Chapter 2: The Chosen One’s Rude Awakening

A sharp pain, an overwhelming agony, enveloped him. ‘Ouch, it hurts. Where am I? Who am I? What is this place? Ouch, it hurts, what exactly is happening?’ The young man, unable to pinpoint when it began, felt a dull ache, which quickly intensified into a searing pain, bloom within him. Words failed him; he could only manage faint groans, his mind still clouded. In this moment, all he knew was the relentless throb of pain.

‘You’re awake, Datou (TL Note: A nickname meaning ‘Big Head’ or ‘Biggie’)! Does it hurt much? Just bear with it; the worst will pass!’ After an indeterminate period, a voice drifted into the young man’s ears. Who could it be? He blinked his eyes open, confusion clouding his vision, only to be assailed by the harsh glare of an incandescent light, forcing them shut once more. Though his body still ached profoundly, his thoughts had begun to clear. The figure he had momentarily seen was his father, but why was he in such a strange, unfamiliar place?

‘Datou, just bear with it. I know you’re in excruciating pain, but my heart aches even more deeply!’ his father exclaimed, his voice laced with fury. ‘It’s all that damned driver’s fault—drunk, unlicensed, hitting someone and then fleeing the scene! If not for Bao’er’s (TL Note: A common pet name, in this context referring to a dog) frantic barking, who would have ever known you were lying there in the dead of night? Thank goodness we found you quickly, or you truly might not have survived! How are you feeling now? The doctor gave you an anesthetic; it shouldn’t be hurting as much, right? Keep the oxygen tube in; you mustn’t sleep now. We need to wait for the anesthetic to wear off. Let me talk to you for a bit, because if you drift off to sleep now, there’s no telling if you’ll ever wake up again.’

‘I… I was hit by a car?’ A wave of bewilderment washed over the young man. He could recall nothing of the incident, only that he was a confirmed homebody, typically confined to his house. How, then, could he have been struck by a vehicle? Yet, the agonizing pain coursing through his entire body was an undeniable reality. Despite it being April Fool’s Day, this was clearly no jest. He still knew his own identity: his name was Wang Tianming, and his family affectionately called him Datou, a nickname bestowed upon him due to his unusually large head at birth.

The young man had a persistent sense of having lived through countless events, yet he found himself utterly unable to recall any specifics. He could only rationalize it as a series of dreams experienced while unconscious after the collision. He vaguely remembered studies indicating that during sleep, the brain’s surface remains remarkably active; though the actual time spent dreaming might be brief, the duration of experiences within those dreams could feel extraordinarily vast.

‘Look at me,’ the young man mused inwardly, ‘everyone considers me utterly ordinary, yet here I am, struck by a car. My name is Wang Tianming, and I am destined for greatness, destined to be the chosen one. It’s not just that I was hit by a car, but precisely *because* I was hit by a car that I am even more extraordinary—this kind of experience, it simply screams ‘protagonist’! Why didn’t I transmigrate after being hit, like all those others? What a terrible waste!’

‘Datou, are you alright?’ his father asked, watching the young man mumble to himself. ‘Why are you spouting such strange things again? Surely you haven’t injured your brain?’ A worried frown creasing his brow, he pressed the back of his hand against his son’s forehead. ‘If anything’s troubling you, please tell me. Where do you feel unwell? Is it dizziness, or pain somewhere? You can tell me everything; don’t bottle it up inside. The anesthetic will wear off very soon, so whatever you do, you absolutely mustn’t fall asleep!’

‘Ah? Did I really speak my thoughts aloud?’ the young man exclaimed, his eyes wide. ‘Never mind, I feel alright, just a dull ache all over my body, and I can’t move.’ He looked at his father, his expression earnest. ‘Dad, was I… was I truly hit by a car? Why, why can’t I remember a single thing? Where exactly am I injured? Is there anything serious?’

‘You don’t remember anything at all?’ his father asked, his gaze filled with concern as he looked at the young man. ‘You went downstairs to walk Bao’er, and that damned driver hit you not far from our doorstep. It’s likely temporary amnesia, a protective mechanism of the human brain. Don’t be scared. Besides the accident itself, is there anything else you can’t recall?’

‘I can’t recall the bank card password of the nation’s richest man,’ the young man stated with a perfectly straight face. ‘Furthermore, I also seem to have forgotten his daughter’s bust-waist-hip measurements. Do you think I’ve contracted a severe case of amnesia?’

‘Hahahaha, you little scamp!’ his father roared with laughter, his face visibly relaxing, the deep furrows in his brow smoothing away. ‘It seems your head is perfectly fine if you still have the presence of mind to joke with your old man! That puts my worries at ease.’ He continued, ‘The doctor said you’re incredibly lucky. After a collision like that, you only suffered a dislocated hip, with no brain damage, no fractures, and as for your internal organs, we’ll monitor them, but currently, there are no issues. You don’t even have a single scratch! You can’t move right now, so just rest up properly. Don’t worry, there’s nothing too serious.’

‘Mm, I understand,’ the young man affirmed, nodding. ‘I’ll just take my time recovering. My entire body aches right now, likely muscle damage, but with my physique, I should bounce back.’ He offered a faint smile. ‘My life is far too tenacious; I won’t ‘GG’ (TL Note: Gaming slang for ‘good game,’ used here to imply giving up or dying) over such a minor setback. After all, I still have crucially important things to accomplish! This is a destiny bestowed by the heavens themselves; how could that hit-and-run scoundrel possibly thwart it?’

The father and son then spent the entire night engaged in a meandering, intermittent conversation. The doctor had also returned to confirm that the young man was out of immediate danger, having successfully navigated the most arduous night. Being older, the father could no longer endure sleepless nights. Upon hearing the doctor’s reassuring words, he finally unfolded the chair beside the hospital bed, draped a blanket over himself, and settled down to rest.

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