Chapter 17(A, Gu Lin’s Perspective)
1974 Words
Gu Lin pondered the matter of the puppy all night, and the more he thought about it, the more something seemed off.
While eating breakfast, he was adding dog food for Gu Er and talking to him: “Er, I think you might be an accidental dad. I’ve been trying to figure it out for the past two months, but I don’t remember you messing with any female dogs. The key point is that we’re always together, and I wouldn’t let you do that. How did Gu San San’s mom convince you that this is your kid?”
Gu Er stuck his tongue out and panted at Gu Lin, squinting his eyes in a smile.
Gu Lin sighed. Forget it. As long as Gu Er wasn’t feeling wronged, one more mouth to feed wouldn’t hurt.
He patted Gu Er’s head, scratched Gu San San’s neck, and headed off to work with a breakfast milk bag in his mouth. Seeing the weather, he knew it was going to be a busy day—rainy days always brought lots of accidents, with broken arms and legs lining up the corridor.
Sure enough, he was on his feet all day, barely having time to eat a few bites of instant noodles for lunch, not even a sip of water.
After another peak period, he finally had time for dinner.
It was already dark outside, and the rain had stopped. Walking through the hospital courtyard to get food, he felt the muggy air and low pressure, making his pores close up and leaving him feeling stifled from the inside out.
He got a box of rice with toppings from the small cafeteria and, not wanting to walk through the courtyard again, took the elevator and detoured through the inpatient department back to his office. When he put the food on the table and opened his locker to get his phone, he saw the notification light blinking.
Gu Lin guessed it was Wang Miao looking for him. Sure enough, there were two missed calls and a few messages from her.
“I brought you dinner~”
“I’m at the hospital. Are you in surgery? Call me when you can~”
“I’m waiting for you in the infusion hall…”
Gu Lin quickly scanned the messages and immediately called Wang Miao back. She picked up after two rings, sounding a bit aggrieved, “Are you done with work?”
“Where are you now?”
“In the infusion hall... It’s the only place with a seat.” Wang Miao sniffled. “Can I come see you now?”
“Stay there, I’ll come get you.” Gu Lin hung up the phone.
He knew the hospital better than she did, so it was faster for him to find her.
He felt an inexplicable sense of urgency and was a bit unhappy. Gu Lin kept his work and personal life separate and didn’t like being distracted by personal matters during work. He especially disliked Wang Miao waiting foolishly for so long; her first message was sent three hours ago.
Sitting in the infusion hall with a bunch of sick patients for three hours couldn’t have been a pleasant experience.
Gu Lin didn’t like seeing Wang Miao suffer this way, nor did he like the potential for such meaningless waiting to cause her to be upset and affect their relationship.
But clearly, he had underestimated Wang Miao. When she saw him, instead of being irritable, she looked anxious, “Am I bothering you? I just wanted to bring you dinner. I didn’t realize you’d be this busy. I saw a lot of emergency patients coming and going.”
Her words deflated his ballooned-up anger like a pinprick. He led her to his office, “If you knew I wasn’t lying, why didn’t you go home? Why sit here foolishly?”
“I came all this way. I had to see you before I left...” Wang Miao shook the bag she was holding, “Did you eat? I haven’t, and the food’s gone cold.”
Gu Lin looked at her unhappily, “You’re not a child. Do you need someone to remind you to eat?”
“I was going to eat, but a lady with gastroenteritis was vomiting, and I lost my appetite.”
“...” Gu Lin didn’t expect her to handle such things as he would and, feeling both angry and amused, scolded her, “Don’t come to the hospital looking for me without a good reason. I’m all yours after work.”
“I had a reason! I was afraid you’d be too busy to eat, so I brought you food...” Wang Miao frowned, “Fine, I won’t bring you food anymore.”
Great, now she was sulking.
Gu Lin was about to say more when they ran into the head nurse. The nurse looked at the two of them and smiled at Gu Lin, “Your girlfriend came to see you?”
Gu Lin didn’t want Wang Miao to be the subject of gossip, “She came to get my house key to feed my dog.”
He opened the office door and let Wang Miao in, ending the conversation.
The air conditioning was on inside, and Wang Miao sneezed into her hand.
Gu Lin raised the temperature by two degrees, went to the sink to wash his hands, and told Wang Miao to wash hers too, pointing to the poster on the wall showing the correct steps.
Wang Miao ignored him, washed her hands her way, and was done.
Gu Lin sighed inwardly, thinking he should comfort her, given she must feel wronged today. Her temper was usually good, and she would probably calm down quickly.
Before he could say anything, Wang Miao placed the dinner she brought on the table and pushed aside the still-warm meal on his desk, “Come eat. I’ll leave once you’re done.”
