Consciousness returned to the hospital room. A thunderous roar outside the window snapped Chen Mo back to reality.

It really lived up to being a world modeled after reality.

A heavy storm was about to hit here. The simulated world echoed with thunder too.

Chen Mo let out a slight yawn. A young nurse walked in. "Mr. Chen, is there anything I can help you with?"

As she spoke, she was actually a bit puzzled. Chen Mo’s sleep schedule was odd—he slept at night, and during the day, he’d nap for hours at a time.

Sure, lying in a hospital bed with nothing to do meant patients needed extra sleep. But he’d just woken up that morning and slept straight for eight hours again. This...

Though puzzled, the nurse didn’t ask.

Chen Mo glanced out the window and smiled. "I’m a bit bored. Is there anything to pass the time?"

"I can chat with you," the nurse said. She pulled up a chair by his bed. Her genuine smile, happy about his improving condition, easily won people over.

Anyone in this ward was clearly no ordinary person. She’d cared for Chen Mo for days, mostly watching his face on monitors. Now, up close, even though he looked a bit haggard, that hint of determination made him seem quite handsome.

Taking care of a handsome guy like this... maybe it could lead to a perfect manga-style encounter?

Chen Mo had no idea what she was thinking. He just asked curiously, "Don’t you have a phone or tablet?"

The nurse shook her head. "Mr. Chen, your body isn’t ready for that yet."

"I feel like I can sit up and move my hands. Look, I can move my fingers just fine," Chen Mo said. He lifted his hand slightly, flexing his fingers nimbly.

Thanks to the system’s powerful dual recovery ability, his body was healing incredibly fast. Within two days, he could speak. Now he could make small movements.

But doctors still warned him to stay lying down. He could drink water, but no solid food—his body relied solely on nutrient solutions and vitamins.

Seeing his movements, the nurse showed a trace of surprise. "You’re recovering so fast!"

Chen Mo flashed a sunny smile. "My body’s always been strong, so—"

"No," the nurse said calmly, unmoved by his charm. "This is a critical care ward. We minimize electronic radiation here. To use a phone or TV, you need Dr. Ge’s approval."

Instantly, Chen Mo’s smile froze.

Another week was almost gone. His manga hadn’t been updated. His readers would probably throw him into a pot to fry him alive!

News reports even said that when authors delayed too much, readers showed up to "educate" them—forcing cross-dressing, locking them in dark rooms to work, and giving harsh punishments for missed quotas.

Terrifying!

Seeing his request fail, Chen Mo asked, "What day is it today?"

"It’s already Friday, Mr. Chen," the nurse replied.

"Friday, huh..." Chen Mo sighed. Lying here had blurred his sense of time. "Please notify my family. Ask my sister to come tomorrow."

Tomorrow was Saturday. According to his plan, he’d simulate Little Ash around 11 PM, then execute his real escape plan to find Yun Song.

A continuous 16-hour simulation—this would be his first time.

He checked the system panel. Luo Xianxue’s status showed her affection level had increased by 1. Her state was now "terrified."

Outside, a thunderstorm raged. Luo Xianxue feared thunder, and he wasn’t there...

Sigh, when would he freely enter and exit her body at will? If time allowed, he could handle emergencies by possessing her.

Then he looked at Little Ash’s panel. To his surprise, its state read "attempting to escape!"

"System, what’s going on?" Chen Mo asked inwardly. Little Ash’s affection level hadn’t reached 75, so he couldn’t see advanced details. He could only guess.

Was there an emergency? Little Ash was actually trying to escape.

Had Guang Ge noticed something wrong and planned an early move? Or had someone paid a huge sum to buy Little Ash?

The system didn’t respond. Chen Mo felt a hint of worry.

After a brief chat, he bid the nurse goodbye. He focused on Little Ash’s panel, considering whether to possess it tomorrow morning.

But if he did, he’d only have one last escape chance left.

Should he gamble?

Chen Mo wasn’t a gambler. He decided to observe one more night. Anyway, he had nothing else to do.

10:00 PM: Little Ash had an upset stomach.

10:30 PM: Calming Little White down. Something must have happened.

11:45 PM: Preparing.

11:00 PM: Escape begins!

Seeing the status change rapidly within half an hour, Chen Mo was shocked. Little Ash was really trying to escape the pet shop’s clutches!

And it even had preparation time—wasn’t that too smart?

11:01 PM: Escaping!

Hiss, would Little Ash succeed? Chen Mo tensed up. Damn, why did possession only refresh at 8 AM? He wanted to help right now!

11:02 PM: Struggling.

"Ah, this..."

11:03 PM: Being calmed down.

11:05 PM: Enjoying food.

11:07 PM: Enjoying petting.

11:10 PM: Sleeping.

Chen Mo: "..."

So what exactly happened during this escape?

Little Ash, how did you get caught after only one minute!

Don’t stop!

He stared at the panel for another half hour. The status stayed "sleeping." He wanted to scratch his head but found it difficult and gave up.

Now it seemed he didn’t need to rush.

Little Ash was smarter than he thought. Short-term issues were unlikely.

He’d still possess it tomorrow night. Rushing now was useless.

Lying in bed, Chen Mo soon fell asleep.

He woke the next day, unsure of the time. Someone was fiddling with his hair. Opening his eyes, he saw a slender, fair arm. A faint, fresh scent filled his nose.

Glancing sideways, a short-haired girl with a side ponytail leaned close, playing with his hair. Her cute face wore a mischievous, little-devil smile.