After completing the handover with his colleagues in the department, Dr. Jiang Xu completely settled into a homebound life.
However, Dr. Jiang couldn’t sit still and did online consultations with his tablet on a daily. In just two days, he had completed the workload of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department. Then he contacted some of his students who had been neglectful due to clinical work and had one-on-one conversations with them, asking them three questions every day:
“Where is the innovation?”
“Have you finished reading the documents?”
“Is there any progress in the experiment?”
The Jiang Xu research team was in chaos for a while, feeling scared and nervous.
One day, Professor Shen Fangyu had just come out of the laboratory when he heard two students from the opposite laboratory whispering in front of him. They didn’t know what had happened to Professor Jiang recently, but he seemed like he was injected with chicken blood, and had the appearance of aiming for the CNS (Central Nervous System) and stepping on the four major journals.
This made Shen Fangyu laugh out loud. That night, he went to inform Jiang Xu, and the next day, the two students were invited for a friendly conversation. The wind of suspicion blew hard, and the two students were trembling with fear every day, suspecting that there were traitors in the laboratory.
Before entering the operating room, Shen Fangyu discussed this matter with Zhang Cheng while washing his hands. The latter mourned for Jiang Xu’s students for a while before suddenly noticing Shen Fangyu’s action of taking off his ring.
“Why did you buy a ring? Isn’t it troublesome?”
Doctors who perform surgery are not fond of fancy jewelry. When they enter the operating room, they must be clean and cannot bring anything with them.
Those who love beauty might buy new jewelry, and at first, they can tolerate taking it off and putting it on several times. However, in the end, they either lose it or become too lazy to put it on.
Shen Fangyu looked at Zhang Cheng with a meaningful expression and threw the ring into the scrub suit, hinting, “Didn’t you see it on my ring finger?”
“Shit!” Zhang Cheng suddenly realized. “You’re fast. Did you suddenly get married?”
“It’s been ten years,” Shen Fangyu said. “It’s about time.”
Zhang Cheng gave him a look that said “OK, show off if you want,” and shook his head helplessly.
After a while, he suddenly remembered something and reminded Shen Fangyu, “Someone has been curious about what Jiang Xu has been doing these days, and some have asked if he resigned. He has been gone for a long time, and you guys have to come up with a good excuse when he comes back because many people will ask him.”
“Also,” Zhang Cheng said, “I heard Yu Sang yelling that Director Cui mentioned something vague about Jiang Xu last time, that he has some important private matter, but he didn’t make it clear.”
President Cao must have communicated with Director Cui. Shen Fangyu whispered to Zhang Cheng, “Let’s say we came into contact with the patient from Z Country, and Jiang Xu went to follow up and record the data.”
Zhang Cheng understood, and his eyes showed a hint of shock, “Are you going to perform the operation yourself?”
“Um.”
“My God,” Zhang Cheng said. “You have a lot of courage. You dare to perform the operation on your own patient?”
“I have no choice, and there are no better options. Compared to Dr. Kenn and Dr. Albert, I think I’m better…” After Shen Fangyu explained, he joked: “I am looking for people for the surgery team, do you want to join?”
“I can’t do it,” said Zhang Cheng as he repeatedly waved his hand, afraid of being coveted. “If you have the ability to do it for your partner, then I don’t. Even if Jiang Xu and I are not close friends, we are old acquaintances. I estimate that if I see him on the operating table, my hands will shake with the pressure. You should bear this pressure yourself.”
Shen Fangyu shook his head with a smile and let out a deep sigh.
As the Lunar New Year approached, Jiang Xu’s stomach grew bigger and bigger.
Because he couldn’t hide it anymore, he now reduced his frequency of going out, and even his exercise involves walking back and forth at home.
This year, Jiang Xu didn’t go back home for the New Year. His parents came to visit, and the four of them spent the holiday together. Shen Fangyu and Mother Jiang exchanged their culinary skills for several days and Shen Fangyu, who couldn’t distinguish different grains before, was now able to make various types of dumplings.
During the previous years’ holidays, Jiang Xu was always busy with work, overtime and patients. This year, he had free time, so he took many photos.
When the family was gathered together watching the Spring Festival Gala on New Year’s Eve, Shen Fangyu’s parents called him on the phone, telling him not to be angry and to come home for the New Year.
