“That’s more like it,” Leaf thought, projecting her non-existent innocent smile towards her flabbergasted system.

Zero: ( l|l⚆ᗝ⚆)

+++++

After digesting the plot and the body’s memories, Leaf opened her eyes. She let go of her now mother’s hand who was shocked and seemed elated to see her daughter open her eyes. Leaf got up and tried to sit at the bedside with difficulty. It has been two days since her head got hit by a solid object. She has been sleeping for two whole days.

The mother of the body sat beside her, ensuring she wouldn't fall, then asked, "How are you feeling?"

“Mom, aside from a little headache I am fine”, Leaf answered back.

“Do not move too much and stay still. I will call the doctor,” Liu Fang said while pressing the bedside call bell. Unlike other floors in this hospital where the nurse answers the callbell, Liu Leah’s callbell is directly answered by her dedicated doctor and hospital staff.

“Hmmm”, Leaf murmured while nodding.

As the exchange unfolded, the two middle-aged men in the room glanced in their direction, their expressions a mix of concern and relief. Leaf empathized with their emotions, understanding their deep care for the original, treating her as a cherished daughter. Her father's assistant, though married, had never had children of his own. Yet, his love for his wife was evident, enduring through years without offspring. Both the assistant and his wife cared for Liu Leah as if she were their own daughter.

Leaf gazed downward, her expression stoic yet with a glimmer of pity in her eyes. "Poor kid," she muttered softly, addressing the original body's owner. "You should have had a good life ahead of you, but alas."

A few minutes after pressing the call bell, a female doctor entered the room with her intern and another female nurse, all of whom knocked before entering. They were followed by Zed as they made their way into the room.

After exchanging greetings, the doctor proceeded to ask Leaf questions and examined the cut on her right forehead after the female nurse removed the dressing covering the wound. Everyone else in the room stood in silence, observing Leaf and the hospital staff attentively.

Feeling dizzy, Leaf reclined back after answering all of the doctor's inquiries.

"The young miss's health is overall progressing towards full recovery," the female doctor announced.

"Her head injury is healing well with no signs of infection, and her mild concussion will heal in time," she added. "She just needs to take it easy for one week and avoid any vigorous activities."

"Miss, do you still have a headache?" the female doctor inquired once more, addressing the reclining Leaf.

"A little, but I won't take any painkillers," Leaf replied.

"Then please let us know if you need one," the doctor said before turning to address the questions directed by Liu Leah's parents.

Leaf suddenly sensed and recalled the gaze that had been directed at her since the door was opened. It felt distinct from the gaze of Liu Leah's family. She turned her head in the direction of the gaze and found herself ensnared, lost within obsidian-like eyes that seemed to hold an entire galaxy within them, entrapping her and preventing her from looking away. Her trance was broken when the man in question averted his gaze and promptly left to report the incident outside the floor's main entrance.

Leaf closed her eyes and attempted to calm her thumping heart. "What the heck just happened?" she questioned herself. She wanted to investigate the guy, but for now, she needed to focus on adjusting to her new body. Due to the change in the system and her current status, she could do more with her current body, but there were limitations. Being in a level E world, she couldn't afford to go overboard.

"Thank you, doctor," Liu Fang expressed her gratitude before her tone turned threatening. "If anything that happened here goes out, not only you but all your staff will suffer." 

The female doctor, her intern, and the nurse felt a cold sweat trickle down their backs.

"Yes, madam," the female doctor replied, her voice tense. She and her staff respectfully bowed and hurriedly left the room.

"Tell them I will contact them in a few days, and I need to rest," Leaf instructed Liu Aiden, breaking the silence that enveloped the room after the female doctor and her staff departed. She met her now father's gaze with sparkle and resoluteness in her eyes.

"You heard my daughter," Liu Aiden affirmed to Zed.

"Yes, sir," Zed replied obediently and exited the room to carry out his current master's orders. However, before closing the door behind him, Liu Aiden requested his return once he had completed the task. Zed nodded in acknowledgment, gently closed the door, and left the room.

Zed, like many of his colleagues, used to be a military personnel. He had suffered a serious injury that forced him to take a leave of absence six months ago. Although his rehabilitation had been successful, he wasn't yet fit to return to duty, especially since his previous position often involved dangerous missions. Therefore, while he was forced to take a vacation, he applied for and was accepted to his current job.

Growing up as an orphan, he never felt pity for himself. In fact, he didn't feel much of anything at all. His world was a dark, gray jungle of concrete. Diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), he lacked empathy for any living being and felt detached from the world. The only thing he understood was following orders, which was why he was one of the most prized personnel in their country's military agency.

But the moment he laid his eyes on the bed and scrutinized his new client’s daughter, he suddenly felt something deep within him. It was foreign, something entirely new. He tried to shake it off, but the first time the young miss locked eyes with him, he suddenly felt the urge to cage this being in front of him so she could not leave him. Afraid that he would do something disrespectful, he broke eye contact, calmed himself down within seconds, and proceeded to report to his client.

After taking care of the two female pests in front of the main entrance, Zed hurriedly entered the washroom. He washed his face and tried to recall the feeling he had just discovered.

He recognized it as obsession, or perhaps even love. He occasionally read about emotions to try to understand them, although he couldn't experience them himself. The sensation he felt from the young miss was like finding an oasis after a long journey through the desert. In his 27 years of being conscious out of his 29 years of being alive, this was the first time such a feeling had occurred to him.

Looking down at his trembling fingers, he recognized the sensation as excitement. This, too, was a first for him. As he glanced at himself in front of the mirror, he noticed a genuine smile forming on his lips—this was his first time smiling that was directed by his mood. Alongside excitement, he felt something else—happiness. Instinctively, he knew he was happy.

All these years, like a dam that had been bombed, a surge of emotion rushed to resurface one at a time. Not only that, but he understood what he was feeling as if clouds covering the sun had been swept away.

From this point in time, he knew he wanted something more than anything in this seemingly boring world.