The corridor fell silent for two or three seconds.
Suddenly, the vibration of a phone rang out.
A faint flicker of bewilderment passed through Chu Nanyu’s eyes, yet his throat inexplicably tightened, concealing a hint of bitterness.
He hugged the person in his arms to offer comfort, then released her: “I need to take this call.”
Tan Qinyin lowered her eyelashes and softly replied, “Oh.”
Noticing her subdued mood, Chu Nanyu reached out to tuck the stray hairs at her forehead behind her ear, speaking gently, “Get some rest early.”
Tan Qinyin nodded obediently, her voice soft and sweet, “I know.”
The call was from his mother, Zhou Peiyi, which Chu Nanyu had expected.
“A-Yu,” Zhou Peiyi’s voice carried delight, “Xinwei said you were gentlemanly and knew your boundaries, and she has a very good impression of you.”
“But you, the girl wanted to be friends and get to know you slowly, yet you outright rejected her. Don’t be so cold and rigid. She’s already taken the initiative as a girl—try to spend some time with her, do you hear me?”
Chu Nanyu leaned against the bedroom doorframe, his brows slightly furrowed, his tone indifferent: “Mom, I’m not interested in this for now. Please don’t worry about it.”
Zhou Peiyi sighed softly on the other end of the line: “You keep your heart so tightly shut—do you really intend to stay single forever?”
Chu Nanyu fell silent for a moment before saying, “I have my own plans.”
**
The next day was the weekend.
It was the day Tan Qinyin and Chu Nanyu had agreed to visit Old Mrs. Chu,
and also the day for Tan Qinyin’s follow-up examination.
He Wenzhou conducted a state assessment on her. Her emotions were relatively stable for now, though there were no signs of any memory recovery.
“Fairy sister, your condition looks good. Keep it up.”
He Wenzhou leaned back in his chair, smiling nonchalantly, “Don’t overthink the memory issues after the accident. Take it slow and let things happen naturally. If anything feels off, call me anytime.”
Tan Qinyin nodded: “Alright, thank you, Dr. He.”
Just then, a nurse knocked and entered, holding two beautiful bouquets of flowers.
She smiled warmly: “Dr. He, these were just delivered. The red roses are from Miss Yu, and the white roses didn’t come with a note.”
He Wenzhou glanced casually at the bouquets, his smile unchanged: “Thank you, Sister Lin. Just put them over there.”
The nurse placed the two bouquets with the other flowers in the room before leaving and closing the door.
Seeing the several bouquets in the corner, Tan Qinyin raised an eyebrow and teased, “Dr. He seems quite popular.”
“Why does that sound like a backhanded compliment?” He Wenzhou put on a wronged expression, “Fairy sister, I may look like a playboy, but I’m actually quite pure-hearted. If you don’t believe me, ask Nan Yu.”
Chu Nanyu ignored the hint he was throwing: “Pure-hearted? Like a puppy?”
“…”
He Wenzhou’s lips twitched: “You really have no conscience.”
He began to complain, “Fairy sister, do you know? Your husband is a master at shifting blame! Back in middle school, he was the one who received love letters, but to avoid getting punished by the homeroom teacher, he stuffed them all into my bag.”
He Wenzhou snorted coldly: “And this guy showed zero gratitude toward me—he even called me a dog!”
Tan Qinyin blinked and looked at Chu Nanyu: “Did that really happen?”
Chu Nanyu showed no trace of guilt: “Don’t listen to his nonsense.”
He checked his watch, “It’s about time. Let’s go.”
Tan Qinyin nodded and bid farewell to He Wenzhou, “Well then, Dr. He, we’ll be leaving now.”
He Wenzhou nodded. “See you next week, without fail.”
…
The old mansion in the eastern suburbs.
“Yinyin, it’s so thoughtful of you to remember to visit me, unlike that rascal who I barely see twice a month!”
Old Mrs. Chu held Tan Qinyin’s hand, her face beaming with affection.
She was still delighted that the young woman had come to see her.
Even though she was someone else’s daughter-in-law~
“Grandma,” Tan Qinyin smiled sweetly, “Nan Yu is just busy. He thinks of you often. Look, today’s pastries were specially prepared by him.”
Hearing this, Old Mrs. Chu couldn’t help but praise, “What a sensible and thoughtful young lady.”
She pulled Tan Qinyin to her feet. “Come, let me take you to the greenhouse. A few newly arrived orchids are blooming beautifully.”
Then she glanced at her grandson. “You come too. Help me water and prune them.”
Chu Nanyu gave a faint smile. “Yes.”
Once in the greenhouse, Old Mrs. Chu unceremoniously assigned all the maintenance tasks to her grandson, while she herself led Tan Qinyin around, pointing out each variety of flowers and plants.
After finishing the tour, she was about to ask the young woman which ones she liked so she could have her grandson carry them back later when her phone rang.
Glancing at the caller ID, it was her daughter-in-law Zhou Peiyi calling.
A thought crossed Old Mrs. Chu’s mind. “Yinyin, could you go to the living room and fetch my reading glasses for me? I can’t see these new sprouts clearly.”
Tan Qinyin didn’t think much of it and obediently replied, “Okay,” before turning to leave the greenhouse.
Only after the young woman’s figure disappeared through the doorway did Old Mrs. Chu slide to answer the call. “Hello, Peiyi.”
