I Am Diagnosed as a Medical Titan

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: I Really Want to Kiss Him, Can I?

Shen Yu nodded. ”Yeah, I want to go on the exchange, but it’s really hard...”

”The program doesn’t just look at your GPA, but also your overall performance. A ton of people apply, but there are only two spots for the whole department.”

”The most crucial part is, this kind of inter-provincial exchange program is only partially funded... I did a rough calculation, and I’d need to come up with at least six or seven thousand extra for the year.”

”My parents are already working so hard to put me through college. I can’t just ask my family for that kind of money. So, I’m just writing the application to give it a shot. I’m not really getting my hopes up.”

’Here’s my chance!’ Jiang He thought.

’As long as my wife can come to Southern China, forget six or seven thousand. I’d come up with sixty or seventy thousand if I had to.’

However, now was obviously not the time to just whip out the money.

He stood up and said, ”It’s okay. Go ahead and write the application and fight for the spot with all you’ve got. As for the cost, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Who knows, maybe you’ll find some money on the street? You rest here for a bit. I’m going to buy some food and get some medical supplies to treat your foot.”

”Hey, you don’t have to go to so much trouble...”

Shen Yu started to refuse, but Jiang He had already turned and briskly walked out of the room.

By evening, the wind had turned cool.

He first found a roasted sweet potato stall at a street corner.

Jiang He picked the biggest, softest one, its skin already roasted to a slight char.

Then he walked into the pharmacy across the street and picked up a can of Yunnan Baiyao aerosol spray, two rolls of high-stretch bandages, and a pack of medical-grade absorbent cotton.

After buying the medicine, he walked a bit further down the street and entered a Cantonese restaurant that specialized in slow-cooked soups.

These days, you could always find a few high-end restaurants like this near a university, perfect for when students wanted to treat themselves.

Jiang He ordered a serving of pork rib and winter melon soup, along with a dish of stir-fried lily bulb with celery and another of stir-fried shrimp.

All wholesome, quality dishes.

When he returned to the hotel room, laden with bags, Shen Xiaoyu was sitting quietly against the headboard, playing on her phone. She immediately turned her head at the sound of the door opening.

”I’m back.” Jiang He placed the food on the small round table to the side, then walked to the bedside with the plastic bag of medical supplies. ”Give me your foot. I’ll re-wrap it for you.”

He pulled over a chair, sat down by the bed, and gently lifted Shen Xiaoyu’s injured right foot, resting it on his knee.

Jiang He first undid the jacket sleeve he’d used as a temporary bandage and carefully observed the swelling on her outer ankle.

Even though she had iced it, the skin was still quite swollen from the soft tissue damage.

He picked up the Yunnan Baiyao and sprayed it on the red, swollen area.

As the cold medicinal liquid touched her skin, Shen Xiaoyu instinctively drew her foot back a little.

”Don’t move, okay?” Jiang He held her instep.

Then he took out a bandage. Supporting Shen Xiaoyu’s arch with his left hand, he held the roll in his right and started from the inner ankle, wrapping it around the top of her foot and across the outer ankle.

A standard figure-eight wrap.

By now, Shen Xiaoyu’s foot didn’t hurt much anymore, and her attention involuntarily shifted elsewhere.

This was the first time in her nineteen years she had been alone with a boy her age in a closed hotel room.

And he was holding her foot.

Shen Xiaoyu felt a little breathless, her gaze uncontrollably falling on Jiang He’s face.

Under the warm yellow light, his lips were slightly pursed, his gaze focused, earnest, and meticulous.

Watching this scene, Shen Xiaoyu suddenly felt the urge to cry.

She didn’t know why, but the feeling of wanting to cry washed over her again.

She even felt an impulse to throw her arms around him.

Shen Xiaoyu quickly shut her eyes, scolding herself internally.

’What is wrong with me, Shen Xiaoyu! Why do I keep having these damn thoughts, over and over again?’

’This isn’t right! I only just met him today!’

”All done.”

Jiang He looked up and began his instructions. ”Remember, okay? For the first forty-eight hours, absolutely do not put weight on it, and don’t soak your foot in hot water. Try to keep the affected limb elevated to promote venous return...”

Jiang He was giving her meticulous instructions, but he noticed that Shen Xiaoyu was keeping her eyes closed and not saying a word.

He paused and took a closer look, only to see that Shen Xiaoyu’s cheeks, all the way to the tips of her ears, were completely red.

Jiang He was taken aback.

’Honey, why are you blushing so hard?’

His brow furrowed slightly.

’The October wind is chilly. Did she catch a fever from the cold?’

At that thought, Jiang He reached out his right hand and placed the back of it against Shen Xiaoyu’s forehead.

The moment he touched her,

”Ah!”

Shen Xiaoyu cried out in alarm and jerked her head back.

Then she started waving her hands frantically.

”T-time to eat! Let’s eat! I’m so hungry! Jiang He, I’m so hungry!”

Jiang He’s hand froze in mid-air as he stared at her, dumbfounded.

’Wife... what’s gotten into her?’

’Maybe she really is hungry.’

Jiang He scratched his head and brought the food over to the small nightstand by the bed.

First was the still-steaming roasted sweet potato. When he broke it open, the flesh inside was a brilliant gold.

Next was the pork rib and winter melon soup, and the light, refreshing stir-fried lily bulb with celery.

Shen Xiaoyu’s eyes instantly lit up at the sight of the food.

She eagerly scooped up a spoonful of hot soup.

”Wow!” Shen Xiaoyu said, pleasantly surprised. ”This is so good! This soup is amazing!”

She broke off a piece of the roasted sweet potato. Hissing from the heat, she still couldn’t resist stuffing it into her mouth. ”Oh my gosh, this is so good too!”

