Better Than Summer: A Marriage Before Love Romance - Chapter 6

It was nearly 10 PM when the international conference call finally ended.

Closing her laptop, Shen Tingxia stretched and rose from the carpet, heading to the bathroom to freshen up. She was going to the hospital for night duty so her father could go home, shower, and rest.

At 10:30 PM, Shen Tingxia arrived at the 17th floor of the Neurosurgery department.

As she approached her mother’s room, she saw someone pushing a hospital bed towards the emergency resuscitation room. The doctor accompanying them was Xi Chengnan. The first thought that flashed through Shen Tingxia’s mind was: Xi Chengnan is on night shift today.

Shen Tingxia glanced in their direction a few more times before stepping into her mother’s ward.

As expected, her parents were still awake, though the main lights were off, leaving only the small bedside lamps glowing. Seeing both their somber expressions, Shen Tingxia asked quietly, “What’s wrong?”

Shen Luying nodded towards the empty bed next to them and whispered, “The auntie next door was just rushed to emergency. It’s so late, why did you come?”

So the patient rushed to resuscitation was the auntie in the next bed. No one wanted something like that to happen. Shen Tingxia sighed softly before saying, “Dad, I’ll stay with Mom tonight. You go home, take a shower, and get some proper rest. Come back tomorrow morning.”

Shen Luying looked unsure. “Can you manage alone?”

Shen Tingxia glanced at her mother. Mrs. Qu seemed to deliberately turn her head away, avoiding her gaze. “I’ll be fine,” she reassured her father.

Pushing thirty, she was long past being a child. She could handle it.

After her father left, Shen Tingxia symbolically poured her mother a glass of water and placed it on the bedside table. Seeing her mother still determinedly ignoring her, she said flatly, “Go to sleep. Don’t you have tests tomorrow?”

Hearing this, Qu Xianglan turned her head to look at Shen Tingxia, seeming to hesitate, but ultimately said nothing. She pulled the blanket up and closed her eyes.

Shen Tingxia turned her back to her mother and stood expressionless by the window, looking out at the night view.

At night, Puxi was bathed in neon lights. The distant CBD buildings still blazed with light.

The sight eased some of the tension in Shen Tingxia’s body.

After an indeterminate amount of time, her phone vibrated twice. Shen Tingxia unlocked it to see a WeChat message from Kevin.

K Boss: Leo will be joining you on the project going forward. Sync him up on the work tomorrow.

Reading this, Shen Tingxia’s brow furrowed deeply. Leo hadn’t even been on tonight’s conference call. Moreover, the Luno Fragrance project had always been her responsibility. All the work, the summaries, the reporting to leadership – it was all hers. Now, suddenly, they were shoving someone else in? Why?

Shen Tingxia carefully crafted her reply: Kevin, I’ve been handling this project solo and I’m confident I can see it through. Is adding another person really necessary?

K Boss: It’s Director Lin’s decision.

Director Lin was Kevin’s boss, Kevin was her boss, and Leo was her peer. She had no grounds to refuse.

Shen Tingxia could only reluctantly agree.

Putting her phone away, the slight relaxation she’d felt moments ago vanished, replaced by renewed frustration. The dazzling night view now seemed utterly devoid of charm.

She turned back towards the hospital bed. Her mother’s eyes were still closed, but Shen Tingxia knew she wasn’t asleep. “Get some sleep,” she said softly. “I’ll be outside for a bit.”

She hadn’t expected a response, but Mrs. Qu gave a quiet, “Mm.”

Shen Tingxia’s lips twitched into a faint smile as she walked out of the room.

The inpatient ward was quiet at night. The nurses’ station wasn’t buzzing with calls from patient beds.

Shen Tingxia leaned against the wall, hands in her pockets, feeling bored.

Her gaze swept the corridor and landed on Xi Chengnan emerging from the emergency resuscitation room. The auntie next door hadn’t been brought back. She wondered if she had pulled through.

Shen Tingxia walked to the vending machine, bought two cans of cola, and approached the doctor’s office. She knocked on the door.

The person inside looked up. Seeing it was her, Xi Chengnan gestured for her to enter. Shen Tingxia walked over and stood in front of his desk, handing him a can. “Did she make it?”

