Ye Tiancheng felt an unprecedented dilemma. Recalling his journey so far, he had gained a lot, yet he was also filled with pressure.
Facing the choice before him, Ye Tiancheng was suddenly struck with a severe headache, his temples throbbing.
Ye Tiancheng wanted to speak, but found himself unable to utter a sound. A massive black vortex appeared beside him, rapidly engulfing him.
"Help!"
For some reason, Ye Tiancheng naturally cried out this word. His throat was unusually dry and painful, and he felt as if he had never been closer to death.
Ye Tiancheng continued to fall, and everything from his past flashed before his eyes like a movie. Ye Tiancheng was trapped in a black hole, feeling the terror of the void.
Suddenly, he felt suffocated, his heart aching as if struck by a blunt object. Just as everything seemed hopeless, a blinding white light appeared before him.
"The patient's hand seems to have moved..."
"He must be waking up."
Ye Tiancheng only heard voices around him, but they were very unfamiliar, voices he had never heard before.
He suddenly opened his eyes, finally able to catch his breath. Otherwise, he might have really suffocated.
After waking up, Ye Tiancheng began to gasp for air. He then noticed several doctors in white coats staring at him as if he were an idiot. He was in what looked like a rather dilapidated hospital, with a ceiling fan whirring overhead.
"Who are you?"
"You fainted in the field, apparently struck by lightning. Someone brought you here. You've been unconscious for a while."
What on earth? The experiences he had in the field were from so long ago. Wasn't he just talking to Old Zhou, facing the choice of protecting the life tree or leaving with him?
What was going on? He must be dreaming, the pressure was too great, hence this strange dream.
"What's your name? If you're feeling alright, we'll observe you for a bit. Remember to pay the fees."
If it were a dream, he shouldn't feel pain. Thinking this, Ye Tiancheng pinched his face hard.
"Ouch!"
It hurt so much. Ye Tiancheng instantly regretted it, feeling like a complete fool. He also startled the observing doctors.
"If you continue like this, I might have to suggest another brain CT scan to check for any neurological defects."
It wasn't a dream.
Ye Tiancheng shuddered at the thought. Could it be that everything that had happened before was just a grand dream?
Ye Tiancheng began to recall that after becoming the son-in-law of the Hou family in the scenic Dahe Village, he was sent to dig fields.
This godforsaken place had no one to talk to. Ever since Ye Tiancheng arrived in Dahe Village, he had been facing the soil and turning his back to the sky every day, feeling very dissatisfied. But what could he do? He was poor and had resigned himself to his fate, working diligently...
It felt like a lifetime ago. Ye Tiancheng tried his best to remember. He was still thinking about Old Master Hou's inheritance, which was why he had endured it all.
He was an honest farmer who would have lived a simple life. Who knew that one day, while digging with a hoe, he hit a stone, and then the world changed. It rained heavily, and he seemed to have been struck by lightning.
Ah, it all made sense now. Were all those extraordinary encounters just dreams, and he was simply struck by lightning and ended up in the hospital?
Heavens, why did fate love to play such jokes? He was nothing now, still a young lad who hadn't even experienced a woman.
"Seeing as you seem alright, hurry up and pay. This is just a small hospital; a major hospital wouldn't admit you beforehand."
With no time to think, the nurse was urging him. Ye Tiancheng had no choice but to climb out of bed and go to pay.
This was a township hospital, and it was quite run-down. However, considering the surrounding areas of Dahe Village, having this facility was already good. What more could he ask for?
As Ye Tiancheng went to pay, he practically tore his pockets apart, managing to scrape together less than a hundred yuan. After all, his income from farming was less than ten yuan a day, so how could he afford the medical fees of over a thousand yuan?
"Why is it so much?"
"Look, it says here there was a rescue, and the hospital sent a car to pick you up. There are fuel costs, and the driver needs a salary..."
This money-driven society made Ye Tiancheng feel desperate. He truly couldn't afford the more than a thousand yuan in medical fees, and he had nothing valuable on him. He was in unprecedented distress.
He remembered that after being struck by lightning, Ye Tiancheng had entered a dream and seen his ancestors. They all said ancestors would protect future generations, especially since Ye Tiancheng was the sole male descendant of the Ye family. Why weren't his ancestors coming to help him pay the medical fees now?
"Can I have some time? I need to go borrow some money."
Ye Tiancheng hadn't forgotten that he had married into the Hou family. The reason he was sent to farm here was because there were Hou family members in this area.
Although these relatives had a superficial relationship with his wife's family, and the Hou family, now wealthy, didn't want to involve them, Ye Tiancheng was facing a situation where he couldn't pay his medical bills. He thought borrowing some money shouldn't be a problem.
"This is the first time I've heard of paying for hospitalization on credit. Does heaven have no eyes? Why must it strike poor people like you?"
The words of the hospital receptionist pierced Ye Tiancheng's heart. Ye Tiancheng, having just woken up from the wealthy and powerful state of his dream, found it difficult to accept his current state of being penniless and having to rely on others.
