CH 47

Shen Fangyu felt as if the nerves in his brain had suddenly collapsed, and for a long time, it was as if he couldn’t hear the outside world, and even his consciousness was a little chaotic.

“That… is great.” He spoke distractedly, as if he could no longer quite understand what he was saying and why he was saying it. “Congratulations.”

Jiang Xu looked at him with a somewhat complicated expression.

“Why do you have that expression?” Shen Fangyu said, “you should be happy.”

He sat up straighter, opened his laptop, and started searching for the latest news. Sure enough, Dr. Kenn’s article had stirred up a thousand waves in the field, and the discussion was raging. He clicked on the magazine’s interface and it still couldn’t be refreshed, the interface got stuck.

–Foreign websites are prone to lagging. Countless colleagues from around the world were flocking there to download and read Dr. Kenn’s article and related data.

“The internet sucks.” Shen Fangyu said, “I can’t get into the website.”

Jiang Xu paused at his words and then said, “I’ve entered.”

“Sure enough, it’s your home’s WiFi; it only lets you log in and not me.” Shen Fangyu’s words were tinged with a self-deprecating smile.

Jiang Xu frowned slightly and asked, “What are you talking about?”

Perhaps because he had been drinking a little, his already tired brain had become a little numb, and Shen Fangyu was a little less inclined to hide his emotions. “Is there a problem with what I said? I’m just a guest, you know, and your home WiFi also understands.” Only he didn’t understand.

“Stop your drunken nonsense.”

Jiang Xu used WeChat to transfer the data to him. He then turned on the projection in the living room, connected the computer data to it, opened the video of Dr. Kenn’s surgery, and started playing it.

The video was over four hours long, and the view was clear. They both sat at one end of the sofa, each watching it in silence, occasionally exchanging a word or two in the middle, just as they had done when they were studying under Director Cui.

Dr. Kenn was a cold and arrogant man, but he was indeed very skilled, and his judgment in the face of intraoperative emergencies was decisive and accurate, making him a great surgeon.

Four hours seemed like a long time, but they seemed a little short tonight. With a series of excited “Congratulations!”, the video ended and the screen began to scroll with a list of acknowledgments.

Jiang Xu reached out and pressed pause with the remote control, and the living room suddenly fell silent, but no one made a sound.

In the past, they would have quickly started to analyze and discuss the surgery, but the atmosphere between them was a little strange today. Jiang Xu didn’t say anything, and neither did Shen Fangyu.

The moon was cool outside the window, and the first batch of leaves for autumn had begun to fall.

After a long silence, Shen Fangyu spoke first.

“I did some research; there are few relevant cases, so there is not sufficient evidence to show that male abortion surgery is necessarily less risky than cesarean section. Although you are going to have an abortion, I advise a direct laparotomy rather than a laparoscopy if you are to consider potential risks.”

He pointed to the projection and said, “Also, Dr. Kenn did a laparotomy, and this is the most complete video footage we have right now. In addition, the male body is built differently from that of a female, and a laparotomy gives the attending surgeon a clearer visualization of the state of the entire abdominal cavity.”

“I’ll have to watch the video and the patient’s case notes a few more times, and if you decide to let me do the surgery, I’ll draw up a preliminary and complete surgical plan and send it to you by tomorrow evening. You can try to free up your evening and we’ll discuss it,” he said, ” I’ll send an email to Dr. Kenn and try to communicate with him before the operation.”

“If you want to go abroad to do-“

“Shen Fangyu,” Jiang Xu interrupted him abruptly, “I don’t want to discuss this with you for now.”

He wasn’t quite sure how he felt mentally, he just remembered the several large plastic bags filled with clothes and toys in the study.

They had bought her so many presents only a short while ago, and now they were discussing how they should murder her.

“It’s late,” Jiang Xu said. “I’m going to take a shower.”

He was tired today, having first gone to dinner after work, then suddenly receiving such news, and then sitting motionless on the sofa for four hours, concentrating on studying the surgery procedure.

“Don’t procrastinate,” Shen Fangyu pressed his brow, “get the child’s affairs settled sooner and you can go after Miss Cao sooner.”

His already depressed mood was now getting turbulent under the stimulation of alcohol, and he was more or less shocked by what he was saying.

What he wanted to say was …… if he had known it was a matchmaking show, he would not have worked so hard to make Jiang Xu perform.

When Jiang Xu heard these words, the movement of getting up suddenly stopped, and he looked at Shen Fangyu with a bit of disbelief, his voice slightly trembling from anger.

“We’ve known each other for ten years or so, Shen Fangyu,” he asked, “Am I that kind of person in your mind?”

“Jiang Xu ……”

“Shut up—”

He stood up with a jerk and walked into the bedroom with a surge of anger, slamming the door behind him. Shen Fangyu remained seated in place, wiping his face in annoyance.

Half an hour later, the door was opened violently, and it slammed against the wall with a loud bang.

