Being surrounded by handsome men wasn't the problem—the real danger was... witnessing beautiful men emerging from their bath. Having taken off her clothes to bathe and rest, she pulled back the shower curtain to see two men turning around in the steamy mist. One bit his lip and gazed at her provocatively, while the other turned and gently spread his arms.
Hu Xiu stepped back but was pulled forward, her arms brushing against both sides—their touch was supple and resilient. The sound of rushing water drew her deeper into desire.
Someone nibbled her ear—who was being so mischievous? Then a hand tentatively reached toward her chest. Please, don't... If I lower my head, I'll see places I shouldn't...
With a jolt, Hu Xiu opened her eyes—she had been sleeping on a latex pillow. Li Ai's hand, still resting on the chair in the shop before being moved upstairs, was draped over the backrest, her fingers moving in a way that was... highly suggestive.
Diao Zhiyu stood nearby wiping a glass, staring bewildered at Hu Xiu whose mouth was slightly drooling. "Good heavens. What were you dreaming about? Your expression is downright indecent."
"Don't talk nonsense!" Hu Xiu jumped up, desperately trying to defend herself.
"See? Hit a nerve," Zhao Xiaorou added the final blow. "Casual denials usually mean nothing happened in the dream, but this kind of furious reaction almost always confirms it was a steamy one. Did you dream about rolling in bed with Diao Zhiyu?"
"You!" Hu Xiu shouted. "Stop making things up!"
Diao Zhiyu's expression clearly showed he was secretly pleased. Hu Xiu instead pointed at him: "Why are you still here? Shouldn't you be out taking photos?"
"I said I wouldn't let you leave my sight," Diao Zhiyu replied calmly.
Hu Xiu was fuming. After she'd issued a restraining order banning him from appearing during her work hours, he had obediently stayed away.
But late that night, she received a message: "Pei Zhen gets to be at the hospital—that's not fair. After you finish work, wherever you are, as long as I'm free, I won't let you leave my sight. Don't try to negotiate—I won't budge."
So whether Hu Xiu was at REGARD after work or heading home, she'd always find this figure dressed entirely in black—hoodie and jacket—following her like a ghost, impossible to shake off.
Though she didn't dislike him, seeing Pei Zhen during the day and Diao Zhiyu at night had, in just three or four days, produced an adverse effect—erotic dreams.
She couldn't really blame herself. Ever since those two had started talking about the sexy teacher in black stockings, the indecent imagery had lingered in her mind.
If they'd been discussing war documentaries or news features, she could have easily forgotten.
But the brain stubbornly holds onto exactly these kinds of suggestive thoughts.
REGARD was hosting a cupping event today, inviting regular customers to taste new coffee beans.
The small shop was packed with thirty to forty customers, each bringing different gifts, creating a scene as lively as Christmas.
With no seats left, Diao Zhiyu leaned against Hu Xiu. When he turned to look at her, his gaze was no different from in her dream. Hu Xiu's face flushed instantly—yes, he was definitely the one who'd bitten his lip seductively in her dream! Feeling parched, she snapped back: "Why are you staring at me?"
"You were staring first."
"So what if I was?"
"Nothing really..." Diao Zhiyu grinned mischievously with a hint of shyness. "It's just—the way you look at me makes me feel like I'm not wearing any clothes."Li Ai prepared twenty-three types of coffee beans, sourced from Africa to South America, each labeled with a number and stored in sealed jars. He distributed forms for everyone to fill out, as meticulous as if conducting an experiment.
His dedication to coffee beans seemed ten times greater than his attention to women. Hu Xiu watched as Li Ai, forgetting his crutches, limped around the shop so energetically he hardly seemed like a cripple at a glance.
Indeed, finding one’s true passion can bring about a rapid rejuvenation. He continued his earnest explanation: "Everyone says Golden Mandheling is bitter and strong, but its aroma is actually quite rich. However, because it’s so well-known on the market, many people haven’t truly savored its flavor. These beans were just portioned yesterday, so their fragrance is well-preserved. Next, I’ll brew them for everyone on the spot..."
