Chapter 37: Countdown (Part 1)

January 17, 2074, 19:00

Five hours remain until Lola's birthday ends.

Perhaps this is also the countdown to her life.

Sitting in that high-end restaurant she had longed for, Laura swallowed in large gulps, voraciously clearing the various delicious foods from the table.

"Eat slowly... don't choke." An Xianyuan sat beside her, watching the little girl wolf down the food, her nose turning slightly sour.

"Mm." She had no time to answer, only nodding, her mouth still chewing nonstop.

"Don't rush to get full; there's still cake later."

An Xianyuan, showing no disgust, stroked the little girl's oily black hair, patiently pinching one tiny bug after another.

"Mm." Laura didn't know how to refuse her sister's kindness, only nodding continuously.

"Does it hurt?"

Her cleaned fingertips gently brushed the scars on Laura's face as An Xianyuan asked softly, her tone gentle.

"It doesn't hurt..." Laura's eye twitched, her voice trembling slightly, yet she only said it didn't hurt.

"Silly girl..." An Xianyuan sighed deeply.

She waved her hand, signaling the Waitress to bring out a temporarily made birthday Cake.

"Happy eighteenth birthday, Laura."

An Xianyuan said softly.

Under the dreamlike lighting, seated within the noble and elegant decor, the dirty little girl stared blankly at the magnificent swan-shaped Cake before her.

She pressed her palms together and gently closed her eyes.

January 17, 2074, 20:00

"Laura?"

The gentle voice beside her ear woke the little girl from her daze.

"Sister Xianyuan..." she murmured, involuntarily reaching out to rub the itching on her face back and forth.

"Relax... relax... Little Lola." An Xianyuan gently held Laura's two small hands to prevent her from subconsciously scratching and damaging the healing wounds.

"Just wait ten minutes." The mature man dressed as a doctor smiled softly beside them, adjusting the surgical recliner so Laura could wait more comfortably.

"Thank you, Doctor Victor." An Xianyuan bowed to the doctor, her tone sincere.

"You're welcome; this is merely a doctor's duty." Doctor Victor Victor smiled and shook his head, flexing his somewhat sore wrist. "You two talk first; I'll go outside for a smoke."

He tactfully left, leaving space for the two women, one big and one small, to be alone.

Laura slumped in the surgical chair, staring blankly at the dark ceiling.

"Sister Xianyuan..."

"Mm?"

An Xianyuan stood beside her, still tightly holding the girl's hands.

"What do you need me to do? I want to prepare myself mentally in advance."

"..." An Xianyuan did not answer, only gazing silently at those confused green lakes.

"Sister?"

Five minutes passed; Laura called out softly, breaking the silence.

"Experiment. Human experimentation." An Xianyuan spoke word by word, deliberately shifting her gaze away, unable to meet those flawless green eyes again.

"... Then why give me a birthday?"

"You reminded me of my own deceased younger sister... I owe her a birthday... that's all."

An Xianyuan released the little girl's hands, turned her back to her, and trembled slightly uncontrollably all over.

"Don't cry... Sister." Laura smiled helplessly and retook the hand the woman had voluntarily released.

"Why?" An Xianyuan asked back with a trembling voice; the small warmth in her palm seemed to press directly against her heart.

"At least, someone is willing to cry for me..." Laura smiled, drawing a circle in her palm, "That is enough."

"..."

An Xianyuan stood silently, her whole body tense, struggling to control the uncontrollable trembling.

She did not want to experience the feeling of losing her sister again.

Yet she had no right, nor any way to resist.

"Ding!"

Ten minutes had passed; Doctor Victor strode in from outside the door.

"Can we take it off now?"

She asked, yet she stood by Laura's side without moving an inch.

"Yes." Victor smiled understandingly, not letting the flustered An Xianyuan leave.

He simply focused on using an exoskeleton surgical hand to remove the medical bandages tied around the little girl's face.

"Recovery is good." Victor nodded, took a mirror from beside the operating table, and handed it to An Xianyuan, who stood nearby with a look of deep concern.

"Laura, look at this mirror; look at yourself." She gripped the mirror tightly and brought it close to the little girl's face.

"Is this... me?"

Laura stared blankly at the unfamiliar face in the mirror.

A straight nose, pretty green eyes, the lovely curve of the lips...

So this is me.

She curiously made various strange, exaggerated facial expressions at the mirror, watching intently as that unfamiliar pretty girl in the mirror obediently mimicked the same actions.

She smiled, yet tears overflowed uncontrollably from those beautiful green lakes, gradually blurring the unfamiliar pretty face in the mirror.

"The scars on the face are almost all gone..." Victor watched the little girl crying and laughing, then spoke softly to Miss An, who stood silent nearby.

"Thank you, Doctor..." An Xianyuan rubbed her slightly red and swollen eye corners, then transferred a full and generous payment to this competent doctor.

"Mm... I have another guest in a moment, so I won't see you off."

"Good." An Xianyuan nodded, gently stroking the little girl's jet-black long hair.

"Let's go, Laura. Sister will take you to bathe and buy clothes."

After bidding farewell to the doctor, she held the little girl's hand and slowly left the Clinic.

Laura clutched that warm hand tightly, following her step by step, walking toward the unknown ahead.

On the road, they brushed past one man and two women, each heading in opposite directions.

January 17, 2074, 21:00

Warm water gently enveloped that small body, a feeling of unprecedented laziness spreading from deep within the marrow throughout the entire body.

Laura lay relaxed in the bathtub, her eyes half-closed.

"Is it comfortable?"

A more mature, sexy body pressed tightly against her; pale white hands reached around from behind, carefully washing Laura's entire body from top to bottom.

"Sister Xianyuan..." Laura's pretty little face flushed with a hint of red, no longer as deathly pale as before.

She murmured, enjoying An Xianyuan's thoughtful cleaning with a touch of awkwardness.

"Wash thoroughly; in a moment, go buy new clothes looking beautiful." An Xianyuan spoke softly, giving the little girl's entire body one final wash.

She stood up from the bathtub and pulled the little girl to sit together by the rippling water.

She reached out to take the towel placed aside and carefully wiped every corner of Laura's body clean.

"Sister Xianyuan..." Laura shyly shook her little head, her face completely flushed, and involuntarily cried out.

"Alright, alright." An Xianyuan gently rubbed the little girl's now tender cheeks, using another towel to dry her own body.

"I feel much lighter." Laura, wearing tiny slippers, spun around in place inside the Bathroom.

Watching her cheerful, childish demeanor, An Xianyuan couldn't help but reveal a gentle and doting smile.