Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 70: You Deserve Pity

“Ah…” Zhou Yun screamed again in fright at what she saw, meeting Chu Tianyu’s direct gaze. Without Chu Tianyu needing to say another word, she stammered nervously, “She’s… she’s sick. It seems… quite serious…”
Before she could finish, Chu Tianyu had already disappeared at the classroom door.
“Chu… Tianyu hit someone! The monitor hit someone…” Wang Shengyi shouted, getting up from the ground with labored breaths.
It all happened so quickly that those who had left the classroom didn’t even realize what was going on, but Bai Lei and the tall guy had seen everything clearly as they followed Chu Tianyu.
Seeing this, Bai Lei quickly turned to the tall guy and Bao Cai, saying, “I’ll leave this to you two. Create some chaos while I go after the third guy…”
The two nodded. As Bai Lei rushed out of the classroom, they faintly heard Bao Cai echoing his words, “Damn it! You fell by yourself—why blame Chu Tianyu?”
“Yeah! I, Bao Cai, can prove it. The monitor was just asking Zhou Yun a question. You just stumbled in blindly and flew out for no reason. You fell on your own—how dare you try to extort us? We don’t have any money!”
…
Chu Tianyu kept running. Fortunately, it was break time, and many students were absent from class, so no one paid attention. He headed straight for Li Rou’s dormitory building. As soon as he reached the first floor, he was stopped by the gatekeeper aunt.
Chu Tianyu had no choice but to explain himself to this duty-conscious aunt. She looked at his honest expression and didn’t think he was lying, but since it was class time, she couldn’t just let a boy in casually. Just as she was about to ask more questions, another person appeared at the door, greeting her warmly from afar, “Oh, auntie! I finally found you. Do you still remember? My mom’s surname is Zhang. I’m Wang Xiaohu from next door. When we were kids, you used to give us snacks. We haven’t seen each other since you moved away. I heard you work here, so I got admitted here too. My mom asked me to come and say hello to you…”
As he spoke, Bai Lei gave Chu Tianyu a signal. Understanding, Chu Tianyu said nothing more and rushed up the stairs.

The aunt was clearly confused by Bai Lei’s enthusiasm. She kept wondering if there was a family with the surname Zhang next door and a son named Wang Xiaohu. Yet she replied warmly, “Oh, oh, it’s Xiaohu, right? Look at you, you’ve grown so big—I barely recognized you at first. Hehe, really thanks to your mother. Please give my regards to her too…”
“Thank you, aunt. Tsk tsk, aunt, it seems you haven’t changed much over the years. You still look just like I remembered from when I was a kid, that’s why I recognized you right away!”
“Is that so? I’ve gotten old!” The aunt actually touched her face and said politely, delighted.
…
Ignoring Bai Lei’s nonsense, Chu Zaiyu went straight to Li Rou’s door, knocked, but there was no response. Had he gotten it wrong? Just as he was about to knock again, a very weak voice came from inside, “Who is it? The door isn’t closed…”
Chu Tianyu’s heart tightened. He slowly pushed open the door and saw Li Rou lying half-reclined on the bed, pale and with vacant eyes, beneath the window.
Both were stunned. Li Rou didn’t expect it to be Chu Tianyu. Her eyes gradually reddened. Chu Zaiyu, on the other hand, wasn’t prepared to see Li Rou, who had always been healthy and lively, in such a state. His heart ached, and pity welled up in him. As the saying goes, illness comes suddenly like a collapsing mountain, but recovery is slow like unwinding thread—truly true.
“Tianyu, how… how did you come?” Li Rou said, tears welling up in her eyes as if she couldn’t hold them back.
Chu Tianyu walked a few steps to the bed and sat down. Seeing Li Rou’s frail state, he said heartbrokenly, “Why didn’t you call me if something was wrong? And whenever I tried to contact you, your phone was always off. If it weren’t for today’s class, I wouldn’t have noticed you were sick until much later.”
Li Rou’s heart ached, and tears finally streamed down her face as she choked out, “My phone… my phone…” and couldn’t speak anymore.
“Lost it? Broken? You could have used the phone at home! Or any phone booth! If nothing else, you could borrow someone else’s phone!” Chu Tianyu said anxiously, overreacting out of concern.
Hearing Chu Tianyu’s words, Li Rou became even more devastated. Her weak body seemed to suddenly gain strength as she got up and threw herself into Chu Tianyu’s arms, crying bitterly.
Now it was Chu Tianyu’s turn to be at a loss. He hadn’t expected his words to provoke such a strong reaction from Li Rou. Just as he was about to comfort her, Li Rou’s crying grew quieter, but her sobs became more frequent.

