Love in the Illusion

Chapter 2 Xu Sui thought their encounter the previous night would be nothing more than a fleeting moment, but to her surprise, she saw Zhou Jingze again at the hospital the next day. Xu Sui had just come out of the operating room, transparent hand sanitizer still unspread in her palm, when the head nurse rushed over anxiously, saying, "There's a patient in the outpatient department who got a light bulb stuck in their mouth and is in a panic. Dr. Song couldn't remove it and is calling for you now." "Alright, I'll go right away." Xu Sui quickly rinsed her hands under the faucet and headed straight for the outpatient department. The office door swung open as Xu Sui walked in with her hands in her pockets. Her eyes immediately landed on Zhou Jingze, along with several nurses and doctors gathered around the patient, all looking helpless. The patient, a young girl, was on the verge of tears, making fragmented, indistinct sounds. To make matters worse, the man accompanying her mocked the little girl, his cold, familiar voice ringing in her ears, "Little Ming downstairs, who's only three and a half, plays this game too. Why don't you two form a team and debut together?" The little girl couldn't utter a word, shooting him a reproachful glance. The subtle intimacy between them as they bantered back and forth didn't escape Xu Sui's notice. She lowered her eyes, concealing the emotions within. Xu Sui walked over, took the protective gloves handed by the nurse, and approached the patient. She lifted the patient's chin for a closer look, noticing the light bulb was perfectly lodged in her mouth, fitting just right. Zhou Jingze noticed her at that moment, but Xu Su deliberately ignored his gaze and turned to ask an intern behind her, "Did you use paraffin oil?" "We did, but it didn't work," the doctor replied. Xu Su lowered her head, as if the hair tie at the back of her head had loosened slightly, letting a stray strand fall onto her cheek. She examined the bulb in the patient's mouth again and said, "Go get a surgical bag." Five minutes later, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Xu Su gently instructed the patient to relax while slowly inserting the surgical bag with a root canal. Once the bulb was completely enveloped by the surgical bag, she spoke up: "Bite down hard." The girl kept shaking her head, her eyes filled with terror—what if it exploded when she bit down? Xu Sui reassured her, "Nothing will happen." No matter how Xu Sui tried to comfort her, it was useless. The girl whimpered, unable to speak, her eyes brimming with tears, her nerves stretched to the breaking point. Xu Sui glanced at the earrings she was wearing—silver leaf-shaped ones—and remarked casually, "Those earrings are quite pretty." The girl grinned, her attention instantly diverted. She pulled out her phone, opened an app, and mumbled incoherently—though the fragments could be pieced together: "I'll find the link for you." Just as the girl was engrossed in finding the link for Xu Sui, Xu Sui took advantage of her distraction, placed a hand under her jaw, and mercilessly yanked it downward with a "c***k," like the sound of shattering glass. The girl froze for two seconds before letting out a piercing scream of "Ahhhhhhh!" Zhou Jingze patted her head and chuckled lightly, "Alright, I'll take you for ice cream later." The girl immediately quieted down and stopped making a fuss. He rarely coaxed anyone; just a few sweet words were enough to make women surrender willingly. The remaining tasks were left to the outpatient doctor. Xu Sui removed her protective gloves and threw them into the trash bin, then slipped her hands into the pockets of her white coat and left the outpatient department. The girl stared at Dr. Xu's aloof retreating figure, still shaken: "Don't trust the sweet-looking ones. I seriously searched for links for her, and she repaid me with a gentle stab." After returning to her office and working for over half an hour, Xu Sui stepped out again. As she passed the nurse's station, a young nurse called out to her, "Hey, Dr. Xu! Someone was looking for you earlier—the family member of the patient who had a lightbulb stuck in their mouth. They left this for you as a thank-you gift." Xu Sui looked over to see a row of lychee and white peach-flavored milk, along with a blue hair tie. Her gaze lingered, momentarily frozen. A few nurses huddled together, teasing, "Dr. Xu, that guy is seriously handsome. He just smirked at Xiao Zhang, and she nearly lost her soul." Zhou Jingze indeed had that kind of charm—a playboy who barely needed to lift a finger. Sometimes just a crook of his finger, or even a single glance, and countless women would throw themselves at him. Xu Sui nodded and turned to leave. The nurse called after her, saying, "Dr. Xu, you forgot your things." "You can share them among yourselves," Xu Sui replied calmly. Xu Sui turned around and walked forward, only to spot Zhou Jingze at a corner not far away, along with the girl beside him. The girl was dressed fashionably, with striking features, bright red lips, and an alluring figure. Earlier in the ward, Xu Sui had already witnessed the girl's coquettish charm. She glanced over and saw the girl shaking Zhou Jingze's arm, clearly acting spoiled as she spoke. Zhou Jingze's face remained expressionless, but the relaxation in his brows and eyes showed he was clearly enjoying it. Xu Sui's hands, tucked in her pockets, unconsciously clenched until her fingertips turned white. Only when the pain hit did she snap out of it. Hadn't he always been like this? Drawn to the bold, the glamorous, the seductive—while she was too well-behaved, too proper, too plain. Good students were never within his range of choices. Running into them like this, Xu Sui had no choice but to walk over. They had clearly noticed her too, and the girl called out with a bright smile, "Dr. Xu, thank you so much for earlier." Xu Sui shook her head. "No need for thanks, it's what we're supposed to do." The girl stood beside Zhou Jingze, stealing a glance at the man. She could clearly sense that her brother's mood had shifted the moment he saw Dr. Xu. There must be something fishy going on between those two. The girl rolled her eyes and said, "Dr. Xu, do you know my cousin? It seems like you two have a special relationship?" So she was his cousin. But the girl's question was too bold and direct, leaving Xu Sui at a loss. She looked up at Zhou Jingze, hoping he would do something. Zhou Jingze had one hand in his pocket. Seeing Xu Sui flustered and her cheeks flushed, he felt the urge to tease her. His gaze fixed on her as he let out a low chuckle, his tongue pressing against his lower jaw, his tone meaningful: "Tell me, what's our relationship, hmm?" It seemed matters of ambiguity or romance were all left for her to decide. Xu Sui realized from his lazy, teasing demeanor that a privileged son like him would probably never understand what it truly feels like to sincerely love someone. Perhaps, she had never truly occupied a place in his heart. Zhou Jingze had only meant it as a joke, but he regretted his words the moment they left his mouth. Because he saw the glistening moisture slowly welling up in Xu Sui's clear, bright eyes. A feeling akin to unease spread through his heart, expanding endlessly. Zhou Jingze cleared his throat, about to say something, when he saw Xu Su blink. The previous emotion vanished completely, leaving her gaze calm and her tone straightforward: "It's fine if we don't know each other." Zhou Jingze saw the resolve and decisiveness in her eyes. His heart was tangled by a thin thread—an indescribable emotion—and he finally understood. The person before him truly, genuinely no longer liked him.