Doctor Ji had been looking down at his phone. After reading the message, he froze for a moment before smiling.
He thought it was just a joke, but who knew Bo Xinghang was actually going to… fly over.
Fortunately, there weren’t many surgeries today. By the time Bo Xinghang arrived, Doctor Ji had just finished his last operation. Unless something urgent came up, he had enough time to rest.
He looked down and messaged Bo Xinghang.
—Let me know when you get to the entrance. I’ll come pick you up.
Bo Xinghang replied quickly.
—OK.
Bo Xinghang hurried out, knowing that Doctor Ji was busy with work. He feared that if he wasted any time, he might miss his chance to see him. He grabbed a light jacket and headed out the door.
This year, the snow in the north had been relentless, and even though it was March, there was no sign of it letting up.
As soon as he stepped outside, the wind cut through like a blade, stinging his skin. Bo Xinghang shrank his neck into his jacket and quickly used his phone to call for a ride.
Damn, it was so cold.
He suddenly wished he had superpowers so he could fly over immediately and escape the bitter cold.
Bo Xinghang stood by the street, his fingers turning white from the cold as he held a cigarette between them, flicking the lighter until a flame appeared.
The car hadn’t arrived yet, and he stood there, lost in aimless thoughts.
It was so cold outside that there were hardly any pedestrians on the street at night. He glanced around and saw that he was the only one standing there like a fool. For a moment, he felt pitiful, like an abandoned child.
Heh.
Bo Xinghang couldn’t help but laugh, startled by his own association.
He took a drag on his cigarette. Out of boredom, he decided to send some meaningless texts to Doctor Ji.
—Doctor Ji, I feel like the Little Match Girl, only warming myself with the tiny bit of heat from this cigarette.
—Doctor Ji, the night is long, and I’m the only one standing on this street like an idiot. Am I weak, pitiful, and helpless?
—Doctor Ji, I’m smoking my first cigarette, and I’m making a wish. I hope to have superpowers to fly to your side immediately.
—Doctor Ji, I’ll soon light up my second cigarette. I’m wishing in advance that the driver will take pity on me and hurry up.
He couldn’t help but add one more line at the end:
—Please, let the driver hurry the hell up. It’s freezing.
Bo Xinghang tucked his hand into his sleeve, a cigarette in his mouth, and slowly typed on the screen. But there was no response. Doctor Ji seemed busy again. He pouted unhappily and continued his barrage of messages.
Just as Doctor Ji finished instructing the nurse, he received a dozen or more messages from the kid.
Doctor Ji raised his eyebrows in surprise, expecting another barrage of emojis like before, and clicked to open the messages. Instead… he was met with a full screen of text, a dark mass that was even more intense than a snowstorm.
“…”
Ji Wenzhen chuckled.
Doctor Ji skimmed through and focused on the important part.
—Has the driver arrived?
Bo Xinghang was truly bored. When his phone vibrated, he glanced at the message and replied honestly.
—Not yet.
—I’m almost becoming a Buddha here. Is the driver trying to freeze me to death? Then he’ll show up and pick up a handsome block of ice.
This time, Doctor Ji’s eyes were filled with amusement.
It was the first time he had heard someone describe themselves as a “handsome block of ice.” Even though he had only been chatting with the kid for a short while, he had already found himself laughing numerous times, convinced that this kid had provided him with a year’s worth of laughter.
He stifled his laughter.
—Oh, poor little match girl.
—Little girl??
—Wasn’t that what you said? The Little Match Girl.
—……
Bo Xinghang looked at his phone, unable to stop his inner complaints.
He had typed so much nonsense earlier that he couldn’t recall the match girl reference. He scrolled up to check the chat history.
Bo Xinghang: “……”
Wait, did he just act like an idiot??
After standing there for a while longer, the driver’s call came in. As soon as he answered, he heard the driver’s rugged and heroic voice.
“Hey, young man, I’m sorry! I have no idea when I’ll get there. There’s been an accident on one of the streets. I heard someone got hit.”
Someone got hit?
Bo Xinghang looked at the icy road and then at the dark night, frowning slightly.
In this weather, it was indeed easy for accidents to happen. He wondered who was unlucky enough to have been involved in a car accident.
Thinking about Xu Yi’s previous accident, he couldn’t help but ask, “It’s okay, I can wait. Is the person alright?”
The driver’s side was filled with honking, making it hard to hear. The driver yelled, “What?!”
“…Never mind!”
“Alright, thank you for understanding—”
“…No problem.” Bo Xinghang hung up the phone, took one last puff, and then flicked the cigarette to the ground, stomping it out.
It seemed like he wasn’t destined to make it to the hospital today. He adjusted his clothes and sent a message to Doctor Ji.
—The driver just called. I might not be able to make it.
—Do you want to come?
Hmm?
What did that mean?
Bo Xinghang raised his eyebrows and typed without hesitation.
—Of course I do.
—OK.
Finally, Doctor Ji sent a voice message. Bo Xinghang clicked it open and heard Doctor Ji’s voice. His tone was calm, with a hint of a smile, but those two words made Bo Xinghang’s heart skip a beat.
He said, “Wait for me.”
