Gloves - Chapter 24

“Hello? Oh! Director Shang?” Tu Yi quickly spit out the breakfast in his mouth, as if fearing that if the food stayed in his mouth for one more second, he would be fired. He was also curious why Director Shang would call the duty room.

“Tu Yi, has Dr. Chen, who was on duty in the department today, arrived? I called the office, but no one answered,” Shang Zhuoxi said on the phone while attentively helping An Chujie put on her coat.

“It seems like he hasn’t arrived yet. Wasn’t it supposed to be his turn on the weekend? Why is it so soon? Which department is Director Shang rotating to this time? Does that mean it’s even further away from us?” Tu Yi stretched his neck to look at the corridor where no one had passed by.

“Alright, if he comes later, please help me inform him that the scheduled surgery for this afternoon has been moved up to 11 o’clock. I need him to be prepared. I have other matters to attend to,” Shang Zhuoxi didn’t want to answer Tu Yi’s numerous questions one by one. After An Chujie finished dressing, Shang Zhuoxi gently caressed her face, and the radiance in his clear eyes was as tender as the morning sun.

“Not a bother at all, not a bother at all!” Tu Yi was thrilled to receive a call from Director Shang for the first time. How could he consider it a bother?

As soon as An Chujie entered the lobby, she could smell the distinct scent of disinfectant that was unique to hospitals. She disliked hospitals and detested the sharp odor, but if she didn’t come, she would forever be limping.

“Hey, hey, it’s our turn in the Orthopedics Department, courtesy of the esteemed hospital director,”

“Xu Meimei must be ecstatic,”

“And it’s even earlier than expected. I bet Director Shang has some ulterior motives,”

“Oh, that poor little thing that got scolded last time is here too,”

—–

“What are you all gathered in the hallway for?” Xu Yuer leisurely walked out of the office, eating breakfast and throwing away trash. She noticed that all the doctors and nurses were looking downstairs with smiles on their faces, but soon dispersed.

“Xu Yuer, Director Shang is here!” a young nurse exclaimed, even more excited than Xu Yuer herself, before quickly running off.

What? Xu Yuer hadn’t even processed the information yet when she turned around and saw Shang Zhuoxi walking out of the elevator. She hastily waved her hand, swiftly retreated, and quickly washed her hands, rinsed her mouth, and tidied herself up. Then, she elegantly stepped out of the office, one leg at a time.

“Zhuoxi~” Xu Yuer transformed into that sweet little girl once again. As Shang Zhuoxi approached the door, Xu Yuer pounced on her, playfully clinging to her and saying in a sweet, coquettish voice, “If I didn’t come to your building, you wouldn’t have remembered Yu’er, would you?” She grabbed Shang Zhuoxi’s clothes and shook them, habitually ignoring An Chujie behind her, although An Chujie couldn’t ignore her.

“How could that be? It’s already so late, and you haven’t even changed your clothes?” Shang Zhuoxi pinched her nose, and in her tone, there was only indulgence without the slightest hint of reproach.

“Alright,” Xu Yuer pouted and went to change into her white coat.

The lighting in this building was good, but An Chujie still preferred the one across the street. She was starting to miss Tu Yi and the others a little.

Shang Zhuoxi arrived at the new office and realized that there were still some things that hadn’t been brought over, such as the work uniform. But going back again might make An Chujie wait for a long time, so she had no choice but to head towards Xu Yuer’s office.

“Wow, how did you become the director? You still have to borrow someone else’s white coat,” Xu Yuer muttered while taking out a fresh, fragrant garment from the cupboard. “Oh, you’re so tall,” she pretended to complain, but deep down, she was actually quite happy to see Shang Zhuoxi wearing her clothes.

After Shang Zhuoxi put on the clothes, she lowered his head to look at herself. It was a bit short, but still fit her well. She bent down, revealing a charming smile, and said, “Ordinary people might think it’s dirty, but I think Yu’er is very clean.”

“Really?” Xu Yuer happily tiptoed and gently tapped her foot on Shang Zhuoxi’s face like a dragonfly skimming the water.

The two doors were wide open, and the conversation from the neighboring room could be heard clearly. An Chujie started to feel strange. Why was Shang Zhuoxi always so gentle towards her?

When they reached the CT room, Shang Zhuoxi closed the door and turned on the lights.

As soon as An Chujie saw the bed in the middle, she started to feel nervous.

“Lie down with your head towards this side,” Shang Zhuoxi said as she adjusted the instruments. After she finished, she noticed that An Chujie was still standing in place.

“What’s wrong?”

An Chujie remained silent. She was afraid to lie on Shang Zhuoxi’s bed. Even though it wasn’t a surgery, being in this enclosed space with just the two of them made her feel suffocated.

