"Lan'er! Where on earth are you?!"
After Xu Ruolan pushed open the door, she saw Ning Fan rolling on the ground, clasping his head with both hands, his eyes bloodshot, his whole demeanor as wild as a beast, looking particularly frightening.
"Lan'er! Lan'er! Lan'er!"
Ning Fan cried out in agony, and Xu Ruolan, without hesitating, ran up to him and held him tightly in her arms.
Xu Ruolan called out Ning Fan's name, hoping her voice could calm him down.
However, at this moment, Ning Fan had almost lost his sanity. He struggled in Xu Ruolan's soft arms, still shouting loudly.
Xu Ruolan, heartbroken, watched the suffering Ning Fan; she disregarded his struggles, holding him tightly in her embrace.
Having lost those fragments of memory, the irrational Ning Fan at this time did not care who was holding him, his body still resisting and struggling.
Xu Ruolan was suddenly pushed to the ground, wincing in pain, while Ning Fan showed no reaction, still lying on the ground and cradling his head, screaming in pain.
Seeing this, Xu Ruolan, regardless of what Ning Fan had done to her earlier, ran up to him again and took him into her arms.
"It's okay, Ning Fan, I'm right here, it's okay..."
Holding Ning Fan tightly in her arms, Xu Ruolan murmured softly, her eyes shimmering with a crystal brightness, she had long sensed Ning Fan's painful past.
She just hadn't expected that Ning Fan would have such a strong emotional outburst.
Xu Ruolan continuously comforted Ning Fan, holding him tightly with both hands; no matter how much he struggled, she wouldn't let go. She feared that the moment she did, Ning Fan, in his current state of pain, might do something foolish.
Thus, the two remained in that position for who knows how long, as Ning Fan's emotions gradually stabilized and his struggles slowly lessened.
As the redness in Ning Fan's eyes gradually receded, he slowly regained his clarity.
The painful memories receded like the tide, leaving deep marks in Ning Fan's heart. Feeling Xu Ruolan's warmth, he realized what had happened.
Thinking of his earlier loss of composure, Ning Fan looked up and embraced Xu Ruolan into his arms, his voice somewhat hoarse as he said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Other than apologies, Ning Fan really didn't know what else to say. He closed his eyes in pain, as if the remnants of pain in his mind hadn't completely dispersed.
Xu Ruolan shook her head; she was relieved that Ning Fan had regained his clarity, and the previously frantic Ning Fan hadn't caused her much harm.
"How are you feeling now, is everything okay?" Xu Ruolan asked with a worried tone.
Ning Fan shook his head, a barely natural smile forced onto his face.
The two remained in their embrace for a long time.
"Who is Qin Lan'er..."
Suddenly, Xu Ruolan asked this question.
She had been listening to Ning Fan calling out this name all along. Xu Ruolan was curious about who this person whom Ning Fan kept calling was. Someone who could make him seem so pained.
Ning Fan's breath hitched, and his lips began to tremble again as he struggled to look at Xu Ruolan. Hearing the name Qin Lan'er, he clearly felt on the verge of losing control again.
Who was Qin Lan'er, and why did she take a knife for him? Was she really dead?
Countless questions flooded Ning Fan's mind. The more he thought, the more his head ached, as if he was about to descend into madness again because of the name Qin Lan'er.
"It's okay, it's okay!"
Seeing Ning Fan's pained expression and the confusion and losing control emerging in his eyes, Xu Ruolan immediately embraced him in her arms and began to comfort him.
Ultimately, Ning Fan was unable to explain anything to Xu Ruolan, who did not mind but was only concerned about Ning Fan's condition at the moment.
"You should rest early. Don't bear everything by yourself if something bothers you!"
With such instructions, Xu Ruolan helped Ning Fan to bed, then left the room. She stood outside the door without moving until she was sure it was completely quiet inside before she left.
Ning Fan lay on the bed with his eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling, looking like a dead man, his thoughts gradually slipping back into fragments of memories.
The memories of Qin Lan'er dying for him replayed again, and although they replayed quickly, no matter how fast these memories came, they only repeated the painful scene. Holding his head, Ning Fan could not recall anything else, only remembering a woman named Qin Lan'er dying for him.
"Nine Souls Jade... Nine Souls Jade... Nine Souls Jade!"
Ning Fan had never before so desperately wanted the Nine Souls Jade like now. With five pieces of Nine Souls Jade in hand, his memories had begun to surface, but it was not enough. He needed more Nine Souls Jade, only then could he retrieve his lost memories!
In the pitch-black room, Ning Fan's eyes were wide open, constantly murmuring, either repeating "Nine Souls Jade" or the name Qin Lan'er.
Xu Ruolan paced outside Ning Fan's door, and once again she heard the agonized murmuring from the room, worry evident on her beautiful face.
"Sis? It's so late. Why aren't you sleeping?"
At that moment, Xu Xiaoqing, rubbing her sleepy eyes, walked out of her room, and saw the worried Xu Ruolan standing outside Ning Fan's door, pondering over something.
Xu Xiaoqing walked up to Xu Ruolan, just as she heard the murmuring from the room, her expression changed, and asked, "What's wrong with that silly fool, has he gone mad?"
Through the door, Xu Xiaoqing could clearly hear the heartbreaking murmuring, and she looked at Xu Ruolan with a questioning gaze.
Xu Ruolan hesitated for a moment, then told Xu Xiaoqing everything that had happened.
"...Ning Fan is very emotionally unstable right now, it seems like he has remembered some painful memories!"
Xu Ruolan pinched her cheek and her eyes flickered with worry.
Xu Xiaoqing looked at Xu Ruolan and then back at the room door.
The murmuring from Ning Fan inside the room was still audible, a painful and heartbreaking sound that incessantly reached the ears of the two sisters. Yet, at this moment, they had no way to comfort him.
It wasn't until late at night that Ning Fan's voice finally stopped. Only then did Xu Ruolan and Xu Xiaoqing, the two sisters, temporarily put their worries aside and went back to rest.
That night, no one slept well; Ning Fan's condition left the Xu sisters exceedingly worried.
Tonight, Ning Fan was clearly different from before, his emotions very unstable, his gaze vacant, as if he had become a different person.