His technique remained skilled, and he showed no nervousness even in front of a crowd of discerning customers. The way he picked up the pour-over kettle was captivating and professional—the very image of a genuine barista.
After New Year’s Day, he patiently helped Zhao Xiaorou assemble a team, interviewing dozens of people over three days, poaching product selectors and business professionals from others, barely doing his regular work at the coffee shop.
Zhao Xiaorou hid behind the crowd, replying to messages with her legs crossed, a laptop in her left hand and a phone in her right. Amid the chaos, she glanced up at Li Ai, smiled faintly without thinking, then furrowed her brows as she delegated tasks to her assistant.
After their experiences with Xu Meng and Christmas, neither of them brought up dating again. Xu Meng no longer appeared at the coffee shop, her usual spot now occupied by new customers. Li Ai seemed to have healed quickly, never mentioning the past.
The unpleasantness from three days ago was also buried in their hearts—mature adults don’t dwell on old matters.
The small cups for cupping were crystal clear. Holding the cup by its handle with two fingers, they brought it to their lips, swallowing the contents in one sip. True coffee tasting involved spitting it out after it passed the lips, teeth, and tongue—professional baristas sample two to three hundred types a day; drinking them all would be fatal.
The customers present were all coffee lovers who couldn’t bear to waste it, swallowing it earnestly and scoring it: 7 points for sweetness, 9 points for bitterness, and a bold 0 for anything bland.
Li Ai was pleased with the straightforward patrons. The freshly baked cinnamon carrot cake and purple sweet potato muffins filled the room with a sweet, fragrant aroma.
Diao Zhiyu stood beside Hu Xiu, his eyes fixed on her form as if peeking at her homework. Hu Xiu felt uneasy under his gaze: "What?"
"Seeing which one you like."
"I like them all. When it comes to Li Ai’s beans, I’ll take whatever I can get."
"Desires for food reflect the heart. So, your approach to love is equally broad—perhaps you wouldn’t be picky between me and Pei Zhen."
Hu Xiu recognized this as his retaliation for the little boy’s comment at 4 a.m. about her acting skills being astonishing.
She wasn’t angry, only rebutted softly, "If everything is delicious, why not indulge? How many times in life are we so lucky?"
He fell silent. Hu Xiu felt secretly pleased. If he really thought she was playing dumb to outsmart others, she might as well be the clever woman in his eyes—after all, most of the time, she tripped over her own feet or bumped her head into phone booths.
But seeing Diao Zhiyu quiet, she softened a little: "You’re good in every way, except for all that useless pride."
His eyes held a faint dissatisfaction. Pretending to feel sorry, Hu Xiu sighed with a smile: "Who knows which parts of your pursuit are an act and which are sincere?"Returning the same words to the same person.
After all the customers had left, only a few patrons working on their laptops remained in the shop. The four of them retreated to the round table at the very back. Zhao Xiaorou was buried in her computer, cross-checking data, too busy to even lift her head.
Li Ai brought over two cups of SOE: "I noticed you didn’t join the cupping session earlier, so I saved something good for you."
"What is it?"
"Premium beans from Brother Zhong. Fruity notes—sour at first, but the aftertaste is sweet, and it gets sweeter with each sip. I remember you like that kind of flavor profile."
"Alright, just a moment. I need to discuss next week’s video with my assistant."
Only the clacking of keyboards filled the silence. Diao Zhiyu sat across from Hu Xiu and asked Li Ai for a cup as well.
As the liquid slid down his throat, Hu Xiu accidentally caught the subtle movement of his Adam’s apple. Diao Zhiyu pretended not to notice her gaze and continued chatting with Li Ai. "That plain-looking man by the window with thinning hair looks familiar—is he really an author from Mengya?"
Who hadn’t read his books in their youth? Then again, Diao Zhiyu, born in 1996, certainly wasn’t part of the generation that grew up with New Concept.
