Kong Liu scratched his head and said with some embarrassment, "I just got lucky back then. I pulled some dirty tricks to take them down."
Chen Zhirui raised his bandage-wrapped arm and asked, "Seriously?"
"Cross my heart. When has Brother Kong ever lied to you?"
"I don't buy it!" Du Hongyuan, who had grown up getting into fights and stirring up trouble, knew all too well how formidable those two bodyguards were. He said, "Even with dirty tricks, you couldn't possibly take down two guys at once like that. You little punk, are you hiding something from us?"
"Uh... haha." Kong Liu let out a hollow laugh and quickly deflected, "We hang out together every single day, don't you know me well enough by now? What could I possibly be hiding from you guys? Besides, look at these scrawny arms and legs of mine—how could I possibly beat those two hulking brutes without playing dirty?"
"But—"
"Enough buts!"
Du Hongyuan wanted to say more, but Kong Liu cut him off right away. "You just lie down properly, you little punk, and stop letting your wild imagination run away with you."
Kong Liu was honestly tired of explaining. Making up excuses was not really his strong suit.
Once Kong Liu snapped at him, Du Hongyuan did indeed quiet down.
***
The news that Qin Zizhuo had instigated outsiders to assault a fellow student off-campus quickly spread through the school. To protect its reputation, the administration issued a notice at the earliest opportunity, expelling Qin Zizhuo, and even sent representatives to the hospital to shower the "victims" with warmth and concern.
This wave of public opinion finally subsided, but... matters were far from being that simple.
When Gu Chenxi learned about the incident, she had originally intended to have her father use his connections and pull some strings to ruin the Qin family's company. However, her father told her something else:
A few days after Qin Dahai paid out out-of-court settlements to Kong Liu and the other seven, the company went bankrupt due to a cascade of problems, including investors pulling their funds and the capital chain snapping. Not only that, a massive number of scandals broke out concerning the Qin family, driving Qin Dahai to throw himself from a building, while Qin Zizhuo went completely insane in the hospital.
Although she felt the whole thing was a bit too much of a coincidence, Gu Chenxi didn't dwell on it.
A few days later, the bankruptcy of Qin's Catering and the suicide of its owner by jumping from a building were all over the internet.
Looking at the local news on his phone, Du Hongyuan said to Kong Liu, "Old Liu, Qin Zizhuo's father jumped off a building. Did you know?"
"Uh... no, I didn't."
Lying in the hospital bed right next to Du Hongyuan, Kong Liu was casually scrolling through short videos and said with a completely unbothered expression, "The Qin father and son did so many wicked things. Meeting an end like this—well, heaven must have eyes..."
Kong Liu hadn't actually been injured that day, but in order to claim compensation—even though Kong Liu didn't care about that tiny pocket change, he had to put up a convincing act so as not to expose his identity as an "ordinary person"—he had no choice but to pretend he desperately needed the money.
So, he too had gone through the hospital admission procedures and spent his days lying around in the hospital with the boys like a useless couch potato.
Nobody thought much of Kong Liu skipping classes, but Gu Chenxi missed him terribly. It was the kind of intense longing that gnawed at her heart and soul, the kind that was keeping her up at night!
Seeing her best friend practically pining away with lovesickness, Shen Xia suggested that she brew some chicken soup and go pay him a visit at the hospital.
And so, on a bright and sunny noon, she showed up at the hospital carrying a thermos of her own home-brewed chicken (dark) soup (concoction).
"You... are you sure this is chicken soup...?"
Sitting on a bench at the far end of the corridor, Kong Liu held the thermal lunch box and stared at the yellowish-green liquid inside, complete with the chicken's terrifying death mask expression. He had a strong feeling that the steam rising from the soup was floating up in the shape of tiny little skull bubbles.
From the bottom of his heart, Kong Liu wanted nothing to do with this bizarre food.
"Of course!"
Completely oblivious to Kong Liu's terrified expression, Gu Chenxi proudly planted her hands on her hips and said with a haughty air, waiting to be praised, "You're in luck, you know. This was personally brewed by yours truly. Hurry up and try it—tell me how it tastes."
