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墨書 Inktalez
The weather was gloomy, and a strong wind blew unexpectedly, causing the leaves to rustle and some to hit the windows with loud thuds. The clinic was filled with a heavy silence, everyone absorbed in their own tasks. Since that woman left, no one else had entered.
Song Bunan could hear the creaking of the door from the adjacent examination room, which seemed to never stop. Occasionally, someone would pass by their door, chatting briefly before hurrying away.
Beside him, Xin Yi had nearly gone through all the patient records on the computer, reading every word. He huddled in the corner, gripping his phone as he pondered how to respond to Lin Ling's message. It had been almost an hour since he received it, and as he stared at the screen, he kept deleting and rewriting his reply, unsure of how to sound normal.
The other party had clearly noticed the unspoken tension between them and confidently believed they could break through the barrier from another angle. However, Xin Yi was as stubborn as a rock, impervious to any hints. Their earlier interaction had only intensified his frustration.
It was truly a perplexing situation. Song Bunan thought about banging his head against the wall to see if it would spark any ideas. He really didn’t understand these matters; after all, looking back thirty years, he hadn’t even had a crush on anyone—except for celebrities, of course.
His knowledge of love came solely from romance novels and his parents' experiences. He had no idea how to handle this situation and decided to pretend he didn’t see it, even though the sender was sitting just two meters away.
He glanced at Lin Ling again and noticed her pale face; she was clearly holding back her anger. He exited their chat interface and briefly explained the situation to Ming Hua, sincerely asking how he should respond politely.
“First of all, I need to confirm: do you really like Xin Yi? I mean, is it the kind of liking where you want to live together with him for life, not just a fling?”
The person who usually replied quickly sent back a question. After reading it, Bunan looked up at Xin Yi and drew confidence from his perfectly handsome profile before answering that yes, it was a lifelong kind of liking.
“Then just say it directly! Let her know that you truly like him and that he’s willing to be with you. In this case, being straightforward is more sincere than beating around the bush.”
“Wait! Has Xin Yi told you he likes you yet? Are you two in a confession phase or still in secret admiration?”
Ming Hua's question was crucial and made Bunan feel uneasy. He vaguely recounted their recent relationship developments and received a response in the form of an expression pack that showed a distressed face resembling both a big dog and Ming Hua himself.
“Are you sure that just because of his tone when he talks, it means he likes you? What if that's just how he acts around familiar people? That’s not liking; that’s just showing his true self after getting comfortable with you. Before replying to that girl, go find out if you two can actually make it work! If you can, then reply!”
He could guarantee that if Ming Hua were right next to him at that moment, he would have pounded Bunan's shoulder hard in frustration.
Sighing, Song Bunan curled himself tighter against the chair, trying to escape the cowardice rising within him. If he had the courage to just ask Xin Yi, he wouldn’t be tangled up in his thoughts like this.
Lost in his own world, he forgot that Xin Yi was right beside him. Clearly, his fidgeting caught the other’s attention. Along with that attention came Xin Yi's jacket draped over the back of the chair, which almost startled him into falling off.
Looking up, he met Xin Yi's concerned gaze as the man asked if he was cold.
Song Bunan felt like he was about to spontaneously combust.
He seized the excuse of getting water and hurriedly left the examination room, rushing into the restroom where he squatted on the toilet and called Ming Hua, babbling incoherently while Ming Hua laughed heartily on the other end.
"Bunan, you truly inspire me! I think I’ll write my next book with you as the main character. The title will be 'The Secret Crush of a Pure-hearted Boy,'" Ming Hua chuckled before his tone turned serious, softening as he began to counsel him.
"Many people in Mighty Falcon are distant when they first meet but become wild once they get familiar. They know how to take care of their teammates, and this habit extends to their friends. I’ve been misunderstood before too; it’s easy to think someone likes you when they’re just being nice. So all your feelings right now are based on how well he treats you, not necessarily that you hold a special place in his heart. If you really want to know for sure, just confess. If he accepts it, great! If not, at least you'll have an answer. If you're shy about doing it in front of others, wait until you're alone; after all, you two are living in the same dorm now."
The older man's words acted like a shot of adrenaline, filling Song Bunan with immense courage. He jumped off the toilet and tidied himself up behind the door, replying earnestly that he would ask tonight and keep Ming Hua updated.
On the other end, Ming Hua clicked his tongue in frustration and said, "Are you completing a mission for me? No updates! Don’t disturb me tonight!"
The sudden outburst from Ming Hua brightened Song Bunan's mood even more. He chuckled and teased, "See? You get serious for a moment and then start getting worked up again. Brother Ming Hua, you’re no good at this."
“Beep—beep—beep—” Now it was Song Bunan who was laughing.
When he returned to the examination room with two bottles of water, he found another patient had arrived. With long black hair cascading down her back and wearing an elegant black puff skirt, she sat down with a lace-trimmed umbrella at her feet. From her silhouette and profile alone, she looked like a princess from a dark fairy tale, escaping through a thorny path with her wolf guardian.
