OFBL Chapter 47

To support his family, Xu Li, with his background as a talented nursing student from B University, took up a temporary job as a caregiver at a nursing home in Shuizhen. However, the role was far below his qualifications and a glaring mismatch for his abilities.

 

Ironically, Shen Mo’s mocking words had come back to haunt him, like a boomerang hitting him square in the face. After years of pretending to be half a surgeon, Xu Li still found himself cleaning up after people’s waste and managing their most basic needs. It was humbling and, in moments of reflection, deeply frustrating.

 

Under the dim glow of the streetlight outside the shop, Xu Li suddenly spotted someone he had been longing to see, a figure he had been thinking about day and night. His boyfriend, Zhang Yuze. The sight of him, standing there with his usual composed demeanor, ignited a flurry of emotions in Xu Li. A part of him wanted to rush up and demand answers: Why hadn’t Dr. Zhang contacted him for months?! Why had he seemed so indifferent to his situation?! But another part of him… Was just overwhelmed with relief and gratitude to see his boyfriend again.

 

So, instead of storming forward, Xu Li stood frozen on the spot, grinning like an overexcited puppy, and gazing at his boyfriend with a mix of admiration and foolish glee.

 

On the other hand, Dr. Zhang was taking a deep breath, struggling with his own storm of emotions. Their reunion didn’t feel like a romantic TV drama a all. Instead, it was raw and chaotic. And as he locked eyes with Xu Li, only two thoughts crossed his mind:

 

First: Oh, so he’s still alive.

 

Second: Even in death, I’d probably still be willing to take care of him.

 

However, Xu Li’s unabashed, wagging-tail demeanor only fueled Dr. Zhang’s frustration. All the anger and hurt he had bottled up over the past three months surged to the surface. He wanted to shout, to demand why Xu Li had left without a word, leaving him in the dark. He wanted to scold him, maybe even throw a punch out of sheer frustration…

 

… But in the end, Dr. Zhang said nothing. With a hand shoved into his pocket and a bag of groceries in the other, he turned around and walked away, as fast as he could. It wasn’t just anger driving him—it was an inexplicable urge to escape. And just like that, poor Dr. Zhang never imagined that on a seemingly average spring night, he’d end up desperately running away like the forlorn heroine of an idol drama.

 

Xu Li, on the other hand, looked utterly bewildered. Watching his boyfriend’s disappearing back that seemed to turn into afterimages, he felt a pang of hurt and confusion. Taking a few hesitant steps forward, he soon also broke into a run, calling out desperately: “Boyfriend! Why are you running away from me?!”

 

“Get lost!” Zhang Yuze barked without turning around. “Don’t follow me!”

 

But Xu Li had no intention of letting him go. Gasping for breath as he caught up, he grabbed at the corner of Dr. Zhang’s coat and teased with a bright grin: “You’re my boyfriend! If I don’t follow you, where should I go?!”

 

“I’m so mad I can’t even see straight, can’t you tell?!” Dr. Zhang snapped, yanking his coat free.

 

However, Xu Li’s persistence was unrelenting. He sidled up to Dr. Zhang, grabbing his hand this time. “Well, since you’re mad, I’ll just have to coax you,” he said, his tone lighthearted but tinged with affection.

 

However, that only made Dr. Zhang angrier. To him, Xu Li’s behavior was maddeningly scummy. How could someone disappear without a word and then act so nonchalant about it?! His frustration boiled over when they reached the corner of the street. Turning abruptly, he shoved Xu Li off with a hard push, unaware that his shoulder made full contact with Xu Li’s nose.

 

“You’re so capable, right?!” He spat. “Didn’t you think you could handle everything by yourself?! Didn’t you leave without saying goodbye?! So why are you chasing after me now?!”

 

Xu Li blinked, caught off guard. His wide eyes even filled with unshed tears as he rubbed his sore nose. “What are you talking about?” He mumbled, looking genuinely hurt. “I thought… I thought you didn’t want me anymore! You weren’t calling or coming to get me! I thought I was just a burden to you!”

