Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Shen Tingzhou was a plush fanatic, the type who would stroke a dandelion if he saw one.

When he decorated his house, he schizophrenically designed the living room in minimalist black, white, and gray tones, but the bedroom was astonishingly full of soft textures, with carpets that felt like stepping on clouds.

Shen Tingzhou rubbed his face against a pillow vigorously, venting his embarrassment. Then, he restored the pillow to its original position and placed it back in the corner.

Just as he was about to sleep, his phone on the bedside table suddenly vibrated.

Shen Tingzhou picked up the phone and saw that it was Song Qingning calling. He immediately answered.

A worried voice came through, "Doctor Shen, could you please come to Room 1902 at the Boyue Hotel? Jinghang has run into some trouble."

Li Jinghang was Shen Tingzhou's second employer.

Song Qingning was the second partner Li Jinghang's father had married.

A man, Li Jinghang's male stepmother.

Song Qingning struggled to support his stepson, holding the phone between his neck and shoulder as he spoke intermittently with Shen Tingzhou.

"He had a drink in the lounge... there might have been something in the drink. After he drank it, he started acting strange... yes, his consciousness is hazy, and his breathing is rapid."

The person beside him suddenly went limp and slid down straight.

Song Qingning was startled and instinctively tried to support Li Jinghang. The phone slipped out of his ear, hit the corner of the wall, and the screen went dark.

Just as Song Qingning was about to pick up the phone, a hand grabbed his wrist. His heart skipped a beat as he turned his head.

Li Jinghang's bangs fell over his forehead, his voice hoarse, "Go to the guest room first."

Song Qingning nodded quickly, gritted his teeth, and helped Li Jinghang up, supporting him as they entered Room 1902 with his card.

Before he could turn on the lights, Li Jinghang said in a breathy voice, "Go to the bathroom."

Song Qingning dragged him into the bathroom, stumbling as he laid Li Jinghang against the wall, nearly exhausted.

He knelt down, waiting for further instructions from Li Jinghang.

But there was no response. Song Qingning couldn't help but look up.

The bathroom was dark, illuminated only by a sliver of orange light from the hallway.

Li Jinghang sat on the floor, his glasses gone, his shirt crumpled under his vest, the collar open, his narrow eyes filled with desire, burning intensely as he stared at him.

Song Qingning's breath caught, his heart pounding fiercely in his chest.

Li Jinghang raised his hand, his hot palm pressing against the back of Song Qingning's neck, pulling him closer.

-

The hotel doorbell suddenly rang, breaking the silence in the bathroom.

Song Qingning's pupils contracted sharply, pushing away the person in front of him as if waking from a dream.

Li Jinghang didn't budge, holding Song Qingning's arm, his lowered forehead lightly touching Song Qingning's shoulder, his voice deep and hoarse, "Don't be afraid, just help me to the bed."

Song Qingning inexplicably calmed down, nodding slightly.

Shen Tingzhou waited outside for two minutes before the door finally opened.

The light in the hotel foyer was dim, and Song Qingning stood inside, his clothes somehow wet, his cheeks flushed, exuding an air of panic.

He looked down, speaking softly, "Come in, Doctor Shen."

Shen Tingzhou found this odd and gave him an extra glance.

There was a noticeable mark on Song Qingning's neck, as if bitten by a mosquito. The light was too dim for Shen Tingzhou to see clearly, his mind focused on his employer, "Where is Mr. Li?"

Song Qingning's voice remained low and muffled, "In, inside."

Shen Tingzhou had already made a basic assessment of Li Jinghang's condition before arriving.

The drink had been spiked with drugs of that nature.

Such incidents were common; among wealthy and handsome CEOs, seven out of ten had experienced this, while the remaining three had their targets set on their future partners.

Shen Tingzhou had seen it all before and was unfazed.

Li Jinghang's condition wasn't severe. Shen Tingzhou took out a glucose solution from his emergency kit.