Every single dish hit her sweet spot perfectly.

As she ate, Shen Xiaoyu exclaimed, ”Oh my gosh, Dr. Jiang, I feel like you know my tastes better than I do! These are all my favorite things to eat!”

Watching her eat with such gusto, Jiang He said in a gentle voice, ”Is that so? What a coincidence.”

After they finished eating, Jiang He gathered the trash into a plastic bag, tied it shut, and placed it by the door.

He pulled out a tissue to wipe his hands, fighting the urge to sit back down on the bed and keep chatting with her.

’Can’t be too aggressive. A string pulled too taut will snap.’

So he stood up straight, deliberately took two steps back to maintain a safe social distance, and said, ”Do you want to call the dorm manager now and ask if she’s back?”

Shen Xiaoyu held her phone, silent for a good while.

Finally, she said, ”At this hour... the manager is probably eating, right? Maybe I should just call her later.”

Jiang He said, ”Oh, right, right. That’s true.”

He continued to dial back his approach, turning to walk toward the desk. ”Well, you rest on the bed for a while, watch some TV. I still have some data to organize, so I’m going to get to work.”

Shen Xiaoyu nodded repeatedly. ”Okay, okay. You go work, don’t worry about me.”

Jiang He pulled out a chair, sat down, and took out a notebook and some papers, pretending to work.

’Of course it was an act. How could I possibly focus with my wife lying on the bed right behind me?’

Every little sound from behind him was infinitely amplified, his mind filled with thoughts of her posture and expression.

And for Shen Xiaoyu, lying on the bed, it was the same.

She secretly stole glances at Jiang He.

He sat there, motionless, seemingly completely immersed in his work.

Without realizing it, Shen Xiaoyu felt her heart beating faster and faster.

This feeling was so strange.

’Why does this feel like a scene where... the husband is working hard to provide for the family, and the wife is waiting obediently in bed for him?’

Ughhhhhhh! Aaaah!

’No! Stop it, stupid brain! Stop thinking about it! Have I gone crazy, Shen Xiaoyu?!’

Shen Xiaoyu couldn’t take it anymore. She yanked the blanket over her face and fumbled under the pillow for her phone.

[Juanzi! Help! Code red!!!]

Juanzi replied in a second: [What’s wrong, Yu’er? What happened?!]

Shen Xiaoyu: [I’m in a hotel with a guy right now, and I can’t leave. What do I do? Urgent, urgent, urgent!!!]

The other end of the line was silent for a full minute.

Juanzi: [???]

Juanzi: [Wait, yesterday you didn’t even dare to eat a cream puff, and today you went and got a room behind our backs?!]

Juanzi: [Makes sense. No wonder you were watching your sugar. So you were meeting your boyfriend for the holiday.]

Juanzi: [Well look at you, Shen Xiaoyu! You’ve really grown up, huh? Keeping something this big from us, are we! [GOING CRAZY][GOING CRAZY]]

Juanzi: [Use protection! Don’t you dare get knocked up, you hear me!]”

’Protection?!’

On the verge of tears, Shen Xiaoyu replied: [It’s not like that, I didn’t...]

Juanzi: [If it’s not, then why aren’t you leaving? Is he forcing you? Not letting you go?]

Shen Xiaoyu: [No, not at all. He’s actually very nice...]

Juanzi: [Damn it! I can’t be bothered with you anymore. Good luck getting pregnant!!]

Shen Xiaoyu: [Don’t be mad, Juanzi. I really don’t know what to do...]

Juanzi: [Just answer me one question. Do you like him?]

Shen Xiaoyu froze.

’Do I like him?’

’Logically, I only met him for the first time today.’

’How could I possibly fall for a stranger in just a few hours? It’s completely illogical.’

’But...’

Shen Xiaoyu was silent for a long time before she picked up her phone and replied.

[Juanzi, what if I said that when I saw him crying, my heart ached? That when he held my foot, I didn’t feel repulsed at all, but instead felt incredibly safe? And even... even just now, looking at his back, I had an impulse to hug him from behind.]

[Juanzi, does this count as liking someone?]

After she sent it, the other end of the line was silent for a full two minutes.

And then, Juanzi’s bombardment came:

[GIRL!!!]

[That’s not fucking ’like’! You’ve completely fallen in love, okay!!]

[You’re done for, Shen Xiaoyu! You’ve fallen head over heels! You usually keep a two-foot distance just to borrow notes from a guy, and now you actually want to *hug* one?!]

[Don’t ask me. I’m already starting to save up for your wedding gift. Tonight, even if you two shake the bed until it collapses, I’ll just wish you a long and happy life together!]

Shen Xiaoyu stared blankly at the messages.

’I love him?’

’Is this... love?’

’Can you fall in love with someone at first sight? Is that even possible?’

Her mind was in such turmoil that her grip slackened, and the phone fell right onto her face.

”Oof!”

The impact was solid, and it really hurt.

Jiang He had been straining his ears for any sound from behind him. The moment he heard her cry out, he shot up from his chair, pulled the blanket away, and asked urgently,

”What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

He bent down, his eyes full of concern.

”N-nothing.” Shen Xiaoyu frantically stuffed her phone under the covers. ”I lost my grip on my phone... it hit my nose...”

After speaking, she turned her head, only then realizing just how close he was.

Shen Xiaoyu froze.

Seeing the look in her eyes, Jiang He froze, too.

The two of them just stared at each other, motionless...

Looking at Jiang He, who was inches away, seeing his clear eyes, feeling his warm breath on her face, smelling the pleasant scent on him...

Shen Xiaoyu’s little brain completely short-circuited.

Deep in her heart,

a crazy, damnable thought suddenly popped into her head:

’I really want to kiss him. Can I?’