Chapter Two: Software and Hardware, Disability and Deficiency

Wang Lei awoke from the darkness, his mind hazy as though he’d just emerged from a dream that stretched on endlessly. Within that dream, he was sometimes the most ordinary Wang Lei to his last breath, and at other times, the most extraordinary. Like Zhuangzi dreaming of butterflies, Wang Lei could no longer distinguish which was truly himself. Perhaps, in truth, his soul had been wholly renewed.

The oxygen tube in his nostrils made him acutely aware of his physical state, and the tingling itch at his wrist reminded him that he was alive once more.

He opened his eyes; the sunlight stung, uncomfortably intense, but in his heart, Wang Lei couldn’t help but want to shout, “Being alive is so damn good!”

People often speak of sacrificing oneself without fear of death, but only those who have truly faced death know how precious life really is.

Gradually adjusting to the brightness, Wang Lei thought that if anyone in that moment were to tell him they didn’t want to live, he’d spit right in their face and tell them, “Trust me. You’d better believe it.”

Though the faint smell of disinfectant in his breath was unpleasant, he still inhaled greedily.

“The patient in bed two is awake! Where are the family members for bed two?”

As the nurse’s voice rang out, hurried footsteps approached. A tall and familiar figure appeared before Wang Lei, someone both intimately familiar and strangely distant.

“Mei Mei? Ma Dongmei?”

Wang Lei’s voice was rough, as if he’d developed a smoker’s rasp; if he auditioned for a reality show, he’d be famous for it.

“Smack! Wang Lei, you bastard.”

Instead of tears and a loving embrace, his greeting was a sharp slap across the face. Instantly, half his face burned — this was definitely the strike of a world-class volleyball attacker. Well, as it happened, the person before him truly was an elite volleyball player.

“Hey, what are you doing? He just woke up! You can’t hit a patient — especially not a disabled one,” the nurse protested, unable to fathom why the large young woman who’d wept so hard when Wang Lei was admitted would now suddenly slap him.

Honestly, Wang Lei had seen it coming. He knew well what this strikingly tall and lovely girl had sacrificed for him. As for how he used to feel about her, he didn’t want to dwell on it, but he knew that from now on, he could never let her go.

“Mei Mei, I won’t do it again. Could you give me a sip of water? And maybe something to eat?”

Wang Lei’s composure surprised both Ma Dongmei and the nurse. After all, the man lying in this extra-long hospital bed had just attempted suicide not long ago.

“Lei Ge, you mean it? You really won’t do it again?” Ma Dongmei, now calm, gripped his hand with genuine earnestness.

“Mm. Never again, Mei Mei. Come here, give your big brother a hug. Let me feel the warmth of being alive.”

Wang Lei’s words made the usually boisterous Ma Dongmei blush. After all, so many people were looking their way. Even now, in an age of wonders, it was rare to see a couple both nearly two meters tall.

A few days later, Wang Lei left the hospital in a wheelchair, pushed by Ma Dongmei.

She had been run ragged by his situation these past days. Fu Sansheng was demanding extra practice from his players, but Ma Dongmei had braved his dissatisfaction and taken time off anyway, which had greatly displeased the stubborn coach.

Basking in the summer heat of Jinling, Wang Lei felt at peace. Having looked death in the face, he now believed he could face anything.

“Mei Mei, how did your dad come up with your name?” Wang Lei asked, prompting Ma Dongmei to give him a light smack on the head.

In these few days together, Ma Dongmei had truly noticed the change in her beloved Lei Ge. She couldn’t deny it — the transformation was profound. Compared to the previously gloomy and defeated Wang Lei, she liked this outspoken, radiant version even more. This was the unstoppable man she’d always admired, even if she knew he was teasing her about her name.

“How could you blame my dad? When I was born, my grandpa insisted on it, and my dad, being a teacher, had no say at all.”

“Then why did your family name you Wang Lei?” the straightforward girl asked, not shying away from the mention of Wang Lei’s deceased parents. She naturally assumed that the new Wang Lei wouldn’t mind.

