OFBL Chapter 39

When Xu Li came out of the cafe, the weekday streets were quiet, and the traffic crawled sluggishly. He stood by the parking space, staring at his gleaming Harley motorcycle, its polished frame reflecting faint winter sunlight. For a brief moment, he thought back to his old days at the bar.

 

To be honest, he didn’t miss a single second of it.

 

The mess with Little Rainbow was enough to remind him that leaving behind that chaotic, unstable life was the best decision he’d ever made. Meeting Zhang Yuze had been like being dragged out of quicksand and forced onto solid ground, stable but challenging in its own way. He’d rather face the intensity of hospital work and personal responsibility than fall back into the past.

 

No matter what, it was better to avoid all of those dirty places where people dunk to forget since those shadows held nothing but memories he wanted to bury.

 

Snapping out of his thoughts, Xu Li unlocked his phone, searched for the nearest bookstore, and rode his Harley there.

 

Since Dr. Zhang had encouraged him to apply for the overseas medical exchange program, he had been studying intensely. The double-degree program was exactly what he needed to become a certified surgeon. The exams, however, were notorious for being brutally difficult, especially the clinical surgery assessments.

 

Anyway, he had no intention of letting Dr. Zhang down. If he was going to pursue this, he would give it his all.

 

…………

 

Later that evening, Xu Li was leaning against the headboard, flipping through a thick medical textbook. Across the bed, Zhang Yuze scrolled lazily on his phone, unwinding after a long day at the hospital. Glancing up, he spotted the familiar blue cover of Principles of Clinical Surgery in Xu Li’s hands, making his face twist in exaggerated horror.

 

“Put that thing away! I’ve been traumatized enough by those books…” Zhang Yuze muttered.

 

Xu Li chuckled. “You? Afraid of a textbook? I thought you were born gifted.”

 

“I’m not a genius, you idiot. Back in med school, I crammed like everyone else. I barely survived those exams.” Zhang Yuze sighed dramatically. “Advising people to study medicine should be a punishable crime…”

 

Suddenly, Zhang Yuze’s phone buzzed with the old, almost-forgotten sound of a text message notification. Weird... Hardly anyone still used the plain text message feature on their smartphones.

 

Curious, he unlocked the phone. The sender was unknown. He tapped on the message and… A steamy photo was loaded onto the screen.

 

Toned muscles, sharp abs, and a familiar, sleeping face… Xu Li. The intimate angle in the picture made it clear that someone had taken it in secret.

 

As for the real Xu Li, he was lying on their bed, also shirtless, peacefully reading. He glanced over as Zhang Yuze wordlessly handed him the phone.

 

“Such a nice shot.” Zhang Yuze commented dryly. “You look decent. Should I set it as my lock screen?” As soon as Xu Li came home in the evening, he told him about seeing Little Rainbow, so Zhang Yuze really wasn’t surprised.

 

Xu Li smirked, unfazed. “Let me guess… Little Rainbow?” He shrugged. “Amateur move. Doesn’t he know blackmail is illegal?”

 

“He’s counting on you being too soft to report him.” Zhang Yuze deleted the photo without a second thought.

 

“Don’t delete it!” Xu Li’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “High-quality photos like this are rare. Save it for when you miss me and want me badly.”

 

Zhang Yuze stared at him in dead silence.

 

“Miss you? I’m stuck with you ten hours a day at work, and then I come home to the same old face. I don’t think I’ll ever ‘miss’ you.”

 

Xu Li burst into laughter. “Fair point.” After a beat of comfortable silence, he added: “I’m calling the police if he doesn’t move out soon.”

 

“If he moves out, will you get out of my house as well?” Dr. Zhang shot back with a raised eyebrow.

 

“Not a chance.” Xu Li grinned.

 

“Can you at least pretend to have some dignity?” Zhang Yuze groaned.

 

“Funny, that’s exactly what I told Little Rainbow earlier today.”

 

Later that night, Zhang Yuze’s phone buzzed again, this time with a WeChat notification from Zhao Xiaole.

 

Zhao Xiaole: What are you two doing? Ignoring the group chat?

 

Zhang Yuze: Didn’t see it. What’s up?

 

The chat with Zhao Xiaole, Xiao Jie, and Xu Li popped up on the screen.

 

Zhao Xiaole: @Xu Li @Zhang Yuze, hot pot tomorrow after work? Celebrating your successful surgery… and Xiao Jie becoming your official third assistant!

 

Xiao Jie: Hey hey hey!

 

Zhang Yuze glanced at Xu Li, who nodded.

 

Zhang Yuze: Sure. See you then.

 

Zhao Xiaole: To be honest, what are the two of you doing in the middle of the night, busy enough to not reply to our messages?

 

Xiao Jie: Exciting~

 

Now, Zhang Yuze was really in pain. He turned on the camera and posted a just as steamy shirtless picture of Xu Li… Eagerly reading that damned textbook.

 

Zhao Xiaole: Fuck, don’t let me see that blue cover ever again! I want to die!

 

Xiao Jie: Thanks! I really like this picture! It will hunt my dreams tonight!

 

…………

 

The next evening, they gathered at the hot pot restaurant as promised. Xu Li waved grandly as they sat down.

 

“I’m treating tonight. Eat whatever you want.”

 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Zhao Xiaole protested. “We’re celebrating you two! How can you pay?”

