Chapter 13 - The Fragrance of that Tea (Part 2)
Zeng Li couldn’t help but laugh, thinking back to the night when Ai Jingchu almost gave her a heart attack.
Meanwhile, Zhou Wen was attaching the brackets, and Fan Fan stood nearby, mixing the glue and helping her out. After a while, they finished, and Zhou Wen went to call Ai Jingchu for a final check and to arrange the next steps.
However, Ai Jingchu was taking quite a long time. As Zeng Li was the last patient for Zhou Wen that day, there wasn’t much else to do, so she figured Ai Jingchu would be busy for a while. Taking advantage of the time, she decided to go to the restroom.
Zeng Li, a little bored, started to study the sink on her left. She couldn’t figure out why the little water pipe above it sometimes let water flow, only to stop by itself after a while. Frowning in thought, she was so focused that she didn’t notice someone approaching.
Quickly, she lay back down on the treatment chair, her eyes glancing up to find Ai Jingchu sitting down beside her. She wanted to greet him but wasn’t sure how to start the conversation. That last encounter had left her feeling embarrassed, as though she had been putting on some kind of melodramatic show, and he definitely didn’t know that his “thank you” had caused her so many issues at work.
“Uh—Zhou Wen went to the restroom,” Zeng Li said awkwardly.
“Then we’ll wait,” Ai Jingchu replied calmly.
At that moment, Zeng Li’s hair tie fell to the floor. She didn’t notice, but Ai Jingchu did. He bent down, took off his gloves, and picked it up for her. Just as he did, Zhou Wen came running back, not noticing Ai Jingchu’s presence. She assumed he hadn’t come yet and asked excitedly as she approached, “By the way, how did the blind date go at lunch?”
Before Zeng Li could respond, Zhou Wen noticed Ai Jingchu standing up straight, and immediately her words stumbled. “Ai… Ai Teacher, you’re here.”
“Mm,” Ai Jingchu responded, his hand still holding the hair tie, which he casually slipped into his pocket.
Then came the usual routine. Ai Jingchu directed, and Zhou Wen assisted, while Zeng Li lay there, feeling the tension in the air.
Just then, the head nurse walked in. “Xiao Ai, I found two bundles of the No. 4 wire you asked for,” she said. The head nurse, an older lady around fifty, was a little plump.
Ai Jingchu thanked her, and Zhou Wen took over the task. The nurse, seeing that Zeng Li was the only remaining patient, leaned against the desk and began chatting with Ai Jingchu about the New Year and the hospital.
Suddenly, the nurse said, “Hey, Xiao Ai, I heard you have a girlfriend now?”
Her abrupt question made everyone in the room pause, even the students nearby who had been taking notes.
Ai Jingchu, who had been about to respond, froze for a moment.
The nurse continued, “Don’t hide it from us, you can tell us. My old classmate told me about it. What was her name again? It was something unique, let me think...” The nurse paused to recall the name.
Everyone, including Zeng Li, waited in anticipation for the nurse’s answer.
“Oh, right, right,” the nurse suddenly remembered. “Her name’s Zeng Li. My old classmate said you even picked the library flower!”
The words “Zeng Li” slipped from the nurse’s mouth, and Zeng Li nearly fell off the treatment bed.
Even Ai Jingchu was stunned.
Zhou Wen, equally surprised, glanced between Ai Jingchu and Zeng Li, her mind trying to piece everything together. Was the “Zeng Li” the nurse was talking about the same one?
Fan Fan, who had just walked over, nudged Zeng Li and said, “What a coincidence, her name is Zeng Li too?”
Zhou Wen gave Fan Fan an admiring look. She had always thought Fan Fan was shy, but in this moment, she had asked the critical question.
None of the students in the room were unfamiliar with the name “Zeng Li.” Just yesterday in class, Ai Jingchu had brought up her medical records to discuss, and although they had only seen black-and-white X-ray images of her skull, they all clearly remembered the name.
Zhou Wen thought for a moment. Was Zeng Li Ai Jingchu’s wife?
No way… there was no way she could have known.
If it was true, then she had been helping the “wife” cover for Ai Jingchu, even arranging a blind date for her! That would be way more than just a heart attack; Ai Jingchu would definitely make her into a complete mess.
Zhou Wen’s mind was in disarray.
All eyes were on Zeng Li, who felt like she could sink into the floor and disappear. She desperately wanted to explain herself but also realized that she didn’t need to justify anything to them. Why should she cover for him when he hadn’t cleared things up in the first place? Because of him, she had become the talk of the office, and now he was facing the consequences. It almost felt like sweet revenge.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have Ai Jingchu’s commanding presence or composure. After a few seconds of hesitation, she hastily waved her hands and said, “No, no. It’s not like that.”
Seeing the continuing curiosity and suspicion in everyone’s eyes, Zeng Li tried to explain further. “It’s definitely not how they said it at work. We’re just… we’re just…” She stumbled over her words, caught in a panic and unsure of how to explain.
Finally, in her frustration, she turned to Ai Jingchu, “Ai Jingchu, say something!”
Zhou Wen’s heart skipped a beat. No one else would dare speak to their boss in that tone—except perhaps a girlfriend.
