CH 72

At nine o’clock in the morning, in the changing room of Jihua Hospital’s operating room.

Jiang Xu came out of the changing room wearing deep green scrubs, and the door of the adjacent room happened to open.

“Come in here,” the man with peach blossom eyes leaned against the door, beckoning to Jiang Xu.

Lovers in the honeymoon phase are like caramel boiled to golden perfection in the hands of an old craftsman, wanting to stick together every minute.

However, lovers in the honeymoon phase also have to work, especially the two expectant fathers who need to earn money for formula for their baby.

They can’t show too much intimacy in front of others, so they can only be affectionate discreetly.

Jiang Xu scanned the surroundings to make sure there was no one around before entering the changing room, and asked with his arms crossed, “What’s up?”

Shen Fangyu stuffed two pieces of chocolate into the pocket of his scrub and said, “I want to bribe Dr. Jiang and borrow Jiang Xu for half a minute.”

Jiang Xu reached into his pocket and took out the chocolate, tearing open the packaging and eating a piece. The perfect aroma of cocoa butter mixed with his lover’s gaze that was stickier than the chocolate, easily igniting sparks in the narrow changing room.

No one spoke, but the air became sweet and cloying.

Finally, Jiang Xu put the packaging back in his pocket and turned to unlock the changing room, “Half a minute is up, I’m leaving.”

However, after waiting for a while, Dr. Jiang didn’t receive a reply, but instead felt an unexpected kiss on the back of his neck from his lover.

Jiang Xu’s hand on the lock trembled, and he turned around to meet Shen Fangyu’s gaze with one hand in his pocket.

The latter lowered his eyelashes, his gaze falling on the corner of his lips and his mouth curved with a smile.

After a while, Jiang Xu asked, “Do you want to kiss?”

So in the end, Dr. Shen asked Dr. Jiang for another half minute and bought a chocolate flavored kiss along with it.

The two straightened their clothes and came out of the changing room one after the other, silently washing their hands side by side, and finally walked back-to-back into their respective operating rooms.

Under their masks, there were hidden traces of implicit ambiguity.

Since their parting in the morning, the next meeting would be at the dining table in the lounge in the evening.

The surgeons were busy with their work, although there was a canteen, they rarely had the time to eat there, often opting for a various mix of take outs.

The lounge was lively tonight because two doctors were treating everyone. One sponsored milk tea, and the other sponsored fried chicken, with the same reason – both were in relationships.

In theory, it should be rare for two people to get out of being single on the same day, even if coincidences happen, it wouldn’t be to this extent.

However, when the colleagues in the department heard that the ones treating them were Dr. Jiang and Dr. Shen, they were not surprised at all.

Thinking about it, they even felt that these two might have started dating on the same day due to their competitiveness.

This made Dr. Jiang, who wanted to hint at everyone about their relationship, very frustrated.

He listened to their gossip and discussions, but couldn’t find anyone who suspected that he and Dr. Shen might be dating in secret.

On the other hand, as soon as Dr. Shen arrived, he was considerately led by one of Jiang Xu’s enthusiastic students to the farthest spot from Jiang Xu.

On the other side, due to the recent carjacking incident, Yu Sang and Zhang Cheng’s relationship had improved somewhat, but now they inexplicably started arguing about whether milk tea or fried chicken tasted better.

Dr. Jiang sat among the group of happy people eating fried chicken, holding a bowl of nourishing porridge that Dr Shen specially ordered for him, and listened to Zhang Cheng and Yu Sang bickering. Before long, the topic escalated to which whether Jiang Xu’s girlfriend or Shen Fangyu’s girlfriend was more outstanding.

The corners of his mouth twitched and he had black lines all over his head. He silently glanced at Shen Fangyu, only to find that the other party was also looking at him.

With a tacit understanding, the two of them stood up holding their food and took two completely different paths to the fitness area in the lounge, finally meeting in the empty boxing gym, where they enjoyed a quiet dinner in their own world.

Jiang Xu didn’t expect that at his age, dating would be more complicated than being in a high school romance.

