Chapter 47

The Clear Bullet is Easy to Dodge, but the Hidden Arrow is Hard to Defend

At midnight, Diao Zhi Yu swirled into her bedroom like a whirlwind, sitting down on the floor, lips close to hers, and before she opened her eyes, she could already hear heavy breathing.

That voice, which she had just heard days ago, sounded spiritually excited, the low, hoarse tone carried by the drunkenness. It stirred strange emotions in her heart, an experience she hadn’t had in 27 years.

He suddenly reached out and pulled her into an embrace, one leg climbing onto the bed. His lips first brushed against her cheek, and then, tightly holding her, they rolled across the bed a few times. The 1.5 by 1.8-meter bed seemed too small for their movements, and their lips collided a bit roughly. Diao Zhi Yu bit her lip, and her head hit the floor—

She woke up…

Hu Xiu lay on the floor, clutching the blanket tightly, one leg still draped over the bed. The pose, with her legs wide apart, was indeed suggestive.

The ceiling bathed in sunlight reminded her that the whole episode was—just a daydream.

The alarm hadn’t gone off yet. It was 6:40 a.m., and in ten minutes, she had to get up for work.

Her lips were indeed sore. She’d thrown herself into that dream so deeply—how shameful!

Pei Zhen had embraced her amid the falling paper flowers, and she distinctly recalled how Diao Zhi Yu had been so close to her in the dark.

That breathing seemed like an enchantment, lingering in her mind and impossible to shake off.

Ethically, it was embarrassing to have such a dream in broad daylight, but Hu Xiu stood before the mirror, too embarrassed to look at herself—this dream had been too vivid!

To distract herself, Hu Xiu brushed her teeth with her right hand and scrolled through her social media with her left. But before long, her finger paused over a photo.

Diao Zhi Yu had cut his hair into a buzz cut, and from his crown to his facial features, he was perfectly sculpted. His brow bones dipped, his lips were taut, and with his upright posture, he exuded a heroic aura.

At 7:00 a.m., the alarm went off again, and sunlight streamed into her eyes, leaving her nowhere to hide.

She bundled up in her coat and scarf, slipped into her boots, and headed downstairs to catch the subway. She was meeting Pei Zhen to have Sheng Jian for breakfast.

She hadn’t dared to bring the luxurious bag with her, so she used the old one with the slightly rolled-up edges for the subway ride.

On the subway, she saved the photo, looked at it a few times, then deleted it, hesitating before downloading it again and storing it in her hidden album.

If she kept it, she didn’t have to look at it, but if she deleted it, there would be nowhere left to see it.

She spotted Pei Zhen outside the restaurant near the hospital. He hadn’t taken off his white coat yet, still in sneakers and jeans, his eyes almost unable to stay open.

This was the usual time after a night shift, a struggle between hunger and sleepiness, and the lines at the corners of her eyes had deepened.

Recently, Pei Zhen had been in particularly good form. It was obvious just by looking at him, as he carried forty Shengjian dumplings and two cups of soy milk in his hands, proudly walking back to the hospital, signaling to the world.

“Was the night shift busy?”

“Not really. Most of the work has been handed over. During the day, I do scar removal and suturing, mostly cosmetic surgery.”

Hu Xiu knew that Pei Zhen’s specialty was reconstructive surgery, focusing on dermatology—serious trauma repairs, while on quieter days he performed procedures like hydrafacials, mole removals, and ultrasonic surgeries, with two concentrated days a week to give his mind a rest.

Because he was so handsome, his clinic was always crowded. With him about to go abroad, this week was the most relaxed time in his busy schedule. There weren’t too many major surgeries, so Hu Xiu had more time to see him.

To avoid risk, they ate breakfast together in the office of the reproductive genetics building, a plan Pei Zhen came up with to make good use of a friend’s office.

Dr. Jin’s office was spacious and bright, equipped with everything one could need. As one of the more luxurious offices in the hospital, it was a place that occasionally saw visitors.

Dr. Jin worked at the branch of a hospital jointly established with American capital, and his private office was something he had fought for when he joined the hospital, refusing to share a public office with subordinates because he didn’t want to inhale formaldehyde—his cat was allergic.

