A Bad-Hearted Doctor is Unbearably Beautiful - Chapter 39

The Military Hospital

Lu Xiao looked awkwardly at the nurse who had come in to take a temperature reading. “How is he?”

“102.9°F (39.4°C). A high fever,” the Head Nurse, Li Li, replied. “Why did Director Shen suddenly fall ill?”

“Sigh… he probably caught a chill, and he’s been exhausted lately,” Lu Xiao said, flashing a sheepish, forced smile.

“I suppose that makes sense.” Li Li nodded, then leaned in to squint at Shen Zhao’s face. “Officer Lu, make sure he drinks plenty of water when he wakes up. His lips look so dry they’re almost bleeding.”

A flicker of guilt and unease crossed Lu Xiao’s face. “No problem, no problem at all.”

Outside the Ward

Three nurses were whispering during their shift change.

“Did you guys see it?”

“See what?”

“Director Shen! And Officer Lu!”

“What happened? Xiao Zhang told me Director Shen fainted from a fever.”

“Exactly! But did you see how he got back to the hospital?”

“No, I was busy giving a patient an injection,” one replied. “Spit it out! The suspense is killing me!”

“Officer Lu carried Director Shen into the ward… princess-style!!”

“What?!”

“Holy crap!”

“Both of them are so handsome… having them together like that just isn’t fair to us single women.”

“You have no idea. Officer Lu looked so panicked when he rushed in with Director Shen in his arms. He definitely didn’t look like ‘just a friend.'”

“That is so intense…”

When Shen Zhao finally opened his eyes, he was greeted by a splitting headache and total physical exhaustion. Then, he felt a faint, throbbing pain at the corner of his mouth.

“You’re awake!” Lu Xiao immediately leaned over the bed, handing him a glass of water.

Shen Zhao rubbed his temples, feeling a wave of chills wash over him. “Do I… have a fever?”

“Yeah, probably from lying on that floor. Drink some hot water and take this fever reducer,” Lu Xiao urged.

Shen Zhao shot him a side-eye. “Why haven’t you left yet?”

Lu Xiao put on a pleading expression. “Everything I said earlier was just out of anger—I didn’t mean it, so don’t hold a grudge against me, okay? I admit, I went way too far. Just thinking about it makes me want to slap myself.”

As he spoke, Lu Xiao leaned in to adjust the bed, raising the headrest so Shen Zhao could lean back.

“Slap yourself? Go ahead. I’m watching,” Shen Zhao muttered irritably, taking a sip of water.

“You want me to? Fine, go for it.” Lu Xiao shamelessly leaned his face right into Shen Zhao’s personal space.

“…”

“Do it, Professor Shen! Don’t hold back!” Lu Xiao reached out, attempting to grab Shen Zhao’s hand to pull it toward his own cheek.

Shen Zhao was actually startled into a laugh. He pulled back, shaking Lu Xiao off. “Forget it. I’m afraid you’d enjoy it too much.”

Lu Xiao sighed, his expression turning serious. “Alright, let’s be real for a second. I saw the newspapers inside your jacket…”

Shen Zhao’s hand trembled slightly, nearly spilling his water. Lu Xiao quickly took the glass and set it on the nightstand.

“I didn’t mean to take them. When you fainted, I picked you up and they just fell out…”

Shen Zhao gave a soft “mm” of acknowledgement, his expression awkward. “Now that you’ve read them, what do you think?”

“Are you a survivor of that accident?” Lu Xiao asked.

Survivor? Shen Zhao weighed the word. He supposed it fit, in a way. “I suppose so.”

“Are you involved with that hitman organization?” Lu Xiao pressed.

Shen Zhao shook his head.

“Good. That’s enough for me. I believe you. If there are things you aren’t ready to talk about, I won’t ask. I can’t quite explain why, but I’ve always felt that you’re a good person.” Lu Xiao’s gaze was steady and sincere.

Shen Zhao opened his mouth as if to speak, but ultimately, nothing came out.

Lu Xiao naturally reached out and took Shen Zhao’s right hand. Ignoring the look in the doctor’s eyes that said I’m going to kill you, he cupped the hand between his own palms.

