Gloves - Chapter 7

【An Chujie through the eyes of Shang Zhuoxi】

She is the cleanest and most comfortable girl I have ever met, with fair skin and watery eyes.

I was born into a medical family, and when I was 18, I returned to China with my father to take over my grandfather’s hospital. That’s when I met An Chujie.

It was my first day at work after receiving my medical license. Because there were many things to familiarize myself with, I left the hospital relatively late. The road back home was relatively secluded. As I was walking, a little girl in a dress suddenly ran towards me, wrapping her arms around my waist and looking up at me. I was also surprised and looked back at her.

Under the streetlight, she raised her little face, tears glistening in her eyes. I looked around and saw that besides the two of us, there were only unidentified creatures making noise. I wiped away her tears, and my gloves became damp from her tears. My first instinct was that she was probably scared, so I touched her head and asked if she was lost. Her trembling eyes looked at me without words. I reached out my hand to let her know that I would take her home, and she quickly placed her small hand in mine. It was the first time I wanted to protect someone. It’s strange to say, but I could endure my hands being wet from her tears. Maybe it was because I smelled the same scent on her as my mother’s.

After that, I would occasionally run into An Chujie on that road. When she saw me, she would smile and automatically reach out to hold my hand. I had never told her how beautiful she looked when she smiled, but even through my gloves, I could feel how soft her hand was. Our homes happened to be on the same route, so I could walk home with her.

Many people would ask me why I always wore gloves and a mask. It irritated me, but An Chujie never asked. Besides my name, she never asked me anything else, and that made me feel comfortable.

She said, “Sister, I’m An Chujie. What about you?” I answered her, and she said my accent was unique and she liked hearing me say her name.

An Chujie would tell me many things, including her emotions and her likes and dislikes. I listened attentively, but being raised abroad, I didn’t know how to engage in conversation with people at that time. So when she talked about many things, I couldn’t respond with words. But I enjoyed being with her.

An Chujie was slowly growing up, both mentally and physically.

By chance, I discovered that this girl who seemed dependent on me was actually my superior’s daughter, from a wealthy family. No wonder her temperament was different from other girls. She liked to wear white clothes, and overall, she looked very clean. I could sense that An Chujie had a genuine, subtle, and well-mannered Eastern girl’s demeanor.

Later on, our contact increased, and it was during that time that I helped her beloved golden retriever undergo a small surgery.

Not long after that, she came to my house for the second time, and the only thing I remember is her playing the piano.

She sat upright in front of the grand piano, slightly lowering her head. Her beautiful fingers danced freely on the keys. I was captivated. Throughout the entire piece, I felt like I saw my mother. It wasn’t because she resembled my mother physically, but because at the age of just 16, she could play Frank Mills’ “Stay Awhile” so beautifully. My mother had been a fan of this pianist her whole life, and she used to play this song for me when I was young and even taught it to me. I couldn’t fathom where such emotions came from in An Chujie, who was so young.

An Chujie wore a pristine white dress, and her black hair made her fair skin even more radiant. Her neck was slender, and her chest was no longer flat. She was an elegant and beautiful girl. As I watched and listened to her, my heart in my left chest began to beat faster. If there had been a monitor at that moment, I believe my heart rate and thyroid hormone levels would have skyrocketed. I had never felt this way before I met her. She was just too beautiful, and yet she had no idea how beautiful she was. I even had the urge to kiss her.

It was only when a boy appeared that I started to entertain the thought of wanting to possess An Chujie.

I couldn’t help but notice that the main routes of bacterial transmission are through the hands, nose, and mouth. Wearing masks and gloves can significantly reduce the chances of infection caused by contact with various types of bacteria. I liked An Chujie’s hands and wanted to protect them, so I always gave her a pair of gloves, hoping she would wear them at school to maintain cleanliness.

I liked An Chujie, a lot. I wanted to be with her and protect her at all times. However, I didn’t plan on telling her because my father is Chinese, and I understand the traditional beliefs in China. I was afraid of causing any trouble for such a beautiful and pure Eastern girl.

That boy, Yi Heng, it was obvious to anyone that he liked An Chujie. It made me feel uncomfortable, as if something of mine was constantly being stared at by someone else. Even though An Chujie didn’t belong to me.

I saw that boy place his hand on An Chujie’s shoulder, and it made me angry. But I couldn’t find the right position to demand anything from An Chujie.

That day, our “war” with An Chujie finally erupted. She cried, and it broke my heart. I felt both heartbroken and scared. It wasn’t until she confessed that she liked me that I realized I had truly hurt her. Once again, I experienced the pain in my heart.

The first time I experienced heartache was when my mother passed away during the * pandemic that was ravaging the world. My mother unfortunately became a victim of the disaster. I watched her peacefully leave this world through the glass, and I remember my father crying, seeing how fragile a man who had been strong his whole life could be. It sent shivers down my spine, and I hated the virus while also being afraid of it. After leaving the hospital, I started wearing gloves all the time, never taking them off for any activity. When I went out, I would also wear a mask. My father did the same because I was afraid of losing my loved ones again due to the virus. I gave up my studies and focused solely on studying and researching medicine with my father until I became the youngest person to receive a medical license.

After our argument, An Chujie never came to find me again.

