Xia Xinghe’s leg was injured, making it inconvenient to move around. Fortunately, the ancient town had been the last stop of their trip anyway. They’d already seen everything, so there weren’t any regrets.
The next day, they strolled around some small shops, bought souvenirs, and then Yan Cai drove them to the airport.
Leisurely happy times are always short-lived; after resting, they all had to face mountains of work again.
Xia Xinghe, being a freelancer, didn’t have to worry about office hours. But the other three weren’t so lucky. After Yan Cai dropped them off, he rushed back to his company. Bai Qingzhou and Nie Xingchao had both taken annual leave for this trip. Once they got off the plane, they had no time to rest and went straight to the hospital, switching back into work mode immediately.
Too exhausting.
Xia Xinghe hopped his way home alone. Turning on the light, he saw the dog plushie on the sofa, its thick downward-slanted eyebrows looking exactly like a certain someone a few hours earlier.
By coincidence, on their way back they had run into Sheng Tianyi, and of course, Bai Qingzhou got jealous.
Later, when they were alone with Yan Cai and Nie Xingchao gone, Bai Qingzhou cornered him against a wall, pinning his waist and pressing his thin lips against his own. His kisses were biting, grinding, leaving a bright red hickey on his neck as he said coldly, “Mine.”
Xia Xinghe protested, “Why are you so overbearing?” But then he wrapped his arms softly around Bai Qingzhou’s neck, letting him kiss him as he pleased.
It was the first time he realized—Bai Qingzhou actually got jealous easily. It didn’t match his aloof persona at all, but it was unexpectedly… awkwardly cute.
Now, thinking back on what had just happened, Xia Xinghe’s legs still felt a little weak, tingling lingering at his fingertips. He subconsciously licked his dry lips.
He hopped over to the sofa, grabbed the dog plushie, and hugged it tightly. Unable to resist, he snuck in a kiss before clutching his phone to send Bai Qingzhou a text.
[Little Bamboo: Dr. Bai, are you there?]
[Little Bamboo: Are you working?]
Moments later, Bai Qingzhou replied.
[Bai: Hm? What is it?]
[Little Bamboo: Nothing.]
[Little Bamboo: Just… missed you.]
When a relationship is new, you can’t help but confirm it again and again, testing it. Are we really together? Is this person really mine? All the more so for them, because they were getting back together after breaking apart once before. Having experienced failure, they were bound to be more sensitive than most couples.
Xia Xinghe hugged his phone, waiting for a reply. But it was as if Bai Qingzhou had vanished—no response for a long time.
Why isn’t he replying?
Xia Xinghe pouted, poking the plushie’s cheek in dissatisfaction. Finally, after a long while, Bai Qingzhou’s message came.
[Bai: Hm.]
That’s it?
Xia Xinghe’s eyes dimmed.
Then his phone buzzed again.
[Bai: Want to come over?]
His disappointment flipped instantly into joy—just four words and a question mark were enough.
[Little Bamboo: Sure!]
Grinning uncontrollably, Xia Xinghe quickly changed clothes and headed for the hospital, unable to stop smiling along the way.
But Bai Qingzhou had a real reason for calling him there.
Two days had passed since Xia Xinghe’s injury—it was time to change his dressing. Bai Qingzhou had told him to come find him, then led him into an empty exam room where a nurse came to check the wound.
This was nothing like the romantic meeting Xia Xinghe had imagined—no sweetness of a couple’s reunion. But since he was already here, he only pouted inwardly before obediently sitting down and rolling up his pants leg.
The smell of disinfectant filled the air as the nurse prepared the kit and examined the wound.
“It seems… a little stuck.”
The nurse hesitated.
“Huh? What do we do then?” Xia Xinghe asked.
“We’ll have to remove the gauze first before replacing the dressing… it might hurt a little.”
“No problem!” Xia Xinghe waved boldly. “Go ahead, I’m not afraid of pain.”
The nurse nodded and began. The cold tweezers touched his skin, and Xia Xinghe instinctively hissed.
“Hurts?”
Bai Qingzhou frowned slightly from the side.
“It’s fine, it’s fine.”
Xia Xinghe shook his head and smiled at him. But as the nurse continued peeling back the gauze, the sharp pain flared up, and tears welled in his eyes.
Maybe it was because the gauze was too stuck to the wound. Or maybe it was because Bai Qingzhou was standing right there.
People are like that—children cry more easily when in the arms of someone they trust, and adults too unconsciously show their softest, weakest side to the person they love.
If Bai Qingzhou hadn’t been there, maybe Xia Xinghe would have just clenched his teeth and endured. But with his boyfriend right by his side, the pain and grievance suddenly became that much harder to bear.
Xia Xinghe was too embarrassed to directly tell Bai Qingzhou that he was in pain. At his age, it felt a little humiliating. He only looked at Bai Qingzhou with watery eyes, glistening, full of grievance—like a small animal asking to be petted. It made Bai Qingzhou’s Adam’s apple unconsciously shift.
“Does it hurt?”
The nurse asked him.
“A little bit…”
Xia Xinghe shook his head and then nodded. Bai Qingzhou immediately reached out a hand to the nurse beside him.
“Xiao Wang, you can go back,” he said. “I’ll do it.”
“It’s fine, Dr. Bai…”
Xiao Wang instinctively wanted to refuse, but Bai Qingzhou had already moved to the sink, washing his hands with gel.
After all, this patient was brought in by Bai Qingzhou, so Xiao Wang couldn’t argue and could only step aside to give him space.
“Thank you.”
