DCTMOAS Chapter 33
by Suxxi“You’re only 22, yet you’re either bent over in a hospital bed or out riding a wheelchair—and you actually seem to be enjoying it,” Yu Siting muttered as he slowly pushed Chu Cheng through the hospital’s front garden.
“What’s that got to do with age?” Chu Cheng leaned back in the chair, breathing in fresh air while admiring the autumn landscape. “The kid in the bed next to mine is only 17, and he’s always bent over too.”
Yu Siting said, “That’s because he had hemorrhoid surgery.”
“What? No wonder he looked so embarrassed.” Chu Cheng recalled the boy’s awkward demeanor and then asked curiously, “But how do you know that?”
“I overheard it in the doctor’s office earlier. The nurse was preparing him for infrared light therapy.”
Chu Cheng clicked his tongue in sympathy. “Poor thing. Had surgery and still no family around to keep him company.”
Yu Siting slowed his pace slightly, listening carefully. “I really wonder sometimes… how come you’re so good at noticing other people’s feelings, but you never apply the same care to yourself?”
“I’m not the same as him. I’m an adult. If I can recover quietly and return to my family without worrying my elderly parents, then I’ll consider myself lucky. But he’s different—he clearly wants his family’s company, and yet no one’s there. That must be heartbreaking.”
Chu Cheng explained it all so naturally.
That kind of empathy—effortlessly revealed in the little things—might sound simple, but it required a core of true gentleness and resilience to achieve.
Yu Siting listened patiently, then looked down at the person in the wheelchair. “So your compassion kicked in, and you played with him?”
“It’s more accurate to say he played with me.” Chu Cheng’s eyes curved into crescent moons, grinning like a mischievous little fox. “That LEGO set is discontinued. I couldn’t even get it before, no matter how much I offered.”
“Chu Cheng?”
A voice calling from afar interrupted the two of them mid-conversation.
Following the sound, they saw a dignified-looking woman standing at the hospital’s main entrance. Judging by her appearance, she seemed to be in her early fifties. She was dressed in elegant, plain-colored clothing, with an air of refinement and grace that made her easily noticeable in a crowd.
Her gaze was fixed in the direction of the wheelchair, her expression marked with suspicion and disbelief. Once she confirmed she hadn’t mistaken the person, she quickly strode forward.
Startled, Chu Cheng blurted out, “Mom.”
Yu Siting came to a full stop, politely nodding in greeting. “Professor Jin.”
The sudden form of address made Chu Cheng pause, instinctively tilting his head to look up at him.
How does he know—?
But Mrs. Chu had no time to pay attention to anyone else. Out of courtesy, she gave a brief nod in response, but her eyes quickly shifted to her son. “Jin Heng said you only had a relatively large gastric polyp removed. How did it come to this?”
“Mom, I’m fine. I just wanted to get some fresh air but didn’t have the strength to walk far, so I borrowed a wheelchair to sit in,” Chu Cheng quickly explained, standing up to demonstrate his health. But his voice grew increasingly faint as his confidence faltered. “Why did you come so suddenly?”
Professor Jin seemed a little relieved by her son’s explanation, but her expression quickly hardened. “And you have the nerve to ask me that? How could you not tell your family when you’re ill? You even conspired with Jin Heng to hide it from me? So this is your ‘I’m fine, eating and sleeping well’ that you said on the phone?”
Chu Cheng mentally cried out in despair.
Seriously, Uncle—what happened to keeping the info airtight?
Knowing her son all too well, Professor Jin immediately guessed what he was thinking and said, “Don’t give me that look. I’ll be settling the score with him too.”
“Mom~ I…” Her sudden visit had caught Chu Cheng completely off guard; he hadn’t had time to think up a proper excuse.
“You’ve clearly been outside for a while now. The air is chilly. Let’s go back to the ward and rest first. Then we’ll talk about how you plan to explain all this to me,” Professor Jin said, giving him a once-over. “Since you can’t walk far, just stay seated. Honestly, do you want to give me a heart attack?”
Yu Siting stepped forward at the right moment. “I’ll push him back.”
Professor Jin hesitated. “And you are?”
Chu Cheng quickly replied, “My new friend. Like Senior Zhou, he’s also a colleague of mine at school.”
“Nice to meet you.” Yu Siting, seeing that Mrs. Chu had been too worried to engage earlier, now formally introduced himself. “My surname is Yu. I work in the same department as Mr. Chu.”
Her tone softened slightly, though still composed. “Nice to meet you too, and thank you. This child… keeping something as serious as surgery from his family.”
Yu Siting slowly pushed the wheelchair back, slightly lowering his head to speak more gently, “It’s no trouble. We were just talking about it earlier. While it was wrong of him to hide it, it came from a place of filial piety—he didn’t want to worry his elderly parents.”
They hadn’t gone far to begin with—just a few minutes in a straight line—and soon arrived at the inpatient building.
The group took the elevator upstairs. The young patient sharing the room had gone for treatment and wasn’t there.