Since Pei Zhen joined, he had been focused on research, simply sharing a public office with colleagues. He hadn’t realized that there were such perks. Now, though, as they were dating, he started paying more attention to creating a good atmosphere.

Hu Xiu didn’t think the environment had to be particularly nice, as long as they could avoid being seen by Senior Sister or Director Cai.

As for what Pei Zhen said about “seriously getting to know each other,” she didn’t think it needed to be too formal.

After all, starting their relationship with greasy Shengjian dumplings was already enough of an informal beginning.

“I always thought you might feel pressured, so I couldn’t move you to my department.”

“If you’re really interested, you can apply through the internal channels. After a year, the hospital will consider it.”

“As for dating, don’t listen to Director Cai and the others. That whole ‘handsome man and beautiful woman’ nonsense—don’t tell me you believe that, because I don’t believe it either.”

“Who was it who said that? I wasn’t exactly rejecting blind dates.”

“Well, I... don’t have to worry about people chasing me.” He smiled awkwardly, then added, “But all that nonsense stops here. I promise—without a clear goal, people’s motives are truly blind.”

He genuinely didn’t seem to be hiding anything. Pei Zhen had fair skin, a straight nose, thick lips, and his soft tissues were a little loose—he could use some tightening to fight aging, according to their professional terms. His eyes, constantly lacking sleep, made him look a little fierce when furrowed. If his students saw him now, they would probably be shocked to see their boss smiling so foolishly.

He was indeed wearing a black shirt that made his body look quite fit, though the size was slightly tight. If he didn’t wear it, he wouldn’t have realized how slim he was.

As Hu Xiu thought about it, she realized the dream she had earlier this morning was a little too wishy-washy. She shouldn’t have had it.

Dr. Jin walked in, and seeing the two of them hiding on the couch eating Shengjian dumplings, he frowned and sniffed the air. “Is this appropriate? Are you treating my office like a cafeteria?”

“I brought some for you too.”

“Forget it, I don’t eat that greasy stuff. It’ll leave a smell all over me.” Dr. Jin quickly changed clothes, hanging his jacket in the closet and closing the door. “Open the window and ventilate the place before you leave.”

“Don’t mind him...” Pei Zhen cursed for the first time, “Since he came back from the U.S., he’s been picky. He’ll probably go for brunch later.”

“Meanwhile, my girlfriend is very down-to-earth. She used to live in the suburbs, did her own renovation, and rode a shared bike with a big exhaust pipe over her head.”

Hu Xiu couldn’t help but laugh. Dr. Jin’s picky expression hadn’t stopped yet. “You’re always trying to follow me. I study medicine, you study medicine. I go to the U.S., you find a chance to go too. I find a girlfriend at the hospital, you do the same. We’re like destined rivals.”

“Master, these are just coincidences. Let Hu Xiu see—what reason do I have to follow your example?”

“Being handsome is great? Little Hu, you better be careful, this guy is the enemy of women everywhere.”

“His ex-girlfriend could start an elite group, and there are mothers-in-law in every village. There are even people who fought over him. If you want to know the secrets, come find me privately.” Dr. Jin grabbed some materials and headed out the door. “Remember to open the window for ventilation.”

Pei Zhen shook his head, cleared up the dishes, and stood up. Hu Xiu had never heard of Pei Zhen’s history before and was curious. She poked his arm and asked, “Was what Dr. Jin said true?”

“He was just teasing you. If you really want to know, I’ll tell you another time.”

Hu Xiu sat down in the office, and as doctors passed by outside, they took quick glances inside. They were all colleagues coming to check out the “romantic interest” of Dr. Pei. They peeked in and walked away as if just checking how ordinary she was.

She even heard the absurd nickname “Shengjian Girl” from the hallway.

But she didn’t seem angry. Instead, she silently thought to herself: “In your eyes, Pei Zhen may be the most popular doctor, the ‘Lee Min Ho’ of the operating room, but the person he likes—is me.”

This sense of confidence made her happy.