Glucose solution could increase blood volume and help flush out alcohol and stimulants more quickly.

Shen Tingzhou pulled Li Jinghang's arm, disinfected it, and was about to administer the injection when Li Jinghang began coughing violently.

Seeing this, Song Qingning hurriedly brought a glass of water.

As Li Jinghang took the water, his fingertips accidentally brushed against Song Qingning, the heat triggering a memory, causing Song Qingning's ears to redden as he quickly withdrew his hand.

Shen Tingzhou's eyebrows twitched.

Was it just his imagination, or did the atmosphere between these two seem rather peculiar?

Li Jinghang remained calm, enduring the coughing fit, and drank a few sips of water.

Shen Tingzhou didn't dwell on it, waiting until Li Jinghang stopped coughing before efficiently disinfecting the area again and administering the injection.

During the infusion, Shen Tingzhou instructed Song Qingning on some precautions.

Song Qingning listened attentively and then asked, "Should we be careful about his diet?"

Shen Tingzhou said, "It's best to eat something light for the next two days."

Song Qingning responded with a sound, her gaze unconsciously drifting to Li Jinghang on the bed. He was also looking at her, his dark eyes like an invisible giant net.

Song Qingning panicked and quickly turned away her gaze.

Shen Tingzhou happened to see this scene, and that lingering doubt resurfaced once again.

Stepmother, stepson.

These two attributes...

In Shen Tingzhou's mind, scenes from "Suspended Drowning" automatically played out.

Stop it, stop it!

His little cousin loved to ship some peculiar couples and would even post about them on social media, of course, blocking her parents.

Yesterday, she posted a video about a stepmother and stepson couple, set to "Suspended Drowning." It was rumored that this song was some kind of immoral tune.

Whether it was immoral or not, Shen Tingzhou didn't know, but it was quite catchy.

Shaking off these random thoughts, Shen Tingzhou said to Song Qingning, "Mr. Li's condition has stabilized. Make sure to drink plenty of water and get plenty of rest."

Song Qingning: "Okay."

After finishing the IV, Shen Tingzhou removed the needle and pressed a cotton ball against the puncture site on his arm. "You need to press it for two minutes to stop the bleeding."

Li Jinghang glanced at Song Qingning, said nothing, and made no move.

Shen Tingzhou had to press the cotton ball himself to stop the bleeding.

Song Qingning hesitated for three or four seconds before slowly stepping forward and softly saying, "Why don't I do it, Doctor Shen?"

Shen Tingzhou did not refuse. After Song Qingning took over pressing the cotton ball, he picked up two vials of medicine, instructing Li Jinghang to dissolve one in water an hour later and the other on an empty stomach tomorrow morning.

As he placed the vials on the bedside table, Shen Tingzhou inadvertently noticed a red mark on Song Qingning's side neck.

He hadn't seen it clearly earlier due to the dim lighting, but now he could finally see it.

Although he had been single all his life, if he wasn't mistaken, the mark on Song Qingning's neck should be...

No way, right? Song Qingning's husband, Li Jinghang's biological father, died in an air crash two months ago, and he had attended the funeral.

On the other hand, although Song Qingning was Li Jinghang's male stepmother, she was actually two years younger than him.

The intro of the immoral tune played in Shen Tingzhou's ears once again.

Shen Tingzhou: ...

This song was too toxic, and so was the video his cousin posted!

Actually, Song Qingning was also two years younger than him, and they had attended the same high school.

Shen Tingzhou had no recollection of this junior until Song Qingning mentioned it last time, revealing they were alumni.

Looking at the delicate features of this junior, Shen Tingzhou felt his heart was too dirty.

-

With Li Jinghang basically fine, Shen Tingzhou did not stay longer.

Song Qingning followed Shen Tingzhou to the door, watching him with a hesitant expression.

Shen Tingzhou: ???

Shen Tingzhou tentatively asked, "Is there anything else?"

