"What are you talking about?" Jiang Ziyu returned to her original seat, looking curiously at the two in front of her.
Pete raised an eyebrow and ceded the right to reply to Di Mingjue opposite him.
"Nothing," Di Mingjue replied dismissively.
Speaking of which, Jiang Ziyu turned her head and asked, "Are you leaving tomorrow? Why don't you stay in the country before the surgery? Haven't you always wanted to experience life here?"
Pete shook his head. "I need to go back and impart the content from this conference to my students. After I'm done, I'll be here for an extended stay."
"Really?" Jiang Ziyu sounded surprised.
She knew how busy Pete was. They met at the hospital when they first knew each other, and later, as friends, she learned about his life. It was then that Jiang Ziyu realized all geniuses in the world needed postnatal effort to shine in the eyes of others. Pete was just that kind of person. He could spend twenty hours a day in the laboratory, only taking two hours for eating and resting. What was most enviable was that despite resting so little, he was more energetic than people who rested normally. She sometimes suspected he was a robot, and the two hours of rest were merely to throw people off the scent, when in reality, he went to recharge.
"I'll have to trouble you then, to take me to taste local delicacies and visit fun places," Pete said.
Jiang Ziyu agreed without a second thought, nodding. "Of course. You can stay at my place then, it's just that Yu..." She suddenly stopped speaking, glancing at Di Mingjue and Pete's barely concealed expressions. She then smiled and said, "It's just that my house isn't big, it's not as comfortable as your large villa."
Hearing that she was inviting someone to her home, Di Mingjue suddenly asked with a touch of sourness, "Were you living together before?"
"Mhmm," Jiang Ziyu did not hide it.
These words immediately stirred Di Mingjue's dissatisfaction. He slammed his hand on the table, "Why?"
"Why what? Haven't you stayed at a friend's house before?" Jiang Ziyu found his question nonsensical.
Di Mingjue retorted earnestly, patting the table, "Why would you go to someone else's house when you have your own?"
Seeing that he was deliberately stirring up trouble, Jiang Ziyu directly retorted, "But I didn't have a house abroad. Do you have any issues with that now?"
Her words effectively blocked him. Di Mingjue suddenly remembered his initial investigation. She had been kicked out of the country by Jiang Wenbin, so they naturally wouldn't provide her with living expenses. How had she managed in an unfamiliar place? A flash of pity involuntarily crossed his eyes. On the side, Pete curiously observed their relationship.
"Ziyu, what happened to your face?" Pete suddenly interjected.
With the topic shifted, Di Mingjue's attention also focused on her mottled face. Jiang Ziyu touched her cheek and said, "I accidentally had an allergic reaction, and it hasn't gone away."
"Allergic reaction?" Pete took her hand. Her palm lines were clear, and her skin had a normal rosy hue. As a doctor, he could tell at a glance that it wasn't an allergy. However, since she said so, she likely didn't want the person beside her to know anything. He played along, stroking her hand back and forth. "Then I'll prescribe some medicine for you later, you can take it back and use it."
"It's fine, it'll get better naturally once the toxins dissipate," Jiang Ziyu withdrew her hand, giving Pete a look. She had forgotten about this before coming. She should have given him a heads-up beforehand.
Di Mingjue cleared his throat twice and pointed to Jiang Ziyu's seat. "Let's switch. I want to discuss my surgery with him." Initially, Jiang Ziyu and Di Mingjue were sitting together, but after she went to the restroom midway, she casually sat next to Pete.
Seeing his distracted demeanor, Pete deliberately blocked him. "No need, you can ask any questions directly. We're not outsiders."