As soon as Zhang Yuze tucked his phone into his pocket, he heard the familiar growl of a motorcycle echoing outside the restaurant. Through the rotating glass doors, he spotted his boyfriend, Xu Li, rolling up on a gleaming red Harley.
His arm was close to being healed and the man had regained his previous coquettish appearance. The attention the motorcycle attracted, paired with his bold leather jacket, made Xu Li look like a scene straight out of a movie.
Despite the rain, Xu Li’s confident demeanor hadn’t dulled one bit.
Zhang Yuze smirked as he pushed the door open and stepped out into the cold. Xu Li handed him a helmet and patted the backseat. “Hop on. Let’s get you home before you turn into an ice cube.”
“You’re really something…” Zhang Yuze grumbled, taking the helmet. “I still remember when you used to carry random little boys from who-knows-what bar onto the back of this thing.”
“That’s ancient history!” Xu Li retorted, feigning outrage. “Since I got together with you, no one’s sat on the back of this bike except for you.”
“Yeah, right…” Zhang Yuze muttered, rolling his eyes as he climbed on.
“Hug me.” Xu Li instructed, starting the engine.
“Oh.” Reluctantly, Zhang Yuze placed his hands lightly around Xu Li’s waist.
“Not like that. Properly.” Xu Li reached back, grabbed his boyfriend’s hands, and tightened them firmly around his waist. “Hold on like your life depends on it.”
Pressed against Xu Li’s back, the weight of his fevered body slumped, and Zhang Yuze peacefully rested his head on Xu Li’s shoulder, treating him like a pillow.
Xu Li adjusted his posture and asked: “Are you still feeling uncomfortable?”
“I feel awful….” Zhang Yuze mumbled. “And Li Chao made it worse. I want to die.”
“Don’t be dramatic.” Xu Li teased. “If you die, who’s going to enjoy my amazing sour plum tea when we get home? I promise it’ll fix everything.”
“Fine.” Came the muffled reply.
Xu Li was about to start the engine when he noticed Zhao Xiaole and Xiao Jie standing by the restaurant’s entrance, clearly deep in conversation.
“I didn’t think he’d actually say it!” Zhao Xiaole whispered, holding her stomach.
“Dr. Zhang was really brutal!” Xiao Jie replied, shaking his head. “He just went straight for the jugular! It’s so classic of him to quarrel over professionalism.”
“I’m starving!” Zhao Xiaole quickly announced.
“Me too!” Xiao Jie sang the same tune. “Let’s hit the barbecue stall next door!”
The two dashed off, leaving Xu Li chuckling under his breath. Before he could hit the throttle, the sharp sound of clicking heels coming from behind made him turn. A poised woman approached, her movements exuding the air of someone used to commanding attention. Despite her age, her elegance remained untouched, and her presence alone made Xu Li feel like a nervous student in front of his professor.
For some reason, Xu Li trembled. That lady managed to remind him of the experience of being scolded by an old professor in the laboratory of the Medical University.
What a strict and beautiful aunt…
“That’s my mom.” Zhang Yuze murmured from behind him. “The Empress Dowager herself who just retired as the chief surgeon of the Rocket Military Hospital.”
Xu Li straightened instinctively, suddenly unsure what to do with his hands. “Hello, ma’am, aunt, aunty!” He kept on shaking his arm around, fully aware that he looked like an idiot the first time he met his boyfriend’s family.
The Empress Dowager’s sharp, discerning gaze swept over their intimate posture, her lips twitching with amusement. The resemblance to her son was uncanny: the same keen eyes and the same subtle smirk of superiority.
“Thank you for taking care of him.” She said, her tone measured but warm.
Flustered, Xu Li launched straight into a detailed report, not even stopping for a single breath: “Aunty, his fever peaked at 39 degrees earlier. He’s experiencing chills, bloating, a cough, and dry mouth. He’s taken fever pills and throat granules, and his temperature is stable now, but I’ll keep monitoring him closely!”
“Idiot, you sound like a walking medical chart…” Zhang Yuze scolded him softly from the back.
