Chapter 37 Discretion "Oh, oh! Didn't you go abroad, Jiang Hui..."

She was going to ask more questions, but then, as if things weren't going to go smoothly, her parents called that afternoon, beaming with joy, saying they had arrived in City C and that tomorrow was Friday, and the day after tomorrow and the day after that would be the weekend, so she and Cheng Sijie could have a good time exploring City C.

Cheng Sijie said, "What?! You've arrived in City C?"

Jiang Hui was holding her hand, which was receiving an IV drip, to warm it up. The IV drip would last for several hours, which could easily cause discomfort in the blood vessels in her hand.

Seeing Cheng Sijie's startled reaction, he frowned and gestured for her to be careful.

Cheng Sijie gave an OK sign and continued listening to the phone call.

Over the phone, she heard He Hongmei's hearty laughter, "Look how surprised you are! Of course! And there's something really lucky about it. Your dad and I booked economy class, but we were lucky enough to get upgraded for free. We even had some fruit in the VIP waiting room. The service was really good."

Cheng Jianjun commented from the side, "The airplane food is delicious too."

Both of them could feel a sense of elation over the phone; if there were background music, it would be "Good Luck," with its joyful drumming echoing through the air—

"Your grandma made you some pickles and canned goods, they were so delicious, she said she would definitely bring them for you, and I went through a lot of trouble to check them in. Oh right, she also bought you a gold necklace, saying that since you're celebrating your birthday away from home this year, and it's a year of bad luck for you, you need to carry gold with you to ward off bad luck, so she asked me to bring it for you. Your grandma also said that I should call her when I get there, she wants to talk to you."

He Hongmei spoke like a machine gun, her mouth never stopping, "da da da da da".

Cheng Jianjun interrupted the conversation, saying, "Oh dear, your mom is revisiting a familiar place. She did her PhD at C University, so she's an alumna of yours. She said she wants to bring some local specialties back for your counselor when she has the chance. Your mom and your counselor are old classmates. She only found out after seeing the photos you posted on WeChat Moments."

Cheng Sijie was dumbfounded.

Wait a minute, it's one thing for her parents to suddenly show up, but how did her counselor get involved...?

In an instant, everything spun around her. I always thought the various shots in TV dramas were a bit exaggerated, but now, shouldn't the director be focusing on showing her character's terror? The camera zoomed in rapidly, accompanied by flashbacks of memories: He Hongmei and Cheng Jianjun's faces distorted, the sound of the phone intertwined with their innermost thoughts, all accompanied by a fast-paced drumbeat in the background…

Okay, cut!

Stop making a scene for yourself, Cheng Sijie.

She let out a long breath—

As we all know, there is a six-person rule in this world, which means that if you want to get to know someone, you can get to know them through just six people.

She knew that Dr. He Hongmei studied at C University, but her majors were completely different from He Hongmei's, completely unrelated. One was in engineering and the other was in pure humanities. He Hongmei had completed her undergraduate and master's degrees in the same province, and after so many years, she never thought that her mother would know any of the teachers at her school.

Did this world update without her knowledge? Why wasn't Earth Online notified when it updated? Are they looking down on ordinary players like them who didn't spend money?!

Cheng Sijie's complaints were deafening, but to no avail.

He Hongmei heard her daughter ask on the other end of the phone, "How come our counselor and my mom are classmates?"

"How come I've never heard you mention this before, Mom!"

He Hongmei laughed and said, "Yes, we were classmates in our master's programs. I didn't even know that myself before."

Cheng Sijie said, "..."

Well, all the bizarre events in this world can only be explained by fate, so it's no wonder that she believed Jiang Hui's baseless reasons when they first met.

Well, there's no way to hide it now. Even if she tells her parents that she has final exams and drags it out for a day or two, He Hongmei will know as soon as she sees her advisor that she has been sick and hospitalized recently. Although she has a good relationship with her advisor, it is not to the point that she can lie with her advisor.

Be honest when you should be honest.

It's just a bit of a hassle to explain, but anyway, she's almost fully recovered now.

