Go Meet the “Boyfriend”
That call with Yan Cai completely extinguished the little spark left in Xia Xinghe’s heart—utterly and without a trace. Who cares if he barked like a dog or meowed like a cat? Even if Bai Qingzhou started mimicking dolphin sonar, Xia Xinghe wasn’t going to ask anymore.
Asking means you care. And caring means you haven’t let go. It’s been four years—what is there left to hold on to?
Their past had long become just that—the past. This reunion was just a small interlude in the story of his life. Once it’s over, a brighter future awaits.
Realizing this gave Xia Xinghe the confidence to stand tall again. So what if he was an ex? Why act like he owed the man two million? Xia Xinghe’s waist didn’t ache, his legs weren’t sore, and even taking medicine felt easier. After all, the sooner he recovered, the sooner he’d get discharged—and leave this pit of misery.
The next morning, when Nie Xingchao came in for rounds, Xia Xinghe took the initiative to chat with him.
“Dr. Nie,” Xia Xinghe said cheerfully, fluttering his pretty peach blossom eyes, “I’ve been taking my meds and getting my shots on time every day. When can I be discharged?”
Nie Xingchao gave him a glance. “Now you want to leave? What were you doing before?”
Xia Xinghe grinned. “Turning over a new leaf and becoming a better person.”
“Really?”
“Really!”
Nie Xingchao raised an eyebrow. “Then how come you forgot your meds even after getting hospitalized?”
Xia Xinghe: “…”
It was just that one time! Why make it sound like he was the poster child for noncompliance?
He pouted. “I haven’t forgotten since then.”
Nie Xingchao: “Thanks to Qingzhou’s supervision.”
Normally, whenever Nie Xingchao brought up Bai Qingzhou, Xia Xinghe would fumble awkwardly, unsure how to respond. But today was different. Xia Xinghe froze for a second, then took a deep breath.
“This has nothing to do with Bai Qingzhou,” he said seriously.
His soft voice still had a bit of a nasal tone, but his firm words sounded like he couldn’t wait to clarify things. Nie Xingchao frowned slightly and asked, “What? You two had a fight?”
“No,” Xia Xinghe shook his head. “Our relationship isn’t even close enough to fight.”
He used to be overly cautious, avoiding any mention of the past. But now that he’d made up his mind, he didn’t want to keep being vague. He deliberately lifted the corners of his lips and forced himself to act open.
“Actually, we’re not that familiar. We were classmates in college. Haven’t spoken in four years.”
Nie Xingchao raised an eyebrow. “And he still comes to see you every day?”
Xia Xinghe said, “It’s because we had a bit of a conflict before. He’s here to mock me.”
He didn’t say that they used to be in a relationship—after all, this was Bai Qingzhou’s workplace. Talking too much might affect him.
Thinking of that, Xia Xinghe added silently in his heart: it wasn’t because he cared about Bai Qingzhou, of course. Just basic courtesy and decency.
“Qingzhou isn’t that kind of person,” Nie Xingchao said.
Nie Xingchao didn’t believe what Xia Xinghe said and thought he was just being difficult and sarcastic. He casually responded and took a cotton swab and flashlight to check Xia Xinghe’s throat.
Xia Xinghe didn’t argue and followed his actions, turning the conversation back to the earlier topic: “So? When can I get discharged?”
After a moment, Nie Xingchao turned off the flashlight and casually tossed the swab into the trash bin. “You’re recovering well lately. The inflammation has basically cleared up. I’ll reduce your medication in the next couple of days, and after two more days of IV fluids to consolidate, you can be discharged if everything goes well.”
Having gotten the answer he wanted, Xia Xinghe smiled with lowered eyes: “Alright, thanks, Doctor Nie.”
His obedient and well-behaved demeanor pleased Nie Xingchao greatly. He nodded, made a couple of notes in the medical record, then snapped a photo and casually sent it to Bai Qingzhou.
Bai Qingzhou was always cold and aloof, usually solitary, but Nie Xingchao was his senior at school—warm and righteous—and their relationship was fairly good.
