Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Noticing Shen Tingzhou's odd behavior, Xu Xun glanced at the person cleaning the courtyard.

The man had a lean face, black hair, and black eyes, and his gaze towards Shen Tingzhou was filled with surprise.

Xu Xun asked Shen Tingzhou, "Do you know him?"

Shen Tingzhou’s lips moved slightly, but when he saw the other person hurriedly look away, he didn’t say the word "know."

The person in front of him was none other than Fu Yusheng, whom Qin Si had mentioned that morning.

Previously, Qin Si had said Fu Yusheng looked very down on his luck, but Shen Tingzhou hadn’t fully grasped what "down on his luck" meant until he saw him today.

Shen Tingzhou couldn’t equate the vibrant and daring Fu Yusheng who used to play guitar under the girls’ dormitory to confess to the departmental flower with the person standing before him now.

A few years had passed, and Fu Yusheng had truly changed a lot.

"Doctor Shen?"

A joyful voice came from ahead.

Shen Tingzhou was very sensitive to this voice; his heart skipped a beat, and he looked up to see Su Yu, the strongest pregnant man.

Behind Su Yu was Su Qiang, who greeted Shen Tingzhou with even more enthusiasm and louder than Su Yu.

"Doctor Shen, I miss you so much."

You must want me dead...

Shen Tingzhou secretly glanced at Xu Xun, whose side profile was indeed stiffening.

Shen Tingzhou still vividly remembered the scene from last time when these three people were together, and he really didn’t want to experience that heart-stopping situation again.

But fate had it otherwise, as the troublemaker Su Yu walked over and pushed out his pregnant belly for Shen Tingzhou to touch.

"The baby inside got so excited when they heard you were here. Doctor Shen, feel it."

"...” With Xu Xun beside him, Shen Tingzhou adopted a professional demeanor, "Has the fetal movement been frequent lately?"

Su Yu’s eyes curved into crescents as he tilted his head and smiled, "The baby probably misses you. It moves especially frequently when it sees you."

Su Qiang rolled his eyes, "I think you get especially frisky whenever you see Doctor Shen."

Shen Tingzhou felt a chill run down his spine. If he had known these two would be here, he wouldn’t have brought Xiao Xu along.

Su Yu frowned, "This is Father’s place of seclusion. Do you really want to argue here?"

Su Qiang choked but refused to be overshadowed by Su Yu, "Who wants to argue with you? I just find your fishy smell unbearable!"

While they were arguing, Xu Xun pulled Shen Tingzhou’s hand and led him forward.

Fu Yusheng had left at some point, and Shen Tingzhou glanced at the empty courtyard before following Xu Xun obediently.

Su Yu immediately caught up, "Doctor Shen walks so fast; my child and I can’t keep up."

Su Qiang continued to needle Su Yu, "Doctor Shen doesn’t want you to catch up. He must be sick of you. Can’t you tell?"

Su Yu waved his hand as if shooing a fly, "Big Qiang, go find your cockroaches. Stop nagging in my ear."

Su Qiang gritted his teeth, "You stinky fish! Why don’t you go find that rotten shrimp Yu Mingyan?"

Su Yu said disdainfully, "Stop talking. Doctor Shen is about to elope with someone else, yet you’re still laying cockroach eggs here."

Shen Tingzhou: ...

Hearing the word "elope," Xu Xun actually stopped.

Shen Tingzhou’s heart leaped to his throat, and he tugged at Xu Xun’s hand, silently urging him to leave.

Seeing that Xu Xun might argue, Su Yu took the opportunity to pour tea, saying to Xu Xun, "I envy you having such a great partner like Doctor Shen. His skills are excellent."

Shen Tingzhou was startled. What does "excellent skills" mean?

Strangely, Xu Xun could match Su Yu’s train of thought.

"Are you talking about cesarean surgery?" Xu Xun’s tone was indifferent. "No need to be polite. That rag doll was made from leftover fabric from our cat’s clothes."

Shen Tingzhou: ...

When did we ever make clothes for our cat? Aren’t they all bought ready-made?

Su Yu’s pretty eyes twinkled, and he soon smiled, "Doctor Shen said he’s worried about me going into the delivery room alone and wants to accompany me."

Xu Xun turned his head to ask Shen Tingzhou, "Is that true?"

Su Yu also stared at Shen Tingzhou, "Right, Doctor Shen?"

Under the intense gazes of both, Shen Tingzhou was caught between a rock and a hard place and could only make something up, "Only a direct family member can enter the delivery room."

Su Yu drew out his tone, "Oh, so Doctor Shen wanted to accompany me, but the rules don’t allow it."

Shen Tingzhou: ... You sure know how to interpret things.

The same sentence, but Xu Xun interpreted it differently, expressing regret, "Tingzhou has no relation to you, so he can’t enter the operating room to observe and learn about cesarean surgery closely."

Su Yu pursed his lips and launched his third attack, "Doctor Shen has worn his white coat in front of me."

Shen Tingzhou inexplicably felt a chill down his back.

Xu Xun, who remained calm even when Mount Tai collapsed before him, finally showed a few cracks.

However, the idea of uniform play was indeed a path he had never considered before. They could give it a try tonight.

Xu Xun's expression instantly softened as he smiled and said, "Is this really worth mentioning?"

He spoke as if it were something Su Yu overreacted to, "It seems you haven't known Tingzhou for very long. We've been together for three years now, right?"

They had known each other for three years, not been together for three years.

But how could Shen Tingzhou dare to correct him? He nodded stiffly, "Mm."

Su Yu pouted, clearly unhappy with Shen Tingzhou's favoritism towards Xu Xun.

On the side, Su Qiang pulled out a pen and paper from somewhere, jotting down every word Xu Xun said. Seeing that they weren't arguing anymore, Su Qiang looked over in confusion, "If you can talk, then talk more. Haven't you had any water today?"

