Chapter 39

Chapter 39

◎Almost... sigh... ◎

Word of Meng Qi's illness got around fast.

Perhaps due to the infamous reputation of the "Meng Qi" in the book, there were simply too many people in the capital who knew him. Trying to keep it a secret was truly impossible, especially since Meng Qi himself had no intention of hiding it.

Just the day after Meng Qi returned from the hospital, Kuang Hui and Dong Jiaming came by with gifts.

The gift was so large it genuinely had to be carried.

It was an enormous Lingzhi mushroom, its cap two full circles larger than Kuang Hui's head. When the live-in housekeeper opened the door to welcome them inside, she tried to take the Lingzhi to store in the kitchen but nearly threw her back out. She probably hadn't expected the thing to be so dense; it didn't look that heavy but actually weighed a good six or seven jin (around 3-3.5 kilos).

In the end, the housekeeper directed Kuang Hui to carry it to the kitchen himself.

Although Kuang Hui had carried it over, he wasn't the one who bought it. At most, he was just the pack mule, Dong Jiaming's free labor. The actual ownership of this Lingzhi belonged to Dong Jiaming.

Last time, when Dong Jiaming tried to take Meng Qi's pulse but couldn't quite figure it out, he spent a long time on the phone that evening talking to his grandfather. Not long after, Dong Jiaming received this Lingzhi, personally packaged and sent by his grandfather, with instructions to give it to Meng Qi to nourish his health.

Besides genuinely caring about Meng Qi's well-being, the old man had another, deeper intention: to use this opportunity to pave the way for his grandson in the capital.

But the friendships of youth aren't as laced with practical concerns as those of adults. When Dong Jiaming received the Lingzhi, he was genuinely happy. Such a large mushroom not only took care of the courtesy aspect and helped build connections, but its flesh was also thick, clearly indicating its potent medicinal effects. Even if Meng Qi only ate one-tenth of it, it would likely have him bouncing back to health.

Therefore, Dong Jiaming called Kuang Hui over, thinking to give half to him, since Meng Qi probably couldn't finish it all anyway.

"Thank you for thinking of me, but my body is rock solid. I don't need any tonics. You should keep it for yourself," Kuang Hui said, crossing his legs and refusing Dong Jiaming with a smug look.

*What an idiot who can't recognize a treasure when he sees one*, Dong Jiaming thought, too lazy to persuade him further. Coincidentally, he had heard from others that Meng Qi had managed to land himself in the hospital, so he dragged the "rock solid" Kuang Hui along as free labor to carry the Lingzhi to Meng Qi's house.

Meng Qi felt too sheepish to accept such a valuable gift.

No matter how much his current persona was that of a well-traveled, wealthy heir, at heart he was still that poor kid who hadn't seen much of the world.

Although he had never seen the real forms of Lingzhi, ginseng, or deer antler velvet growing up, he had heard stories about them. He knew these things were both rare and considered to have spirit, truly difficult to find even one or two pieces, let alone one of such enormous size. It was probably the ancestor of all Lingzhi mushrooms. What virtue did he possess to deserve eating such a thing...?

After some thought, he tactfully refused Dong Jiaming. "Take it back for your grandfather to use in medicine. It's so big; giving it to me to eat would be such a waste."

"It's not like you have to eat it all at once. This stuff doesn't spoil. You can eat it slowly for the rest of your life. If you can't finish it yourself, pass it on to your descendants to keep eating," Kuang Hui chimed in, speaking up for Dong Jiaming to persuade Meng Qi. On one hand, he genuinely wanted Meng Qi to keep it for his health; on the other hand... he probably didn't want to carry the thing back.

Meng Qi knew Kuang Hui meant well, and he appreciated the sentiment. But when he heard the phrase "pass it on to your descendants," he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

In this illusory world, could he even have descendants? A pipe dream! Being able to live without illness or disaster was already good enough; he dared not entertain other wild ideas.

Meng Qi shook his head helplessly at Kuang Hui, then turned back to Dong Jiaming. "Leaving it for your grandfather to use in medicine could save more people. Leaving it for me would truly be squandering a treasure."

"If it saves even one life, it's worth its value. Don't worry about the world; worry about yourself first," Dong Jiaming said, gesturing for Meng Qi to extend his left hand so he could try taking his pulse again. But he didn't stop talking. "My grandfather has a special storeroom for medicinal ingredients. The Lingzhi stored inside might be more numerous than the rice in your house. The largest one weighs over ten jin. The one I'm giving you probably wouldn't even qualify as a grandchild in front of that big one."

Meng Qi's eyes slowly widened as he tried to imagine how big a ten-plus-jin wild Lingzhi must be. Had it already achieved spiritual sentience?

Dong Jiaming took Meng Qi's right hand to continue feeling his pulse. "So, just accept it with peace of mind. If you don't believe me, come visit my house another day. I'll take you to see my grandfather's medicinal storeroom. Then you'll know if I'm lying or not."

"You're something else, Dong Jiaming! And I considered you a sworn brother! I've been to your house three times, and you never once took me to see Grandpa's medicine storeroom!" Kuang Hui got worked up, running over to grab Dong Jiaming's shoulders and shake him.

Dong Jiaming leaned forward, struggling free from Kuang Hui's clutches with difficulty, then explained with a smile, "In your eyes, wouldn't they just be a pile of firewood? Are you sure you want to see?"

"Even if they're firewood, they're top-tier firewood! How dare you make the decision for me without even asking? I want to see!" After hearing Dong Jiaming's explanation, Kuang Hui was not appeased and grew even angrier.

Dong Jiaming paused, then apologized to Kuang Hui. "My mistake. I'll take you to see it next time too."

"That's more like it. I forgive you."

