Chapter 28: CH 28.2

Shen Fangyu wanted to explain that they were all men and there was nothing to avoid, or to ask Jiang Xu why he was changing now when he had already finished showering and changing into his pajamas.

However, his body reacted before his brain did—

Jiang Xu watched as Shen Fangyu’s throat rolled; the soft, thin pajama trousers couldn’t hide the changes in the man’s body, and they all fell into Jiang Xu’s eyes.

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Xu’s gaze changed from displeasure to unbelievable shock, then back to anger. Finally, he picked up a pillow and threw it on Shen Fangyu’s face.

“Get lost!”

“Listen to my explanation—”

Shen Fangyu said as he clutched the pillow, but Jiang Xu got off the bed and pushed him out in three steps, closing the door with a bang, still furious.

He had just put the bedding and sheets on the floor; the duvet was a bit big, and he had gotten sweaty while putting it on, so he thought he would change his clothes, but then Shen Fangyu came in.

It’s fine if he had forgotten to knock on the door, but what’s up with reacting to him?

Jiang Xu had already convinced himself to forget about that ridiculous night, but Shen Fangyu’s actions caused his breath to be trapped in his chest again.

He flipped out his phone and typed with tremendous force, intending to throw out the wolf he had accidentally brought into his house. But after typing two words, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. The pain went up his spine, pulling his nerves like an electric current, and it felt like he was being ripped apart.

His strength seemed to be drained by the pain in an instant, the phone slipped out of his hand and fell to the floor with a clatter, but he had no strength to grab it.

He leaned onto the edge of the bed, fell onto the mattress he had just made for Shen Fangyu, and curled up into a ball, clutching his abdomen tightly.

Sweat dripped from his pale forehead, and he took slow, deep breaths, forcing himself to adjust to the sudden pain while reaching for his phone.

The phone’s surface was shattered beyond recognition, and he didn’t know whether it was the protective cover or the screen that was broken.

“Damn it!” He threw the phone to the side.

Shen Fangyu had just been thrown out of the room and hadn’t even had time to get far before he heard the sounds from inside. He planned to send Jiang Xu a message on his phone to apologize, but he no longer cared about that at the moment, he immediately knocked on the door and asked, “Jiang Xu, what’s wrong?”

Jiang Xu opened his mouth to speak, but it seemed to be a little difficult due to the pain.

The continued silence in the room caused Shen Fangyu to become tenser, and his body’s reaction, which seemed to deliberately work against him, faded away.

He pushed the door and found that Jiang Xu had locked it when he chased him out. He looked at the tightly closed door and, without hesitation, kicked it hard.

With a loud bang and the scraping of the lock, the door burst open wide. Jiang Xu was sitting on the floor right in front of the door, and looked shocked at seeing him break in.

“You…” he gasped, simply not wanting to say another word. The key to the bedroom door was left in the hallway by the front door, Sheng Fangyu could have looked around the house instead of ruining the lock.

“What’s wrong with you?” Shen Fangyu didn’t feel guilty about the damage he had just done, he half-knelt beside Jiang Xu and put his hand directly over Jiang Xu’s hand, rubbing gently and forcefully. His hand was warm, and the heat from his palm passed on, and Jiang Xu’s complexion looked slightly better.

“Stomach pain?” He muttered to himself, “It can’t be that our daughter is helping me, can it?”

Jiang Xu looked livid.

“Should I call 120?” Shen Fangyu asked.

Jiang Xu tensed his jaw and slowly exhaled, “Let’s wait and see.”

The pain had come swiftly and suddenly, and there were already signs of slight relief, so he maintained his position to keep the pain partially suppressed. Suddenly moving the position or changing the posture would easily have adverse consequences.

Moreover, he was now apprehensive about going to any hospital because of the inexplicable child in his stomach. All the hospitals in this area had his classmates. Although they may not be able to see him during the night shift, he felt that he could say goodbye to this world if they did.

Shen Fangyu quickly understood his concerns and said no more. Jiang Xu allowed Shen Fangyu to massage his abdomen, his brow furrowed slightly.

Shen Fangyu asked, “Cramping pain?”

Jiang Xu shook his head.

Shen Fangyu became serious, “Is it intestinal spasms?”

“Similar.” Jiang Xu really didn’t have the strength to speak, and could only throw out one word.

“Was there a problem with the bozai cakes?” Shen Fangyu diagnosed for a moment before adding, “It must be because you ate too much.”

Jiang Xu: “……”

“You… you have no sense of proportion,” Shen Fangyu chattered as he massaged Jiang Xu’s stomach, as if this were his patient, “That kind of food is not digestible in the first place, and your stomach probably won’t keep up if you eat and drink indiscriminately every now and then… …Hey Jiang Xu, “he said, suddenly remembering something and asking, “Do you often skip breakfast?”

Jiang Xu pretended not to hear him, but Shen Fangyu was relentless, just like the Tang monk caught the Monkey King beating the White Bone Spirit that turned to human form, he also began to frantically recite mantas, “What’s wrong with you? You are a doctor, but you don’t even know how to take care of your body. Leave alone hurting your stomach, do you know that it is easy to get gallstones if you don’t eat breakfast?”

