Chapter 37

Chapter 37

◎The Uninvited Guest◎

Meng Qi's expression instantly shifted from relaxed and joyful to one hard to describe, tinged with a subtle hint of nervousness. He was nervous about being the guinea pig.

Seeing this, Xiao Yueya gave an awkward smile and explained to Meng Qi, "You know, Meng, with the birth rate getting lower and lower, it's become increasingly difficult for after-school programs like ours to recruit new students. Sometimes we can't enroll a single new student for an entire month. So, the management decided to start offering adult classes this month. As luck would have it, you're the first adult to sign up... I guess you could say it was meant to be."

As a high school student preparing for the college entrance exams, Meng Qi had been closely following major domestic and international events since his first year to ensure his awareness of current events remained sharp. This helped him articulate his viewpoints at a high level in his exam essays, impressing the graders and earning high scores. So, Meng Qi knew that in the real world, the birth rate was indeed declining. He just hadn't expected this situation to be mirrored in the fictional world—how weird was that?

Meng Qi nodded in acceptance of Xiao Yueya's explanation, but he couldn't help feeling some concern. "Teacher Xiao, are you sure you can teach someone like me?"

"Why not? You're definitely smarter than a child, right?" Xiao Yueya immediately retorted. Without waiting for Meng Qi's response, she leaned in closer and whispered, "Besides the courses arranged by our institution, I can also give you private tutoring. Don't worry, I won't charge you extra."

Meng Qi furrowed his brows and looked at Xiao Yueya, wondering what her angle was.

"You live in Building 7, and I live in Building 11. We're neighbors! After I finish my four classes each day, I can go home, and the rest of the time is my own. I can easily spare some time to tutor you. That way, I won't be bored, and you can make faster progress."

No wonder Xiao Yueya was so familiar with the roads in this area—she lived nearby too. It clicked for Meng Qi.

"Most importantly, once I successfully teach you, our institution will have a success story for adult training. That will attract more people to sign up in the future," Xiao Yueya added.

Meng Qi suddenly realized he was being used as a guinea pig. No wonder she had given him half off right away...

Xiao Yueya led Meng Qi to the window and pointed through the glass at a pink electric scooter parked on the ground below. She said with some pride, "That's my ride. It only takes six minutes to get from here to our neighborhood. It's super convenient. Next time before you come for class, just give me a call, and I'll come pick you up. That way, you won't have to ride a shared bike."

Meng Qi thanked Xiao Yueya while secretly thinking, *Are training institutions struggling this much nowadays? They'll go to any lengths to retain customers.*

After touring the training center, Meng Qi was taken by Xiao Yueya to a classroom filled with easels. Xiao Yueya pointed to the dozen or so easels and said, "Meng, pick one. Pick one and we'll get started."

Meng Qi chose the easel near the window. At that moment, there was still a watercolor painting on the easel that hadn't been taken down yet—likely the work of the previous student. It depicted a short, stubby little figure with a round head. The circles weren't quite round, the lines weren't quite straight, and it looked very childlike.

"This is what Nuan Nuan drew—her little brother. Chubby cheeks, plump little hands, and short legs. Isn't it adorable?" Xiao Yueya asked Meng Qi as she took the painting down.

Meng Qi wasn't so sure but kept his mouth shut.

In his eyes, this was just a weird little figure. He couldn't connect this painting, which looked more like a little monster, to a real child. At the same time, he worried about his poor imagination and whether someone with so little could really learn to paint well.

"A child's imagination knows no bounds. Their imaginations are richer than adults'. Don't worry about imagination, Meng. You just need to learn how to accurately express what you see first. Once you're proficient, the imagination you've lost will naturally come back to you."

*Hopefully*, Meng Qi thought with mixed emotions as he sat behind the easel, beginning his first real painting lesson.

With Xiao Yueya's personal demonstration, Meng Qi felt he could now grasp how hard to press with the brush quite well. Just as he was about to share this discovery with Xiao Yueya, a sudden, sharp pain gripped his stomach. The pain came swiftly and fiercely, and in an instant, he broke out in a cold sweat from the agony.

His sudden change frightened Xiao Yueya. Rushing down from the podium, she knocked over several easels in her haste, repeatedly calling Meng Qi's name, terrified Meng Qi might die right there in her classroom... In just a moment, she was sweating from panic too.

Gritting his teeth, Meng Qi shook his head at Xiao Yueya, wanting to say, "It's okay, don't worry," but no sound came out.

He was in real pain. Since childhood, perhaps only the time he stepped on a nail while scavenging with his grandparents had hurt this much. The pain made him want to cry out for his grandparents to come save him.

Xiao Yueya quickly positioned herself behind Meng Qi, using the strength of her arms to support the weight of his upper body and prevent his head from hitting the ground. With her other hand, she swiftly dialed the emergency number. Once connected, she calmly and methodically relayed Meng Qi's condition and the training center's address to the medical staff. After that, she immediately turned back to repeatedly call Meng Qi's name, trying to keep him from losing consciousness.