Xi Chengnan glanced at her smiling eyes, took the can but didn’t open it. He answered flatly, “She was transferred to the ICU.”

Shen Tingxia nodded, saying nothing more.

Their encounters were usually confined to each other’s homes; they rarely met elsewhere.

Xi Chengnan placed the unopened can on his desk, moved his mouse to wake his computer, and resumed typing on the keyboard. Casually, he asked, “Staying with your mom tonight?”

Shen Tingxia leaned against his desk, popped the tab on her own can, took a sip, and replied, “Mm. Sent Dad home to rest.”
“Why aren’t you staying in the room? Worried about your mom?”
“Of course I am. She’s my mom. But,” Shen Tingxia shifted her tone, “that’s not why I came to find you.”
Xi Chengnan stopped typing and swiveled his chair to face her. “Then why did you come?”
The office was empty except for them. As he spoke, a faint, ambiguous smile played on Xi Chengnan’s lips. Before she could answer, he added, “I’m on night shift. Can’t do much of anything.”
Shen Tingxia knew exactly what he meant. She wasn’t some blushing innocent. His words didn’t fluster her.
She deliberately curved her lips into a teasing smile, her voice lilting slightly. “Oh? So if you weren’t on night shift… office play?”
The look Xi Chengnan gave her could only be described as ‘looking at an idiot’.
“…” Shen Tingxia pouted, dropping the act. “Alright, joking aside. Work stuff. I came out for some air and saw you.”
She took another swig of cola.
Only three things brought Shen Tingxia fleeting happiness:
First, her salary hitting the bank. No one wouldn’t be happy about that. It was the tangible reward for her labor.
Second, drinking “happy water.” For alcohol, she liked the pleasantly tipsy state – body floating, mind pleasantly fuzzy, yet fully lucid. For soda, she loved the sensation of carbonation fizzing in her mouth.
Third, losing herself with him. During s3x, Shen Tingxia felt truly alive. Especially at the moment of climax, she could genuinely forget everything.
Though, the third item was the lowest-cost happiness Shen Tingxia enjoyed.
Her salary was earned through a month of hard work. Happy water cost money, and some liquors weren’t cheap.
But him? He was a free gigolo.
As the cola slid down her throat, Xi Chengnan’s low voice broke in: “You have a sensitive stomach. Drink less cold stuff.”
Shen Tingxia chuckled softly, ignoring him, and took two more gulps.
Earlier in the ward, even with the window slightly open, it had felt stifling, hard to breathe. Here in his office, Shen Tingxia felt her breathing ease considerably.
“Can I hang out here for a bit?”
Xi Chengnan looked at her, seemingly unsure what she meant.
Shen Tingxia clarified: “It’s too hot and stuffy in the ward. I can’t breathe.”
Before Xi Chengnan could answer, she saw him stand up and walk towards the door. Puzzled, she asked, “Where are you going? Can I stay?”
Xi Chengnan glanced back. “Let’s go to the break room.”
Shen Tingxia didn’t stand on ceremony. She casually placed her half-finished can of cola on his desk and followed him.
After settling Shen Tingxia in the break room, Xi Chengnan walked back towards his office. Passing the nurses’ station, a nurse on duty asked, her tone dripping with gossip, “Dr. Xi, your girlfriend?” She nodded towards the break room.
Xi Chengnan neither confirmed nor denied. He never explained his personal life to irrelevant people. He simply said, “Page me if there’s an emergency,” before returning to his office to continue writing his research paper.

