DCTMOAS Chapter 34
by SuxxiOn weekdays, the hospital ward saw significantly fewer visitors than on weekends.
Chu Cheng had been lying in bed on an IV drip for most of the day, to the point that his arm had gone numb. Once the needle was finally removed, he couldn’t wait to get up and stretch his legs.
Just then, a young man dressed like a delivery runner knocked on the door and peeked in.
“Hello, is this Chu Cheng’s room?”
Professor Jin, who had been busy with something, looked up with some confusion and nodded. “Yes.”
“There’s a thermal food container here, sent by a Mr. Yu,” the delivery man said, pulling out a bag from his insulated food box.
Hearing their conversation, Chu Cheng glanced over.
Professor Jin thanked the delivery guy and sent him off. Upon opening the bag, she found a handwritten note inside.
[Lu Yan had some stomach issues a while back, so the housekeeper often made this nourishing soup for him. It worked quite well. I thought it might help you too. Take care and get well soon.]
“Your colleague really looks out for you,” Professor Jin remarked, handing the note to Chu Cheng and opening the thermal container. The soup inside was still steaming hot.
Chu Cheng read the note and chuckled. “He’s just like my uncle—always worrying about his nephew.”
“Well, since it’s such a kind gesture, don’t let it go to waste. Give it a try,” Professor Jin said, grabbing a small bowl and ladling some out.
Inside the thermal container was a serving of Angelica pigeon soup. Whoever had made it had clearly gone the extra mile—reducing oil and salt, while adding energy-boosting and restorative herbs like Codonopsis root, Pinellia, and Poria. The result was a clear broth with a rich, fragrant aroma.
Professor Jin set a small table on Chu Cheng’s hospital bed and handed him the ladle and some napkins.
Faced with such thoughtful and meticulous care, Chu Cheng let out a helpless laugh:
“Mom, I can handle this myself. Please don’t wait on me like this. I won’t be able to sleep tonight from the guilt.”
“You think I’ve got nothing better to do?” Professor Jin shot him a glance. “I was going to go back to your place and make you some soup, but now someone else has already sent some. Looks like you’re not lacking anything here. I’ll have your uncle send someone to pick me up later.”
Chu Cheng had just taken a sip of the soup and was savoring the taste. He looked up when he heard her.
“You’re leaving already? You rarely come to Tingzhou, and I didn’t even get to show you around.”
Professor Jin replied, “Alright, cut the act. I’m just relieved to see you’re okay. I have an important lecture back home to attend. Besides, if I stay any longer, you’ll start feeling awkward.”
Chu Cheng said softly, “No, I wouldn’t.”
Professor Jin gave him a look like, “I know you better than that.” Watching him drink the soup spoonful by spoonful, she asked curiously, “Is it good?”
“It’s alright, but I like how it’s light in flavor. Feels pretty comfortable in the stomach.” Chu Cheng made a motion as if to serve her a bowl too.
Professor Jin raised a hand to decline, “I don’t like the taste of Chinese herbs. You drink it. I’ll clean up a bit here.”
“Take care of yourself at work too—don’t stay up late, avoid cold drinks, eat your meals on time…” She tidied the room while giving him the usual mom-mode list of instructions.
“I know.” Chu Cheng nodded along obediently as he drank the soup.
In the afternoon, his uncle sent a car to pick Professor Jin up.
Chu Cheng wasn’t allowed to leave the room, so he stood by the window, smiling and waving as she left.
Now that his mother was finally gone, Chu Cheng sat back down on his bed. He looked at the stack of books on the nightstand, most of which he’d already read, and started to feel a little bored.
The kid sharing the room with him also looked restless—sprawled on his bed, phone in hand, half-heartedly reading a comic, swiping the screen now and then without any real engagement.
“Hey, little bro, not building Lego today?” Chu Cheng, having nothing else to do, struck up a conversation.
The boy glanced up. “Maybe tomorrow. I wanna go home tonight.”
Going home again?
Chu Cheng had wondered about this before. The inpatient department here had very strict rules—how was this kid able to disappear overnight so often?
He didn’t say anything for a moment.
The boy looked up again, catching the confusion on Chu Cheng’s face. “Wanna learn how?”
Chu Cheng smiled and nodded. “Yeah, teach me?”
