Especially Fond of You

Chapter 18(B, Wang Miao’s Perspective)Episode

Wang Miao wasn't sure if going to the hospital to see Gu Lin was a wise decision. To be honest, if someone came to bother her when she was busy, she would definitely get angry.

She sent Gu Lin a message saying she was going to bring him dinner, but he hadn't replied by the time she arrived at the hospital.

Fortunately, the rain had stopped, so waiting wasn't too miserable.

Wang Miao called Gu Lin, but he didn't answer. She sent a text, but there was no reply.

Bored, she wandered around the hospital courtyard. Just as she was thinking about heading home, Taotao called, inviting her to sing karaoke.

Wang Miao replied that she was at the hospital for some business, but Taotao saw through her lie: “Yeah right! What business? Are you seeing your boyfriend? We’re at Jian Nan Road, come over after you see him. Da Bin ordered a huge platter of steamed seafood, we can’t finish it all.”

The courtyard was muggy, even the grass exuded a lifeless scent. Wang Miao walked into the hospital, recalling Gu Lin's office location. She wandered around but disliked the pervasive smell of disinfectant.

She thought about leaving to join Taotao and the others. If Gu Lin asked, she could say her mom called her home for dinner.

The KTV wasn’t far from the hospital, but Wang Miao didn’t feel like walking, so she took a cab, arriving in less than five minutes.

In the private room, besides Taotao and Da Bin, there were several young men and women she didn’t know well. Wang Miao sat next to Taotao and ate seafood. Da Bin’s “not much” was actually a lot; the table was piled with plates of conch, abalone, lobster, and crab.

Afraid of getting a smell on her, Wang Miao ate carefully, wearing gloves and picking items that didn’t require peeling or shelling. She stopped after feeling about 60% full.

Taotao offered her a beer, but she waved it off, “Beer with seafood can cause gout!”

Taotao sneered, mocking her, and continued drinking with Da Bin and the others.

Wang Miao kept checking her phone, but Gu Lin hadn’t replied.

Taotao leaned over, resting her head on Wang Miao's shoulder, “Are you so close with your doctor boyfriend? Are you really planning to get married?”

Wang Miao put her phone in her bag and stood up, “Yeah, really getting married. You can be my bridesmaid!”

Taotao held her back, insisting she sing for another half hour before letting her go.

By the time Wang Miao left, it was dark. She took a cab back to the hospital, her phone unusually quiet. She suspected Gu Lin might be busy until morning, but also thought he had to eat at some point.

This time she didn’t wait outside. Seeing a large room with many empty seats, she sat down with the now-cold food. She sent Gu Lin a message, touched up her makeup, and started to watch a TV show.

Before the ad ended, a lady with gastroenteritis next to her vomited loudly.

Startled, Wang Miao saw no one was with the lady and quickly called a nurse to help.

With all the commotion, Wang Miao lost her mood to watch TV or wait for Gu Lin and decided to go home and rest. Just then, Gu Lin called, telling her to wait and he would come to her.

Wang Miao decided to stay, trying to recall the sad expressions of the students who talked about her earlier and add a touch of guilt. Judging by his tone on the phone, he seemed more annoyed than happy.

She didn't feel wronged. First, she hadn’t waited long, and second, she completely understood Gu Lin's irritation. The fact that he called back so late showed he was genuinely busy.

When she saw Gu Lin, her joy was evident. He looked especially sexy, striding over in his long white coat, his expression somewhat distant.

She accompanied Gu Lin for dinner. After they finished, he urged her to go home, probably thinking a woman shouldn't be out alone at night.

Wang Miao intentionally said she wanted to stay at his place since it was closer, mentioning it would take her over an hour to get home.

After thinking about it, Gu Lin agreed. Wang Miao, seeing his serious demeanor, wanted to tease him, acting coy and asking for a kiss. He refused, saying the hospital was too dirty.

What a ridiculous reason—she wanted him to kiss her, not the stethoscope. What’s so dirty about it?

Wang Miao carefully washed her hands, making sure there was no lingering seafood smell, then cupped Gu Lin's face and rubbed his lips. Satisfied with his gulping reaction, she let go and ran off.

Holding Gu Lin's key, Wang Miao felt a bit scared. She remembered Gu Er wasn’t friendly towards her. What if the big dog bit her without Gu Lin around?

