“[Urology Department, patient number 16, please proceed to Consultation Room No. 3.]”
“[Urology Department, patient number 16, please proceed to Consultation Room No. 3.]”
The broadcast repeated the announcement twice, yet no one responded. The nurse stood up from the reception desk, scanning the area as she called out, “Where is number 16?”
Su Xingchuan, who was on the phone with a client, suddenly realized—he was number 16.
He quickly wrapped up his conversation and hung up the phone, signaling to the nurse with an apologetic smile before walking briskly down the corridor.
“Second door on the left,” the nurse reminded him.
Tall and imposing, he walked with purpose. People waiting nearby couldn’t help but watch as he passed. One man joked to his wife, “You always talk about handsome guys, but look, even handsome guys have to visit the urology department.”
His wife snorted, “At least he fits the bill.”
Su Xingchuan found Consultation Room No. 3.
He knocked, and a young voice from inside called, “Come in.”
Su Xingchuan paused for a moment, and a name flashed in his mind—Li Xuan.
He had already felt a sense of familiarity when registering, but due to his tight schedule and constant work calls, he hadn’t had time to check the hospital’s website for the doctor’s details.
It couldn’t be… right?
Even though that person did study medicine.
Thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant before he was pulled back to reality. He pushed open the door.
The consultation room wasn’t large, with a faint smell of disinfectant lingering in the air. The windows were spotless, and there was a small examination area with a blue privacy screen on the right side. On the left was the doctor’s desk.
From where he stood, the doctor’s face and body were hidden behind the computer, leaving him with an inexplicable sense of foreboding.
He stepped inside and closed the door.
“Number 16? What’s your name?” the doctor asked.
The voice, like a jolt of electricity, shot through Su Xingchuan’s ears and went straight to his heart. He froze.
The doctor asked again, “What’s your name?” His tone carried a hint of impatience.
Su Xingchuan took a step forward and saw a face that was both familiar and strange—a face that often appeared in his dreams. It was as refined and detached as ever, still as captivating.
His eyes were clear and distinct, like the cold sunlight of winter or an ink painting—simple, yet inexplicably moving.
He hadn’t changed much in seven years, not even his hairstyle, with soft bangs covering his forehead, making him look barely over twenty.
Li Xuan looked up, and their eyes met.
Both were silent for a few seconds.
Clearly, Li Xuan had recognized him too.
Su Xingchuan: “…”
He never expected that, out of all the ways he had imagined their reunion, it would happen like this—in a consultation room at a urology department, holding a stack of test reports, facing Li Xuan in his white coat.
And, of all places, at the urology department.
Their gazes met and quickly shifted.
Su Xingchuan cleared his throat and took the initiative, “Long time no see.”
Li Xuan lowered his gaze to the screen, clicking the mouse. He didn’t respond to Su Xingchuan’s greeting.
Still so stingy with his words, Su Xingchuan thought.
Trying to stay composed, Su Xingchuan sat down and continued the small talk. “Why are you working here? Weren’t you planning to go to Shanghai?”
Li Xuan still didn’t respond. He only asked, “What’s the issue?”
“…” Su Xingchuan had anticipated this. Seven years later, he was still the same quiet guy.
Su Xingchuan obediently handed over his test results and ultrasound report. He couldn’t help feeling awkward as he explained, “Uh, I came in two days ago. A doctor named Zhou ordered these three tests. I only got all the results today.”
He spoke cautiously.
Li Xuan seemed to understand and pointed to the slogans on the wall.
Su Xingchuan glanced over.
—”Men’s issues, wiped away in one go.”
—”Professional urology, a ‘fortunate’ life.”
Su Xingchuan “…”
Su Xingchuan’s face darkened as he clarified, “It’s not that problem, just a kidney stone.”
Li Xuan took the report.
Su Xingchuan had been feeling a dull pain below since last month. The stress from work and frequent social events had worsened the condition, and in recent days, the pain had become unbearable, forcing him to seek medical help. He had heard that Huaye Urology was the best, so he managed to book an appointment despite his busy schedule. Finally, he got the last slot before the doctor’s shift ended.
And now, he had run into his ex.
Li Xuan examined the CT scan closely. “How long has it been since you first felt the pain?”
Su Xingchuan “More than half a month.”
Li Xuan “Have you experienced this before?”
Su Xingchuan “No.”
Li Xuan “There are two possibilities—seminal vesiculitis or a blockage in the seminal duct.” Li Xuan glanced at him and asked, “Do you have frequent sexual activity?”
