A Bad-Hearted Doctor is Unbearably Beautiful - Chapter 102

A few minutes later, the two returned to their room.

However, the omnipresent surveillance equipment served as a constant reminder that the danger had not yet dissipated. Lu Xiao leaned against the door, muttered a low “fuck,” and lit a cigarette.

Shen Zhao hurried to the bathroom, taking the opportunity to fish the camera out of his mouth. He spent the next ten minutes gagging, rinsing his mouth, and brushing his teeth to scrub away the metallic taste.

Coming back out, he discreetly pressed the camera into Lu Xiao’s palm. Lu Xiao seized the moment to squeeze his hand, leaning in until his lips brushed against Shen Zhao’s ear. “Let’s get ready to pull out.”

Shen Zhao nodded.

Their passionate performance moments ago had drained them both; Shen Zhao, in particular, felt as though his brain was lacking oxygen from his staged “frenzy.” Knowing this was no place to linger, Lu Xiao pressed the service bell.

A waiter appeared and knocked on the door. “Sir, how may I help you?”

Lu Xiao yanked the door open with a jerk, looking thoroughly disgruntled. “This whole farce today has completely ruined our mood! There’s no point in staying. Your grandfather here is going home!”

The waiter smiled and took a half-step back to avoid being drowned by the spit flying from Lu Xiao’s mouth. “Certainly, sir. I will arrange it immediately. A private jet will be prepared to take you back.”

The two didn’t dare speak much within the room; they couldn’t afford any more slips. It was a miracle they had managed to infiltrate the place and leave unscathed. As for the children whose lives were at stake… Lu Xiao could only leave them in the tiger’s den for a few more days until they could return with reinforcements.

The mission had been reported in advance, but since they couldn’t carry any electronics, the team at the police station could only wait in agonizing silence. They had been pacing in circles, ready to storm the place by force if the two didn’t emerge within another day.

Several hours later, the two removed their helmets and stepped off the helicopter.

It was late, and the wind on the helipad was growing increasingly fierce. “Where to now?” Shen Zhao asked softly.

Lu Xiao hesitated. Worried about a “tail” following them, he pulled Shen Zhao into a taxi. “Driver, head to the University City night market!”

The area would be swarming with people—vendors and foodies—and the labyrinthine alleys made it the perfect place to lose anyone who might be tracking them.

Once inside the car, they finally breathed a true sigh of relief. Lu Xiao carefully pulled out the camera and tried to turn it on. To his relief, it still worked. He gently pulled Shen Zhao’s hand onto his lap. “That was hard on you… putting something so dirty in your mouth…”

Shen Zhao shot him a look. “Next time something like this happens, can you stop insisting on going in alone?”

The corners of Lu Xiao’s mouth curled up as he leaned in slowly. “Got it! But man, you’ve got a hell of a swing. Look at what you did to my face.”

Only then did Shen Zhao notice the distinct handprint still visible on Lu Xiao’s cheek.

“When you came charging in like a madman, I was actually stunned. You looked so damn cute like that—I almost thought you really were jealous.”

Shen Zhao sighed, pulling his hand away with a faint, mocking curve of his lips. “In your dreams.”

“I almost thought I’d never see you again.” Lu Xiao tapped his reddened cheek. “Come on, give your husband a kiss!”

“…Go to hell.”

“Heh. You let me touch and hold you all day, and now you won’t even give me a hug. Typical.”

Shen Zhao said nothing, but he gave Lu Xiao’s thigh a sharp pinch.

“Sss—!”

The taxi driver didn’t dare look in the rearview mirror, wishing he were deaf. How are young people playing these days? For the next few kilometers, the driver didn’t even need a reminder; he slammed on the gas and flew down the road. As soon as the two stepped out of the car, he vanished in a cloud of exhaust.

The University City night market was in its prime hour. Lu Xiao was dressed casually enough, but Shen Zhao looked like a young noble who had accidentally wandered into a street fair.