Shen Tingzhou: ...

After a moment, Shen Tingzhou realized that Su Qiang was trying to learn from him. But Xiao Xu's way of speaking... was the result of long family influence, which wasn't easy for anyone else to replicate.

Su Qiang urged generously, "I'll buy your drinks for today, so keep talking!"

Su Yu had his ways of dealing with Su Qiang, "Big Qiang, spring is almost here. You should avoid people more, it's not good to be too excessive."

Su Qiang felt angry but couldn't really do anything since Su Yu was pregnant.

The door in front opened, and Su Dad walked out.

Seeing Su Dad, Shen Tingzhou felt like he had seen a savior, and the man seemed to shine brilliantly in his eyes.

As soon as Su Dad appeared, both Su Yu and Su Qiang became quiet.

Shen Tingzhou breathed a sigh of relief and quickly asked the master to bless the golden scissors, then hurriedly left the temple with Xiao Xu.

-

On the way back, Shen Tingzhou explained, "Xiao Su just likes to joke around. Don't take what he says seriously."

Xu Xun spoke gently, "I know, I'm not taking it seriously."

Shen Tingzhou felt relieved and couldn't help but marvel at how understanding a partner like Xiao Xu was hard to find.

When they got home, Shen Tingzhou noticed Xu Xun placing an order for a white coat, and his eyebrows furrowed.

...This clearly meant he was taking it seriously!

Xu Xun had ordered express delivery within the city, and the white coat arrived before dinner.

After dinner, while Shen Tingzhou was petting the cat, he felt the person beside him getting closer, making his nerves tense.

Xu Xun's breath brushed against Shen Tingzhou's cheek.

Anticipating what Xu Xun was about to do, Shen Tingzhou swallowed and couldn't help saying, "We just ate, it's not good to... engage in strenuous activities right away."

Xu Xun buried his face in Shen Tingzhou's neck, his voice laced with amusement, "Then you need to digest faster."

As he spoke, he placed his hand on Shen Tingzhou's belly and moved it clockwise to promote digestion.

Doctor Shen felt a bit embarrassed but still persisted in educating him, "...The stomach isn't here."

"Where is it?" Xu Xun half-hugged Shen Tingzhou, his hand wandering around Shen Tingzhou's waist, "Here? Or here?"

Shen Tingzhou grabbed the wandering hand and placed it on his stomach.

Xu Xun's palm stayed there for a few seconds before slowly rubbing it.

The continuous warmth made Shen Tingzhou's ears turn red. Xu Xun bit his earlobe and mumbled, "Don't wear clothes I haven't seen before in front of others."

Shen Tingzhou smiled at the domineering Xiao Xu, "What about raincoats?"

Xu Xun: "Not allowed either!"

Shen Tingzhou's smile widened, "Not even raincoats?"

Feeling mocked, Xu Xun bit Shen Tingzhou's lip fiercely.

-

Early the next morning, Shen Tingzhou's phone on the bedside table vibrated again.

No matter how tired or sleepy he was, Shen Tingzhou reflexively opened his eyes at the first ring.

Xu Xun, who had a slight case of morning grumpiness, coiled his arms around Shen Tingzhou like a giant python, dragging him back to his side, with two small creases forming between his brows.

Seeing this, Shen Tingzhou stroked Xu Xun's nape to soothe him while reaching for the phone.

This time, the caller was not Qin Si but Zhou Zitan.

It was past five in the morning, and the sky outside was still dark. For Zhou Zitan to call at this hour, Shen Tingzhou dared not ignore it.

He quickly answered the call and asked anxiously, "What's wrong?"

Zhou Zitan's voice carried obvious confusion, "Doctor Shen, do you think I'm gay?"

Shen Tingzhou's sleep-deprived brain couldn't process the implications behind this question.

Zhou Zitan wouldn't ask this without reason. Shen Tingzhou rubbed his throat, his voice slightly hoarse, "Why are you asking this?"

Zhou Zitan hesitated, "Well... someone said it."

Shen Tingzhou took three seconds to realize that the person was Yu Jurong.

"This is a complicated matter." Watching Xu Xun frown continuously, Shen Tingzhou pressed his temples, "Can we discuss this in person?"

Zhou Zitan: "Okay."

Shen Tingzhou arranged a time with Zhou Zitan, put his phone back in place, and quickly lay down again.

Xu Xun rubbed against Shen Tingzhou discontentedly, "Why do they always like to call you so early?"

It wasn't to the point of "always"; there were only two or three such calls within a month.

Shen Tingzhou didn't elaborate much, just ruffled Xu Xun's hair, "I'll talk to them next time. Go back to sleep."

Xu Xun pulled Shen Tingzhou to the side and kissed his eyelids haphazardly.

Shen Tingzhou closed his eyes involuntarily and fell asleep shortly after.

They went downstairs very late in the morning. After breakfast, Shen Tingzhou drove to find Zhou Zitan.

Arriving at Zhou Zitan's neighborhood, Shen Tingzhou got out of the car and, as usual, sent Xu Xun a text message to let him know he was safe.

Xu Xun quickly sent back an emoji of a cat.

Shen Tingzhou smiled but didn't reply. Just as he was about to put his phone away, Qin Si sent a message.

"I heard a shocking rumor about Fu Yusheng. Do you want to hear it?"

Shen Tingzhou was taken aback; Qin Si wasn't particularly gossipy, so something that shocked him must be quite shocking.

Shen Tingzhou replied, "I'm busy now. Let's talk later."

Qin Si: "Okay."

Shen Tingzhou put his phone in his pocket and, looking up, saw Fu Yusheng!

What a coincidence! He had just been talking about him, and there he was right in front of him.