As soon as Doctor Ji arrived, everyone sobered up and turned their attention to him, whispering among themselves.
“….Doctor Ji is here?!”
“Yeah… I saw Doctor Ji was busy this morning. Did he take time off to come here?”
Someone muttered, “Does Doctor Ji ever take time off?”
“…”
“…”
“…Maybe he came especially for the director’s daughter’s coming-of-age ceremony?”
“He didn’t even come when my daughter turned 100 days old.”
“No kidding! Do you think your status is the same as the director’s?!”
“Come on, just joking!”
“You really dare to… Okay, lower your voice; let’s just drink!”
“Fill ’em up!”
The people around laughed and clapped in encouragement, while Bo Xinghang withdrew his gaze, raising his eyebrows in surprise.
A slight curve appeared at the corner of his mouth as his fingers gently twirled a silver stud in his ear. With interest, he said, “…Doctor Ji, huh.”
Judging by everyone’s reaction, Doctor Ji seemed to hold a high status.
Bo Xinghang wanted to laugh and comment on the hospital’s apparent shallowness as if they only hired the handsome ones.
His slender, clean fingers lightly supported a tray of drinks. Taking a long stride, he walked over to Doctor Ji.
The man, who had been conversing with an elder, paused and looked up. When their eyes met, there was an unspoken confrontation.
In the dark, Bo Xinghang had been less visible, but now, under the light, his work uniform was illuminated, and the silver stud on his ear gleamed. He stood with a lazy posture, exuding a slacker vibe, and his raised eyebrows hinted at provocation.
The impact was intense and somewhat provocative.
“…”
Doctor Ji watched for a moment, feeling an inexplicable tension in the air.
Bo Xinghang didn’t care about his cold demeanor. He picked up a bottle of red wine from the tray, giving it a casual stir. The gesture was ambiguous.
Ji Wenzhen remained unfazed, with the patience to settle scores later. “Who just said this wasn’t June Bar?”
Bo Xinghang: “…”
Tsk, so petty.
The surrounding noise unconsciously quieted down after Doctor Ji spoke. Some young nurses stole glances.
Bo Xinghang and Doctor Ji stared at each other for a moment, but Doctor Ji seemed unwilling to let the matter go. Bo Xinghang immediately posed a polite question, though his tone lacked sincerity. “Sir, have I met you before?”
Doctor Ji chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” Bo Xinghang frowned.
“Nothing.” Doctor Ji averted his gaze, leaned back against the lounge chair, and said blandly, “Then I must have remembered wrong.”
Bo Xinghang watched as Doctor Ji leisurely scrolled through his phone, realizing he truly didn’t want to continue the conversation.
No way.
Bo Xinghang didn’t quite understand his own mindset. He dragged a chair over and sat down in front of him. “Wait… I remember now. I’ve seen you before.”
“Seen me?” Doctor Ji looked up from his phone, unfazed.
…Damn.
Bo Xinghang’s face twisted as he gritted his teeth. “Yes.”
Several nurses who had been eavesdropping glanced at Doctor Ji and then at the unusually young-looking teenager, their confusion deepening.
Clearly, the two knew each other… but it felt strange as if they weren’t very familiar.
The nurses observed in secret, wondering if Doctor Ji was… teasing the young man on purpose.
Doctor Ji is teasing someone?!
The nurses were startled by their own thoughts and quickly turned away to sip their drinks.
Dr. Li couldn’t help but ask, “…Do you two know each other?”
Doctor Ji nodded. “Sort of.”
Sort of… So, do they know each other or not?
Dr. Li was puzzled but decided to let it go. “Oh, well… carry on then?”
“Mm.”
The nurses glanced back and forth, unable to resist watching. The subtle atmosphere made them sense something was off, and as they watched… some even blushed.
Their minds were filled with the plot of a million-word Danmei novel.
The music in the bar continued, shifting to a beautiful, lingering melody that softened the lighting and made it less glaring.
Doctor Ji stopped talking, but the wine Bo Xinghang held remained untouched.
