Swapping A Stethoscope For A Frappe

Xiao Zhu slumped in between the sheets of the newly made bed and reluctantly ate the tasteless hospital meal that was given to her. Refusing to put back on the physiology monitoring, she simply slid on the Oximetry peg on a thin finger. Damp blonde hair sprawled on the pillow behind her, unknowing when she fell asleep deep in her own thoughts.

Looking at her face in the mirror as she patted dry her clean face, she inspected the tender and poreless skin and those mysterious violet eyes. That were almost black, yet when the light hits or she squints flashes of purple light like lightening can be seen.

Brushing her teeth as she combed her mane with her fingers, she wondered what she was going to do next.

'Luckily I'm a realist.' She thought bitterly, wiping the minty foam of her plump lips and plaiting her blonde hair down her back.

Climbing back into bed she found her phone and using the memory of the teen Xiao Zhu, she had a look at all of her apps and social life. Trying to get the gist of her personality, not like she was going to attempt to pretend to be her- because she just wasn't.

Hmm. The first thing she did was delete her Instagram account and all the selfies and unimportant pictures (according to her) on her gallery. She doesn't like pink, nor lace or frills. Despite her good grades, she seems to be completely oblivious to the world around her.

Naive. Busy spending money on nonsensical crap like the latest trends-simply because she can afford it? Makeup.. to cover what exactly? Tsk.

As a woman who had practically raised her brother by herself,running to multiple jobs and getting out loans for tuition. Everything for her were calculations, measuring everything from how long she could spend studying a day to how much they'd spent on food monthly. So I suppose it filled her with a little disgust as to how the rich- well, spent their money excessively.

The girl was practically a social butterfly, drinking pink frappes with extra syrup. Unlike her-her heart and soul was as black as the coffee she drank, a cold-hearted sarcastic bitch. She enjoyed reading a good book in the middle of the night with the fire burning, an occasional glass of wine when she wasn't crammed with work.

An intelligent woman, well educated with poise and respect from her peers. Occasionally showing off her playful personality with light banter and a smirk. Who'd thought that she'd be switching thick academic binders with confusing medical jargon, for fucking pink unicorns and hearts. Filled particularly in the back with her next boy she was obsessed with.

What was probably the worst thing about the whole thing, she didn't remove the previous pages of the other guys she'd liked. Although, they were just mere crushes.

Playing a good cultivation style MMORPG game she'd found on the App Store, playing until she felt a tingle of numbness in her fingertips. Unbeknownst to her, Dr. Dennis and her grandfather Xie Jianyun a retired and respected military general watched her as they discussed the current situation.

Solemnly, his slightly wrinkled face and similar dark eyes widened as he watched her. A lone tear spilt down her cheek, eyes emotionless as her hair swept over her eyes.

"She's lost her memories, as her next of kin I can only hope that you consider helping her remember what important things she may have forgotten." Dr Dennis said with a light sigh.

"I see."

***

Almost drifting off to sleep as she flexed the muscles in her wrists, she heard the click of the door opening and closing. Looking up she met the gaze of an expressionless, white haired man who pulled up a chair and sat down.

"Are you my grandfather?" She said as she raised an eyebrow.

"..." astounded he watched as she looked at him straight in the eyes, purple swirling in her eyes.

"I said-" She started thinking he didn't hear her.

"Yes." He replied, a little startled how his granddaughter had looked him straight in the eyes. Unlike previously where she was so afraid that she always talked to him with her head looking down.

"I assume I got the blonde hair and purple eyes from you, I wonder if my mother has them too.." she muttered to herself.

"Your mother and father have both black hair- you've completely taken after me." He grunted placing his rough hands on his knees.

"So what happens now?" She asked him, making him stunned again as she met his profound gaze.

"When you came to this school, you said it was because you wanted to live your own life outside of a military residency. That there were too many men and it made you uncomfortable, especially the smells of sweat." He reminded her.

"Did you not think I would have said that as an excuse?" She said with a bitter smile. "Although there's something's I don't remember, unfortunately the attitude of my parents is one of the things I do remember."

"My father, someone that you disagreed on til you eventually severed ties with my mother, clearly doesn't want me to be close to you. He's probably hoping to get his hands on the inheritance you'll leave behind when you kick the bucket..."

"You! That rotten bastard." He shouted in realisation, sighing in frustration and disappointment. "Do you have to use such crude language?"

"Yes if it gets the message across!" She shrugged with a playful smile, warming up the old man's heart a little. Having always wanted a relationship with the girl.

"If you come with me, you'll have to go through mandatory training." He warned, pointing at her with his wooden cane.

"Mandatory training?"

"Yes because your like a twig, brittle and weak- easily broken. Especially now, when you were child you wouldn't even drink the herbal medicine and simply cry and then I'd tell you to stop and you'd have a tantrum then cry." He said bitterly, although his eyes held a hint of a smile.

Not sure whether to laugh or cry, she looked at him shocked and said "Old man who's a twig?, brittle and weak- aren't you describing yourself? Herbal medicine-I can drink it no matter how bitter it tastes!" She scoffed with a smirk on her lips and laughter in her eyes.

Happiness secretly bloomed in the old man's heart, thankful that his granddaughter was coming home with him and listening to him for once.

"I'm your grandfather! A former soldier, these bones of mine aren't weak and brittle but as strong as cold iron. Even though I'm not in action now, my minds just as sharp... You'll see, I'll figure out just how rusty those chess tactics of yours are huh?" He said condescendingly with a laugh, teasing her on her lack of cultural knowledge.

"Good lets go! I'll show you just how strong my physical and mental strength is!" She said with a cheeky wink as she crossed her arms around her chest. Making her grandfather snort at the little girls weak threats, although secretly trying to hold in his laughter.

Standing up he patted her head roughly, feeling the softness of her silky locks under his shrivelled hands.

"Good granddaughter, I'll make sure that bastard can't touch you. Just rely me from now on." He said before excitedly going off to handle the discharge procedures.

"En" She responded obediently.

'Lol... what a tsundere.'