Bone-Attached Disaster - Chapter 19:
Chapter 19: Soft-Hearted
“Why are you at the hospital so early? Are you feeling unwell?”
“Had a bit of a stomachache last night. Came to get some medicine…”
Fu Jia’an nodded. Lu Jie tightly held the bag containing the medicine box. People were bustling around. No one cared who the two people standing there were or what they were doing. Everyone had their own worries, filled with anxiety and fatigue.
Some things were impossible to understand at the age of eighteen, such as how suppressed emotions wouldn’t surface from the brain but would seep into the body like venom. His stomach pain wasn’t caused by anything he ate but by emotional stagnation. The stomach is very close to the heart.
Fu Jia’an looked a bit tired, probably having stayed up all night again. He naturally leaned over, took Lu Jie’s arm, and mumbled groggily as if talking in his sleep, “Let’s go. I’ll take you to get breakfast.”
Lu Jie should have shaken him off. This behavior was utterly baffling. But before he could react, he was dragged away, because Lu Jie was just wondering why his stomach suddenly stopped hurting.
“You sit. I’ll get breakfast for you.” Fu Jia’an took out his employee card and went to the counter to pick up the food.
Even now, Lu Jie felt like he was dreaming. He checked the time; it was not yet eight o’clock. Maybe Fu Jia’an wasn’t fully awake either… In that instant, he was certain they had shared a moment of synchronized thought, like meeting on an Ark at the end of the world. No need to dwell on the past; a similar soul equals a companion.
The hospital was such a place, dispelling excess desires and obsessions. Everyone’s wishes were simple and pure. They wanted to live healthily, wanted the pain to stop. Nothing else mattered.
Lu Jie knew his burdens were more than just Fu Jia’an. His phone was still piled with unread messages from Dai Mengshu, his research project hadn’t made any progress in three years, and time had flown by. He occasionally dreamed of the note he had written in his teens and later ripped up. Yet, all of that seemed to be forgotten in that single moment.
“Steamed bun, porridge, egg,” Fu Jia’an placed the plate in front of him. “You have a stomach ache, so you can only eat this for now. Don’t drink coffee on an empty stomach, or better yet, don’t drink it at all.”
Wearing a white coat and giving earnest instructions, it felt quite authentic.
Lu Jie rested his chin on his hand, observing Fu Jia’an’s face closely, trying to find clues of a prank. “I’m not used to you being like this.”
Fu Jia’an narrowed his eyes. “How about if I say I poisoned it? Does that feel more familiar?”
“That wouldn’t be surprising. One good turn deserves another, right?” Lu Jie picked up the porridge, took a spoonful, and swallowed it. “Didn’t I poison you too?”
Fu Jia’an didn’t say anything more. He lowered his head, concentrating on peeling the egg in his hand.
Lu Jie remembered that Fu Jia’an always brought an egg to school in the morning. He would gently tap it on the corner of the desk, then cup the shell with his palm and roll it back and forth on the desk, before peeling off the shell bit by bit.
Lu Jie loved observing Fu Jia’an peeling eggs back then. He was focused, almost obsessive-compulsive, not allowing any imperfection in the peeling. It seemed that he wouldn’t emerge from his own world until the task was complete. Thinking back, Lu Jie felt that Fu Jia’an was most like a genius when he peeled eggs, but because the thought was so ridiculous, he never shared it with anyone.
The memory coincided with the present moment, even the mole on his nose was in the right spot.
But were Fu Jia’an’s hands like this before? Fair and slender, with thin, resilient wrists. They didn’t quite look like a man’s hands.
The perfectly peeled hard-boiled egg was placed on a small saucer, and then, in the blink of an eye, was swapped onto Lu Jie’s tray. Lu Jie was stunned for a moment, feeling a bit helpless. “Do you really think I can’t take care of myself? Besides, you…”
Fu Jia’an cut him off. “I washed my hands. Can you please not question a doctor’s hygiene standards?”
As if to prove his hands were clean, Fu Jia’an held them up and shook them in front of Lu Jie’s eyes, causing a slight disturbance in Lu Jie’s heart. Lu Jie averted his gaze. “Fine, fine, I get it.”
Only after he finished eating did Lu Jie realize it was a Hongmen Banquet (a feast with ill intentions).
As the two were returning their trays to the serving area, Fu Jia’an said next to him, “Give me a ride home, President Lu.”
“……” He knew Fu Jia’an hadn’t suddenly turned kind-hearted. Damn it.
Lu Jie: “Can’t you just take a taxi?”
Fu Jia’an: “Taxis cost money.”
“You’re quite thrifty,” Lu Jie said. “But I still have to go to work.”
“My place is on the way. It’s not a detour.”
It truly was a small matter to drop him off, but Lu Jie was annoyed that he had been manipulated by Fu Jia’an again without paying attention. Just as he was trying to find an excuse, another familiar face appeared.
Shen Rufai strolled over, holding a cup of coffee. Since Lu Jie learned about Shen Rufai’s relationship with Fu Jia’an’s brother, he always felt like Shen Rufai had a fox tail trailing behind him every time he appeared.
Shen Rufai said, “Jia’an? Didn’t you just finish an emergency surgery? Ten hours. That must be tiring. Are you on call today?”
Fu Jia’an rubbed his eyes and nodded. “I’m going back to sleep for a bit, take a shower, and then come back for my shift this afternoon.”
“How are you getting back? Still taking the bus?”
Fu Jia’an turned his head to look at Lu Jie, seemingly waiting for an answer, obedient and pitifully.
He didn’t ask Lu Jie to drive him, nor did he forbid it. But a neurosurgeon who had just finished a ten-hour surgery, working non-stop, was still managing to stay awake to have breakfast with him… Lu Jie looked at Fu Jia’an’s gaze and felt like he would be inhuman to refuse.