Chu Tianyu was shocked and quickly helped Li Rou to sit up, only to find that she was in a convulsive state. With the help of his second master, Xianyun, who knew something about medicine, Chu Tianyu guessed that Li Rou was already sick and weak. Adding to this were the sudden emotional shock and her loud crying, all of which were extremely harmful to her health.

Chu Tianyu promptly helped Li Rou sit upright and felt her pulse. Instantly, the Purple Void Dragon Energy flowed into her body, moving slowly through her meridians to restore balance. After one full cycle, Chu Tianyu’s forehead was already sweating, but he had roughly figured out the cause of Li Rou’s illness. The difficulty stemmed from two factors: first, Chu Tianyu wasn’t very skilled in medicine, so he had to proceed slowly and cautiously; second, Li Rou’s condition was very serious. From her pulse, he inferred that she had overworked herself, been under constant mental stress, caught a cold, and now, with today’s emotional shock, her heart meridians had been damaged.

Fortunately, Chu Tianyu used pure Earthly Dragon Energy to repair them. Due to his lack of medical expertise, he only allowed the energy to seep in slowly, exploring carefully. Thanks to the powerful effects of the Purple Void Dragon Energy, not only were Li Rou’s damaged meridians fully restored, but she even became stronger. Though she wouldn’t gain any immediate cultivation skills, at least she would no longer be vulnerable to illnesses.

After another cycle, Chu Tianyu confirmed there were no issues left before withdrawing his energy. He saw that Li Rou was now sleeping soundly, her complexion rosy, breathing evenly, and looking peaceful, like a baby.

As soon as Chu Tianyu put Li Rou down, he heard noise downstairs. Soon after, the door was pushed open. Before Chu Tianyu could think further, Li Rou’s roommates appeared at the door.

“Ah~~~” The girls were also shocked by what they saw—there was a man in their dormitory!

“You… you must be Chu Tianyu, right?” a girl with a round face and big eyes realized this and stepped forward.

“Mm, you’re Li Rou’s roommates, right?” Chu Tianyu asked, feeling a bit awkward.

“Hehe, me? No, I’m from the next room. These are her roommates. But I’ve heard Li Rou talk about you before, hehe.” She turned and pointed at the others.

The girls came in one after another, all with suggestive expressions. They stared at Chu Tianyu intently as if trying to see what Li Rou’s mysterious boyfriend looked like, like they were observing an orangutan.

Chu Tianyu had never experienced such a thing before, so he could only sit upright, keep a smile on his face, and avoid making eye contact.

“Alright, alright, let’s go to our dorm! Don’t keep them waiting. Li Rou is already taken care of. Here, Chu Tianyu, this is food for Li Rou. Hehe, we’re leaving now…” It was still the girl with the round face who stepped in to defuse the situation, but even though she said they were leaving, she didn’t move an inch.

Chu Tianyu looked at the girl with gratitude, but after a while, no one moved. He glanced at her again—she was winking at him, giving him subtle cues, her fair, delicate hands rubbing together nonstop. With that familiar gesture, Chu Tianyu immediately understood what was going on. Just a few days ago, he had done the same to a certain “scoundrel.”