“So you’re back already.” Coincidentally, the doctor who had just approved Chu Cheng’s outing came in for rounds, holding a clipboard. “Feeling alright? No discomfort?”
“Nothing,” Chu Cheng explained. “My mother just came to visit me.”
The doctor also noticed the unfamiliar face in the room and greeted the new family member with polite kindness. Professor Jin took the opportunity to ask about the situation and was relieved to hear that Chu Cheng was recovering well.
The resident physician asked a few more questions and then informed them that starting tomorrow at noon, the patient could begin eating some soft liquid foods. With that, he left.
“You heard him. I told you I was fine, didn’t I?” Chu Cheng said with a smile meant to appease.
But his mother wasn’t buying it. With a serious tone, she said, “If it’s just a minor illness, then all the more reason you should’ve told me. You work out here all alone—if your father and I kept something like this from you, how would you feel?”
Cautiously, Chu Cheng asked, “Then… what about Dad?”
“He’s currently attending a writers’ association meeting. He doesn’t know yet,” his mother sighed. “Now that things are already like this, there’s no rush to tell him. Otherwise, he’d rush over too. Once you’re back home, you can explain it to him yourself.”
Look at that—classic double standard.
Chu Cheng’s expression turned subtle. “You were so mad when I didn’t tell you, and now you’re saying we shouldn’t tell Dad right away?”
“My double standard is for your and your father’s sake. Coming to see things for myself puts my mind at ease,” Professor Jin replied while glancing around the room.
Ever since she walked in, she had been observing the surroundings. But the hospital room was fully equipped, everything was in order. Even the bouquet of green eustoma by the window looked fresh and tenacious.
“Looks like your uncle’s actually done a decent job this time.” After her inspection, she concluded as such.
“And anything my uncle missed, Mr. Yu took care of,” Chu Cheng added. “He’s always looked out for me at work, and now that I’m sick, he’s gone the extra mile. I told him I’ve got social anxiety and didn’t want to tell anyone else about the hospitalization, so he kept coming back and forth to help. He already visited once before, but today he even brought something over again.”
Chu Cheng had only meant to steer the conversation away, but once he began listing everything, he realized just how much Mr. Yu had done for him these past few days.
“I’m even the worst performing partner in his class collab project… I feel kinda guilty.”
“Then you’d better work hard and stop holding him back,” Professor Jin said bluntly. She then turned to Yu Si-ting. “Mr. Yu, you look quite young—are you even 30 yet?”
Yu Si-ting nodded. “Not yet.”
“Kids these days have strong personalities. It’s not easy for young teachers to manage a class. I’ve heard from Chu Cheng that your group has great cohesion…”
Since Professor Jin worked in education herself, and saw that the young man before her wasn’t much older than her own son yet already showed remarkable maturity, she naturally found plenty to talk about.
While his mother and Mr. Yu were getting along swimmingly, Chu Cheng stealthily pulled his phone out from under the pillow.
His uncle had already sent a bunch of WeChat messages, asking whether Professor Jin had shown up for a surprise visit.
Chu Cheng, obviously displeased at being “sold out,” typed back with bitter indignation:
[Uncle, what’s going on? You promised not to tell her!]
Jin Dong quickly replied.
[Jin Dong: I really didn’t say anything on my own. It’s just that she hasn’t been able to reach me these past couple of days, so she asked my assistant about my schedule.]
Chu Cheng sighed silently.
Alright, he really couldn’t blame Jin Dong. Despite how busy he had been with work lately, flying all over during the day, he still always booked a return ticket to Tingzhou afterward. Once his mother saw that kind of travel pattern, of course she’d guess it had something to do with her son.
[Chu Cheng: So… are you coming back today, Uncle?]
[Jin Dong: How would I dare? I’ve already been blamed three times and haven’t even shown my face yet. In the end, it’s all my fault for spoiling you too much. But weren’t you the one who threatened me, hmm? This is what I get—caught in the middle!]
[Chu Cheng: Fine, fine, it’s all my fault. But can’t you come over and help mediate a little? Maybe take her back with you while you’re at it?]
[Jin Dong: There’s no way I’m showing up in front of you two today. I still have an important meeting later. My secretary has already booked a hotel near the hospital for Professor Jin. That’s all for now.]
[Chu Cheng: It’s nearly dark, where are you going to have a meeting now?]
[Uncle, what am I supposed to do then?]
[You can’t just abandon me, Uncle!]
Chu Cheng sent three desperate SOS messages in a row, but no further reply came through.
He had just finished praising how reliable Jin Dong was—and look, the guy totally bailed under pressure.
Feeling helpless, Chu Cheng put down his phone and looked over at his mother, who was still elegantly chatting away.
He’d grown up in an open-minded family, allowed to be mischievous and carefree, but there were two absolute taboos: lying and neglecting his health.
With Professor Jin’s eloquence and mental agility, she didn’t even need to raise her voice to make someone feel utterly ashamed. Going behind her back to have surgery, and even conspiring with others to hide it? Yeah, that definitely wouldn’t be forgiven easily. Uncle Jin understood that perfectly—hence why he was keeping as far away from this landmine as possible, family ties be damned.