Shen Fangyu also discussed with him whether they should be open about their relationship at work. After considering for a while, Jiang Xu decided not to for now.

Firstly, there were too many people in their department and gossip was common. Although homosexuality was normal in medical terms, not everyone could accept it. Jiang Xu was afraid it would affect his work.

Secondly, he was not ready to face his students and colleagues for now, starting with Yu Sang.

If he and Shen Fangyu’s students found out that they were together now, he couldn’t imagine the psychological impact it would have on them.

For now, he only planned to disclose this news to Tang Ke. He mentioned it casually but unexpectedly, Dr Tang rushed to his and insisted on taking him to the psychiatric department for an appointment.

Dr Shen, who was experienced with this situation mentioned the name and appointment time of the old doctor who had previously awakened him. After Tang Ke said “thank you”, he realized that it was Shen Fangyu who spoke.

“Jiang Xu, you’ve fallen.” Tang Ke said, “If you were threatened by him, just blink.”

Jiang Xu didn’t blink.

“If you were threatened with the child, you can blink too.”

Jiang Xu still didn’t blink.

Tang Ke had a brief emotional breakdown for a while, running around Jiang Xu’s house for half an hour, and finally lit a cigarette on the balcony, but was ordered by Shen Fangyu to put it out. “Jiang Xu is pregnant.”

Tang Ke tremblingly extinguished the cigarette in the ashtray, unwilling to believe, “Is he the person you called me about that day?”

Jiang Xu: “Yes.”

Shen Fangyu curiously asked from the side, “What call?”

Tang Ke didn’t want to talk to Shen Fangyu for now, and answered coldly, “Midnight Bell.” At least now, that phone call was indeed a midnight bell to him.

“That’s a horror movie, right?” Shen Fangyu said while drinking scented tea, “Jiang Xu wanted to watch one recently, so I accompanied him.”

“Jiang Xu, don’t you hate watching movies with others?” Tang Ke asked in shock.

In the past, when he invited Jiang Xu to watch movies, nine out of ten times, Jiang Xu couldn’t make it, but when he invited him to watch surgery videos, he would always be punctual.

Jiang Xu: “…”

It was true that he hated watching movies with others, but he just enjoyed seeing Shen Fangyu being startled and frightened.

But obviously, Dr. Jiang wasn’t planning to admit this perverse interest to Tang Ke.

Shen Fangyu, who was willing to sacrifice his life for the gentleman, and who would go to great lengths to make his beloved smile, would not openly admit the process of coaxing his loved one, who brings him both pain and joy. With a carefree demeanor, he lightly said to Tang Ke, “Because I’m not just anyone in Jiang Xu’s heart.”

Tang Ke: clenches fists.

Finally, Dr Tang, who received red envelopes in both left and right pockets, left with a face full of grief and indignation: “It’s amazing to have a partner. I’ll call my mother and ask her to arrange a blind date for me.”

Jiang Xu bid farewell to the person with mixed feelings, and then saw a WeChat message from Tang Ke, “Just tell me if he dares to make you angry again. I’ll come and beat him up with a stick.”

“…Also, may you be harmonious for a hundred years.”

Jiang Xu always felt there was a hint of warning in this blessing.

In fact, he and Shen Fangyu didn’t just watch movies together. They also watched surgical recordings, reviewed cases together, and even checked in at various restaurants in A City, walking along the riverbank, taking the city sightseeing bus from the first stop to the last, strolling through streets and alleys, and then making up for missed kisses of youth in secluded corners of A Medical University.

When they had a slightly longer break, they would also drive to the outskirts of the city, providing material for Jiang Xu, who had recently regained his interest in photography.

Before coming to A City, Jiang Xu had heard about the vast plum forest in the suburbs of A City.

But when he was eighteen, Jiang Xu never imagined that one day, he would be wearing a thick scarf, holding hands with another person and walking side by side in the plum garden after the snow stopped. With just a tilt of his head, he could see his beloved, who was smiling and panting as he helpes him carry the photography equipment.

