"School starts in just over ten days, and I still haven’t finished my summer research report," Second Brother said, his forehead sweating from the spicy chicken feet. Old Third handed him an ice-cold cola: "Old Fourth, have you finished your report?"
Everyone gathered around the hospital bed, some sipping milk tea and eating chips, others taking photos of Chao Musheng. The lively atmosphere made it seem like a tea party.
"If it’s too spicy, don’t force yourself," Chao Musheng said, watching him gasp from the heat. "My topic was easy—I finished it last month. How did you procrastinate this long?"
"I’m eating it. Last time I was sick, you guys ate spicy hot pot right in front of me. This is payback," Second Brother growled, taking another vicious bite. "My topic isn’t hard either, it’s just lacking data support. It’s about the current state of cybersecurity for small and medium-sized enterprises."
"I might have some relevant data," Chao Musheng said, eyeing the spicy chicken feet before theatrically rubbing his forehead. "Too bad I’m sick and can’t remember where I saved it."
Second Brother immediately put down the chicken feet and poured Chao Musheng a glass of water with exaggerated deference. "Brother Chao, please, have some warm water."
"Your pride lasts all of three seconds," the League Branch Secretary teased. She often participated in school events with Chao Musheng, and the two were already close. "Xiao Chao, whoever’s taking care of you is very thoughtful—they even prepared this special backrest for you."
"What backrest?"
Everyone studied the backrest, but it looked completely ordinary. What was so special about it?
"This backrest perfectly conforms to the human body’s structure. Leaning against it won’t strain your lower back," the League Branch Secretary said, stroking her chin with a knowing look. "For someone to consider even such a small detail… Xiao Chao, be honest. Is this ‘good friend’ of yours someone we know?"
Chao Musheng touched the cushion behind his back. If she hadn’t mentioned it, he wouldn’t have realized there was anything special about it.
When he looked up, all his friends were staring at him with gossip-filled eyes—even Zhou Yi, who had been peeling fruit, paused mid-motion. Clearly, their minds were entirely focused on digging up drama.
"You might not know him, but you’ve probably heard his name," Chao Musheng said, his gaze drifting past his friends toward the conference room door. "The one keeping me company in the hospital is Mr. Su, the owner of Kunlun."
"Pfft!"
His friends erupted into jeers. If Chao Musheng hadn’t been a patient, they would’ve pinched his cheeks to test just how thick his skin was.
"Old Fourth, it’s been a while, and you’ve gotten even more outrageous," Second Brother said, giving him a thumbs-up. "Bold of you to use your boss for bragging rights. Respect."
Zhou Yi handed Chao Musheng the peeled fruit. "Have some."
Translation: Eat this and stop talking nonsense.
"Room 4 is lively today," You Jiu remarked as he returned from taking out the trash, hearing the laughter from inside. He smiled at Qi Shi. "Hey, who’s in Room 4? They actually allowed so many visitors?"
"No idea," Qi Shi shook his head. "I’ve never been inside."
The bodyguards outside Room 4 didn’t let anyone near unless they were medical staff. He had just finished cleaning Room 6 when he heard the commotion from Room 4, realizing only then that visitors had arrived.
You Jiu studied the bodyguards at the door. For some reason, their posture and expressions felt familiar—like he’d seen them somewhere before.
"Rooms 5 and 6 are empty. If you can’t get into Room 4, how are you going to get your thank-you letter?" You Jiu tried to be helpful. "The patient in Room 7 is a sweet old lady. You could ask her to sign yours."
The system’s task only required a thank-you letter from a patient—it didn’t specify that it had to be from his assigned ward.
Earlier, while taking out the trash, he’d found an elderly man collapsed in the stairwell and carried him back. Though the man couldn’t speak, he’d written a note of thanks.
The moment the note touched his hand, the system marked his daily task as complete.
You Jiu touched the letter in his pocket, feeling oddly conflicted.
He was used to scheming and manipulating NPCs to complete tasks. This time, the gratitude had come so easily that it left him unsettled.
Most NPCs in the instance were paranoid or deranged. Once, in a livestream instance, a player had gouged out his own eyeballs just to excite the audience and earn likes.
It had been a long time since he’d encountered such kind-hearted NPCs.
"Thanks," Qi Shi said.
The door to Room 4 opened, and a group of bright-eyed young people stepped out, still holding unfinished snacks.
