Chapter 35: Partner (1/2)

Lu Chenzhou’s tone was relaxed, even jokingly so as he refused her. Cheng Xi couldn’t help but be startled, and then started laughing.

She thought that she had more or less learned how to get along with him as a friend, and that she was approaching their relationship less from a doctor-patient one. But she had suddenly thought of Chen Jiaman. When she was living with that kind of family life, had anyone ever joked with her, or laughed with her without caring for decorum?

Perhaps the reason why she liked the graveyard was because only there could she say what she truly wanted to say.

She suddenly wanted to go to the hospital to look at Chen Jiaman again, so she said to Lu Chenzhou, “Sorry, are you still busy? If not, I’d like to go back to the hospital.”

Lu Chenzhou looked at her questioningly.

Cheng Xi explained, “I want to go look at Chen Jiaman.”

He didn’t say anything, and started the car to drive her back.

He accompanied her even up the stairs and followed her into the office. The doctor on the night shift wasn’t there, and the room was completely quiet.

Cheng Xi changed into her work clothes and came out. When she saw that Lu Chenzhou was still there, she said, “I might be a bit late, so you should head back first. Thank you for bringing me over.”

Because she wanted to verify her thoughts as quickly as possible, Cheng Xi left immediately after saying that.

Chen Jiaman was currently entering the stage when she was the most active. But unlike before, after she had been given the sketchbook, she had clearly become much quieter. She sat there in the darkness, holding her pen, and drawing something that no one else had seen.

Cheng Xi pushed the door open. After her eyes acclimatized to the darkness, she slowly walked over, still sitting five paces away from Chen Jiaman.

The sketchbook that she had left behind in the morning was still there. She picked it back up, and muttered to herself, “What should I draw?” Her voice was very light. In this dark room, it was as light as a gentle wind, not frightening at all.

Chen Jiaman didn’t hear it, or if she did, she didn’t respond. Cheng Xi didn’t mind, and continued to speak softly. “I’ll draw a little bunny, then, a little bunny afraid of the dark. It yelled out in a dark house, ‘Is there anyone there? Please speak to me. I’m scared, and it’s too dark in here.’ There was another bunny locked inside with it, a bunny who was very old. When he heard the other bunny’s behavior, he said, ‘What use are your actions? It’s so dark in here that you can’t even see me.’ The little bunny replied, ‘That’s quite alright. As long as there’s someone speaking, there’s light.’”

That whole night, Cheng Xi repeated this story over and over again. The sketchbook that she had drawn in was a mess, and because she couldn’t see, she didn’t even know what she had drawn.

Chen Jiaman never responded to her. After tiring herself out from drawing so much, Cheng Xi fell asleep by the corner of the table.

In the morning, when she woke up, the sky was already bright. The nurse on duty had walked in and woken her up. By then, Chen Jiaman had also fallen asleep. Cheng Xi slowly walked over, and noticed that a corner of the sketchbook in her lap consisted of a large pile of messy lines.

Walking out, Cheng Xi could only feel her four limbs aching. The nurse asked her, “Dr. Cheng, how did you end up sleeping in there?”

Cheng Xi rubbed her eyes without speaking, and the nurse continued to say, “You’re really close with your boyfriend, aren’t you? You fell asleep in the patient’s ward, but your boyfriend kept watch over you the entire night in the control room… Dr. Cheng, you’re really lucky.”

Cheng Xi froze for a moment, then quickly ran into the office’s inner room, leaving the nurse behind. Lu Chenzhou was truly still there, sitting in front of the monitors. Upon seeing her enter, he raised his head and glanced at her coolly.

“You……” She could only say one word before the door behind her opened again. The morning shift doctors had come in; at the very front was the doctor who had had a run-in with her, her senior Ceng Xing.

“Hey, everyone, come look. Our great Dr. Cheng is really diligent. Didn’t the head put you on leave? What are you doing back here?”

Cheng Xi gulped down the words she was about to say, and beckoned to Lu Chenzhou. “Let’s go.”

As Lu Chenzhou stood up to follow her out, the people outside naturally all saw him. Ceng Xing yelled out, “Hey, who’s this? How could you let a stranger into that area?”

Cheng Xi ignored him, pulling Lu Chenzhou out at a brisk pace. Even from far away, she could still hear Ceng Xing. “How arrogant, completely lacking all respect for law and order. Wasn’t she put on leave? What’s the point of running to the hospital daily? Who’s she trying to impress?”

After entering the elevator, Cheng Xi was finally able to take a deep breath. It was only then that she realized that Lu Chenzhou’s hand was still clasped in hers.

She quickly released her hand, carefully glancing at him.

Lu Chenzhou was looking at her with a thoughtful expression.

“What’s the matter?” Cheng Xi rubbed her face as she asked, “Are you alright? You sat there the entire night?”