A Bad-Hearted Doctor is Unbearably Beautiful - Chapter 68

Shanghai Police Station

Wu Di, sporting heavy dark circles under his eyes, was passing by with a stack of files when he noticed the lamp at Lu Xiao’s desk was still on. Taking a closer look, he saw Lu Xiao sitting there, looking rather grim.

“Eh? Boss, why aren’t you home yet?”

“Waiting for someone,” Lu Xiao replied in a heavy voice. He didn’t look up, his eyes fixed on his dark phone screen.

Shen Zhao was acting very strange today! Ever since he had abruptly taken a taxi and left, there had been no news from him. He wasn’t answering calls, and his only reply to messages had been a brief, hurried text.

He wasn’t at the hospital, so where else could he be?

Frustrated, Lu Xiao lit a cigarette and took two aggressive drags. It was already eleven o’clock at night—what the hell could be keeping him this busy? Usually, by this time, they’d be two rounds into a candlelight dinner.

Just as his irritation was peaking, a notification popped up. He snatched the phone instantly; it was a message from Shen Zhao! Lu Xiao opened the chat excitedly, only to have a curse escape his lips the second he read it.

“Fuck!”

The message from Shen Zhao read: [I’m not coming to your place tonight.]

Shen Zhao, how can the words you type be so cold?!

Lu Xiao stared indignantly at those few characters but didn’t press for details. He lived by the mantra of online “relationship gurus”: Knowing when to keep your mouth shut is the basic virtue of a good husband!

Wu Di, who was burning the midnight oil in an attempt to catch up and not be a burden to the team, was startled by Lu Xiao’s sudden outburst. He leaned over, stretching his neck out cautiously. “What happened, Boss…?”

“What happened? Your boss’s wife is about to run off with someone!”

Lu Xiao snatched up his keys and headed out, planning to go back to his old house and vent his frustrations by aggressively petting his pet hamsters.

Noah Private Hospital

Shen Zhao was not in a good state. His hands were shaking uncontrollably, and he was spiraling into a pit of immense self-reproach.

Nine stood up, his slender fingers pressing against Shen Zhao’s lips. “It’s okay. It’s all in the past. No one blames you…”

A long silence stretched between them in the ward. By silent mutual agreement, they stopped discussing the past. Shen Zhao’s eyes darkened; he wanted to say more, but his mind kept drifting to Cheng Nianchuan, who was also in this hospital.

His headache was worsening. Forcing himself to stand, he said, “Nine, I have something I need to handle first. Wait for me to come back, okay? I still have so much to tell you.”

As Shen Zhao moved toward the door, his wrist was suddenly caught in a firm grip. Nine’s tone took on a lazy, coaxing quality. “Leaving so soon?”

“I’ll be right back.”

Shen Zhao’s voice was calm, but Nine had no intention of letting go. With a smile playing on his lips, he furrowed his brows in a look of exaggerated disappointment. “But I’ll be so bored here all by myself.”

Shen Zhao saw that Nine was acting like a bratty child just as he had when they were young, and he couldn’t help but find it slightly amusing. “You’re an international superstar. You have people surrounding you all day, and yet you say you’re bored?”

“But none of those people are you.” Nine leaned back against the sofa and sighed. His beautiful eyes fixed on Shen Zhao, filled with mock sorrow. He continued to complain, “Staying in this hospital is no different from being locked in a prison. But if I go out, I have to be so careful every day—I don’t even have a place to settle down…”

Stunned by Nine’s “aegyo” offensive, it took Shen Zhao a long moment to respond. “Isn’t the hospital environment quite good? It’s safe, and you have everything you need.”

“It’s not good at all. It’s cold and clinical. I hate staying here, especially now that I’ve seen you—I can’t stand it another minute.”

Shen Zhao sighed. “What do you want, then?”

Nine’s eyes lit up. “Can I stay at your place?”

Shen Zhao was stunned. Nine looked exactly like a curly-haired puppy begging for pity. Indeed, he had known how to act spoiled since he was a child, and whenever he did, it was impossible to refuse him.

“You’re joking, right?” Shen Zhao’s lip twitched slightly.

“I’m not. Didn’t we live together when we were kids? Sometimes we’d play until we were exhausted and just fall asleep on the hillside together. Did you forget?”

Nine’s eyes blinked innocently, his expression earnest. His logic seemed flawless at first glance. Seeing that Shen Zhao didn’t immediately refuse, he pressed his advantage. “Really, I’m a big star; nowhere is safe for me. If I stay in a hotel, the paparazzi will be waiting downstairs the next morning! Do you really have the heart to let that happen?”

“I still have so many things to tell you. Don’t say no, okay~?”

Looking at Nine acting like a spoiled brat, Shen Zhao felt for a moment as if he had been transported back to the happiest times of his youth. After a moment of silence, he finally nodded. “Fine. But it’s only for a few days. I’ll help you find a house after that.”

“Great! I knew you were the best to me!” A triumphant, mischievous grin immediately spread across Nine’s face. He made no effort to hide his joy, rushing over to scoop Shen Zhao up and spin him around several times.

“Put me down! How old are you, still playing these games?!” Shen Zhao scolded, though he couldn’t help but laugh through his headache.

After Shen Zhao left the ward, Nine was left alone. He sat on the sofa, pensively twirling a fountain pen, a pleasant smile still lingering on his face. In the dim light, there was a knock at the door.

“Enter.”

A man wearing a cap stood respectfully before him. “Boss, he has headed toward VIP Room 05.”

Nine smiled thinly. “Good. Let him see for himself.”

The man, dressed in a black trench coat with his face hidden in the shadows, asked, “Did you go to all this trouble just to tell him where Cheng Nianchuan is?”

Nine tapped his fingers rhythmically against his crossed knee, his tone unhurried. “I’m just giving him some clues. It saves that idiot Lu Xiao from dragging him all over the place. Watching them was starting to make my eyes hurt.”

“Boss, aren’t you worried that meeting Shen Zhao face-to-face will expose you?” the man asked with concern.

Nine’s gaze grew deep and dark. “I’ll be careful.”

He knew he shouldn’t be this impatient. Years ago, when he found out Wen Yu was by Shen Zhao’s side, he had been consumed by jealousy, yet even after Wen Yu died, he hadn’t planned to reveal himself.

Until… Lu Xiao appeared.

The corners of his mouth curled into a smirk, a playful yet dangerous light in his eyes. He had indeed been a bit too hasty this time.