Perhaps it was because of the accident that had just occurred, but the night had settled into an unusual calmness. The wind carried a chill, but it was less biting than before, just a pervasive cold.
Bo Xinghang suddenly regretted wearing so little. If he had known he’d have to wait outside for so long, he would have worn a down jacket. He blew on his hands to warm them, but they had been frozen for too long, and his pale fingers showed no signs of recovering.
Screech—
A black car stopped in front of Bo Xinghang. He looked up instinctively and saw Ji Wenzhen stepping out of the vehicle.
His eyes lit up.
Doctor Ji, dressed in his white coat, exuded additional charm. With his tall frame and long legs, he looked particularly handsome. Especially with his serious expression as he walked over, he resembled a cold, ruthless killer doctor.
Bo Xinghang thought his recent use of adjectives had been rather unusual. Reflecting on this, he decided he should study Chinese more seriously to avoid such odd phrasing.
Doctor Ji noticed the boy standing there, looking pale from the cold, and couldn’t help but frown. He grabbed the white coat he had prepared from the front seat and draped it over Bo Xinghang’s shoulders.
“There’s only a white coat left in the office. Put it on for now,” Doctor Ji said, his tone colder than the weather. “Why are you dressed so lightly?”
Bo Xinghang didn’t think much of it and quickly put on the white coat. He slipped into the car as if it were second nature, letting the warm air wash over him as he sighed contentedly, “Comfortable—”
Seeing him settle into the car, Doctor Ji also got in.
Before setting off, Doctor Ji glanced at the young man, who was lounging in a chair wearing his white coat, a cigarette dangling from his mouth. The tiny flame stood out vividly in the night.
Doctor Ji stared for a moment but couldn’t help turning his head away. He reached out, took the cigarette from Bo Xinghang’s mouth, and gently extinguished it.
Doctor Ji’s voice was soft, revealing no hint of what he was thinking, “Stop smoking; it’s bad for your health.”
Bo Xinghang was about to flare up at having his cigarette taken for the second time, but Doctor Ji’s comment caught him off guard. He felt a lump in his throat, caught between wanting to argue and staying silent.
It was an awkward moment.
In the end, Bo Xinghang decided to accept his fate and reclined back into the soft seat. After all, when you accept someone’s hospitality, you shouldn’t be ungrateful. Wearing someone else’s coat and riding in their car, he thought, what’s the harm in skipping half a cigarette?
Bo Xinghang closed his eyes comfortably, thinking that he wasn’t a bad guy. After all, he was still a grateful and well-behaved kid.
Doctor Ji drove slowly, but since the June Bar was close to Q University Hospital, Bo Xinghang felt like he had just started warming up when Doctor Ji reminded him, “We’re here.”
Bo Xinghang opened his eyes and looked outside.
Doctor Ji had parked in the underground parking lot, surrounded by neatly arranged cars. After Bo Xinghang snapped back to reality in the seat, he lazily made a nasal sound and lifted his leg to get out.
Doctor Ji walked ahead, and Bo Xinghang followed him inside.
As they reached the hospital corridor, Bo Xinghang noticed that the other staff were looking at them strangely. While their gazes at Doctor Ji seemed normal, almost every employee stared at him with a shocked expression.
Huh??
Could it be that his handsomeness exceeds that of ordinary people?
Then Nurse Zhang rushed over, out of breath, and said urgently to Doctor Ji, “There’s been a car accident. The person involved is a patient from our hospital. He needs emergency surgery, and the family specifically requested you—”
She had run over so quickly that, after speaking, she glanced behind Doctor Ji and saw an extremely handsome young man standing there, staring at her without moving.
The young man was already very attractive, but now, wearing Doctor Ji’s white coat, he seemed even more refined and pure.
The problem was, he was wearing Doctor Ji’s work coat!!
Nurse Zhang screamed internally, realizing the truth, “Ah—Sister-in-law!!”
…
What?
Bo Xinghang blinked in confusion.
Nurse Zhang quickly covered her mouth, shaking her head. “It’s nothing, nothing… Doctor Ji, please hurry. We appreciate your hard work.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Doctor Ji turned to look at Bo Xinghang, placed the keys into his pocket, and ruffled his fluffy hair. “Ask Nurse Zhang to take you to my office to wait. If it takes too long, you can either nap or go back.”
Bo Xinghang nodded in understanding. “Mm, saving lives is more important.”
Doctor Ji didn’t say more. Time was indeed tight. He quickly turned and walked away, unintentionally clenching his palm, still holding onto the sensation of the young man’s hair.
Softer than he imagined…
He thought, like a little child.
After Doctor Ji left, Bo Xinghang turned to look at Nurse Zhang, whose face was flushed. Although he found her behavior a bit odd, he didn’t think much of it and simply asked, “Nurse Zhang, could you help me?”
It was Nurse Zhang’s first time seeing “Sister-in-law” up close. Although he was a bit different from what she’d imagined, it didn’t matter; knowing the truth made her even more excited.
She giggled, thumping her chest in assurance. “No problem! Leave it to me!”
“…Oh.”
Watching Nurse Zhang lead the way, Bo Xinghang couldn’t help but think that… there seemed to be something wrong with her brain.