But when you like someone, you can’t help but think about them. If she feels the same way about me, why can’t I go and find her? Throughout our time together, An Chujie was always the one taking the initiative, rarely making demands. So I overlooked her silence and what she might have wanted.

I went to her school to find her, knowing exactly what I wanted.

The feeling of kissing her was incredibly wonderful. It was my first kiss, and it was exhilarating. Here I was, boldly doing something with my superior’s precious daughter, a brilliant and good girl, in a hidden place during study time.

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

“Nian Zichun, how about we have dinner together tonight?”

“Sure,” Nian Zichun felt a bit strange being called by her name by a girl who was six years younger than her, but Yang Yiluo, that little devil, never made her feel normal either.

“You agreed so quickly? Nian Zichun, don’t you want to reject me a little bit?” Getting Nian Zichun’s permission made Yang Yiluo extremely happy.

“Having one more person for dinner is not a problem. If you want, I can reject you right now,” Nian Zichun’s lips curled up, waiting for the reaction on the other end of the phone.

“No no no, no need to reject. So, after work, can I pick you up at your office?”

“Okay.”

“Nian Zichun, can’t you say something more romantic, like ‘I’ll wait for you’ or something? Why so formal?” This woman…

“Alright, I still have work to do. We’ll talk when we meet.”

“Hmph, busy person,” Yang Yiluo scoffed at Nian Zichun’s number.

“Tu Yi, let me tell you, you better dress a bit more masculine today, got it?”

Tu Yi rolled her eyes at Yang Yiluo and ignored her, continuing to do her makeup.

“Nian Zichun is a traditional woman. If she sees you dressed like…”

“Aren’t you annoying? Are you afraid that I’ll make you look bad? With this face of mine, it only adds points, not subtracts. Always thinking about that lawyer. Why don’t you just sell yourself to her?”

“Selling myself to her wouldn’t be a bad idea. Hmph! She might not even be willing to buy me,” Yang Yiluo said while picking out a relatively simple dress for herself.

……

“How about we go have grilled fish tonight?”

“Sounds good.”

“Nian Zichun, why do you agree to everything I say?” Yang Yiluo sat comfortably in Nian Zichun’s spacious car, rubbing against everything.

The driver was very focused on driving and didn’t pay attention to the people behind.

Nian Zichun has always been the one making decisions, so having someone who can help her make decisions is not a bad thing.

“Well, I have a friend coming later too, hope you don’t mind,” Yang Yiluo said.

“Not at all,” Nian Zichun shook her head and smiled at her.

“Nian Zichun, why are you so nice?” Yang Yiluo’s heart was filled with little stars.

Now, let’s shift our attention to the entrance.

The revolving glass door opened, and a handsome guy in a deep green shirt walked in. Due to his high altitude and a slightly uneven body shape, his perfectly tailored trousers only reached nine-tenths of his legs. His hair stood tall, exuding masculine charm. He smiled brightly at the girls who turned their heads to look at him, revealing neat, white teeth. For a moment, it felt like he melted the hearts of many. But soon, the pink bubbles in the girls’ hearts burst when they saw the handsome guy walking towards another man sitting by the window. The man was wearing a vest, and he smiled with interest as the approaching man came closer.

“Hey, handsome, you alone?” the man in the deep green shirt leaned down, locking eyes with the man in the vest and handing him his phone. The smile on the vest-wearing man’s lips grew even stronger as he quickly entered his number into the phone.

Shortly after the man left, the man in the vest received a text message.

“I have something to do here, let’s meet later.”

…….

“Yang Yiluo, you really know how to pick a spot. It took me quite a while to find you!” Yang Yiluo looked at Tu Yi’s outfit and wished she could slap him, but Tu Yi didn’t notice Nian Zichun, who was sitting behind him.

“Is this your friend?” Nian Zichun heard someone calling Yang Yiluo’s name from behind and stood up, turning around and accidentally bumping into the person’s chin.

“I’m sorry…” Nian Zichun’s hair brushed against Tu Yi’s nose.

“Mmm, L’Oreal shampoo, my favorite,” Tu Yi smelled the scent of Nian Zichun’s hair and smiled with contentment.

“Oh, this is…” Yang Yiluo was about to introduce, but Tu Yi quickly reached out his hand.

“Hello, beautiful Lawyer Nian. I’m Tu Yi, a friend who has watched Yiluo grow up,” Tu Yi looked at Nian Zichun. She was ten times more beautiful than he had imagined, and besides her exquisite features, the most captivating thing about her was her mature, elegant, and confident demeanor. No wonder Yang Yiluo was infatuated with her.

“Necessity forced me,” Yang Yiluo said with a face full of black lines, watching the imposing Tu Yi. He wondered if this guy would scare Nian Zichun away.

To their surprise, Nian Zichun laughed and gracefully extended her hand.

“You’re quite straightforward,” she smiled, warming the hearts of the other two.

“Lawyer Nian, you truly are a cultured person. I suddenly realized that I was so damn intelligent when I chose to come to this city,” Tu Yi calculated that the people he had encountered in this city so far had high levels of attractiveness and unique personalities. He thought about his outrageously beautiful mixed-race boss, Shang Zhuoxi, the seductive vest-wearing handsome guy from earlier, and now Lawyer Nian Zichun, who exuded femininity yet had an air of restraint, brought by Yang Yiluo. Would his life be taken over by these high-level beings? Just thinking about it made Tu Yi ecstatic.