Chapter 20.2 - Charming, Whether She's Teasing or Not (2)
After the surgery, Wen Shaoqing and Chen Cu were so exhausted they could only lean against the wall to catch their breath. The head nurse came out after changing clothes and looked at the two of them with a smile.
“Did you know? The younger staff love assisting in your surgeries.”
Wen Shaoqing rubbed his temples and gave a tired smile. “Really?”
The middle-aged head nurse nodded firmly.
“Yep. Not only do they get a front-row seat to top-notch surgical skills, they also get to hear the latest jokes. And most importantly, you two are easy on the eyes. As they say—good looks and great skills, clean or dirty jokes equally adept, just the right level of flirtatiousness without crossing the line, suitable for all ages… Of course you’re popular.”
Chen Cu suddenly remembered something and opened his eyes.
“I think we recorded that surgery too. If the director decides to lecture us tomorrow, Nurse, please help shield us a little.”
The head nurse patted her chest confidently.
“Of course. If he gets too harsh, I’ll make him sleep on the couch!”
Just as Wen Shaoqing and Chen Cu finally laid down in the break room, they were called up again.
Wen Shaoqing looked over and noticed how pale Chen Cu was, so he gave him a pat.
“You rest. I’ll go check.”
Chen Cu didn’t look great—he frowned deeply and rubbed his forehead.
“Feels like I’m catching a cold. If you get overwhelmed, come get me.”
But once Wen Shaoqing left, he didn’t come back.
Chen Cu only got up after dozing for a while and feeling a bit better. He took a walk around the wards and, not seeing Wen Shaoqing anywhere, went to ask the nurse station.
A nurse pointed toward the OR.
“Another emergency case came in—he’s in surgery again.” She shook her head and sighed. “Looks like tonight’s not going to quiet down.”
Chen Cu was about to ask more when the phone rang. The nurse answered and came back with a grimace.
“Dr. Chen, time to prep for another patient…”
Wen Shaoqing didn’t emerge from the OR until after the shift change. He rubbed his neck, visibly annoyed. He usually had pretty good luck—most night shifts passed peacefully. The unluckiest in the department was Chen Cu, whose night shifts were notoriously packed with emergencies. Doctors and nurses alike dreaded being paired with him. Only Wen Shaoqing could barely manage to balance him out. Usually, if the two were on duty together, they’d get an occasional emergency. But last night had been nonstop chaos.
On his way out after handing over the shift, he ran into Chen Cu, who was also finishing. Wen pulled him aside and grumbled,
“You didn’t pay your respects to the Night Shift God, did you?”
Chen Cu, exhausted, rubbed his forehead and muttered, “I did, I did…”
It was morning rush hour, and several incoming staff overheard this and paused to join in the gossip.
“Sounds like last night, the east wind overwhelmed the west wind.”
“You mean Dr. Chen overwhelmed Dr. Wen?”
“I never said that!” The words were suggestive, and medical folks always had a dark sense of humor—everyone burst out laughing.
Seeing Wen Shaoqing’s face grow darker, Chen Cu quickly tried to clarify.
“Don’t twist things! I’d never dare overwhelm him!”
The attempt to clarify only made it worse.
“So Dr. Chen’s always been the one underneath, huh?”
Wen Shaoqing ignored the group and spotted the shift scheduler nearby. He pointed at Chen Cu and said,
“Don’t put us on the same night shift again anytime soon. He’s too hot right now—I can’t suppress him.”
Chen Cu gave a helpless smile.
The shift assistant pushed up his glasses and looked delighted.
“Even the legends are suffering from the Night Shift God now? This is going straight to the hospital forum. Title: Once-in-a-century event—two star clinicians simultaneously crushed by the night shift.”
Wen Shaoqing and Chen Cu both looked speechless.
Just as the crowd started to disperse, a timid intern suddenly stepped forward.
“Uh… Dr. Wen, Dr. Chen, I just remembered… I think I wore red yesterday.”
Wen Shaoqing glanced at him, confused. No red in sight.
The intern stammered, “Um… underwear.”
Even mild-mannered Chen Cu snapped.
“Don’t you know red’s bad luck for night shifts?! It attracts blood!”
The intern was mortified.
“But… we’re all educated professionals. Shouldn’t we avoid superstition?”
Everyone shot back in unison:
“Shut up!”
Despite their education, medical professionals still held deep respect for unwritten rules during night shifts.
With his name cleared, Chen Cu finally relaxed. Wen Shaoqing patted his shoulder comfortingly and suggested that, perhaps, their energies were clashing lately and it’d be better not to work night shifts together for now.
Chen Cu protested at his retreating back,
“What does that even mean?! You still don’t believe me, do you?!”
Wen Shaoqing’s silence was confirmation enough.
The next morning, Cong Rong naturally didn’t get a hot breakfast. She took a few bites of cold toast and left the house.
The moment she stepped out, she saw Wen Shaoqing leaning against the elevator wall, completely still.
She rushed over. “What’s wrong?”
At the sound of her voice, Wen Shaoqing tried to open his eyes, but his body swayed. Cong Rong instinctively reached out to steady him. He leaned into her shoulder without resistance.
He had just come back from outside, still carrying a chill. But his breath against her neck was warm and ticklish. Cong Rong’s cheeks turned red, and her body instinctively tensed to support him.
After a long pause, his weak voice finally came,
“Three surgeries during the day, then another all-nighter. Haven’t eaten. Low blood sugar. Dizzy.”
She looked down at his pale face, the shadows under his eyes, and heard the rasp in his voice—he really did look completely drained.
While holding him up, she reached into her bag and pulled out a tin.
“I have some candy—eat one first.” She popped one out and held it up to him.
Wen Shaoqing glanced down at it and frowned almost imperceptibly.
“Mint?”
Cong Rong blinked. “Mint is still sugar.”
He hesitated. “I don’t like mint.”
For some reason, Cong Rong felt an odd sense of triumph, as if she’d finally won a round. She smirked inwardly but kept her face calm.
“Oh? Then don’t eat it.”
Wen Shaoqing said nothing, eyes closed, waiting for the dizziness to pass. Whether from low blood sugar or her sass was unclear.
Eventually, she softened and offered the candy again.
“Just eat it.”
Wen Shaoqing slowly opened his eyes, looked at her, then lowered his head. Without warning, he leaned in toward her palm, slightly parted his lips, and flicked the candy into his mouth with his tongue. Then he stood up straight.
“Thanks,” he murmured.
The warm, slick feeling of his tongue brushing her palm made her hand tingle. Her mind went blank and her heart fluttered. That strange feeling in her chest swelled and surged until it nearly overflowed.
She stood frozen for a moment before finally remembering to pull her hand back, hiding it behind her as if trying to conceal something.
Only after a long pause did she mentally scream:
“You’re still flirting with me at a time like this?!”
Then she glanced at him again—weak, leaning against the wall, that touch of illness only made him more dangerously attractive. Her heart itched, and her thoughts were a mess.
Indeed, flirt or not, the man was pure temptation.