*Gulp...* (The sound of swallowing)
Stammering slightly, Kong Liu asked, "Did you... I mean... you rarely cook, right?"
"Fancy you knowing that!"
Gu Chenxi's face flushed instantly. She covered her face with a look of shy embarrassment and said, "This is my very first time... You have to take it seriously, okay..."
Inside Gu Chenxi's mind at that moment: *A little shy, heh heh.*
Veins throbbed across Kong Liu's forehead as he mentally vented: *Will you please finish your damn sentence?! What do you mean "first time"? I am not taking the blame for whatever that implies.*
Gu Chenxi urged him on, "Hurry up and taste it!"
To avoid drinking this horrifying concoction, Kong Liu stalled for time. "On that note, why are you suddenly bringing me chicken soup?"
Although their relationship had eased up, Gu Chenxi genuinely had no reason to suddenly run all the way to the hospital and bring him chicken soup—let alone one she had brewed herself.
"Of course... of course it's because of my little sister! You haven't been coming over to tutor her for so many days, and she's worried about you. So... so she begged me to brew some chicken soup and bring it to you. Don't... don't get any weird ideas, okay?!"
Gu Chenxi fluttered her hands, offering a rather flustered explanation.
Her tsundere lines paired with those somewhat awkward physical gestures—to be honest, Kong Liu found her adorable. In fact, it caught him so off guard that he inexplicably took a sip of the soup in the bowl...
***
Chapter 35: I Really Have to Hand It to You
That single mouthful of chicken soup went down Kong Liu's throat and damn near sent him straight to the afterlife.
The bizarre flavor spread across his mouth, then rapidly slid down his throat and straight into his stomach. Reacting with his stomach acid, the chicken soup went off like a bomb, churning violently inside him.
The moment the soup hit his stomach, Kong Liu clutched his abdomen, dropped to his knees, and passed out cold.
"What's going on?! Why is the patient suffering from food poisoning? What did you feed him?"
"He just drank a little chicken soup I made..."
"Why is there mushrooms in this chicken soup?!"
"Chicken stewed with mushrooms, right? Doesn't the internet say it's great for nourishment?"
"But these are poisonous mushrooms!"
"Ahhhh!"
Lying in the hospital bed, Kong Liu hazily opened his eyes. Watching the doctor and Gu Chenxi talking, he felt as though their words were turning into subtitles floating right across his vision.
He even seemed to see his grandmother, who had passed away years ago, waving at him and telling him to come play. When he refused to go, his grandmother even got mad.
When he woke up again, he had been moved to a private room. The environment in the single room was vastly superior to the four-person ward, and Gu Chenxi was fast asleep with her head pillowed on his lower leg.
Looking at the sleeping Gu Chenxi, Kong Liu thought, *No wonder my leg felt like it was crippled in my dream just now—turns out it went completely numb from her pressing down on it.*
In her sleep, the corners of Gu Chenxi's mouth turned downward, her breathing slightly rapid. Her curved eyelashes trembled in sync, and her fair cheek was pressed flat against her arm, squeezing the flesh into a chubby, plump shape reminiscent of Crayon Shin-chan's cheeks.
Gazing at those chubby cheeks, Kong Liu inexplicably reached out and gave one a gentle poke. It was soft and squishy, feeling just like when he used to be playful as a kid and secretly poked glutinous rice balls on a plate with his finger. That pillowy, springy texture gave him an impulse to lean in and take a fierce little bite of that cute face.
Of course, thinking about it was one thing; actually biting her was out of the question.
"Aren't you even afraid of catching a cold? Seriously."
Grabbing the jacket from the bedside table, Kong Liu draped it over her shoulders.
Perhaps because her cheek had just been poked, Gu Chenxi frowned and stirred from her dream. The moment she blinked her eyes open, she saw Kong Liu in the middle of draping the jacket over her.
"You're awake." Seeing Gu Chenxi come to, Kong Liu paused mid-motion.
A flash of light crossed Gu Chenxi's eyes as she looked at him. She threw herself straight into Kong Liu's arms, embraced him tightly, and cried out, "You're finally awake!"