The clear sunlight reflected on the glistening snow, gently landing on the petals of the winter plum flowers. They sat in a pavilion with red bricks and green tiles, lazily basking in the sun.

After a long journey, Shen Fangyu, who was exhausted, put down the camera and tripod, finally finding time to fan himself. Jiang Xu saw this and casually extended his hand to fan Shen Fangyu’s face in a joking manner.

A toddler from a nearby family looked at the two of them for a while, then ran over to fan Shen Fangyu as well. But while he was fanning, he suddenly pounced into Jiang Xu’s arms.

Jiang Xu was taken aback, and then he heard the three-year-old boy say in a childish voice as he pointed at his stomach, “There’s a little sister here.”

The boy’s grandmother hurried over when she heard the commotion, and pulled the boy aside, apologizing to Jiang Xu with a hint of regret. “I’m sorry, the child doesn’t know any better and just says things.”

She then explained to the boy, “Don’t talk nonsense, these are two big brothers, big brothers don’t get pregnant with little sisters. Quickly apologize to them.”

“I’m not talking nonsense,” the boy protested. “There really is a little sister here.”

Jiang Xu was wearing thick clothing, so there shouldn’t be anything visible. He exchanged a glance with Shen Fangyu, who coughed lightly a few times but couldn’t help smiling.

It wasn’t until Jiang Xu pinched Shen Fangyu’s arm hard that Shen Fangyu stopped laughing, and with a teasing tone, he reached out to the boy. “There’s no little sister there. If you want to find a little sister, come and I show you.”

The boy looked at him skeptically for a moment, then looked at Jiang Xu, and finally took a few steps forward, letting Shen Fangyu pick him up into his arms.

Really?” he asked Shen Fangyu.

“Really, touch if you don’t believe me.”

Shen Fangyu teased him and the little boy’s grandmother laughed and said, “You two have really good temperaments. I was afraid that Kang Kang would bother you. Nowadays, young men don’t seem to like children very much. You guys look so young, I didn’t expect you to be know how to coax children.”

Shen Fangyu smiles and glanced meaningfully at Jiang Xu. “I haven’t coaxed children that much, but I have to coax a little ancestor every day.”

After he finished speaking, he lightly pinched Jiang Xu’s hand. Jiang Xu glanced at him lightly, then gestured with his eyes that there were others around, but Shen Fangyu didn’t let go. He held Jiang Xu’s hand under the cover of his down jacket, drawing circles with his fingers absentmindedly.

“But we’ll have a child soon.”

Kang Kang’s grandmother automatically associated “little ancestor” to a cat or dog, and didn’t think much of it. When she heard Shen Fangyu say they would have a child soon, she showed a hint of surprise and said, “Really? How many months?”

“About five or six months.”

“In that case, why don’t you bring your wife out to enjoy the sunshine during this long weekend? Pregnant women need to get enough calcium, so that the baby will be smart and it’s good for the pregnant woman’s health too.” She advised, “Don’t let her stay at home all day long, pregnant women are prone to bad moods, and if they stay cooped up for too long, they’re likely to get unhappy.”

“Okay, I’ll remember that,” Shen Fangyu said with a smile, “Thank you for reminding me.”

Kang Kang’s grandmother nodded in satisfaction, then looked at her grandson again. The little boy was lying on Shen Fangyu’s chest, earnestly touching Shen Fangyu’s down jacket, while muttering something, as if greeting the unborn little sister.

His grandmother explained with some helplessness, “Ever since Kang Kang’s kindergarten classmate had a baby sister, Kang Kang has been asking his parents for a baby sister all the time. His parents are almost fed up with him. I brought him out to give them some peace and quiet, but I didn’t expect him to come to you guys.”

As she spoke, she sighed with emotion, “It’s better to have a daughter, stinky boys are too rowdy.”

The stinky boy Kang Kang finished his words to the little sister and finally slid down from Shen Fangyu to run back to his grandmother.

