Promoted to Protagonist: Persecuted by the Meta-Narrative | Chapter 63 | The Healer's Path | Novela.app

Yi Ting was originally an orphan. She was adopted at the age of eight by two men, Gu Shaolou and Jiang Kelan, who were research partners since their university laboratory days. Her two adoptive fathers explained the situation bluntly: "You are the smartest child in the entire orphanage. We need a clever child to teach for fun to pass the time. You don't need to find this explanation heartless; deceiving you with rhetoric like 'I love you, my child, I wanted to raise you the moment I saw you' would be the true cruelty." Yi Ting, who was already self-studying eighth-grade material, thoroughly agreed. She felt that relying on her innate intelligence to gain her fathers' favor and a better living environment than other children was already a stroke of luck; there was no need to force emotional bonds. As for something like "familial affection," one wouldn't lose a limb without it, right? The two fathers worked on the development and use of raw materials under the investment of a well-known cosmetics company, and they often brought back strange plants and animals. The gift Yi Ting received for her twelfth birthday was a Blue Morpho butterfly specimen. There was one strange thing about this specimen: there were distinct patterns on its thorax. Jiang Kelan patted his daughter's head and told her it wasn't an ordinary butterfly. As for what made it extraordinary, there was no need for a child of her age to know. After giving the gift, Jiang Kelan went to discuss work with Gu Shaolou. Watching her father's retreating back, Yi Ting suddenly felt a pang of curiosity about what made the butterfly special. She wasn't sure if this was that thing called "familial affection" acting up in her heart, but Gu Shaolou had taught her that it was fine not to overthink many things—if you wanted to do something, just do it. When it came time to choose her subjects in high school, she chose the pure science track without hesitation, preparing to follow the same path as her fathers. Gu Shaolou and Jiang Kelan were always very relaxed regarding their daughter's allowance. Because the two of them earned much and spent little, the money always arrived at midnight with the characteristic precision of researchers. One day, Yi Ting suddenly noticed that this month's money didn't arrive until one in the morning. Her first reaction wasn't that her fathers had forgotten, but that something had happened to them. The girl climbed out of bed in the middle of the night, crept to the study door, and saw the white light of the desk lamp leaking through the crack. The voices of her two fathers reached her ears. *As expected, they're still up this late. They never listen no matter how many times I tell them,* Yi Ting thought. "Anyone with eyes can see the research value of Variants. I truly don't understand why the company is abandoning development in this area." "We're just employees; we can't control what the boss does... But Shaolou, do you have to be this radical? You should reconsider resigning..." "You think this is radical? When you chose this path back then, was it for the money or because you loved it?" Jiang Kelan fell silent. Later, Yi Ting heard from Jiang Kelan that he stayed with the company, while Gu Shaolou went out to work on his own. During summer breaks at home, Gu Shaolou often brought back strange people. Four left the deepest impression on her: Dr. Chen, Dr. Chen's friend, a Mr. Wang, and a gentleman surnamed Leng. Dr. Chen and his friend seemed to be there for some kind of examination. When Yi Ting brought hot tea into the study, the examination report was being printed. Dr. Chen was still wearing his white clinic coat. "Mr. Gu, is this your daughter?" "Adoptive daughter, but she is the daughter I am most proud of. A very clever child." Gu Shaolou signaled for Yi Ting to place the cups on the desk. "The electronic report has been generated. If we categorize abilities by numerical values, you two are at the same level. Arranged from the highest tier, you are tentatively S-rank. Supporting the energy expenditure of a whole building for a year would be effortless. I've already found a partner; may I ask if you two have decided to join the project?" "Of course! This is absolutely a technological revolution!" The other person was marveling at the greatness of the plan with Gu Shaolou. Dr. Chen said nothing, merely taking a piece of candy from his pocket and giving it to Yi Ting. "Take it." Yi Ting took the candy. "Thank you, Uncle." A