Cheng Sijie was mentally prepared and pretended to be relaxed, saying, "Well, I have something to tell you, Mom and Dad."

Cheng Jianjun answered the phone, "Hello, hello, your mom took a taxi, what's wrong, Sijie?"

Cheng Sijie said, "Um, I'm not at school, I'm at the hospital."

Before she could finish speaking, Cheng Jianjun asked, "What? Why did you go to the hospital?"

The airport was noisy; you could hear flight announcements, conversations of people coming and going to pick up passengers, and the sound of suitcase wheels scraping the ground through the phone.

So Cheng Jianjun's voice was very loud, and He Hongmei heard it immediately.

He Hongmei: "The hospital?!"

Cheng Sijie said helplessly, "It's acute gastroenteritis caused by a bacterial infection. Our school is in the suburbs, and the school hospital is unreliable, so I took leave to be hospitalized here for IV drips. It's nothing serious."

He Hongmei took the phone: "Give me your address."

Cheng Sijie said coquettishly, "Mom, don't worry, I have someone to take care of me here. You forgot that Yu Lingling and I are from the same university town? You should settle yourselves down first before coming to see me. I was already afraid that you would worry, and it just so happens that we bumped into each other."

After hanging up the phone, Cheng Sijie closed her eyes.

Jiang Hui is still standing here, how should we explain that?

Out of a desire to escape, I temporarily closed my eyes.

What's meant to happen will happen. She told herself.

Jiang Hui politely asked from the side, "Should I excuse myself?"

You little brat, you did this on purpose, didn't you?

Cheng Sijie said in a muffled voice, "No need."

She said coldly, "You stay here quietly and follow my orders."

She had considered having Yu Lingling come directly so Jiang Hui could leave, but it was too late to call Yu Lingling now. Based on her understanding of Cheng Jianjun and He Hongmei, the two were at the airport and would probably drop off their luggage at the hotel and head straight to the hospital. It would be better if Yu Lingling didn't come; if her parents arrived and Yu Lingling still hadn't come, it would seem too deliberate.

The severity of this matter depends entirely on how it is handled. She's not a child anymore; whether it's being sick and hospitalized or dating, it can be a big or small issue.

Although it was quite miserable to be sick in bed, her roommates and Yu Lingling took good care of her, and Jiang Hui rushed back from abroad without stopping. Although she is still feeling a bit unwell, it's really not worth scaring her parents again over something like that.

Most importantly, she's only a sophomore in college. If her parents go back home feeling uneasy because of this, how will they manage in the future? Will they want to fly over to see her frequently? That would be even more troublesome.

It's best to minimize the problem and resolve it peacefully so that the two of them can live in peace.

As for dating, she's been in university for two years now, and her parents are very open-minded about it. Besides, she doesn't want to disappoint Jiang Hui. No matter the reason, he came all the way back from abroad to see her and took good care of her. She can't just tell him to get lost as soon as her parents arrive.

After some consideration, Cheng Sijie made a plan.

Just then, the IV drip was almost finished. Jiang Hui rang the call bell for the nurse, who quickly came to the ward and efficiently changed the IV bag for Cheng Sijie. Cheng Sijie said, "Thank you."

At this time, Jiang Hui had not yet entered the entertainment industry, so naturally he would not deliberately cover his face. He was nearly 1.9 meters tall, and because he was of mixed race, he had a high nose and deep-set eyes. Even when Cheng Sijie was lying in the hospital bed, she could not hide her striking features, which were different from those of local girls. The handsome man and beautiful woman were exceptionally eye-catching. The nurse smiled and said with her eyes crinkling, "You're welcome. You and your boyfriend have such a good relationship, and you are both so good-looking!"

Jiang Hui suddenly said, "Thank you."

Are they currently in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship?

Jiang Hui and Cheng Sijie looked at each other. They were going to meet each other's parents in less than an hour, and it was really inappropriate for them to still be in a relationship without any official status. Jiang Hui touched his nose and said sincerely, "Should I take the initiative to confess my feelings?"

Cheng Sijie, covered by the blanket, had her hand held by him. "Go ahead and tell me."

