ACBAM 57: Surgery

The next morning, Gu Weiyang left for his morning run half an hour earlier than usual, and came back right around the time Su Shijin would normally be coming downstairs.

When Su Shijin came down and saw only one serving of breakfast on the table, his steps faltered. “Mr. Gu, there’s only one breakfast?”

“Yeah.” After rinsing the sweat off his arms and splashing his face with water in the downstairs bathroom, Gu Weiyang came out and explained, “I’ll eat oatmeal and bread.”

As he spoke, he went into the kitchen, prepared himself a bowl of oatmeal, and grabbed a bag of bread.

Su Shijin opened the takeout box, glanced at the bread in his hand, and softly read the words printed on the package. “Whole wheat meal replacement bread? You’re watching your diet?”

“Just controlling it a little.” Gu Weiyang took a bite of the unsweetened oatmeal, then gave a small “hm” and added, “It’s really awful.”

Su Shijin looked at the unappetizing oatmeal in his bowl and the whole wheat bread, which also didn’t seem very appetizing, but didn’t ask why he was controlling his diet. Instead, he asked, “Are you going to have this every morning from now on?”

“Not necessarily. Milk and eggs, coffee and sandwiches, stuff like that works too,” Gu Weiyang replied.

Su Shijin let out an “oh,” didn’t press for a reason, and said, “Then I’ll eat the same from now on. You don’t need to go out just to buy me breakfast.”

Gu Weiyang felt he was being considerate, and the corners of his lips lifted unconsciously. “It’s fine, I go out for a run anyway. How about this—when the weather’s nice, I’ll bring you breakfast. If it’s not, we’ll just eat whatever at home.”

Su Shijin thought it over, not really seeing how this was any different from before, but he didn’t refuse.

After breakfast, Su Shijin gathered his things and drove to work.

On the way, he checked the time and figured his grandfather should be awake, so he called him on speakerphone, telling him that he and Gu Weiyang would be coming back together this Saturday.

Grandpa Su looked at the invitation, checked the time, and said, “Then come over Friday night. The wedding banquet’s at noon, so you won’t have to wake up early and rush the next day.”

At a red light, Su Shijin thought for a moment and sent Mr. Gu a message asking if he was free Friday night. After confirming he was, he set the plan to go home that evening.

But plans never keep up with change. Near the end of his shift on Friday, a Yorkshire Terrier came into Anshi Animal Hospital with injuries from a large dog’s bite, needing emergency surgery.

Su Shijin only had time to send Mr. Gu a quick message saying he would be working late tonight before heading into the operating room.

The Yorkshire Terrier was tiny, and the dog that bit it was said to be a large, aggressive breed. After a preliminary examination of its wounds, Su Shijin felt the surgery would be extremely difficult.

Aside from the gash on its abdomen, the Yorkshire Terrier’s neck and hind legs were covered in wounds from the frenzied attack.

In fact, the very fact that this little Yorkshire Terrier was still alive could only be called a miracle.

Su Shijin had no time to think and only worked in sync with Dr. Liu, focusing fully on the surgery. It was a race against death.

When Gu Weiyang received Dr. Su’s message, he had just gotten off work. He asked about how late he would be working, but with no reply, guessed he was still busy, and drove straight to Anshi Animal Hospital.

Familiar with the place, Gu Weiyang parked in the lot next door, then got out and walked toward the hospital entrance.

From a distance, Gu Weiyang saw a crowd gathered at the hospital entrance, crying and shouting about something. His heart tightened instantly, thinking Dr. Su might have run into trouble with unruly patients, and he hurried toward the hospital.

When he reached the entrance, he saw only the familiar receptionist standing there, with no sign of Dr. Su, and finally let out a small breath of relief.

The young receptionist recognized him right away. “Ah, you’re here to see Dr. Su? He’s still in surgery, it will probably be for a while.”

Gu Weiyang gave a polite nod, then glanced at the people crying at the entrance as he stepped inside and quietly asked, “What happened?”

Ran Tian lowered her voice to explain, “Their dog is in surgery.”

Gu Weiyang understood immediately, and also knew why Dr. Su had to work overtime.

Since there was no telling when Su Shijin would be out of the operating room, Gu Weiyang wasn’t in a hurry. He simply sat down in a chair in the lobby, waiting quietly while idly scrolling on his phone.

About two and a half hours later, the quiet corridor inside the hospital echoed with the sound of a door opening, followed by footsteps and voices.

Gu Weiyang caught Dr. Su’s voice. He didn’t know who he was talking to, but the footsteps soon moved toward the lobby.

Looking up, Gu Weiyang saw Dr. Su walking over, still wearing a mask.

Su Shijin walked quickly, occasionally exchanging a few words with the doctor beside him, completely unaware of Gu Weiyang sitting in the corner of the lobby.

The Yorkshire Terrier’s owners, who had been waiting anxiously by the door, rushed up the moment they saw the doctors come out, surrounding Su Shijin and Dr. Liu. Their voices trembled with tension as they asked, “Doctor, how’s Coffee doing?”

The Yorkie’s name was Coffee.

“Fortunately, you brought it in on time. Its life is safe for now,” Dr. Liu said.

The group of young women immediately let out a sigh of relief, tears of emotion welling up again.

“But,” Dr. Liu cautioned them not to relax too soon, “the critical period isn’t over yet. It needs continuous observation. The resident doctors will monitor it around the clock, and if anything happens, you’ll be informed right away.”

The girls all nodded repeatedly. One of them, a short-haired girl, asked, “Then can we go in and see it now?”

Su Shijin said, “You can, but you’ll need to stay quiet.”

The girls quickly wiped their tears and promised they would be absolutely silent.

Su Shijin then turned to Dr. Liu and said, “You can clock out now. I’ll take them over to have a look.”

Dr. Liu raised an eyebrow and noticed the man sitting in the corner behind Su Shijin. Recognizing him, she said, “It looks like your husband is here. You can go ahead and leave, I’ll take them over.”

With that, Dr. Liu beckoned the owners and led them toward the ICU.

Only then did Su Shijin realize someone had been watching him the whole time. When he turned, his eyes met Gu Weiyang’s.

“Mr. Gu?” Su Shijin was a little surprised as he walked over. “What are you doing here?”

“I figured since we’re only taking one car to your grandfather’s tonight anyway, I might as well come pick you up,” Gu Weiyang said as he stood. Looking at Dr. Su, whose mask left only a pair of dark and gleaming eyes visible, he suppressed the urge to tug the mask down and asked, “Do you still have more work to do later?”

“No.” Su Shijin glanced at the time. It was already past nine.

“Then how about we find a restaurant first, eat, and head straight to your grandfather’s afterward?” Gu Weiyang suggested.

Of course, Su Shijin had no objections. “Then wait for me a bit, I’ll go change.”

Gu Weiyang nodded, watching as Dr. Su jogged off and disappeared from sight. About five or six minutes later, he came running back, now dressed in the same clothes he had worn that morning. Slightly out of breath, he said, “Alright, let’s go.”

Gu Weiyang lowered his gaze, looking at the small face revealed as Su Shijin took off his mask. The pinkish lips were slightly glistening with water, as if he had just drunk something—appearing both tempting and appetizing.

Gu Weiyang struggled to control himself and look away. That was close, he almost drooled while staring at Dr. Su’s lips.

For a moment, Gu Weiyang couldn’t help but think to himself that he was truly a pervert.