Accidentally Marked My Ex’s Crush, the Ice-Cold Goddess O - Chapter 25: Holding Back Laughter

Chapter 25: Holding Back Laughter

“Oh, okay,” Xu Zhen replied.

Xu Zhen entered, and Jiang Ci left.

But she didn’t go far. She stood at the door with half her body visible, facing away, intentionally letting those inside see her.

Xu Zhen glanced back a few times, unsure what she was doing but not daring to ask. He walked to Gu Feiran’s desk, stopped, and said gently, “Dr. Gu.”

Gu Feiran looked up. “Dr. Xu, still not off work?”

It was rare for Dr. Gu to pay attention to him, and Xu Zhen couldn’t help but feel brighter and happier. He said with concern, “I had an extra surgery today, so I’m leaving late. Before heading out, I wanted to check on you. Dr. Gu, I heard General Surgery Department lost a three-year-old patient today. The director and professors tried everything, but they couldn’t save them. What I’m saying is, Dr. Gu, you’ve done your best. Don’t think too much about it.”

Gu Feiran’s tone was calm. “Thank you.”

Her calmness made Xu Zhen feel his comforting words were useless, having no effect on Dr. Gu.

After all, an S-class omega like her was far superior to ordinary alphas and omegas in stamina, intelligence, and emotional control. On top of that, Dr. Gu was an exceptionally hardworking person. Even if a patient’s death affected her, she could quickly adjust.

Xu Zhen suddenly felt a bit inferior, yet he admired Dr. Gu’s strength. She was gentle, powerful, rational, emotionally intelligent, and beautiful—a perfect omega in every alpha’s eyes. But such a person wouldn’t easily fall for someone, as they sought an alpha even more outstanding than themselves.

He didn’t know who that person was, but it definitely wasn’t him.

Gu Feiran spoke again. “Thank you, Dr. Xu, for checking on me. Go home soon. I still have a patient to handle.”

She tilted her head, gesturing toward Jiang Ci’s presence.

Xu Zhen looked back. Jiang Ci had turned around at some point, nodding toward the room.

A useless alpha.

Even if Dr. Gu took an interest in someone, it wouldn’t be her.

Xu Zhen quietly sighed in relief, looked at Gu Feiran with softened eyes, and said considerately, “Alright, Dr. Gu, you should go home soon too. Don’t overwork.”

Gu Feiran replied, “Thank you.”

After that, Xu Zhen left her office. As he passed Jiang Ci, he took a deep sniff but didn’t smell any pheromones on her or feel any gland suppression. It was just as he’d sensed the first time—she was an alpha with no pheromone ability.

Since she was useless, no matter how close she got to Dr. Gu through Dr. Jiang, an S-class omega like Dr. Gu would never be with a worthless alpha like her.

With this, Xu Zhen felt completely at ease and walked away.

Once he left, Jiang Ci came in, closed the door, and asked Gu Feiran, “That guy just now—what’s his pheromone smell like?”

Gu Feiran continued working. “Olive.”

Olive?

That pheromone was pretty rare.

Gu Feiran asked, “Why are you asking?”

Jiang Ci leaned down, sat back in her spot, propped her head up, and kept staring at Gu Feiran. She replied, “I can’t smell anyone’s pheromones. Just curious.”

Gu Feiran didn’t talk to her anymore and focused on work.

Forty minutes later, Jiang Ci finally got a message from Little Aunt saying she was done for the day. Dr. Gu’s work also finished, and she locked the office door. The two left together to find Little Aunt.

In the car.

Jiang Lan sat in the passenger seat, and Dr. Gu was in the back.

Jiang Lan sipped the taro milk tea Little Porcelain bought her and asked, “Didn’t you say you had something to tell me? What is it? Why couldn’t you say it over the phone? It has to be in person?”

Jiang Ci instinctively glanced at the rearview mirror. The small mirror reflected Dr. Gu’s beautiful, sharp profile.

She was looking at the scenery outside the window.

Jiang Ci wanted to talk about meeting Fu Xianqing and Fu Ruanyi today, especially regarding Little Aunt and Aunt Liu.

Though Dr. Gu wasn’t the type to gossip, saying it in front of someone and expecting them not to share was too unreasonable. So, it wasn’t too late to tell Little Aunt after dropping Dr. Gu off.

Jiang Ci said, “It’s not a big deal. I was a bit anxious earlier, but it doesn’t matter now whether I say it or not.”

“Hey, hey,” Jiang Lan said, eyeing the green light. She stepped on the gas and drove forward. “Miss Jiang, if you want to spend time alone with Dr. Gu, just say so. I could’ve taken a cab home. Did you really have to drive past Dr. Gu’s place without stopping?”

“Huh?” Jiang Ci had been lost in thought and forgot to turn right.

She checked the navigation and realized she’d indeed passed it. “I’ll turn around up ahead and head back.”

Jiang Lan leaned back in her seat, resting. “No need. Just keep going straight. My place is five minutes away. Drop me off first, then take Dr. Gu home. That way, you can spend more time with our Dr. Gu.”

Jiang Ci panicked. “Little Aunt, that’s not what I meant.”

Jiang Lan smiled, reassuring her. “Relax. It’s normal to have a little crush on our Dr. Gu. No need to be shy.”

