"My dear mother-in-law, you're too kind. Li Shu mentioned how delicious your cooking is, and I've been wanting to try it for ages," replied Madam He.
As they chatted, they soon washed their hands and sat down at the table.
After the meal, Chen Li Shu led the elderly couple to the room they had prepared for them.
It was the first room to the right of the living room, which originally belonged to Li Xiu Lan, who had temporarily moved in with Zhao Qiu Yue.
The bedsheets and bedding in the room had all been changed.
In the afternoon, the elderly couple accompanied Chen Li Shu to pick up Rui Rui from school.
The next day, the elderly couple finally had time to visit their son.
However, it was less of a visit to see He Zi Yu and more of a surprise inspection.
They had mentioned many times before for him to transfer back to the capital. Initially, he had readily agreed, but before the Lunar New Year, he suddenly claimed he had unfinished business and couldn't return for the time being.
This made the elderly couple very curious. What could possibly keep their son from obeying their wishes and insisting on staying? Thus, they hadn't informed him of their visit this time.
Refusing Chen Li Shu's company, the elderly couple took the bus to the entrance of the medical university. They asked the gatekeeper for directions to the faculty dormitory and then walked into the campus as pointed out by the guard.
Meanwhile, He Zi Yu heard a knock on the door. He straightened up, stretched, put down the pen he was holding, and went to open the door.
Standing at the door was Xu Ning, to his surprise. He still made way to let her in.
Seeing his two pieces of clothing still tossed on the stool, he felt a bit embarrassed. He quickly picked them up and threw them by the bed. "I've been busy with my thesis these past few days and haven't had time to tidy up. The room might be a bit messy."
Xu Ning didn't sit. Instead, she handed the book back to He Zi Yu. "Thank you for lending me this book. I looked everywhere for it and couldn't find it. I've finished reading it and made notes on the important parts. I have the day off today, so I took the opportunity to return it."
He Zi Yu took the book and placed it on a set of file cabinets. He turned and said, "Do you really need to be so formal with me? Even if we can't be boyfriend and girlfriend, we can at least be good friends, right?"
Hearing him mention her rejection again, Xu Ning felt a bit awkward. She forced a smile and didn't respond.
Her gaze inadvertently swept across the furnishings in the room, and she was slightly surprised.
He Zi Yu wasn't living in a single dormitory but in a separate apartment specially allocated by the school.
It was fully furnished, and even the kitchenware was complete.
He could cook for himself without needing to eat at the cafeteria.
She had visited He Zi Yu's dormitory twice before, and it had always been neatly organized and clean. However, it appeared quite messy at the moment.
The quilt on the bed was unfolded, and clothes and pants were casually strewn about. Through the kitchen door, one could see dishes piled in the sink, not yet washed.
Various books and manuscript papers were scattered on the desk by the window.
Xu Ning looked at He Zi Yu. Judging by his appearance, he likely hadn't slept, as there were dark circles under his eyes, and a faint bluish stubble was visible on his chin.
"You didn't sleep at all last night?"
He Zi Yu nodded. "I found some useful information these past couple of days and wanted to organize it as soon as possible."
Xu Ning continued, "Then you didn't eat breakfast either?"
He Zi Yu spread his hands, shrugged, and gave a wry smile. "I've been so busy these past couple of days that I haven't had time for breakfast. When I got hungry, I just ate some biscuits. I was just about to push myself to finish this and get some sleep when you arrived."
Xu Ning frowned. "If you continue like this, your body won't be able to handle it. Besides, it's just a thesis. What's the difference if it's finished a little earlier or later? Go to bed now."
As she spoke, she glanced at the clock on the desk. It was past nine o'clock, long after the cafeteria had stopped serving meals.
After a moment of hesitation, she turned and walked towards the kitchen. "You go to bed first. I'm off today, so I don't have anything to do. I'll call you when I've cooked something to eat."
Watching her back and the way she rolled up her sleeves, He Zi Yu couldn't help but reveal a triumphant smile.
Although his words were somewhat exaggerated, the fact that he hadn't slept was true.
After yawning, he indeed took off his shoes, got into bed, closed his eyes, and fell asleep shortly thereafter.
Seeing that he had fallen asleep, Xu Ning quietly closed the kitchen door. She first cleaned all the pots and pans in the sink, then washed rice to start making porridge.
After tidying up the kitchen, she went into the room to help with cleaning.
Once most of the things were tidied up, she was about to take the dirty clothes to the washroom outside when she suddenly heard a knock on the door.
Without thinking much, she opened the door and found an elderly couple standing there.
Mr. and Mrs. He were also a bit stunned. The person who opened the door was not their son but a young girl.
Madam He looked up to confirm the house number again and then asked with some uncertainty, "Young lady, may I ask if He Zi Yu lives here?"
He Zi Yu had woken up when he heard the knock, but he was still groggy from sleep and didn't want to move. Upon hearing his mother's voice, he suddenly sprang up from the bed and rushed to the door. Seeing both his parents there, he couldn't help but rub his eyes. "Dad, Mom, why are you here?"
Hearing He Zi Yu's address, Xu Ning was taken aback.
Madam He didn't answer her son but her gaze fell upon the basin in Xu Ning's hand. The clothes inside clearly belonged to He Zi Yu.
Seeing the young girl, who looked to be in her early twenties, helping her son with his laundry, Madam He seemed to have discovered something significant.
No wonder he hadn't liked any of the blind dates she arranged, nor was he willing to transfer back for work. It turned out he already had a girlfriend.
"And who is this young lady?"
Seeing his mother's expression, He Zi Yu knew she had misunderstood. He quickly explained, "Mom, this is Xu Ning. She was a student I mentored and now works at the provincial hospital. She was off today and came to return a book, and she saw me..."
Madam He couldn't be bothered to listen to her son's lengthy rambling. She took Xu Ning's hand and said with a smile, "Xu Ning, right? You're such a good girl."
Xu Ning felt a bit uncomfortable with her hand being held but still obediently greeted them, "Hello, Uncle and Auntie."
Madam He continued, "Your father and I are very open-minded people. You don't need to be reserved in front of us."
At this point, Xu Ning also realized that the He family's elderly couple had mistaken her for He Zi Yu's girlfriend. With such a big misunderstanding, she felt awkward to explain further. She simply turned and handed the basin of clothes to He Zi Yu.
"I just remembered I have something to attend to at home. Uncle and Auntie, I'll be going now."
Watching Xu Ning's departing back, He Zi Yu finally pressed his hand to his forehead in exasperation. "Mom, what are you doing? You've scared her away."
In all these years, their son had never seemed so nervous about any girl before. Madam He became even more convinced that her son had deep feelings for this girl.