month later, Jiang Kelan and Gu Shaolou had a fight. That same night, Jiang Kelan moved out of the house. Mr. Wang arrived the next morning. This man made Yi Ting feel very uncomfortable; a faint, lingering scent of blood seemed to drift off him. When she handed him a glass of plain water, the man's hands were shaking. He asked Gu Shaolou, "Mr. Gu, buying up the animals of an entire shelter is a massive expense. May I ask what use you have for so many stray animals?" "Is it... for eating?" Gu Shaolou shook his head in denial. "No. This is client privacy; it's best if you don't ask too much." Whoever pays is the boss, and whatever the boss says goes. Mr. Wang bowed and scraped, repeatedly agreeing. Not long after this incident, Jiang Kelan returned once, saying he wanted to take Yi Ting away. "Tingting is about to take her university entrance exams. You contacting people to discuss things at home all day is a huge distraction to her revision." Sitting across from Gu Shaolou again, Jiang Kelan didn't even dare look his long-time partner in the eye. "Let her live with me. The environment at my place is good, and I can afford her allowance on my own." Gu Shaolou didn't answer Jiang Kelan directly but looked at Yi Ting first. "What do you say?" Yi Ting did feel that the house had been very noisy lately, so she replied, "I'll pack my bags tonight and leave tomorrow." Studies always had to come first. She still wanted to get into a top domestic biology program to learn exactly what her two fathers were doing. Gu Shaolou simply said "Okay" and went back to the study. Jiang Kelan was overjoyed, holding Yi Ting's shoulders. "Tingting, Papa will come pick you up tomorrow." That night, Yi Ting didn't look at her practice problems. She packed her bags seriously, placing the butterfly specimen into the inner layer of her suitcase first. At nine o'clock that night, the doorbell rang. Thinking that once she left tomorrow, no one would be there to help Gu Shaolou receive guests, she ran to the door to open it one last time. It was a man in a formal suit. Seeing a young girl open the door, his stern expression softened slightly. "Is Mr. Gu in?" Gu Shaolou had come downstairs at some point. He patted Yi Ting's head with one hand. "Mr. Leng, thank you for coming so late." "It's no trouble. This is a matter concerning the whole world." Mr. Leng changed his shoes and entered. Gu Shaolou signaled for him to follow him upstairs. He took two steps forward, then suddenly stopped. "This prediction... is it really..." "It's real. The apocalypse will descend." Mr. Leng followed Gu Shaolou upstairs. Yi Ting didn't know what time the two finished their work. At eight the next morning, Jiang Kelan drove to the building to help her move. Three months later, she received her university admission notice as she had hoped. Jiang Kelan happily booked a private room at a restaurant and ordered a table of fine food. He even invited Gu Shaolou. It was supposed to be Yi Ting's celebration, but after the two old fathers drank too much, they started talking. Yi Ting sat bored to the side, playing on her phone, but she remembered their conversation even long afterward. "...You're lying, do you know that, Gu Shaolou? Ask Tingting; she definitely knows that lying is wrong." "Everything I said is the truth; not a single word is a lie. You have no way of saying when the fish in a pond will swim away, but if you hold a stone in your hand and throw it into the water three seconds later, then three seconds prior, you can confidently say the fish will swim away in three seconds." "I am going to be that stone, Kelan. I've been researching Variants since I entered the lab. No one can stop me from continuing down this path—not even you." "Withdraw the investment, it doesn't matter. No lab, it doesn't matter." "I have a way to make this world my proving ground." "..." "Will you come back to help me, Jiang Kelan?" "Go ask Tingting. Ask her if she thinks you've lost your mind." * A few years later, a high-ranking official surnamed Leng was the first to support the apocalyptic prophecy. Within five years of his Awakening, he climbed to a high position in the Mutation Investigation Department. By the time she entered the research division of the Investigation Department, Yi Ting had completely mastered what her two fathers were researching. However, she refused to go to the Energy Development Office; she only wanted to learn how to save people. Jiang Kelan was right; their daughter knew whether her two fathers had lost their minds. She stayed in the Human