Better Than Summer: A Marriage Before Love Romance - Chapter 14

As long as you’re divorced, I don’t mess with married women…

Shen Tingxia met Xi Chengnan four years ago.

Back then, he hadn’t yet become an attending physician; he was just a resident nearing the end of his rotations.

Ye Xuan had been hospitalized but hadn’t told her family. It was Shen Tingxia and Fang Jing who took care of her.

Fang Jing had gotten married right after graduate school and become a stay-at-home wife. Shen Tingxia worked during the day while Fang Jing stayed at the hospital. After work, Shen Tingxia would go over.

During those trips to the hospital, Shen Tingxia noticed a handsome man moving between the wards. He was the only one who left an impression—after all, no one could resist looking at a man of such high caliber.

Over 185cm tall, a slender build, fair skin, refined features, and those uniquely captivating eyes—one with a single eyelid, the other double.

Like other doctors, he always wore a pristine white coat, buttoned neatly. But Shen Tingxia saw in him a rare kind of crispness, giving off a gentle, jade-like aura.

They’d had brief exchanges because of Ye Xuan. She saw his name badge: Xi Chengnan. But at that time, Shen Tingxia had a boyfriend, so she could only admire this high-quality man from afar.

After Ye Xuan was discharged, they didn’t see each other again—after all, no one goes to the hospital without reason. Gradually, his face grew hazy in her memory.

They met again during a minor low point in Shen Tingxia’s life. Work was tough; her boss had jumped ship, leaving her unsure whether to stay or go. Struggling to adapt to the new boss’s management style, she fell into deep self-doubt and burnout. Her love life wasn’t going well either—after seeing the true nature of men, she chose to break up…

The pressure was too much. Seeking a dopamine rush and fleeting happiness, Shen Tingxia went to a bar. That’s when she saw a face both strange and familiar.

Months had passed, yet seeing him now instantly sharpened the blurred image.

Slightly tipsy, Shen Tingxia took a glass of wine and walked over to Xi Chengnan. She greeted him and asked if he remembered her. She didn’t introduce herself, yet surprisingly, he did remember.

In the pulsating bar, colorful lights swayed. But in that instant, Shen Tingxia’s eyes held only the man before her.

She stared at his lips. Strangely, she wanted to kiss them.

The next second, she did.

Without a hint of hesitation.

He didn’t dodge. Nor did he push her away. But he didn’t kiss her back either.

His expression remained unchanged.

Was he truly calm? Or just playing it cool?

Shen Tingxia had heard plenty of gossip about doctors, especially surgeons, having messy private lives. She wondered if this refined, scholarly doctor who also appeared in bars was the same. So she leaned close to his ear and shouted over the loud music, “Dr. Xi, are you a virgin?”

Amidst the deafening noise, Shen Tingxia remained unaffected, her eyes fixed intently on him. She could almost hear her own heartbeat—irregular, skipping a beat or two at certain moments.

Xi Chengnan glanced at her, a slight smile playing on his lips. He tilted his head towards her neck and lowered his voice, challenging her to figure it out: “What do you think?”

Staring into Xi Chengnan’s gleaming eyes, Shen Tingxia decided to gamble.

She bet he was.

Based on her intuition and the aura of purity he exuded.

Shen Tingxia led Xi Chengnan to a five-star hotel, stopping to buy essentials on the way up.

She kissed him onto the bed, sensing his clumsy technique. Shen Tingxia felt she was already 80% sure she’d won her bet.

Xi Chengnan’s back hit the pristine white sheets. Perhaps the woman-on-top position ignited some primal instinct in this male. He flipped their positions, pinning her beneath him, looking down at her from above.

His large hands explored her body, moving over her clothes to her abdomen, then sliding lower, trying to slip under the hem of her top.

His fingers had just brushed against her smooth skin when she felt him freeze for an instant.

Shen Tingxia had burn scars on her stomach. Though visually faded, they could still be felt. Sensing his pause and thinking he minded them—just like her ex-boyfriend, whose aversion to her scars had been a major reason for their breakup—she tried to get up and end this absurd night. Yet another instance of her poor judgment.

But Xi Chengnan restrained her, preventing her from moving. He leaned down and whispered provocatively in her ear, “You’ve been married? Had kids?”

If anyone else had asked that, she might have dismissed them as lacking common sense. But this man had thirteen years of medical experience—he knew perfectly well the difference between a burn scar and a surgical incision.

Knowing he was teasing her, Shen Tingxia played along, “What if I have?”

Xi Chengnan gave a sly smile. “As long as you’re divorced, I don’t mess with married women.”

Shen Tingxia’s defenses lowered. What followed happened naturally.

It was also the first time Shen Tingxia discovered another side of Xi Chengnan.

Afterward, Shen Tingxia turned her head to look at the man lying shirtless beside her and asked again, “Seriously, were you a virgin?”

His technique hadn’t seemed like a novice’s—he’d made her ache a little, though she craved that kind of pain. Yet his kissing skills were truly awful. Shen Tingxia couldn’t decide; it was fifty-fifty.

Xi Chengnan met her intense gaze. After a long moment, he finally said, “Not anymore.”

Hearing this, Shen Tingxia laughed.

She knew she’d won her bet.

Before parting, Shen Tingxia felt light and happy. Though none of her troubles were resolved, she proactively exchanged contact information with Xi Chengnan.

She didn’t ask why he’d left with her, or why he’d slept with her.

Between adults, actions spoke louder than words. There was no need for so many ‘whys’.

For a while afterward, when work pressure mounted or frustration peaked, Shen Tingxia would recall that absurd night, the intoxicating moments of abandon with him.