The Empress Dowager’s faint smile deepened, and a flicker of approval crossed her face. “Go ahead,” she said, glancing at her son. “Don’t worry about that work transfer nonsense. Focus on preparing for Ge Haoran’s surgery. That’s what matters.”
“Bye, Mom!” Zhang Yuze said, tugging on Xu Li’s jacket.
Xu Li, still marveling at the unexpectedly smooth interaction, blinked. He hadn’t expected both Zhang Yuze and his mother to be so protective of him. His chest tightened with a mixture of gratitude and disbelief.
Mother Zhou arched a brow, her voice tinged with amusement: “What’s wrong? Don’t you want to say goodbye to me?”
Snapping out of it, Xu Li nodded quickly, using the exact same words as Zhang Yuze: “Bye, Mom!”
“Mom, what Mom?!” Zhang Yuze corrected him with a playful slap to his back. “Is that her name?!”
Xu Li froze, so embarrassed that his skin went numb. He turned the accelerator and quickly disappeared at the speed of light.
…………
Thankfully, under the careful services of Xu Li, Dr. Zhang only took two days to recover, but his cough was still severe. During the day, he still had to get up early and go to work. As for nighttime, he would always bring back a new pig’s heart, eager to practice on it, and then stir-fry it into a pile of dishes.
Xu Li was so tired that he wanted to vomit whenever he saw another pig’s heart.
Strangely enough, from that day’s dinner onward, Li Chao and Zhang Yuze managed to maintain a sort of peace. There were no quarrels and no blushing faces, and the communication was normal during work. In addition to that, Li Chao even started avoiding Zhang Yuze, taking the initiative to work at night and blocking any chance for them to even cooperate in the operating room.
That was really fine, however… The only problem was that Ge Haoran’s surgery was imminent. With Li Chao refusing to develop any kind of tacit understanding with Zhang Yuze, how should they even begin to think about that?!
There was almost no time left at all!
When there were less than 48 hours left before Ge Haoran’s surgery, Zhang Yuze went to the office and found that Li Chao was still not there. He quickly called Zhao Xiaole over, asking: “Where is Li Chao?! No matter what happens, you have to bring him over. The pre-surgery meeting is about to begin!”
“I looked at the registration form and there is no assistant available for this surgery! I guess this surgery will end in disaster unless the dean brings someone over! I don’t even know what he’s thinking!” She answered back, feeling quite nervous as well.
“What’s all this nonsense about?!” Zhang Yuze frowned and scrunched his eyebrows tightly. “I want someone who can stand by the operating table with me, not some random person picked from the vegetable market!” After saying that, he stood up and rushed to the dean’s office without thinking.
…………
The old dean was worried. As a matter of fact, he was both worried and sad. Holding a teacup, he could only wonder why he hadn’t retired just yet.
A few days ago, he promised his friend, the dean of the Rocket Military Hospital, to arrange a job for his precious son to settle down, but his plans changed hands and were disturbed by Zhang Yuze.
Although, at the bottom of his heart, the old dean still recognized that Xu Li’s skills were truly spectacular, there was nothing he could do when it came to Li Chao and his father. Both of them were very good at putting people in tight spots, making him involuntarily concede.
The old dean sighed and poured himself a cup of tea. Looking at the “Peace and Tranquillity” caligraphy in front of him, he easily persuaded himself to be more open-minded, peaceful, and calm. Stretching his eyebrows, he raised the teacup, and the mellow tea was just about to enter his throat when…
The door of the office was rudely pushed open.
A mouthful of tea was spit out.
His “Peace and Tranquility” turned into ghosts!
Zhang Yuze strode inside and immediately started talking: “I’m sorry to disturb your tea break, but the situation is urgent. In the afternoon, Ge Haoran’s pre-surgery meeting should be held. Where is my assistant?”
The old dean finally broke down in silence. He patted his teacup, stood up, and the sparsely gray hair that stubbornly clung to his head floated miserably. He roared: “I already arranged an assistant for you, Li Chao! You then disliked that he was not skilled enough and chased him away! Now here you are, asking me for an assistant! Do you think I just don’t want to help you?!”