Gu Lin sat down next to her and opened the seafood casserole she brought. After two bites, the cheese had hardened and the seafood tasted a bit fishy.
Wang Miao watched him eat a couple of bites, then pushed his hot meal in front of him, “You should eat this; the other one’s cold and bad for your stomach.”
There was a microwave on this floor, but Gu Lin didn’t feel like reheating the food. Seeing Wang Miao still caring for him despite her frustration, he softened.
“I’ll go heat it up.” Gu Lin stood up, taking both boxes of food.
Unexpectedly, Wang Miao followed him like a little tail.
He looked back at her and spoke more gently, “I’m happy to see you, but I really don’t want you waiting around like this. It makes me uncomfortable.”
Wang Miao nodded, “I understand. I won’t come again.”
Gu Lin glanced at her, “Why does that sound like you’re sulking?”
“I’m not.”
Gu Lin chuckled. She was definitely sulking.
The process of reheating the food was monotonous, the microwave’s hum filling the space between them. Neither spoke, and Wang Miao barely looked at Gu Lin, though he kept glancing at her.
Despite being a mature person, she did something so silly. Thinking of her sitting in the hall for three hours made Gu Lin feel distressed. Three hours!
Back in the office with the reheated food, Gu Lin was genuinely hungry. Ignoring the fishy taste, he quickly finished the casserole. Wang Miao silently pushed her box towards him. Gu Lin didn’t take it, opting instead for his rice with toppings.
Wang Miao silently pushed her box towards him again.
“What?”
“I’m not hungry anymore. You eat.”
Gu Lin tapped her hand with two fingers, “Even if you’re not hungry, eat a little.”
“Eating this late will make me fat.” Wang Miao pushed it towards him again, “I don’t have a sharp face; I can’t afford to gain weight.”
Gu Lin looked at her, then smiled, “Alright, suit yourself.”
He obediently ate her chicken casserole too. After finishing, he made himself a cup of green tea and gave Wang Miao some flower tea. “It’s late; you should go home.”
Wang Miao played with her nails, “My mom called earlier. I didn’t know when you’d be done, so I told her I’d stay at a friend’s place tonight.”
“Which friend’s place?” Gu Lin wasn’t happy about her not going home.
Wang Miao looked at him, “My boyfriend’s place.”
…
Gu Lin tapped her head with two fingers, “Go home.”
“You just said I could go to your place to feed the dog. Give me the key. I’ll go to your place and feed the dog.” Wang Miao rubbed the spot he tapped, “It’s too far to take a cab home this late. Your place is closer.”
This reason seemed convincing.
But Gu Lin was still unhappy, unsure whether it was because she wasn’t listening or because he couldn’t accompany her home due to his shift.
He opened his locker, took out a key, and handed it to her, “What time are you going to work tomorrow? I won’t be home until nine. There’s only one key.”
“I’m not working tomorrow.” Wang Miao took the key and put it in her bag, “I’ll wait for you to come back before I leave.”
Gu Lin chuckled to himself. If you wait until I come back, you won’t leave at all.
He glanced at the clock on the wall. Any later and it would be unsafe. He urged her, “Call a cab and send me the license plate number.”
“Aren’t you worried I’m afraid of your dogs? There are two of them.”
“Are you afraid of my dogs?”
“Yes…”
Gu Lin didn’t know what to do with her, “Then go home, or I’ll find someone to take you home.”
He thought about asking a trusted friend, maybe Versace, to help out.
Wang Miao refused, whispering, “Maybe if you kissed
me, I wouldn’t be afraid.”
Her expression was so… so… irresistibly adorable.
Gu Lin looked around the office, irritably taking off his lab coat and throwing it on the table, muttering to himself, “Hospitals are so dirty…”
He beckoned her over, “Come here.”
Wang Miao smiled and walked over, tilting her head up and closing her eyes, waiting for his kiss.
Gu Lin, looking at her up close, put his hands behind his back, leaned in, and kissed her on the lips, feeling a tickle in his palm like a mosquito bite.
He kissed her for just two seconds before pulling away, telling her to go home and rest early. Wang Miao, however, didn’t move, still standing there looking at him.
This is torture. How am I supposed to work?
Unmoved, Gu Lin put on his lab coat again, sat down, and started flipping through a patient file, “Go quickly.”
He saw Wang Miao walk to the sink and follow the poster’s instructions to wash her hands meticulously. She then came back to him and cupped his face gently.
“What are you doing?” Gu Lin felt her touch, warm and cool.
“Hospitals are so dirty,” Wang Miao repeated his words, rubbing her thumb over his lips, “I’m not kissing you.”
With that, she grabbed her bag and left.
Gu Lin sat there, feeling like her scent lingered on his face and lips.
He didn’t want to be on duty. He wanted to take her home right now and keep her there.
- Writer