In the next second, Kang Kang’s grandmother, who was complaining about her grandson, was now all smiles. She touched her grandson’s head and said to Shen Fangyu with concern, “Is your child going to be a girl or a boy?”

Shen Fangyu calmly lied without changing his expression, “The hospital doesn’t allow us to say, and we don’t know either.”

“Why do you need the hospital to say?” Kang Kang’s grandmother suddenly pulled out a small booklet the size of a palm from her bag, “Our family uses this to calculate. As long as we know the day of conception, we can calculate it. It’s very accurate.”

She finished speaking and without caring whether Shen Fangyu wanted it or not, enthusiastically stuffed the book into Shen Fangyu’s pocket. Originally, she wanted to introduce to Shen Fangyu how accurate this booklet was, but unexpectedly, Kang Kang lost interest in staying there now that he had finished talking with the little sister, and insisted on leaving.

Grandmother Kang Kang had no choice but to bid farewell to the two of them and took Kang Kang elsewhere for a stroll.

The pavilion suddenly became quiet and the sunlight made them feel drowsy. Jiang Xu stood up and said to Shen Fangyu, “Let’s go sleep in the car for a while.”

Their car was parked nearby, in the vacant land behind the old plum garden.

Ever since the new plum garden was built in the city a few years ago, the number of visitors to the old plum garden in the suburbs had decreased, and even the previously paid parking lot had been abandoned, with hardly anyone coming.

Through a courtyard wall, you could still smell the fragrance of wax plum flowers in the snow. Jiang Xu slept for a while in the back seat, while Shen Fangyu sat with him, letting him use his legs as a pillow.

When Jiang Xu woke up, Shen Fangyu was flipping through the gender calculation book Grandmother Kang Kang had gifted him.

He rubbed his eyes and lazily looked up at Shen Fangyu, saying, “You really believe in this?”

“It sounds mysterious, so I’m curious,” Shen Fangyu replied.

“Give it to me.” Jiang Xu reached out to grab it.

“Nope,” Shen Fangyu raised the booklet high and deliberately asked Jiang Xu, “Which day did she say should be used?”

Jiang Suo Xu him and sat up with a stern face. However, he had laid down for too long and got up too quickly, causing sudden pain in his lower back. Seeing his change in expression, Shen Fangyu was startled and quickly put away the booklet, supporting him. “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Xu took a few deep breaths and said to Shen Fangyu, “Just some back pain.”

“How long has it been?” Seeing Jiang Xu speak as if it was a common occurrence, Shen Fangyu knew that this had been going on for more than just a day or two. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Jiang Xu shook his head.

Dull pain was not the same as sharp pain, and Jiang Xu had always been able to endure. He knew that as long as he wanted to hide something, Shen Fangyu wouldn’t have much chance of finding out.

For Jiang Xu, showing vulnerability in front of Shen Fangyu was actually quite difficult so he never thought that one day, he would be able to calmly tell Shen Fangyu that he was in pain.

But that was it.

He pushed away Shen Fangyu’s hand that was supporting him, slowly sat back down, a thin layer of cold sweat appearing on his forehead. Shen Fangyu looked at him with a complex expression in his eyes.

“Let me give you a massage,” he suggested.

“No—”

Before Jiang Xu could finish saying the word “no,” Shen Fangyu directly reached out and pulled him onto his lap.

In an instant, Jiang Xu went from sitting on the backseat of the car to resting against a soft and warm body. Jiang Xu was stunned, and Shen Fangyu’s hand had already reached inside his coat, pressing on his waist.

“You don’t have to be so strong in front of me,” Shen Fangyu said. “You can try to rely on me, Jiang Xu.”

The palm on his waist was strong, with clear and distinct knuckles. Each press was gentle but just enough to relieve the pain.

Because the roof of the car was not high enough, Jiang Xu had to slightly lower his head, almost pressing his face against Shen Fangyu’s hair.

The position of being held in someone’s lap easily gave the impression of being controlled. With the weight of his whole body resting on another person, his body would move uncontrollably with the other person’s movements.