Shen Fangyu saw his happy brother, sister-in-law, and two noisy little nephews through the video call, and said to his parents, “I’ll say it again, I’ll come back when you accept me.”
After hanging up the phone, he turned around and found Jiang Xu sitting on the sofa, looking at him through the glass door of the balcony.
Seeing Shen Fangyu sitting down, Jiang Xu held his hand for a moment, then took his hand and gently placed it on his bulging stomach.
He didn’t say anything, but Shen Fangyu understood what he meant.
He was silent for a while, then was unable to resist leaning over and kissing Jiang Xu when his parents weren’t paying attention.
Jiang Xu glared at him, and guiltily glanced at his parents who were watching TV. Shen Fangyu lowered his head and smiled, apologizing by peeling an apple for him.
When he started working, he felt like a guest in someone else’s home every year during the New Year, watching his elder brother’s family and parents getting along happily.
It was only today that he finally experienced what it felt like to celebrate the New Year with his family.
The new year arrived with the fluttering of snowflakes, as if signaling the arrival of a new and exciting era.
As the holiday season came to an end, they saw off Jiang Xu’s parents, and the couple, who hadn’t been intimate for quite some time, finally got to be affectionate for a while.
But the timing was not right, so they didn’t take it all the way. Just when their passion was at its peak, they had to stop, which was truly a sweet torment.
Jiang Xu was relaxing in the bathtub while Shen Fangyu was busy tidying up the sofa that they had messed up when suddenly, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Without much thought, he opened the door and met Yu Sang’s surprised gaze.
The incident began ten minutes ago.
At the end of the holiday season, Yu Sang and his girlfriend had been going out for several days. While taking a walk at night, they suddenly talked about Jiang Xu, whom they hadn’t seen for many days.
Yu Sang’s girlfriend suggested that he should go and visit Jiang Xu for the New Year as they haven’t seen each other for many days and it’s common to pay New Year’s respects to superiors nowadays. Yu Sang became an attending physician last year so he should also thank Jiang Xu for his guidance.
Yu Sang felt that Jiang Xu was someone who didn’t care about these things, but he couldn’t resist his girlfriend’s persuasion and decided to buy some fruit to pay his respects.
As soon as Shen Fangyu opened the door, Yu Sang was stunned and said, “Did I go to the wrong place?”
Shen Fangyu was momentarily frozen and said to Yu Sang, “I don’t think so.”
Yu Sang asked, “Then where is he?”
Shen Fangyu looked at the fruit in Yu Sang’s hand and quickly realized his purpose for coming. His brain raced for a moment and he said, “I’m here to pay New Year’s respects to Jiang Xu too.”
“Oh…” Although he couldn’t understand how the two had become people who could pay New Year’s respects to each other, Yu Sang didn’t think much of it and walked into the living room with the fruit.
“Where’s Brother Xu?” he asked, looking around. There was no one in the living room, the sofa was a bit messy, and the pillows were inexplicably all over the floor.
Shen Fangyu quickly picked up the pillows, secretly moved the trash can with discarded tissues behind the sofa, and skillfully made a cup of tea for Yu Snag.
“He’s taking a shower and will be here in a while.”
“What about his cousin?” Yu Sang remembered that Jiang Xu had a simple cousin who he had consulted about how to get along with.
Shen Fangyu hesitated for a moment and asked, “What cousin?”
“Brother Xu told me he lived with his cousin.”
Shen Fangyu’s expression suddenly became a bit subtle.
Before he moved in, Jiang Xu had always lived alone, and he was the only person who had lived with him.
So this means…Jiang Xu told Yu Sang that he was his cousin.
For some reason, this realization made Shen Fangyu feel like a cat’s paw scratching at his heart, and he couldn’t help but recall the “Fangyu gege” that Jiang Xu called him.
“Maybe…he moved out.” Shen Fangyu said carefully.
“What’s wrong with your ears?” Observant Yu Sang quickly noticed Shen Fangyu’s change and said to himself, “Frostbite? Doesn’t look like it, why is it so red?”
Shen Fangyu cleared his throat and was about to say something, when a voice suddenly came from the bathroom, “Shen Fangyu, bring me your underwear!”
As soon as the voice fell, the two people on the sofa looked at each other at the same time. After awhile, Yu Sang’s expression showed confusion as he asked, “What did Brother Xu just say?”
“He said…” Shen Fangyu swallowed a mouthful of saliva, “He said he left his car key in the garage.”
