Chapter 19 Dr. Gu’s Rejected Invitation

Chapter 19: Dr. Gu's Invitation Rejected

Early Friday morning, the clinic was pristine and bright.

Su Qionglin arrived a little earlier than usual, but Assistant Xiao Zhou was already there, crouching behind the front desk, organizing appointment records. Seeing him enter, she looked up with a smile, "Good morning, Dr. Su!"

Su Qionglin hummed in response, then changed into his daily white coat, meticulously buttoning it before heading to his treatment room to turn on his computer.

While the computer booted up, he took out his phone and unlocked the screen.

There were three unread messages, all from Elio.

The first, sent around 2 a.m., read: "Dr. Su, I'm flying back today! Not sure if I can make your morning clinic hours?"

The second, at 3 a.m.: "Never mind, I won't disturb your sleep. Let's talk after you wake up~"

The third, at 6 a.m.: "I've boarded! The flight is about ten hours. I plan to sleep on the plane. Dr. Su, expect my message!"

It was followed by a lion emoji with its tail held high.

An international flight with a transfer meant a considerable journey. This implied that his phone, primarily used for work notifications and food delivery app alerts, could theoretically enjoy a substantial period of peace.

As this thought crossed his mind, he paused.

Why did it sound like he was somewhat concerned about whether that blonde Alpha would send more bothersome messages?

Frowning, he put down his phone, deciding to ignore it.

The morning appointments proceeded smoothly. His first patient was an elderly lady for a follow-up. Her dental crown restoration had healed well, and she even brought a jar of homemade tea-infused eggs, insisting Su Qionglin take them. He tried to decline but eventually accepted. The tea eggs smelled fragrant, though they were messy to peel and could stain his hands, affecting subsequent examinations.

So, Su Qionglin planned to take them home after work.

Next was an elderly gentleman for a routine check-up. His teeth were well-maintained, though he tended to ramble about everyday life. Then, a young Beta woman came in with a swollen cheek due to an inflamed wisdom tooth. After Su Qionglin efficiently prescribed anti-inflammatory medication and an oral rinse protocol, she left, profusely grateful.

Su Qionglin enjoyed this sense of routine and control, where everything was predictable.

By noon, the clinic was filled with the brief, relaxed atmosphere characteristic of a lunch break.

Su Qionglin had just finished with his last morning patient and was tossing the used disposable instruments into the recycling bin with a clatter when a gentle knock sounded on the treatment room door.

Gu Yunshen pushed the door open and entered, holding a thick, hardbound book weighty enough to serve as a brick.

"Dr. Su, I hope I'm not disturbing you?" he said with his usual gentle smile. His steps were unhurried, and the subtle woody scent of his pheromones was so well-controlled as to be almost imperceptible, indicating excellent self-discipline and refinement.

Su Qionglin shook his head, his expression neutral.

Gu Yunshen handed the book to Su Qionglin. "*Atlas of Marked Dental Microsurgery*. I recall you casually mentioned it once. It contains comprehensive surgical documentation of many rare cases, with exceptionally detailed visuals. I happened to have a copy, so I brought it for you."

Su Qionglin took it. It was heavy and substantial.

He flipped through a few pages. The color microsurgery images were crisp and precise, revealing even the finest blood vessels and nerves. The case descriptions were also concise and to the point, without any superfluous words. It was indeed a professional book he would immediately want to possess.

"Thank you," he said, closing the book and expressing genuine appreciation. "I'll return it after I finish reading."

"You're welcome. I hope it's helpful, Dr. Su. I won't keep you from your work." Gu Yunshen smiled, his gaze lingering on Su Qionglin's impassive face for a moment before he politely turned and left, handling the exchange with perfect tact and no lingering awkwardness.

Su Qionglin placed the book on the corner of his desk, intending to study it more closely later.

He went to wash his hands. The cool water flowed over his fingers, rinsing away the last trace of stickiness.

After thoroughly drying his hands with a sterile towel, he returned to his seat and picked up the heavy atlas again. As he did, an off-white card slipped from between the pages and fell onto the desk.

A bookmark?

Clearly not.