"Huh?!"
Kong Liu was caught completely off guard by the sudden embrace. For a second, he thought he was still dreaming, but the soft, plush sensation pressed against his chest proved beyond a doubt that this was reality.
"Do you have any idea how badly you scared me?!"
Gu Chenxi cupped Kong Liu's face in both hands and gave it a vigorous rub, asking with desperate urgency, "Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
With his face being mashed by Gu Chenxi, Kong Liu's lips puckered up, making his pronunciation sound rather bizarre: "I dunno, fe-el fine..."
"Good."
Hearing Kong Liu's answer, Gu Chenxi finally let out a long breath, and the heart hanging in her throat settled back into place.
Kong Liu asked, "Why did I pass out?"
"You drank chicken soup mixed with eight different kinds of poisonous mushrooms. Not dying is already a blessing from your ancestors." The on-duty nurse pushed open the ward door, walked in, and explained, "To wake up this fast—your physical constitution is really something else."
"What the hell? Eight kinds of poisonous mushrooms?!"
Hearing the nurse's words, Kong Liu's eyes widened in disbelief, and he thought, *No wonder little skull shapes were floating in the steam of that chicken soup! And I kept wondering why I thought I saw my grandma—holy crap, the mystery is solved!*
Kong Liu turned his head to look at Gu Chenxi. His terrified expression seemed to demand an explanation: *I have no grievances or grudges against you, young lady, so why are you trying to murder me? And with eight kinds of mushrooms at that—were you afraid I wouldn't die thoroughly enough?*
Pinioned by Kong Liu's stare, Gu Chenxi flushed with embarrassment, lowered her head, and muttered in a tiny voice, "S-Sorry..."
This was the first time Kong Liu had ever seen Gu Chenxi lower her proud head and say the word "sorry" with such sincerity. Truly a rare sight.
After drawing a tube of blood from Kong Liu, the nurse left, leaving just the two of them in the room again. The atmosphere grew exceptionally awkward.
To break the ice, Gu Chenxi spoke up once more: "I really didn't know the mushrooms in my yard were poisonous! You have to believe me!"
"I believe your big fat head!"
Seeing Gu Chenxi's dead-set, earnest expression, Kong Liu was reminded of noon today when she had proudly told him, "You're in luck."
Furious, Kong Liu raised a hand. Expecting him to hit her, Gu Chenxi immediately squeezed her eyes shut, didn't dodge at all, and obediently waited for him to punish her—she was only ever this docile and obedient when facing Kong Liu.
Instead, Kong Liu simply used his finger to give her forehead two sharp, hard flicks as he scolded, "Qin Zizhuo's two bodyguards didn't manage to scratch me at all, but you damn near poisoned me to death. I really have to hand it to you!"
"Ouch, I... I know I was wrong..."
Clutching Kong Liu's hand, Gu Chenxi spoke in a soft, tender tone, shedding every last trace of her usual aloof coldness. Right at that moment, she looked remarkably like a calico cat that had done something wrong and was acting cute to beg for its owner's forgiveness.
Crossing his arms, Kong Liu asked, "Where did you go wrong?"
"I was wrong everywhere!"
Lowering her head, Gu Chenxi replied with a pitiful, aggrieved expression.
At a complete loss, she began picking at the manicure she had gotten just the day before. The nail on her index finger was broken halfway down—she had snapped it at noon while brewing the chicken soup for Kong Liu, and she had no idea where the missing piece had gone. Most likely, it had fallen right into the soup.
"Whatever..."
Seeing Gu Chenxi's wronged expression, it was indeed hard not to feel a twinge of pity. Figuring she had meant well despite messing up so catastrophically, Kong Liu couldn't be bothered to argue with her any further and waved a hand to wipe the slate clean. (Had Kong Liu known there was also half a broken fingernail mixed into that chicken soup, he probably wouldn't have forgiven her quite so easily.)
"Yay!"
