Hospital
Restroom
Hey, hey, hey~
Su Cheng was currently rinsing his mouth at the sink, while Li Guanqi had gone to check her blood sugar.
Although Su Cheng enjoyed sweet, sour, and spicy flavors, combining all three at once was still quite unpleasant.
No sooner had he stepped out of the restroom than he felt nauseous again, letting out an involuntary dry heave.
But it wasn’t a big deal; he could tough it out.
Just then, a pregnant woman walked past him from the adjacent women’s restroom. She glanced at Su Cheng, a faint, almost eerie smile playing on her lips.
"Young man, eating some oranges can help with nausea in situations like this, you know~"
She spoke in a tone that suggested she’d been through it all before.
But the mere mention of oranges was the last straw for Su Cheng. He tore off his mask and bolted back into the restroom.
"Ah, young people these days have such weak constitutions. Can’t even handle a little discomfort," the woman muttered, shaking her head with a look of disdain.
Some time later…
Su Cheng emerged, wiping his mouth with a tissue. Another woman walked out of the restroom at the same time and, upon seeing him, immediately took a few steps back, giving him a strange look.
Who wipes their mouth after coming out of the restroom?
It almost looked like he’d just left a restaurant.
She couldn’t help but think there was something seriously wrong with him.
Su Cheng noticed the odd look but didn’t pay it any mind. He calmly put his mask back on and began washing his hands at the sink, humming a little tune to ease the awkwardness.
However, the elderly woman next to him, who was also washing her hands, suddenly gave him a look of utter disgust.
To her, it seemed like he was trying to cover up the fact that he’d just eaten something unmentionable.
She quickly finished washing her hands and hurried away.
Su Cheng shrugged, unfazed, and continued washing his hands. Once done, he sat down on a hospital bench to wait.
It’s worth noting that Li Guanqi’s bag was now slung diagonally across his shoulder.
Not long after, Li Guanqi walked out, her face pale and looking even weaker than she had that morning.
Probably because of the blood draw?
Su Cheng didn’t dwell on it. He immediately went up to her, helping her sit down on the bench.
"How did it go?" he asked, furrowing his brow.
Though he tried to hide it, he was a little nervous.
Li Guanqi nodded. "The results will be out at ten."
"Okay," Su Cheng replied, then asked, "Should we go grab something to eat now?"
"I need to use the restroom first," Li Guanqi said as she stood up.
As she did, she noticed an elderly woman staring at them from a distance, but she didn’t pay it much attention.
Ever since she and Su Cheng started holding hands, such looks had become commonplace.
"Alright," Su Cheng said, watching her walk into the restroom.
But as soon as Li Guanqi entered the restroom, the elderly woman suddenly approached her.
"Was that young man your friend?" the woman asked.
"Can I help you, ma’am?" Li Guanqi replied, her tone calm but her eyes filled with curiosity as she studied the old woman. She had noticed the woman’s gaze lingering on her and Su Cheng earlier.
The elderly woman leaned in and whispered, "Don’t you think your boyfriend is a bit… strange?"
"Strange?" Li Guanqi frowned, wondering if Su Cheng had accidentally revealed some special ability in front of her.
But she shook her head, indicating she didn’t know what the woman meant.
Seeing this, the old woman continued, "Your friend has a very disgusting habit!"
"A disgusting habit?"
By now, Li Guanqi had a pretty good idea of what the woman was referring to.
It was probably because Su Cheng had eaten some bizarre concoction earlier, which had unsettled the old woman.
The elderly woman looked at Li Guanqi with a serious expression and whispered, "He was eating… feces in the restroom just now!"
"…What?"
Li Guanqi’s eyes widened in shock, and she froze in place.
But to the old woman, Li Guanqi’s expression remained calm and unshaken.
The woman’s heart sank.
This girl didn’t seem shocked or even suspicious.
Instead, she looked completely unfazed.
In that moment, the elderly woman took a few steps back.
She was now convinced that this girl shared the same disgusting habit.
Li Guanqi, recovering from her initial shock, looked at the old woman with a mix of confusion and suspicion.
"Well, birds of a feather flock together!" the woman muttered to herself as she turned and walked away.
Li Guanqi watched her retreating figure, feeling a sense of absurdity.