Song Qingning tightened her grip on the doorknob and then shook her head. "No, just be careful on your way."

Shen Tingzhou guessed she was worried about Li Jinghang and comforted her a few words before leaving.

This day had exhausted Shen Tingzhou thoroughly. By the time he got home, it was already two in the morning, and he slept until nine in the morning.

After breakfast, Shen Tingzhou grabbed the car keys from the shoe cabinet and was about to leave when his phone vibrated in his pocket.

Qin Si: The test results are ready. When are you coming to pick them up?

Shen Tingzhou replied that he'd be there soon, and Qin Si didn't say anything more.

Qin Si was Shen Tingzhou's college roommate. After graduation, by chance, Shen Tingzhou became a family doctor for the wealthy, while Qin Si chose a private hospital with higher pay.

Over the years, they kept in touch, occasionally meeting up for meals and drinks.

Shen Tingzhou drove for forty minutes to the hospital.

Pushing open the clinic door, he saw Qin Si, dressed in a white coat, sitting in his office chair, giving instructions to his medical assistant.

Shen Tingzhou waited at the door for a bit until Qin Si finished his task. Then he walked over carrying a bag.

Seeing the brand logo on the paper bag, Qin Si's eyes lit up. "Did you go to Red Bakery?"

Shen Tingzhou handed the paper bag to Qin Si. "Your favorite donuts and chocolate double cheese."

Qin Si had a sweet tooth but couldn't store sweets at home because he had eight cats, fearing they might accidentally eat them.

Qin Si happily accepted the bag and pulled out a stack of test results from the drawer, handing them to Shen Tingzhou.

These test results were for Shen Tingzhou's third employer.

This employer had a somewhat special constitution. Although a man, he could become pregnant and was already three months along.

Yesterday, Shen Tingzhou brought him to this hospital for some basic examinations. After the reports came out, Qin Si helped organize them.

Shen Tingzhou opened the report and skimmed through the various indicators.

Everything was fine.

Both the baby and the adult were very healthy.

Qin Si, biting into a chocolate cheesecake, asked, "Want to have lunch together?"

Shen Tingzhou put the examination report into a file bag. "Let's see the time. I still need to deliver the report to Mr. Su later. I'll be off."

Qin Si called out to him, "Wait a moment."

Shen Tingzhou turned around.

Qin Si dangled three keychains in front of Shen Tingzhou, "Want them? Made from cat fur."

Shen Tingzhou's eyes followed the swinging keychains. If he had a tail, it would have been wagging like a fan.

Help!

Too cute!!

Qin Si poked the three cat-head keychains with cat fur. Round heads, triangular cat ears, and big blue eyes.

One of them even had a bow made from silver tabby cat fur.

Shen Tingzhou wished he could scream like a chicken, but he restrained himself and said calmly, "Just give me one."

Seeing Shen Tingzhou pretending to be composed, Qin Si clicked his tongue.

Still acting?

Before Qin Si could tease him, the phone on the desk suddenly rang. It was a VIP patient who had an appointment that morning, a vice president of a listed company.

Qin Si answered the call.

The call was from the vice president's assistant, saying there was something urgent this morning and they wanted to reschedule the appointment to the afternoon.

Qin Si exchanged a few words with the assistant and hung up. Shen Tingzhou was already gone from the office, and the three keychains he had painstakingly made were nowhere to be found.

Qin Si: ...

What a brazen thief, not leaving even one behind!

-

Walking out of the hospital, Shen Tingzhou couldn't wait to attach the little cat ball to his keys.

So cute, really so cute.

Swoon swoon.

Shen Tingzhou also hung another little head in his car, poking at the cat every time he stopped at a red light.

How could there be such a cute and soft-to-pet creature as a cat in this world?

It's simply irresistible!

When he retires, he wants to raise a bunch of cats like Qin Si. He can't imagine how cheerful a cat owner he will be then!