“Doctor Xu, the director is looking for you.”
Xu You was just about to get off work when she was summoned to the director’s office.
“Director, you wanted to see me?”
Director Yang gestured for Xu You to close the door. Xu You did as instructed.
The moment the door closed, Director Yang pointed at Xu You and launched into a furious tirade.
“What were you thinking? What kind of nonsense were you telling the patient about the three of you locking yourselves up and living together? What exactly were you planning to do?”
Xu You casually scratched her ear, walked over to the desk, and poured herself a cup of tea.
After working all day, she had finally been about to get off work, only to be called over for a lecture. Xu You resisted with every fiber of her being.
“What else could I do? I take Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; she takes Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Give her Sunday off.”
“Ahem—”
A young man’s cough came from the doorway of the lounge.
Xu You immediately reined in her loose tongue and lowered her voice.
“Uncle-Master, why didn’t you tell me there was someone in your lounge?”
“How was I supposed to know you’d dare say something like that?” Director Yang rolled his eyes.
Xu You hurriedly tried to explain herself.
“Ahem, Director, I only said that to confuse the patient. Otherwise, she kept kneeling and begging me to give my boyfriend to her. If that delayed the rescue, someone could have died. That would have been a human life!”
Director Yang also coughed lightly.
“If that’s the case, then everything is understandable. You certainly went to great lengths.”
After the two people in the office finished patching things up, the man finally came out of the lounge carrying a thermos.
Xu You followed the sound of his footsteps and looked over, only to see a tall figure slowly approaching her. Her gaze fell on the man’s slender fingers wrapped around the thermos.
Those fingers looked so much like the ones she had bitten in her dreams.
Long and strong.
Clean… and nimble.
Director Yang hurriedly introduced them.
“This is Commander Shen. He received a report accusing you and your boyfriend of having improper conduct, so he’s here to investigate.”
Shen Xu put down the thermos and nodded at Xu You.
For a brief moment, Xu You’s courage got the better of her. She wanted to confirm whether these were the same hands from her dreams.
For the past month, she had never been able to see the man’s face. Only in the most recent dreams had she begun to play with his fingers.
Xu You made up her mind and extended her hand.
“Hello, Commander Shen. I’m Xu You from the emergency department.”
Shen Xu kept his eyes straight ahead, as though he hadn’t seen her outstretched hand at all, and simply let her hand hang there awkwardly.
He only introduced himself coldly.
“Hello. I’m Shen Xu, Commander Chen Qingsong’s superior.”
Xu You reluctantly withdrew her hand.
Tsk. What a pity.
Ever since she had been able to see the man’s hands clearly in her dreams, Xu You had paid close attention to them. But she had never seen a pair of hands as beautiful as the ones belonging to the man in her dreams.
She hadn’t expected to see them today.
Yet, unfortunately, their owner wouldn’t let her touch them.
Shen Xu noticed Xu You’s gaze and turned slightly to the side.
“I came here mainly to learn more about Chen Qingsong’s rescue incident, as well as the allegations concerning his personal conduct.”
Xu You concealed the truth about Chu Ying releasing the lotus lantern and told him everything else she knew.
Chen Qingsong had trusted her enough to tell her the truth. She wasn’t shameless enough to report him and send him off for political reeducation.
“That’s everything I know.”
Xu You thought for a moment before adding, “And what I just said about Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday was something I blurted out. Anyone would be full of complaints after being called back for a lecture after work. Commander Shen, you can understand that, right?”
Shen Xu did not answer Xu You’s question. Instead, he spoke up for his subordinate.
“Chen Qingsong takes his relationship with you very seriously. Saying things like that so casually was inappropriate.”
Xu You looked like she had been properly educated and obediently admitted her mistake.
“Yes, yes. I was speaking without thinking. It won’t happen again.”
But inwardly, she was thinking that someone as particular and serious as Commander Shen could never be the reckless man from her dreams.
The man in her dreams was wicked and shameless, greedy to leave traces of himself on her body.
Besides, it was only a dream.
How could such a person really exist?
Perhaps, as her best friend Wang Shu had said, her hormones were out of balance and she simply wanted a man.
