Chapter Seven: Strikingly Consistent

Thank you to my good brothers 08a, Jin Wenyu Yan, Ultimate Emperor Hero 1hx, Xiaomi, I Am Crazy for Chivalry... and all the other brothers for your support. Summer sends his gratitude. As a newcomer, I hope for recommendations, favorites, and investment.

***

An eyelid twitched. Hua Shier slowly awoke from unconsciousness, gradually opening his eyes. Before him stretched a sea of white—it was a hospital room. At this moment, he lay on a hospital bed.

Previously, it felt as if he had been dreaming a very long dream, with absurd content: there was a system, there was the NBA, he even took on Shaquille O'Neal’s role to beat up Charles Barkley, and crushed Allen Iverson’s sole championship victory in the 2001 Finals with his own hands.

By the left side of the bed sat a woman of stunning beauty, elegant and graceful, absorbed in a book, completely oblivious to the fact that the patient beside her had awakened.

Beautiful appearances always leave a deep impression. Hua Shier instantly recognized her as Luo Yun, the woman he had met via a matchmaking arrangement.

Yet now, Luo Yun’s hairstyle and attire had changed, and her aura shifted with the difference in dress.

During their meeting, she wore her hair down, flowing over her shoulders, dressed in a white V-neck blouse and a blue skirt, exuding an intellectual and elegant charm.

But now, her hair was tied back in a ponytail. She wore shorts and a T-shirt, giving off a sexy and playful vibe.

Hua Shier recalled the moment of the car accident—Luo Yun had been there too. Even if she hadn’t been the one to bring him to the hospital, she must have come to look after him.

He just couldn’t understand why she still found time to change clothes and keep up her appearance.

Suddenly, a chilling thought struck him—had he been unconscious for a very long time?

But glancing at the electronic calendar on the hospital wall, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was still the same day as their matchmaking meeting; only two hours had passed.

Turning to look at Luo Yun again, he was immediately captivated by the scene before him.

Sunlight streamed through the glass window, casting a glow on the woman’s enchanting face: her long lashes fluttered slightly, her eyes sparkled like jewels, radiating a mesmerizing light.

Sunlight and beauty combined at this moment to form a stunning picture. Luo Yun seemed like a fairy bathed in light within a painting, and Hua Shier found himself momentarily entranced.

But the next moment, Luo Yun’s eyes never left the comic book she was reading, while her slender hand slowly brought an unlit lady’s cigar to her lips.

Hua Shier’s expression soured; that beautiful image just now was instantly shattered by the cigar.

This girl actually intended to smoke inside a hospital room—and a cigar at that. The contrast was simply too stark.

Coming back to his senses, he noticed something else that completely overturned his worldview.

***

Luo Yun’s book, which had so captivated her, bore an unreadable title, but the cartoon beauty on the cover was crystal clear.

Looking again into Luo Yun’s large eyes, Hua Shier suddenly realized that the sparkling "gem-like" glow was not a refined brilliance but the gaze of an experienced driver admiring a beautiful woman. No wonder it seemed so familiar.

The image of this beautiful woman in his mind instantly made a 180-degree turn.

Sweating profusely like Genghis Khan, Hua Shier guessed that Luo Yun’s earlier claim that the matchmaking was just to humor her family was probably true.

Luo Yun bit down on the lady’s cigar, then, seemingly from nowhere, produced a lighter. Throughout, her eyes never left the comic book.

Seeing she was about to light the cigar, Hua Shier helplessly cleared his throat, intending to remind her that he had woken up.

But after coughing twice, she still stared at the book, drooling, completely oblivious. Hua Shier had no choice but to sit up and call out helplessly:

“Miss, if you smoke in the ward, the smoke alarm will go off!”

Only then did Luo Yun, lost in her fantasy, snap out of it.

“Oh, you’re awake,” she said, clutching the comic book with rapt attention. Suddenly startled by the voice, she jumped up like a frightened fawn. Seeing Hua Shier awake, she hastily removed the cigar from her mouth and, with her other hand, quietly hid the book behind her back.

Hua Shier laughed at her little act:

“Don’t hide it. If you’re going to read such eye-catching material, better put a cover on it so no one finds out.”

Realizing her secret was out, Luo Yun decided to be upfront, raising the comic book in her hand:

“Hey buddy, you look pretty experienced. Got any good recommendations?”

Hua Shier felt exasperated. What sort of recommendation? With your tastes... ahem... suddenly he remembered something on his computer...

“I’m not into that stuff. I only read martial arts novels back in school, and to avoid teachers noticing, I always put a cover on them, writing something like ‘so-and-so’s workbook’.”

Luo Yun chuckled, unconvinced: “No need to explain; explanations just cover things up.”

Just then, there was a knock on the door, followed by the turning of the handle. Suddenly, Luo Yun acted swiftly, shoving the cigar into Hua Shier’s mouth in the blink of an eye.

The next second, a nurse entered, apparently for routine rounds. The moment she stepped in, she spotted the cigar in Hua Shier’s mouth and immediately frowned.

***

“Smoking is prohibited in the hospital. If you want to smoke, take it outside!”

Hua Shier was still in a daze. Who am I? What’s going on?

Luo Yun, the culprit, piled on, feigning helplessness:

“I warned him several times, but he just wouldn’t listen. Sorry, Nurse Sister, I’m causing you trouble. I’ll put it away now.”

With that, she quickly snatched the lady’s cigar and tucked it into a pink lady’s handbag.

Hua Shier was speechless.

He now believed that what Zhang Wuji’s mother said was right: the more beautiful a woman is, the better she is at deceiving.

The nurse, hearing Luo Yun’s explanation, looked even less kindly on Hua Shier. She told him that all his medical tests were normal and that with another 24 hours of observation, he could be discharged.

After finishing, she turned away to attend to her duties. Hua Shier thought of the child he had saved and was about to ask Luo Yun about the child’s condition when a familiar ringtone sounded—it was his phone.

He fumbled around but couldn’t find his phone. Luo Yun then took a paper bag from the chair:

“When you were taken for the examination, your things were put here. There’s also a set of clothes—see if they fit you.”

Only then did Hua Shier notice that his casual suit and trousers showed signs of damage, likely torn when he was hit by the car.

Unexpectedly, Luo Yun had been thoughtful enough to prepare clothes for him.

Grateful, he said, “Thanks. How much are these clothes? I’ll transfer the money to you.”

Luo Yun smiled and nodded, not making a fuss.

Hua Shier rummaged through the bag and found his phone, his expression souring as he saw the screen was cracked all over, evidently damaged in the accident.

Still, he could barely make out that the incoming call was from “Mom.”