Shen Fangyu looked over and saw Jiang Xu dragging his suitcase to the door to change his shoes.

“Where are you going?” He leaped to his feet, saying, “We’ll talk about it tomorrow if it’s so late, don’t run around.”

Jiang Xu ignored him, he only dropped the word “roll” and opened the door. Shen Fangyu hurriedly chased him out, he was already a bit dizzy from the wine, so when he suddenly moved, he felt himself spinning, and because he didn’t pay attention, he tripped over Jiang Xu’s shoes.

When he got up again, the elevator was already closed. He quickly changed his shoes and ran down the stairs, only to find that Jiang Xu hadn’t gone to his car when he reached the parking lot, so he continued running to the entrance of the community, where Jiang Xu had just gotten into a taxi, leaving him with a nose full of car exhaust.

Shen Fangyu was wearing a single shirt, but he was sweating profusely, the heat steaming above his head. It was after midnight, and the location wasn’t a good place to get a taxi.

Shen Fangyu took a few breaths and didn’t care about his demeanor anymore, he frantically waved at the passing cars, and a grey car probably saw that he was in a real hurry and stopped in front of him. The kind big brother in the driver’s seat rolled down his window and looked over, asking, “Young man, what’s wrong?”

“Big brother, can you give me a lift,” Shen Fangyu pointed at the back of the taxi that was taking Jiang Xu away, bending over and panting, “Catch up with that car for me, I can give you as much as you want.”

The big brother In the car took a look at him. The young man in front of him was still wearing home clothes, and he seemed to have been caught off guard when he started chasing after someone. He nodded and said, “Okay, you can come up.”

Seeing Shen Fangyu get into the car, he stepped on the accelerator while saying, “Chasing your wife, huh?”

“Not ……”

“Then it’s a girlfriend?” The driver’s voice had a bit of a flirtatious tone, “Don’t worry, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Brother has experience- my wife has a temper and tends to run away from home in the middle of the night.”

Shen Fangyu’s heart was in turmoil at the moment, and he couldn’t say anything polite. He smiled somewhat reluctantly at the driver and handed over two hundred yuan.

“No, I’m not a taxi driver, I’m just doing you a favor,” he said, waving his hand, “There’s a quarrel at the end of the bed and reconciliation at the end of the bed. What conflict can’t be resolved?”

The big brother, who had been working late and was planning to go home, thought he had met Shen Fangyu, who had fallen into the same quagmire, and promised to chase after the taxi in front of him no matter what.

When Jiang Xu saw Shen Fangyu getting into a car from the rear-view mirror, he said to the driver, “Master, get rid of that car behind you, he’s chasing me.”

If the warm-hearted brother Shen Fangyu met was carrying a script for an emotional dispute in an 8.30 p.m. family ethics drama, then the driver Jiang Xu met was a fan of Hong Kong movies about gangsters and police. The small, middle-aged driver narrowed his eyes at his words, looked over at Jiang Xu, and promised solemnly, “Don’t worry.”

Then he stepped on the accelerator and, in an instant, became the most dashing, handsome man in the early hours of A City.

Jiang Xu was pushed back by the huge recoil, and his whole body was stuck to the seat, watching as the driver went past the maximum speed limit, madly changed lanes on the traffic-filled street, and passed through alleys again and again. After taking several thrilling turns, he asked Jiang Xu, “Where are you going again?”

Jiang Xu: “……”

At the quiet entrance of a certain building, the driver, who was immersed in the scene of a gangster-police movie, slammed on the brakes and brought Jiang Xu to his destination.

He helped Jiang Xu carry the suitcase down, rubbed his hands together, and asked, “How was my driving?”

Jiang Xu thought he wanted more money and was ready to go through his wallet, but the driver hurriedly refused, “I don’t take tips.” He looked excited because of his adrenaline rush, “I just want to know …… what do you think of my driving? How was it?”

Jiang Xu couldn’t understand why he always met a driver who was as theatrical as Shen Fangyu whenever he took a taxi these days.

He struggled to calm the turmoil in his stomach, barely resisting the urge to vomit, and complimented him incoherently, “It was very good; don’t drive like that next time.”

When Jiang Xu stepped into Tang Ke’s door with his suitcase in tow, the brother driving Shen Fangyu was parked at a fork in the road and staring in a daze. He and Shen Fangyu looked at each other for a long time before saying, “You probably won’t be able to catch up with your wife ……”

He scratched his hair as he said, “I’ve always heard that taxis in A City are tough, but today I’ve finally seen it.” He asked Shen Fangyu, “Did you see where the car went?”

Shen Fangyu was already a bit confused, and there were so many identical taxis on the road that he couldn’t tell them apart even before they lost track of Jiang Xu.

“Why don’t you guess where your wife would go?” The big brother prompted, “Your mother-in-law’s house?”

Even though Shen Fangyu had denied it several times, this big brother still insisted that his wife left in anger. Shen Fangyu didn’t bother to argue with him anymore and went along with him: “The parents aren’t in A City.”

