Chapter 4
Chapter 4
About fifteen minutes later, the doctor brought in by the steward arrived. The doctor flipped open Shen Lang's eyelids, took his pulse, and after a long moment, spoke in astonishment.
"How miraculous. He was on the verge of death from a grave illness, yet he's suddenly recovered to the point of being nearly cured."
The steward standing beside him asked.
"Doctor Li, are you certain he has fully recovered?"
"Yes, he has. His life is no longer in danger."
Hearing this, the steward smiled and said.
"Doctor Li, your medical skills are truly profound, to bring a patient back from the brink of death."
Doctor Li hesitated for a moment before replying.
"It was not this old man's skill, but a fortuitous recovery."
The Xu Clan's steward said.
"Young Master Shen Lang, please rest well."
The steward then led Doctor Li out of the room. Shen Lang stood before the mirror, closely examining his new self. Even he had to admit, he was quite handsome. Though he appeared frail, he was still brimming with youthful vitality.
The original Shen Lang had been handsome, but his vacant eyes and foolish expression had made him seem like a dull sculpture, diminishing his charm. But the Shen Lang of now had eyes full of life and an animated expression. He was a world apart from the man he once was.
‘It feels great to be reborn!’
After admiring himself in the mirror for a full thirty minutes, he sat down at the table, picked up a book, and pretended to read it intently. He was trying to figure out what was inside his head, so naturally, the words on the page didn't register. It was no exaggeration to say he was just striking a pose.
He began to focus, trying to find the foreign sensation he had felt in his mind before hearing the voice. And in that instant, he was startled to see a computer screen appear in his mind.
‘Wh-what is this?’
The screen was familiar. It was the screen of his Dell Alienware laptop. And stored within it were all sorts of files, books, games, and movies.
For Shen Lang, who had led a dry life of endless surgeries and volunteer work in an Africa devoid of internet or networks, his only hobby had been to occasionally enjoy the vast collection of books and movies stored on his hard drive. As a result, he had spent most of his spare time on that laptop.
Shen Lang tried running the books, movies, and games from the laptop in his mind. To his amazement, everything worked flawlessly. The entire laptop was inside his head.
In that moment, Shen Lang also realized that this ability was not confined to his mind alone. As he focused his mind on his eyes, everything before him began to transform into a new world that no ordinary person could see.
He could see the scissors inside the drawer, the water inside the vase, and the roots within the soil of the bonsai pot.
Shen Lang had X-ray vision. Of course, it would have been much better if it were the kind that could see through a woman's clothes, but unfortunately, it was more like a medical X-ray. It was like the X-ray machines in hospitals that could see a person's tendons, blood vessels, and internal organs, or the ones at airport security that could see the contents of a box.
Suddenly, Shen Lang recalled the X-ray machine and the laptop that had been caught in the explosion with him when he died. He formed a hypothesis: could they have time-traveled with him? If that were true, it was truly a wondrous thing.
But what if other, stranger things came along with me that I don't know about?
A sense of worry crept into Shen Lang's mind, but he decided to be as positive as possible. He would make these machines that had crossed over from modern Earth with him his own and use them to their fullest potential.
He instinctively combined these two abilities. When he looked at the table in this state, he could clearly see its internal structure and grain. Information about the table then appeared distinctly in his mind.
Table:
Material is rosewood, weight is 157 grams.
Vase:
Ceramic, 15 years since creation.
‘This is fun!’
When combined, the two functions not only allowed him to see the internal structure like a scanner but also provided an analysis. As he was engrossed in testing the limits of his newfound abilities, the closed door opened, and a fragrant breeze wafted in, followed by a warm and beautiful voice.
"Shen Lang, you've really recovered."
Shen Lang turned his head to look at her reflexively. His eyes were still in X-ray mode, so all he saw was a slender skeleton, muscles, and internal organs. Shen Lang quickly blinked a few times to deactivate the X-ray mode and return to normal vision.
Shen Lang saw a slender beauty. She was indeed one of the most renowned women in Xuanwu City. Her delicate, oval face was like that of a beauty from a painting, and her lovely figure was neither too thin nor too plump—it was just right. Moreover, her skin was as white as snow, appearing exceptionally fine and smooth.
