Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a soft glow on the sleeping girl’s face. In the stillness of sleep, the sharp defiance that usually marked her features had melted away, leaving her looking delicate and vulnerable.
The door to the hospital room opened from the outside. Hearing the noise, the girl’s long, dark lashes trembled slightly before she slowly opened her eyes.
“You’re awake?”
Chu Jiyu had just woken up and hadn’t even had time to see who had entered before she heard a low, gentle male voice tinged with concern.
She lifted her gaze slightly and saw Mu Liuyin placing a bowl of white porridge and some steamed buns on the table. Remembering that it was he who had brought her to the hospital last night, Chu Jiyu tightened her right hand around the blanket, feeling a mix of emotions she couldn’t quite define.
Mu Liuyin, not receiving a response, finished setting up breakfast and glanced at her with curiosity. He saw Chu Jiyu lower her head slightly before whispering, “Thank you.”
Mu Liuyin reached out and ruffled her hair. It was soft and pleasant to the touch, so he couldn’t resist stroking it a few more times. Satisfied, he said, “Good girl.”
Chu Jiyu: “……”
Instantly, she lost all desire to talk to him.
Mu Liuyin inserted a straw into the cup of porridge and handed it to her, making sure she used the hand that wasn’t connected to an IV.
She sipped the porridge slowly, her gaze drifting toward Mu Liuyin. She noticed the faint dark circles under his eyes and asked, “Did you stay up all night watching over me?”
Mu Liuyin lifted his chin slightly and said, “Of course.” Then, after a pause, he cleared his throat and admitted, “Ahem, but if I hadn’t driven you home on my electric scooter last night and let you catch a chill, you wouldn’t have gotten sick in the first place. So, no need to be too grateful to your teacher.”
A vein twitched on Chu Jiyu’s forehead. Whatever trace of gratitude she had been feeling instantly vanished after hearing his smug words.
Not worth talking to.
After finishing her porridge, Chu Jiyu remembered how the young teacher had suddenly appeared at the fight last night. She asked, “How did you happen to be there yesterday? Don’t tell me it was just a coincidence.”
Mu Liuyin handed her a bun and grinned. “It was just a coincidence.”
Chu Jiyu didn’t believe him. But since he had stayed up all night watching over her, she decided to let it slide.
After they finished breakfast, a nurse came in to change the IV bag and redress her wounds before leaving.
“I want to be discharged,” Chu Jiyu said.
Mu Liuyin raised an eyebrow. “Do you even know how to change your bandages?”
Chu Jiyu scoffed. “Of course I do.”
She had been in enough fights to learn how.
Mu Liuyin sighed. “At least finish this last IV bag.”
Chu Jiyu fell silent.
Then, Mu Liuyin added, “I called your dad yesterday.”
Her expression darkened. “Why would you do that?”
“His daughter is sick. Shouldn’t a parent at least come to see her?”
Chu Jiyu’s voice turned cold. “He’s no parent of mine.”
Ever since her mother passed away, he hadn’t cared about her at all.
Mu Liuyin gently patted her head. “He didn’t pick up.”
The anger in her eyes dimmed. After a long pause, she said quietly, “He’s never cared about me.”
Mu Liuyin froze, his heart aching for her.
Even though she already knew the full story, she couldn’t show it in front of Chu Jiyu. All she could do was take things one step at a time, trying to slowly open the girl’s heart—though in doing so, she couldn’t avoid reopening old wounds.
For some reason, Chu Jiyu felt an unfamiliar urge to confide in him. She turned her head to gaze out the window and spoke softly. “My mom died when I was six. Less than four months after she passed, that man remarried. His new wife brought along a daughter the same age as me.”
“You know what’s funny?” She let out a cold chuckle. “That girl was supposedly his stepdaughter. But in reality, she was my half-sister.”
A bitter smile tugged at her lips.
A warm hand rested gently on her head, and a soft voice said, “From now on, I’ll take care of you.”
Chu Jiyu’s heart skipped a beat. Her ears turned slightly red as an unfamiliar emotion spread through her chest.
Mu Liuyin immediately regretted his words. They sounded too ambiguous. But after thinking it over, she reasoned that it was only natural for a teacher to take care of a student. So, she decided not to panic.
Once Chu Jiyu finished her IV, Mu Liuyin picked up her prescribed medicine and bandages before handling her discharge paperwork.
As they left the hospital, Mu Liuyin carried the medicine in one hand and casually took hold of Chu Jiyu’s hand with the other.
His palm was warm. But for someone who had never been held by the hand before, it felt awkward. She instinctively tried to pull away but couldn’t break free.
Feeling her fingers twitching in his grasp, Mu Liuyin said, “Stop fussing.”
Chu Jiyu: “……”
Fine. Since he cared so much, she’d let him hold her hand. Just this once.
They took a taxi back to her home.
Once inside, Chu Jiyu pointed to the couch. “Sit.”
Mu Liuyin glanced at the sofa and coffee table, both covered in a thin layer of dust. His gaze swept around the apartment, and he realized the whole place had been neglected.
“How long has it been since you last came home?”
Chu Jiyu turned away, coughing awkwardly. “…I don’t know.”
Most of her time was spent in internet cafés and bars. Aside from sleeping, she rarely came home. Even though she was used to being alone, she still preferred places filled with people. This house was too empty, too lifeless. She had never thought of it as home. Ever since her mother passed, she had no home.
Seeing the faint sorrow in her expression, Mu Liuyin sighed and started cleaning up.
