Chu Luyu almost laughed in exasperation.
She asked the system: [With this kind of atmosphere right now, you want me to say something so absurd to the male lead? Does this plot even make sense?]
System Cuihua: [It makes perfect sense, because the original owner’s brain wasn’t normal either.]
System Cuihua: [Get ready. To make the mission more realistic, I’m going to trigger your period directly.]
Wait, hold on—what does “trigger your period directly” mean??
Before Chu Luyu could even ask, a sharp, heavy cramp struck her lower abdomen. Then, second by second, the pain grew worse.
Soon, she could barely hold on. One hand pressed against her stomach beneath the table, her face turning pale.
Chu Luyu: [What the hell is going on? Why is a period this painful?]
System Cuihua: [Crap, I forgot—the original owner has severe dysmenorrhea. Apparently, she had to take meds in advance every time, and sometimes even went to the hospital for painkiller injections.]
Chu Luyu: [Why didn’t you tell me earlier?! I’ve been sneaking so much ice cream these past two days…]
Chu Luyu was already weakening from the pain.
A moment ago, she’d briefly worried about how to complete this mission, but now she couldn’t afford to think about that. She grabbed the arm of the man beside her.
Jiang Hezhou noticed something was wrong and immediately turned to support her.
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing Chu Luyu’s face turn deathly pale, he quickly asked: “Where does it hurt? Come on, I’ll take you to the hospital.”
The students also grew anxious and stood up one after another.
“The professor’s wife was fine just a moment ago! How did this happen all of a sudden?”
“Could it be food poisoning? Is the food not clean?”
They crowded around, wanting to help Jiang Hezhou take Chu Luyu to the hospital. But she was still fixated on the mission. The pain was making her head spin, white spots flashing before her eyes, yet her grip on Jiang Hezhou’s arm remained tight.
“Jiang Hezhou, go to the store and buy me a pack of sanitary pads.”
The pain was too much. When she spoke again, her voice came out in broken fragments, as if she were delivering her last words: “Sofy… 420… extra-long… night… use…”
The air around them froze for two seconds. The three students across the table didn’t dare blink. Even Jiang Hezhou seemed stunned.
Chu Luyu couldn’t care less about their reactions.
She stared at the mission progress bar floating in midair. When she saw it tick up to +1, she finally relaxed, relieved—and passed out.
—
When Chu Luyu opened her eyes again, she was already in the hospital.
A middle-aged woman sat by the bed, looking to be in her early forties, with a strikingly beautiful and refined face.
Seeing Chu Luyu awake, her eyes reddened instantly with emotion.
“Xiao Bao!”
Her voice drew the attention of the others in the room.
Not far away, on the sofa, a young man with dyed gray hair, who’d been playing games on his phone, lazily glanced up at Chu Luyu.
Chu Luyu was completely disoriented. She scanned the room and didn’t see the male lead, so she quickly turned to the system for help.
Chu Luyu: [Cuihua, what’s going on? I passed out next to the male lead right after completing the mission, didn’t I? Where is he? And who are these two people in the room?]
System Cuihua: [That’s the original owner’s mother and her half-brother (same mother, younger). The male lead went to ask the doctor about your condition—he just stepped out a moment ago.]
Chu Luyu: [Uh… I just passed out from period cramps. How did the original owner’s family end up here?]
System Cuihua: [The original owner’s mother loves her deeply. Ever since she was little, no matter how minor the fever or headache, her mother never left her side.]
Chu Luyu: [I see…]
In the real world, Chu Luyu’s parents had divorced when she was in second grade. After the divorce, her mother never reached out to her again, and her father kept remarrying. She’d grown up shuttling between various aunts and uncles, living as a dependent in other people’s homes.
When she was sick as a child—even with a fever over 39°C—she’d go to the hospital for shots and medication by herself. No one ever accompanied her.
Now, having been hospitalized for period cramps and waking up to family by her bedside, she couldn’t tell if she felt envious or heartbroken.
Chu Fanyin, seeing that her daughter hadn’t spoken, feared her precious girl was still in pain. Her voice cracked with tears: “Xiao Bao, why aren’t you saying anything? Does it still hurt? Should I call the doctor to give you another painkiller shot?”
Chen Mian had been lounging around playing games, his Lu Na character darting across the screen with over twenty “Moonlight Unlimited Combo” callouts already. But when he heard the commotion from the hospital bed, his fingers paused instinctively.
He was distracted for only two or three seconds—long enough for the three enemies he’d been chasing to get their cooldowns back and gang up to kill him.
