Ran here? Could you be any more full of nonsense?
Su Anxi calmly released the stethoscope, glanced up at Xu Yu, then reached out to place the pulse diagnosis pillow on the table, saying, "Left hand."
Xu Yu looked at Su Anxi and still placed his left hand on it. Only when her slightly cool fingertips touched his wrist did he speak up: "Seems you've truly inherited your grandfather's skills."
Su Anxi applied a bit more pressure with her fingers, not looking at him, but reminded him, "Don't talk."
Observing Su Anxi's slightly lowered eyes, her curled and thick eyelashes fluttered gently like fans, her expression as serious as could be.
Suddenly, he remembered how she used to mimic her grandfather's way of taking pulses when they were kids, grabbing his wrist just like now and refusing to let go.
"Right hand." Seeing that he hadn’t moved, Su Anxi abruptly looked up, just meeting Xu Yu’s gaze fixed on her. When focused, his eyes were like the only patch of black in the vast snowy plateau, like a source of hope guiding you out of the white maze.
Snapping back to reality, Xu Yu noticed Su Anxi watching him without any pretense. He swallowed subtly and asked, "Finished?"
Su Anxi naturally shifted her gaze from his face to his right hand, saying calmly, "Right hand."
After finishing the pulse diagnosis and putting away the pillow, Su Anxi proceeded with some other necessary examinations and inquiries.
When everything was finally done, she looked up again, only to meet a slightly impatient yet handsome face.
Looking at him, she suddenly recalled what Xia Junnan had said and ordered, "Take off your clothes."
Not only was Xu Yu surprised, but even Liao Zhiping and Qiu Dongyuan outside the door were stunned. Liao Zhiping widened his eyes at Qiu Dongyuan, mouthing the words: "Take off his clothes?"
"Take off my clothes?" Xu Yu glanced at Su Anxi, who remained completely still, the three words spoken with an unintentional seriousness.
Su Anxi smiled at Xu Yu with the demeanor of a benevolent angel in white, saying, "It's procedure. Please cooperate, Captain Xu."
Xu Yu still didn’t move. "I’ve never heard of such a procedure."
Seeing Xu Yu’s resolute refusal, Su Anxi’s heartbeat quickened. She wasn’t used to lying, and her heart truly couldn’t handle deceit.
But she wanted to see—she wanted to see the wound on his chest that had nearly taken his life.
So, she seized the opportunity and directly reached out to pull at Xu Yu’s clothes, only to be swiftly blocked by him.
"Not bad, Su Anxi." Xu Yu hadn’t expected Su Anxi to have some skill—at least enough to attempt an attack on him.
He straightened the collar she had tugged at, his tone suddenly taking on a barely perceptible hint of disdain: "Do military doctors these days just do whatever they want?"
Outside the door, the two exchanged glances, both gesturing as if to say: Did she actually lay hands on him?
Suppressing her wildly beating heart, Su Anxi sat up straight, looked at Xu Yu, and spoke with righteous conviction, "I told you it’s procedure. If you won’t cooperate, I have to take matters into my own hands."
"Skip it." Xu Yu’s tone brooked no argument.
"I wonder what you’re afraid of, Captain Xu?" Su Anxi shot a sidelong glance at him, then picked up a pen to record on the report form. As she wrote, she deliberately continued in a light tone, "It’s not like I haven’t seen it before."
Xu Yu crossed his arms over his chest upon hearing this, then leaned back against the chair, pressing his tongue against the inside of his cheek as he fixed a steady gaze on Su Anxi.
It seemed he had truly underestimated the current Su Anxi—she was becoming more and more capable, growing in skill.
At the doorway, Liao Zhiping glanced at Qiu Dongyuan, pointed at his own body, and whispered excitedly as if he had discovered a new world, "So they've already seen everything."
Qiu Dongyuan nodded subtly to himself, helplessly giving a thumbs-up in acknowledgment.
"Doctor Su," Xu Yu asked patiently, "I should be able to leave now, right?"
Su Anxi ignored him, and he didn’t press the issue, standing up to leave.
As Xu Yu turned to go, Su Anxi suddenly spoke up to remind him, "Your spleen and stomach aren’t in great shape, and you have chronic gastritis. These need careful attention—eat less spicy food and cut back on smoking."
Xu Yu had instinctively reached into his pants pocket for his cigarette case, his fingers just brushing the box when he heard her words.
