It was 9pm outside the operating room.
Fu Ming Shi sat on the bench, glanced at his watch, put his arm back down and continued waiting.
About fifteen minutes later, the door to the operating room finally opened. A doctor with a serious look walked out with a mask on. He shook his head at Fu Ming Shi and the couple sitting next to him, “I’m sorry, we did our best.”
The woman in the couple burst into tears and the man hugged her to comfort her.
Fu Ming Shi's gaze went past the doctor and saw Zhen Bao wearing a white nurse's uniform and holding a mini piglet with red eyes. Fu Ming Shi was a little helpless. He didn't know how many times he had seen her cry because of a pet getting injured or dying.
"Tired?" Walking out of the hospital, Fu Ming Shi held Zhen Bao's hand and asked. She had a faint medicinal smell on her that Fu Ming Shi was already used to.
"I'm fine, just hungry," Zhen Bao smiled at him. Although she felt bad for the pet pig, after working part-time at a pet hospital for two years and doing a one-year internship, Zhen Bao was quite experienced with all kinds of difficult situations now. Once she walked out of the hospital, she would quickly put aside any unhappy feelings.
Fu Ming Shi patted her head and took her to a nearby restaurant for a meal before driving back to the villa.
Both of their bedrooms were on the third floor, but except for going to her own room to read and research, Zhen Bao stayed in Fu Ming Shi's room every night. She went to take a shower while Fu Ming Shi followed her in. Zhen Bao asked him to leave, saying she wanted to wash first since she still smelled of medicine and was afraid Fu Ming Shi wouldn't like it.
"Even if you fell into the toilet, you'd still smell sweet to me." Fu Ming Shi helped take off her T-shirt and kissed her.
Zhen Bao closed her eyes with a smile.
He pressed her against the sink. Zhen Bao held on to the vanity with one hand and the mirror with the other. Although she pursed her lips tightly, sounds still escaped. Fu Ming Shi liked hearing them. His dark eyes stared intently at her increasingly flushed cheeks, watching as she gradually lost her grip on her lips and finally pleaded his name.
Zhen Bao would soon be in her fifth year at university. She had grown a little taller in the past two years, but even with diligent practice, she still struggled to keep up with Fu Ming Shi. And as she made efforts to adapt, Fu Ming Shi also progressed rapidly, seemingly picking up all kinds of tricks that he tirelessly enjoyed.
"I'll be doing my internship when school starts again. I need to prepare for my qualification exam and write my thesis. I should move back to the dormitory." After the shower, Zhen Bao leaned against Fu Ming Shi and brought it up softly.
"We'll get married after you graduate." Fu Ming Shi gripped her hand and placed it on his chest. That was his only condition.
Zhen Bao lightly murmured in agreement. Old Master was getting older and she didn't dare keep putting it off any longer either.
At the start of another school year, Jia Xiao Yu, the oldest student at prestigious A University, heaved a long sigh standing on the balcony: "This time next year, our dorm will become someone else's dorm. Time really flies!"
"I know, graduation is just around the corner and I haven't even had a boyfriend yet." Qian LeLe rested her chin in hands and sighed.
"Oh please, you've turned down so many pursuers. You could have had several relationships already if you wanted." Fan Xuan called her out.
Qian LeLe glared at Zhen Bao, "It's all because of Zhen Bao. She landed such a perfect man like Chairman Fu, and now my standards are set so high I can't settle for anything less. This isn't right. Zhen Bao, you have to help us look out for diamond men like Chairman Fu in his social circle. Introduce them to us immediately if you find any!"
Zhen Bao smiled looking down at the campus below. In her years at school, she had met very few people from Fu Ming Shi's social circle, other than his family.
"Let's go, time to eat." With class ending soon, Jia Xiao Yu was the first to take her meal card, to avoid the longer lines when more people came.
The four girls went upstairs together to the cafeteria for lunch. After Fan Xuan and Qian LeLe got their food, they went ahead to find seats while Zhen Bao and Jia Xiao Yu were still selecting dishes. When the latter two came back, they saw the other two had picked a table by the window on the south side. Zhen Bao chatted with Jia Xiao Yu as they walked over. As they got close, Jia Xiao Yu suddenly bumped Zhen Bao excitedly, "Look, hottie!"
Zhen Bao followed her gaze and indeed, two tables away from Fan Xuan and the others, sat a man in a gray shirt that gave off a bright, clean look even from afar. And his face...
Zhen Bao slowed down, looking at him in surprise.
As if sensing her gaze, the man glanced up and saw Zhen Bao. He was also very startled but it took him several seconds to confirm her identity before he smiled and waved at Zhen Bao, "What a coincidence."
Now certain it was Cheng Yi, who she remembered had gone to study in America, Zhen Bao smiled after the initial surprise passed. They were WeChat contacts. Cheng Yi would post updates on the latest veterinary research reports or pet surgery cases in his Moments every now and then. Whenever Zhen Bao saw them, she would click in with a learning attitude. So despite rarely chatting with Cheng Yi directly on WeChat, from frequently seeing his profile photo, Zhen Bao had left quite a deep impression of him.
