A Bad-Hearted Doctor is Unbearably Beautiful - Chapter 69

The Next Day

Early that morning, Lu Xiao stood at Shen Zhao’s doorstep, sporting two massive dark circles under his eyes. He hesitated for a long time, mentally rehearsing a list of excuses to ensure his visit wouldn’t seem too abrupt when Shen Zhao opened the door.

He knocked softly. “Who is it?” Shen Zhao’s voice drifted from inside.

With a click, the door opened. Shen Zhao stood there, eyes bleary with sleep and hair slightly disheveled; he had clearly only just woken up. Upon seeing Lu Xiao, Shen Zhao’s brows knitted together. “What are you doing here?”

Lu Xiao gave an awkward laugh. “Well, I… I came to pick you up…”

He was about to continue when his peripheral vision caught someone else inside the apartment. Shit. A man!

The stranger was leaning lazily against the bathroom doorframe. Steam was still billowing out of the bathroom, and the man was wrapped in a long bath towel, his wet hair dripping with water. He had obviously just finished showering.

As Lu Xiao looked over, the man in the apartment narrowed his eyes and stared back.

Dammit, what kind of look is that? Provocation?

And what’s with the getup? Shifting around half-naked and showering at Shen Zhao’s place first thing in the morning? What the hell is he trying to do!

Lu Xiao’s eyes darted around the room, trying to read the situation. These two couldn’t have… slept together last night, could they? Surely not.

Lu Xiao’s face darkened instantly. He shot a piercing glare at the man and asked in a low, grim voice, “Who’s this?”

Shen Zhao rubbed his eyes. It took him a few seconds to process how to explain. “This… I’ll tell you later.”

Lu Xiao’s mouth practically twisted with rage. His intuition from last night had been spot on!

He kicked off his shoes at the entrance, pulled on a pair of guest slippers, and marched into the apartment like he owned the place. He plopped down on the sofa, spreading his arms wide across the backrest and crossing his legs—a clear display of dominance—as he stared down the man.

The man’s lips curled into a smirk, watching Lu Xiao as if he were a joke. “My, what’s all this about? So aggressive so early in the morning. I thought it was a surprise inspection—I didn’t even get to finish my shower.”

Lu Xiao tilted his chin up, trying his best to control his expression even though he was grinding his teeth. “I’m here to take Shen Zhao to investigate a case. And who might you be?”

“Oh~ investigating a case…” Nine drawled, his tone so snide it made Lu Xiao’s skin crawl.

Just as Shen Zhao was about to intervene, Nine flashed a meaningful look and said slowly, “Me? I’m Shen Zhao-gege’s old friend~”

What kind of nauseating title is that?!

A layer of goosebumps rose on Lu Xiao’s back. Suspicion began to churn in his gut; he had never heard Shen Zhao mention such an irritating “old friend.” When he turned to look at Shen Zhao, he saw that the doctor didn’t deny it; instead, he simply turned and headed toward the kitchen.

What’s the meaning of this? Is he actually making breakfast?

Damn it. Shen Zhao wouldn’t lift a finger to cook at my place, yet here he is taking care of someone else!

Lu Xiao let out a cold laugh. “Old friend? How come I’ve never heard Shen Zhao mention a friend like you?”

Nine blinked, his expression playful. “Never heard of me? That’s normal, I suppose. After all, he and I have known each other for over a decade. You’ve only just met him; naturally, you wouldn’t know about our… history~”

Lu Xiao’s expression froze completely. His gaze turned sharp as he stared at the man. Nine chuckled, ignoring Lu Xiao further as he turned to dry his hair and sauntered back into the bedroom with a sway in his hips.

Lu Xiao stared at Nine’s retreating back, lost in thought. Those looks… he felt like he had seen them somewhere before.

Sensing the sword-point tension between the two, Shen Zhao walked over and poured Lu Xiao a glass of water. Lu Xiao gestured with his chin toward the bedroom and whispered, “What’s the deal?”

Shen Zhao sighed. “I told you before. He’s my friend from the orphanage when I was a kid.”

Lu Xiao narrowed his eyes, feeling that something wasn’t right. “I’ve seen the news and the old records. Weren’t those people all… gone?”

Shen Zhao nodded, a faint smile appearing on his face. “I didn’t expect it either, but he’s actually alive.”

A bolt of lightning struck Lu Xiao’s mind, and he finally realized why the man looked so familiar! He immediately thought of the victim of the explosion case—Zhang Dalong.

That was it. This man was the child in the orphanage photo found on the USB drive Zhang Dalong had sent before his death! The boy in the photo with Zhang Dalong—the one with the beautiful curly hair, amber eyes, and a sweet smile. The very friend Shen Zhao had described as being part of his two happiest years.

“Did you leave so suddenly yesterday to go find him?” Lu Xiao asked, his eyes tracking Nine, who had just emerged in fresh clothes.

“Yes.”

Lu Xiao’s face went pitch black, a low-pressure aura radiating from him. Seeing that things were about to escalate, Shen Zhao quickly grabbed Lu Xiao’s arm and dragged him toward the door. “I have something to tell you about the case. Let’s go outside first.”

Lu Xiao was forced out the door by Shen Zhao, but not before he threw one final, savage glare at the man inside.

Nine walked toward the dining area with total indifference, sitting down composedly to drink some orange juice as if he were in his own home.

From the moment they left the apartment, Lu Xiao acted as if he were at war with the world. He didn’t say a word on the way to the parking lot, his legs moving at a breakneck pace.

Shen Zhao didn’t notice at first, preoccupied with the photos in his hand. “By the way, I have a new discovery regarding Xiao Cheng.”

When there was no response, he looked up to find Lu Xiao already slumped in the driver’s seat. Shen Zhao frowned, pulled open the car door, and sat inside. He crossed his arms and looked at Lu Xiao. “You’re being very strange today.”

Lu Xiao’s temper flared. “I’m strange? I think the man in your house is the strange one!”

Shen Zhao was baffled by Lu Xiao’s sudden outburst. He tried to suppress his own rising anger and said, “Speak clearly. What is your problem?”

Lu Xiao’s voice dropped an octave. “When did you find out he wasn’t dead?”

“Yesterday. He sent me a text,” Shen Zhao said softly, not understanding Lu Xiao’s frustration.

“And so you just went to see him? And after seeing him, you brought him back to your house? A person who was supposed to have died in a fire suddenly appears alive after ten years, and you don’t have a single shred of suspicion?”

Lu Xiao fired off the questions like a machine gun, leaving Shen Zhao momentarily stunned. The atmosphere in the car grew increasingly stifling. After a long silence, Shen Zhao spoke coldly. “Lu Xiao, this is my private business.”

Lu Xiao, failing to sense Shen Zhao’s displeasure, continued his tirade. “How much do you actually know about this guy that you’d just let him move in? Did he seriously have nowhere else to stay before he ran into you?”

Shen Zhao’s throat tightened. To him, Nine was a long-lost family member—and the weight of a massive burden he had carried for years.

“Lu Xiao, he is my friend. It makes me very unhappy when you speak like this. I don’t want to hear another word of it.”

Lu Xiao opened his mouth to argue further, but Shen Zhao’s face had turned grim. Without another word, Shen Zhao opened the car door and stepped out.