A Bad-Hearted Doctor is Unbearably Beautiful - Chapter 60

Entrance of the Shanghai Police Station

Shen Zhao followed Lu Xiao downstairs. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the night wind, their hair tousled by the breeze. The stray locks cast shadows over Shen Zhao’s eyes, hiding his expression and his emotions in the darkness.

Lu Xiao didn’t speak. He lit a cigarette for himself and took a couple of drags. Shen Zhao reached out a hand, his head slightly bowed.

Lu Xiao frowned. “I’ve never seen you smoke.”

“I want to try now.”

Shen Zhao’s voice was thick with exhaustion. Lu Xiao stared at him for a few seconds before placing the glowing cigarette between his own lips. He reached into his pocket for the pack and let Shen Zhao pull out a fresh one.

Shen Zhao held the cigarette, mimicking Lu Xiao by placing the filter in his mouth. Lu Xiao moved in to offer him a light. He clicked the lighter several times, but it wouldn’t catch.

“No… you have to actually inhale when I light it, or it won’t take,” Lu Xiao grumbled, rolling his eyes.

The flame flickered near the tip of Shen Zhao’s nose, illuminating his brooding expression and the faint dark circles under his eyes. Shen Zhao took a drag and immediately broke into a fit of coughing.

Lu Xiao let out a short, mocking laugh, but then his gaze turned serious as he looked at Shen Zhao. “Empathizing with that kid?”

Shen Zhao remained silent, staring off into the distance, lost in thought.

Watching Shen Zhao fumble through three drags for every one of his own, the cigarette finally burned down to the filter. Lu Xiao patted his shoulder. “Let’s go. Come home with me.”

Shen Zhao blinked, only just remembering that Lu Xiao had insisted they stay together. “But… I didn’t bring anything.”

Lu Xiao looked at him sideways. “I have everything at the house. If I don’t, we’ll just buy it. Given the state you’re in, I wouldn’t feel right letting you go back to the hospital alone.”

When they arrived, Lu Xiao spent a good while fiddling with the smart lock to register Shen Zhao’s fingerprint. He then started droning on with nonsense about not opening the door for strangers if he was home alone.

“Hungry?”

Shen Zhao said flatly, “Not yet. I want to shower.”

Lu Xiao handed him a pair of slippers that matched his own. “You have wounds on your wrist and thigh. Bear with it for a couple of days, my lord. Trust me, you won’t stink.”

Shen Zhao followed him inside without a word, but his eyes remained fixed longingly on the bathroom. Seeing that “starving for a bath” look, Lu Xiao sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Fine, I can’t win with you. I’ll go draw the bathwater for ‘Your Majesty’.”

He pulled a set of grey silk pajamas from the wardrobe for Shen Zhao and headed into the bathroom. Soon, water was splashing into the white porcelain tub, and the room was shrouded in a hazy mist.

Shen Zhao leaned against the doorframe, watching the ripples Lu Xiao had stirred in the water. He spoke softly: “I have a theory… is it possible the kidnapper is using you? Maybe the real goal is to force Cheng Nianchuan’s father to show his face.”

Lu Xiao’s hand testing the water temperature froze.

“Yeah. I had the same thought today. But regardless of their intent, the case needs solving, and I’m going to catch the guy.”

Shen Zhao lowered his gaze. “Looking at the state of the mother today, I’m worried the other party might be someone powerful enough to cover the sky with one hand.”

Lu Xiao gave a short laugh and turned to pull Shen Zhao into the room. “That’s not for you to worry about. Just shower.”

Shen Zhao stood by the tub, momentarily stunned. Lu Xiao handed him a soft towel. “Your wounds can’t touch the water. Just give yourself a wipe-down and call it a day. Don’t be so meticulous.”

Shen Zhao nodded, but seeing that Lu Xiao hadn’t left yet, he shot him a murderous look.

Lu Xiao scrambled backward, putting on a pitiful, roguish act. “Hey, I’m just being helpful! I thought maybe it was hard for you to take your clothes off and you needed a hand!”

The warm yellow light made Shen Zhao’s back feel hot. His nerves began to fray, and his body relaxed significantly more than it had during the day. Standing barefoot on the bathroom floor, Shen Zhao began unbuttoning his shirt with one hand, his movements painfully slow.

From the doorway, the voice of the rogue surnamed Lu drifted in: “In the state you’re in, maybe you should just skip it. The water’s going to be cold before you even get in.”

Shen Zhao shot him a sideways glare.

Lu Xiao glanced at Shen Zhao’s wrist. “Does the wound still hurt?”

Shen Zhao shook his head.

“Liar! My shoulder and chest are still throbbing like crazy. Those two wounds of yours aren’t shallow; there’s no way they don’t hurt.” Lu Xiao huffed. “Slitting your wrist and then stabbing your own leg… even a field medic isn’t as crazy as you.”

Shen Zhao didn’t answer, continuing with the buttons. For a moment, the bathroom fell silent, filled only with the sound of steam. Their expressions became blurred in the mist.

After a while, as Shen Zhao prepared to pull his shirt off, he realized Lu Xiao was still standing at the door with no intention of leaving. “Do you have a hobby of peeping?”

Lu Xiao hummed. “To be honest, this angle is quite… evocative. Especially since you’re so good-looking.”

Shen Zhao looked up, his brow furrowing as he gritted his teeth and cursed: “You spring-fevered old virgin!”

It was as if someone had stepped on Lu Xiao’s tail. He immediately started grumbling from behind the door crack. “You… you’re talking nonsense! Slander! Utterly baseless!”

“With your kissing skills, I don’t even want to talk about it.”

Lu Xiao was speechless. He walked silently to the living room and threw himself onto the sofa. Staring at the ceiling, he felt his face burning.

He flipped over, grabbed a tablet from the coffee table, and typed into the search bar:

【How to improve kissing skills?】

Lu Xiao took mental notes as he read, feeling like he was about to become an expert. He then saw the recommended searches at the bottom:

【How to make someone fall head over heels for you】 【Steps to conquering your partner】

Lu Xiao stared at the screen, tapped a cigarette out of the pack, but didn’t light it. He bit down on the filter, his gaze fixed toward the bathroom.

Spring was indeed coming.