I'm A Math Idiot, So What? - Chapter 69

Chapter 69: Resist Greed and Anger (Part 2)

Though Yuan Chongfeng was injured, he was already engaged in a spirited English conversation with Fan Qing when we entered the hospital room, his spirit undeterred by his physical condition. Seeing My Queen stride in with her regal bearing, he panicked slightly, calling out “Auntie!” while gesturing frantically at me.

I chuckled. “Mom came to visit me and thought she’d check on you too. Teacher Fan stayed with you all night last night—you must be exhausted.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t come earlier to relieve you.”

“She went downstairs to buy breakfast.”

Hearing that Teacher Fan was out, my mother immediately pulled up a chair. “Fengfeng, what happened to you?! How could such a healthy young man suddenly—just suddenly get hurt like this? And with no one to take care of you… what are we going to do?”

“I have friends looking after me,” Yuan Chongfeng said. “The hospital also has nurses.”

“Looking after you? They’re just worried about buying their own lunch.”

Fan Qing adjusted her glasses. “My mother hasn’t had a single drop of water since yesterday.”

My mother’s Queenly demeanor was about to resurface, but considering her opponent was a minor, she restrained her temper. “Maybe your mother just doesn’t get thirsty easily.”

Just then, Teacher Fan walked in carrying lunch. She didn’t seem particularly surprised to see us, simply nodding politely to my mother. “You must be Yuan Chongfeng’s mother. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Mom, Mom just came to check in,” I blurted out.

My mother scrutinized Teacher Fan from head to toe with her human-flesh X-ray vision, then gave me a skeptical look. She probably doesn’t match the vixen-like image Mom had in mind.

After exchanging greetings with my mother, Teacher Fan, sporting dark panda eyes, called Fan Qing and prepared to leave.

My mother tugged at my arm. “Isn’t her surname Tong?”

I whispered, “It’s Fan.”

My mother stared blankly at Teacher Fan’s retreating figure. “Xiaomeng, do you remember Teacher Tong, who taught you math in elementary school? The one you made cry so many times she nearly broke down?”

“We haven’t seen her in years. I wonder if she looks like this now?”

With a gesture of exasperation, she tapped my temple. “Look at the mess you’ve made! My carefully planned battle for the morning has fizzled out before it even began.”

I retreated a step. “Mom, why don’t you just dig up my entire history from the womb?”

After the battle horn sounded retreat, my mother calmed down. Stroking her chin, she asked, “So, Fengfeng has unrequited feelings for her?”

“Yeah. Teacher Fan said Yuan Chongfeng’s feelings don’t align with some ‘Watt theory’ and rejected him.”

“Watt? You mean the guy who invented the steam engine after hearing boiling water? What does he know about love theories?”

I shook my head. “No idea. Maybe he wears multiple hats.”

I turned to Yuan Chongfeng, giving him a “good luck with that” look, since I had to rush to school for my major-specific class after dropping my mom off here.

My mom accompanied me to the elevator in silence the whole way.

“Don’t forget to eat,” I reminded her.

She mumbled an absentminded acknowledgment, then asked softly, “Lin Meng, isn’t there some psychological thing called like… a Russian Oedipus complex or something?”

“Oedipus,” I corrected her.

My mom brushed it off. “I just remembered—Teacher Tong from elementary school looked remarkably like Fengfeng’s mother. It kind of shocked me back then.

If you think about it, Teacher Fan must have been quite young when Fengfeng was in high school, and she probably resembled Teacher Tong even more. That would mean she looked like Fengfeng’s mother, which explains why he fell in love with her at first sight.”

What kind of eyesight do you have? I thought. “How does she resemble Aunt Yuan at all?”

“I’m not talking about the Aunt Yuan you know—I mean Fengfeng’s real mother.”

My mom looked up. “The elevator’s here. Didn’t you say you were going to be late? Hurry along now.”

Oh, my dear mother!

How am I supposed to focus on class now?!

Mom, you just dropped an atomic bomb into my brain!

I used to envy Yuan Chongfeng most because his mother never yelled at him or hit him. I even wrote in my diary once that I wished I could trade moms with him, which earned me a solid beating from my own mom.

I never once suspected that Aunt Yuan was his stepmother.

Holding the elevator door open, I asked, “What about his biological mother?”

“She remarried when Fengfeng was just over two years old. She’s never come back.”

“Does Brother Fengfeng know about this?”

My mother shook her head. “I’m not sure.”

The elevator beeped urgently, so I reluctantly abandoned my questions and stepped out.

As I left the hospital ward, I glanced up toward the approximate location of the eighteenth floor.

I remembered that Fang Congxin also didn’t have a mother, and unlike Yuan Chongfeng, he didn’t have someone like Aunt Yuan who loved him. He must have felt incredibly lonely at times, longing for his mother’s presence.

The thought prompted me to temporarily forgive him.

After class, Fang Congxin, whom I had secretly pardoned, finally called.

“Hello.”

“Mm-hmm.”

I adopted a haughty tone, striking a pose. “I ran into Auntie in the hospital elevator just now.”

“Ah? Did she grab your hair?!”

I immediately forgot my dignified facade and blurted out anxiously, “Why would she grab my hair? She just told me to bring fruit when I visit patients next time.”

“Even if he’s my rival, I still have to play the part.”

He chuckled wearily over the phone.

“So, Mom’s still clueless about Fang Congxin being in the hospital for another girl.”

“I didn’t know Yuan Chongfeng was in trouble, or that Auntie came to Changning. What have you been up to these past few days?” I asked coolly. “Busy opening a restaurant and serving dishes named after Xue Rengui and Chen Shimei, of course.”

“I’m sorry, Lin Meng.”