Jiang Hui couldn't help but laugh: "Can we be together, Cheng Sijie? I've been waiting for your reply for two years. Can you give me a definite answer?"

Cheng Sijie: "...Alright, I grant your permission."

Jiang Hui said, "Thank you."

The smell of disinfectant in the air sent a chill down my spine.

Cheng Sijie closed her eyes and was kissed by him.

It felt so natural and yet so damn romantic.

They're really crazy; they actually confirmed their relationship in this way.

She had imagined this scenario a thousand times, but none of them would turn out like this. It was unclear yet natural. Fortunately, the other party was perceptive and spoke up in time. Otherwise, would she, a patient, have been expected to take the initiative?

Fate is truly the best director; this arrangement is the most ingenious script, extremely dramatic, and even the characters themselves could not have imagined how they would have ended up where they are today.

But it's not bad either.

Cheng Sijie thought.

…

Although Cheng Sijie said there was no need to rush, Cheng Jianjun and He Hongmei hurriedly came over as soon as they put their luggage in the hotel. Familiar footsteps were heard outside the ward, and a familiar face appeared when the door was opened.

Cheng Sijie laughed cheerfully, "Mom! Dad! Oh, how come you got here so quickly?"

She was full of energy and spoke in a lively tone, greeting He Hongmei and Cheng Jianjun with great enthusiasm.

Jiang Hui: "Hello, Auntie. Hello, Uncle."

He Hongmei was startled and stunned. She wondered who this child was. He looked so familiar. Oh, isn't this Jiang Hui from the competition class? What is he doing here?

Cheng Jianjun was speechless. "H-hello."

Cheng Sijie said, "I forgot to introduce you. This is my boyfriend, Jiang Hui. You know him, right? He used to be in our school's competition class, in the same year as me. He was very good at his studies. Yu Lingling has her exam tomorrow, so I told her to go home first. Jiang Hui will stay here and watch over me for a while."

Cheng Jianjun asked in surprise, "Oh, oh! Didn't you go abroad, Jiang Hui?"

Silence fell.

Cheng Sijie thought: Well, this conversation is like a dream. It's really unbelievable that she and Jiang Hui are dating; her parents must be quite shocked. Shouldn't your focus be on this, Dad?

Jiang Hui said obediently, "Uncle, I heard that Sijie was sick, so I came back quickly."

He Hongmei: "..."

What on earth is going on?!

The couple exchanged a glance. He Hongmei cleared her throat. She knew her child well and knew Cheng Sijie's personality. He would never do anything to harm her, so although she was very shocked, she still calmed herself down.

With one thing on her mind, and Cheng Sijie's face flushed, He Hongmei couldn't just worry about Cheng Sijie's health anymore. She cleared her throat, her heart gradually calming down, and glared at Cheng Sijie, meaning, "You dare to keep this from us? You'll see!"

Cheng Sijie shrank back and smiled ingratiatingly.

Seeing her deliberately funny expression, He Hongmei couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.

It would be a lie to say she wasn't heartbroken. Acute gastroenteritis is no minor illness; it's incredibly troublesome, especially when it happens in a foreign place. Thinking about it, He Hongmei felt that her daughter was very wise and intelligent. She knew to find such a handsome and smart young man when she was dating. It's rare for her to have bad luck outside, like when she had a car accident in high school, she was able to turn misfortune into blessing and have benefactors help her.

She's so popular, her roommates are concerned, her friends help her, her boyfriend is always there for her, and even her husband happened to be in City C, so her daughter doesn't have to pay for her medical expenses at all. She can't even hide the money from me. How amazing is that!

She couldn't help but feel a surge of maternal pride.

Cheng Sijie understood her mother perfectly; she could tell from her mother's expression that the matter was settled. Her mother didn't mind, and her father was very agreeable.

Sure enough, He Hongmei immediately perked up, sat on the hospital bed, and directed Cheng Jianjun to fetch more hot water—

Although there was still half a kettle of hot water left, the couple still needed to find something to do, otherwise they would feel uncomfortable!