Chapter 171

Chen Wenting’s gaze lingered on Shi Tingyu, making it difficult for others to ignore.

When Shi Tingyu looked back at her, their eyes met, and Chen Wenting quickly looked away.

Professor Chen and his wife wanted to help with something, but Shi Tingyu politely declined.

“Professor Chen, I can manage here on my own. There’s no need for you to trouble yourselves,” Shi Tingyu said.

Having unfamiliar people being overly enthusiastic and bustling around here made Shi Tingyu feel a bit uncomfortable.

Mrs. Chen, being more sensitive, said to Shi Tingyu, “Comrade Shi, if you encounter any difficulties, please don’t hesitate to let us know. We’ll help in any way we can. We won’t disturb you today; we’ll come visit Captain Lu in a few days.”

Then she took her husband and daughter out.

As Chen Wenting left, she still felt somewhat reluctant. She was the kind of person who needed answers to questions, and not knowing who someone was felt uncomfortable and awkward.

“Mom, do you think that Miss Shi looks familiar? I feel like I’ve seen her before,” Chen Wenting asked.

Mrs. Chen thought for a moment and also felt a sense of familiarity.

Professor Chen said, “Regardless of whether she’s familiar or not, it was our fault this time that caused harm to the military comrade. Tingting, you should train more next time and not falter at critical moments.”

Feeling guilty after her father’s words, Chen Wenting hurriedly agreed several times.

When they returned to their residence and saw the paintings hanging in the room, Chen Wenting suddenly exclaimed with joy, “Mom, I remember who Miss Shi is!”

“Who is she?” Mrs. Chen asked curiously.

Chen Wenting tapped on the painting hanging on the wall. “Mom, we attended her art exhibition! Don’t you remember?”

Although the painting on the wall wasn’t Shi Tingyu’s, they indeed had bought paintings from Shi Tingyu. However, those paintings were sold to friends later due to inconvenience in carrying them.

Mrs. Chen finally recalled, looking surprised. “No wonder the surname Shi sounded familiar. So it was her.”

They lived in the same state as Shi’s parents, but their families didn’t know each other. However, among overseas Chinese, they had their own circles. Shi Tingyu’s art exhibition had greatly enhanced the reputation of their Chinese community back then.

At that time, overseas Chinese faced a lot of discrimination, but people like them rarely suffered such treatment, unlike the earlier Chinese who came because of the war.

They heard that a Chinese person was holding an art exhibition and naturally wanted to go and see it.

The exhibition was very successful and surprised everyone with Miss Shi’s talent.

They didn’t know that the Shi family had returned to China and settled in Jinling.

The reason why Chen Wenting remembered Shi Tingyu for so long was mainly because when she went to study the piano, she was mocked by white students.

They asked what a yellow monkey knew about music and art.

She wasn’t a courageous person, but she was really angry at the time. Thinking about the art exhibition they had visited before, she plucked up the courage to retort loudly, “You arrogant people don’t understand. Fiona from our country even had an art exhibition. She’s only eighteen. Can any of the people around you claim to have had an exhibition at eighteen?”

Fiona was Shi Tingyu’s English name. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to use her Chinese name, but because when Americans pronounced their names, their tongues seemed to tie knots, so they had no choice but to take an English name.

But her paintings were all under Shi Tingyu’s name.

Chen Wenting still remembered the expressions of the people who were stumped when they asked about it.

Since then, whenever someone mentioned her, she would bring up Fiona.

This time, because Shi Tingyu used her Chinese name, she didn’t react immediately.

Shi Tingyu thought that Professor Chen and his family probably wouldn’t come again after they went back, but the next day, she saw Chen Wenting again.

But this time, she came alone.

Chen Wenting was excited to see Shi Tingyu, in stark contrast to her cautious and guilty attitude before.

“Sister Shi, you’re Fiona, right? I saw your art exhibition when I was abroad, and my family even bought your paintings,” Chen Wenting said enthusiastically.

Shi Tingyu glanced at the doctor who was examining Lu Weiguo, surprised, then quickly changed the subject to stop her.

“How did you come here? Aren’t your parents worried about you?” Shi Tingyu asked.

Chen Wenting replied, “I’m already twenty. They’re not worried.”

Then, Chen Wenting added, “Fiona, you don’t know how famous you are in our overseas Chinese community. Earlier, some American classmates bothered me, but I shut them down with your achievements, and they had nothing to say.”

Seeing the doctor frequently looking over, Shi Tingyu wondered when Chen Wenting would stop talking.

But obviously, Chen Wenting was ecstatic and continued talking about it. Shi Tingyu couldn’t steer the conversation back.

The two chatted for a while until the doctor left. Then Shi Tingyu said, “You’ve just returned and there are many things you don’t know yet. It’s better to say less about things abroad in the future, and also not to mention my English name.”

Chen Wenting instinctively covered her mouth; she had forgotten in her excitement.

When she returned, her parents had mentioned this to her.

Chen Wenting’s overly warm attitude put pressure on Shi Tingyu. As someone who was mildly socially anxious, she wasn’t good at dealing with strangers.

When people from the camp came to visit Lu Weiguo one after another, Chen Wenting stopped talking and took her leave.

Once the visitors left, the ward became quiet again.

“So my wife is quite famous?” Lu Weiguo teased, recalling Chen Wenting’s words.

Shi Tingyu glanced at him irritably. “What are you trying to stir up?”

Lu Weiguo reached out with his left hand and gently held her hand. “Professor Chen and his family just returned. Their daughter’s Western-style expression is understandable.”

When Chen Wenting mentioned his wife’s English name, the nervousness in her eyes didn’t escape him.

“Alright, I understand,” Shi Tingyu replied.

In this era, Lu Weiguo understood it better than her.

She was just a bit shadowed by her parents’ experiences of being sent down.

Although her parents’ reassignment had other reasons, it didn’t prevent her from being cautious during this particular period.

“Your foreign name is Fiona?” Lu Weiguo asked curiously.

Shi Tingyu covered his mouth. “Knowing is enough. Don’t say it out loud.”

Lu Weiguo smiled and didn’t tease her further.

Currently, due to memorial services and protests, Beijing was quite chaotic. Professor Chen, being from the Jinling Military Region, put in quite some effort to keep them at the Jinling Institute of Biological Research.

Professor Chen’s family had just returned to the country and had many things to attend to, so Chen Wenting had free time and visited the hospital every other day.

Fortunately, Lu Weiguo was discharged at the end of May.

Now that the weather was warmer, Shi Tingyu set up three chairs in the courtyard and planned to give Lu Weiguo a good hair wash.

Washing hair in the hospital always felt uncomfortable.

Lu Weiguo lay back in the chair, his body a bit stiff. Seeing Shi Tingyu bring water and hesitatingly place it under his head on a stool, he said, “Maybe I should stand to wash instead.”

To be honest, lying down like this was more tiring than bending over to wash his hair.

Shi Tingyu looked at the height difference between the chair and the stool, and then at Lu Weiguo’s strained neck, she compromised.

“Well, bending over to wash it is fine too.”