 

“You’re so full of it!” Dr. Zhang finally exploded, his voice rising with exasperation. “Call you on what phone number?! Come to get you from where?! Do you take me for some magical girl or a prophet of some sort?! Did you leave me some contact info that only appears in your dreams?! How was I supposed to contact you?!”

 

Hearing that barrage of words, Xu Li frowned in confusion. “I left you a note! I swear, I wrote it before I left…”

 

“You wrote crap!” Dr. Zhang snarled, spinning on his heel to storm off again. “Don’t talk to me!”

 

“Wait!” Xu Li ran after him. “Listen! We’ve got this all wrong. Let me explain!”

 

And yet, Dr. Zhang refused to listen. He stomped toward the motel with Xu Li trailing close behind, desperation lacing his voice as he tried to bridge the misunderstanding. Eventually, Xu Li pieced it together. The note he thought he’d left behind must have been misplaced or unseen. To Dr. Zhang, it looked like Xu Li had vanished without a word. On the other hand, Xu Li had assumed Dr. Zhang didn’t care enough to reach out. It was a perfect storm of miscommunication.

 

Despite his boyfriend’s seething anger, Xu Li felt a flicker of warmth in his chest. After months of turmoil and self-doubt, he realized something important: Dr. Zhang hadn’t abandoned him!

 

After all, he really wasn’t the type to leave someone he cared about buried in mud. His boyfriend was the best and most gentle in the world… Well, truth be told, he didn’t look that gentle at the moment but… He was still the kindest, most loyal person he’d ever known! He wasn’t abandoned and that was all that mattered. For that thing alone, Xu Li would do everything he could to make it right.

 

For now, though, his task was clear: coax his grumpy, storming boyfriend back into listening to reason. And maybe sneak in a hug while he was at it.

 

…………

 

When Zhang Yuze returned to the motel, he had no intention of paying any attention to Xu Li. He climbed the creaking wooden stairs to the second floor and found his room. Behind him, he could hear Xu Li following, his steps deliberately light, but the sound of the old wooden floor still betrayed his presence.

 

As Zhang Yuze reached into his pocket to retrieve the room key, a warm hand gently touched his wrist. The contrast of warmth against his cool skin sent an electric jolt through him. Instinctively, he tried to pull away, but Xu Li’s grip tightened. Before he could protest, Xu Li wrapped his other arm around his waist and pressed close, resting his chin on his shoulder.

 

“Don’t be angry…” Xu Li murmured, his voice soft and pleading. Even his breath felt warm against Zhang Yuze’s ear, sending an unbidden shiver down his spine.

 

“I’m furious!” Zhang Yuze replied tersely, fumbling with the door key. “Can’t you tell?!” Truth be told, he felt itchy all over. He really wanted to push him away, but in the end, he really… Didn’t want to push him away, if that made any sense.

 

Xu Li only tightened his embrace, his lips brushing against the shell of Zhang Yuze’s ear. The faint, familiar scent of his entire being surrounded him, neither cologne nor detergent, but something innately his. It was a scent Zhang Yuze had almost forgotten but now felt like a hook tugging at his heartstrings. According to medical books, he should have known that it was nothing but hormones playing with his mind, but for a split second, Zhang Yuze couldn’t help himself from thinking: Ah, love really smelled deliciously sweet.

 

In the dark and ambiguous corridor, Xu Li leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Boyfriend, say you missed me,” he coaxed, his tone teasing yet sounding particularly vulnerable, as if on the verge of tears.

 

Zhang Yuze froze. Xu Li knew him too well… He knew firsthand how difficult it was for him to voice feelings, let alone admit to something so raw. And so, Xu Li expected to be shoved away, called a fool, or at best, for his boyfriend to walk away in a huff.

 

But Zhang Yuze surprised them both. After a long pause, he sighed, turned slightly, and met Xu Li’s gaze. “Fine,” he said softly. “I missed you.”

 

The words hit Xu Li like a punch to the chest. His eyes widened and his heart pounded so loudly he thought Zhang Yuze could hear it. His boyfriend’s words echoed in his mind, burning into his memory: I missed you. I missed you.