"Please, I really have no money. Let me go home to borrow some. You know the village isn't far from here, so I can't run away. At worst, I can write an IOU."
Helpless, with no money, he had to grovel to the young lady at the counter. Of course, a mere front desk clerk couldn't make the decision. She quickly called her supervisor for instructions, and only then reluctantly allowed Ye Tiancheng to write an IOU.
As Ye Tiancheng walked out of the hospital, he felt that life was truly unbearable. He sighed and started walking home.
Upon returning, he found his small, humble mud house unexpectedly bustling with people.
"Didn't you get struck by lightning and die?"
As soon as this was said, Ye Tiancheng realized that despite knowing he had an accident, no one had gone to the hospital. Instead, they had gathered in his dilapidated house. He wondered what their intentions were.
Even if they had intentions, it didn't matter. Ye Tiancheng had no money, so even if they tore down this mud house, they wouldn't gain anything.
These people were here to watch the spectacle. Seeing Ye Tiancheng return unharmed, they were all terrified, as if they had seen a ghost.
The relatives who had maintained a decent facade towards him before now seemed to have revealed their true colors.
"Didn't you die? We've already notified your wife."
Ye Tiancheng was familiar with these words; they were similar to what he heard in his dream. Having experienced so much, he was no longer naive. He now appeared mature.
"I'm quite resilient. I didn't die, much to the disappointment of all you relatives and friends."
Ye Tiancheng, who everyone had previously perceived as foolish and simple, now displayed a touch of the domineering CEO. This shocked everyone.
Normally, Ye Tiancheng wouldn't speak like this. He was a good-natured person; if anyone needed any dirty or strenuous work done, they would call Ye Tiancheng, and they wouldn't even give him food.
The kind are often bullied, and the good horses are ridden. Now that Ye Tiancheng showed a bit of an unapproachable demeanor, these relatives started to force smiles.
"Oh, it's good that you're alright. Then let's not linger here. Everyone should disperse."
Soon, everyone left. Ye Tiancheng watched their retreating figures, recalling how he had felt heartbroken in his dream, thinking he was less than a pet. Now, his heart was calm.
Let them be. Ye Tiancheng's perspective was broad now. He knew how much they valued him, and he didn't care.
Seeing that everyone was gone, Ye Tiancheng turned to leave. But then he remembered that there seemed to be a difference between his dream and reality, and something was missing. As Ye Tiancheng scratched his head in thought, the missing piece quickly appeared.
"Brother Ye, they all said you were struck by lightning and died. Only I didn't believe it. You are indeed alright. That's great!"
It turned out to be Hou Qing'er, that young girl. Ye Tiancheng hadn't known she liked him before, but now his dream had spoiled the plot. Looking at the young girl who had fallen for him, Ye Tiancheng harbored other thoughts.
"Indeed, I went through many dangers, but fortunately, I'm tough and alright. While lying on the hospital bed, I even thought of you, Qing'er. Thank you for caring about me."
Ye Tiancheng wouldn't act as shy as he did in his dream. His game had leveled up considerably. For such a pure young girl, it was easy to play her around with just a flick of his finger.
Hearing Ye Tiancheng speak like this, and that the famous handsome Ye Tiancheng actually valued her feelings so much, Hou Qing'er's face turned red, and she lowered her head, not daring to meet Ye Tiancheng's gaze.
"So you were thinking of me too."
Ye Tiancheng looked at Hou Qing'er's blushing face, finding her quite cute. He couldn't help but reach out and pinch her cheek.
This made Hou Qing'er both shy and embarrassed. She quickly stuffed the pear in her hand into Ye Tiancheng's mouth and then ran off.
Ye Tiancheng knew she was going to feed the pigs, but he could easily imagine the scene. Even while feeding the pigs, that little girl would probably be thinking of him.
As expected, when Ye Tiancheng lay on the heated brick bed that evening, his stomach growling with hunger, Hou Qing'er arrived with a lunchbox.
"Brother Ye, I brought you food. I know your body needs to recover, so I specially made four dishes and one soup: braised fish, spicy tofu, shrimp and eggs, stewed pork ribs, and nutritious pigeon soup, to help you recuperate."
Before, in his dream, Ye Tiancheng hadn't understood Hou Qing'er's feelings. Now, a casual flirtation had yielded such good results.
It seemed that knowing the plot development in advance was useful. Ye Tiancheng was starving, so he sprang up from the heated brick bed like a carp.
"Qing'er, you're too good to me. You must have spent a lot of time making these dishes. Thinking about it makes my heart ache."
If it were before, the simple Ye Tiancheng would never have said such a thing. But now, Ye Tiancheng had leveled up and wouldn't live such a miserable life as before.
"Oh, Brother Ye, it's not because you were good to me first. It's a mutual thing between people. I should be doing this. Stop talking and start eating."