“Mom, are you home?” Zhou Peiyi asked.
Old Mrs. Chu: “Yes, why?”
Zhou Peiyi chuckled. “I’m coming over to see you. I should be there in about ten minutes or so.”
After hanging up, Old Mrs. Chu let out a soft sigh and quickly walked over to Chu Nanyu, who had already stopped using the pruning shears.
“Your mother will be here soon.”
If they were to run into each other, the secret would be exposed in an instant!
Chu Nanyu lowered his gaze, his fingertips lightly rubbing the cold handle of the pruning shears. He remained silent for a couple of seconds.
“Grandma. Help me put on an act.”
…
“A-Yu! Are you alright?”
Tan Qinyin had just returned with the reading glasses and was approaching the greenhouse door when she heard Old Mrs. Chu’s urgent voice from inside. She immediately pushed the door open and entered.
Her eyes fell on Chu Nanyu leaning pale-faced against the orchid rack. She hurried over. “Husband, what’s wrong?”
Chu Nanyu looked at her, fine beads of sweat still visible on his temples, his voice extremely weak. “My stomach isn’t feeling well.”
Beside them, Old Mrs. Chu wore an expression of deep anxiety. “A-Yu was fine just a moment ago, and then suddenly his stomach started hurting terribly! Could it be acute gastric spasms?”
Hearing “gastric spasms,” Tan Qinyin’s heart tightened. She immediately helped him up. “This won’t do! We need to go to the hospital right away.”
With her movement, Chu Nanyu leaned slightly against her and let out a soft “Mhm.”
Old Mrs. Chu also quickly agreed. “Yes, yes, go to the hospital and get checked!”
Tan Qinyin half-supported, half-guided the man as they walked out. “Grandma, we’ll be leaving now. We’ll visit you again next time.”
Old Mrs. Chu waved her hand. “Alright, drive safely!”
…
Just one more intersection and they would reach the old mansion.
The air in the suburbs was fresh, and Zhou Peiyi had the car window open for ventilation.
A black Phantom passed by them.
Wasn’t that her son’s car?
Worried about Chu Nanyu, Tan Qinyin had pushed the speed to the limit within the legal bounds.
In the passenger seat, Chu Nanyu’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as he spoke, “Slow down a bit, I’m fine now.”
Tan Qinyin kept her eyes fixed ahead, “How are you fine? Close your eyes and rest quickly. We’ll be at the hospital soon.”
Remembering something, she added, “That… last time was just an accident. My driving skills are actually pretty good.”
Chu Nanyu let out a faint chuckle, “So good you even forgot my name?”
Tan Qinyin shot him a displeased glare and let out a soft “hmph.”
She was in the wrong.
She slowed down just a little.
“Mom, was Nan Yu here just now?”
Sitting down on the sofa, Zhou Peiyi asked.
Old Mrs. Chu calmly sipped her tea, “No, why do you ask?”
“I saw a car just now that looked just like Nan Yu’s, so I thought he might have come,” Zhou Peiyi said.
Old Mrs. Chu didn’t pursue the topic further, “You came at just the right time. Keep me company for dinner.”
During the meal, Zhou Peiyi brought up her son’s matchmaking situation.
“Nan Yu is as stubborn as a mule. He won’t even try to spend time with the girls.”
She sighed, “Mom, I’m afraid if I say too much, Nan Yu will get annoyed with me. When you have time, try talking to him again. He listens to you more.”
Old Mrs. Chu seemed thoughtful for a moment before replying, “It’s not like I haven’t tried. He agreed to go on the dates, but you saw the results, didn’t you? Children have their own blessings. You should worry less about him.”
Zhou Peiyi, “But…”
“Alright,” Old Mrs. Chu picked up a slice of bamboo shoot and placed it in her bowl, “At least your son hasn’t said he likes men. You should be content with that.”
Zhou Peiyi wore a look of amused exasperation, “Mom, you’re teasing me again.”
Old Mrs. Chu smiled, “Let’s not talk about him anymore. May Day is coming up soon. Is Jincheng still not back from Europe?”
“He’ll be back soon.”
…
After a series of examinations that took about an hour, the doctor concluded.
Chu Nanyu was perfectly fine.
“It was likely a temporary stomach spasm. The symptoms can be severe when it hurts, but once it subsides, no abnormalities can be detected. Just make sure to rest,” the doctor said.
“Will this happen frequently in the future?” Tan Qinyin asked worriedly.
The doctor replied, “It’s possible. Stress, staying up late, or irregular eating habits can trigger it. Just make sure to rest more and avoid being too tense.”
Tan Qinyin asked again, “What should we do if it happens again?”
“Drink plenty of warm water. If it gets really bad, come back to the hospital.”
“…”
Sitting nearby, Chu Nanyu watched the woman who was still so concerned about him. His eyelashes lowered, and an indescribable feeling was completely hidden behind his pale eyelids.
As she walked arm in arm with the man out of the hospital, Tan Qinyin’s delicate brows were still slightly furrowed, “Husband, it seems like we’ve been coming to the hospital a bit too often lately. Maybe we should go pray for blessings.”
Chu Nanyu was an atheist, but upon hearing her suggestion, he didn’t object at all. Instead, he softly agreed, “Alright, whatever you say.”