Su Yao followed closely behind Mu Nanqiu, walking down the corridor.
The moment she stepped out of the elevator, Su Yao immediately smelled the distinctive scent of the hospital, along with that lingering chill.
The two of them didn’t go to register like the others; instead, after a few detours, they ended up in an office.
When Mu Nanqiu addressed the elderly lady inside as Dean Chen, the older woman’s face lit up with a kind and gentle smile.
But Su Yao felt a little unsettled at first—not because the lady was scary, but because a doctor’s smile always carried a certain intimidating weight.
She nervously swallowed.
After a brief chat between Mu Nanqiu and Granny Chen, Mu Nanqiu pushed Su Yao forward.
“Dean Chen, sorry to trouble you.”
“Not at all, it’s no trouble,” Granny Chen replied with a smile.
Her gaze then shifted to Su Yao.
Feeling that look, Su Yao instinctively lowered her head even more.
Since their arrival, Dean Chen had been observing her quietly, head bowed, not getting a clear look, but just by a glance, she could tell this was a pretty young girl.
Granny Chen teased Su Yao with a smile.
“The little girl’s quite shy.”
“…Hello, Dean Chen!” Su Yao looked up and gave a quick glance at the elderly woman, then quickly averted her eyes again, still uncomfortable with direct eye contact.
Granny Chen could tell that Su Yao was genuinely shy and didn’t mind her avoiding eye contact.
After seeing Su Yao’s delicate little face, she found it rather striking and kept chatting.
“Very timid indeed. What’s your name, little one?”
“Su… Yao—Yao from Yuan.”
Dean Chen nodded and looked toward Mu Nanqiu, who gave a helpless glance.
Changing this habit of avoiding eye contact would take a long time and subtle influence.
She already had a rough plan in mind.
After saying “Alright,” Dean Chen led them out of the office.
First came the basic tests—height and weight.
From the time things changed until now, Su Yao finally learned her exact height: 1.60 meters, a few centimeters shorter than before.
Her weight had dropped quite a bit as well, now only 46 kilograms.
She wasn’t emaciated—“plump” might even describe her—but it seemed most of that flesh was superficial…
Vision, hearing, blood pressure, heart rate, chest X-rays, and a series of routine tests were done, including blood work.
Su Yao pressed the cotton swab against her arm with a wry expression, then continued on to the next location.
She asked how many more tests there were.
Mu Nanqiu smiled at her.
“Since we’re here, might as well do the full set.”
“Eh?!”
Su Yao wanted to cry but had no tears.
She wished she hadn’t asked—at least not knowing had given her some hope.
Now she didn’t even know how long this full set would take.
By the time they finished the whole process, it was already noon.
Dean Chen handed Mu Nanqiu a bag full of various paper reports.
Mu Nanqiu casually pulled out an extremely explicit image from the pile.
Su Yao glanced over and was so shocked that her mouth dropped open, and she tightly crossed her legs, feeling uneasy sitting on the sofa.
Noticing Su Yao’s reaction, Mu Nanqiu asked, “Yao Yao, do you need to use the restroom?”
“Uh…” Su Yao looked at Mu Nanqiu with a strange expression.
She hesitated, wanting to speak, but couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Then, Mu Nanqiu calmly picked up the image again and studied it carefully in front of Su Yao.
Su Yao watched silently, pouting.
She was quite upset now.
After a while, she couldn’t hold it in anymore and poked Mu Nanqiu’s waist.
“What’s up?”
“Senior, can I see it?”
Su Yao’s eyes were wide, clearly pleading “please say yes.”
Mu Nanqiu just smiled gently and casually handed over the X-ray and the folder.
Su Yao took them and immediately scooted away.
Looking at the truly “explicit” image, Su Yao furrowed her brow deeply, then glanced at Mu Nanqiu, who was still smiling nonstop.
Su Yao’s face flushed deeply, her ears burning hot.
Holding someone else’s pelvic X-ray for so long—senior was way too mischievous!
Once she realized Mu Nanqiu had done everything on purpose, Su Yao felt angry but couldn’t blame her.
She just pretended to be annoyed, turned her head, and ignored her.
But Mu Nanqiu didn’t try to soothe her immediately; instead, she and Dean Chen went into another room to talk.
“Dean Chen, how’s Yao Yao?”
“Very normal, even extremely normal. Her whole body is like brand new…”
Dean Chen showed a rare look of surprise, no longer as composed as before.