The next afternoon, just after Shen Tingxia finished briefing Leo on the project, she received a WeChat from her father: Mom’s surgery was scheduled for tomorrow morning, first slot.
Shen Tingxia immediately went to her Director’s office.
“Kevin, I need to take tomorrow off. Don’t worry, it won’t affect the work.”
This time, Fu Chuji didn’t bring up work. Instead, he said, “Stella, your absences have been a bit frequent this week.”
Shen Tingxia lowered her head, adopting a posture of helplessness. “My mother is having surgery tomorrow.”
Family illness left Fu Chuji with little choice. “Alright. Go be with your mother.”
Shen Tingxia gave a slight nod. “Thank you, Kevin.”
As she uttered the word “thank,” a sense of absurdity washed over her – like being granted a death sentence and having to thank the emperor for his mercy.
Leaving the office, her phone buzzed with a WeChat notification. She glanced at it while walking. It was from yesterday’s blind date, Number 5, Cheng Qingyuan.
5th Blind Date Cheng Qingyuan: Apologies, Miss Shen. I have a video conference Friday evening. Could we reschedule for Saturday night?
Shen Tingxia looked at the formal message and typed back without emotion: Fine.
Whether it worked out or not, she needed to give Mrs. Qu a result, so her mother could report back to her unknown friend. Shen Tingxia was certain, though: this one was absolutely doomed to fail.

Early Thursday morning, Shen Tingxia went straight to the hospital.
After the doctors finished rounds, her mother was taken to the operating room.
Though it was minimally invasive surgery, Mrs. Qu was visibly scared, much quieter than the previous days. The incident with the neighboring auntie being rushed to the ICU the other night had intensified her fear.
About ten minutes later, Shen Tingchao and Shen Tingtang arrived.
While waiting for the surgery to end, none of them touched their phones. They stood anxiously outside the operating room doors.
After roughly an hour, the doors finally opened. They swarmed the surgeon, who informed them the surgery had gone smoothly. She would be taken back to her room shortly.
Hearing the surgery was successful, they collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
When her mother was wheeled back to the ward, still unconscious, a nurse came to instruct them: “She needs complete bed rest for three days post-op, no getting up. Keep the head of the bed elevated. Dr. Xi will come by after he finishes his next surgery.”
The nurse jotted notes on the chart. As she finished, Shen Tingxia caught a strangely meaningful look from her.
The nurse closed the chart. “Press the call bell if you need anything,” she said before leaving.
Shen Tingxia wondered about the look but dismissed it.
Half an hour later, her mother still hadn’t woken up. Shen Tingxia picked up her father’s large thermos. “I’ll get some hot water.”
Shen Tingchao reached out. “Sis, I’ll go.”
Shen Tingxia still felt stifled by the ward’s atmosphere. She didn’t hand him the thermos and went herself.
Passing the nurses’ station, she again sensed their peculiar stares and heard their whispers.
“Is that the family member from Bed 37? The one Dr. Xi took to the break room the other night?”
“Yes, pretty, right? I always thought Dr. Xi liked the gentle, intellectual type. Turns out he prefers the glamorous kind. But you know… he didn’t admit she was his girlfriend.”
“Dr. Xi is straightforward. If he didn’t admit it, she probably isn’t his girlfriend…”
Shen Tingxia deliberately slowed her pace, but couldn’t catch the rest.
So someone saw us going to the break room that night? She hadn’t paid attention.
But Xi Chengnan not admitting she was his girlfriend… That was easy to understand. She wasn’t his girlfriend. Why would he admit it? There was no need.
Shen Tingxia smiled faintly and resumed her normal pace towards the hot water dispenser.
While waiting, she mulled over the nurse’s words. That nurse thinks Xi Chengnan likes gentle intellectuals… but I don’t think so.
To test her theory, Shen Tingxia pulled out her phone. She knew Xi Chengnan was likely still in surgery and wouldn’t reply immediately. She texted him:
Shen Tingxia: What kind of girl does Dr. Xi like?

Close to noon, her mother was fully awake, and Xi Chengnan came to the ward for a post-op check.
“Get another scan tomorrow. If everything looks good, she can be discharged in a few days.”
Shen Luying thanked him. “Thank you, Doctor.”
Xi Chengnan smiled politely. “My duty.”
As he finished speaking, Shen Tingxia noticed Xi Chengnan glance her way. He then pulled out his phone, seemingly checking something.
A few seconds later, he pocketed his phone. Simultaneously, her own phone vibrated twice in her hand.
Xi Chengnan placed his phone back in his right pocket. “Alright, rest well. Call the nurse if you need anything.”
Shen Tingxia glanced down at her screen and unlocked her phone. She saw the message Xi Chengnan had just sent.