Jiang Xu grabbed Shen Fangyu’s shoulders to maintain balance, and his heartbeat inexplicably sped up.

A thorough massage often required a lot of physical strength. After about twenty minutes, Shen Fangyu also had sweat on his temples. He looked up at Jiang Xu and asked, “Does it still hurt?”

Having long forgotten about the pain, Jiang Xu remained silent for a moment, reflecting on his distraction for a second.

And Shen Fangyu automatically interpreted his silence as pain, so he continued to massage.

Hearing the heavy breathing in his ear getting louder, Jiang Xu’s ears inexplicably felt hot. He paused for a moment and said to Shen Fangyu, “Why don’t you take a break?”

“It’s alright, I’m not tired,” Shen Fangyu’s eyes curved as he gasped for breath. “Although my hand is a bit sore… I’m very happy that you are willing to trust me and let me massage you..”

Shen Fangyu’s hot breath fell on the side of Jiang Xu’s neck and Jiang Xu suddenly turned his head, surprised by his own instant stress response. In that moment, Shen Fangyu also accidentally pressed against his tailbone.

Jiang Xu trembled slightly as he sat in Shen Fangyu’s arms.

This tremble caught both of them off guard.

Shen Fangyu hesitated for a moment, as if confirming something, and then pressed again without thinking. Jiang Xu didn’t have time to be shocked by Shen Fangyu’s inexplicable curiosity. He could only bite his lip and suppress the muffled groan that almost escaped his lips.

“What are you doing?” Jiang Xu glared at Shen Fangyu, but unexpectedly found his voice sounding somewhat breathless.

“I…I’m massaging…,” Shen Fangyu gulped, clearly also taken aback.

Jiang Xu said, “Let go.”

Shen Fangyu didn’t let go, because Jiang Xu’s reaction was quite subtle, making him want to confirm something.

And the result of his confirmation was: when his hand reached around to the front, Jiang Xu’s body stiffened directly.

This was the first time Shen Fangyu had seen this side of Jiang Xu while he was awake.

This was also the first time he realized that Jiang Xu could also react to his touch.

“Do… do you want me to help you?” Shen Fangyu tentatively asked, “Will this make your pain less severe?”

Jiang Xu gritted his teeth and said to someone who acted first and reported later, “Haven’t you already started?”

Shen Fangyu was a little flustered. He took a deep breath and said, “Should I continue then?”

There weren’t many tourists in the Plum Garden to begin with, and the parking lot that had turned into a wasteland was even less frequented. Jiang Xu hesitated for a moment, turned his face away, and left with a short urging, “Hurry up.”

The long down coat easily covered up the ambiguous scene, and the dark tinted glass window isolated the bright sunlight outside and the noises inside the car, leaving only the strong fragrance of plum blossoms spreading in the sun, making people dizzy and their hearts restless.

After a while, Jiang Xu, whose eyes were red, opened the car door and put on mask before hurriedly walking away without looking back.

Shen Fangyu wrapped the tissue in a plastic bag and threw it into a nearby trash bin. When he looked up, Jiang Xu had almost disappeared.

“Take it easy, Jiang Xu,” he followed behind, “Be careful not to fall.”

Dr. Jiang Xu’s face was so hot that he could boil an egg, but he didn’t turn his head or slow down. His mind was full of disbelief. How did he, a self-disciplined and morally upright youth who wouldn’t even look at porn, end up sitting on Shen Fangyu’s lap and agree in a daze to let Shen Fangyu help him in the car?

And he was pregnant on top of that.

He must have been possessed just now.

Jiang Xu refused to admit that it was really him just now.

On the way to catch up with Jiang Xu, Shen Fangyu happened to run into Grandma Kang Kang, who unexpectedly said, “I just saw your friend walking ahead, what’s going on? Did you have a fight?”

Shen Fangyu pursed his lips and looked at Jiang Xu’s retreating figure with worry. “It might be a little more serious than that.”

Meanwhile, the winter plum blossoms on the treetop smiled silently, quietly watching the two young people chasing each other under the sun, blooming with fragrance.