How could the young men of Nujiang Commandery not fall for her? This woman was flawless in her beauty, figure, and even her disposition. It was understandable that this world's Shen Lang had fallen in love at first sight and even sacrificed his life to save her.
Not only was she exceptionally beautiful, but she also possessed an elegant character, exuding the quiet aura of a scholar. She seemed like the young lady of a noble family with a long history; no one would ever take her for a mere merchant's daughter.
She was Shen Lang's wife, Xu Qianqian. Shen Lang instinctively glanced at Xu Qianqian's vital areas. He couldn't see any underwear, but the collaboration between the X-ray machine and the laptop provided him with the information.
75C!
Truly intelligent. They told him what he wanted to know.
Xu Qianqian sat down in front of Shen Lang. The gentle curve formed where her waist met her hips was captivating.
"They say heaven helps the good. It seems that saying is true."
Xu Qianqian said gently.
"I see."
Shen Lang replied. Xu Qianqian fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
"Recently, your parents came to our estate in person to ask about you. They pleaded earnestly, asking if you could return home with them. Shen Lang, perhaps you were able to recover thanks to parents like them."
"Yes."
Shen Lang understood her intention but deliberately responded obtusely, wanting her to think that any change she perceived in him was just her imagination.
Xu Qianqian was troubled by his slow response. Any intelligent person would have understood her intentions immediately. But the Shen Lang before her was a simpleton who didn't react to her words at all, leaving her at a loss for what to say next.
*Bang!*
Just then, the door was forcefully thrown open.
A burly man, whose muscular frame could not be concealed by his silk clothes, strode in. He went behind Xu Qianqian, kissed her hair, and said in a mocking tone.
"This guy's an imbecile. How do you expect him to understand when you beat around the bush like that?"
After saying this, he looked at Shen Lang with an incredibly arrogant gaze and said.
"I am Zhang Jin. Good thing you didn't die. Now, scram back to your hovel in the village."
Shen Lang looked at the exceedingly tough Zhang Jin, his face and eyes betraying no emotion.
Zhang Jin continued.
"Are you deaf? Let me say it again. A dirt-poor bastard like you only got to be the Xu Clan's live-in son-in-law to serve as a ward against misfortune. Now that Qianqian is all better, and you're not even worthy of the dirt on her shoes, you're being kicked out of the Xu Clan. As of today, you have nothing to do with Qianqian. She's going to marry me, understand?"
Shen Lang's gaze shifted unconsciously to Xu Qianqian. In his memory, she had always been a gentle and warm woman. Xu Qianqian seemed a little distressed. The situation was shattering her perfect image. She had intended to end her marital relationship with Shen Lang quietly, but she never expected Zhang Jin to expose the truth so bluntly.
Shen Lang's gaze remained fixed on Xu Qianqian's beautiful face, as if demanding a clear answer from her. Xu Qianqian took a deep breath and said softly.
"Shen Lang, you are a truly good person. But that alone is not enough for us to be together."
Shen Lang had no reaction to being called a good person.
‘I'm this handsome; I don't need the 'good person' card anymore.’
Xu Qianqian said.
"Your parents miss you dearly and have repeatedly asked our family to let you return. So, it would be best for you to go home and live with your parents."
When Shen Lang still said nothing and just stared at her, Xu Qianqian grew slightly irritated. She couldn't believe he was so foolish as to not understand even when she had spoken so clearly.
"Hmph!"
The young master Zhang Jin, standing beside her, could no longer hold back and snorted in derision. As if to appease him, Xu Qianqian glanced at him once before speaking again, her voice a little colder than before.
"Shen Lang, I truly appreciate your feelings for me, but we are simply not a match. You should go back home. From today on, we are no longer husband and wife."
At Xu Qianqian's cold tone, Shen Lang looked back and forth between her and Zhang Jin, then replied with a faint smile.
"Alright, I'll go home."
"You really are hopelessly stupid."
Zhang Jin scoffed at Shen Lang, then wrapped an arm around Xu Qianqian's slender waist and left the room.
"If you're not out of the Xu estate in half an hour, you'll regret it."
Zhang Jin said in a cold voice before striding away.