His mother had been doubly deceived and was already angry when she came today. Then she got startled in the courtyard earlier. She was probably just holding back because others were present. Now she was only chatting with Teacher Yu and ignoring her son entirely. That was a sign—she was simmering.
Once Teacher Yu left, Chu Cheng was probably going to have to take the full brunt of her fury.
Sitting there, he felt like a criminal waiting for sentencing—uneasy, with nowhere to hide.
Finally, the light outside the window dimmed. Teacher Yu stood up to say goodbye.
As he leaned slightly toward the bed, Chu Cheng quietly reached out and grabbed the corner of his coat.
Yu Siting felt a sudden tug on the fabric behind him and froze.
In front of him, Professor Jin looked refined and composed. But behind him, someone was pulling sneaky tricks. There was definitely something off about the vibe between this mother and son.
Locked in this silent tug-of-war, Yu Siting suddenly remembered the six volumes written by Mr. Chu.
The old man was a loving father. Even though “Little Sunshine” had always been a handful, he had never once gotten truly angry. On the contrary, he indulged his wild streak and even turned those antics into stories, relishing them as he shared them with others.
If there wasn’t a more formidable figure in the household, then Young Master Chu might truly end up unchecked—ready to tear the roof off the house. His only nemesis was probably the very Professor Jin standing before him.
So this… was a cry for help.
Yu Siting calmly pulled his now-wrinkled shirt corner out from the “black hand’s” grasp and turned back with a smile:
“I won’t come to school tomorrow. You should rest well. Your mom was so worried she came all the way here. You two should spend some time talking.”
Chu Cheng: “……”
Wanna try listening to yourself?
Seeing the “patient” forcing a smile, Yu Siting continued,
“I’ll take care of things at school. No need for you to rush back—your health is more important.”
“Fine~” Chu Cheng gave in, no longer expecting anyone to save him from the fire and flood. He could only hope that Professor Jin would go easy on him tonight, seeing as he was still sick.
Yu Siting had already taken a few steps toward the hospital room’s door when he paused, turned to Chu’s mom, and asked:
“Professor Jin came to Tingzhou on short notice—does she have a place to stay? I think Mr. Chu’s house is a bit too far from here.”
Chu’s mom replied, “His uncle already booked a hotel for me. It should be nearby.”
“Then let me give you a ride,” Yu Siting offered. “It’s already dark outside. You’re not familiar with the area, and Mr. Chu isn’t very mobile right now. I should help you settle in.”
Professor Jin hesitated for a moment and didn’t immediately respond.
She had just witnessed these two young people exchange a silent glance. Of course she could see it, and guess what was going on.
That unruly boy at home knew he was about to get scolded, so he found someone to shield him. But this helper had been running around tirelessly these days, and as a senior, it was hard not to give him some face.
In the end, Professor Jin didn’t turn down the offer and stood up as well:
“Then I’ll trouble you once again.”
“Not at all,” Yu Siting said, gesturing politely for her to go first.
“Rest well,” Professor Jin said before leaving, shooting her son a look that clearly meant “Don’t let this happen again.”
[All settled.]
[Still acting so reckless even under such strict parenting.]
Half an hour after Yu Siting sent Professor Jin off, Chu Cheng’s phone lit up with a new notification.
Staring at the message, Chu Cheng couldn’t help his curiosity and began typing:
[When did you know?]
[Yu Siting: Know what when?]
Chu Cheng gave him a little hint.
[Just now, you called my mom “Professor Jin.” But I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned her occupation to you.]
Yu Siting’s reply came a few minutes later.
[Oh, I’ve known for a while. Since about the same time your class rep found out.]
[Why didn’t you ever tell me?]
[Was it necessary?]
Chu Cheng was staring at the reply, deep in thought, when another message popped up.
[Yu Siting: The one helping me as my deputy, managing the class, handling daily affairs, and guiding the students—that’s Teacher Chu herself, not your family background.]
Chu Cheng’s background had never been something he was ashamed of. He just didn’t want people to see him through a filter the moment he entered the workplace. And Yu Siting’s answer showed he completely understood that. There really wasn’t any need to explain further.
Smiling, Chu Cheng tapped the screen and typed another message.
[Anyway, thanks, big bro.]
[Yu Siting: How do you plan on thanking me?]
Good question. How does one thank someone like him?
Treat him to a meal? Buy a gift? Write an anonymous commendation letter? None of that felt meaningful enough.
After thinking hard for a moment, Chu Cheng finally came up with something that only he could do.
[For the final exams, I’ll try not to let Class 7’s Chinese grades still rank ninth in the grade.]
There was a brief silence in the chat before Yu Siting replied:
[Mm, get some rest.]
Get some rest?
Chu Cheng stared at those three words, trying to read between the lines.
Was that his way of saying “go wash up and sleep”?
Did he not believe it? Or was he just unimpressed?
Author’s note:
Big Bro: Just drew a Legendary Golden Straight Man card.