Seeing that Kong Liu had forgiven her, Gu Chenxi raised both hands in the air, her face breaking into a bright smile as she declared, "I promise I won't put any mushrooms in the chicken soup I brew you tomorrow!"
*Pfft—*
Hearing that, Kong Liu nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood in exasperation. This dimwitted girl was still planning on stewing chicken soup for him! Was she treating him as the guinea pig for her culinary experiments?!
"You are forbidden from ever making chicken soup again!"
"If you don't like chicken soup, how about pigeon soup?"
"No!"
"Rib soup?"
"As long as it's soup, absolutely not!"
"Then what dishes do you like? I can stir-fry some—"
"Promise me you will never step foot in the kitchen again, okay?!"
***
Chapter 36: Happy Discharge
In the days that followed, Gu Chenxi still brought various nutritional supplements to the hospital to check on Kong Liu, but most of them had been prepared by the family's housekeeper or bought from stores.
She obeyed Kong Liu's instructions strictly and never tried to cook again.
Kong Liu spent half a month enjoying a retired-elderly lifestyle of safety in the hospital before finally returning to school alongside his three roommates.
"Ah!"
Du Hongyuan took a deep breath of the campus air and sighed, "This atmosphere overflowing with the vibrant energy of youth is just fantastic!"
Wang Qi agreed, chiming in, "I've had more than enough of the smell of disinfectant."
In his arms, Wang Qi cradled a bouquet of carnations—discharge blessings sent to him by Yang Xue'er. Originally, she had wanted to come and pick Wang Qi up from the hospital in person today, but unfortunately, her morning schedule was packed solid, leaving her with no choice but to order a bouquet delivered to the hospital instead. The bunch wasn't huge, but it was brimming with sincere thoughtfulness.
Wang Qi cradled those flowers like they were his most precious treasure. Come to think of it, this was the first time in his life that Wang Qi had ever received fresh flowers from a girl.
"Yeah, yeah!" Chen Zhirui nodded in agreement. He turned to look at Kong Liu, who wore a calm expression devoid of either great joy or sorrow, and asked with some confusion, "Why aren't you excited at all, Brother Kong?"
"Huh? Why should I be excited? There wasn't any disinfectant smell in my single room anyway."
Because of his food poisoning, Gu Chenxi had arranged for Kong Liu to be moved to a private room. The setup was practically like a mini-hotel, with a mattress softer than those in the regular wards. Kong Liu had basically been vacationing in there, and coupled with the delicious treats Gu Chenxi brought him every day, he had actually gained weight over the past half-month.
Unlike the three of them, who had genuinely been receiving medical treatment in the hospital—getting daily injections, applying ointments, changing bandages, following strict dietary restrictions, and having nobody bring them any tasty treats.
Aside from Yang Xue'er dropping by to check on Wang Qi whenever she had a free period and bringing some snacks for them all, the rest of the time Kong Liu had been the one looking after their three daily meals.
Hearing this, Du Hongyuan immediately thrust his middle finger into the air and spat, "Get lost, you jerk who threw himself into the embrace of a wealthy sugar mummy!"
Kong Liu rolled his eyes, too lazy to waste words on him.
Before long, though, Du Hongyuan sidled up to him again and asked, "Hey, um... doesn't Gu Chenxi have a younger sister...?"
"Have you completely lost your mind trying to marry into wealth?!" Kong Liu stared at him wide-eyed and said, "Her sister is still in middle school!"
Rubbing his chin, Du Hongyuan replied, "It's fine. There's only a six or seven-year age gap; I can wait."
Before Kong Liu could even speak, Wang Qi thrust his middle finger at Du Hongyuan and said, "Total creep! You're even going after a little girl."
Chen Zhirui silently raised a middle finger as well, and of course, Kong Liu couldn't be left out.
"Crap, I was just making a joke! You guys actually took it seriously?!" Du Hongyuan looked at the three middle fingers pointed his way and wiped the sweat from his brow. "In your eyes, am I really that kind of person?"
All three of them nodded in unison and said, "Yup!"
"Piss off!" Du Hongyuan muttered, utterly speechless.