So he quickly declared loudly, “Everyone, thank you so much for taking care of Li Rou. When I have time, I’ll invite you all out to hang out together.”

“No need to wait until you’re free. Once Li Rou gets better, we’ll let you know right away. Hehe, that’s settled. And no need to thank us—how cheesy! Guys, let’s go!” the girl with the round face said generously.

“Thank you!” Chu Tianyu replied, caught between laughter and embarrassment.

The power of a meal was truly remarkable. Until 3 p.m., Chu Tianyu, who had been by Li Rou’s side the whole time, didn’t suffer any more interruptions.

At that moment, Li Rou suddenly turned to the side, let out a soft “Mmm…”, stretched comfortably, and then lazily opened her eyes.

What a stunning sight—Chu Tianyu was momentarily stunned. No wonder some say beauty isn’t just about appearance. Often, the most beautiful moments are those fleeting expressions and actions that appear at specific times and in particular situations—whether it’s charm, tenderness, or innocence—that truly move people’s hearts!

“Are you awake?” Chu Tianyu asked gently.

Li Rou also recognized Tianyu clearly. Recalling what had just happened, she realized she must have fallen asleep crying on his shoulder. Seeing that he was still by her bedside, she felt warm inside and said shyly, “Mm… you… you haven’t left at all?”

“Mm…” Chu Tianyu nodded softly.

“Did I sleep for a long time?”

Suddenly, Li Rou exclaimed, “Ah~!” “Why do I feel so warm and comfortable? It’s as if my illness has gone away—I can even get out of bed now!”

As she spoke, Li Rou sat up cheerfully, and Chu Tianyu didn’t stop her, knowing she was no longer in serious trouble. To answer her question, he lied a little, saying, “Oh, that’s great. Maybe when you were confused at noon, the fever reducer I gave you took effect. Once the fever goes down, people naturally feel relieved. But you still can’t be careless!”
Although Li Rou was a bit puzzled—she had taken this medicine many times with no improvement—how could she recover just because he showed up? Perhaps it was due to spiritual power, she reasoned.
But seeing the way Chu Tianyu ended his words, which sounded a bit like scaring a child, she couldn’t help but laugh again, leaving Chu Tianyu stunned once more.
Li Rou teased him, “Silly boy…”
Chu Tianyu then forced a smile and changed the subject, “By the way, Li Rou, why did you suddenly get so sick? I couldn’t reach you during the winter break. You just mentioned a ‘phone’—what exactly happened? You didn’t finish explaining.”
Hearing this, Li Rou’s joy vanished instantly, replaced by deep worry. Chu Tianyu wished he could slap himself—he didn’t even know how to comfort her. He quickly tried to make amends, “Don’t worry, Li Rou. We can talk slowly. Don’t keep it all to yourself. If you’re in trouble, I’m here for you, right?”
As soon as he said this, Li Rou, as if finding an outlet, threw herself into Chu Tianyu’s arms and cried loudly. Chu Tianyu knew it was good for her to vent, as her body had already recovered, and she wasn’t at risk of further emotional harm.
After a while, Li Rou gradually calmed down, still sniffling from time to time as she spoke intermittently, “This time… when I went home… I found out… my father had esophageal cancer and was in the hospital. My family hid it from me so I wouldn’t worry. My parents are both workers with low incomes and no health insurance. With my tuition costs, our meager savings were used up quickly. After returning home, I went around borrowing money with my mother. We sold everything we could, including my phone…”
Chu Tianyu felt a tightness in his heart. He had never really thought about money before!
“Then you could have used a payphone! You could find some money somehow!”
Li Rou raised her head, her tearful eyes filled with resentment as she looked at Chu Tianyu, then lowered her head again and whispered, “You… you were so indifferent to them back then, just like an ordinary friend, talking about books and experiences. How could they know what you really felt…”