Seeing Cheng Yi appear to be waiting for her, Zhen Bao confidently walked over with her tray and greeted him with a smile, "You're back in China?"
When they first met, Zhen Bao had mentioned she studied at A University during her self-introduction, so Cheng Yi had told her they were alumni. Therefore, running into him on campus today didn't shock Zhen Bao too much. It was normal to come visit your alma mater after returning home.
Cheng Yi nodded and invited Zhen Bao to sit down.
Zhen Bao instinctively glanced back. Her three roommates were all wiggling their eyebrows suggestively at her. Zhen Bao gave a wry smile. It would be impolite to turn down a friendly lunch invitation after not seeing Cheng Yi for so long. So she sat down across from Cheng Yi and tried to make conversation, "What brings you to campus?"
Cheng Yi was observing her. The last time he saw Zhen Bao in person was when she showed up with Fu Ming Shi at his cousin's New Year party. In a flash, three to four years had gone by. Other than dressing more maturely now, Zhen Bao didn't seem to have changed much. She still looked pure and beautiful, or rather, even more beautiful.
"I'm officially starting at A University Hospital tomorrow. I came by to take a look today." After finishing his assessment, Cheng Yi naturally chatted away.
Zhen Bao was surprised again. She thought for a bit then explained, "What a coincidence. I'm doing my internship there now and will likely get a permanent position after graduating." It was quite difficult to get into A University Animal Hospital, but many of the doctors there were alumni. Zhen Bao had performed well during her internship so the job was pretty much secured.
Cheng Yi raised his brows in astonishment, then laughed and winked at Zhen Bao, "I'm the newbie so I'll have to count on Miss Zhen to take good care of me."
His humor and wit made Zhen Bao smile happily. Running into an acquaintance really did feel quite nice.
After a brief catch-up, seeing Cheng Yi had nearly finished eating, Zhen Bao pointed at her roommates and said with a smile, "I should get going back to them. See you at the hospital tomorrow."
Cheng Yi nodded and even smiled at Zhen Bao's three roommates before flashing his pearly whites.
"Who is he, who is he?"
Jia Xiao Yu and the other two girls could barely contain themselves. As soon as Cheng Yi left, they immediately interrogated Zhen Bao, "You already have Chairman Fu, so this hottie belongs to us. If you dare play the field and hog resources, even if Chairman Fu lets it slide, we'll still beat you up!"
"Don't talk nonsense." Zhen Bao helplessly glared at them, then explained what happened.
After asking a few more details and learning that Cheng Yi was the one who approached her at the park and invited Zhen Bao to a New Year's party, Fan Xuan pursed her lips and sighed, "Yet another man who fell for Zhen Bao long ago. I bet my diploma that if Zhen Bao didn't already have Chairman Fu, Cheng Yi would have aggressively pursued her by now."
Jia Xiao Yu and Qian LeLe nodded in agreement.
Zhen Bao just kept eating. Her roommates simply loved to make wild assumptions. In their eyes, almost any guy who talked to her had ulterior motives, when Cheng Yi had never made any overtures. They met through their dogs Bucky and Xiao Ya and were just regular friends.
"Just you wait, mention it to Chairman Fu later and see how he reacts." Fan Xuan said gleefully.
Back in their dorm room, egged on by her three roommates, Zhen Bao reluctantly called Fu Ming Shi to take the initiative to report this "suspicious situation". Of course, she only told him about running into someone she was half-acquainted with at the cafeteria, and asked if Fu Ming Shi still remembered Cheng Yi.
How could Fu Ming Shi not remember? Zhen Bao had met a particularly interesting Chinese person while in America.
"You must have been very happy to reunite after so long?" Walking to the floor-to-ceiling window, Fu Ming Shi asked lightly.
"It was alright. We aren't that close anyway." Zhen Bao answered honestly without thinking too much.
Fu Ming Shi was still silent. Outside, his assistant lightly knocked on the door to remind him of a phone call.
"Let's have dinner together tonight."
Fu Ming Shi simply said, then hung up the phone with a slightly brooding look.
Among so many pet hospitals in the capital city, why did Cheng Yi specifically choose A University Animal Hospital?
Absence makes the heart grow fonder...
Two idioms automatically popped into his mind. Fu Ming Shi unconsciously tightened his lips.
After the internship, Zhen Bao wouldn't need to do that part-time job anymore. Fu Ming Shi came over after 6 PM to take her out for dinner.
Fu Ming Shi drove while Zhen Bao sat in the passenger seat, secretly observing him.
Her roommates all said Fu Ming Shi was feeling threatened because of Cheng Yi. Speak of the devil, Zhen Bao was led astray by her roommates' speculation. Although she didn't quite believe it, she still couldn't help but grow suspicious.
"What's on your mind?" Stuck in traffic, Fu Ming Shi turned his head and asked as his tranquil dark eyes stared fixedly at Zhen Bao.
Zhen Bao hurriedly shook her head, nervously fidgeting with her fingers.