“There are no documents to prove……”

Jiang Xu really didn’t have the energy to debate with Shen Fangyu now, when he recovered, he would definitely throw the documents in Shen Fangyu’s face and tell him that there was no proof that gallstones were related to not eating breakfast, the most important virtue of a professional doctor was not to believe in rumors or spread them.

“Never mind the document,” Shen Fangyu said, “I’m telling you that there are plenty of disadvantages to not eating breakfast, such as—”

Jiang Xu raised his hand and made a feeble “shh,” then he pointed to his abdomen and covered his ears with both hands, “It hurts.”

Shen Fangyu’s words came to an abrupt halt. He glanced at him hesitantly, then he couldn’t help but let out a chuckle before finally shutting his mouth.

There was a window next to Jiang Xu’s bedroom, and the moonlight filtered in through the glass, giving him a good view because it was on a high floor.

The two doctors, who had been at loggerheads during the day, sat silently by the bed, one frowning, the other massaging his abdomen expertly, the only sound remaining was the rustling of clothes.

A rare peace.

It was a long time before the pain in Jiang Xu’s abdomen cleared. He licked his somewhat dry lips as Shen Fangyu made a move to speak again.

Jiang Xu stared at him with lingering fear, but heard Shen Fangyu say, “Shall I go and get you a glass of water?”

Jiang Xu let out a sigh of relief, and with a little bit of guilt for maliciously speculating on Shen Fangyu, he pointed to the bedside table and said, “The glass is there.”

Shen Fangyu followed his finger and was dumbfounded.

He had entered Jiang Xu’s bedroom twice but hadn’t looked at Jiang Xu’s bedroom carefully both times. Only now did he realize that this man’s bedroom was so different from the other rooms in the house.

If Jiang Xu wasn’t lying right here, he would never have believed that this would be Jiang Xu’s room.

The bedside table was a mess, with several layers of miscellaneous items, the bed quilt was messy, the pillows were one on top of the other, and the small sofa next to the bed was piled with clothes, and there was a scarf wrapped around the ironing machine.

What was most outrageous was that Jiang Xu’s room had a particularly large number of stuffed animals, making what had been a messy room look like an instant doghouse.

“Why does a man like you have so many stuffed toys in his bedroom?” Shen Fangyu struggled to glean Jiang Xu’s glass from beside a teddy bear and found that there was actually a pink rabbit with giant ears on his bed.

“Don’t tell me you sleep with this thing in your arms?” Shen Fangyu’s eyes were filled with shock and disdain.

Jiang Xu waved at him slowly and methodically, “Give me the rabbit.”

The rabbit looked a bit old, probably many years old. Shen Fangyu handed it to him and saw Jiang Xu leaning against the wall, holding it in his arms.

“This isn’t just any doll, this was my first surgery subject.”

“My mother said I loved plush toys when I was little, and especially liked to open them up and sew them back on. Back then, they knew I was definitely going to be a doctor in the future, so they bought me several toys to encourage my hobby.”

The pain he had just felt made Jiang Xu look a little weaker than usual, even his voice had become softer, fluttering like he was floating in the sky, and with what he said, it was like a ghost movie scene.

Shen Fangyu: “……”

He looked at the plush toys in the room once again. The toys that looked cute and naïve a moment ago instantly looked spooky, and it felt like several pairs of dark eyes were looking at him.

Jiang Xu took in his expression, and, for the first time in his life, he showed a little smug look of success.

He changed his calm gaze before Shen Fangyu realized he was making up a story, and stroked the rabbit’s ears to remind him, “Water.”

“Oh, I almost forgot!”

Shen Fangyu went out of the bedroom and filled the glass with water. He tested the temperature, and perhaps the hot water warmed his consciousness, the chill down his spine had subsided by the time he entered Jiang Xu’s bedroom again. He gave the glass to Jiang Xu, who took a couple of sips and put the glass back into the “ruins.”

“I didn’t expect Dr. Jiang, who is so meticulously dressed every day, with his shirt devoid of any crease and his buttons always neatly buttoned, to crawl out of such a doghouse every day.”

Jiang Xu gave him a puzzled look and said, “Then what do you think my bedroom should look like?”

Shen Fangyu thought about it: “The quilt folded into a tofu block, the sheets flat, the bedside table spotless, the atmosphere eerily cold and austere… the kind of bedroom that looks like no one lives there.”

“That’s not a bedroom you’re talking about,” Jiang Xu gave him a sidelong glance, “that’s a morgue.”

“……” It seemed to make sense.

“Help me get that spare phone from the drawer,” Jiang Xu said, “and put my phone card in there.”

Shen Fangyu gave him a look, he knew that Jiang Xu was afraid that the hospital would call at night. Even if it wasn’t duty hours, the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility, and in cases where emergency major surgery was needed, the doctors on duty in the department would still look for them.