As they drifted past the stalls, the sounds of sizzling oil, the shouting of vendors, and the rich aroma of various foods began to wash away their exhaustion and lingering tension. Lu Xiao gnawed on a large skewer of grilled mutton, glancing at the man beside him.

“You don’t eat pork, you don’t eat beef or lamb, you don’t even eat chicken… I have no idea how you grew up to be this tall.”

Shen Zhao stood before the BBQ stall, his cold gaze sweeping over the rows of red meat. “I ate it when I was a kid,” he said tonelessly. “After I became a doctor, I stopped…”

“Why? Does it make you uncomfortable?”

“Mm…” Shen Zhao replied. “The smell of scorched meat and smoke… it’s exactly like the smell during laser surgery. To me, it smells like human skin.”

“Stop! Stop right there, my little ancestor!” Lu Xiao interrupted him, hurriedly shoving the rest of the mutton into his mouth and mumbling through the chew. “Let’s go find something you actually can eat. We’ll settle for filling your stomach here for now. Next time, I’ll have a chef come to the house to make Boston lobster.”

“That wasn’t my point…” Shen Zhao tried to explain that fish, shrimp, and eggs were perfectly fine, but he ultimately swallowed the words.

Lu Xiao pulled Shen Zhao through half the street before buying him some glutinous rice balls stuffed with fresh strawberries and a box of vibrant, glistening cherries. He stuffed them into Shen Zhao’s hands. “You can eat these, right?”

Shen Zhao took them and took a small bite of a rice ball, revealing the large, pink strawberry hidden inside. “Yes.”

Lu Xiao frowned. Seeing the trace of rice flour on the corner of Shen Zhao’s mouth, he felt an overwhelming urge to lick it off… He turned his head away. He couldn’t look anymore; this man was practically inciting him to commit a crime!

Lu Xiao’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Is that enough? You barely ate all day. Come home with me in a bit; I’ll make you something.”

Shen Zhao stared at him for two seconds before saying coldly, “Have you become addicted to sleeping in my bed?”

“No… I haven’t even slept in it yet!”

Shen Zhao tilted his head and ate a cherry. “I’m going back to my own place.”

“Fine, fine. Stingy!”

The two sat down at a small outdoor table, and Lu Xiao called for two bottles of beer. After a swig of the ice-cold brew, he spread his knees and leaned forward, his expression turning serious. “Let’s talk business.”

“Mm.”

Shen Zhao reached for a tissue to wipe his hands, but Lu Xiao snatched the tissue first. In the next heartbeat, he pulled Shen Zhao’s hand into his own lap. He began carefully wiping each of Shen Zhao’s fingers as he spoke.

“I have some leads. There was a middle-aged man who went down with me. From the look of him, he’s desperate to close a deal as soon as possible. My guess is someone in his family is dying. If we track hospital records, we might find something.”

Shen Zhao nodded. “On my end… I left my number with those two men.”

Lu Xiao’s mouth twitched. “Wait… two men?”

He remembered now. Besides the man in the purple-red shirt at the start, there was that guy in the white suit and fox mask who had been acting “thirsty” around Shen Zhao later on…

“You really are popular, aren’t you?” Lu Xiao growled, taking another swig of beer. He couldn’t have made his jealousy more obvious if he tried.

Shen Zhao was speechless. “Didn’t you come up with that ‘honey trap’ idea?” He felt a flash of annoyance.

“Sigh. What’s a husband to do when his wife is too charming? The sense of crisis is just too high.”

“Who is your wife!” Shen Zhao moved to swat him.

Lu Xiao laughed, dodging the attack. “Fine. Then we investigate together. You do your best to ‘dangle’ those two perverts and get them out on a date.”

Shen Zhao gave a soft “Mm” in response. Then, he looked up and added almost casually:

“By the way… tomorrow night is Nine’s concert.”