OFBL Chapter 36

T.N: Merry Christmas, everyone! 🎄

 

After work in the evening, Xu Li came to the hospital to pick up Zhang Yuze as usual. He stood at the office door, glanced at the desk opposite Zhang Yuze’s, and asked: “Shouldn’t you move that one back?”

 

Zhang Yuze looked at the desk dismissively. “Weren’t you the one eager to move to the 17th floor before? Why come back now?” He asked.

 

Xu Li smiled playfully. “Who knows? Maybe the old enemies can still rely on each other in the end?” He tilted his head, continuing: “Zhang Yuze, can you repeat what you said this morning?”

 

“What did I say?”

 

“That sentence. You know.”

 

“Get out of here.”

 

Outside the hospital, Zhang Yuze stuffed his hands in his coat pockets and gently elbowed Xu Li in the ribs. “What do you want to eat?”

 

Xu Li sighed dramatically. “I’m begging you—let’s eat out tonight. I can’t look at another pig’s heart. It’s haunting my dreams.”

 

Amused by his exaggerated expression, Zhang Yuze nodded. “Fine.”

 

Xu Li perked up instantly and chose an upscale barbecue restaurant with a hefty price tag. As soon as they sat down, the enticing smell of sizzling meat from the next table made their mouths water.

 

As the charcoal fire warmed up, Xu Li casually mentioned: “I’ll come with you to work tomorrow morning. I need to familiarize myself with the setup for the surgery.”

 

“That’s great.” Zhang Yuze almost applauded. “You finally have to get up at seven and come in with me.”

 

“Oh.” Xu Li sighed dramatically, but his eyes sparkled with mischief.

 

“What kind of demon are you playing now?” Zhang Yuze turned his face over, gradually getting used to Xu Li’s obvious coquettishness. He was already able to predict his next step.

 

As for Xu Li, he leaned forward with a sly grin and whispered: “By the way, I gave up half a month of vacation to help you. Don’t you think you should… Compensate me?”

 

“What for?” Zhang Yuze raised an eyebrow, intrigued. For once, he didn’t shut down Xu Li’s teasing.

 

Caught off guard by the lack of resistance, Xu Li blinked. “You know… For the time I sacrificed. My paid vacation, my freedom…”

 

Zhang Yuze deliberately let his gaze linger over Xu Li’s frame, slowly dragging his eyes downward in a way that sent a jolt through Xu Li.

 

“Compensate for how many days you had to eat pig hearts?” Zhang Yuze smirked. His voice dropped an octave, becoming downright suggestive. “Your blood has been surging, hasn’t it?”

 

“Damn.” Xu Li quickly grabbed his cup and took a long sip of barley tea, trying to cool down. “I was supposed to be the one teasing you! Why are you turning the tables?”

 

“I can help you.” Zhang Yuze rested his chin on his hand, expression unreadable. “We’re both men. It’s normal to have… Needs.”

 

“And you don’t?” Xu Li’s gaze darkened slightly, his inner fox-like charm breaking free, sending all sorts of suggestive signals. His eyes gleamed with playful intensity as he leaned closer. “Love is dictated by hormones.” Xu Li said smoothly, his tone low and dangerous. “And hormones include… Sex hormones.”

 

Caught in Xu Li’s gravitational pull, Zhang Yuze met his gaze head-on, determined not to back down.

 

“Assistant Xu,” he said evenly, lips quirking into a half-smile. “I’ve never denied the existence of primitive biological impulses caused by hormonal stimulation.”

 

Commonly known as sexual tension.

 

Xu Li seemed to smile, but before he could respond, the waiter arrived with their food, effectively interrupting the charged atmosphere.

 

“You better not back out later,” Xu Li said with a meaningful smirk. “I don’t accept unpaid debts at home.”

 

“Of course,” Zhang Yuze said smoothly, lips still curved into a faint smile.

 

The long-awaited barbecue platter arrived, its aroma making both their stomachs growl. Just as the delicious scent hit their noses, Zhang Yuze’s phone buzzed in his pocket.

 

He frowned, putting down his chopsticks. The caller ID read Liu Hongbo.

 

His heart skipped a beat as instinctive worry set in. Before Zhang Yuze could even say hello, Liu Hongbo’s voice came through the phone, sharp and urgent.

 

“Get back to the hospital immediately. Ge Haoran just went into hypoxic shock. The high-pressure oxygen supply isn’t stabilizing him. His heartbeat and pulse are dangerously low—far below the normal range. We’ve decided to begin the operation now.”

 

“What? Right away?” Zhang Yuze nearly leaped from his chair.

 

“Yes. The anesthesiologist is already prepping him. The operation starts as soon as you two arrive. Hurry!”

 

The situation was dire, every second ticking by with relentless unpredictability. No one could predict how long the boy’s fragile body could hold on, since for a patient in that bad of a condition, every second was changing endlessly, and no one knew what the next one would bring.

 

Xu Li, who had just taken the first bite of grilled pork belly, immediately put it down.

 

“Forget eating! Let’s go!”

 

In a frantic blur, Zhang Yuze was already slipping on his coat while simultaneously making a payment on his phone, regretting he couldn’t grow four hands. His mind raced as he explained: “Liu Hongbo’s waiting for us. The surgery moved forward to now.”

 

Xu Li’s expression darkened, but he didn’t hesitate. He abandoned the mouth-watering barbecue and dashed out after Zhang Yuze.