Just as he finished speaking, Li Ai picked up the cup and handed it to Zhao Xiaorou: "Take a sip. Has it turned sweeter?"
Normally, Zhao Xiaorou would snap at anyone interrupting her work, but she calmly took a sip and smiled gently. "It does seem a little sweeter."
Hu Xiu checked her phone for hospital emails—a promotional video requiring all staff to participate and comply with arrangements.
They chatted about customers and renovations until the sunlight faded. Li Ai still wouldn’t let Zhao Xiaorou off: "Half an hour has passed. It should be completely sweet by now. Want another sip?"
His gesture was almost like feeding her. Zhao Xiaorou’s expression remained calm and serene as she cooperated softly, "It’s sweet now, truly. These beans are quite distinctive. How about creating a signature drink as this season’s highlight? I can give you free promotion."
There wasn’t a trace of sarcasm in her tone. Hu Xiu found it odd—Zhao Xiaorou used to grit her teeth at Li Ai, but lately, she’d become unusually placid. What had changed?
Diao Zhiyu glimpsed Hu Xiu’s phone screen. "Sorry, I accidentally saw that. The production team for your hospital’s promotional video—I’m in charge of it."
Hu Xiu’s jaw dropped—"What?"
Diao Zhiyu rubbed his nose. "Giving you a heads-up. This time, it doesn’t count as me disturbing you during work hours."
The hospital was located in Huangpu District. Planned early on, it originally occupied a modest area. As relocation in the demolition zones progressed, the government allocated additional land to the hospital. Besides the two new inpatient buildings and emergency department, a small artificial lake was built, surrounded by greenery, making the environment more vibrant than before.
Colleagues from the administration building often strolled by the lake during lunch breaks, but Hu Xiu rarely joined them. She preferred staying at her desk organizing documents, translating, or simply memorizing vocabulary—her reclusive nature unchanged.
When the filming crew arrived at 8 a.m., Diao Zhiyu stood among them wearing a baseball cap. Staff from the administration building and doctors with spare moments exclaimed, "Where did that guy in the cap come from? He looks like a celebrity—resembles a young Hu Ge! So handsome!"
Hu Xiu thought to herself, That’s definitely the Shanghai way of praising young men—those from Pudong get compared to Zheng Kai, those from Puxi to Hu Ge.Pei Zhen was absent, and according to the schedule, he was in surgery. Director Cai behind her remarked, "This is when Xiao Pei should be called out to bolster our presence. How could he be missing at such a critical moment? He’s the face of our hospital!"
If they didn’t shoot now, they’d miss their chance. Diao Zhiyu overheard but remained focused on directing the photography—urging those on the left to step closer, noting someone in the upper right corner was out of frame, and planning the next shots needed in the office...
The office scenes inevitably included handshakes and conversations among senior staff, with Hu Xiu serving as a translator in the background. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the lens was fixated on her.
Pei Zhen, emerging from the operating room, was promptly intercepted. He paused upon seeing Diao Zhiyu shouldering the camera, then leaned toward Hu Xiu as if discussing meeting details. A colleague quipped from behind, "What a perfect match—talent and beauty, a fine sight in our hospital."
Hu Xiu instinctively felt Diao Zhiyu would mercilessly cut that segment.
After a full day of carrying the camera between two buildings, the main filming tasks wrapped up. Director Cai instructed, "Xiao Hu, if you’re free now, accompany them to shoot some establishing shots."
Since when did Director Cai know what an establishing shot was?
Her legs were weary, but Diao Zhiyu, still holding the camera steadily, flashed a triumphant smile.
By 4:30 PM, the sky was darkening. Diao Zhiyu trailed Hu Xiu around the artificial lake under the guise of capturing establishing shots, yet his lens persistently followed her—wide angles, close-ups, long shots, all centered on her. Sensing something amiss, Hu Xiu turned and warned him, "We’re still on duty. Don’t disrupt my work. Finish shooting and leave."