Fu Ming Shi looked at her restless hands, then suddenly leaned towards her side. "Missing me?"
Zhen Bao's face turned red. No matter how many times they had done that kind of thing, every time Fu Ming Shi said ambiguous words like this, Zhen Bao couldn't handle it. Sometimes Fu Ming Shi didn't even need to say anything. As long as he got close to her and looked at her with those suggestive eyes, Zhen Bao's heart would start racing.
The cars in front started moving again, so Fu Ming Shi temporarily abandoned the idea of stealing a kiss from her and focused on driving.
After dinner at the hotel, they left at around 8 PM.
Zhen Bao assumed Fu Ming Shi would send her back to school. Head lowered, she busily played a game on her phone. Too absorbed in the game, she inadvertently glanced up to see where the car was, only to be startled when she realized they seemed to be on the road leading to Fu Ming Shi's villa.
"You..."
"I'll take you back to school tomorrow morning." Fu Ming Shi kept his eyes on the road ahead, with little expression on his face, conveying a refusal to continue communicating about this.
Zhen Bao went back to looking at her phone, but her hands didn't move. Her mind was completely occupied by Fu Ming Shi. Judging by his behavior, he didn't seem to be in a good mood. Had he run into trouble at work, or was it that her roommates had guessed right? Even if Cheng Yi might have had thoughts about pursuing her before, what did Fu Ming Shi have to worry about? Whether in terms of height, looks, or money, Fu Ming Shi was far superior to Cheng Yi. Not to mention, her heart was full of only him.
While driving, Zhen Bao obediently didn't distract him. Only after getting out of the car did she familiarly cling to Fu Ming Shi's arm and tentatively ask, "Something happen at work?"
Fu Ming Shi immediately asked back, "Why do you think that?"
Zhen Bao sized him up, then looked away. "You look a little unhappy."
Fu Ming Shi pressed his lips together, not saying anything. There was nothing he could say anyway.
Since they had come back, they would surely do something. Zhen Bao then felt that Fu Ming Shi was more silent than usual tonight, more wild than usual...to the point she could barely withstand him.
"Slow down," she said, hugging his waist.
Fu Ming Shi slowed down a little at first, but soon reverted back to how he was before, no longer listening to her.
Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, Zhen Bao endured it for a while before quietly telling him.
Only then did Fu Ming Shi stop, with his forehead pressed against her clavicle. After about thirty seconds, he gently kissed her. "Sorry."
He didn't mean to. It was just that whenever he thought about how Zhen Bao would see Cheng Yi every day from now on, his chest would feel stuffy.
Zhen Bao wasn't as perceptive as her roommates, but judging by Fu Ming Shi's abnormal behavior tonight, Zhen Bao was certain he was upset about Cheng Yi. She wanted to laugh. Hugging his head that was still buried down there, she threaded her hands through his jet black short hair and said softly, "At lunch today, Xiao Yu and the others joked that if you saw I had a handsome guy beside me, you'd be jealous."
Fu Ming Shi let out a cold laugh. Raising his head, he nuzzled her chin. "I would be jealous of him?"
Clearly jealous yet unwilling to admit it. Zhen Bao stroked his face. "Then why are you unhappy?"
Fu Ming Shi grabbed her hand and lightly bit her fingers. "I just don't like having someone ready to steal my woman at any time."
"He doesn't have that intention at all." Zhen Bao felt helpless, even embarrassed. The few times she had met Cheng Yi in America could be counted on one hand. How much must Fu Ming Shi like her to feel she was so outstanding that years later Cheng Yi would still remember her? If Cheng Yi found out by accident, who knew how much he would laugh at their arrogance.
"How do you know he doesn't have that intention?" Fu Ming Shi pinched her face and nibbled her nose in the dim light. "If I hadn't kissed you first that year, could you have realized I had liked you for a long time already?"
Zhen Bao shrank her neck back.
"Silly girl, you can't even tell when someone else likes you." While scolding her for being silly, Fu Ming Shi resumed what they were doing earlier. With her hands pinned down by him, Zhen Bao could only bite her lip. But her low moans were even more beguiling than crying out directly. Fu Ming Shi couldn't help kissing her, kissing her ear. "Like this, what man wouldn't like you?"
Just looking, men would like her face and her figure. After interacting with her, men would like her innocence, her shyness, her silly boldness that made her so easy to bully.
Zhen Bao's ears felt ticklish. Wanting to dodge away, he tenaciously kept chasing after her, using more and more force, clearly ready to vent his jealousy again. Both annoyed that he was irrationally jealous yet also feeling a bit softhearted, Zhen Bao struggled for a while before finally hugging his neck right before he was about to flare up. She spoke from the heart to reassure him, "Even if someone else likes me, you don't need to worry. After all, I...I only like you."
Fu Ming Shi's actions halted as his eyes locked onto her.
Zhen Bao turned her face away. "I, I only like you."
Author's note: I stayed up all night to finish this! Sending 100 red envelopes to make up for it! From now on there definitely won't be any lazy filler chapters, I absolutely won't do that anymore!
See you tomorrow!
