Gloves - Chapter 11

“I’m sure you’ve seen how terrifying of a person I can be. Don’t tell me you went through all this trouble to come back to this city just to ask me if I’m sincere,” Shang Zhuoxi released An Chujie, tugged at her gloves. Such a question sent a chill down Shang Zhuoxi’s spine.

“If I said I’m not sincere, what would you do to me?” An Chujie was speechless. If he wasn’t sincere, she couldn’t do anything to him besides feeling heartbroken. She couldn’t even touch a single strand of Shang Zhuoxi’s hair.

“If I said yes, would you leave your man behind and come running to me without hesitation?” Shang Zhuoxi looked at An Chujie, who remained silent, and continued with a bitter smile, “Clearly, you wouldn’t.”

“I don’t have any man!” An Chujie exclaimed.

“Is that so? Then I truly feel sorry for that person surnamed Yi. The beloved woman who refuses to admit her own feelings,” Shang Zhuoxi remarked.

“Please come in,” Shang Zhuoxi said, looking at the number on the electronic screen. Their conversation was interrupted.

The visitor was an elderly woman who claimed to have leg pain and insisted on seeing a specialist. Shang Zhuoxi immediately switched from his previous attitude to that of a professional doctor. After a brief inquiry, Shang Zhuoxi took notes and prescribed calcium tablets for her.

“Madam, please go to the pharmacy on the left side of the first floor to collect your medication. Be sure to supplement your calcium intake and ensure good sleep quality,” Shang Zhuoxi raised his voice slightly, fearing that the elderly woman might have difficulty hearing.

Not long after the elderly woman left, she returned with a puzzled expression and looked at Shang Zhuoxi without saying a word.

“Grandma, the loss of calcium is caused by changes in hormone distribution in your body. Taking calcium tablets is not a problem. Please go down and collect your medication. There are others waiting behind you,” Shang Zhuoxi patiently explained to her, but the old lady seemed to only partially understand, furrowing her brow.

“It’s okay if you don’t understand all of this. It takes several years for medical students to fully comprehend it. Anyway, just take the calcium tablets when you get home,” Shang Zhuoxi reassured the old woman.

Finally, the old lady frowned and spoke up, “Experts on TV say that you shouldn’t randomly supplement calcium. Why did you still prescribe calcium tablets to me?”

Shang Zhuoxi’s lips twitched, and he slightly furrowed his attractive brows. Dealing with patients like this was truly frustrating. He walked over to An Chujie and whispered, “Chujie, do me a favor. Go to the nurse’s station on this floor and bring back that pot of Cymbidium goeringii.” After speaking, he put on a polite smile again.

Although An Chujie didn’t understand, she still complied with his request. Even an outsider like her could understand the reasoning Shang Zhuoxi had explained.

“Why haven’t you left yet, little pity?” Tu Yi looked at An Chujie as if trying to pry some earth-shattering secret out of her face.

“Director Shang needs…” An Chujie looked around and finally spotted a pot of weathered Cymbidium goeringii on the windowsill. “He needs that pot of Cymbidium goeringii,” An Chujie pointed to the windowsill.

“Oh~ So little pity, you’re working with Director Shang, huh? Isn’t that lovely~” Tu Yi purposely dragged out his words and exchanged a glance with nurse Lily.

“Lily, you see, I told you and you didn’t believe me…” Tu Yi proudly flicked his hair.

“I don’t care if I believe you or not. In any case, it’s not your turn to accompany Director Shang,” Lily sneered and gave Tu Yi a contemptuous look.

“Well, I believe it. Director Shang even gave that girl her own private room before,” Tu Yi said with conviction.

….

After An Chujie left, there was a buzz of discussion in the duty room.

Shang Zhuoxi took the grass from An Chujie’s hand and bent down, earnestly explaining to the elderly woman, “Grandma, take a look at these plants. They can die from either overwatering or drought. Your body is like a plant that has dried up due to lack of water. Do you think it needs to be watered or not?” Shang Zhuoxi winked at the elderly woman, and the analogy clicked in her mind. She happily went to buy the prescribed medication.

An Chujie couldn’t help but laugh at their conversation. Shang Zhuoxi thanked An Chujie and frustratedly rubbed her forehead as she called in the next patient.

……

An Chujie spent the afternoon being like a little nurse, quietly accompanying Shang Zhuoxi. She admired the way she interacted with patients, her dedication to her work, and the tenderness in her eyes when she cared for them. At the same time, she realized how difficult it was for Shang Zhuoxi.

When it was time to finish work, Shang Zhuoxi put on her black coat and clean gloves, transforming from the gentle and patient doctor into a dominant queen.

“Are you hungry? Let me take you out for something to eat,” An Chujie didn’t bring up the previous question again. Seeing how busy Shang Zhuoxi had been all afternoon, she didn’t want to bother her further. She obediently agreed.

“I’ll take you somewhere,” the early autumn night arrived quickly. An Chujie sat in Shang Zhuoxi’s car, listening to the CD playing “I’m In Here.” Her mind was transported back to a few years ago when Shang Zhuoxi would play her favorite songs in the car without saying a word. Every time she looked at her, her eyes were filled with softness.

It was a magical feeling. The streetlights outside passed by like fierce, glaring eyes. Shang Zhuoxi’s car felt like a large protective shield. Although An Chujie didn’t know where Shang Zhuoxi was taking her or if the destination was safe, she didn’t feel the slightest bit afraid. Deep down, she still chose to believe that Shang Zhuoxi would never harm her, even though she had once cut her open with a cold surgical knife.