Meng Qi was still conscious. He blinked at Xiao Yueya a few times to indicate he was still awake.

Only then did Xiao Yueya truly begin to panic, on the verge of tears. "Oh my god, I'm the only one here today. Please don't scare me. I don't handle scares well."

"Gastroenteritis. It's fine," Meng Qi managed to say in a strained voice, trying to reassure Xiao Yueya through the pain.

This wasn't the first time Meng Qi had experienced stomach discomfort, but this episode was more painful than the last. He remembered that during the previous episode, Dong Jiaming had diagnosed him with gastroenteritis. So, he concluded that this was likely another gastroenteritis attack, just more sudden and severe than last time—but not life-threatening.

"Really just gastroenteritis? You're not lying to me, are you?" Xiao Yueya asked, her eyes brimming with tears.

Meng Qi continued to endure the pain and shook his head. "Not lying."

At the hospital, after a thorough examination by the medical staff, it was confirmed as an acute gastroenteritis attack. The doctor who examined Meng Qi, after inquiring about his diet before and after the onset, concluded, "It was caused by drinking cold beverages immediately after being exposed to the scorching sun. You mustn't do that again. This time it was just stomach pain. Next time, it could lead to gastric bleeding."

Both Meng Qi and Xiao Yueya nodded with lingering fear. Meng Qi resolved never to drink cold drinks like that again, and Xiao Yueya probably wouldn't casually offer cold drinks to anyone anymore.

Xiao Yueya accompanied Meng Qi through two IV drips and then carefully escorted him home. The moment she saw the live-in housekeeper, she finally let go of the anxiety she had carried all the way. She repeated the doctor's instructions word for word to the housekeeper.

Only then did the live-in housekeeper realize that, in the blink of an eye, Meng Qi had already made a trip to the hospital. Anxious, she immediately wanted to call Li Jintong to report the situation.

Meng Qi quickly stopped her. "It's a minor issue. Let's not alarm the family. I'll tell them myself in person the next time I go home."

"Alright, alright, that works too. Let me go make you a bowl of yam porridge to soothe your stomach."

The live-in housekeeper helped Meng Qi into his bedroom to lie down, poured him a glass of warm water, and watched him drink it. Then she hurried into the kitchen. Just as she found the yam, she clutched it and rushed back to the living room. Addressing Xiao Yueya, who was standing there looking around somewhat lost, she said, "You're the one who took our young master to the hospital, right? Thank you so much! Are you a friend of our young master? Please stay for dinner before you go."

"You just take good care of him. I can see he's still quite uncomfortable. I need to get back to continue my classes, so I won't stay for dinner."

"Alright then, I won't keep you from your classes. Another day, when our young master is feeling better, he can invite you over. I'll make you something delicious then."

The live-in housekeeper spoke as she escorted Xiao Yueya to the door. Just before closing it, she kept glancing at Xiao Yueya's stomach, likely mistaking her for the girl who had "taken" the contraceptive pill but found it ineffective.

In a daze, Meng Qi was fed a bowl of porridge by the live-in housekeeper. He vaguely remembered the housekeeper also giving him two pills brought back from the hospital. Those pills probably contained a sedative, as he felt even sleepier after taking them. He slept straight through until past 10 p.m.

When he opened his eyes, the clear moonlight, mingled with the dim glow of streetlights, filtered through the gaps in the curtains, laying a thin, shimmering sheet on the bedroom floor. It was a beautiful sight.

Meng Qi couldn't resist reaching out a hand, trying to touch the moonlight on the floor. However, the room was too large, and his bed was too far from the window. No matter how he stretched, he couldn't reach it.

After several unsuccessful attempts, Meng Qi gave up. Then, with his other hand, he began groping around to measure the width of the bed. As he felt around, he actually touched something.

When he first arrived in this world, he had touched Ren Suiyi's muscular arm. This time, he felt someone's thigh, separated by a layer of fabric.

It gave Meng Qi quite a fright. For a moment, he thought he had accidentally touched the live-in housekeeper...

But the thigh under his hand had a firm, muscular feel—it couldn't possibly belong to the housekeeper. Realizing this, Meng Qi first breathed a sigh of relief, but then felt that relief might have been premature. Because no matter who it was, they shouldn't be in his bedroom at this hour!

At that thought, Meng Qi abruptly turned his head to look and saw Ren Suiyi dozing off, leaning against his headboard.

Why was he here?

And he looked so sound asleep. How infuriating! It seemed the plan to lock the bedroom door must be implemented immediately!

Fuming, Meng Qi couldn't help but extend a finger and give Ren Suiyi's thigh a hard poke. Unfortunately, the other's muscles were too firm. He didn't manage to hurt Ren Suiyi, but instead twisted his own finger a bit. It hurt a little.

Great. Now he was even more annoyed...

"Author's Note"

Thank you all very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!