“Still can’t tell me what’s going on?”

“Just wait until I’ve handled it. It should be resolved soon. He Xiaoping is flying in from Beijing today.”

“Oh. Then take care of Tong Xiao.”

“So generous of you?”

“Well, I have to take care of Brother Fengfeng anyway. Tch, go mind your own business.”

After hanging up, I felt ridiculously sensible—I deserved a giant banner proclaiming me “Holy Mother of All.”

That evening, Mom declared she was “determined to finish the brainwashing” and insisted on staying at the hospital overnight. Meanwhile, Yuan Chongfeng begged me to get her out of there ASAP.

I poured some canned food for Little Flower at home and was about to head to the hospital when Zhang Ziqin called. “This time, it’s serious.”

“What happened?”

“I’m on the night shift tonight and only just heard about this.

Your boyfriend beat up that scoundrel again.

This time, he really laid into him.

The scoundrel’s in the hospital, and your boyfriend’s been taken to the police station.

You should go check on him right away.”

My heart pounded with panic. I fumbled with my shoes, struggling to slip them on as my mind churned into a dizzying mess. One moment, I worried Fang Congxin would be arrested; the next, I scoffed, “Damn it, Tong Xiao’s destined to be the heroine—Fang Congxin’s beaten people up twice now, all for her!”

Just as my thoughts spiraled wildly, I heard a knock at the door. “Lin Meng.”

I opened it to find Fang Congxin standing there, his face etched with exhaustion.

His quick return meant the matter must have been resolved. A great weight lifted from my heart, but relief soon gave way to fury.

I could follow news from the Arctic on my phone, yet I was kept in the dark about such a major incident involving someone right here. If Zhang Ziqin hadn’t tipped me off, I wouldn’t have known a thing.

Even if that “Holy Mother” title were embossed in gold, I’d smash it to pieces and throw it away.

You still remember you have a girlfriend waiting at home!

Before my expression could fully darken, Fang Congxin wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a warm embrace.

“Lin Meng,” he murmured, his voice soft against the crown of my head, “stay and sleep with me tonight.”

Well, the gilded signboard still has some value, I thought. Might as well keep it up for now.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, concerned.

I’d heard that men often crave the comforting touch of a woman’s soft body after facing a setback.

I carefully reviewed the day in my mind: matching lingerie, a fresh shampoo before picking up my mother, and only a slight flutter of nerves in my chest. Everything else was perfect. How thoughtful of me, I mused.

Fang Congxin pulled me onto the bed.

I swallowed hard, resolving to suppress all my questions for the night. All questions can wait until after we’ve taken care of business.

Still holding my hand, he gazed at me with profound tenderness. “Lin Meng,” he said softly, “tell me a joke.”

What kind of foreplay is this? I thought. I’ve heard of watching porn before getting down to it, but never of telling jokes.

Still, if he wanted a joke, I’d give him one.

“Once upon a time, there was a turtle—”

“I don’t want to hear any fables.”

“How about a performance of ‘Lenin in 1919’?”

“No Guo Degang crosstalk, either.”

“What do you want to hear, then?”

“Just tell me about yourself.”

“What do you mean? You think my life’s a joke?”

He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. “Don’t you like being my little ray of sunshine?”

“Fine, I’ll tell you someone else’s story first then. Once, when I went back to Taixi High School to visit my teachers, I caught Lei Chuifeng secretly practicing the seaweed dance in the office. Remember Lei Chuifeng? The tall, burly guy who looked like Li Kui? Imagine him swaying his hips like that.”

Fang Congxin laughed. “I remember him. He was the one who almost died of anger on stage when you read your self-criticism letter.”

“Why are you still so obsessed with that self-criticism letter?”

Fang Congxin chuckled softly in my ear. “Got any more embarrassing stories?”

“When I was little, I was so narcissistic, I took a selfie and posted it on my QQ Space. I was so worried a talent scout would spot my beauty that I hid at home for days, revising my pickup lines.”

At this, he burst into laughter and couldn’t stop for a good while.

“Didn’t you ever dream of being a star?”

He shook his head. “Why would I? Being a celebrity must be exhausting—every word and move scrutinized, no freedom at all.”

“So that’s why you don’t have any social media accounts?”

He smiled again, stroking my hair. “I guess I’m the talent scout then. Sorry I’m late.”

“If I were a talent scout, I’d sign Tong Xiao in a heartbeat.”

“Tong Xiao is breathtakingly beautiful. If I were a man in my next life, I’d definitely marry her. No, no, no—even as a woman, I’d want to marry her!”

“As a man, don’t you find it hard to resist her charms?”

Fang Congxin said wearily, “She’s alright. Not as exaggerated as you make her out to be.”

I waved my hands wildly like a crab. “Do you even have normal taste?! ‘Alright’? Are you blind?!”

Fang Congxin watched me rant for a while, then grumbled back, “What do you think?”

I paused. “Oh, you’re one of those rare men who truly appreciate inner beauty. Honestly, most people wouldn’t even notice the meager inner beauty I possess.”

Fang Congxin sighed. “Wolves find wolves, ghosts find ghosts, toads find four legs. We’re a perfect match. You don’t need to keep testing my survival instincts. Sleep!”

I tilted my head to look at his closed eyes. As if anticipating my move, he pressed my tilted head back onto the pillow with his large hand. “Sleep!”

“Zhang Ziqin, the intern at the urology department, is a good friend of mine. This patient—” He abruptly covered my face, his voice ringing with authority: “Sleep!”

“The phone number is 05—” “If you don’t sleep, pay the remaining tuition now.”

“My savings are still small. I can’t leave my mother’s side yet.”

“Then sleep!”