Su Xingchuan froze, then quickly replied, “Not frequent—no, rarely.”
In truth, none at all. But he didn’t want to admit that.
Li Xuan had been the one to break up with him back then. He still held a grudge and couldn’t let Li Xuan know he had been single all these years, or that he had only thought about that gentle “quiet boy” during all this time.
When Su Xingchuan said “rarely,” Li Xuan paused for a moment before continuing to type.
Li Xuan then asked, “Have you been cycling or sitting for long periods recently?”
“I haven’t cycled, but I have been sitting for long periods.”
“Stick out your tongue.”
Su Xingchuan hesitated. It was odd—after seven years, their first meeting involved looking at his lower body’s CT scan, and the second thing was inspecting his tongue.
He stuck his tongue out, and Li Xuan gave it a quick look.
The keyboard clacked as Li Xuan typed, his eyes reflecting the screen’s glow, making them especially bright in the evening light.
Then, Li Xuan lowered his gaze. “Are you currently living with your partner?”
Su Xingchuan didn’t catch it. “What?”
Li Xuan frowned slightly, sounding impatient. “Are you living with your partner?”
Su Xingchuan almost blurted out, “I don’t have one,” but for his pride, he muttered, “N-no.”
Li Xuan glanced at him again.
Su Xingchuan suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
He couldn’t help but look over his shoulder.
Li Xuan pulled out a new pair of latex gloves and put them on. “Lower your pants halfway and lie down on that bed.”
“Huh?”
“Is there something wrong with your hearing?” Li Xuan asked, frowning.
“…No.”
Even for someone as thick-skinned as Su Xingchuan, this was a lot. Could there be a more awkward way to reunite with an ex?
Right off the bat, it comes to this??
Li Xuan pulled the blue privacy screen around the bed.
Su Xingchuan unbuckled his belt.
Li Xuan stood by, his face expressionless, waiting.
Su Xingchuan unbuttoned his pants and pulled down the zipper. Although he was usually confident, at this moment, next to the examination bed in a urology clinic, he didn’t feel that way.
He cleared his throat, and surprisingly, Li Xuan looked away, giving him time to remove the rest of his clothes.
Why did that feel humiliating?
Lying down, Li Xuan pressed a few spots with his gloved hand. His fingers were cool, the pressure neither too hard nor too light. Su Xingchuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and his breathing grew heavier.
Li Xuan leaned in slightly. “Does it hurt here?”
“No.” Su Xingchuan’s thoughts had drifted far.
He suddenly recalled their first time seven years ago when he booked a hotel room farther from campus. It had cost over 500 a night, which was half a month’s living expenses for a student like him back then, but Li Xuan had delicate skin—he couldn’t risk taking him anywhere cheaper.
He remembered pulling Li Xuan into his arms after he complained that Su Xingchuan wasn’t holding his hand properly.
Li Xuan was beautiful, but also strange. Cold and aloof, like his fingers, making one hesitant to touch.
The breakup had been abrupt. Li Xuan said he didn’t want to date anymore and that he hated him.
And just like that, Su Xingchuan’s first love ended without a reason, a cloud hanging over him ever since.
“Does it hurt here?”
Li Xuan’s voice pulled him back. Feeling the pressure, he winced. “It hurts!”
Li Xuan pressed another spot on his abdomen.
Su Xingchuan kept staring at his face.
Li Xuan had grown more mature in seven years, his refined demeanor making him look even more striking. But there was also an adorable pretense of maturity that tugged at Su Xingchuan’s heart.
Instead of pain, he felt something else—a cool, detached voice. “Could you not—”
“Huh?” Su Xingchuan followed his gaze and then felt his ears burn, coughing awkwardly.
How could the reunion be so one-sided? He was flustered, while Li Xuan was as calm as ever.
Love, as always, was
unfair.
He shamelessly said, “You’re a doctor. Don’t you know this isn’t under my control?”
“Can’t control it at twenty-seven?”
“…”
Su Xingchuan was at a loss for words and tried to counter, “I usually can control it, but today, seeing an old acquaintance… Doctor, does it look familiar?”
Li Xuan’s expression remained impatient.
Su Xingchuan’s body refused to cooperate, reacting more as Li Xuan continued the exam, the impatience in Li Xuan’s eyes turning to annoyance.
“You—!”
“I can’t help it,” Su Xingchuan said innocently. “Doctor, you in a lab coat is more exciting than in a school uniform.”