"Our team of five is scattered across the hospital during official hours. If anyone’s intruding, it’s you constantly stepping into my frame."
A small grove by the lake offered little cover from the distant buildings or nearby strolling patients. Hu Xiu walked ahead, her heels clicking on the gravel path, while his footsteps crunched on dry grass behind her. Neither spoke, yet both were acutely aware of the other’s presence.
Hu Xiu bit her lip, smiling inwardly. The young man behind her had remarkable stamina—the camera had gone through three batteries, yet he showed no signs of fatigue, devouring his meals hastily but otherwise unwavering.
As if reading her mind, he chuckled from behind, "What, impressed by my endurance?"
"No..." How did he know? Could he read minds?
"Not only is my stamina good, but I’m strong too. If we fought, I’d hurt you."
Hu Xiu felt flustered. "Diao Zhiyu, why are you still so full of smooth talk even after leaving Snowpiercer?"
Before Diao Zhiyu could respond, Pei Zhen strode out of the administrative building, seemingly searching for her.
He looked troubled. "A patient from general surgery has gone missing. Have you seen him?"
"No, why?"
"The family and patient are unhappy with the treatment plan and had a conflict with the hospital." He patted Hu Xiu’s shoulder. "I’ll head back up now. Call me if anything comes up."
What kind of patient had Pei Zhen so concerned? Then again, it might not be just that—today was January 5th, and in two days, Pei Zhen would leave for the U.S.
Diao Zhiyu packed the camera into his bag and wandered aimlessly through the hospital with Hu Xiu.
Hu Xiu laughed. "Diao Zhiyu, don’t be timid. The patients won’t cause any trouble."
But the next moment, several figures rushed toward them. One, clad in a worn padded coat and wielding a stool, charged fiercely, shouting in an unintelligible dialect as he pursued a female doctor relentlessly.The stool was about to hit the doctor, and Hu Xiu thought, it didn’t matter if the administrative staff weren’t working.
But training a doctor takes twelve years—damaging one would truly be a loss of national talent...
She pushed the man holding the stool with all her might. He staggered, slipped on a stone, and fell with the stool. Hu Xiu had pushed so hard that she herself stepped on a round stone, lost her balance, and fell backward into the artificial lake.
The last thing she saw was Diao Zhiyu taking off his coat and jumping into the river.
No need, it’s not worth it...
As her vision gradually cleared in the dream, Hu Xiu found herself back in her teenage years, her face and eyes noticeably younger. The blue dress reminded her that she had returned to a certain night when she was seventeen.
Her mother sat at the head of the bed, carefully mending a thin green blouse with floral velvet—the one she always wore on dates.
The stitches were fine and tight; with a pull of the thread, the worn-out tear disappeared. How had those tears happened? Why was her mother so obsessed with going out on dates?
Her mother looked up and saw her. "Xiu Xiu, how does Mom’s mending look?"
"Isn’t it pretty? Your grandmother taught me needlework. It’s a pity I never mastered it fully—I can’t do anything more complicated."
"You’re still so beautiful."
"Of course. Beauty and gentleness are a woman’s eternal assets. Xiu Xiu, this blouse isn’t for me—it’s for you. From now on, I’m giving it to you."
"Really, there’s no need."
"What, don’t you like it? It might be a bit old, but when the time comes, it will surely be your charming weapon."
"Besides, every time I wore it, I managed to turn danger into safety. Whether it was luck or protection, it worked wonders."
"Mom, I want to know... why have you never felt sorry for yourself?"
"You have a charm I could never learn in this lifetime, and an aloof pride most women never master. For the sake of freedom and love, you could abandon me and go far away, even if it meant being scorned."
"I’ve never been ashamed of you because you’re my mother. But do you know? Thanks to you, I’ve become someone who dares not do anything."
When she woke up, Diao Zhiyu was leaning beside her. In the deep silence of the night, she lay in the hospital bed receiving an IV drip—probably sent directly to the inpatient department. Just falling into the water, and they were making such a big deal out of it.