On the card was Gu Yunshen's elegant, flowing handwriting with distinctive flourishes. The content, however, made Su Qionglin's brow furrow instantly:

"Dr. Su, are you free this weekend? A new kaiseki restaurant has opened in the west of the city. The ingredients and atmosphere are excellent. I'd like to invite you to try it."

Su Qionglin looked at the words, his fingertips pressing slightly harder on the edge of the card.

He understood perfectly well that this was more than a simple colleague's dinner invitation.

Gu Yunshen's recent actions—bringing coffee, discussing academics, lending items...

The frequency and specificity had clearly exceeded the bounds of ordinary collegial friendliness.

Borrowing a book was professional courtesy; he accepted that readily, even gratefully.

But this card, and the direct invitation on it, changed everything completely.

It crossed a boundary, entering an uncomfortable gray area.

He slipped the card back into the page it came from, closed the book, picked it up, and walked straight to Gu Yunshen's office.

The door was slightly ajar. Gu Yunshen was sitting at his computer, a 3D model of a tooth rotating on the screen as if he were simulating a procedure.

"Dr. Gu." Su Qionglin knocked on the doorframe.

Gu Yunshen looked up, his eyes brightening slightly upon seeing him. "Dr. Su?"

Su Qionglin handed the book over. "Thank you. The book is excellent, and the cases are very instructive." He paused briefly, then continued clearly, "But I have other plans this weekend and cannot join you for dinner."

Even though his "other plans" most likely involved staying home pondering life, there was no need to share such details with a colleague.

The smile on Gu Yunshen's face stiffened for an instant before quickly returning to normal.

His tone remained gentle and considerate. "It's alright, it was presumptuous of me. Please keep the book to read; there's no hurry to return it. I've already read it and wasn't planning to review it."

He tried to hand the book back, but Su Qionglin had already withdrawn his hands into his white coat pockets, his stance clear.

"No need. I read slowly. You keep it for now. I'll borrow it again when I need it."

As for borrowing it again... he wouldn't. He'd better find a way to buy his own copy.

Gu Yunshen took the book back, a flicker of disappointment quickly passing through his eyes.

Su Qionglin could see the disappointment in his eyes, like a flame pressed down—not entirely extinguished, but no longer flaring up.

He didn't want to make the collegial relationship awkward, nor did he want to give anyone false hope.

Being decisive, clear, and leaving no room for ambiguity was the best approach for both parties.

Dr. Gu was an intelligent man; he should understand.

"Alright," Gu Yunshen said, placing the book on his desk, his smile still impeccable. "Then we can discuss the book's content another time."

Su Qionglin gave a slight nod, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

On the short walk back to his consultation room, Su Qionglin felt unexplainably annoyed.

What is it with these Alphas, one after another? One tries to cross the boundaries between colleagues, while the other blurs the line between doctor and patient.

Why can’t Alphas just go find Omegas?

*

He finished cleaning the instruments, returned to his desk, and picked up his phone that had been shoved in the drawer, only to find several unread messages.

From Elio.

The messages were sent about ten minutes ago.

"Dr. Su! I’ve landed!"

Followed by a second one: "Even the air smells different here! It’s so good to be back!"

Then a third: "Dr. Su, can I reschedule my follow-up appointment to tomorrow?"

Tomorrow?

Tomorrow is Saturday, an official day off. The clinic is closed.

Has this tennis superstar just gotten off the plane, still dealing with jet lag, with his mind all foggy?

Or do S-class Alphas simply ignore basic social conventions?

Patiently, he quickly finished documenting the case notes before picking up his phone to reply: "The clinic is closed tomorrow. No one will be working."

Elio replied instantly: "I know your place is close to the clinic. I can pick you up? Or I’ll wait for you at the clinic entrance. After the checkup, I’ll buy you coffee!"

Is offering coffee all these Alphas know how to do?

Su Qionglin frowned and asked: "Is your tooth bothering you? Does it hurt or feel loose?"

A few seconds later, the reply popped up, with a hint of trying to weasel out of it: "Not really! I just wanted Dr. Su to see how my recovery's going sooner! It feels like it's been too long since you last checked, and I’m a bit worried!"