Her work had also become relatively less hectic. Most of the large conferences had been scheduled before the Spring Festival, and in this period, apart from helping her leader with spreadsheets and invoices, she finally had some free time. She thought about recording some medical-related or MTI interpretation tutorials to post online.

Earlier, she had spoken with a university classmate. She hadn’t chosen Nanjing University’s translation program and instead went for the Foreign Trade University’s directed training plan. She was now working at the EU Interpretation Directorate.

This gap made her feel that even without extraordinary talent, she shouldn’t waste time. Spending time with Pei Zhen wouldn’t take long, and she still had plenty of time to improve herself.

She hadn’t had the energy before simply because she had been involved in ambiguous feelings with Diao Zhiyu—after Christmas, she hadn’t seen him for a week.

At the beginning of her relationship with Pei Zhen, Hu Xiu felt like she was finally acting like a normal 27-year-old woman, steadily moving toward middle age, feeling the rhythm of adulthood in the hospital—working, getting off work, and on weekends even busier than weekdays.

Dating with Pei Zhen mostly involved eating, watching movies, and during breaks, Pei Zhen would step out to take a few phone calls, then return to the hospital to work overtime.

Previously, they would hang out in escape rooms, play murder mystery games, or argue playfully in coffee shops, secretly having their photos taken and kept.

If she needed a quiet environment to record interpretation videos, she would always go to REGARD.

After the holidays, the place reopened. It felt empty and a bit bleak, with Li Ai sitting in the shop grinding coffee beans, as if trying to stir up time itself.

Hu Xiu felt the atmosphere in the shop was strange. Li Ai remained silent, until the barista called her outside to explain: “Xu Meng came the last time two days ago. The lawsuit over the school district house was settled, and the children involved in the forced relocation to a local elementary school will transfer to a better school after the semester ends. The conflict was resolved, so no more trips to court. Seems like the major issues between the couple were also settled.”

“And then...”

“No follow-up. The married couple had a rift over the kids’ school district, it was like driving fatigued in marriage. If you veer off too long, you’ll crash.

It was just to alleviate their loneliness. The customer came and went, and the boss had no choice in the matter. Of course, he wouldn’t have chosen. Xu Meng knew he had someone else in his heart—adult relationships are complicated.

Our boss is naive, really thought someone came to be his soulmate.”

The Taiwanese barista, born in ‘95, pushed up his glasses and spoke with deep insight.

Hu Xiu glanced over at Li Ai, who had an unreadable expression, neither angry nor sad, just calmly accepting everything.

The miniature building gift was indeed displayed in the shop in an acrylic box, reflecting silver light in the beams.

Hu Xiu pretended not to know, casually chatting with Li Ai and asking for fruity beans. Li Ai had already let the coffee water overfill in the filter paper, seemingly absent-minded, and wasted a cup of coffee.

Without further delay, Hu Xiu directly asked, “Xu Meng’s not coming, you’re heartbroken?”

“Nothing happened, what heartbreak? We were just friends in a lawsuit.”

“Really?”

“We were never each other’s choice, just supporting each other for a while,” Li Ai said, his fingers clicking. “By the way, does Pei Zhen play basketball? See you tonight at Changning Sports Center.”

That evening, Pei Zhen eagerly showed up, having swapped his black shirt for a thin sweatshirt. Hu Xiu had thought about joining the game but the door opened, and it was Diao Zhi Yu.

The bandage was already removed, revealing clear scars. He wore a black T-shirt with a Lakers basketball jersey over it, a limited edition from Nike’s collaboration zone, introduced by Zhao Xiaorou.

Seeing him again brought back memories of that dream from the morning. Hu Xiu was lost in thought when a basketball suddenly hit the back of her head.

Dazed, Pei Zhen comforted her, holding her head for a while, while Diao Zhi Yu was zipping around, already dribbling the ball, passing it to Li Ai, and making a couple of three-pointers.

Li Ai stood off to the side, not very agile, sweating after a while, clearly preoccupied.

Pei Zhen stood beside Hu Xiu. “Xu Meng left?”

“How did you know?”