“…” Yu Sang was silent for a moment and said, “I feel like he was saying that you give him your underwear.”
“How could that be?” Shen Fangyu laughed exaggeratedly, “I don’t even live here!”
As a result, when there was no response, the person in the bathroom called out again, “Shen Fangyu—”
The voice was lazy, with a long trailing tone that had a hint of intimacy, separated by the misty water vapor and bathroom glass.
Yu Sang shivered.
He had never heard Jiang Xu use this tone to address someone.
Although he called the person by their full name, he somehow managed to make it sound a bit coquettish.
‘Crazy! I’m going crazy.’
Yu Sang rubbed his ears, while Shen Fangyu was clearly more panicked.
He almost shouted at the top of his voice, “Yu Sang, eat some fruit!”
The loudness of his voice made Yu Sang tremble and clutch his chest. “Why are you shouting so loudly?”
Shen Fangyu laughed awkwardly, “I’ve been practicing Peking Opera lately, just practicing my voice.”
Ten minutes later, Jiang Xu, dressed in clothes, walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his neck, looking quite stiff.
He first glared at Shen Fangyu, then nodded cautiously at Yu Sang and asked, “What brings you here?”
Yu Sang’s eyes first paused on his obvious abdomen, then fell on his neck. “Brother Su, what kind of fashion is that?” he asked curiously. “Is it fashionable to wrap a towel around your neck instead of a scarf?”
Jiang Xu: “…”
Noticing Jiang Xu’s silence, Shen Fangyu quickly came to his rescue. “It must be because it’s been dry these past few days, and Brother Xu needs to moisturize his neck.”
“Oh, I see,” praised Yu Sang. “I didn’t expect Brother Xu to have such refined tastes.”
Jiang Xu looked at Yu Sang, then at Shen Fangyu, and a faint black line appeared on his forehead.
One was daring to make up stories, while the other dared to believe them.
“I’m going to change my clothes,” Jiang Xu said.
Yu Sang hurriedly stopped him. “It’s okay, we’re all old friends. Just wear your pajamas after taking a shower. It’s too much trouble to keep changing clothes. We’re not guests.”
“It’s better to change,” Jiang Xu insisted.
“It’s really okay. Just be comfortable. We’re here to celebrate the new year, so just wear whatever you feel comfortable in. You don’t have to be so formal and treat us like guests,” Yu Sang said. Then he suddenly realized that Jiang Xu might feel unfamiliar with Shen Fangyu and wanted to change his clothes. So he asked, “Dr. Shen won’t mind, will he?”
Shen Fangyu knew that Jiang Xu wanted to change his clothes, but since Yu Sang had brought it up, he couldn’t possibly say “I mind”. So he could only say, “Um… I don’t mind. Brother Jiang, just wear whatever makes you feel comfortable.”
Jiang Xu was silent for a moment. Then he was forced to sit on the sofa with a slightly complicated expression.
The neck covered with a towel still had hickeys, and the underwear he was wearing under his lounge wear was Shen Fangyu’s.
Meanwhile, Shen Fangyu was pretending they were not familiar with each other, as if he really came to pay a New Year’s visit and was chatting with him and Yu Sang with a serious look.
It was very…
“Brother Xu, why are your ears so red?” Yu Sang said, “Do you want me to bring you a box of frostbite ointment from the hospital tomorrow?”
“No need,” Jiang Xu turned his face and said, “I just took a shower, and it’s a bit hot.”
“Brother Xu…I don’t mean to mention it,” Yu Sang looked at his abdomen again, “but you really need to go to the hospital to have a check-up. You haven’t even gained that much weight, and at first glance, you look like you’re pregnant. It’s a bit scary.”
Seeing that Jiang Xu’s expression was somewhat hesitant, combined with Shen Fangyu’s sudden visit, Yu Sang suddenly thought of something, and asked carefully, “Or maybe you are really sick, and that’s why you took leave?”
He also asked Shen Fangyu, ”You suddenly came to visit Brother Xu and reconciled with him…is it also because Brother Xu is sick?”
Seeing that Yu Sang had already thought of excuses for them, Jiang Xu and Shen Fangyu looked at each other and followed his lead, “Yes, that’s right.”
“How serious is it? What kind of illness?” Yu Sang looked very worried.
Jiang Xu avoided the second question and said, “It’s not serious, I just need some rest.”