Immediately followed by another message, this time with an emoji of a fluffy lion covering its face with its paws: "Dr. Su, do me this favor~ Please?"

Really?

Su Qionglin looked at the animated emoji, as if picturing Elio’s messed-up blond hair from being squashed during the long flight, his bright blue eyes blinking hard, the small dimple on his left cheek faintly visible as he was putting on a pitiful act.

He subconsciously raised his hand and pressed his fingers hard against his temples.

"No. The observation period is insufficient, and the material stability hasn’t reached its optimal state. It would affect the evaluation. Your Wednesday appointment is already considered early."

Sent.

He thought, with that said, surely that would be the end of it now.

Just off the plane, not even bothering to adjust to the time difference, and already bugging him—he has way too much energy.

It stayed quiet for about five or six minutes. Just as Su Qionglin was getting ready to leave, his phone buzzed again.

Elio’s reply came through: an emoji of a lion sitting on the ground, its golden tail drooping, with the text: "Alright... I just thought coming back early meant I could see Dr. Su sooner! (〒﹏〒)"

Su Qionglin looked at the lion all curled up into a fuzzy ball, looking completely dejected, and closed the chat window directly, stuffing his phone into his pocket.

Out of sight, out of mind.

But as he put his phone down, he noticed a subtle difference.

He had rejected Gu Yunshen’s subtle and polite invitation firmly, without any psychological burden. Yet, when it came to this all-over-the-place, straightforward blond Alpha, he seemed not as firm, his standards keeping slipping with each "pestering"...

This favoring one over the other, upon closer thought, felt definitely weird.

Dr. Su pressed his lips together in irritation.

This isn’t right. Not right at all.

*

Around 8 p.m., Su Qionglin arrived home after stopping for dinner on the way after work.

His place was about a ten-minute walk from the clinic, on the third floor—no need to wait for the elevator.

As he opened the door, the entryway light automatically turned on, casting a warm yellow glow.

He changed into slippers and was heading to wash his hands when his phone vibrated.

Pulling it out, he saw another message from Elio.

"Dr. Su, I’m at the hotel now! The night view's really something. Too bad you’re not here, or we could enjoy it together."

Attached was a photo—the night view outside the window was indeed stunning, with lights twinkling like stars scattered everywhere.

Su Qionglin didn’t reply. He placed his phone on the coffee table and went to the kitchen to pour a glass of warm water.

After a few sips, his phone buzzed again: "Dr. Su, after the follow-up on Wednesday, there’s something important I want to tell you."

Su Qionglin replied: "You can tell me during the appointment."

Elio replied instantly: "Alright, I’ll tell you when we meet."

Su Qionglin frowned but didn’t push it.

Whatever Elio wanted to say definitely had nothing to do with his teeth, nor with their doctor-patient relationship.

He placed his phone face down on the coffee table and turned on his computer to go over patient cases. But after staring at the CT images on the screen for a long time, the information wasn't processing in his brain.

He sighed and shut down the computer.

Forget it. He’d deal with it on Wednesday. If Elio said something too outrageous, he could just shut him down. No way he’d let a patient spout nonsense in the clinic.

Just then, his phone buzzed again—a message from Gu Yunshen: "Dr. Su, if you’d like to purchase that book from earlier, here’s the link."

Sure enough, a link followed.

Su Qionglin replied with a "Thank you" and closed the chat.

He looked at the two chat windows on his screen—one from Gu Yunshen, polite and refined, the other from Elio, blunt and forward—and suddenly had to laugh a little.

He decided not to dwell on it and got up to take a shower.

The warm water from the showerhead washed away the day’s fatigue and temporarily washed away his tangled-up thoughts.

After his shower, wrapped in a towel, he noticed his phone screen lighting up again. This time, it was from Elio: "Good night, Dr. Su! See you Wednesday!"

Followed by a lion sending hearts emoji.

Su Qionglin stared at the emoji for two seconds, didn’t reply, put his phone on silent, and placed it on the nightstand.

He lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.

Whatever. He was going to really enjoy his weekend.