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墨書 Inktalez
If I remember correctly, Xu Jingnian doesn't have a night shift tonight. It's possible he has a date. But today is the Ghost Festival, so he probably won't be out too late. I decided to take a chance and wait for him on the bench downstairs in the apartment building.
I don't know how long I waited, but finally, I saw him come in through the entrance of the community. I picked up an apple and limped over to him. However, not wanting to seem too obvious, I quickly stopped and casually walked over as if we had just run into each other.
I greeted him, "Doctor Xu, hi... what a coincidence."
Xu Jingnian looked at me, scanned me from head to toe, his gaze lingering on my calf for a moment before he smiled and said, "You’re recovering well; you can even run now. But you still need to come back for a check-up."
"Ah? Haha... Doctor Xu, your medical skills are remarkable; I really am recovering well. Thank you for your expertise..."
Nervousness made it hard for me to articulate my thoughts, so I fumbled and handed him the apple. "Please don’t take my ramblings on the day of the surgery to heart; that wasn't my intention. I'm really sorry for causing you such trouble."
Xu Jingnian shook his head with a smile, his voice gentle like a breeze. "It's okay; you didn't ramble for long."
"How could that be? The nurse said I clung to you all night... You had already finished work and still couldn't leave; I'm really sorry about that."
"You were the patient; taking care of you is my responsibility. It's only right."
He was about to hand the apple back to me when I hurriedly said, "There's nothing I can give you. My cooking is terrible, so I can't invite you to eat anything. It just so happened that I ran into you today and only have this fruit with me. Next time..."
"Then next time, you can treat me to dinner."
He let go of the apple and stopped insisting, showing a polite smile.
"Next time I'll order takeout for you. You have a girlfriend now; it wouldn't be convenient for us to eat together."
Just then, it started to drizzle lightly, and we walked into the apartment building together.
While waiting for the elevator, Xu Jingnian turned to look at me instead of staring at the elevator doors and gently said, "I'm single; I don't have a girlfriend."
I was puzzled and looked at him. "Then? Aren't people in the hospital saying...?"
"Since I started working here, my superiors have been introducing me to potential partners. I couldn't stand it anymore and had to make up a lie about having a girlfriend."
He sighed helplessly as he spoke. "It's been three years now; they keep asking me when I'm getting married. To keep things believable, I had to get 'engaged' to my 'girlfriend.'"
I couldn't help but laugh. "You're quite clever."
After learning that he didn't have a girlfriend, I couldn't help but glance at him.
Raindrops clung to his hair; a few strands of bangs fell irregularly across his forehead. He had a tall nose and thin lips, dressed in a white shirt and gray trousers.
His right hand held the apple with long fingers that were well-defined and neatly trimmed nails. Perhaps from being soaked in disinfectant for too long, his joints showed a sensitive red hue.
The evening breeze blew gently, puffing out the cuffs of his shirt.
The entire person exuded a calm and steady aura. He was indeed handsome, deserving of the title of campus heartthrob. I silently sighed to myself. No wonder I couldn't help but touch him even while under anesthesia. Thinking of this, I lowered my head and awkwardly touched my nose.
Once we entered the elevator, I pressed the button for the 16th floor, and he pressed the button for the 15th floor. We both looked at each other in shock. "What a coincidence." "Yeah."
Fearing he might think this was all too coincidental and deliberate, I quickly found something to say: "With your conditions, you shouldn't have trouble finding a girlfriend. Why make something up? It would be so embarrassing if you got caught. You described it as if it were real; imagine how troublesome it would be if you actually ran into someone with similar conditions and got misunderstood. Doesn't your family urge you to get married? That's nice; my family nags me every day..."
I rambled on for quite a while, but he remained silent. When the elevator doors opened, he finally spoke: "We're here; go home quickly. Pay attention to your diet, get less late nights, and don't move around too much."
As I walked out of the elevator, I thought to myself that he was a bit chatty. When I turned back, I realized the elevator had already descended. It stopped at the 15th floor. How did it arrive at the 15th floor before mine? Did he just cancel his own floor?
Once everything around me quieted down, I finally heard my own heart racing out of rhythm. What was going on?
