APR 62

Zhong Su was in excruciating pain. He suspected that Yu Zizhuo’s forceful tug had scraped the skin around the ring he was wearing.

Sweating coldly, he slapped Yu Zizhuo’s hand away. “Enough, don’t touch me!”

Only then did Yu Zizhuo get a clear look at his face. He froze for a moment before breaking into a delighted smile. “Little brother? Ah, no—Zhong Su. I didn’t expect to see you here. What luck.”

Zhong Su didn’t feel lucky at all.

Without a word, he pushed himself up, making it clear he had no intention of speaking to Yu Zizhuo further.

Just then, a nurse poked her head out and called again, “Number 24! Where’s number 24? This is the second time I’ve called!”

Zhong Su pursed his lips. “I’m number 24.”

“If you heard your number, why didn’t you come in sooner?” The nurse planted her hands on her hips, her tone impatient. “Doctor Liu has been waiting for you for ages!”

With even the slightest movement, Zhong Su could feel a tearing pain in that area.

He straightened his back, suppressing the pain, and tried to maintain a normal posture. His expression remained blank as he said, “Inspector Yu, I need to see the doctor now. You’re blocking my way. Move aside.”

He attempted to step around the other man, but in the next moment, Yu Zizhuo grabbed his hand. His palm was broad, his knuckles firm, and his grip was strong—direct and stubborn, almost impossible to resist.

Zhong Su’s brow twitched. “What are you doing?”

Yu Zizhuo glanced at the sign for the urology department, then at Zhong Su, who was clearly in pain. Noticing the unnatural way he was standing, Yu Zizhuo immediately understood where he was injured.

A look of apology crossed his face. “You’re hurt because of me, aren’t you? Let me help you into the examination room.”

Zhong Su’s expression darkened for a moment. “I don’t need your help—”

“You do.” Yu Zizhuo’s tone was sincere, his attitude resolute, and his execution downright overbearing.

Without another word, he swiftly removed his bloodstained coat, bent down, and hoisted the handsome young man over his shoulder.

Instantly, the faint scent of blood mixed with fabric softener filled Zhong Su’s nostrils. The shoulder supporting his waist and abdomen was warm and solid, radiating an undeniable sense of strength.

Yu Zizhuo moved as effortlessly as if he were carrying a sack of cotton, not a grown man. His tone carried a reassuring certainty as he said, “There, all settled. Don’t struggle, and it won’t hurt.”

Carrying Zhong Su, he strode past the astonished nurse with steady steps and walked straight into the examination room.

Zhong Su’s body was suddenly suspended in mid-air. Staring at the receding floor, he was so shocked that he didn’t even think to struggle.

It wasn’t until he was placed on a chair that Zhong Su snapped back to reality. He watched helplessly as Yu Zizhuo took the medical record from his hand and handed it to the doctor on duty.

With a hint of bashfulness on his face, Yu Zizhuo said earnestly, “Doctor, my friend here is having some discomfort down below, and I might have accidentally… hurt him just now. Could you take a look?”

Seeing Yu Zizhuo carry Zhong Su in, the doctor assumed they were a same-sex couple and didn’t find it unusual. He calmly flipped through the medical record and said, “In this day and age, homosexuality is perfectly normal. It’s not uncommon for a boyfriend to accompany someone to have a genital ring removed.”

“Your name is Zhong Su, right? Take off your pants and sit on that bed. I’ll first check what material the ring is made of and how tightly it’s stuck.”

Utterly humiliated, Zhong Su instead grew completely calm. His eyes, like stagnant water, fixed on Yu Zizhuo. He pointed toward the door and said faintly,

"Go out first, I'll deal with you later."

Yu Zizhuo blinked, his expression mixing pure concern with a hint of embarrassment, yet he still tried to comfort Zhong Su, saying, "It's okay, you don't have to be shy. I'm not prejudiced about these things. I know many people have unusual little quirks."

"I said get out."