After a while, she walked out of the restroom and spotted Su Cheng sitting on a bench not far away. She made her way over to him.
"Let’s go," she said.
Su Cheng nodded, and the two of them walked out of the hospital hand in hand.
She didn’t mention what had just happened, unsure how Su Cheng would react if he found out someone had insulted them.
She didn’t want him to do anything rash…
With that in mind, they headed to a nearby restaurant.
After a quick meal, they returned to the hospital.
The test results were ready.
Su Cheng held the report in his hand, carefully reading its contents. Beside him, Li Guanqi sat with her head bowed, her hands resting on her knees. Though her face was expressionless, her tension was palpable.
She had already seen the report earlier.
The blood sugar level read: 6.3 mmol/L.
This was slightly above the normal range.
The normal fasting blood sugar range is 3.9–6.0 mmol/L.
"It’s not too bad…" Su Cheng thought to himself, feeling a wave of relief. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of fear. It was good they had caught it early. With some exercise and dietary adjustments, her levels could return to normal.
If they had ignored it, the consequences could have been dire.
He glanced at Li Guanqi, who seemed to sense his gaze and looked up at him. But after a brief moment, she lowered her head again.
She seemed to know what he was about to say.
But Su Cheng didn’t say anything. Instead, he stood up and held out his hand, signaling for her to take it.
Without hesitation, Li Guanqi placed her hand in his, and the two of them walked out of the hospital together.
As they walked, Li Guanqi couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Su Cheng hadn’t said a word.
Eventually, they sat down on a secluded bench in a small garden outside the hospital. Suddenly, Su Cheng pulled out a cake and handed it to her.
"Is this okay?" he asked.
Li Guanqi looked at the cake in surprise, her eyes flickering with a mix of shock and curiosity.
"It’s fine," Su Cheng said with a smile.
Li Guanqi hesitated for a moment before taking the cake. Still, she looked at him uncertainly and asked, "Are you sure it’s okay?"
"Just promise me you won’t skip gym class anymore," Su Cheng said, his tone serious, his eyes filled with a hint of reproach.
Li Guanqi nodded solemnly.
"Okay, I understand," she said, then split the cake in half, giving one piece to Su Cheng and keeping the other for herself.
"You have some too," she said.
"Alright," Su Cheng replied, taking a bite.
The sweetness spread across his tongue, and a bit of cream stuck to the corner of his mouth. Li Guanqi watched him for a moment, then licked her lips and took a bite as well.
Some time later…
After they finished eating, their eyes met.
Both noticed the cream at the corners of each other’s mouths. Su Cheng quickly pulled a tissue from his pocket, intending to hand it to Li Guanqi.
Since her bag was with Su Cheng, she didn’t have her own tissues.
But before he could give her the tissue, Li Guanqi reached out with a slender, jade-like finger and gently wiped the cream from his mouth.
The gesture was so tender that Su Cheng looked up, meeting her gentle gaze. For a moment, he was stunned, his breath catching in his throat.
Their eyes locked, and in that instant, something unspoken passed between them.
Then, Li Guanqi brought the finger she had used to wipe the cream to her lips and lightly sucked on it.
The sight was undeniably alluring…
Su Cheng swallowed hard, thinking to himself that he couldn’t just keep being the one being teased.
If he did, he’d turn into the kind of protagonist Li Guanqi often joked about from those anime and manga stories.
So, he tucked the tissue back into his pocket and reached out with his own finger, aiming for the corner of her mouth.
Li Guanqi’s body trembled slightly, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she tilted her head up slightly, allowing him to proceed.
Su Cheng's fingers touched the corner of her lips, then gently brushed against them. During this, he held his breath, waiting until all the cream had stuck to his fingers before withdrawing them and slowly bringing them to his mouth.
Both of their gazes were fixed on that finger.
Su Cheng's eyes were filled with tension, while Li Guanqi's eyes flickered with a hint of panic.
Soon, the finger entered his mouth.
Sucking...
A unique and peculiar cream flavor spread throughout his body.
"Brother, weren't you supposed to take me out for a big meal? Why did we change direction?"
"What's the point of eating now? I'm already full!"
A sudden conversation between a pair of brothers passing by instantly shattered the ambiguous atmosphere between the two, making them both feel a bit awkward.
"Ahem."