[Nie says every day: 【image】] [Nie says every day: Xiao Xia is recovering well, should be ready for discharge in two days.] [Nie says every day: He’s been doing well lately, special mention.]On Bai Qingzhou’s end, the status quickly showed “typing…”, but no message came through. Nie Xingchao checked two more wards, and Bai Qingzhou’s message finally arrived, albeit late.
[Bai: Oh.]Nie Xingchao chuckled. Could it be they really had a fight?
[Nie says every day: Come to see him?] [Bai: Consultation.] [Nie says every day: What about the afternoon?] [Bai: Surgery.]Nie Xingchao replied with “Alright,” and in his heart confirmed the suspicion that they were in a conflict. It was amusing but also intriguing.
This was the first time he’d seen Bai Qingzhou respond so awkwardly, as if the cold god had gained a touch of worldly warmth.
…….
For the next two days, Bai Qingzhou did not come back to Xia Xinghe’s ward.
The little nurse who usually came around to subtly show her presence drastically reduced her visits. Xia Xinghe’s small irritation quietly dissipated.
Unable to guess Bai Qingzhou’s thoughts, he stopped guessing. Taking advantage of the peaceful time without interruptions, he finished writing the final ending of his current story.
He had taken five days off due to illness, which sparked heated debates in the comment section. This time, he posted a 20,000-character ending all at once, and new comments quickly poured in.
Xia Xinghe loved reading readers’ comments. Text was a medium of communication—the author opening their little world for readers to inspect and judge, while readers’ comments were the best feedback, a collision and exchange of minds. Whether praise or criticism, Xia Xinghe accepted it all. Moreover, most readers were very cute, like—
【!!! Look what treasure I found!】
【My favorite author updated!!!】
【Bamboo updated! Youth returned!】
【Ahhhh I’m so excited the whole neighborhood’s roosters can hear me crowing!】
Xia Xinghe chuckled at these fun comments, refreshed the comment section for a while longer, then remembered to post a Weibo notification about his completion.
【@Bamboo: Updated, finished. Thanks for the support and company over the past six months. See you in the next story. ^ ^】
Once posted, the comments exploded.
【Suddenly ended, lost my happiness 🙁 】
【Wuwuwu finished reading the update, my tears are worthless. They’re really good. I’ll always love Bamboo!】
【Congrats on finishing! Thank you in advance for Bamboo’s 200,000-character luxury side story!】
【? Top comment is suspicious, this is no-CP hahaha】
【Whatever, I’m shipping it first to show respect.】
Xia Xinghe wrote a no-CP plot, but with a delicate writing style and two strong male leads, fans often paired them up. He didn’t mind, knowing it was just readers’ way of expressing love for the protagonists.
After browsing Weibo a bit more, a message from editor Yanmai popped up.
[Editor Yanmai: Congratulations on finishing!!!] [Editor Yanmai: You’ve worked hard recently. Are you feeling better?] [Editor Yanmai: Do you plan to sign a physical book deal? Several publishers contacted the website and are waiting for your completion.] [Little Bamboo: Thanks, I’m much better now.] [Little Bamboo: You can handle everything, thanks for your hard work.]They’d worked together for several years. Yanmai was efficient and flawless; Xia Xinghe didn’t hesitate to entrust her with the new work.
[Editor Yanmai: Okay~ I’ll prepare a publishing authorization form for you to sign, I’ll send it once ready!]This was the usual procedure. Xia Xinghe replied “Okay,” and while she prepared the documents, he reopened Weibo.
In just five minutes, comments surpassed one hundred. Xia Xinghe read through them all—congratulations and requests for side stories—but not one from the person he most hoped for.
Unwilling to give up, he scrolled through again, found nothing, then opened his private messages and found a user named “nsxhss0905,” to whom he sent a message.
[@Bamboo: I finally finished!] [@Bamboo: [Happy][Happy][Happy]]This garbled username was Xia Xinghe’s first reader.
Xia Xinghe started writing stories back in university. He didn’t understand contracts, rankings, or traffic—he just wanted to tell a story, so he did. He updated quietly every day with thousands of words, without thinking about fame or money. This reader saw him among many authors and accompanied him step by step to today.