Zhang Yuze didn’t think too much about it, looking at the old dean with a look that seemed to say: It’s not like I’m asking you to be my assistant~
The old dean felt his blood pressure shoot straight to the stars. Finally, he decided not to uslessly argue with young people. It was better to just sit down, wave his hand, and give up. “Wait a little longer. I’ll find someone else for you, Young Master. I hope I’ll live to retire and see you as the dean.”
“I can find an assistant myself. If you really can’t do it, there’s no need to force yourself.” Zhang Yuze smiled, knowing that the old dean was not really angry with him.
The old dean could only sigh again.
Zhang Yuze continued: “Xu Li is quite suitable. If you call him, he’ll come. His arm is already healed and he’s eager to come back to the operating table.”
“That’s not good.” The dean hesitated and said. “He still has half a month of work-related injury leave, and Ge Haoran’s condition is so serious… It requires a lot of patience and time. Is he really willing to come and take care of this halfway?”
“He’ll be willing to come for me.” Zhang Yuze said, deadpan.
The poor old dean took out his mobile phone and said half-heartedly: “I’m sorry, can I have the honor of speaking to your dear partner?”
Zhang Yuze didn’t say yes.
When the phone was connected, the old dean coughed twice and said caringly: “Xiao Xu, how have you been recently?”
Xu Li heard his leader’s voice, but it wasn’t important enough for him to get out of bed. He turned over and smiled: “It’s good. How come you have time to care about me?”
The old dean continued, feeling helpless: “I want to ask, since your recovery is going well, have you considered coming back to the hospital in advance and taking over the work? You know, our manpower is already tight, and it’s winter, so it’s inevitable that we can’t arrange for more help…”
“Dean.” Xu Li turned over again and said in a lazy voice: “Look, my arm still hurts, and I can’t even lift my hand. I also still have half a month left to recuperate. You can’t deprive me of my sick leave like this and let me come to work with illness.”
The old dean glanced at Zhang Yuze and said: “Look, I just said that he wasn’t willing to come!”
In fact, few people would be willing to do so. Who would be stupid enough to give up their paid leave and run back to work?!
Zhang Yuze hissed. He could almost imagine Xu Li’s lazy appearance on his bed, with clothes not fully worn and his buttocks out in the sun. Stepping forward, he said: “Hey, stupid!”
Xu Li was stunned and blurted out: “Shit, Zhang Yuze, why are you there?! It’s not that we don’t have WeChat. Why are you looking for me from the dean’s mobile phone?!”
Zhang Yuze took a deep breath and continued in a low voice: “It’s me who needs you. Li Chao refuses to cooperate. Ge Haoran’s surgery is pressing over me and you were right. I need you, my excellent surgical assistant.”
After saying all of that, he paused for a few seconds. He thought it would be difficult to say it so bluntly, but in fact, it was fine. As it turned out, sometimes he didn’t have to be so hard-mouthed.
He really needed Xu Li, and it was fine to say it.
“With you, I’ll feel at ease.” He continued.
However, Xu Li didn’t make a sound. The old dean interjected and persuaded: “Forget it. It’s also difficult for him to come back. Just wait a little longer. I’ll find a new assistant for you.”
Both of them ignored the old dean who was truly pitiful. Xu Li finally laughed on the phone, his laughter clear, gentle, low, and beautiful. He put away the frivolous energy just now and said word by word: “I’ll follow your orders, Dr. Zhang. As long as you need me, I’ll take up my job.”
Hearing that sentence coming from the receiver, Zhang Yuze’s hanging heart finally landed fiercely. As if relieved, all of his worries seemed to be solved by Xu Li’s words, disappearing without a trace.
“Thank you.” After Zhang Yuze finished speaking, he told the dean that he still had things to do, devoting himself to his busy work. As he left, the old dean raised his mobile phone and said quietly: “Xiao Xu, can you explain why you used so many excuses for me but agreed as soon as Zhang Yuze asked you to come back? Is it good to be so biased?”
Xu Li: “…”
Xu Li pretended to have a bad signal and hung up.
The old dean sighed for a long time again. Finally, he got up and took the “Peace and Tranquility” calligraphy off the wall.