 

…………

 

At eight p.m., both of them arrived, only to find that the team was already assembled, with the sterile surgical theater glowing under harsh, clinical lights.

 

Xu Li slipped into his scrubs, breathing heavily from the rush. “This is intense… I wasn’t mentally prepared for this at all.”

 

“Just try to keep up.” Zhang Yuze said, his voice steady despite the gravity of the moment.

 

Liu Hongbo briefed them quickly, his words precise and clipped, wasting no time. Xu Li efficiently sterilized his hands and donned gloves, his usual playfulness replaced by a look of calm focus. As Zhang Yuze finished scrubbing in, his eyes were drawn to Xu Li’s familiar frame. Even as tightly wrapped as he was, with a mask, a surgical cap, and gloves, he could still recognize him at a glance: broad-shouldered, steady, and sharp-eyed, even beneath the tight mask.

 

Xu Li turned, his eyes crinkling into a reassuring smile: “Ready, boyfriend?”

 

Zhang Yuze took a deep breath and nodded: “Let’s do this.”

 

They stood shoulder-to-shoulder as the operating room’s red “Surgery in Progress” light flicked on.

 

On the operating table lay Ge Haoran, the small child they were fighting to save. His frail chest was marred with scars from numerous previous surgeries and his oxygen levels were dangerously low, his heartbeat unnervingly faint.

 

“The liquid buildup in his chest is worse than expected.” Zhang Yuze reported grimly. “They had to drain him again. When his parents saw him collapse on the way in, they just… Broke down.”

 

Xu Li’s voice was firm but warm. “You’ve trained for this. You’ll bring him back. We will.”

 

“I hope so,” Zhang Yuze murmured.

 

The timer hit zero. There was no more room for uncertainty and no room for fear.

 

The first incision split the skin with precision. Blood welled up instantly, and Xu Li smoothly deployed the suction tool, clearing the surgical field without needing a single prompt.

 

However, as soon as he opened the chest cavity, Zhang Yuze noticed something was wrong. “The tissue adhesion is severe.” Xu Li also noted, his eyes scanning the exposed area.

 

“We expected some… But not this much.” Zhang Yuze clenched his jaw, calling out commands. “Prepare for extended tissue separation. Alert Liu Hongbo—we’ll take longer than scheduled.”

 

By now, Zhang Yuze was no longer nervous. His current spirit was highly tensed every second, just like a tightly pulled string. They were severely out of time and his mind went into overdrive, hyper-focused. The standard half-hour prep time for organ isolation stretched into a grueling, uncertain battle.

 

“Scissors,” he ordered.

 

Before the words even fully left his mouth, the instrument was already in his hand—firm, steady, and ready.

 

He cut into the scarred, fibrous tissues, separating sticky layers that stubbornly clung to one another. Blood pooled rapidly, but Xu Li was right there, suctioning it away with unerring precision.

 

“Change the blade,” Zhang Yuze commanded, barely glancing up.

 

Xu Li was ready with the correct surgical knife, sharp and gleaming under the OR lights. There was no need for further instructions since years of working together had made their partnership seamless.

 

Each motion and each breath was a calculated strike in a high-stakes battle. At that moment, Zhang Yuze had no heart to praise Xu Li. He felt like a general charging to kill the enemy on the battlefield, with everything he had in his possession handed over to his Assistant Xu with confidence.

 

What else could he say? He simply wanted Xu Li to stay in the same room as him, so he could rest assured.

 

Time seemed to be completely frozen, and all that Zhang Yuze could see were bright red human tissues and organs. Three hours later, the first critical stage was finally complete. The surgical field was cleared, and the patient’s heart was exposed. Twisted artificial sutures crisscrossed its fragile surface, a battlefield of past surgeries. As of now, little Ge Haoran’s time has been extended for three more hours.

 

Breathing hard, Zhang Yuze stared at his trembling hands, knuckles swollen and sore from holding the scalpel in a death grip for hours. He finally exhaled, muscles screaming from exhaustion: “It’s done,” he rasped. “First phase is complete.”

 

Xu Li checked the patient’s vitals, his expression tight but determined. “You did it.”

 

“The next phase depends on Liu Hongbo now.” Zhang Yuze announced, stepping back from the operating table.

 

Liu Hongbo nodded sharply, ready to take over the delicate restructuring of Ge Haoran’s damaged heart valves. If all went well, they would be called back for the final closure phase.

 

As they exited the operating room through the disinfection area, peeling off sweat-soaked scrubs, both men were too exhausted to even speak. Their eyes met, and in that shared glance, they understood—they’d fought and won the first critical battle.

 

Xu Li managed a weak thumbs-up, his face creasing into a worn-out grin. “You’re incredible. Finding those blood vessels with all that adhesion? That was insane.”

 

“You too.” Zhang Yuze’s voice cracked with exhaustion. “No time for compliments. We need rest. Now.”

 

Xu Li threw an arm around his shoulders, gently guiding him toward the temporary on-call room. Both of them were beyond words and way beyond any sort of pretense. Just two people who had given everything they had.

 

The narrow on-call bed felt like a slice of heaven. Zhang Yuze barely had time to process the cool pillow beneath his head before sleep dragged him under.

 

Beside him, Xu Li flopped down with a groan, their bodies naturally gravitating toward each other. Without hesitation, Xu Li wrapped an arm securely around him, fitting them together in the tiny space.

 

For once, Zhang Yuze didn’t complain. Or even try to pull away.

 

Before he could say anything at all, he was already gone, lost to a deep, dreamless sleep.