 

“Don’t argue.” Xu Li smiled warmly. “When you earn more, treat me and Dr. Zhang to something nice. No rush.”

 

“You hear that?” Zhang Yuze teased. “Our generous Mr. Xu is footing the bill tonight. Feel free to order thirty oysters and as many lobsters as you like.”

 

“Shut up! I’m sorry, okay?!” Xu Li laughed, throwing a napkin at him.

 

While they were waiting for the dishes to be served, Zhao Xiaole said: “Hey, now that the surgery is over, it seems that Mr. Li Chao is also over. He chose to not transfer to our hospital.

 

Xu Li didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled that blue nightmare textbook out of his bag, unwilling to miss even a second of precious study time.

 

“Not again…” Zhao Xiaole gulped. “Why is Assistant Xu working so hard?”

 

Xu Li didn’t even lift his head before replying: “I don’t have enough time. Zhang Yuze told me the news too late. I looked at the list and found that the exam is at the beginning of next year.”

 

“So? Isn’t there still a year left?” Zhao Xiaole seemed to believe there was plenty of time.

 

However, Zhang Yuze interfered: “For Xu Li, time is indeed tight. He has forgotten a lot of knowledge since leaving college years ago.”

 

“Then, when do you leave?” Xiao Jie also asked.

 

“The assessment’s in February. If I pass, I’ll go abroad next summer, and stay there for three years.” Xu Li explained.

 

“Wow, and Dr. Zhang’s going to be alone all that time?! Guarding your cold and empty bedroom?” Zhao Xiaole teased them.

 

“Get out,” Zhang Yuze muttered, but his expression softened ever so slightly.

 

Xu Li turned to him, playful as ever. “Will you miss me?” He asked.

 

Zhang Yuze shot him a deadly glare. “I will not.”

 

…………

 

When the bill came, Xu Li confidently handed over his payment code. The waiter scanned it… And frowned.

 

“Insufficient balance.”

 

“What?” Xu Li frowned. “Try again.”

 

The waiter tried again but shook his head. “Still insufficient.”

 

Xu Li, stunned, opened his mobile banking app. His heart dropped — his salary account, which should’ve held at least 50,000 yuan, only had ten yuan left. Not even enough to take a taxi back home.

 

“Shit.” Xu Li felt the blood drain from his face.

 

“Can’t afford it?” Zhang smirked. “Just say so.”

 

“I… Something’s wrong.” Xu Li’s fingers trembled as he checked the account history. Part of his savings was just… Gone. Xu Li thought for a moment and then continued: “I have about 100,000 yuan in other deposits, and those are still there. But in my salary account, there should be at least 50,000 yuan left. My mother usually uses my card for consumption, but it never goes below that limit. How can there be only ten yuan left?!”

 

Zhao Xiaole said: “Could there be something wrong with the bank? Call them to ask?”

 

“I’m sorry, help me settle the bill and I’ll give you the money when we go back.” After Xu Li finished speaking to Zhang Yuze, he stood up and began to call the bank’s customer service with an anxious face.

 

Zhang Yuze, realizing something was seriously wrong, quickly paid the bill himself. Soon enough, Xu Li hung up the phone and walked back.

 

“What’s the matter?” Zhao Xiaole asked.

 

Xu Li smiled reluctantly. “It’s okay. It’s just a bug. It will be fixed in a while.”

 

“That’s all fine.” Zhao Xiaole didn’t notice his expression. When the taxi arrived, she pulled Xiao Jie to continue eating and drinking.

 

However, on the way home, Xu Li remained unusually quiet, his expression dark. As soon as they entered the apartment, Zhang Yuze pressed him. “What’s going on? Your face doesn’t look right. Zhao Xiaole might be stupid, but I’m not.”

 

Xu Li clenched his jaw. “It wasn’t a bank error… Someone transferred all my money away. The customer service said that I apparently authorized a large amount of money to be transferred today. They could only investigate the account where all my money went.”

 

“Call your mom. She has access to your bank account, right? Maybe it’s something she bought.” Zhang Yuze helped to analyze. “If not, it may be a fraud, and you’ll have to go to the police station for the record.”

 

Xu Li glanced at him. His face was haggard, saying something unclear: “I hope it’s a fraud…”

 

“What?” Zhang Yuze didn’t react.

 

Xu Li didn’t talk to him anymore. He called his mother’s phone and sat on the sofa anxiously. As soon as the phone was connected, he immediately said: “Mom, did you use my bank card today?”

 

However, Mother Xu hesitated for a while before saying: “No… No.”

 

Xu Li covered his face, rubbed it fiercely, and continued: “Mom, your acting skills are too poor. Hurry up and say, why did you take so much money? What’s the emergency?”

 

I…” Mother Xu couldn’t say a word for a long time.

 

Xu Li asked again: “Are you sick, or did you believe in some scam from the Internet?”

 

“None of that…” Mother Xu sobbed.

 

Hearing that she was fine, Xu Li breathed a sigh of relief, but soon enough, he realized that something was wrong. Xu Li’s fists clenched while he continued to press: “Mom. Don’t lie to me.”

 

There was another sob on the line.

 

Suddenly, Xu Li’s expression twisted with realization. He turned to Zhang Yuze, face pale with fury.

 

“Did you send all my money to that old bastard behind my back!?”