“…I,” Lu Jie felt a little speechless about his own soft heart. He gave Shen Rufai a polite smile and said, “I’ll drive him back.”
“Thank you then,” Shen Rufai walked towards the elevator but didn’t forget to remind Lu Jie, “Lu Jie, remember to come to the hospital for your re-examination next week.”
Lu Jie drove his car from the underground parking lot to the hospital entrance. While waiting for Fu Jia’an, Jiang Yan called.
“There’s a contract on your desk. Remember to look at it when you get to work today.”
“Okay,” Lu Jie said. “I’ll probably be at the company around eleven.”
“Hiss, that’s unlike you,” Jiang Yan sensed something acutely. “Why is workaholic Lu Jie late by an hour today?”
“Stomachache, came to the hospital to check it out.”
“And then?”
“What then,” Lu Jie saw Fu Jia’an approaching. “Gotta go. Talk later.”
Fu Jia’an had changed into a simple hoodie, similar to the last one, loose and simple, looking very comfortable. He got in the car, fastened his seatbelt, entered the address on Lu Jie’s navigation, and immediately started drifting off to sleep.
While waiting at a traffic light, Lu Jie couldn’t help but glance at Fu Jia’an a few times. The latter was sleeping soundly, completely defenseless.
After about fifteen minutes of driving, the car entered a bumpy, uneven small road. The navigation displayed the “arrived” message. Lu Jie was startled by the dilapidated old building in front of them. He checked the navigation multiple times, but this place didn’t look like a residential area at all.
Lu Jie turned off the engine, intending to confirm the location with Fu Jia’an, but when he looked up, he noticed the sky outside was overcast. The bright, clear sky had, at some point, started to drizzle.
“It’s raining?” Fu Jia’an woke up, his eyes slightly hazy.
“Yeah,” Lu Jie mumbled an irrelevant comment. “Washed the car for nothing.”
Fu Jia’an was distant, gazing out the window. “I remember you used to like rainy days. What about now?”
“It’s not about liking or disliking it,” Lu Jie said honestly. “I just haven’t paid attention to the weather in a long time.”
Splash! The rain suddenly intensified. It was the first downpour of late May. The sound of raindrops hitting the car window was a steady pitter-patter, like a long static noise from a disturbed radio.
Lu Jie had a feeling that this relaxed atmosphere was fleeting, that the baring of hearts was a momentary occurrence. If he didn’t ask some questions now, he wouldn’t get the chance later.
He unconsciously gripped the steering wheel. “Why choose a place like this? Is it really habitable?”
“But it’s close to the hospital. Our hospital ran out of dorms for residents. Although I can crash at my brother’s place sometimes, I need to come back here occasionally to shower and lie down in peace.”
Lu Jie rubbed his nose and asked nonchalantly, “So, you live with Dr. Shen?”
“No, my brother often stays at his boyfriend’s place.”
“Oh.” Lu Jie turned his head to look at the rain outside. His stomach felt slightly better again.
Silence.
“Do you have an umbrella in the car?”
“No.”
“Then I’ll wait until the rain slows down a bit before getting out. Is that okay?” Fu Jia’an looked at Lu Jie.
“Hmm.”
The space in the car was narrow. It was truly uncomfortable not to say anything. Lu Jie remembered the question Fu Jia’an had asked him yesterday, so he tossed it back exactly: “Then why did you become a doctor?”
Fu Jia’an raised his finger and tapped his leg meaningfully twice. His gaze towards Lu Jie was obscure and ambiguous: “Because my fingers are very flexible.”
…Just as he thought, this guy couldn’t say anything heartfelt.
Forget it. It’s fine to say nothing. Turning off the ignition and resting, listening to the rain, also counted as a luxury break.
Thinking back to his final year of high school at Yaochen No. 1, frankly, it was no different from being in prison. But later, Lu Jie understood that those days of single-minded focus would be hard to find again after growing up.
The shower mixed with the scent of grass and trees, the comfortable evening breeze on the face, the scattered heavy snow, and the innocent small world of boys and girls.
Just like now.
“Lu Jie, did you know?”
Lu Jie turned to look at Fu Jia’an. Fu Jia’an’s eyes seemed unfocused, without a center.
“My world was actually collapsing every day, and then one day, someone handed me an umbrella.”
Fu Jia’an didn’t say who “that person” was, but Lu Jie probably knew. When Fu Jia’an spoke that sentence, it was as if he was reliving the moment, and his expression softened.
This was too unfamiliar to Lu Jie, making him feel scared and uneasy. In that instant, he was shocked by every word of the sentence. It was like a quietly flowing river suddenly shattering a rock; the impactful torrent left him overwhelmed.
It seemed that a feeling he could not bear was hidden within that seemingly careless remark.
But, perhaps he misunderstood. That’s not what he meant, right? And how could Fu Jia’an suddenly stop talking in circles? He was always like this, using harmless actions and words to deceive people into letting down their guard, then revealing the trap behind the sweetness. He always had an ulterior motive.
Lu Jie wouldn’t be fooled again.
“The rain has slowed down a bit now,” Fu Jia’an reached for the door handle button. “I’ll go upstairs now.”
“Mmm, okay,” Lu Jie snapped out of his trance. “Be careful.”
Watching Fu Jia’an’s retreating figure, Lu Jie was filled with doubts. Was there a trick hidden behind that sentence, or nothing at all? His suspended heart couldn’t find a place to land and beat wildly in his chest.
And…
Lu Jie opened the glove compartment in front of the passenger seat.
He was crazy. Why did he just say there was no umbrella in the car when there clearly was one right here?