Yu Sang was relieved and nodded slightly, thinking that it’s a good thing his girlfriend reminded him to come over, otherwise he wouldn’t even know that Jiang Xu was sick.
He also knew that it was not convenient to disturb a patient too much, and since his girlfriend was waiting nearby, he said goodbye after chatting for a while.
“Take good care of yourself, I’ll come see you another day.”
Jiang Xu walked him to the door and said in a subtle tone, “No need to trouble yourself.”
“What’s our relationship? We have a teacher-student relationship and are friends, how can this be a troublesome?” Yu Sang changed his shoes and gave Jiang Xu a few more reminders before leaving. As he was about to leave, he suddenly saw Shen Fangyu standing next to Jiang Xu.
“Aren’t you leaving?” he asked.
Shen Fangyu said, “I…”
“Come on,” Yu Sang pulled him, “Brother Xu is sick and needs to rest. Let’s not disturb him.”
So Jiang Xu watched helplessly as Yu Sang pushed Shen Fangyu into the elevator, and the look in his eyes was quite hard to describe.
If there department got a chance to perform at the Mid-Autumn Festival in the future, he would recommend Yu Sang to play the role of Fa Hai.
———————-
As soon as they walked out of the community, Yu Sang’s girlfriend came up to him and held his hand, asking, “How was it?”
“Thanks for persuading me to come,” Yu Sang expressed his gratitude. “If it wasn’t for me coming over today, I wouldn’t have known that Brother Xu was sick.”
As he spoke, he became a bit emotional, “Shen Fangyu and Brother Xu used to have a bad relationship, and I was annoyed with him too. But I didn’t expect that in times of trouble, true feelings would be revealed. He heard that Brother Xu was sick and came to give him New Year’s greetings. He has really refreshed my opinion of him.”
“What did he bring?” his girlfriend asked with concern. “Just some fruit? Will that be enough?”
“He seemed to have gone empty-handed. I didn’t see him bring anything,” Yu Sang recalled. “But I think it’s quite strange. When I arrived, Brother Xu was taking a shower, and he called Shen Fangyu twice in the bathroom.” He was a bit puzzled, “Are they really that close now?”
His girlfriend was clearly very detail-oriented. “Was Dr. Shen already inside when you entered the house?”
“Yes,” Yu Sang said, “He even opened the door for me.”
“Yu Sang,” his girlfriend’s expression changed, and she said keenly, “If your colleague comes to your house to give New Year’s greetings, would you take a shower?”
Yu Sang’s girlfriend gave him a hint, and he suddenly realized that something was not right. “No,” he shook his head, “Based on Brother Xu’s personality, he wouldn’t do that either.”
“Did Dr. Shen leave with you when you left?”
“I left,” said Yu Sang, “We went downstairs together, and then he said he was going to the parking lot, so we separated.”
The two looked at each other, and after a pause, the girlfriend suggested, “Let’s go back and take a look.”
Unexpectedly, as soon as they approached Jiang Xu’s building, a familiar figure appeared in front of Yu Sang.
It was Shen Fangyu, who had just said he was going to the parking lot. He walked back into the elevator with his keys and Yu Sang stared in disbelief, his jaw almost dropping.
“He, he, he… why did he come back?”
But the girlfriend had already seen through everything. “They must be living together.”
“Are you kidding me?”
Yu Sang stared at the floor numbers on the elevator as they gradually rose until they finally stopped on Jiang Xu’s floor.
He comforted himself, “Maybe… Shen Fangyu forgot something and went back to get it.”
However, he waited for a long time and the display screen showed that the elevator did not move again.
Yu Sang was dumbfounded.
In an instant, he seemed to remember a lot of things that he had ignored, like the new box of pens that Shen Fangyu had, which he had accidentally discovered last time and seemed to be the same brand that Jiang Xu used.
There was also the fact that both Shen Fangyu and Jiang Xu started dating at the same time, and Zhang Cheng’s several warnings.
Fuck… it can’t be true!
This New Year’s Day…
He rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, saying to his girlfriend with a deadpan face, “If it is true, then my career might be over.”
His girlfriend looked at him sympathetically and reminded him, “Before you go into the operating room tomorrow, remember to step with your right foot first.”
———————
On the other end, Shen Fangyu circled around and came back, rubbing his nose and smiling helplessly as he opened the door.