“Get some rest and get better. Look how weak you are! Once you’ve recovered, we’ll investigate the case together. I have a feeling this organization is tied to Dongxi Town and that welfare home. Since they’ve tried to kill me twice, it’s time I took the initiative.”

“Are you going to Dongxi Town to investigate?”

“Yeah.”

Shen Zhao fell silent and closed his eyes for a while. When he reopened them, Lu Xiao was still sitting there, his rear seemingly welded to the bed.

“Aren’t you going home?” Shen Zhao asked with a look of pure disdain.

“It’s so late, why bother? Why don’t you help me get an extra cot in here?” Lu Xiao flashed a mischievous grin, staring directly at Shen Zhao as he mockingly reached out an arm to embrace him.

“Our ward beds are in high demand! We don’t offer that kind of service!” Shen Zhao rejected him righteously.

“I checked! The ward isn’t full today. Come on, let me add a bed. I have money!”

“Why do you have to be so clingy?” Shen Zhao cursed, exasperated by Lu Xiao’s shameless behavior.

To his surprise, Lu Xiao suddenly went silent, looking dazed by the question.

Shen Zhao was right. Why was he so clingy? Was he just being a nuisance? No. Did he like being mistreated? He wasn’t a masochist. Was it just simple admiration? That shouldn’t result in being this shameless… or kissing him.

Actually, Shen Zhao’s lips were quite nice to kiss—soft and warm. He realized he actually wanted to do it again.

Lu Xiao ran through the possibilities in his mind until he hit the one that felt like the truth: Wait… do I actually like Shen Zhao?

“What are you spacing out for?” Shen Zhao kicked Lu Xiao’s hip.

“Nothing…” Lu Xiao turned to look at him, his eyes tracing the line of Shen Zhao’s brows down to his reddened lips. He’s beautiful. That color is so vivid.

It wasn’t a possibility; it was a certainty. He was definitely falling for this man.

The moment he realized this, Lu Xiao’s attitude shifted instantly. “I’m going to find the nurse to set up that cot. Lie down for a bit, I’ll be right back.”

“I told you to go home! Were you even listening?”

The night grew thick. Outside, the distant hum of cars echoed, leaving only the sound of shallow breathing in the room.

“Lu Xiao, can you stop staring at me?” Shen Zhao whispered from the bed, sounding as if he had been holding the words in for a long time.

“Huh? It’s this dark and you can still see me?”

“…I have a fever, I’m not blind.”

Lu Xiao rolled onto his side, now staring even more openly. “But you’re good-looking. And you’re a good kisser.”

Shen Zhao wished he could just faint again to escape Lu Xiao’s outrageous remarks.

Lu Xiao was jolted awake by his phone. The caller ID read: Director Gao.

He sprang out of bed, cleared his throat, and answered in his best “I’m-totally-awake” voice. “Morning, Director Gao!”

Shen Zhao was also woken up by the commotion. He sat up and took another fever pill.

On the other end of the line, Gao Jianmin’s voice was unusually urgent. “Xiao Lu, this is an emergency. I need you to lead a task force and solve this immediately. I suspect this is a deliberate anti-social provocation against the police! It might even be an extremist terrorist group!”

“What’s the case?”

“A kidnapping. They’re live-streaming it. The link was sent directly to my email. I’m forwarding it to you now.”

“What?”

Lu Xiao’s face turned deathly pale as he hung up. Noticing the change, Shen Zhao asked, “What happened?”

Lu Xiao shook his head. “Director Gao wasn’t very specific, but it sounds like the perpetrator is a real psycho. I don’t have my laptop on me—can I use yours?”

Shen Zhao nodded.

As Lu Xiao logged into his email, a new message arrived. The subject line caused Shen Zhao to feel as if he had been plunged into a pit of ice.

FWD: Subject: Ward No. 13

Inside the email was a video link with a strange domain name and nothing else.

“This is…?” Shen Zhao stared at the screen, his heart thundering like a localized storm while he maintained an outward calm.

“Director Gao says it’s a video link,” Lu Xiao replied. “A kidnapping… in progress.”