Seeing Zhong Su trembling with anger and shame, Yu Zizhuo finally belatedly realized he might have said the wrong thing and obediently closed his mouth.

He dutifully shuffled a few steps toward the door but couldn't resist turning back to add, "Little brother, after you finish removing the ring, I'll take you home. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this." Then he closed the door.

With the tactless guy gone, Zhong Su could finally begin removing the ring.

The removal process went smoothly. As the small metal ring fell onto the tray with a crisp clink against the bottom, the procedure was declared complete.

The doctor removed his rubber gloves while delivering routine advice, "You young people can play around, but you need to be aware of safety risks. Fortunately, this time it was a silver ring, not some other material that easily causes allergies, and there was no piercing, just some lubricant and it came right off."

"But your private area is a bit swollen and chafed. Avoid contact with anything dirty for a short while. Apply the ointment daily until the swelling goes down."

"And, always use a condom during sex, even if you're, well, the one being penetrated."

After listening to the doctor's rambling precautions, Zhong Su took his medical record and ointment with a gloomy expression and limped slightly out of the examination room.

Yu Zizhuo, tall and robust, stood out conspicuously in the crowd, making him easy to spot without much effort.

He stood politely by the stairwell to make a phone call, ensuring his conversation wouldn't disturb other patients waiting for their numbers to be called. He held the phone in his left hand, while the white bandage wrapped around his right wrist remained eye-catching.

As Zhong Su approached, he overheard Yu Zizhuo seemingly talking to his superior, saying, "Wen Xiong's case, Officer Zhang and I are already investigating, but we haven't found anything yet…"

Wen Xiong? Was this police officer talking about the Wen Xiong he knew?

Zhong Su's expression stiffened. He never expected to hear this familiar name here and instinctively slowed his pace.

He realized something: when he reunited with Chen Huan, he was too busy pretending to sleep to avoid him and hadn't yet asked about the details of the Jiu Zhong Society's disbandment.

Yu Zizhuo, still on the phone, noticed Zhong Su approaching and smiled, silently mouthing to him, "Just a moment."

He turned slightly and changed the subject with the person on the other end of the line, "Sir, I'm at the hospital right now, so it's not convenient to discuss in detail. Can I submit the report to you when I return to work next Monday? … No, my previous knife wound is healing well. This isn't a follow-up appointment, and nothing's happened…"

Yu Zizhuo quickly ended the call and caught up with Zhong Su, who had already descended half a flight of stairs, apologizing, "Sorry about that, work call. My boss tends to ramble."

Zhong Su glanced at him, his fingers at his side curling restlessly. In the end, he suppressed the urge to ask about Wen Xiong.

Inside. No matter how curious he was, asking a police officer about gang matters would never be a good choice.

"Are you done with your treatment? I thought the doctor would need more time to handle…" Before he could finish, Yu Zizhuo suddenly leaned closer to Zhong Su, his tone tinged with surprise. "Huh, I didn’t notice earlier, how did you injure the corner of your mouth?"

He instinctively reached out to touch the dark red scab, but as soon as his hand lifted, he realized it was inappropriate and awkwardly withdrew it.

"Kid, are you really okay?" Yu Zizhuo looked at Zhong Su, careful not to provoke his annoyance again, speaking gently. "Why not treat the wound on your mouth while you’re here? If you don’t have enough for the medical fees, I can cover it for you."

The young officer’s amber-colored round eyes appeared soft and clear under the sunlight, even making Zhong Su imagine an enthusiastic golden retriever rolling over to show its belly.

Unfortunately, among all animals, this type of dog was the one he disliked the most—clingy and unable to read the room, utterly useless except for causing trouble.

Zhong Su ignored Yu Zizhuo, walked out of the hospital entrance, tapped the last cigarette from the pack, and lit it between his lips. He casually gestured with a finger toward Yu Zizhuo behind him and said, "Didn’t you say you’d take me home? Can you still drive with your injured hand?"