As he returned to his seat and picked up his pen to look at the patient, he froze in place. The woman with exquisite makeup was none other than the captain of Mighty Falcon—the very one he had collaborated with just days ago.
Facing the dazed Song Bunan, Xin Yi cleared her throat to bring him back to reality, signaling with her eyes for him to just take notes. The medical record bore her name, Han An. However, it didn’t seem like a name at all.
“This is your first time here,” Xin Yi stated matter-of-factly. Hearing the question, the captain smiled and propped her chin up with a hand adorned with long black nails, responding playfully, “Yes, I originally wanted to go to Jiang Family Hospital to find you, but they said you were here for an exchange program, so I thought I’d join in on the fun.”
“Is there something wrong?” Xin Yi took the medical record from Song Bunan and looked at the woman.
“I keep hearing my roommate whispering in my ear, and she only does it when I lie down to sleep. As soon as I open my eyes, she stops. It’s really annoying; I want to kill her,” the woman said, tapping her cheek with her nails in a steady rhythm that didn’t seem like a code. She even winked at Song Bunan, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly with amusement.
“In this situation, my suggestion is to see a psychiatrist for a detailed examination; we can’t rule out the possibility of schizophrenia,” Xin Yi stated plainly, writing this down in the medical record. Song Bunan noticed that the woman’s smile deepened upon hearing this, and he didn’t linger any longer before getting up to leave. Xin Yi told her to take the medical record with her, but the woman waved her hand dismissively.
“I’ll have a new one by then; this one doesn’t look good. I don’t want it.”
Song Bunan swallowed hard, thinking how bold this woman was to stroll in here so casually and dress so attractively. The water he brought was taken by Xin Yi, who informed him that he could clock out for the day.
The clock showed it was 5:54 PM. The two doctors in front had already packed their bags and seemed ready to leave right on time. Lin Ling beside them had grown expressionless, focused on something on his computer and indifferent to their side of things.
Xin Yi even started making small talk, asking him what he thought of the consultation room. After pondering for a while, Song Bunan replied that he found it less interesting than caring for patients; after all, suddenly encountering a familiar face while pretending not to know them was quite a test of one’s heart.
“I’d be scared of giving myself away if I saw someone I knew in this situation,” the hamster said.
Without Lin Ling accompanying them on the way to the cafeteria, their conversation felt much drier, though they exchanged more words than during previous solitary moments. With what Ming Hua had said as a foundation, Song Bunan began subconsciously observing every action and word from Xin Yi, gradually realizing that she seemed quite normal.
She maintained a distance while walking beside him and answered questions in a straightforward manner without elaborating too much, as if it wasn’t him who had initiated conversation in the consultation room today—let alone that ambiguous feeling they shared during their chats online.
This left Song Bunan feeling somewhat unhappy; after all, his feelings were genuine and sincere. If she only regarded him as “the best friend,” it made him feel foolish.
Song Bunan, caught in a conflict, walked behind Xin Yi, oblivious to the fact that the man ahead had stopped to wait for him. When he bumped into Xin Yi's back, their eyes met, and seeing the confusion in the man's gaze, he decided to act quickly and not dwell on it any longer.
The petite figure suddenly burst with energy, pulling Xin Yi into the stairwell and deliberately moving down a few more steps. They stood at the boundary between light and darkness, where the silence was so profound that one could hear a pin drop. This area led to the basement, which was ostensibly used for storing miscellaneous items, and at this hour, no one would pass by.
Xin Yi observed Song Bunan, who clearly had something to say but hadn’t figured out how to start. He waited quietly. Although he didn’t know what absurd idea was brewing in Song Bunan's mind, it was enough to pique his curiosity.
Unlike the resolute pull from earlier, Song Bunan now appeared flustered. His hands fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, and he paced back and forth nervously, scratching his head in frustration.
Xin Yi always had patience for those who hesitated to speak, especially when it was Song Bunan. This special consideration stemmed from his fondness for the man before him; with anyone else, his patience would last no more than five seconds.
“Um…” The smaller man lowered his head, his voice barely above a whisper, as if it floated from a distant place and cautiously made its way into Xin Yi's ears. “I want to ask.”
“Hmm?” After the question hung in the air, silence followed. Xin Yi made an appropriate sound to indicate he was listening.
“I want to ask why your attitude towards me is different from how you treat Xiao Mei and the others.” The question was clumsily phrased, and the hidden thoughts behind it were as obvious to Xin Yi as a spotlight on a bald head.
He couldn’t help but smile in surprise at how Song Bunan, who usually acted so slick and seasoned, could be so innocent regarding these matters. From this statement, he also sensed that the affection reflected in Song Bunan’s gaze towards him wasn’t a mere illusion.
“You like me.” Xin Yi knelt down to match Song Bunan’s height. His words startled Song Bunan like a frightened animal; panic washed over him as he turned his face away to avoid eye contact. However, his flushed cheeks and ears betrayed him.
“Coincidentally, I do too.”
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