“This isn’t a surgery, no need to be afraid,” Shang Zhuoxi approached An Chujie. She understood what she was worried about. “Nothing will happen if you lie down for just a minute.”

An Chujie gave Shang Zhuoxi a skeptical look.

“You really are a stubborn little thing,” Shang Zhuoxi shook her head and decisively picked her up and placed her on the table. “I’ll be at the back for a while.”

Although An Chujie still felt a lingering fear, she obediently lay down.

“Stretch your legs out straight, very good.”

As soon as the images appeared, Shang Zhuoxi finally understood why An Chujie’s foot had been in pain all this time. There was a small fragment around her gray-blue ankle, and next to it was even a broken piece of thread! How could someone with such poor skills become a doctor? Shang Zhuoxi walked up to An Chujie, furrowing her brow in both concern and slight anger.

“When and where did you have your previous surgery?” she asked.

An Chujie sat up, looking at Shang Zhuoxi in silence. She didn’t want to think about or bring up those things at all.

“Chujie, I am your doctor. I have the right to know your medical history,” Shang Zhuoxi’s pupils trembled.

“…It was last year, at a clinic near our school in Toronto,” An Chujie replied, avoiding Shang Zhuoxi’s gaze.

Shang Zhuoxi looked at the bone fragment and the faint scar on the image.

“You dared to go to a small clinic for a bone fracture? How did it happen?”

An Chujie acted as if she hadn’t heard her.

“Look at me and answer,” Shang Zhuoxi grew angry. How could An Chujie be so ignorant when it came to taking care of herself?

“It was… a drunk driver… accidentally hit me,” An Chujie tightly gripped the edge of the table and turned her face away. Shang Zhuoxi’s tone brooked no refusal. Did she really not know what had happened to her?

“A drunk driver? And it was an accident?” Shang Zhuoxi couldn’t believe it. Was she afraid that she would blame the drunk driver?

“There are still remnants inside your foot that need to be cleaned out. We will proceed with the surgery shortly,” she said, leaving no room for discussion.

—————————————————————————————————————————

“Zhuoxi, why don’t you have someone more nimble than that old lady as your assistant? She’s much more efficient,” Xu Yuer exclaimed excitedly when she learned that Shang Zhuoxi was going to perform surgery on her friend with a limp.

“Yu’er, aren’t you usually afraid of trouble? Why the sudden change? Is it because you can’t sleep?” Shang Zhuoxi replied.

“No, I just want to help you. Besides, being by your side will allow me to learn something. Zhuoxi, you wouldn’t be so stingy as to deny me this opportunity, right?” Xu Yuer said playfully.

“Of course not. It’s rare for you to willingly enter the operating room. Go change your clothes then,” Shang Zhuoxi responded.

The operating room was cold and oppressive. An Chujie lay on the narrow operating table. As soon as the door opened, she sat up in fright. The person who entered was wearing a round cap, a loose surgical gown, rubber gloves, and carrying a tray filled with various surgical instruments, which reflected a glaring light.

“Don’t be afraid, I’m not the lead surgeon. I’m Zhuoxi’s assistant,” the person spoke with a hint of pride in their voice. An Chujie immediately recognized her as Xu Yuer, someone Shang Zhuoxi treated specially. Look, she respectfully addresses her as Director Shang, while she can casually call her Zhuoxi.

Then Shang Zhuoxi entered. An Chujie became really nervous this time, not because she was afraid of the pain, but because the dark memories from years ago had been unexpectedly unearthed and placed right in front of her. An Chujie swallowed hard.

Shang Zhuoxi turned on the light above An Chujie’s head and moved it down to the footrest. As the light was turned off, a shadow quickly cast over Shang Zhuoxi’s eyes.

“Lie down properly,”

An Chujie forced herself to suppress the discomfort and lay down stiffly. But as soon as she did, she immediately reached out and grabbed Shang Zhuoxi’s large cuff, tears flickering in her eyes.

Shang Zhuoxi turned around, revealing a gentle gaze. She removed his mask and leaned in close to An Chujie’s face, whispering softly, “Don’t be afraid, it’s just a minor surgery.” After her words, she placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. An Chujie looked at the shadow on Shang Zhuoxi’s face, her pupils dilating. She closed her eyes, continuously telling herself to trust her, that she was helping her save her injured left leg.

Xu Yuer, witnessing this scene, immediately became displeased. She stood by, refusing to hand any tools to Shang Zhuoxi. Why was it that Shang Zhuoxi could be affectionate with An Chujie, but she had never shown any affection towards her?

“Yu’er… Yu’er?” Shang Zhuoxi called out as she noticed Xu Yuer lost in thought.