He cursed under his breath, shut off the screen, tossed his phone aside, crossed his arms, and coldly stared at Chu Luyu.
“Mom, don’t worry. They say bad weeds never die. With how much trouble she stirs up, she’s not gonna kick the bucket that easily.”
Chu Fanyin shot her youngest son an angry glare. “Shut up!”
She then turned back, carefully studying Chu Luyu’s expression, and said softly: “Xiao Bao, your brother’s always had a sharp tongue. Don’t take his words to heart…”
Chu Luyu had no memories of the original owner and naturally had no idea what history she had with this younger brother.
Still, she could more or less understand. Given how the original owner had been, she’d probably managed to offend everyone around her.
She didn’t want to hold a grudge against some kid. She just shook her head at Chu Fanyin.
“It’s okay. I’m his big sister—I’ll let it slide.”
That single sentence made both mother and son in the room freeze for a moment.
Chen Mian, over on the sofa, looked so surprised his brows furrowed deeply. He stared hard at Chu Luyu, as if trying to figure out what new game she was playing.
Just then, Jiang Hezhou returned from outside. He gave the two people in the room a brief glance, and upon seeing that Chu Luyu was awake, he walked straight to her bedside.
“I just saw the doctor off. He said it was a temporary fainting spell caused by menstrual cramps—nothing else wrong.” Jiang Hezhou’s voice was steady and calm, yet carried a reassurance that instantly put one at ease. He looked at Chu Luyu and asked, “Would you like to sit up and have some water?”
Chu Luyu nodded.
He quietly stepped forward, adjusted the pillows behind her, and helped her lean back against the bed.
After taking the cup of water he handed her, Chu Luyu beckoned him closer.
“It was just a period cramp thing—why did you call all of them here?” she asked in a very small voice, her tone unconsciously carrying a hint of closeness and trust she hadn’t even noticed herself.
Jiang Hezhou leaned in close, bending over in front of her. The distance was near enough that her breath mingled with her words, brushing across his cheek like a feather.
His body tensed slightly, the small patch of skin on his face tingling.
“When I brought you to the hospital, one of the aunties’ friends saw us. She called to check on you, and she was really worried, so I didn’t hide it.”
“Oh.”
Chu Luyu hugged the cup, and then suddenly remembered the mission she’d completed right before fainting. A wave of belated embarrassment washed over her, her face flushing hot.
“Back at the restaurant… did I embarrass you? Your students were all there, and I—”
“No.” Jiang Hezhou cut her off. “They were all worried when you passed out. They came to the hospital with us too. They only left after your parents arrived.”
The two of them had been whispering softly, and Chu Fanyin couldn’t make out what they were saying.
But seeing her precious daughter’s pale, sickly face made her heart ache with every glance, and her eyes reddened again.
“Xiao Bao, why don’t you come home with Mom for a few days? Hezhou has work and it’s not convenient for him to take care of you. You can go back after you’re feeling better.”
After saying this, she was afraid Jiang Hezhou might misunderstand and quickly looked up to explain: “Hezhou, don’t get the wrong idea. I just worry about Xiaoyu. Every month when she has her period, I’m always there taking care of her. So this time, with her being hospitalized because of this old problem, I just can’t bear it…”
Jiang Hezhou shook his head, seeming not at all bothered by Chu Fanyin’s words. “I understand. You’ve always taken good care of Luyu. This time, I was indeed a bit careless—I didn’t realize her menstrual cramps could be this severe.”
Jiang Hezhou had already asked around for a reputable Chinese medicine practitioner specializing in gynecology. He planned to take her for a consultation in a couple of days to get her constitution regulated.
Chu Luyu, seeing Chu Fanyin’s eyes fixed on her, felt a little torn.
She quietly asked the system: [Cuihua, can I go back with them? The original owner had a pretty big falling out with her family, didn’t she? If I go back, will that mess up any plotlines?]
System Cuihua: [Up to you. Go if you want, don’t if you don’t. Aside from the male and female leads, everyone else is just NPCs in subplots. As long as you don’t mess with the main plot’s development and progress, anything else is fair game.]
The system’s words made Chu Luyu’s eyes light up.
Chu Luyu: [Are you sure? If it really won’t cause any issues, then I’ll say yes!]
A life where she was loved and cared for by a mother—she’d been longing for that! If it wouldn’t affect her missions, she’d gladly raise both hands and feet in agreement!
System Cuihua: [Absolutely one hundred percent sure! Just say yes and you’re good!]
Chu Luyu beamed and nodded at Chu Fanyin. “Alright then. Let’s go home.”
Leave a Reply