The surgery was completed in under two hours.
When Li Xuan emerged, Xie Liang was sitting on a bench outside the operating room, talking on the phone with a smile on his face.
Li Xuan removed his mask and glanced at him, taking in the expensive designer suit and the Rolex watch on Xie Liang’s wrist—both exuding vanity and a sense of superiority. Li Xuan sneered.
Xie Liang hung up the phone and noticed Li Xuan standing at the door in blue-green surgical scrubs. Startled, he quickly got up and approached. “Doctor, how did it go?”
Li Xuan didn’t say a word and walked past him.
“Such a bad temper,” Xie Liang muttered before turning to see Su Xingchuan being wheeled out.
The nurse called out, “Family member, please help!”
“Coming, coming!”
Not far away, Li Xuan’s steps halted abruptly, and his expression darkened.
The nurse added, “Are you Mr. Su’s family member? Please support that side and help wheel him back to his room.”
Family member—that term carried so much meaning.
That person was Su Xingchuan’s family.
A passing doctor asked, “Dr. Li, are you tired?”
Li Xuan shook his head and returned to his office alone.
Su Xingchuan didn’t wake up until past two in the afternoon.
Xie Liang poked his head in. “You’re awake?”
“Yeah.” Su Xingchuan rubbed his sore forehead, his throat still dry. “How long was I out?”
“Not too long. How are you feeling?”
As feeling slowly returned to his body, the pain became more pronounced. When Su Xingchuan instinctively tried to move his leg, a wave of soreness surged through his lower half, so intense he almost cried out.
“Damn—”
“Does it hurt that much?”
Su Xingchuan sucked in a sharp breath. “What do you think?”
Xie Liang laughed, earning a glare from Su Xingchuan, which quickly shut him up.
“By the way, I thought your little boyfriend was the cold type, but turns out he’s a firecracker. When you were brought out, I tried to greet him, but he just walked away without a word,” Xie Liang recalled. “His attitude… just like that Xu Zhengdong from Zhongjin.”
“He’s always like that—doesn’t like to interact with people.”
“But still, I was acting as your family, right?”
“Who said you were family?”
“The nurse did! I helped push you back with the nurse while your ex was still around.”
“The nurse called you family while he was there?”
“He had just left. Not sure if he heard it.”
This piqued Su Xingchuan’s curiosity. “You said he turned away as soon as he saw you?”
“Yeah, he seemed pretty annoyed.”
He must still care a little, thought Su Xingchuan. Only someone who cared would react like that. If he didn’t care, they would have had the most ordinary doctor-patient relationship. Why would he be annoyed?
If he still cares, that’s a good sign. Su Xingchuan felt a little triumphant inside.
—
Li Xuan didn’t show up again. Su Xingchuan didn’t eat until the evening, ordering a nutritious meal and sitting up to eat it himself.
The young nurse asked, “Mr. Su, are you alone?”
“Yeah.”
“Is there anything you need help with?”
He smiled. “No, I’m fine. Thank you for your concern. Is Dr. Li busy?”
The nurse checked the time. “Dr. Li should be off duty by now.”
“Off duty?” He felt a twinge of disappointment.
It made sense—7:30 was already past working hours.
As he sat up, the movement pulled on his wound, causing him to call the nurse for a painkiller injection. Once the medication kicked in, he lay there staring blankly at the ceiling. First, he thought about work—wondering when that stubborn Xu Zhengdong from Zhongjin would finally sign the contract. Then, gradually, his thoughts drifted back to Li Xuan.
He remembered their first meeting.
In truth, Su Xingchuan didn’t consider himself born gay. He vividly recalled liking girls in middle school; he didn’t mind receiving love letters from them. Before meeting Li Xuan, he had never questioned his orientation.
He was convinced that it was Li Xuan who turned him.
They first met in a narrow, dim alley.
One evening, Li Xuan was surrounded by a group of punks, one of whom grabbed his collar, speaking harshly: “Watch where you’re going! You bumped into our boss Lei. Don’t you know who he is?”
Su Xingchuan and some friends from his club were returning from a dinner and happened to pass by, hearing the commotion.
“Apologize! What, you don’t have a mouth? Need me to slap you so you can speak?”
Su Xingchuan stopped, narrowing his eyes as he peered into the dark alley.
It was already nightfall.
The air was hot and humid in the midsummer evening.
He stepped in, intercepting the thug’s fist and pulling Li Xuan behind him. In the ensuing scuffle, he fought them off. Having trained in taekwondo, his tall and muscular build, along with the buzz from a few beers, made it easy for him to fend off the punks and save Li Xuan.
Once they scattered, he turned to look at Li Xuan.
In the dim light, Li Xuan’s eyes shone brightly, his face small with a pointed chin.
“Are you okay?” he asked, panting.
Li Xuan remained silent.
Su Xingchuan waved a hand in front of his face. “Hey, you okay? Scared?”
Li Xuan suddenly extended his right hand.
Su Xingchuan blinked, looking down.
Unable to see clearly, he pulled out his phone and shone the light.
There was a fresh cut on Li Xuan’s pale hand, the bright red gash looking severe.
He angled the light behind Li Xuan, spotting a shard of glass by the wall, stained with blood.
It must have been from when the punks pushed him.
Li Xuan showed his wound so naturally that Su Xingchuan instinctively took him to the hospital. While they were registering at the ER, he finally thought to ask, “What’s your name?”