“It’s easy to remember. Sure, you could pick something unique and fancy, but then people would always struggle to recall it. My name? Everyone remembers it.”

“Yeah, you’re right. It really is that simple,” she said, surprised at how true it sounded.

“Lei Ge, take care of yourself, okay? When I’m not home, listen to the nurse. When I come back, I’ll bring you something tasty, alright?”

Though she hadn’t left yet, Ma Dongmei was already worried. She feared Wang Lei might fall into despair again, so she did her best to steady his mood in her own way.

Wang Lei reached back and squeezed her slightly rough arm — years of volleyball had worn away the delicate skin, leaving only a faint layer of calluses.

“Don’t worry. I won’t. Everything will be alright from now on.”

Back in their rented apartment, Ma Dongmei hurried off — her leave had already run long. Only Wang Lei remained.

He assessed his body. His left leg was gone from the knee down, and two years of despair had nearly ruined him, but the fundamentals remained: a height of 1.98 meters and decent features. All in all, he was content.

What more could he ask for? With a body like this, just being alive was enough.

Losing his left leg had cost him dearly, but Wang Lei now understood the future held myriad possibilities. In another world, people with no legs competed in the Olympics — and one even became famous for murdering his wife. Wang Lei had only lost one leg; it was nothing.

He hobbled around the apartment on his crutch. Two bedrooms and a living room — not large, but cozy. Though Ma Dongmei was often away training or competing, it was clear she still knew how to make a home.

The fusion of souls had granted Wang Lei new memories and perspectives, but his old memories remained intact. Compared to before, he’d undergone a complete system upgrade.

There was a long road ahead. Wang Lei decided he needed a goal — at least a short-term one. Not for any grand reason, but for the sake of the steadfast girl who had cared for him all this time. He had to turn this failed tragedy into a tale of inspiration.

He had barely moved before fatigue washed over him. In two years, he’d nearly let his body go to waste.

No matter how devoted Ma Dongmei was, without his own effort, nothing from the outside could truly help.

Though he’d only lost one leg, the despairing “old Wang Lei” had lived as if paralyzed. Two years of neglect had ruined what was once a remarkable body.

He thought for a while and realized the most urgent task was to rebuild his body.

Besides physical recovery, he also needed something to occupy his mind. Despair often comes from thinking too much and doing too little. This was the new Wang Lei’s understanding, so he resolved to keep busy for both his own sake and for the peace of the girl who cared so deeply for him.

As for what to do, he already had some ideas. In this parallel world, he was now disabled — that’s right, disabled, not useless. No matter how he viewed himself, the world would see him as such. Whether he truly became useless would be determined by how he lived from now on. For two years, he had been defeated, but now was a new beginning.

Yes, a parallel world — perhaps the master of fate, or some other force, had handed him a golden ticket in the form of his disability. No matter how much he remembered of that other world, he had at least thirty more years of life experience than anyone else. That was a tremendous asset, regardless of how those years had been spent.

Wherever you are, whatever you believe, there is a saying: “Between life and death lies great terror, and great opportunity.”

Wang Lei didn’t know what form his opportunity would take, but having survived death, he now held a new definition of life. Though this new understanding resembled a pot of chicken soup left boiling too long, for the newly life-hungry Wang Lei, it was the perfect remedy.

As long as he lived, everything could get better. The despair of the past was, in the end, a result of immaturity and a lack of true understanding of life — a flaw shared by every Wang Lei.

But now, things were different. Wang Lei was a new man. Though his body remained broken and disabled, his soul had been upgraded, as if a computer had just been updated to “Win7.” The most important thing now was to upgrade the hardware, or else his “performance” would be limited.

Toward the girl with the rustic name, who had loved him so deeply, Wang Lei felt only guilt and gratitude.

For two years, this young woman — barely twenty — had borne immense pressure to care for him. Only someone as single-minded as her would do such a thing; anyone else would have given up long ago.

Steeling his resolve, Wang Lei set both a short-term and a long-term goal. In the near future, restoring his health was the priority. In the long run, the most important thing was to make Mei Mei happy. He could no longer afford to live as a cripple.