“This is something your father left for you. I didn’t have a chance to tell you after you came back,” Shang Zhuoxi said, handing An Chujie the keys.

“Father?” An Chujie looked at the house in front of her, surprised by the sudden revelation of a house left by her father. Then she looked at Shang Zhuoxi with a questioning gaze.

“Don’t look at me like that. Your father is doing well now,” Shang Zhuoxi reassured her and handed her the keys.

“After you graduated, I helped you with the renovation. It’s decorated in the color scheme you like.”

An Chujie used the keys given by Shang Zhuoxi to open the door. The warm air inside the house brushed against her face as she found the motion sensor for the lights. The room instantly brightened up, with a large off-white sofa catching An Chujie’s attention. The walls were a pale yellow close to beige, and the partitions had a natural and open design. Under the soft but not glaring ceiling lights, the whole house felt exceptionally cozy. Does this mean that An Chujie no longer has to stay in a hotel?

“Why didn’t my father tell me himself?” An Chujie stood in the house, looking at everything. It all felt so unreal. Where is her father? Why has there been no news for the past few years, and now Shang Zhuoxi suddenly comes to tell her that he left her a house?

“If your father didn’t tell you, it must be because he didn’t want you to know. So, Chujie, if you keep asking, wouldn’t it seem a bit childish?” An Chujie felt that what Shang Zhuoxi said was not wrong. She decided to temporarily suppress all her questions and not ask anymore. An Chujie looked at Shang Zhuoxi and softly said, “Thank you.” Shang Zhuoxi was surprised. An Chujie actually thanked her. Wasn’t she always so resentful towards her?

“Shang Zhuoxi, if you had honestly told me that you wanted to use me for experiments, I would have obediently laid on your operating table for you. But I don’t want you to deceive me.”

“Well, since you think I’m deceiving you, let’s just leave it at that,” Shang Zhuoxi didn’t want to explain further. An Chujie didn’t trust her, so any amount of explanation would be futile.

“You don’t even bother to explain?” An Chujie looked at Shang Zhuoxi lazily leaning against the door, feeling a chill in her heart.

Seeing the hurt in An Chujie’s eyes, Shang Zhuoxi’s heart ached as well, but she stubbornly refused to offer any explanation.

“As for the debt my father owes you, it’s only fair that the daughter repays it. I hope you won’t trouble him.”

“A daughter repays her father’s debt? What can you possibly use to repay me?!” Shang Zhuoxi sneered, her face filled with disdain. She stood there coldly, looking at the stubbornness in An Chujie’s eyes.

An Chujie clenched her teeth and released her tightly clenched fists. Her chest heaved as she walked briskly towards Shang Zhuoxi, tilting her head and offering her lips. Taking a gamble wouldn’t hurt, right? With closed eyes, hot tears streamed down her soft lashes, tracing her cheeks.

The sudden kiss from An Chujie caught Shang Zhuoxi off guard. Shang Zhuoxi forcefully pushed away the person in front of her, her eyes filled with surging deep blue waves. How dare An Chujie think of her so poorly, to the point of wanting to harm her father? How dare she question Shang Zhuoxi’s true feelings? How dare she have the confidence to believe that she alone can repay this debt? Before An Chujie could steady herself, Shang Zhuoxi swiftly pulled her into her embrace, biting down on the cool, soft lips with determination. Her tongue forcefully broke through the barrier of their teeth, dominating their mouths. With a swift spin, Shang Zhuoxi pressed the vulnerable person against the wall, pulling at the shirt tucked into her waist, slipping her hand beneath the thin fabric. A cool breeze rushed into their clothes, while Shang Zhuoxi’s other hand forcefully lifted An Chujie’s chin, her voice husky and seemingly from hell as she whispered into her ear:

“Repay me with your entire lifetime!”

An Chujie attempted to push the person behind her multiple times, but each time her strength grew weaker. In this moment, she felt as though she was floating in the vast sea, desperately grasping onto driftwood. Shang Zhuoxi’s hand became that lifeline.

Shang Zhuoxi’s tongue continued to tease her crimson earlobes, while with one hand she unbuttoned the front of her shirt, tearing it off with a swift motion. An Chujie was simultaneously stimulated by the icy coldness of the wall in front of her and the scorching heat emanating from Shang Zhuoxi’s coat behind her. Shang Zhuoxi gripped An Chujie’s face, twisting her head towards the direction of the mirror. An Chujie looked at her disheveled reflection in the mirror, a mixture of shame and primal desire fiercely battling and tormenting her nerves.

Under Shang Zhuoxi’s relentless provocation and assault, the internal longing within An Chujie was finally conquered and numbed her brain like a ferocious beast. Her pupils slowly dilated, her consciousness gradually blurred. Shang Zhuoxi seemed to unload all her resentment, dissatisfaction, and empty desires onto the fragile body in her arms, ruthlessly plunging deep into her soul, watching with satisfaction as the trembling figure eventually fainted.

When An Chujie woke up, she found herself lying on the sofa, disheveled and alone in the house. The only remnants of the intense encounter were her own disheveled appearance and the “used” white gloves in the trash bin. But more than that, she couldn’t shake off the lingering feeling of pain left behind by Shang Zhuoxi.