The boy was clearly pleased with his humble attitude. He sat up on the bed, raised an eyebrow, and casually held up three fingers:
“The things stopping you from going home are basically: surprise insurance inspections, your attending physician’s approval, and nighttime rounds by the resident.”
“In short—money, connections, and charm. Since you’re already staying in a VIP room, you don’t have to worry about the first two. Just master the last one.” He made it sound ridiculously easy as he hopped off the bed, getting ready for a live demonstration.
“Hmm?” Chu Cheng watched eagerly.
The boy tousled his fluffy hair, casually slipped on a pair of canvas shoes, and strolled out of the room straight toward the floor’s duty station.
“Jiejie~” (Big sis~)
As soon as he entered the room, the boy began to whine in a soft voice,
“The hospital bed is too narrow, and there are always cars honking outside at night. I haven’t slept well in days… Could you help me check out a little early with your face scan…?”
In just three to five minutes, the boy had completed the check-out verification and returned to the room’s entrance. He casually grabbed a jacket and waved at his roommate:
“Bro, I’m heading out first!”
Teacher Chu, who witnessed the entire operation: “…”
He saw it all… but apparently didn’t learn a thing.
The sky had started to dim.
Dressed and ready, Chu Cheng was tidying up the things he planned to take home.
His phone screen lit up with a WeChat message.
[Yu Siting: How did it taste?]
Back around noon, Chu Cheng had messaged him to thank him for the soup. The guy must’ve been teaching all afternoon and only just saw it.
Chu Cheng paused his packing and picked up his phone to reply.
[I finished it all. Professor Jin didn’t even get a sip, but she couldn’t stop praising you. Mr. Yu is clearly a parent favorite.]
Yu Siting quickly replied with a playful tone.
[Well, I am a top-tier homeroom teacher with a gold star. Being popular is only natural, right?]
[Chu Cheng: Wow, humble much.]
[Yu Siting: Lu Yan found out you were hospitalized and kept begging to visit. I was afraid he’d be too noisy around you and Professor Jin, so I didn’t let him come.]
[Chu Cheng: It’s fine, my mom already left. But he doesn’t have to make a trip just for this. I’ll probably be discharged in a couple of days anyway. I’m actually planning to sneak home tonight.]
[Yu Siting: Sneak home? Can you even leave? If you get caught during night rounds, the fine is minor, but losing your hospital bed would be a pain.]
That was exactly what he’d just learned from the kid in the next bed—hospital sneak-out 101: master the art of pitiful charm. Even thinking about it now made Chu Cheng feel a bit embarrassed.
He typed back with a grin.
[Don’t worry, I’ve got everything covered.]
[Yu Siting: Then wait for me a bit. School’s almost out. I’ll drive over and pick you up, and bring Lu Yan too. Otherwise, he’s going to keep bugging me.]
[Chu Cheng: Alright, I’ll wait in the room.]
It was nearly dismissal time at No. 10 High School, so Teacher Yu and Lu Yan arrived quickly.
“Mr. Chu!”
Before they even came into view, Lu Yan’s bright, youthful voice rang out.
“I’m here,” Chu Cheng replied, walking out of the bathroom holding a bowl of freshly washed grapes.
Lu Yan took two quick steps forward and, like performing a magic trick, presented a bouquet of ranunculus. The arrangement was beautiful—a warm gradient from soft orange to bright yellow that instantly caught the eye.
“My uncle said you can’t eat anything right now, and I didn’t know what to bring for a hospital visit, so I stopped by a flower shop. Wishing Mr. Chu a speedy recovery!”
“Thank you.”
With the bright flower buds framing his face, Chu Cheng’s smile appeared even more radiant and handsome. He handed the fruit bowl to Lu Yan.
“Sit, eat some.”
Lu Yan accepted it with a grin. But after glancing at the dark grapes in the bowl, he asked curiously,
“Didn’t they say you’re not supposed to eat fruit? Why do you have these?”
Chu Cheng cast a meaningful glance toward the door. “Your uncle bought it.”
“Ah?” Lu Yan turned to glance at the tall figure behind him and complained, “He knew you couldn’t eat this and still brought it on purpose? That’s so mean.”
Yu Siting, who had just been called out, remained calm as usual. “What did Teacher Chu say last time about the flowers sent to the hospital? Hmm… something like ‘too tacky’?”