He had no intention of enduring the pain on a half-hour bus ride back to his rented room. Since Yu Zizhuo, who had hit him, had volunteered to take him home, there was no need for him to be overly sensitive.

"My colleague and I brought the student from the car accident to the hospital, but my colleague was slower, so I carried him…" Yu Zizhuo paused mid-sentence when he saw Zhong Su, pale-faced, about to smoke. His body moved faster than his mind as he reached out and pinched out the orange-red cigarette butt. "Ah, you just saw the doctor, you shouldn’t smoke. The wound could easily get inflamed."

His fingertips brushed against the high-temperature ember, and even with a thin layer of calloused skin, his finger pad was almost immediately burned red. Yu Zizhuo belatedly felt the pain, released the cigarette butt, and shook his hand repeatedly. "Ouch, that’s hot."

Zhong Su stared at Yu Zizhuo’s flustered gesture of pinching his earlobe, paused, and found it somewhat amusing.

"Hah," he laughed, the anger in his chest subsiding slightly. "An adult man’s hand can double as an ashtray? That’s a new one."

Seeing Zhong Su laugh, Yu Zizhuo didn’t get angry but instead smiled along. "Kid, you look good when you smile. Smile more, and good luck might come your way."

He paused, his smile still bright. "It’s good to smile… but you should still be careful to stay away from certain people, especially those like Chen Huan and Chou Kaiyu. They might seem decent now, but the things they’ve done are far more terrifying than you know."

"You can’t casually believe anything they say or accept any favors they offer."

Chou Kaiyu was Shou Hou’s real name. Usually, those who knew him only called him by his nickname, rarely aware of his actual name.

The smile on Zhong Su’s lips faded. "You’re not just investigating me, but also the people around me? Then there’s nothing left for us to talk about."

"Kid, your wariness is misplaced. I’m someone who wants to help you." Yu Zizhuo leaned slightly closer, his gaze calm as he looked into Zhong Su’s eyes.

In his eyes, he seemed like a saint guiding lost lambs, saying, "I've seen too many children who've gone astray. They weren't originally bad, but unfortunately, they were led down the wrong path. One misstep, and they could never turn back."

His voice was clear and gentle, yet carried an undeniable certainty: "You're still too young. You don't fully understand what you're doing, nor do you realize the consequences of associating with those dangerous people."

Zhong Su pressed his fingers to his brow, unconcerned as he replied, "Hmm, that sounds quite righteous. But what if I insist on associating with Chen Huan and the others? What can you do, nterfere?"

"Well… no, of course I wouldn't do that." Yu Zizhuo wasn't provoked by the challenge, a faint smile lingering at the corner of his lips. "I wouldn't label you as someone in need of 'correction' because of this. I'm just reminding you that mixing with bad people won't lead to a good outcome."

He bent down to pick up the cigarette butt from the ground and tossed it into a nearby trash bin, saying softly, "Just like how streets can only stay clean when trash is thrown into bins. Extinguished cigarette butts are like that, and so are those thugs."

"Zhong Su, you're clever. You'll understand in time that what I'm saying is right."

After throwing away the cigarette butt, Yu Zizhuo didn't wipe off the ash that had stuck to his hand. He enjoyed cleaning up filth, yet paradoxically, he also liked getting stained by it. Otherwise, given his status as a probationary inspector, he wouldn't have chosen to live in the chaotic triple unregulated district.

Seeing the smear of white ash on the other's fingertip, Zhong Su felt a subtle unease—not simply offended, but more like an inexplicable discomfort. He opened his mouth, about to say something like, "It's your way of thinking…" that truly needs correcting.

Just then, a low-key luxury car quietly pulled up to the curb. The door opened, and Chen Huan, dressed in a long black suit, stepped out. With a practiced motion, he wrapped an arm around Zhong Su, pulling him close to his side. His warm breath brushed against Zhong Su's ear as he chuckled softly, "Su Er, chatting with some fool?"

In every word and gesture, he made no effort to hide his affection and subtle possessiveness.