"Old Fourth, we’ll hang out once you’re better," Second Brother waved at Chao Musheng. "Rest up. I’ll visit again in a couple of days."
"Just go already," Chao Musheng shooed them away, wrinkling his nose at the lingering snack smells. "Don’t bother coming back—I’ll be discharged soon anyway."
Second Brother grinned before turning serious. "Old Fourth, take care of yourself. When school starts, I’ll treat you to spicy hot pot."
The players discreetly observed the visitors, extracting key details from their casual chatter.
School? So the patient in Room 4 is a student?
These students dressed plainly, even bringing snacks for their visit—proof of their close relationship. Likely classmates.
For a student to warrant such VIP treatment in this instance… even if he wasn’t the boss, he had to be a major character.
While most players speculated about the patient’s identity, Xiao Juan silently scrubbed windows in the corner, not even lifting his head.
"Brother, thanks for looking after Xiao Chao," Second Brother said to Secretary Liu at the elevator. "He doesn’t get sick often, but when he does, he needs extra care. If you’re busy, just have him call me. I live nearby."
"Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of him," Secretary Liu smiled at the earnest young faces. "I’m Secretary Liu. You can call me Brother Liu, like Xiao Chao does."
"Thanks, Brother Liu," Second Brother said before stepping into the elevator with his friends.
As the elevator descended, Old Third patted his pockets and realized he’d left his phone in the room while taking photos of Chao Musheng.
League Branch Secretary: "I think I forgot mine too."
"Guess we’re going back," Second Brother sighed.
"Sir," Qi Shi approached Secretary Liu. "I’m the cleaner for Room 4. Does it need tidying up?"
Secretary Liu glanced inside. "Wait a moment."
The conference room door opened, and Su Chenzhu returned to the bedside, noting the lingering smile on Chao Musheng’s face. "Your classmates are quite enthusiastic."
Chao Musheng laughed helplessly. "We’re always like this at school. Did we disturb you?"
"No." Su Chenzhu touched Chao Musheng’s forehead—his temperature had dropped significantly. He took the fruit pit Chao Musheng was holding and tossed it into the trash, then handed him a wet wipe. "You're young, full of passion and joy. That’s a good thing."
"Mr. Su, you’re young too." Chao Musheng wiped his fingers. "Don’t mind the jokes my classmates made earlier."
"You mean…" Su Chenzhu glanced at the pillow behind Chao Musheng.
"Ahem." Chao Musheng coughed awkwardly, his gaze drifting. "They were just being rowdy. If they knew it was you taking care of me, they wouldn’t have said those things."
"They’re your friends. If I’d stayed in the room, they would’ve recognized me and felt uncomfortable." Su Chenzhu picked up the fruit knife from the table and swiftly carved a small cat-shaped fruit, handing it to Chao Musheng.
"This… looks like Mo Tuan." Chao Musheng took the fruit, reluctant to eat it. "By the way, where is Mo Tuan now?"
"I’ve already had someone bring him home." Su Chenzhu wiped his hands clean and opened a video on his phone. "This is the room prepared for him."
The spacious room had been transformed into a cat paradise, filled with furniture and toys designed specifically for felines.
Mo Tuan’s head was buried in a ceramic bowl, happily devouring a gourmet meal.
"What a beautiful room." Chao Musheng turned to Su Chenzhu. "Mr. Su, thank you. Did you start preparing this the day I adopted Mo Tuan?"
To have everything set up so perfectly in just two or three days—his Mo Tuan was truly living the high life now.
"I’m not an expert, so I hired professionals to design it." Su Chenzhu tilted his head slightly, his gaze lingering on Chao Musheng’s earlobe. "I like Mo Tuan too. You could say I’m his second owner, so there’s no need to thank me."
In the video, Mo Tuan was too busy eating to even lift his head. Chao Musheng rewound it and watched it again.
"Boss." Secretary Liu entered the room. "The hospital cleaner wants to come in and tidy up."
Su Chenzhu glanced at the cat-shaped fruit Chao Musheng was holding, reluctant to eat it, and nodded slightly. "Let them in."
The ward was equipped with an advanced ventilation system, so by the time Qi Shi entered, the scent of snacks had completely dissipated.
Head bowed, he gathered the snack wrappers from the small round table and noticed two phones lying there.