Li Xuan handed him his ID card.
He still didn’t speak, just stared at him with those clear, striking eyes.
A thought struck him—was he mute?
How pitiful, he thought.
In the treatment room, as the nurse disinfected the wound, she warned, “This might hurt. Be prepared.”
Li Xuan showed no fear but looked up at him. Distracted by messaging his roommates, Su Xingchuan caught Li Xuan’s gaze out of the corner of his eye, nearly dropping his phone.
“You need me?”
Realizing the ambiguity, he quickly clarified, “Are you scared? Want me to help?”
The nurse instructed, “Hold his head, cover his eyes, and hold his other hand.”
“Huh?”
Confused, he stepped forward, and Li Xuan obediently leaned into him, burying his face against his stomach.
Su Xingchuan felt his brain slow down.
Li Xuan’s hair was soft, not quite black but more brownish under the light—fluffy, almost unlike a boy’s.
His warm breath seeped through the thin fabric of Su Xingchuan’s T-shirt, making his stomach feel hot. His mind went blank; he felt like he might evaporate.
He didn’t even dare to hold Li Xuan’s other hand.
Luckily, the nurse worked quickly. “All done.”
He felt relieved.
He wiped the back of his neck, drenched in sweat.
Li Xuan, on the other hand, stared at his bandaged hand, dazed.
Seeing the injured “mute” boy, he crouched down to comfort him. “You’ll be fine soon.”
Li Xuan raised his bandaged hand to him.
He gently bumped his fist against it. “Were you scared today?”
Li Xuan shook his head.
As they left the hospital and headed back to school, he was surprised to find that they were from the same school.
Li Xuan was a second-year medical student, just like he was in finance.
What a coincidence. He watched as Li Xuan entered his dorm building.
He thought it was a one-time encounter, but the next day, he saw Li Xuan at the basketball court.
Drenched in sweat from practice, he had just scored when it was halftime. Lifting his shirt to wipe his face, he looked up and saw Li Xuan sitting in the stands.
Li Xuan stared at him intently.
Or, more precisely, at his abs.
“…” He walked over. “What are you doing here?”
Li Xuan’s bandaged right hand was stained with a yellow antiseptic. He held a bottle of cola in his left hand, offering it to him.
“Your hand—”
Before he could finish, a tall girl approached, tossing him a bottle of water. “Xingchuan, BBQ tonight?”
“Who else?”
“Hui and Hang. Usual lobster spot.”
“Got it.”
He unscrewed the water bottle, taking a sip. But before he could swallow, Li Xuan coldly asked, “Is she your girlfriend?”
He choked, coughing hard as his face flushed red. “You—you can talk! I thought you were mute.”
“Is she your girlfriend?” Li Xuan asked again.
“No.”
“Then why didn’t you drink my soda?”
He finally noticed that Li Xuan had been holding the cola since he approached.
Feeling guilty, he took the bottle. “I thought you wanted me to open it for you.”
But before he could say thanks, Li Xuan was gone.
Wearing a white tracksuit, he looked fragile, hiding his injured hand in his sleeve.
He watched him leave until a friend bumped his shoulder. “What are you looking at?” he asked, pulling himself together. Before he returned to the game, he glanced back, but Li Xuan had already disappeared.
Such a strange kid.
And he still is, even now.
He wondered if Li Xuan’s current boyfriend had the patience for him, if he found Li Xuan’s quirks endearing, like he once did.
But if Li Xuan had a good boyfriend now, did that mean their story was truly over?
No.
He jolted awake.
He was still in the hospital.
Surrounded by white walls, the inpatient ward was relatively quiet, but occasional footsteps echoed in the corridor.
Being in a hospital always led to wandering thoughts.
Recently, he’d been dreaming more often, waking up even more exhausted. Rubbing his forehead, he caught a familiar figure in his peripheral vision.
For a moment, he was afraid to look directly, worried the person would leave.
Noticing he was awake, the figure shifted slightly but didn’t leave. He lowered his hand.
Li Xuan stood at the foot of the bed. Who knew how long he had been there?
“What are you doing here?”
Li Xuan’s tone was distant. “Just checking your post-op condition.”
“It hurts,” he said.
He hadn’t meant it as a complaint, but saying it to his ex made it sound like one. Li Xuan paused for a few seconds. “It’s normal. It’ll hurt for a couple of days.”
It used to be the other way around.
Li Xuan would be the one in pain, and he’d be the one soothing him.
As he thought about it, he noticed it was already dark outside. Li Xuan should have been off duty by now. “Why aren’t you off work yet?”
“I’m on call tonight.”
“Oh.”
Silence settled between them again.
Just then, Li Xuan’s phone rang. He answered, and Su Xingchuan vaguely heard a young man’s voice on the other end. He couldn’t make out the words, but Li Xuan replied, “Yeah, I know. I’ll be home early tonight.”
Why is he so polite? He used to be so bossy with me.
Feeling annoyed, he turned to look out the window.
The call was brief. Li Xuan pocketed his phone and said, “I’ll be here tomorrow around nine to remove your catheter.”
“Okay.”
Deliberately, he picked up his phone and called Xie Liang.
Li Xuan turned and left.
As he exited, a nurse passing by asked, “Dr. Li, isn’t Dr. Wang on call tonight?”
Li Xuan replied, “I switched shifts with him.”