As they neared the entrance of the guys' dorm building, Wang Qi patted Kong Liu on the shoulder and said, "Hey, hey, Old Liu, look over there! Isn't that Gu Chenxi?"
Kong Liu raised his head and looked in the direction Wang Qi was pointing. A pink Porsche was parked right outside the men's dormitory, and Gu Chenxi was standing there holding an oversized bouquet of flowers, waiting for someone. Needless to say, she was definitely waiting for Kong Liu. A crowd of students looking for a good show had already gathered all around her.
Kong Liu massaged his temple with one hand and mentally complained with a headache, *What is this lunatic up to this time?*
"I'm going ahead to dodge the spotlight. You guys cover for me."
Raising both hands, Kong Liu patted Wang Qi and Chen Zhirui on the shoulders and turned to make a run for it. But Du Hongyuan grinned mischievously and waved vigorously at Gu Chenxi, shouting, "Campus Belle Gu, over here!"
"Kong Liu, don't you dare run—!"
Clutching the flowers, Gu Chenxi broke into a sprint toward them, and the crowd of peanut-gallery onlookers followed close behind.
The newer fans were still watching for the drama, but the veteran fans had already set up their cameras.
Hugging the bouquet with an expression that screamed she was here to settle accounts, Gu Chenxi demanded, "Why didn't you let me know you were being discharged today?!"
In front of outsiders, Gu Chenxi maintained her cold, aloof persona. Only Kong Liu knew how hopelessly dorky she was in private.
"Uh... well..."
Kong Liu scratched his head and said, "You've been sending me delicious food every single day lately. Of course I couldn't trouble you again just for my discharge, right?"
"Nonsense!"
Gu Chenxi flashed a sidelong glance of her beautiful eyes, glared at Kong Liu, and said, "I think you just figured I'd be in your way, which is why you didn't tell me!"
"N-No way!" Caught dead to rights, Kong Liu stammered a bit.
Too lazy to dwell on the point, Gu Chenxi shoved the flowers right into Kong Liu's arms right in front of the entire audience of onlookers and declared, "Congratulations on your discharge. These are for you!"
Given Gu Chenxi's take-charge attitude, Kong Liu had no room to refuse and could only nod as he took the bouquet.
This move instantly turned the surrounding onlookers green with envy.
"Damn it, the bubble tea in my hand suddenly tastes like dog food!"
"Bury them separately—one at the South Pole, the other on Mars!"
"I can only wish them happiness... Wait a minute, isn't that freaking cold goddess the one I've had a secret crush on for a whole year?!"
"What's your sob story? I only tested into this university because of Goddess Gu!"
"Hey, bros, your ID card photocopies dropped on the floor. (Pulls out a pair of Jokers from a deck of playing cards)."
"Slaughtered! They're slaughtering the single dogs!"
***
Chen Zhirui said with a hint of envy, "I finally understand why girls love watching domineering CEO dramas."
"A wealthy sugar mummy! Wuwuwu, I want a sugar mummy too, I want huge flowers too..." Du Hongyuan looked on with such jealousy his back molars were practically grinding down to dust.
Only Wang Qi, clutching his own tiny little bouquet of flowers, looked completely satisfied as he said, "I think the flowers Xue'er gave me are already the most unique ones in the world, heh heh."
Hearing that, Du Hongyuan pointed at him with ill intent and snapped, "I order you to get the hell out of the dorm with him right now and take a room all to yourselves!"
Kong Liu looked down at the bouquet. Tucked right into the middle of the flowers was a handwritten greeting card that read:
"Stay healthy, and chase all your bad luck away! ヾ(≧o≦)〃Awooo~"
*Pfft—*
Seeing the hand-drawn kaomoji expression on the card, Kong Liu couldn't help letting out a chuckle, and a faint flush of red crept silently up Gu Chenxi's cheeks.
With a smile, Kong Liu asked, "Did your sister make you bring these flowers too?"
"Uh... yeah!"
Gu Chenxi nodded without missing a beat. "She begged me to bring them. I wouldn't be caught dead wasting my time bringing you flowers, and writing such childish greeting cards to boot—little kids are such a pain."