Chu Tianyu was instantly stunned. With a bitter smile, he thought, “Yes, under those circumstances, how could I have made Li Rou speak? She’s a girl who appears gentle on the outside but is strong inside. And at that time, I really did see her as a confidante for studying…” At these thoughts, Chu Tianyu’s head grew heavy. Especially when he saw Li Rou’s affectionate expression now, his tenderness for her surged uncontrollably. Although Li Rou’s face was rosy now, her clearly thin face still told Chu Tianyu how much pressure and pain she had endured back then. Unconsciously, Chu Tianyu took Li Rou’s hands. But suddenly, as if realizing something, he pulled her hands back forcefully. Upon examining them in the light, his nose tightened, and his eyes instantly filled with tears. Li Rou’s palms were covered with cracks and frostbite marks—some already scarred, others revealing bloody, raw flesh. Though the Purple Void Dragon Energy could heal internal meridians, it had little effect on these old external injuries. “Wh-what happened to your hands?” Chu Tianyu asked in a trembling voice. Li Rou tried to pull her hands away a few times but failed, and could only murmur, “I couldn’t borrow money, so I worked part-time with my mom—a shrimp processing factory. I sorted shrimp skins there, and in the evenings, I helped her stick paper boxes. Ten boxes earned me ten cents…” Chu Tianyu was speechless. He simply held Li Rou tightly in his arms, as if he never wanted to let her go again…

…

That night, after arranging everything for Li Rou, Chu Tianyu went straight to meet Ouyang Ziyi. His mind was in chaos—alternately filled with tenderness for Li Rou, affection for Ouyang Ziyi, thoughts of Qin Nianran’s engagement, and the words from his childhood that had seeped into his heart: “I’m his wife…” Ouyang Ziyi unusually slowed down. Since she had received advice from her father, the “love expert,” she had kept limited contact with Chu Tianyu. She hadn’t expected him to rush to meet her so soon after school started, as if he had something important to talk to her about. She really admired her father. Needless to say, Ouyang Ziyi knew well that if a man had something on his mind, the first person he thought of was her—so she could imagine her status in his heart. As soon as Chu Tianyu got in the car and said he just wanted to take her for a drive without saying a word and with a complex expression, Ouyang Ziyi knew the matter was serious. This only made her more curious—what could trouble and leave the seemingly invincible Chu Tianyu at a loss?

But Ouyang Ziyi didn’t ask further. She just drove, casually playing a romantic nocturne, knowing there was no need to ask—once Chu Tianyu sorted out his thoughts, he would naturally speak. Sure enough, after recalling his third grandfather’s golden rules of “wise” advice, Chu Tianyu thought, since he had already been told to do as he pleased, why worry so much? It would be better to tell one of them everything and let her decide what to do. As for who that should be, Ouyang Ziyi was obviously the best choice!

Twenty minutes later, Chu Tianyu finally poured out all his thoughts, as if shedding a heavy burden. He leaned back comfortably in the car seat, waiting for Ouyang Ziyi’s reaction. While Chu Tianyu was relieved, Ouyang Ziyi was now overwhelmed. Who would have thought this silly boy had so many love troubles! And from the way he spoke, it seemed each problem had its own reason, and none of them could be resolved easily—it really gave her a headache!

Silence fell back in the car once again.

“Ziyi, if… if… Well, it’s all my fault anyway. I don’t care about anything else. You decide—whatever you say, I’ll do it. After all, the more I think about this relationship, the messier it gets…” It was Chu Tianyu who broke the silence and made up his mind.

Because after revealing his feelings, he suddenly realized it wasn’t fair to Ouyang Ziyi either—he could be relieved, but she would end up in trouble…

Just then, several cars sped past on the road, one of them almost brushing against Ouyang Ziyi’s car. She was already troubled, and now these idiots dared to race in front of her! She was about to speed after them to give them a taste of their own medicine when Chu Tianyu, as if sensing something, exclaimed toward the window at the faint silhouettes passing by the roadside: “Shaolin monks!!!”