Back at home, I splashed cold water on my face several times to suppress this strange emotion. I sent a message to my best friend: [He doesn't have a girlfriend.] [Who?] She quickly caught on. [Xu Jingnian doesn't have a partner? Isn't he almost thirty? Doesn't his family urge him?] [My mom doesn't really pressure me either.]
"That's because you're talking nonsense about having a partner, and what do you mean you can't come back from studying for your PhD in Germany? I'm really done with you."
"And what about me? You were caught in an online relationship that your family opposed, crying in my school uniform and saying you wanted to hang yourself. Have you forgotten?"
"You wouldn't even use your own school uniform to hang yourself; it's so tragic."
"Forget it, stop talking. You live so close to him; proximity is an advantage. Your boyfriend studying for a PhD in Germany should have some charm!"
"Let it go. A guy like him is clearly hard to deal with. At his age, he still hasn't dated anyone; his standards must be really high and he probably wouldn't look at me."
"Hey, how high can they be? You're tall, beautiful, and an amazing vocal teacher. If anyone's being picky, it's you who wouldn't look at him."
"I think you actually like this type; if you don't make a move, I might have to help you out."
"…Please don't mess things up for me; just let me keep my dignity."
Just as I finished warning her, within two seconds she sent me this:
"Is that bag of apples still at your place? Urgent!"
"I gave it to Xu Jingnian. Why? Do you want some? I can buy more for you tomorrow."
"…It's over."
"The condom my boyfriend bought is in that bag of apples."
Me: ???!!!
"Can you say that again??"
"He just tossed it in with the apples after buying them and didn't tell me. We were about to use it and couldn't find it..."
"…"
"I'm already cursing him out. Please help.jpg."
Originally, this awkward situation would have passed after a while, but a few days later I had to go back to the hospital for a follow-up checkup.
I wasn't mentally prepared for it.
These past few days when I ran into him downstairs, I pretended not to see him and shuffled away with my not-so-agile legs.
I could only pray that the doctor doing the follow-up wouldn't be him.
After checking in at the hospital, I felt defeated.
Of course, it was him.
No worries; if he doesn't ask, I won't say anything. But if he does ask, I'll be surprised.
Xu Jingnian saw me come in, raised an eyebrow for a moment, then lowered his head to write in the medical record.
I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles, praying he wouldn't bring up those two boxes of condom s.
"How have you been feeling lately? Still in pain?"
After a long day at work, he seemed to be in a bad mood. The calm demeanor he usually had was nowhere to be seen; his brows were furrowed, and his tone revealed fatigue.
Just then, the familiar nurse walked in looking for a pen. Upon seeing me, her serious expression shifted to one of curiosity as she teased, "Little Ti still needs to come to the hospital for check-ups? Can't Doctor Xu just help you at home? You still have to make the trip in this heat..."
"She's not my girlfriend," Xu Jingnian interrupted her with a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.
The nurse looked at me for help, mumbling, "Are the little couple fighting?"
I pressed my lips together and shook my head.
After the nurse left, he began my examination. After I answered his questions, he wrote me a referral for a CT scan. By the time I got the results, it was almost closing time. He reviewed them with me and said, "You're recovering quite well, but your bones haven't fully healed yet. Be careful not to..."
He looked up, his bright eyes revealing a complex mix of emotions, and his voice became oddly hoarse as he added, "Be careful not to engage in strenuous activities."
"I can barely walk; there's no way I can do anything strenuous."
"Although you don't need a cast anymore, all activities carry risks, so avoid any for now."
Suddenly realizing what he meant by "activities," I was momentarily speechless and nodded repeatedly in agreement.
After a brief silence, he asked, "Did you come here by yourself?"
"Yeah, they all have to work and can't take care of me."
My best friend and her boyfriend were both busy today, so I didn't want to trouble them too much; I took a taxi here by myself.
"They?"
He repeated softly, discreetly licking his lips as a smile crept onto his face, his expression softening with a hint of brightness in his eyes. His well-defined fingers tapped rhythmically on the table with a pen.
"I'm off work now; let me give you a ride later."
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