“What?” Xu Yuer replied irritably. Shang Zhuoxi gestured to the tools in her hand. After all, surgery was not something to be taken lightly. Xu Yuer reluctantly walked over to Shang Zhuoxi’s side, tilting her head and placing the tools down without even looking at Shang Zhuoxi’s serious expression for that girl.

“Twist the bottle open,” Shang Zhuoxi said, looking at Xu Yuer’s pouting face with a smile.

“I know! Hmph!” Xu Yuer huffed.

As the cotton ball rubbed against her skin, bringing a cold sensation, An Chujie couldn’t help but tremble instinctively.

“Be good, stay still. Once the anesthesia kicks in, it won’t hurt anymore,” Shang Zhuoxi’s voice was muffled by the mask, making it unclear.

An Chujie could see how attentively and earnestly Shang Zhuoxi was treating her. She also noticed the adoring and tender gaze in Xu Yuer’s eyes when she looked at Shang Zhuoxi.

————————————————————————————————————————

After the surgery, Shang Zhuoxi brought An Chujie to her office to rest.

“Your foot still needs some time to fully recover. These next two days are crucial. I can arrange a private room for you, or you can stay with me…”

“No need, I’ll just go home,” An Chujie replied, not wanting to burden Shang Zhuoxi.

“I don’t have time to take care of you at home,” Shang Zhuoxi insisted, not wanting to give others an opportunity.

“I can take care of myself,” An Chujie smiled, feeling the effects of the anesthesia gradually wearing off.

“That’s not happening,” Shang Zhuoxi said, taking off her hat and letting her beautiful blonde hair cascade down. She never cared about An Chujie’s objections.

“Fine, then… Can I stay with Tu Yi and the others?” An Chujie looked up, pleading earnestly.

“… Alright, you can,” Shang Zhuoxi reluctantly agreed.

“Then… Can I stay in a regular ward?” An Chujie asked cautiously.

“…,” Shang Zhuoxi clearly didn’t want to agree to this. She leaned down, her soft blonde hair brushing against An Chujie’s face as she explained in a gentle voice, “Regular wards have more germs and are less clean. I don’t want you going there.” Shang Zhuoxi’s hair still held her warmth, and An Chujie couldn’t bear to refuse her, so she nodded.

“Okay, then let’s find a room with no or fewer people,” Shang Zhuoxi said, looking at An Chujie with a hint of disappointment in her eyes. She couldn’t bear to see it and had to compromise.

————————————————————————————————————————

“Oh, Director Shang is here too? Looks like you’re really busy,” the person spoke with a cigarette in their mouth, a provocative expression on their face.

“Please put out your cigarette first,” Shang Zhuoxi frowned, unable to tolerate anything about the person in front of her.

“Meowjie, your fire…” The lighter was not taken away, and as soon as Tu Yi stepped out, he saw the two queen-like figures standing face to face in the hallway. Upon receiving the questioning gaze from his beloved Director Shang, he immediately stopped the words in his mouth and quickly changed his demeanor. He bent down and started looking on the ground for something.

“Hey? Where did that cat just run off to? Why did it disappear so suddenly?!” Tu Yi wished he could find a hole to hide in right away.

Qi Ruan threw the cigarette and reached out to pull Tu Yi up from his bent position.

“I’m asking if you have any dignity?! Our Director is here, and you’re pretending not to know me?” Qi Ruan was getting annoyed by Tu Yi’s attitude.

Shang Zhuoxi looked at Tu Yi’s appearance and couldn’t help but cover her mouth and chuckle softly.

“Why are you laughing?” Qi Ruan raised her chin at Shang Zhuoxi, and Tu Yi’s eyebrows formed the shape of the character ‘八’ (meaning ‘eight’).

“Oh, so you two know each other,” Shang Zhuoxi quickly changed to her cold attitude.

“More than just knowing,” Qi Ruan slapped Tu Yi’s face hard, “If it wasn’t for me, where do you think he got all those hyaluronic acid fillers to keep his face from sagging?”

“Hey, hey, stop hitting. Meowjie, I’m sorry, here, your lighter,” Tu Yi handed something over and crawled back to the duty room.

“So, you finally decided to fix her leg?” Qi Ruan straightened her clothes that had just been disheveled.

There’s no question of deciding or not deciding. Shang Zhuoxi didn’t want to stay with her for too long. She gave the short-haired woman a cold look, then walked past her and headed towards An Chujie’s hospital room. Qi Ruan followed her.

“What do you want to do?” Shang Zhuoxi became cautious.

“Can’t I come and see her? President Shang, you’re so domineering,” Qi Ruan looked at Shang Zhuoxi’s frosty face, showing no intention of letting her in.

“President Shang looks better when she smiles,” Qi Ruan said, pretending to be sad.