“Just a feeling...” Pei Zhen’s hair still looked dry. “Xu Meng’s lawsuit was easy to handle, it’s just about the children’s education; once the public opinion fermented, filing a lawsuit would be enough. But someone like Li Ai, who’s in it for the long haul, is tougher. Sounds like Xu Meng left decisively.”

“Should we be happy for him or sad?”

“There’s nothing to be sad about. It was just a brief encounter, leave some memories behind. In marriage, if you stray and then return, as long as the other person turns a blind eye, you can still be happy.”

“I can’t accept that.”

Pei Zhen laughed. “You’re still young. Once you pass thirty and see more of the dark side of human nature, your boundaries will get lower.”

Diao Zhi Yu passed the ball to Pei Zhen. “Dr. Pei, come play.”

It seemed that men could resolve everything with sports. They dodged a few balls, made some fake moves, grabbed rebounds, and dunked the ball. The competitive spirit flared up, and in the end, they were still just friends.

Hu Xiu had expected to feel awkward in between, but surprisingly, the two of them got along quite well.

Li Ai, struggling to keep up with the pace, stood beside Hu Xiu, murmuring, “I’ve figured something out recently.”

“Oh?”

“It’s time I became more decisive. Because always enduring, it feels like I’ve wasted too much time; and... as for reconciliation, I’ll try once more, but I’m going to give up... Life is still long.”

“What made you think this way?”

“People have to grow up when they reach middle age.”

“Big Brother, you’re thirty-two.”

No response was waiting for Hu Xiu. Mid-game, Diao Zhi Yu lifted his shirt to wipe his face, revealing faint abdominal muscles. The details of the dream became clearer again—this was not acceptable.

Hu Xiu shook her head and moved away to play with her phone, eventually falling asleep. When she woke up, she was in the back seat of Pei Zhen’s car, with Diao Zhi Yu in the front passenger seat. The car was at a gas station, and Pei Zhen was outside waiting for the tank to fill.

Hu Xiu stared at the round back of Diao Zhi Yu’s head, noticing how thin he was, with some stubble left behind on his neck.

There were two long scars on the back right of his neck, still healing. Who did this to him? That spot seemed too exposed!

Diao Zhi Yu didn’t seem to have a habit of using his phone, as he had his eyes closed in the rearview mirror. Sensing something, he opened his eyes and caught Hu Xiu’s gaze in the mirror.

It was an awkward moment. Hu Xiu thought, this was a rare chance to talk, but with scars on the back of his head, she decided not to speak first.

“Li Ai has already gone home. Pei Zhen is dropping you off on the way. First, let’s get some gas...”

“Okay...”

“Feeling tired lately?”

“It’s only been a week,” she shook her head, not mentioning the real issue—her pointless dreams.

“I’m working on a short film, might need some English voice-over, and I might ask you to help.”

“Is there a fee?”

“Could be...”

“Like what?”

“How about tickets to Snowpiercer?”

The suggestion caught Hu Xiu off guard. She hadn’t been to the movies in a long time. Just then, Pei Zhen opened the door: “Murder mystery? I heard that’s how you two met. I’m curious—what kind of pastime is that?”

“If you want to play, let Hu Xiu take you. For both of you, I’ll prepare and perform well,” he said.

Such frankness. The two of them actually talked about the murder mystery game industry on the way, discussing things like monthly rent, how to set up a venue, and how to attract customers... Hu Xiu kept staring at the scar, feeling like it looked familiar.

While waiting at the traffic light, Diao Zhiyu’s phone fell into the gap between the passenger seat. As he bent over to pick it up, Pei Zhen also saw the scar: “You’ve got quite a few honors. How did this one happen?”

“It was from being accidentally scratched by someone earlier.”

Hu Xiu suddenly realized—this scar was from the Snowpiercer haunted house, when she was holding Qin Xiao’s neck, trembling with fear.

Thinking of this, she suddenly felt awake, her heart pounding. Before Diao Zhiyu got out of the car to say goodbye, he glanced at Hu Xiu. He really did live near the Snowpiercer area, and that place carried too many memories.