Thinking about that spring dream, she really had drowned, proving that dreams are often omens.
"You’re awake..."
"Yeah..."
"You fell into the water. Pei Zhen was here earlier, but he couldn’t stay because of his night shift."
"The doctor couldn’t treat the patient’s cancer anymore due to surgery complications. The family, having spent hundreds of thousands without a good outcome, was furious."
"Your push is being mediated by the hospital’s legal department. Probably nothing serious. The video is still trending on local hot searches. And... your father came by."
"He didn’t say much. Dr. Pei argued firmly that you protected the doctor’s safety."
Hu Xiu didn’t speak. Hearing her father’s name and dreaming of her mother all in one night felt more overwhelming than a full day of Simultaneous Interpretation.
Remembering the fall and rescue, Hu Xiu looked at Diao Zhiyu’s clothes. "Did you jump in too?"
"Just a small thing..." Diao Zhiyu patted his chest. "My clothes are dry now. But what about you? Are you okay?"
"It was just a slip..." Hu Xiu didn’t want to make the atmosphere somber at night. Being with Diao Zhiyu was about happiness—no need to share worries.He turned back with a laugh and said, "If you get a fever, don't even think about blaming me. You're the one who jumped down yourself."
Her forced smile seemed rather strained, leaving Diao Zhiyu feeling somewhat lost. He brooded by the window for three seconds, took a deep breath, and with a stern face, retorted with a joke: "You jump, I jump."
Qin Xiaoyi, who had once been on the Snowpiercer, hadn't changed at all. He could pick up on the subtlest shifts in emotion. Since Hu Xiu didn't want to talk about it, he didn't press the matter—truly sharp-witted.
Seeing Hu Xiu pout, he propped an elbow on the bed, resting his cheek in his hand, and continued the banter: "When Dr. Pei saw you fall into the water, he went crazy, thinking you'd been beaten and thrown into the river. But it was just a fall—you choked on a few mouthfuls of water and then fell asleep. What's the big deal? I rescued you in time."
"Rescued?"
"Yeah, timely CPR and mouth-to-mouth. So, every part of you that should've been touched by me, I've touched."
"You!"
"What about me? Should I have held you and let water fill your lungs? If I'd run upstairs and let it churn around in there a few more times, you'd have suffocated. I'm very familiar with emergency procedures. On the Snowpiercer, whenever there was an emergency, I was the one who stepped up. So, you're not the first person I've given mouth-to-mouth to."
"But I might as well tell you—the two before you were both men."
Hu Xiu was tempted to laugh at the series of jokes but stifled it, pretending to be angry. Unconsciously, Diao Zhiyu's hand moved to her cheek, lingering behind her ear for two seconds before pressing against her forehead, checking repeatedly for any sign of fever.
His tender gaze warmed her heart, and she found herself staring dreamily. What she felt most grateful for wasn't that Diao Zhiyu liked her, but that he was by her side at this very moment—something she'd never imagined when she first met Qin Xiaoyi.
Diao Zhiyu caught her gaze precisely: "What are you up to? That look in your eyes is anything but innocent. I know hospitals can stir up all sorts of wild thoughts, but this time, I swear I wasn't the one who started the dirty jokes."
"What was I thinking?"
"Definitely something about cute nurses, sexy doctors, pulling the curtains for some shady business. In your eyes, I'm probably the male lead in a pornographic movie."
Mortified to her core, Hu Xiu pulled the covers over her face. Diao Zhiyu leaned in, relentless: "Hey, pretending to sleep? Keep it up, and I'll kiss you."
No response from under the covers.
"Then I'm leaving…"
After a minute of silence, Hu Xiu cracked open a corner of the blanket. Diao Zhiyu's face was close, his soft, warm lips pressing against her cheek in a gentle kiss.
"Maybe there are things you don't want to talk about. They can be our secret. But I need you to know—from today on, I'll always be by your side, so don't be afraid anymore."
Not at all like a younger brother.
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