Warm sunlight streamed through the window. A gentle breeze brushed his cheek. Stray strands of hair fluttered near the girl’s ear as she scrolled her phone screen. The man in the hospital bed turned his head, watching her.
“You’re *this* close to them digging up your ancestral grave!”
Her cherry-red lips parted slightly, a hint of moist breath escaping as she whispered. Headlines glowed on her screen:
“A substitute teacher in City Z attempted to assault a female student. A heroic male student intervened—the scum was caught!”
“How did such an unfit teacher step onto the podium? Why no background check? The truth is—”
“Teacher Chen, orphaned and impoverished, lives alone in—”
“Whoa, they even dug up your hukou book…”
“I don’t *have* a local hukou.”
“This says you snuck into the girls’ bathroom!”
“First—does this place even *have* a bathroom?”
“What about stealing Ms. Cao’s underwear?”
“My neighbors are empty. Across the hall? Vacant. Only me and an eighty-year-old man in that old building.”
“How amusing… Hahahaha!”
“Do rich girls like you dig this flavor?” She laughed, then pinched Chen Yaoyi’s arm hard—silencing him instantly.
“Those two cuties improved *so* much this week!” Su Ziqing smiled behind her hand. Chen Yaoyi saw no panic in her eyes. She seemed utterly certain Xiao Luo would never choose May… and May could never take him.
“You’re not worried?”
“Why would I be?”
“My apprentice’s *that* talented! Slip up, and Xiao Luo’s hers.”
Chen Yaoyi chuckled, sat up, and leaned against the pillow. All part of his plan. Minor injuries. Lying low. But taking two bat swings from Xiao Luo? Necessary. One: sold the “hero defeats villain” rescue scene. Two: gave him a clean exit. Win-win.
“Apprentice… Hmm. I dislike your methods, but I respect the intent. How about becoming my butler?”
Su Ziqing was here to recruit him—and because this hospital was hers. When Chen Yaoyi called, he’d demanded privacy; she delivered. He owed May nothing. But for the plan, Su Ziqing’s role was essential. He’d only hinted at the truth: summon May to the empty sports warehouse. Yet *she* refined the setup—security, doctors, discreet extraction. Even the bat felt… suspiciously prepared. She’d visited every few days since.
But Xiao Luo couldn’t keep secrets. Su Ziqing hadn’t monitored him. After “rescuing” May, walking her to the infirmary, even escorting her home… whispers started.
*“Since when are Xiao Luo and May close? Wasn’t he with Su Ziqing?”*
*“Whoa—Hero Xiao Luo! Did Teacher Chen vanish because…?”*
Pressure and praise broke him. He spilled everything. Rumors exploded.
“No thanks. You know I don’t have long.” *(Truth: mission complete, I leave. Excuse: wish to see May and Xiao Luo end up together.)*
Clever. Su Ziqing wasn’t buying it. *“Dying means I hand over my man? Who do you think you are?!”*
Unlike May, Su Ziqing radiated self-assurance. Moral blackmail? Useless. She chose freely, ignored gossip—even if labeled “May stole your man.”
“This won’t work on me. Try again. I’m helping out of debt. And even if given the chance… May won’t fall for Xiao Luo now.”
“Huh? Wait—*fall for* Xiao Luo? Our May *adores* that gentle-but-pathetic type like him!”
Chen Yaoyi held her clear gaze a long moment. She sighed, frowning. “You read others’ hearts perfectly… yet stay blind to your own. That gap’s huge. Say… was that missing kidney taken by a woman…?”
“I *have* both kidneys!” The girl fell silent, waved dismissively, and stood—done listening.
“I said Xiao Luo cares for May *as a friend*. But her heart left him long ago… and he likely knows.”
“He? Him or her? May or Xiao Luo?” Chen Yaoyi blinked.
“Go see for yourself.”
“How?”
She wheeled a chair inside. “My men will protect you. They know the deal—*no* touching. Just guarding.”
Burly figures strode in, cracking knuckles, stretching muscles.
*…“No touching”? They look ready to pummel me.* Chen Yaoyi groaned inwardly.
“This afternoon, Xiao Luo invited May out to clear her mind. She agreed. Go watch. You’ll understand. But—stay cautious. You’re still healing.”
