Xia Zhi was dumbfounded.
He had no idea Xinghe was so proficient at programming…
He had an urge to ask her where did her sudden proficiency come from but her absolute concentration in her work deterred him from doing so. He didn’t want to break her focus.
He stood quietly by her bedside watching her work. He found it difficult to calm down…
45 minutes!
Xinghe used less than one hour to finish writing the program.
She kneaded her hands, let out a long sigh, and turned to meet Xia Zhi’s astonished eyes.
Xinghe passed him the laptop. “I think it’s done. Give it a try and see there are any mistakes. If it’s usable, send it to your senior and ask for the pay.”
“Huh? O… okay…” Xia Zhi accepted his laptop dumbly, staring at her with a pair of vacant eyes. He was waiting for an explanation.
Xinghe was too distressed to notice his strange behavior.
Her eyes were tired from continuous exposure to the screen’s harsh glare and it added to her already mounting headache…
Xinghe slumped back down her bed, shut her eyes, and… fell asleep!
Xia Zhi had to use every ounce of his self-discipline to not shake his sister violently awake.
Sis, please explain what’s happening before you retreat to your dreams! Where did you learn such impressive programming skills‽
He was bursting at the seams with questions, but he dared not disturb her sleep.
The only thing he could do was to suppress his curiosity and wait patiently.
The two hours it took for Xinghe to wake up was torture for Xia Zhi.
The moment she opened her eyes, she realized she was staring into Xia Zhi’s inquisitive, unblinking eyes.
A startled Xinghe said, “What are you looking at?”
Xia Zhi replied, “Sis, do you want to eat some mangoes? I’ll go buy you some.”
“Mangoes?” Xinghe frowned.
“Yup, it’s your favorite fruit, right? Do you want some?” Xia Zhi said enthusiastically.
Xinghe pulled her upper body upright using the bedframe as support and stared at Xia Zhi quizzically.
Xia Zhi stared back at her anxiously, waiting for an answer.
Xinghe narrowed her eyes. “Xia Zhi, what are you planning? You know I’m allergic to mangoes.”
Xia Zhi lurched forward to grab her hands, his eyes red with tears. “So, it is you, Sis! Do you remember saving me from drowning when I was five years old?”
“Are you high? We didn’t know each other when you were five.”
“Sis, it is you!” Xia Zhi wailed with joy. “I thought you died and your body was taken over by a new consciousness like how it’s normally portrayed in reincarnation-themed web novels. You have no idea how worried I’ve been for the past two hours.”
Xinghe stared at him curiously, “What are you talking about?”
“You know, your soul died and your body became host to another person’s soul… that sort of thing.”
“You fear I am no longer the same Xia Xinghe?”
Xia Zhi nodded as he broke into a smile. “Can you blame me? You suddenly become so good at programming after a car accident. Isn’t that how the plot for these novels go? I was so afraid that you’ve become someone else. Thankfully, you’re still the original!”
Xinghe was rendered speechless.
Then again, she couldn’t really fault Xia Zhi for thinking that way, she had never shown him her programming talent.