She searched online for ways to deal with big dogs, finding a suggestion to try saying “ha hu ha hu,” which supposedly meant something like swearing at the dog’s mother in dog language. This phrase would either make the dog flee in fear or fight to the death.

Wang Miao thought better of it, fearing it might end badly.

She nervously unlocked Gu Lin's door. The first thing she saw wasn’t Gu Er but a small white short-haired puppy squatting at the entrance.

This must be Gu San San, the dog that was supposedly Gu Er’s son.

Half-opening the door, she planned to run if Gu Er attacked, but Gu Er only whined a bit when he saw her. He then looked shocked at the mess Gu San San had made by the shoe cabinet, picked up the puppy by the scruff, and carried it back to its nest.

Changing into slippers, Wang Miao felt less threatened by Gu Er. Maybe it remembered she had fed it ribs before.

She closed the door and entered the living room, noticing a strange smell.

Turning on the lights, she discovered the source—Gu San San had made a mess all over the place.

Wang Miao felt overwhelmed. No wonder Gu Er wasn’t hostile today; it probably knew the little one had caused trouble!

Feeling suffocated, she didn’t want to stay for another minute. Grabbing her bag, she left, planning to stay at a hotel for the night and return before Gu Lin got home, pretending to have cleaned up, only for Gu San San to mess up again overnight.

It was a perfect plan. Wang Miao walked out of the community briskly.

But while calling a cab, she hesitated.

Gu Lin had worked all day, done so many surgeries, saved so many people, and probably didn’t get to sleep. He must be exhausted.

If he came home to such a mess and couldn’t rest, that would be... a bit pitiful?

Thinking of the reluctance in his eyes when she left, Wang Miao decided she couldn’t be too heartless despite having deceived him many times. He was good to her; she couldn't be entirely without conscience.

She took a deep breath, canceled the cab, and walked into a nearby convenience store, buying disposable gloves and a mask. She also took a stack of newspapers from the advertisement rack outside and returned to Gu Lin's place.

This time, she put on the mask and gloves before entering and started cleaning up the dog mess without a word.

For some reason, Gu Er barked aggressively at her. Wang Miao pulled down her mask and snarled, “Shut up! Stupid dog! It’s me!”

Gu Er, recognizing her and hearing the fierce tone, promptly lay down.

A bully only to the weak.

Wang Miao scoffed, put her gloves back on, and continued cleaning.

After finally tidying up the living room, Gu San San made another mess while she was washing the mop.

Wang Miao rushed over, grabbed its front paws, and placed it in the litter box, repeatedly saying, “Go here, understand? Here.”

Frightened, Gu San San couldn’t go, scratched the box a bit, and ran back to its previous spot to try again.

Feeling desperate, Wang Miao put it back in the box, but Gu San San thought it was a game and happily ran around, no longer obediently letting her carry it.

Wang Miao gave up, feeling defeated. She was sweating and just wanted to shower and sleep.

She found a shirt from Gu Lin's closet, long enough to cover her hips but short enough to reveal her curves, and took a shower, planning to wear it and pretend to be asleep when Gu Lin came back.

Gu San San, exhausted from “playing,” slept on its dog bed. Gu Er guarded it, watching Wang Miao like she was a thief.

As she dried her hair and walked past Gu Er, she told him, “Don’t worry. Apart from your dad, I’m not interested in anything else here.”

Gu Er growled softly.

Wang Miao almost wanted to try the “ha hu ha hu” trick but reconsidered. Once she married Gu Lin, she’d be this dog's “mom.” Why scold herself?

She smirked and went to bed.

The dogs were quiet, not barking. Lying in bed, she played with her phone before trying to sleep.

But within ten minutes, she heard a dripping sound. Sitting up, she turned on her flashlight and saw a wet spot quickly spreading beside the bed.

Following the water trail, she realized the air conditioner was leaking, not just dripping but almost like a running tap.

She quickly turned it off with the remote, the water flow slowing but still dripping.

Too late to call a repairman, she used a

towel to soak up the wet spot and a hairdryer to dry it.

Making too much noise, Gu Er came to check, whining softly. Wang Miao felt he was trying to comfort her and reached out to pat his head.

Before her hand got close, Gu Er bared his teeth.

“Get out,” she pointed to the door, and Gu Er ran off without hesitation.

Locking the door, opening the window, and turning off the air conditioner, she lay in Gu Lin's bed, feeling annoyed. This was far from the wonderful boyfriend's home experience she had imagined.