Doctor Ji had clearly refused the drink earlier.
…Was he avoiding drinking?
Bo Xinghang’s curiosity was piqued again.
At his age, it was natural to be easily intrigued and inclined to stir things up. Bo Xinghang enjoyed creating a bit of chaos more than most.
He was determined to give it a try.
Thud.
He placed the wine on the table, opened the bottle with one hand, poured the mellow wine, and lifted the glass with a smile toward Ji Wenzhen. “Doctor Ji, it’s fate that we met. How about a drink?”
Such a corny invitation.
Such an obvious attempt at moral blackmail.
Bo Xinghang mocked inwardly.
As expected, Ji Wenzhen shook his head and pushed the glass back with his finger.
He lowered his eyes. “No, thanks.”
Ji Wenzhen had an excellent physique. Even with a slight movement of his arm, his shirt creased perfectly, outlining the shape of his muscles, looking deadly serious.
“…”
Bo Xinghang shifted his gaze away, clicking his tongue.
He seemed to be hiding something, performing each action with deliberate force. The bottle and the wine glass clinked together as he refilled the glass and pushed it back toward Ji Wenzhen. He then picked up his own glass and gently swirled it in his hand.
Bo Xinghang slightly lowered his head, letting his thick eyelashes obscure his expression. Without looking at Doctor Ji, he downed the wine in his glass in one gulp.
Ji Wenzhen’s gaze darkened.
The corners of Bo Xinghang’s eyes gradually turned pink. He poured another glass and raised it. “Two of my drinks for one of yours.”
“…”
Due to his profession, Ji Wenzhen rarely drank, and few people dared to force him to drink. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t handle alcohol.
He stared at the young man for a moment.
Bo Xinghang’s thick eyelashes couldn’t hide the effects of the alcohol. He stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, which appeared excessively red under the lights.
Perhaps it was the smoky atmosphere of the bar. Although he hadn’t had a drop, Ji Wenzhen felt a bit intoxicated.
Otherwise, why would he pick up the glass without saying a word and break his own rule for the person in front of him?
The wine didn’t taste strong; the grape flavor was quite pronounced.
Bo Xinghang snapped his fingers in satisfaction.
He smiled, his eyebrows lifting in triumph. “The wine will be added to the tab. Thank you for coming.”
With that, he turned and left without hesitation.
Even from the back, Bo Xinghang seemed proud, as if he were boasting about completing a task.
Ji Wenzhen adjusted himself into a more comfortable position and asked the person beside him, “What were you saying just now?”
Dr. Li, interrupted, couldn’t recall his previous topic and asked, “You drank. Can you still drive?”
Ji Wenzhen shook his head. “It’s fine. Someone will drive me.”
“Ah, that’s good then…” Dr. Li, lost in thought, glanced toward Bo Xinghang and murmured, “It’s the first time I’ve seen you drink…”
It wasn’t just him; others around them nodded in agreement.
Doctor Ji glanced over, recalling the young man’s parting words, and laughed silently.
Rogue, huh? Coercing someone to buy like this.
The person being called a rogue had just finished a round and returned to the bar to rest.
In high spirits today, Bo Xinghang had drunk more than usual, leaving both his body and mind tired.
He propped his head up with his arm and closed his eyes to rest.
During the break, he recalled the scene of forcing Doctor Ji to drink and found it amusing.
What was that saying?
Sacrifice everything for a gentleman.1this is a Chinese idiom
Tsk, no. That’s not quite right for this.
Bo Xinghang absentmindedly fiddled with his earring, his thoughts a jumble.
Suddenly, the music in the bar stopped. Someone walked to the center stage and tapped the microphone.
“Hey, hey.”
“All right, there’s sound.” The middle-aged man handed the mic to someone else.
A girl took it. She tapped the mic instinctively and said in a loud voice, “Everyone pause for a bit! My dad insisted I say a few words.”
“Hahahahaha, all right, all right!”
“Wait a minute, we need to applaud first—don’t we, everyone?”