He helped Jiang Xu change his card and put the phone next to his pillow, saying, “If the hospital calls for you tonight, it’s better if I go for you; you rest well.”

Jiang Xu loosened his muscles and felt the discomfort fade away. He confirmed the call status on the backup phone and said to Shen Fangyu, “Didn’t someone say that I should do my own night duty?”

Shen Fangyu said without changing his face, “Who was so rude?”

Jiang Xu gave him a languid look before he slowly and deliberately climbed into bed with the rabbit and burrowed under the light gray bedding.

“Turn off the lights.”

Shen Fangyu froze and spoke in disbelief, “So I’m sleeping here?”

Jiang Xu rolled over, as if he hadn’t heard, and it was only after a while, when Shen Fangyu turned off the light and lay down, that he gave a light “mmm.”

“Then ……” said Shen Fangyu, “if you have any problems at night, or if you don’t feel well,” he pointed to the pink rabbit in Jiang Xu’s arms, “hit me with it and I’ll definitely wake up.”

After a brief moment of silence, Jiang Xu turned his back on him and said, “Okay.”

The moonlight was perfect, and the silent bedroom gave off a warm atmosphere. The bedding underneath was soft, so Shen Fangyu soon fell asleep.

Perhaps it was because he was too tired after a long night of tossing and turning, or because Shen Fangyu slept in a position where he could easily see the dolls, but he was half asleep when he suddenly saw a young child sitting at the head of the bed and looking down. His face was not visible in the night, and only his movements were faintly visible.

In his hand was a pair of sharp scissors that reflected the moonlight. Shen Fangyu was startled to see the little boy cutting the belly of the rag doll while emitting an eerie laugh.

Soon, all the dolls in the room moved and laughed together, laughing as they surrounded Shen Fangyu, getting closer and closer.

“Fuck!”

Shen Fangyu shouted out in fright before he woke up from his dream. The dolls around the room were still seeping in the darkness of the night, and he subconsciously looked at Jiang Xu in his bed.

Jiang Xu was in a deep sleep. He had probably rolled over in his sleep and was now facing him.

His eyes were closed, his whole face was surrounded by a fluffy quilt, and his bangs were half covering his eyebrows, making him look very gentle, not at all like the creepy boy in his dream.

Shen Fangyu’s heart, which was still beating like a drum, slowly faded away, and even his thoughts became calm.

He didn’t know how long he had been staring at Jiang Xu, but after a long time, Jiang Xu suddenly said something in his sleep. Shen Fangyu didn’t hear it clearly, and subconsciously asked, “What did you say?”

He moved forward a few steps, pressed his body against Jiang Xu’s bed, and put his ear to Jiang Xu’s mouth. After waiting for a long time, Jiang Xu only muttered twice, inexplicably.

Shen Fangyu couldn’t help but laugh and said to himself, “What’s the point of talking to a sleeping person?”

He was about to lie back down and go back to sleep when there was a sudden rustle in front of him, and the back of his hand burned.

Shen Fangyu subconsciously looked over, and through the moonlight, he saw that Jiang Xu was holding the old rabbit in his arms, but his hand had reached out from the blanket and grasped his hand on the side of the bed.

Shen Fangyu’s heart skipped a beat.

Then he heard Jiang Xu, who was dazed from sleep, sleep-talking once again. This time, Shen Fangyu heard the words: “Shen Fangyu is stupid.”

“……” Shen Fangyu pulled his hand away expressionlessly and wrapped himself in the blanket.

It was better not to listen.

When Jiang Xu got up early in the morning, he saw milk and breakfast on the dining table, along with his tragically battered phone.

He washed up and sat down at the table, wiping his hair as he looked at his phone. The cracks on it had disappeared, so he guessed that Shen Fangyu had taken it to be fixed when buying breakfast.

He pressed the lock button, and as expected, the phone quickly lit up. The card had been put back, and the interface was still showing the dialogue box between him and Shen Fangyu. Jiang Xu silently deleted the words he had intended to send yesterday, and saw a message from Shen Fangyu, “I’m going to the hospital first.”

Jiang Xu blinked and had just put his phone down when it rang again.

The sender was still Shen Fangyu, “Remember to eat your breakfast and take a picture for me afterward, I need proof.”

Jiang Xu: “……”

The person who was using a chicken feather as an arrow at least had a chicken feather, where did Shen Fangyu get the confidence to check him?

Jiang Xu gave a “tch” and didn’t reply to Shen Fangyu’s message, but his eyes fell on the breakfast he had bought.

The transparent glass was filled with milk at the right temperature, and the yellow-orange fried egg looked particularly bright under the early morning sun. Probably because he was afraid that he would not like it, Shen Fangyu had also added a small bowl of green vegetable salad next to it.

It was quite artistic.

Jiang Xu looked at his phone and then at his breakfast.

He’ll just take a bite …….

So he picked up his chopsticks haughtily.

Of course, even if he ate it, he would never take a picture for Shen Fangyu.