He secretly clenched the cigarette case and turned around, his eyes meeting Su Anxi’s just at that moment.
Their gazes locked, and the air seemed to hold its breath. He curled the corner of his mouth and asked, "Is this advice from a doctor to a patient, or… concern from an old friend to an old friend?"
"Either works," Su Anxi replied almost without hesitation. Then, she lowered her brows, pressed her fingers against the bridge of her nose to clear her throat, and looked up again. "About last night… I’m sorry."
"It’s fine. My attitude wasn’t great either," Xu Yu said before turning to reach for the door handle. But the voice behind him suddenly drained his strength to turn it.
Su Anxi spoke from behind him, "Xu Yu, the truth is, I’ve always owed you an apology."
Xu Yu didn’t turn around or move. His deep voice resonated clearly in the small medical room as he said, "Su Anxi, you know I’m not the kind of person who runs away from things. So, I don’t need your apology."
Su Anxi froze, watching as Xu Yu abruptly turned and walked toward her.
Each of his steps felt like they were treading on her heart, heavy and suffocating.
"Su Anxi."
Xu Yu leaned forward, his arms resting on either side of the armrests of the chair she sat in. His tall frame seemed to envelop her in a loose embrace, with only the beating of their hearts between them. No longer was he calling her name with the playful tone of a youth, but with the serious, low voice of a grown man. "I just want to know, in these nine years, have you ever thought of me?"
He had long wanted to ask this question—or rather, there was another question he had wanted to ask since the day he saw her sitting by the roadside, looking utterly disheveled.
He admitted that even after nine years, seeing her again still left him feeling like a clueless young man, torn between letting go and holding on.
But when he saw the smiling man by her side, he couldn’t control himself, blurting out those words. He knew he had acted impulsively at the time.
After the impulse faded, he mocked himself. What right did he have? They had broken up. Nine years of silence—perhaps she was already married with children, or had a fiancé. What was he even doing?
Later, in the car, she fell asleep. He couldn’t resist stealing a glance at her hand—slender fingers without a ring, nor any trace left by one that had been removed. Though he remained outwardly composed, inwardly he felt relieved.
Asking for her number was indeed partly out of a sense of duty as her host, but perhaps also to give himself a reason to see her again. That night, he sat in his office smoking for a long time before finally sending a message to Huo Yanzong, asking whether Su Anxi was truly single. Upon receiving confirmation, he smiled happily under the full moon and starry sky.
His sudden outburst the previous night was because he didn’t want her to see Liao Zhiping tied up in the bedroom. Unfortunately, once the fuse was lit, the explosion couldn’t be controlled. Besides, those words were indeed meant to push her.
Yet time had passed, and Su Anxi was still Su Anxi—from childhood to adulthood, she had never once yielded to him. And he, caught up in his anger, had deliberately treated her that way today.
He hadn’t expected her to apologize to him. So why should he continue pretending not to care?
As for the end of that relationship, the love, resentment, and obsession of the past—looking back now, it was hard to say who was right or wrong. If blame must be placed, it was on their mutual stubbornness, pride, youthful impulsiveness, and disregard for consequences.
What was past was past. He was certain he still wanted it—a present, a future, and in both, he hoped to have Su Anxi by his side.
…
Su Anxi’s crystal-clear eyes were fixed on the handsome face of the man before her, patiently awaiting an answer. Her rosy lips trembled slightly, parting and closing, yet for a long while, no words came out.
A piercing ringtone shattered the room’s tranquility.
Xu Yu pulled out his phone with one hand, glanced at it, and immediately released his grip on the chair. He straightened up, turned around, his tall and upright military posture exuding an aura of solemn dignity. Even his tone carried an unassailable gravity.
“Yes, understood.”
After hanging up, Xu Yu glanced back at Su Anxi without a word, then turned and left.
His large hand gripped the door handle, pulling it open just as Liao Zhiping nearly stumbled inside. Adjusting his doctor’s coat awkwardly, Liao asked, “Finished with the examination?”
Xu Yu gave a slight nod, then turned his gaze to Qiu Dongyuan standing behind. His expression grew serious as he walked over and announced, “Emergency rescue mission.”
With that, both men quickened their pace, breaking into a jog and disappearing in an instant.
At the same time, the urgent assembly whistle echoed through the barracks of the Armed Police Special Operations Team.