Fortunately, since Chu Jiyu barely stayed here, there wasn’t much trash. He just needed to wipe off the dust and clean the kitchen.
Two hours later, Mu Liuyin collapsed onto the now spotless couch like a lord enjoying his domain. She nudged Chu Jiyu with her elbow and said, “I’m hungry.”
Chu Jiyu glanced at the empty fridge, picked up her phone, and asked, “What do you want to eat?”
Mu Liuyin shot her a look. “Why are you grabbing your phone?”
Chu Jiyu gave her a look as if she were an idiot and replied matter-of-factly, “To order takeout.”
Mu Liuyin scoffed. “…I don’t eat takeout.”
Chu Jiyu rolled her eyes. “Then what do you want?”
Instead of answering, Mu Liuyin grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her outside to buy groceries. Fortunately, there was a supermarket downstairs, so they didn’t have to go far.
Back home, Chu Jiyu was about to step into the kitchen to cook. After all, Mu Liuyin was still her teacher, and he had taken care of her in the hospital all night. Even if her cooking wasn’t the best, it was the least she could do.
But the moment they entered the kitchen, Mu Liuyin immediately shooed her out. “Your arm is still injured. What are you doing cooking? Go rest.”
Chu Jiyu wanted to argue, but when she saw the concern hidden in his eyes, she obediently left. Unknowingly, the corners of her lips curled up slightly.
When Mu Liuyin finished cooking, Chu Jiyu took a bite and silently thanked her past self for not insisting on making the meal. She hadn’t expected Mu Liuyin’s cooking to be this good.
While that thought lingered in her mind, she didn’t hold back her praise.
Mu Liuyin, clearly pleased with himself, grinned. “I’ll cook for you again next time.”
Chu Jiyu’s chopsticks paused mid-air. She realized that once Mu Liuyin left later, she had no idea when he’d cook for her again.
As if reading her mind, Mu Liuyin reminded her, “Chu Jiyu, I’m giving you two more days off to recover. But once you’re better, make sure you come back to school. Understood?”
Chu Jiyu, feeling a little guilty, remembered how she had skipped class for three days. But thinking about the reason she had skipped in the first place, she got annoyed. “Then you’re not allowed to throw chalk at me anymore!”
Mu Liuyin chuckled. “As long as you don’t sleep in class, I promise I won’t.”
Chu Jiyu: “…”
She muttered, “Even if I don’t sleep, I still won’t understand the lessons.”
Mu Liuyin sighed. Considering that Chu Jiyu had neglected her studies for over two years, it was going to be a challenge. However, he also recalled her past academic performance—always ranking among the top in the school. She was intelligent and naturally gifted.
After some thought, he said, “I looked up your old grades. You used to be one of the top students. Even though you’ve been out of practice, it’s not too late to catch up.”
Chu Jiyu had a bad feeling about this.
Sure enough, Mu Liuyin smiled and declared, “Starting today, I’ll tutor you.”
Chu Jiyu immediately resisted. “I have no interest in studying, thank you.”
Mu Liuyin countered, “If you don’t study, how are you going to take over the Chu Corporation in the future?”
Chu Jiyu fell silent. “He’s not going to let me inherit it.”
“That’s exactly why you need to study even more. Just because he won’t hand it to you, doesn’t mean you can’t fight for it yourself,” Mu Liuyin said, his voice tinged with irritation. No one had ever protected her, and now she had given up on herself, too. No wonder, in the original story, her fate had ended up that way.
He continued, “If I remember correctly, the Chu Corporation used to be called the Su Corporation, right? Are you willing to let your father’s illegitimate daughter inherit what should have been yours?”
Chu Jiyu suddenly slammed her chopsticks onto the table, her expression darkening. Mu Liuyin realized he had gone too far and immediately regretted it.
Softening his tone, he said, “You are the rightful heiress of the Su family. Even if he refuses to acknowledge you, that doesn’t change the fact that you carry his blood.”
Chu Jiyu gave him a strange look but didn’t say anything. She could sense that Mu Liuyin had no ill intentions toward her.
Seeing the way he was looking at her—waiting expectantly for a response—she asked, “Teacher, why are you so good to me?”
Ever since her grandfather and mother had passed away, Mu Liuyin was the first person to truly care about her.
Mu Liuyin replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, “Because I’m your teacher, of course.”
Chu Jiyu lowered her head, smiling. Only a fool would believe that.
But for now, she was willing to be that fool.
“Won’t it be a hassle for you? You have to teach during the day and tutor me at night,” she said.
Mu Liuyin grinned. “Not at all.”
Chu Jiyu tilted her head, deep in thought, then suggested, “Then why don’t you move in with me? That way, you won’t have to waste time going back and forth.”
Her apartment had three bedrooms and was spacious enough for the two of them.
Mu Liuyin’s heart leaped at the idea—living under the same roof as Chu Jiyu would make completing his mission so much easier. However, he quickly put on a serious expression. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll try something inappropriate?”
Inviting a man to live with her so casually—did she have no sense of danger at all?
Chu Jiyu blinked innocently. “I feel even less safe being alone.”
Mu Liuyin hesitated but eventually accepted the explanation.
Little did she know that Chu Jiyu’s real thought was: This annoying teacher couldn’t beat me in a fight anyway.
Yes, that had to be the reason.
It wasn’t because she was touched by his concern for her.
Absolutely not.
lazyfujoshy On CFRFGC Chapter 87