Shen Tingxia always acknowledged her desires. She wanted more. So she asked Xi Chengnan for his home address.

They couldn’t pinpoint when this arrangement began, or when it became established. By the time they realized it, they’d already mapped each other’s sensitive spots, and it had spiraled beyond control.

Neither expressed a desire to stop. So even now, this remained their relationship.

Continuous phone vibrations snapped Shen Tingxia out of her reverie. She picked up her phone, seeing countless new messages from friends. She didn’t scroll back. Tapping the screen, she typed a single line, silenced her phone, and turned it off.

St: [Tired, going to sleep early]

That quiet night, Shen Tingxia had a steamy dream.

About her first time with Xi Chengnan.

Half-asleep, half-awake, she felt drenched in sweat. Unconsciously, she kicked off the covers and sank back into deep slumber, unwilling to wake.

The consequence of kicking off the covers was catching a cold. Shen Tingxia was gloriously ill.

She woke up in the morning suffocating, unable to breathe through her blocked nose.

Grabbing some cold medicine from the drawer, she popped two capsules and swallowed them with water.

Feeling sticky all over, Shen Tingxia grabbed fresh clothes and headed for a shower.

After drying her hair and getting dressed, she finally retrieved her phone from under the pillow. Seeing 99+ messages in the group chat genuinely startled her.

She skimmed the content—mostly complaints about her teasing them and accusations that she’d developed feelings for Dr. Xi after sleeping with him.

Impossible!

Shen Tingxia defended herself, explaining she’d only found someone she thought she could marry under pressure from her mother. Who said marriage required love? Was s3x alone not enough?

In Shen Tingxia’s view, marriage could be instrumentalized.

Carrying her phone to the living room for water, she finally typed: [Free tonight? Dinner’s on me.]

I Want Quiet: [CASE]
Fire Kid: [5:30 PM]

CASE was a high-end restaurant in Puxi, costing over a thousand per person.

Seeing those four letters, Shen Tingxia’s lips twitched.

St: [You guys are brutal (strong emoji)]

Exiting the group chat, Shen Tingxia took a sip of warm water. She’d picked up her phone intending to message Xi Chengnan.

Curled on the sofa, she searched “Free Duck” in WeChat, set him as a top contact, and then sent: [Dr. Xi, I dreamed about you last night.]

She didn’t know if Xi Chengnan was busy. Shen Tingxia never waited specifically for his reply; if urgent, she’d just call.

Putting her phone away, she went to the bathroom to pack her makeup.

Since they’d be living together, she couldn’t be without daily essentials. Other things weren’t urgent, but what she used daily had to be moved early.

She hadn’t realized how much she owned until she started packing. So many lipsticks, including shades she couldn’t stand now.

Shen Tingxia grimaced, performing a ruthless decluttering of her cosmetics.

Around 4 PM, she applied bold, glamorous makeup, donned large earrings she hadn’t worn in ages, put on dark jeans, a red camisole inside, and a light-wash denim jacket over it.

Standing before the full-length mirror, Shen Tingxia scrutinized herself. She tugged the red camisole down slightly, covering the faintest hint of the scar’s curve at the bottom. Satisfied with the vintage-inspired OOTD, she smiled and snapped a photo.

Close to 5 PM, Shen Tingxia abandoned the half-packed mess and left home.

Meeting familiar friends skipped the dull pleasantries. After ordering, they got straight to the point.

Fang Jing asked, “What’s kept you busy lately, Xia-jie? It’s been a while since we had dinner together.”

Shen Tingxia sighed, venting about work: “Swamped. A while back, our boss dumped someone into our department. The day my mom had surgery, I took leave. Old K assigned him work, but he never updated me…”

Ye Xuan caught a keyword, interrupting: “Wait wait, your mom had surgery? What happened to Auntie Qu?”

“Nothing serious, just a minor procedure.”

Ye Xuan and Fang Jing exchanged a glance. Fang Jing said, “We’ll visit Auntie Qu tomorrow.”

Shen Tingxia didn’t stand on ceremony; that was the nature of their friendship.

After the pause, Shen Tingxia finished her story and lamented, “Look how free you two are. Jing-jie doesn’t work, supported by her husband, kids looked after by the nanny. Xuan-jie earns more from one month of sponsored posts on her account than I do in three months. What’s the point of me working my ass off day and night?”

Ye Xuan said, “Don’t think like that, Xia-jie. Everyone has different pursuits. If you had to live Jing-jie’s life now, you’d absolutely refuse. If you had to manage an account, the complicated storyboards would drive you crazy within days. But you? You’d already chosen your industry before even interning. You’ve changed companies and positions, but never left the luxury goods sector because you love it. So what’s the point? That’s the point.”

Fang Jing chimed in: “Xia-jie, carry my dreams forward! Go achieve them!”

Shen Tingxia was almost embarrassed by their praise. But Ye Xuan was right; she’d always changed roles, not industries.

That topic closed. They ate and chatted. No one pressed Shen Tingxia about Xi Chengnan. It was her choice. As Ye Xuan said, everyone had different pursuits. Whatever any of them did, as long as they didn’t regret it, the other two would support them unconditionally.

After dinner, while shopping, Fang Jing’s nanny called. Her son was crying for his mom, so Fang Jing headed home. Soon after, Ye Xuan’s PR contact messaged, saying her video needed revisions requiring reshoots. She had to go back.

Now Shen Tingxia felt they were all the same—overworked beasts on call 24/7…

Shopping alone was dull. Shen Tingxia found the elevator, ready to go home and finish packing.

While waiting for the elevator, she scrolled through her phone.

Suddenly, a male voice called her name beside her. Instinctively, she turned to look.

It was someone she never wanted to see again.