“But, Dr. Gu…”

Jiang Lan turned to the back seat. “Do you mind if Little Porcelain drops me off first, then takes you home?”

Gu Feiran chuckled lightly. “I don’t mind. The moonlight looks nice tonight. I can enjoy it a bit longer on the road.”

Jiang Lan said, “Good.”

Jiang Ci, beside them, stayed silent. “…”

She should’ve stayed focused earlier.

At this hour, there were few cars. The wide road was clear, and in less than five minutes, they reached Jiang Lan’s neighborhood. After the car stopped, she unbuckled her seatbelt, waved to them, and said, “I’m off. Bye-bye. Little Porcelain, take Dr. Gu home safely. Be careful on the road.”

Jiang Ci nodded. “Got it.”

Before getting out, Jiang Lan leaned closer to Jiang Ci, speaking loud enough for everyone in the car to hear. “The moonlight is nice tonight. Make sure to enjoy it.”

Bang—

Jiang Lan finished, laughed, opened the door, and got out.

Jiang Ci pretended not to hear, stepped on the gas, turned around at the next intersection, and headed back to Dr. Gu’s neighborhood.

Gu Feiran stayed in the back seat. The car’s AC was on, so it wasn’t stuffy, but she still rolled down the window. Cool air flowed in, messing up her long hair. “You had something to say to Dr. Jiang earlier but didn’t because I was here, right?”

Jiang Ci didn’t deny it. “I planned to drop you off first, then talk to Little Aunt. Didn’t expect to get distracted and drive past.”

Gu Feiran said, “Call her later.”

Jiang Ci hummed in agreement, glancing through the rearview mirror again. Her dark hair was tousled by the wind, slightly messy. The streetlights shone in, casting moving shadows, like a scene from a movie.

Jiang Ci stared, lost in thought.

Though she didn’t want to admit it, Little Aunt was right about one thing—having a little crush on Dr. Gu was normal.

As Jiang Ci watched, a motorcycle sped by, its roar piercing the night. She snapped back, slowly tightening her grip on the steering wheel, forcing herself to look away.

On the way back, they passed a noodle shop. Gu Feiran saw the sign still lit and said to Jiang Ci, “Stop at the next intersection. Let me out.”

Jiang Ci checked the navigation. “But that intersection is still a bit far from your place.”

Gu Feiran said, “I’m hungry. I want to eat a bowl of noodles.”

Jiang Ci replied, “Alright.”

The car slowed to a stop near the intersection. Gu Feiran unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbed her bag, and said, “Thanks for driving me home. Be safe on the road.”

Jiang Ci said, “Okay.”

Gu Feiran opened the door, got out, and walked toward the small noodle shop.

The noodle shop was run by a married couple, open for about five years. After retiring, they didn’t want to stay home raising kids, so they sent their kids 20,000 yuan a month, used their savings to buy the shop, and opened it.

They operated from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., rarely staying open until midnight. Tonight was a lucky catch.

Gu Feiran pushed the door open. The owner’s wife recognized her instantly, walked over with a big smile, and said, “Still a small bowl of noodles, slightly spicy, with green onions and cilantro?”

Gu Feiran nodded with a smile. “Yes.”

The owner’s wife called out, “Alright, coming right up.”

At this hour, the noodle shop had only one other customer, a young man sitting near the door, eating noodles while scrolling on his phone.

Gu Feiran picked a random seat, placed her bag on the innermost chair, took two tissues, folded them, and carefully wiped the table in front of her.

The shop was clean, with a fresh scent and a potted plant on every table. Wiping the table was just her habit and a bit of her cleanliness obsession.

After speaking to the kitchen, the owner’s wife came out holding a pair of scissors, trimming the longevity flowers on a nearby table. “Working late again today? Being a doctor isn’t easy.”

Gu Feiran said, “In this line of work, you have to be ready for overtime.”

The owner’s wife trimmed while chatting with Gu Feiran. “They say persuading someone to study medicine is like cursing them, but honestly, who doesn’t want a good doctor when they’re sick?”

Gu Feiran replied, “True.”

The longevity flowers the owner’s wife grew were thriving, clusters of yellow and pink blooms. She picked up the trimmed petals and put them in the pot as fertilizer.

Thud—

As they chatted, someone entered the shop.

The owner’s wife, surprised to see another customer this late, put down her scissors and walked over, asking, “What would you like to eat?”

Jiang Ci looked up at the menu on the wall. There were small noodles, hot dry noodles, beef noodles, tomato meat noodles, pork knuckle noodles, egg noodles, and more—a decent variety.

Jiang Ci looked for a moment and said, “I’ll have a small bowl of noodles, slightly spicy, with green onions and cilantro.”

“Alright, take a seat anywhere.”

The owner’s wife headed to the kitchen, shouting, “Another small bowl of noodles, slightly spicy, with green onions and cilantro.”

Jiang Ci pulled out her phone, scanned the code to pay—20 yuan.

After paying, Jiang Ci avoided looking at Dr. Gu, who had her back to her. She thought about sitting at another empty table but felt it would seem too deliberate since they knew each other.

After hesitating, Jiang Ci awkwardly shuffled over and sat across from Gu Feiran. Once seated, her eyes darted around, avoiding Gu Feiran’s gaze.

Gu Feiran slowly lowered her head, holding back laughter.