A Bad-Hearted Doctor is Unbearably Beautiful - Chapter 61

After a grueling effort to bathe himself, Shen Zhao walked slowly out of the bathroom, only to find Lu Xiao wandering around the living room with his upper body completely bare.

“…What are you doing?”

The sound of Shen Zhao’s voice made Lu Xiao jump.

“Ah? I… I was waiting for you to come out.” Lu Xiao pointed to the bandages wrapped around his chest. “I was wondering if Doctor Shen would do me the honor of helping me change my dressings.”

Shen Zhao gave a noncommittal “oh,” using one hand to vigorously rub a towel over his dripping hair.

Lu Xiao sized up the grey silk pajamas on Shen Zhao and nodded to himself. He was incredibly satisfied with his own ability to judge size by sight—the fit was perfect.

The moment Shen Zhao emerged from the bathroom, Lu Xiao truly understood the meaning of “a beauty rising from the bath.” The damp hair, the misty eyes, the way he raised his arms, and the skin flushed slightly red from the steam… It was infuriating! It was impossible not to look.

“You… you even washed your hair? I didn’t realize, Doctor Shen, that you were so capable with only one hand~” Lu Xiao spoke properly enough, but his tone carried that unmistakable, roguish trail of flirtation.

Shen Zhao said flatly, “It smelled like sauerkraut.”

“Yikes, talk about blunt. You’re making me blush. Quick, sit down—I’ll blow-dry your hair for you. Let me wait on you.” Lu Xiao reached out to take the towel from Shen Zhao’s hand.

Shen Zhao looked up and swept a cold gaze over him. “Put your clothes on first.”

“It’s a bit hot… I don’t really want to.”

Shen Zhao raised his eyes, looking him up and down, inch by inch, with a gaze devoid of any emotion. “Put them on.”

Lu Xiao felt as though his pectoral muscles, abs, V-line, and broad shoulders had all been personally insulted. “Shen Zhao! What is that supposed to mean!”

“What’s what?” A barely perceptible smirk touched the corner of Shen Zhao’s mouth.

“The way you look at me! Why is it the same way you look at a patient lying on an operating table? Explain yourself!”

“Oh. I’ve seen too many. I’m used to it.”

“…Fine! I’ll wear them!” Lu Xiao draped his pajama top over his shoulders.

Shen Zhao let out a soft huff. “A peacock spreading its feathers.”

The warm light of the living room cast a glow over Shen Zhao’s brow. Lu Xiao held the hairdryer, his fingers running through Shen Zhao’s hair as he dried it. The strands drifted through the air, and Lu Xiao felt his own heart being pulled along with them.

The strange feelings that had been brewing surged during the ten-plus hours Shen Zhao had been missing, expanding until they could no longer be hidden. His fingers tangled in the damp hair, and his eyes occasionally stole glances at the line of Shen Zhao’s neck and collarbone peeking from the edge of the silk pajamas.

The “relationship experts” online said that to start a romance, a confession was mandatory. It occurred to him that his previous move—kissing Shen Zhao without permission—had been a complete lack of respect.

Sigh. A disastrous start. Can I still save this?

Lu Xiao plotted and brewed his thoughts. How should he even start…?

For instance: “Shen Zhao, what’s your type?” But what if Shen Zhao described someone the complete opposite of him? That would be asking for humiliation!

Or: “Could you consider dating me?” Too weird…

“Shen Zhao, I really like you.” No, too direct. If he got rejected, there wouldn’t even be a way to save face.

Shen Zhao felt like Lu Xiao had been drying his hair for an eternity. “It’s been almost twenty minutes. Is my hair really that hard to dry?”

Lu Xiao’s hands faltered in panic. The hairdryer slipped from his grasp and clattered onto the floor. “Ah… no, I just wasn’t paying attention. It’s done, it’s done!”

Shen Zhao stared at him, his eyes narrowing slightly. “What are you thinking about?”

An unnatural look crossed Lu Xiao’s face as he scrambled to put the hairdryer away. “Thinking about the case! I mean, who exactly is this kid’s father? Some kind of deity?”

Shen Zhao watched the tips of Lu Xiao’s ears turn red. “You can think about a case until the roots of your ears get hot?”

Panicking, Lu Xiao turned around and pretended to be very busy organizing a cabinet.

“Spit it out.”

Lu Xiao let out two awkward coughs. “I was thinking about how to confess.”

Now it was Shen Zhao’s turn to feel awkward.

“Look, I just wanted to ask… do you have any interest in… dating?”

“None.”

Lu Xiao almost laughed out of sheer frustration. “I wasn’t even finished! Don’t banish me to the cold palace so quickly!”

“Then finish.” Shen Zhao arched an eyebrow.

Lu Xiao stiffened his neck, biting the bullet. “Have you ever considered… finding someone to date? Like… me?”

Without even a second of thought, Shen Zhao replied crisply, “No.”

The atmosphere between them became stagnant. Lu Xiao grew anxious, his brow furrowing, but a second later he managed to soothe his own ego. “You… I think you need to consider it more.”

Shen Zhao seemed unwilling to continue the topic. He lowered his eyes. “You should find someone proper to marry instead of wasting your time on me.”

Lu Xiao felt choked. “What kind of talk is that? I already know I like men; why would I go find ‘someone’ to marry?”

“I don’t think you’ve thought it through. ‘Liking men’ is a light thing to say now, but you haven’t considered what you’ll have to face later. Besides, I am not suited for establishing… ‘mysterious’ relationships. I have always been alone.”

Shen Zhao leaned back against the sofa. “Lu Xiao, you have a happy family. There’s no need to waste your energy on someone like me. It’s pointless.”

The room fell into a long silence. Lu Xiao stared at Shen Zhao for a long time before suddenly letting out a soft chuckle. He rubbed his chin, putting on a profound air. “Shen Zhao, you just went in circles babbling for ages. At first, it sounded pretty depressing, but why didn’t I hear a single ‘I don’t like you’ in any of that?”

Shen Zhao was stunned into silence. After a long moment, he lowered his voice. “I can say it now. I don’t—”

Lu Xiao immediately pressed his hand over Shen Zhao’s mouth. “Saying it now doesn’t count. Your priority right now is to go to sleep. And ideally… dream of me.”

Shen Zhao: “…”

How is this man’s skin so thick?