After washing his hands, Bai Qingzhou took a new pair of tweezers from the dressing kit and removed the last bit of gauze from Xia Xinghe’s wound.
“If it hurts, just tell me.”
Bai Qingzhou instructed lightly. The cool tweezers brushed over the wound, his wrist steady.
It was clearly the same procedure the nurse had done earlier, but with him, it felt completely different. The gentle touch spread from the wound, quickly flooding into his pounding heart.
Somehow, the pain became bearable.
Changing a dressing wasn’t technically difficult, so the nurse soon left. The consultation room quieted down until only the two of them remained.
Xia Xinghe turned his head, carefully watching Bai Qingzhou beside him. Dressed in a pristine white coat, dignified and solemn, his flawless fingers moved skillfully above the wound, lifting the last piece of gauze. Then, with another pair of tweezers, he held a cotton ball soaked in iodine, disinfecting the wound with meticulous care… removing his pain.
So handsome.
Xia Xinghe found himself staring blankly.
“Still hurts?”
Bai Qingzhou misunderstood his gaze. His fingers holding the tweezers paused, his brows tightening slightly. “Why are you like a child, about to cry over a little pain?”
“I’m not… Besides, I really am younger than you.”
Xia Xinghe pouted in protest, wanting to argue. But then he saw Bai Qingzhou sigh helplessly, lean down slightly, and blow gently over his wound.
“Be good,” he said. “Doctor blows it, and it won’t hurt.”
A tingling sensation spread down his spine, making Xia Xinghe’s legs go weak.
This was a common trick doctors used to coax children—Xia Xinghe had seen other doctors say similar things before. He knew it was just playful talk, yet his heart still thudded wildly, as if a lively rabbit were about to leap right out of his chest.
“Bai Qingzhou.”
Xia Xinghe suddenly called out, locking his gaze onto Bai Qingzhou’s eyes.
“Mm?”
“I really like you.”
His beautiful eyes shimmered like stars, so bright, so tender, enough to make anyone fall.
Bai Qingzhou’s Adam’s apple rolled. His gaze deepened.
“Do you want to kiss me?”
He asked.
Though it was phrased like a question, he didn’t give Xia Xinghe time to answer. Bai Qingzhou tugged off his mask with one hand, tilted his head, and pressed a series of delicate kisses onto Xia Xinghe’s lips.
From shallow to deep, their lips and tongues entwined.
The door was only half-closed. Footsteps passed occasionally outside. Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling across the two of them, as if even time itself had come to a halt.
….
Good times were always short-lived. After finishing the dressing, Bai Qingzhou quickly returned to his duties, not lingering for even a moment. Xia Xinghe felt regret, but he knew this was just his routine, so he went home first.
The following days were the same. Since Bai Qingzhou had previously taken annual leave, there was much work waiting for him, keeping him at the hospital nearly all day. Their only “dates” became the daily wound dressings.
In the blink of an eye, a week passed. Xia Xinghe’s wound was almost healed, but he kept his habit of going to the hospital every day.
It felt like they had gone back to when they first started dating in college—Bai Qingzhou busy, Xia Xinghe waiting quietly nearby. Sometimes they’d share dinner in the evening, and when Bai Qingzhou didn’t have a night shift, they’d play with Bamboo together. But most of the time, Xia Xinghe would come and leave on his own.
Still, it wasn’t the same as before. Xia Xinghe thought, at least now he knew Bai Qingzhou cared about him, and he no longer had to live in constant unease.
That evening, Bai Qingzhou happened to have a rare night off, so of course they ate dinner together. Since Bai Qingzhou disliked eating out, Xia Xinghe went to his place.
At 7:30 p.m., Xia Xinghe arrived first, carrying groceries. Bai Qingzhou wasn’t back yet, so he went inside and put the ingredients in the kitchen.
Bai Qingzhou had long since given him a key. After spending so much time together, Xia Xinghe was already familiar with the house. Even Bamboo in the yard was close to him now—clinging to him, immediately trotting over to lick his palm as soon as he arrived.
It really did feel a bit like a family.
Xia Xinghe smiled knowingly. He washed and marinated the meat, rinsed the vegetables, and left them ready for Bai Qingzhou to cut. Once everything was prepared, he dried his hands, played with Bamboo for a while, and sent Bai Qingzhou a message.
[Little Bamboo: I’m here~]
[Little Bamboo: When will our great Dr. Bai be home?]
[Bai: Almost home.]
Satisfied, Xia Xinghe sat comfortably on the sofa to wait.
It felt even more like a family now.
Like a dutiful wife waiting for her husband to come home from work.
Xia Xinghe chuckled at his own thought. It sounded silly, but also a little sweet. After some thought, he texted Bai Qingzhou again, asking him to pick up two bottles of orange juice on the way back. Just as he sent the message, his phone rang.
It was Qiu Guiyue calling. Xia Xinghe answered and walked out onto the balcony.
“Hello, Mom?”
“Xiao Xia, how have you been feeling these past couple of days?”
When the call connected, Qiu Guiyue began her usual chatter. “I took your dad for his follow-up today, the results were pretty good. Lately, we’ve been going for walks every evening, and your dad’s blood pressure has gone down a lot…”
“Really? That’s great.” Xia Xinghe smiled. “I’m doing pretty well too, the contract signing went smoothly, and I don’t have any worries…”
“That’s good, that’s good.” His mother’s soft voice was especially gentle in the quiet of the night. Warmth spread in Xia Xinghe’s chest. Then he heard Qiu Guiyue ask, “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you—when do you plan on coming back? Have you decided on a time?”
Xia Xinghe’s voice caught.