A round of applause erupted.
Bo Xinghang frowned, lazily lifting his eyelids. It was the director and his daughter.
He couldn’t stand this kind of scene; the noise made his head hurt and left him feeling irritated.
Deciding to escape, Bo Xinghang stood up, but as soon as he got up, his head buzzed like a bomb exploding.
Damn.
He was forced to sit back down. He massaged his temples with his knuckles, but it didn’t help much. Soon, he heard the director’s daughter begin her speech.
…It hurt even more.
He endured it for a few minutes, finding the pain unbearable.
He had been drinking a lot lately and knew the dangers of doing so. With his grandmother’s condition improving recently, he needed to earn more money to cover the hospital bills and relieve Meng-jie of that burden.
Once his grandmother was discharged, he would need to change jobs to avoid worrying her, which would cut his monthly salary significantly. He had to make the most of these days to earn extra money.
Otherwise, how could his grandmother recover with peace of mind?
He sighed, forcing himself to get up and head to the restroom to wash his face.
Only, he had overestimated his body.
As Bo Xinghang reached the bathroom door and stepped inside, he accidentally missed his footing. Before he could react, he collapsed weakly.
Completely powerless.
Tap, tap.
The sound of leather shoes echoed on the floor, growing clearer.
He was caught and pulled into someone’s arms.
No expected fall.
Bo Xinghang opened his eyes and felt the man’s firm arm through his shirt. He looked up to see Doctor Ji’s stern face.
“…”
Why the sour expression with such a good-looking face?
Ji Wenzhen frowned as he noticed Bo Xinghang’s pale face and the sweat on his forehead.
His voice was deep, “What happened?”
“Nothing…” Bo Xinghang tried to support himself, changing the subject as he leaned against the wall with a smile. “What a coincidence, Doctor Ji. Meeting in the staff restroom?”
“…”
Ji Wenzhen’s expression darkened further.
Earlier, while discussing clinical trials with someone, Ji Wenzhen had seen Bo Xinghang rubbing his temples and stumbling towards the back door out of the corner of his eye.
Ji Wenzhen suddenly recalled Bo Xinghang’s reckless method of convincing people to drink and felt a pang of regret.
He shouldn’t have indulged in Bo Xinghang’s antics.
Ignoring Bo Xinghang’s attempt at humor, Ji Wenzhen observed his condition more closely. “Is it a headache?”
Bo Xinghang chuckled. “Are we that close?”
“Didn’t you just say that our meeting was fate?”
“…”
Damn, miscalculated.
Bo Xinghang lowered his head and fumbled for a cigarette. After struggling to find a lighter, he resigned himself to the situation. “…Lend me a light, and I’ll tell you.”
“I don’t smoke.”
“Huh?” Bo Xinghang, cigarette in mouth, looked up at him in surprise. “Is there anyone who doesn’t smoke these days? Are you even human?”
…Ji Wenzhen felt mildly offended.
He reached out, took the cigarette from Bo Xinghang’s mouth, and pinched it between his fingers. “Has your head been hurting for a while?”
Bo Xinghang was momentarily stunned, unable to react as someone took the cigarette from him for the first time. “…What?”
“Forget it.” Ji Wenzhen gave up on getting a direct admission. “Come to the hospital with me, understand?”
“…Understood.”
Like hell.
Who the fuck goes to the hospital for a trivial matter like this?
However, Bo Xinghang was too weak to resist. Standing in front of Doctor Ji like a helpless little chick, he followed as Ji Wenzhen lightly tugged him along.
Thus, he was taken to the hospital by the expressionless Ji Wenzhen.
As soon as they got out of the car, Bo Xinghang looked up and fell silent.
Staring at the familiar public facilities, the familiar hospital entrance, and the familiar… damn, he couldn’t continue.
Q University Hospital.
No wonder the route seemed so familiar. Out of all the third-class hospitals near the bar, why did it have to be his grandmother’s hospital?
Bo Xinghang felt a murderous urge rising within him.