Now Xia Xinghe had many new readers. This first reader rarely commented anymore, but Xia Xinghe regarded him as an important friend. Just knowing he was there made him feel at ease.
That reader seemed to always be very busy. The last time they had chatted was when Xia Xinghe had just started writing his story. The reader’s homepage was always blank—no posts, not even a single Weibo.
Xia Xinghe thought for a moment and sent another message.
[@Bamboo: It feels like I haven’t seen you in a long time. How have you been lately?]He knew this reader had always been mysterious, appearing and disappearing without a trace, so he didn’t expect an immediate reply. After sending the message, he closed the chat window. At the same time, a message from Yanmai popped up.
[Editor Yanmai: By the way, Bamboo, I wanted to discuss something with you.] [Editor Yanmai: I remember you’re in Liaohu, right? Our company is also in Liaohu. If it’s convenient, would you be able to sign the contract in person?] [Little Bamboo: Does it have to be in person?] [Editor Yanmai: Not necessarily, but the company recently changed the contract policy. Doing it online might be a hassle. If it’s not too inconvenient, it’s better to sign in person ( :з」∠ ) ]Grown-ups rarely use words like “must,” but Yanmai’s tone already made it clear this wasn’t going to be a simple matter.
Xia Xinghe hesitated for a moment, but in the end, didn’t turn her down.
When Xia Xinghe had just signed his first contract, Yanmai had also just joined the company. He was her first author. In the blink of an eye, years had passed—Yanmai now managed hundreds of writers, and Xia Xinghe had grown to become one of the platform’s pillars. They had weathered the storms together and kept a solid relationship. Xia Xinghe thought, it’s just a short trip outside, better than putting her in a tough spot.
[Little Bamboo: Sure.] [Little Bamboo: When?] [Editor Yanmai: Are you free tomorrow?]Editor Yanmai was scheduled to travel for work in a few days, and the contract couldn’t be delayed. After a brief discussion, they decided to meet the following evening. She insisted on treating Xia Xinghe to a meal, and he reluctantly chose a quiet, lightly seasoned private restaurant near her office.
By the time everything was arranged, it was already evening. After settling things with Yanmai, Xia Xinghe left his hospital room and knocked on Dr. Nie Xingchao’s office door.
Nie Xingchao was writing a detailed medical report. Upon hearing Xia Xinghe’s reason for coming, his brows furrowed slightly.
“You want to go out for dinner? Tomorrow night?”
“Yeah, I already made plans with a friend.”
Xia Xinghe didn’t like to boast about how others were helping him. He didn’t bother explaining it was work-related. Instead, he just blinked and smiled obediently. “Is that okay?”
Xia Xinghe’s illness hadn’t completely healed yet, and as his attending doctor, Nie Xingchao was naturally reluctant to let him go out. But unable to resist Xia Xinghe’s soft and persistent coaxing, he finally relented.
“All right,” Nie Xingchao rubbed his temples. “You’re almost ready for discharge anyway, so going out for a meal isn’t the end of the world. But remember to eat lightly—avoid oily or spicy foods.”
Xia Xinghe nodded eagerly. “We’re just going to Old Liu’s private kitchen nearby. The food’s really mild!”
His loosely tied hair was bunched into a cute little puff at the back of his head, and his eyes sparkled with excitement. Nie Xingchao gave him a helpless look.
“You’re this happy just to eat out?”
Xia Xinghe pouted. “It’s not that big a deal. I’ve only gone half a month with no appetite, and now I feel just mildly like grabbing dirt off the ground and stuffing it in my mouth.”
Of course, Xia Xinghe was joking. He wasn’t stupid enough to harm his health, but his teasing tone still made Nie Xingchao worry. After a moment’s thought, Nie Xingchao sent a message to Bai Qingzhou.
[Nie says every day: Xiao Xia is going out for dinner tonight. Do you know about this?]No reply from Bai Qingzhou.
Still no reply.
[Nie says every day: He looked really happy just now when he mentioned it. Maybe he’s going to see someone special?]One second.
Two seconds.
Nie Xingchao’s phone lit up with a WeChat notification.
[Bai: Where is he going?]