When she heard Mu Nanqiu was bringing a girl in for a checkup, focusing on gynecology, Dean Chen briefly wondered if she had been mistaken—wasn’t Mu Yao a boy capable of impregnating others?
But that was just a fleeting thought, quickly dismissed.
Originally, she thought it would be a routine check, maybe a little favoritism, but after all the tests, she found that Su Yao had too many strange aspects.
Her body had no typical minor ailments young people usually have; she was practically brand new.
Especially her bones and internal organs—they were incredibly fresh.
Her flexibility rivaled that of a child; a rare natural talent for dance, though her personality was a bit shy. Dean Chen wondered how she was raised.
Mu Nanqiu didn’t overthink; she just wanted to know if Su Yao’s body was normal or not.
Since some tests required time, and results weren’t ready yet, she first asked Dean Chen.
“I mean in terms of bodily functions, is she a fully normal female?”
“Ah? Of course.”
“And DNA?”
“Mu girl, are you worried that little Su might have some genetic defect?”
Dean Chen leaned back slightly and looked at Mu Nanqiu.
“If there were defects, they’d have shown by now. Being shy might have a slight genetic influence, but environment plays a bigger role.”
“I see… then thank you, Dean Chen, for your trouble. We came empty-handed after all.”
Mu Nanqiu smiled and didn’t push the question about sex chromosomes any further.
Asking so pointedly would make it look suspicious, so she smoothly ended the topic.
Dean Chen beamed.
“No need for gifts. I actually hope Mu girl visits often.”
Su Yao looked over the papers in the bag.
She couldn’t understand the numbers, but the internet was a good tool.
By cross-referencing, she learned her body’s current condition.
Very good.
Very normal.
No flaws at all—practically fresh off the production line.
Normally, as people age, some abnormalities appear, especially among youth, who often stay up late and develop liver problems easily.
Su Yao had none of those, and her vision and hearing were excellent.
She slipped the pelvic X-ray between several other images and clipped them together to hide it from Mu Nanqiu at first.
Having just finished all the tests, Mu Nanqiu returned, and Su Yao continued to pretend she was mad and ignoring her.
But when Mu Nanqiu suggested going out for a meal and offered to pay for whatever Su Yao wanted, the girl happily agreed, saying she wanted Kaifeng Restaurant and Golden Arches.
Hearing those two places, Mu Nanqiu’s lips twitched.
She had wanted to dine somewhere upscale but didn’t want to dampen Su Yao’s mood, so she agreed.
The grand Miss Mu, driving a car worth millions to eat at the Golden Arches?
As a noble lady, she usually packed her own boxed meals!
What?
Even the fancy ones were boxed meals?
Well then, never mind.
Takeout was one thing, but going in specifically to eat there was another.
Mu Nanqiu ordered several portions of fries and a drink, while Su Yao went all out and ordered a large combo.
She thought she could finish it all but found her appetite had shrunk a lot compared to before.
The joy of leaving the hospital quickly faded.
“If you can’t eat it all, rest a bit first.”
Mu Nanqiu said, pinching a fry and holding it to Su Yao’s lips.
Su Yao opened her mouth to take it.
Though she said she was full, once the food was at her mouth, how could she not eat it?
As Su Yao opened her mouth and ate, it seemed to trigger something in Mu Nanqiu, who grew inexplicably happy.
Mu Nanqiu pinched another fry and handed it over.
Su Yao, without thinking, opened her mouth to receive it, barely swallowing before the next fry came.
She frowned but still opened her mouth again, and so on…
Until Su Yao truly couldn’t eat anymore, she looked on helplessly as Mu Nanqiu fed her, one hand supporting her head.
“Since it’s tasty, eat more.”
“…”
Hearing that, Su Yao’s face soured immediately.
She wasn’t told that before!
After eating their fill, the two didn’t stay long at the restaurant; it was too crowded, with too many curious eyes.
Mu Nanqiu took Su Yao back to the car but didn’t plan to leave just yet.
Su Yao sat in the passenger seat, eyes closed, resting.
Then she heard Mu Nanqiu beside her say,
“Yao Yao, this afternoon we’ll go to reissue your ID Card, and you’ll also have to register at school. Are you ready?”
Su Yao pursed her lips but didn’t open her eyes or reply.
Ready?
Life never gives anyone time to prepare.
Challenges come without warning.
Su Yao had no choice but to accept and adapt.
After a long moment, she finally answered.
Opening her eyes and gazing out the car window, Su Yao thought, From now on, this will be a new life, won’t it?