Once she married Chen Qingsong, everything would be fine.
“The matter has been investigated and clarified. Director Yang, I’ll be leaving now.”
Shen Xu stood up to take his leave. Director Yang and Xu You escorted him to the door.
The moment he left, Director Yang turned around and began lecturing Xu You again.
“I already told you he was here to investigate you, yet you still tried to shake his hand. Are you stupid? Do you even understand that if he wanted to make trouble for you, he could accuse you of indulging in petty bourgeois sentiments?”
Xu You sounded dejected.
“I’ve seen leaders visiting for inspections on television. Don’t they always shake hands with the masses? Commander Shen is such an important leader. Isn’t it reasonable for him to shake hands with the masses?”
She truly hadn’t expected Shen Xu to be so cold and discourteous.
She had already extended her hand. Any man with even a little manners would have taken it, yet Shen Xu simply refused.
It was only a hand, but he guarded it as if no one else had ever touched it.
Shen Xu heard the dejected voice coming from inside the office, and his heart stirred slightly.
Then he strode away.
By the time this little incident was over, the cafeteria had already closed, so Xu You didn’t rush to leave work anymore.
She first went to the military district service store next door and bought two pieces of mung bean cake.
The saleswoman, Sister Zhang, greeted her warmly.
“Doctor Xu, you missed dinner again? How can you keep going like this? You can’t survive on so little. Why don’t you get a few more?”
Xu You shook her head.
“I accidentally worked late and missed the cafeteria. A couple of mung bean cakes are enough to tide me over.”
Xu You paid with her money and ration coupons. When she turned around, she saw Shen Xu.
She gave Shen Xu a distant nod, stuffed a piece of mung bean cake into her mouth, and walked away.
Back in her office, Xu You drank half a cup of warm water before picking up the thick medical textbook beside her and beginning to read.
A young nurse knocked and entered.
“Doctor Xu, your boyfriend, Battalion Commander Chen, just had someone bring you some food.”
There were two aluminum lunchboxes, along with a paper bag wrapped in kraft paper containing pastries.
Even through the paper bag, she could smell the unmistakable aroma of eggs.
“Doctor Xu, your boyfriend is really good to you. He heard us talking outside the emergency room about how you hadn’t eaten yet, and he sent food over so quickly.”
Xu You smiled.
“There are four egg cakes. You girls can divide them among yourselves. Thank you for working overtime tonight.”
“Thank you, Doctor Xu!”
The young nurse happily left and thoughtfully closed the door behind her.
Xu You opened the lunchboxes. One was filled to the brim with white rice, while the other was packed with stir-fried chicken.
Xu You couldn’t help rubbing her forehead.
Chen Qingsong really was… afraid she wouldn’t get enough to eat.
After eating half the chicken, Xu You couldn’t manage another bite. She planned to save the rest for tomorrow. Fortunately, the weather wasn’t too hot yet.
After eating her fill, Xu You thought of Chen Qingsong. Perhaps she should return the favor and remind him of a few things.
When she arrived, Chen Qingsong was sitting wearily outside the hospital room, keeping as much distance from Chu Ying as possible.
As soon as he saw her, he hurriedly stood up and greeted her.
“My mother is already on her way. She’ll arrive tomorrow morning. Before she gets here, I can only take care of my sister-in-law for now.”
Xu You nodded.
“I know. The hospital requires family members to stay with the patient.”
“Thank you. Thank you for believing me.”
Chen Qingsong couldn’t imagine how overwhelmed he would have been if Xu You hadn’t trusted him.
The two exchanged a glance, and Xu You saw an unmistakable tenderness in Chen Qingsong’s eyes. She couldn’t quite handle it and quickly looked away.
“There’s one more thing. Someone reported you for having improper conduct. A superior just came to ask me about it.”
Chen Qingsong wasn’t worried about himself at all. His conscience was clear, and he could withstand any investigation.
“Are you all right? Did they give you a hard time? I dragged you into this.”
Xu You shook her head.
“They were just asking questions as part of the normal procedure. I didn’t mention the lotus lantern.”
After saying that, Xu You glanced at Chu Ying.