors had already pronounced Lin Yun dead, but when his fingers twitched and his eyes fluttered open, the entire room froze.
A group of doctors stared at him wide-eyed, as though they had seen a ghost.
Feng Yu blinked at the white ceiling, then at the men in white coats gawking at him. His lips twitched, and words slipped out naturally:
"...Hello? Why are you staring at me like I'm a white crow?"
The doctors jolted as though struck by lightning. For a heartbeat, silence ruled the ward. Then chaos erupted.
"He's awake!" one shouted.
"Impossible! He had no pulse!" another cried.
Their hands trembled as they checked his vitals again. Alive. Breathing. Heartbeat strong. It was a miracle.
One of the younger doctors didn't even wait. He dashed out of the ward, nearly tripping over himself, his excited voice echoing down the corridor.
"Madam! Mr. Lin woke up! He's alive!"
---
Mei Yulan had been pacing back and forth in the corridor. Her usually cold and proud demeanor was shattered by panic. She replayed the scene over and over in her head—her palm striking Lin Yun's chest, his body collapsing, the lifeless stillness afterward.
Her heart clenched every time she thought about it. She had killed him.
But when the young doctor rushed up, gasping for breath and blurting out that Lin Yun was alive, Mei Yulan froze in disbelief.
Alive?
She rushed to the ward, her movements swift and silent.
When the door opened, she was greeted by a sight she hadn't expected. Lin Yun—who had been a corpse not long ago—was sitting up in bed, alive and well. But something about him was different. The arrogance she always despised, the greasy smile she hated—gone.
Instead, his eyes were calm, steady, even… polite.
When his gaze fell on her, Feng Yu tilted his head slightly.
"Who are you, miss? Are you the one who admitted me to the hospital?"
The words struck her harder than any blow.
Her breath caught, and her face froze into an unreadable mask. For the first time in years, Mei Yulan felt like the ground beneath her feet had vanished.
He didn't recognize her.
Not only that—he was speaking to her with respect. The Lin Yun she knew would never have done that.
A stranger's temperament had replaced the spoiled brat she had known all her life.
---
Before she could gather her thoughts, the doors burst open again.
"Yun'er!"
The voice was deep and trembling. A dignified man with sharp features and streaks of gray in his hair strode into the room, followed by a graceful woman whose eyes instantly filled with tears at the sight of her son alive. They were Lin Yun's parents, the patriarch and matriarch of the Lin Family.
"Father? Mother?" Feng Yu blinked. The words slipped out before he could stop himself. He didn't know them, yet the body's instinct carried the address naturally.
The woman rushed forward, clutching his hand. "You scared me to death, Yun'er! The doctors said… they said you were gone. How could you do this to me?"
Feng Yu felt her warmth, her genuine concern. His chest tightened strangely. He had never known parental affection in his past life, and now, in this body, it felt… overwhelming.
The man stood straighter, his expression stern but his voice betraying relief. "It doesn't matter. You're alive. That's all that matters."
Behind them, two more figures entered—the heads of the Mei Family, Mei Yulan's parents. Their faces carried tension, but when they saw Lin Yun sitting up, breathing and alive, the weight in their eyes eased.
For a moment, silence filled the ward. No shouting, no accusations—only the heavy air of disbelief and relief mingled together.
Mei Yulan stood quietly to the side, her face calm but her heart in turmoil. She knew better than anyone that the young man on that bed was not the Lin Yun she once knew.
And Feng Yu… sat there quietly, his mind spinning.
He had really been reborn.
This was no dream. This body, this family, this new chance—everything the goddess had promised was real.