Medicine Department and refused to leave, as if acting as a safety net for the two of them. Those who were harmed by Variants—she would save as many as she could. Even though she denied her relationship with her adoptive fathers, rumors still spread during her tenure that she was the daughter of the core founder of the Investigation Department. Yi Ting changed how she addressed them, insisting on calling Jiang Kelan "Teacher." Gu Shaolou, meanwhile, had been missing for a long time, ever since the "Year Five" mark. Deputy Minister Leng looked after her with extra care and introduced three young children to her: Leng Xianye, Xing Yue, and Lian Muyun. Xing Yue was the only child who had awakened an ability at the time. She was very wary at first, but after becoming familiar with Yi Ting, she often came to the lab to help. Gradually, she opened her heart to Yi Ting. She said her "Unbroken Thread" symbolized her family. Secretary-General Xing protected her very well. Her parents loved her dearly, but it was precisely this love that weighed on her, turning her into an Ability User and forcing her to join the Investigation Department as a teaching assistant while she was still a student. Xing Yue could tell Lian Muyun to run away, but she couldn't tell herself to run. She was bound by the Unbroken Thread. Yi Ting could heal physical wounds, but she couldn't cure the sickness of the heart—especially since she herself was someone bound by silk threads. Later, it was said that Leng Xianye also awakened an ability. It was the result of being locked in a dark room for three days by the Deputy Minister, pushed to his physiological limits. Xing Yue had been in the middle of a conversation with Yi Ting when she received the news and ran off. No doubt she went to save him. Even in the medical division, the research of the Mutation Investigation Department could never escape Variants. Yi Ting could only try her best to keep her experiments within the realm of what was harmless to the human body. Once, another lab sent over a volunteer. He hadn't awakened an ability; he was just an ordinary patient with late-stage lung cancer. The other researchers said there was no hope left and asked if she could give the boy a quick, merciful death. Yi Ting gave him a comprehensive check-up. Looking at the indicators that had already skewed to extreme values, she flipped open the treatment plans related to Variants that she had discarded. Didn't she have a way to save people? Did she have to watch others die? If she could harden her heart like that, what difference was there between her and Gu Shaolou, who treated the world as a proving ground? * "Fu Shu asked me yesterday if I wanted to go out for dinner this weekend. He seems to be in good health." "Good health, my foot. If you draw a vial of blood, it's all medicine; you can't even smell the blood," Yi Ting frowned. "You're not allowed to go out with him. What if he gets sick?" After the apocalypse ended, she spent a great deal of effort restoring Fu Shu's constitution as a "Medicine Human." It was only recently that there had been some improvement. Xin Ye agreed. Yi Ting had returned to her alma mater to teach. Both of them were now teachers. Today, she had come to Xin Ye's high school to give a lecture to promote her university. After the lecture, she came to have tea with her friend. It had to be said, the feeling of someone else brewing tea for her was truly wonderful. They said they were chatting, but the two of them didn't actually have much to say. After all, the past was too painful to look back on. Teacher Xin tilted his head and spaced out for a long time before suddenly saying out of the blue, "When I ran to find you back then, why did you agree to help me? Looking for the core coordinates was such a sudden thing; I was completely bracing myself when I came to you." Yi Ting looked at Xin Ye's face and suddenly smiled. "My father taught me. It's fine not to overthink many things; if you want to do something, just do it." That was what Gu Shaolou taught her. "And, I have the ability to distinguish right from wrong." That was what Jiang Kelan affirmed. * Yi Ting once asked Xun Yin about the character setting of the character who shared her name. "Because I was taken in by you, Sister Ting," Xun Yin said. That was why Yi Ting would choose to save Fu Shu. Why she would listen to Xing Yue, staying by her side even when she didn't know what to do. And why, when Xin Ye needed help, she would tear off that tracking metal film even though she knew she would be caught by headquarters.