Hearing him stirring trouble, Chu Cheng paused mid-hug with the bouquet, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
The joy on Lu Yan’s face faded slightly as he looked around the room. Before long, he noticed the vase of flowers still sitting on the windowsill.
He frowned and agreed, “Yeah, who sends greenish lisianthus? That is pretty tacky.”
Chu Cheng couldn’t help but laugh. “Also your uncle.”
“…I think I’d better shut up now.” After stepping on two landmines in a row, Lu Yan didn’t dare look back at Young Master Yu’s expression. To avoid getting kicked out and having to call a cab home, he made a “zip the lips” gesture with his hand.
Still smiling, Chu Cheng patted his “good son” on the shoulder and considerately changed the subject. “How did you know I was hospitalized?”
Lu Yan turned and pointed at Yu Siting. “He came home twice reeking of disinfectant. And you’d been taking sick leave. I put two and two together.”
“You might as well be a sniffer dog,” Chu Cheng said admiringly.
Lu Yan popped a grape into his mouth and mumbled vaguely, “I was a sickly kid. Always going to doctors. I’m super sensitive to that smell.”
Every time she saw grapes, Chu Cheng would be reminded of the beginning of the semester when Lu Yan was crying his eyes out being punished in her older brother’s office. What she had mistaken for a pitiful little thing turned out to be such a sunny, cheerful kid.
“I didn’t tell the school about my hospitalization. Even if you’re clever enough to figure it out, don’t let other classmates know, alright? I don’t want any unnecessary trouble.”
“Ah? Might be too late for that. A few people in class already know. The way gossip spreads…” Lu Yan slowed down as he nibbled on fruit and gave her an apologetic smile, his handsome face looking sheepish.
Chu Cheng felt a headache coming on. That basically meant the whole class would know soon, didn’t it?
While both of them were silent, Yu Siting finally spoke up to his nephew. “You’ve visited the patient, so it’s about time you head back, right? I didn’t give you a pass to skip night study.”
Lu Yan still had a grape in his mouth and protested, disgruntled, “But I’ve only been here for a few minutes! I haven’t even finished the fruit!”
“You can take the grapes with you. Studying is more important,” Chu Cheng chimed in supportively.
“Alright, alright. Who told me to be a disciple of ‘everyone I walk with,’ huh?” Lu Yan pouted, reluctantly giving in and obeying.
Yu Siting picked up the bag of clothes and said, “Let’s go, I’ll take you back first.”
“Mm.” Chu Cheng responded, and just as she was lowering her head to put on her shoes, she suddenly remembered, “Oh right, the attending physician asked me to drop by his office to check in before leaving.”
“No need to trouble yourself. I’ll go.” Yu Siting handed over the car keys. “You go downstairs with Lu Yan first and wait in the car.”
Chu Cheng nodded.
The three of them left the hospital room together, and Yu Siting took a detour toward the office.
It was already the hospital’s rest hour, and the winding corridor was empty, connecting countless rooms. As Yu Siting walked along, checking the room numbers overhead, he passed the residents’ on-call room and inadvertently overheard a few hushed voices.
“That high school teacher in room C3 has such a sweet smile! Totally melted my heart.”
“Right? I honestly thought he was a student too, like the younger guy in the next bed.”
“You didn’t see the way he came in earlier—face all red before he even spoke. So freaking cute.”
“…”
Mr. Yu furrowed his brows.
So that’s how he handles things, huh.
When Yu Siting returned to the car, the other two had been waiting for a while.
Chu Cheng was sitting in the passenger seat, gazing at the scenery through the window. She casually asked, “What took you so long? Did the doctor give you more instructions?”
“Nope. Just heard some interesting gossip outside the residents’ office.” Yu Siting opened the door and got into the driver’s seat. Glancing at the person next to him who was buckling their seatbelt with calm elegance, he added, “After working together for so long, I never realized Teacher Chu also has the ability to weaponize good looks.”
“Mr. Yu, mind your wording.” Chu Cheng already knew what he was getting at the moment she heard “resident doctor.” Leaning back against the soft cushion, she closed her eyes and savored the freedom of leaving the hospital. “It’s called: being a handsome guy and using your face well.”
Author’s Note:
Yu Siting: He totally knows he’s cute.
Chu Cheng: Unlocked new skill [Sarcasm Resistance]