"Mr. Su, could you put this cat fruit in the fridge for me?" After finishing the video, Chao Musheng kept staring at the fruit, unable to bring himself to take a bite.
"Once you finish this one, I’ll carve another for you." Su Chenzhu speared the fruit with a fork and held it to Chao Musheng’s lips. "I can carve many different animals. What would you like next?"
"Old Fourth, I forgot to take my—" Old Third rushed to the door, only to freeze at the sight of a refined, elegant man sitting by the bed, feeding Chao Musheng fruit with a fork.
"Old Third, what’s with the daze?" Second Brother patted his back from behind. "Don’t block the doorway."
Su Chenzhu smoothly placed the fruit into Chao Musheng’s mouth, then stood and nodded politely. "Hello."
"Hello." Old Third snapped out of it and stepped stiffly into the room.
"Why are you guys back?" Chao Musheng chewed on the cat-shaped fruit, his voice slightly muffled.
"We forgot our phones." Old Third hurried to the table, grabbed his and the League Branch Secretary’s phones, then forced a strained smile at Su Chenzhu and Chao Musheng.
Bro, next time you tell the truth, I’ll never call you a liar again!
"M-Mr. Su, hello." The League Branch Secretary lingered at the door, not daring to step inside. She had recognized him instantly—during the university’s anniversary event in May, his striking presence had stood out among all the other leaders and entrepreneurs.
Oh my god!
So Chao Musheng hadn’t been lying—the person taking care of him really was the CEO of Kunlun Group!
No wonder he had left earlier when they arrived. He really had been worried they’d feel uncomfortable.
"Hello." Su Chenzhu spoke gently. "It’s dinnertime. Stay and eat before you go."
"No, no! Thank you, Mr. Su!"
They shook their heads vigorously. Standing before him, they barely dared to breathe, let alone stay for a meal.
"Mr. Su." Seeing how tense his friends were, Chao Musheng came to their rescue. "They’ve already stuffed themselves with snacks. Don’t worry about them."
They nodded in unison. "Yeah, we’re not hungry."
"Then I’ll arrange a car to take you back. Thank you for visiting Chao Chao." Before they could refuse again, Su Chenzhu added, "You’re students. I wouldn’t feel comfortable letting you go home alone, and Chao Chao would worry too."
"Thank you, Mr. Su." Too embarrassed to decline twice, they agreed meekly.
By the time they got downstairs and into the luxurious car arranged for them, their minds were still reeling.
Had they really just seen the CEO of Kunlun Group?
Old Third: "Since when is Old Fourth so important to him?"
The legendary tycoon had been sitting by the bed, feeding his buddy fruit. If he posted this online, people would think he’d lost his mind.
[Old Fourth!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!]
Chao Musheng’s phone buzzed incessantly with Old Third’s barrage of screaming emojis. He locked the screen—those images were assaulting his eyes.
"Your phone keeps going off." To prove he could carve different animals, Su Chenzhu had already shaped two more fruits into tiny rabbits and a dog.
"It’s fine, just my friends losing their minds." Chao Musheng laughed. "Seeing you in my room really shocked them."
Su Chenzhu paused mid-motion. "Will this cause trouble for you?"
People were unpredictable. He worried others might later dismiss Chao Musheng’s achievements, attributing them to his influence instead.
"What trouble?" Chao Musheng didn’t care. "I’ll be working at Kunlun often from now on—they’ll find out eventually. I trust their character. Besides, I’m not going to pretend I don’t know you just because of what others might say."
"You’re the CEO of Kunlun Group." He handed the dog-shaped fruit back to Su Chenzhu. "If anyone gossips, it’s just jealousy. I’ll flaunt our relationship openly."
Having such an amazing boss? He could die happy.
Su Chenzhu ate the fruit without tasting it, his fingertips tingling at Chao Musheng’s words.
Chao Chao was always so good.
But he wasn’t so pure-hearted.
His thoughts were anything but proper.
Outside the ward, Secretary Liu leaned against the wall, arms crossed, wearing a faint, mysterious smile.
You Jiu, who had just caught sight of him, was utterly stunned. Wasn’t this the secretary from that supernatural horror instance—the one who followed the big boss around?
An NPC from the horror instance had escaped to the hospital scenario?!
What the hell is the System doing?