Su Cheng cleared his throat awkwardly, pretending nothing had happened, and looked at Li Guanqi, asking, "Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"
Li Guanqi's eyes flickered, and she replied, "How about shopping at the mall?"
………………
**Mall**
The two took a bus to the mall they had visited last time—the same mall where they had gone shopping with Gu Ruoxue and Li Zhaohao.
Hand in hand, they navigated through the bustling mall. Amid the noisy crowd, they didn't talk much, simply walking, stopping, and looking around without buying anything.
"Let's sit at that café over there."
Su Cheng noticed that Li Guanqi seemed tired from the physical exertion, so he pointed to a nearby air-conditioned café and suggested it to her.
Li Guanqi nodded.
They found a seat by the window and sat down.
Since it was only 11 a.m., not even close to afternoon tea time, the café was sparsely populated, but the aroma of coffee still wafted through the air.
"What would you like to drink?"
"You can decide."
Li Guanqi shook her head because the drinks she wanted weren't allowed, so she left it to Su Cheng to choose.
"Two unsweetened lemon black teas."
Su Cheng glanced at the menu and casually ordered.
"Okay."
The server left to prepare the drinks.
Soon, the black teas were served.
The tea, infused with a special artificial fragrance, emitted a subtle aroma that made one want to take a few extra sniffs.
As they enjoyed their tea, they occasionally glanced out the window at the bustling mall, where the laughter of children could be heard from time to time. It was a strangely pleasant feeling.
"By the way, let's have lunch here?"
Su Cheng suggested.
"Sure."
"Then I'll take a look at the menu."
Su Cheng picked up the menu and started flipping through it.
Li Guanqi quietly watched him.
"Huh, foreign dumplings?"
Su Cheng frowned.
Li Guanqi immediately picked up her own menu, curious.
After glancing at the ingredients listed...
The two exchanged a look and nodded in agreement.
They then left the café together. As soon as they stepped outside, Su Cheng couldn't help but comment, "If they pour yogurt mixed with garlic paste over beef dumplings, are those dumplings even edible?"
"Absolutely not."
Li Guanqi nodded in agreement.
They found a handmade dumpling shop, and this time Su Cheng didn't order anything else—he vengefully ordered beef dumplings.
After finishing their meal, they wandered around the mall for a while longer until it was time for afternoon tea.
They entered a nearby café.
The café had wicker chairs and small tables for people to rest. After sitting down, they ordered two regular black teas.
"There's something I need your help figuring out."
Su Cheng decided to tell Li Guanqi about what had happened the day before yesterday.
He couldn't make sense of it on his own.
So, his "third power" was about to be activated!
"Hmm?"
Li Guanqi sat up straight, ready to listen attentively.
Su Cheng then recounted the entire story from start to finish.
After hearing it, Li Guanqi's brows furrowed, and she fell into a deep silence.
After a long while—
She finally looked up at Su Cheng and asked seriously, "Since you gave her two cigarettes, and she used one, what happened to the other one?"
She posed a question that Su Cheng had never considered before.
So, his eyes widened in realization.
Because the other cigarette was most likely used on the steward of the Ji family. This was a complication stemming from Ji Qingyi's recent outing.
And the senior had said she would handle it.
Therefore, the other cigarette was probably used for this purpose.
If she used it on the steward...
At this thought, Su Cheng felt as if a fog had lifted, though the mystery in his heart was not yet fully resolved.
It was possible that this collaboration between master and servant was related to the steward. This speculation was not without merit.
If it was used, secrets must have been extracted...
And those secrets could very well be the trigger for this incident...
Thinking this, his expression turned serious for a moment, but then he quickly regained his composure.
Because the situation was starting to take shape.
Although he wouldn't use tools on acquaintances, outsiders might not hesitate.
So he decided to personally visit the Ji family!
And his intuition told him...
If he could find this steward, he could unravel the entire story!
The only problem was that these stewards carried small guns.
That was troublesome...
The last time he used a cigarette to control a steward, he had noticed a handgun.
However, the next moment—
Su Cheng suddenly stood up in shock.
His expression was one of intense emotion, his eyes filled with disbelief and astonishment.
Because as he thought about what preparations he needed to make, he instinctively remembered the bulletproof vest Gu Ruoxue had given him...