 

Unable to contain himself for a second longer, Xu Li tightened his grip around his boyfriend’s waist and pulled him into a fierce embrace, holding him as if he might disappear again. Zhang Yuze struggled for a moment, but before he could say another word, Xu Li pressed their lips together in a heated, desperate kiss.

 

There wasn’t anything gentle about that kiss. It was simply a collision of emotions—longing, frustration, and relief. Xu Li kissed as though he wanted to pour months of unspoken words into that one moment, his hands wandering to Zhang Yuze’s waist, pulling him closer still.

 

As for poor Dr. Zhang, he leaned against the door, torn between resisting and surrendering. When Xu Li bit down on his lips, he retaliated, his own tongue seeking dominance in the kiss. Soon enough, the rusty taste of blood mingled with their shared breath, sharp and on the verge of losing control.

 

Their lips parted only briefly before Xu Li fumbled around for the room key. Pushing the door open, he guided Zhang Yuze inside, closing it behind them. Then, in a couple of steps and with a firm but gentle push, he eased Zhang Yuze onto the bed.

 

“Are you still mad?” Xu Li asked, his voice low and teasing as he hovered over him.

 

“Shut up.” Zhang Yuze replied, his lips swollen and his voice hoarse. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

 

Xu Li laughed softly and bent down to kiss him again, his hands cradling Zhang Yuze’s face. This time around, his boyfriend no longer resisted. After all, he said he didn’t want to talk not… Do anything else. And so, Zhang Yuze simply let the kiss deepen and let the tension between them melt away. They were adults—mature enough to let their emotions take them where they needed to go.

 

Soon enough, the night blurred into a tangle of limbs and whispered apologies, their anger giving way to something far more tender.

 

…………

 

Later at night, Xu Li lay sprawled on the bed, his chest rising and falling as he caught his breath. As for his newly-returned boyfriend… He was caught in an OCD attack, sitting on the edge of the bed and desperately wiping his hands and body with a pack of tissues, wearing a particularly unreadable expression.

 

As Xu Li regained his composure, he finally broached the topic that had lingered between them. “The note,” he began hesitantly. “I left it on the coffee table before I left. Did you see it?”

 

Zhang Yuze let out a long sigh, shaking his head. “I didn’t. By the time I got home, everything on the table was gone. Maybe it fell on the floor and got thrown out during cleaning. Either way, I never saw it.”

 

Xu Li frowned, guilt flickering across his face. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I thought you didn’t… Care about me anymore.”

 

“You’re an idiot,” Zhang Yuze said bluntly, though there was no malice in his tone. “How’s your mother? And how’s this… Place treating you?”

 

Xu Li smiled faintly. “She’s fine. And here… Well, it’s a dusty town. Small, quiet. Nothing like Yanjing.”

 

In the end, Zhang Yuze leaned back on the bed, his gaze softening as he recounted everything that had happened while they were apart. “Things have settled down. The media frenzy has died, and no one will harass you anymore. Oh, by the way, that Little Rainbow left as soon as problems started appearing, so I dealt with your landlord and moved all your stuff into my place. It’s all safe now.”

 

“Thank you.” Xu Li said, his voice full of gratitude.

 

“Stop thanking me,” Zhang Yuze replied, giving him a gentle shove. “It’s annoying.”

 

And yet, Xu Li laughed, leaning into him like a clingy puppy. “I’ve missed you,” he confessed once agin, his voice muffled as he buried his face against Zhang Yuze’s back.

 

“Did you hold onto all of your little boyfriends like this?”

 

“I never did it, I swear.” Xu Li smiled in a low voice. “You’re the first one I want to hug like this.”

 

“I better be.” Zhang Yuze said, sounding both angry and annoyed. He reached out and turned off the bedside lamp, plunging the room into darkness. Nestling against Xu Li, Zhang Yuze let the quiet stretch between them for a moment before speaking: “Come back to Yanjing with me. Let’s fight this case together. And after it’s over… Let’s get you back to the operating table where you belong.”

 

T.N: Awww ❤️ It was about damn time!