Jiang Xu was not in the living room, so Shen Fangyu changed his shoes and walked into the bedroom, where he caught Jiang Xu changing clothes.
The towel that was used to cover the hickeys was thrown to the side, revealing the faint red marks on his fair neck.
Jiang Xu had just taken off his pants, revealing his long and slender legs, and was wearing another pair of underwear. The one he had just worn was now on the bed.
“Get out,” Jiang Xu glanced at him from the corner of his eye.
“I’m not getting out. I’ve seen it before,” Shen Fangyu no longer bothered to hide his thoughts from the moment Jiang Xu indulged him. He held Jiang Xu’s hand and whispered in his ear, “Just wear my underwear. You were wearing it just fine before.”
Jiang Xu pushed him away, but Shen Fangyu came closer, hugging him from behind and saying, “Did you tell Yu Sang that I’m your cousin?”
Jiang Xu turned his face away. “I never said that.”
“You did. Since you’ve told him I’m your cousin, why don’t you call me gege?” Shen Fangyu put his hand on Jiang Xu’s waist and lowered his head to kiss his neck. “How about it?”
Jiang Xu was slightly breathless from the kiss. He had just taken a shower, but his desire was starting to stir again. He couldn’t help but turn around and hold Shen Fangyu’s hand, saying, “Stop messing around.”
Shen Fangyu freed his hand and lifted him up to sit on the bed. He put his hand on Jiang Xu’s leg and playfully threatened, “If you call me gege, I won’t mess around anymore. Otherwise, you’ll have to sleep in my underwear tonight.”
“Xiaoxiao is still awake. Don’t be disrespectful to her father,” Jiang Xu warned.
Shen Fangyu placed his hand on Jiang Xu’s stomach and lowered his head, whispering, “Don’t eavesdrop, let your fathers discuss something private.”
Jiang Xu let out a “tsk”, and Shen Fangyu went to kiss him again, “If you’re on fire, I’ll put it out.”
Jiang Xu rolled his eyes as Shen Fangyu continued to kiss him through the fabric of his shirt. “Alright, will you be satisfied with me calling you that?”
Shen Fangyu let go of his hand, and waited for him to call out. Jiang Xu’s ears felt warm and after hesitating for a while, he closed his eyes and said, “Gege.”
Someone always wants to be clever and get the better end of the deal. Shen Fangyu persisted, “Call me Shen Fangyu ge.”
“Keep dreaming,” Jiang Xu retorted.
Shen Fangyu teased him on purpose, lightly biting his shoulder through a layer of fabric. “Then today, I must fulfill my dream,” he said.
The two of them played around for a while, until Jiang Xu’s expression became a little unfocused and he had said the words intermittently.
In his daze, his phone suddenly rang and Jiang Xu snapped back to attention. He stood up from Shen Fangyu’s lap, and went to grab his phone. Shen Fangyu followed suit, feeling quite upset and planned to see who was so tactless. Then he saw a long string of messages from Yu Sang on Jiang Xu’s phone.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know that you and Dr. Shen had this kind of relationship. Please don’t take it to heart if I offended you. I will personally apologize to him tomorrow. I was foolish before, I was wrong. Please give me a chance, I will definitely turn over a new leaf and be a better person.”
All of the “I”s in the message confused Jiang Xu. He thought that Yu Sang had found some convincing reason and persuaded himself to believe it, so he said after a struggle, “Things might not be what you think.”
“You don’t need to explain,” Yu Sang replied almost instantly, “I swear I will keep it a secret. If I tell anyone, I’ll be struck by lightning. There will be a constant stream of patience on my night shifts and also cases with difficult deliveries.”
Jiang Xu and Shen Fangyu: “…”
What a poisonous oath.
Jusng Xu put away the phones, but Yu Sang had ruined the romantic atmosphere. They sat side by side on the bed, feeling flustered.
After a while, Shen Fangyu hesitated to speak. “This time…isn’t my fault, right?”
Jiang Xu, who was already mad, turned over and lay down with his back facing Shen Fangyu. “Go to sleep.”
“Did you forget something?” Shen Fangyu reminded him cautiously.
“Don’t expect me to call you ‘gege’ again,” Jiang Xu said straightforwardly.
“No,” Shen Fangyu whispered in his ear, “The underwear you’re wearing is also mine.”
“….” Jiang Xu: “Shut up!”