Kuang Hui deflated like a pufferfish thrown aside, instantly making up and being buddy-buddy with Dong Jiaming again.

With their interruption, Meng Qi didn't feel right bringing up the Lingzhi again. Since Dong Jiaming had put it that way, perhaps in his eyes, this six or seven jin Lingzhi really wasn't considered particularly valuable.

*Another hidden heavy-hitter. The "Meng Qi" in the book really was surrounded by hidden talents...*

Realizing this, Meng Qi didn't feel the urge to worship Dong Jiaming. After all, the "Meng Qi" in the book had a significant status here too. What he really wanted to worship now was the author of this novel. *What a massive imagination, the universe can't contain it.*

With Kuang Hui settled down, Dong Jiaming could finally concentrate on taking Meng Qi's pulse. His index and middle fingers kept moving back and forth on Meng Qi's left and right wrists. Meng Qi didn't feel uncomfortable at all. In contrast, when Ren Suiyi had merely touched the very tip of his finger, he had felt like his whole body was covered in prickly hairs, unbearably uncomfortable.

Thus, Meng Qi confirmed once again that he and Ren Suiyi truly had incompatible magnetic fields, with an incompatibility rate of one hundred percent.

While Meng Qi was distracted with his thoughts, Dong Jiaming made a "tsk tsk" sound, his brows furrowing into a knot, looking very puzzled.

Meng Qi's heart instantly leapt into his throat again.

He deeply suspected there was something invisible around him that had tied a rope to his heart, periodically lifting his little heart up to play with it.

Rolling his eyes at his own ridiculous thought, Meng Qi looked at Dong Jiaming anxiously.

"Did you follow the blood-nourishing diet I wrote for you?" Dong Jiaming relaxed his brows and asked Meng Qi calmly.

But the more he acted like nothing was wrong, the more worried Meng Qi became. Nervous, he hurriedly explained to Dong Jiaming. "Not yet. There was a bit of a misunderstanding when I told my housekeeper about it, so it got delayed. Since you're here, I'll call her over, and you can explain it to her directly."

"What misunderstanding?" Kuang Hui perked up his ears, eager for gossip.

Meng Qi was at a loss for words.

This misunderstanding wasn't easy to explain; it was somewhat embarrassing.

But seeing Kuang Hui looking at him with keen interest, he didn't want to disappoint his friend. After thinking for a moment, he gave him the abridged version and explained the cause and effect.

However, about how that box of birth control pills ended up in his pocket, he didn't tell the truth. His version was that he found it on the street. He had intended to throw it in a trash can at the time, but he didn't see a single trash can along the way and later forgot about it.

"Pfft, that's all? If you ask me, you're just too nice to your servant. If it were me, I'd just order her to do it. How could I let her get the upper hand?" Kuang Hui curled his lip, seeming a bit exasperated with Meng Qi for being too soft.

It wasn't just kindness towards this live-in housekeeper; Meng Qi was kind to all elderly uncles and aunties, unable to bring himself to speak harshly. This was because he had grown up relying only on his grandparents. Over time, he naturally developed a positive filter for other elderly people.

But this reason wasn't easy to explain to Kuang Hui either, so Meng Qi could only smile and say nothing.

However, he was so focused on talking to Kuang Hui that he didn't notice Dong Jiaming's eyes darkening slightly upon hearing the words "birth control pills." Dong Jiaming looked at him with an expression of wanting to say something but hesitating. Later, probably thinking his own train of thought was too far-fetched, he shook his head and smiled, his expression returning to normal.

So when Meng Qi looked over, he saw a composed Dong Jiaming nodding at him. "I'll personally instruct your housekeeper later. Don't worry."

Meng Qi's heart quivered before settling uneasily back into his chest.

Kuang Hui and Dong Jiaming hadn't come early. After everyone shot the breeze for a while, Meng Qi saw it was almost lunchtime and invited them to stay for the meal. Kuang Hui was delighted, jumping up and dashing out. "Then I'll go next door and play some games first. Call me when the food's ready."

Dong Jiaming called out from behind him, "Did you come to see Meng Qi or that game console?"

"Of course to see Meng Qi, and to check on that beloved game console on the side." Before he finished his second sentence, Kuang Hui had already vanished, leaving Meng Qi and Dong Jiaming looking at each other.

Dong Jiaming thought for a moment, then suddenly asked Meng Qi, "What tests did they do at the hospital yesterday? Do you have any reports?"

Meng Qi was taken aback, then shook his head. "After I described what happened, the doctor pressed on my stomach, then drew blood for tests. After that, he told me there was inflammation in my body and prescribed medicine for gastroenteritis. No other tests were done, so I only have a blood test report. Do you want to see it?"

"Then no need. I thought they would have done a full abdominal CT scan. I wanted to see the abdominal CT report."

"The doctor did suggest I get an abdominal ultrasound, but by the time he mentioned it, my stomach had already stopped hurting, so I didn't go through with it," Meng Qi said, his expression uneasy as he fixed his eyes on Dong Jiaming's. He asked hesitantly, "What's wrong? Is there another issue?"

"I just wanted to use the hospital's report to verify the accuracy of my pulse reading, that's all. There's no other problem," Dong Jiaming explained with a smile, then reassured Meng Qi, "If there were any issues, I'd tell you. Relax and get some rest."

Just as Meng Qi was about to ask more, the doorbell rang. They both stopped talking and looked toward the door.

The live-in housekeeper happened to be passing by the entryway and opened the door almost immediately, without making the visitor wait.

To the live-in housekeeper, the person standing outside was a stranger.

If Meng Qi had been there, he would have recognized the man right away—Qi Yun.

"Author's Note"

Well, things are about to get lively—perfect for a game of mahjong...