“What about her siblings?”

“He’s an only child.”

*他 is being used, which is gender neutral and can be used for he, him, she, or her. So the driver didn’t notice.

“So that makes her a little sister?” Big brother said, “Do you think she has any close little sisters?”

Shen Fangyu exhaled slowly and rolled down the car window. The autumn night was frosty and the cool breeze poured in, suddenly making his body hot and cold, causing him to shiver.

A few moments later, he dialed Tang Ke’s number.

Tang Ke saw the caller when it rang, switched off the sound at the speed of light, and glanced at the bathroom door. The shower was loud and showed no signs of stopping. He let out a sigh of relief and walked out onto the balcony with his phone.

“Shen Fangyu?”

“It’s me,” Shen Fangyu said. “Is Jiang Xu at your place?”

Tang Ke didn’t answer him but first questioned, “You two were playing Tai Chi in front of me last time, so tell me honestly, are you living with Jiang Xu now?”

Earlier, Jiang Xu had dragged his suitcase over with a tired face. He didn’t ask Jiang Xu anything, but now that Shen Fangyu had called, Tang Ke could guess what happened no matter how dull he was.

Jiang Xu lived alone, and even if something big happened, it wouldn’t make him run to him with his suitcase, unless there was someone else at his home.

The conversation between the two during the last prenatal examination was odd, and today’s episode confirmed Tang Ke’s suspicions.

“Is Jiang Xu too comfortable with his life that he decided to find himself some trouble?” Tang Ke was puzzled, “How did you trick him into letting you live in his house?”

“Let’s not talk about that,” Shen Fangyu said, “Can I come over? I want to see him.”

“Go back first, he’s gone to take a shower, I’ll ask him later and get back to you.”

Shen Fangyu knew Jiang Xu’s temper and said nothing more, hanging up the phone in vain, before saying to the big brother, “Can I trouble you to take me back?”

Looking at his depressed face, the bug brother couldn’t help but comfort him, “It’s alright, just apologize properly, she loves you and will always forgive you.”

Shen Fangyu shook his head and said, “Brother, we really aren’t lovers. Leave alone love, he probably …… Anyway, he is quite angry at me and wants to get rid of me.”

“So you’re courting her?” The big brother asked. “Ah… getting up to pursue someone in the middle of the night and entering other girls’ homes is not good.”

“No,” Shen Fangyu said, “we’re just colleagues, we’re sort of working together on …… a project.”

He sighed, “the relationship has been bad, he also does not want to work with me. There was an external factor that had forced him to do this project, but now that the external factor is gone, he probably intends to break up.”

It was probably the night and a gossipy and enthusiastic big brother who made the best catalyst for the desire to confide, and Shen Fangyu only reacted after realizing that he had said so much to a stranger.

The big brother looked at him with a piercing gaze, his eyebrows twisted into a “川” character.

Shen Fangyu felt that he had said a bit too much tonight and waved his hand, “I just ……”

“I understand, brother,” the big brother said, “so you still want to do it?”

Shen Fangyu did not say anything.

“She wants to break up, you don’t want to break up,” the big brother asked, “is this the reason for the fight?”

“Not really.”

“Then why is your colleague so angry? There is always a reason for everything.”

Shen Fangyu thought for a moment, “He got angry when I said we should break up.”

“That’s a contradiction in logic,” said the big brother. “You said your colleague planned to break up, so why was she angry?”

“It was me who spoke badly,” said Shen Fangyu, “and offended him.”

“Hey young man,” the big brother said, “I think you’re the one who’s in charge, so I’m asking you, did your colleague ever tell you she wanted to break up?”

Shen Fangyu was silent for a moment and shook his head, “But it would be good for him to break up.”

“You’re not her, so how do you know she thinks it’s a good thing?”

“Because his attitude was firm before.”

“Before was before,” said the big brother, “my child still cries and laughs at times, the weather can change at the drop of a hat, can’t people change their minds?”

He said, “Listen to me. First, apologize to your colleague and ask her if she wants to break up with you or not. If she really wants to break up, forget it, if not, then you should be frank and clear, don’t make guesses, and have a good relationship; too much guessing will lead to misunderstanding.”

There was nothing wrong with what the big brother said, but he didn’t know that it wasn’t a collaborative project, it was a child, so there was no way Jiang Xu didn’t want to break up.

Jiang Xu was talented and had ambitions; his way of realizing his life values was not to have a bunch of children, children were a burden to him, a hindrance to moving forward, and Shen Fangyu knew he couldn’t be selfish in this matter.

But he really didn’t have the energy to explain to a stranger anymore.

The car drove back to Jiang Xu’s community. Shen Fangyu lowered his eyes and quietly slipped two hundred yuan under the seat.

Although the big brother couldn’t help him, Shen Fangyu felt his kindness, and it wasn’t easy to drag him back and forth in the middle of the night.

The driver sighed with a shake of his head as he watched his back go away, “Youngsters… so restless.”