DMPSA CH 32

Chapter 32: I’ve Never Liked Green Peppers

Su Qing looked at the phone in his hand, unable to connect the call. He wasn’t particularly bothered. Doctors were always busy, often dealing with sudden emergencies. One minute, they’d tell you they were off work, and the next, they’d be in the operating room performing an unplanned surgery.

He put his phone back and continued tidying up the tea house. The tea house had recently adjusted its closing time to 2 a.m., with no customers accepted after 1 a.m. The change didn’t significantly impact the tea house’s operations since there were rarely any patrons past one or two in the morning.

As Su Qing worked, his thoughts wandered to the first time Yue Qi visited the tea house. It had been after 1:30 a.m. He remembered that day clearly—Da Wang had left early for personal reasons, and the tea house was about to close when Yue Qi barged in. He even had a bowl of hastily made Kung Pao Chicken Noodles, cooked by Su Qing himself.

That must have been in January, he thought. It had been a rainy night. Now, it was already December. Soon, it would mark a year since they had met.

Oh, right. Yue Qi probably didn’t know the tea house’s operating hours had changed. Su Qing made a mental note to remind him. Of course, regardless of when Yue Qi decided to come, Su Qing would always open the door for him.

A faint smile graced Su Qing’s lips as he sent Yue Qi a message.

It took Yue Qi an entire day to respond with just an “OK” sticker.

This guy really is too busy, Su Qing thought.

He recalled his earlier determination to pursue Yue Qi and couldn’t help wondering how others managed to chase after someone. Every hour, he’d pick up his phone and check the time, trying to guess if Yue Qi was done with his work. Would calling disturb him?

Maybe texting was better—less intrusive.

But after several days of sending messages, Yue Qi’s replies always came late. In one of his messages, Yue Qi apologized, explaining that both the hospital and the university were holding events simultaneously. He was swamped and exhausted, falling asleep as soon as he got back to the dormitory. He didn’t have the time or energy to meet up.

So that’s what it was, Su Qing thought. For a moment, he had almost believed…

Su Qing glanced at the message Yue Qi had sent just five minutes ago. He figured Yue Qi probably hadn’t fallen asleep yet.

He dialed the number. The phone rang for a long time before it was finally picked up.

“Hello?” Yue Qi’s voice was low and groggy. “Who’s this?”

“You were asleep?” Su Qing asked in surprise. “I saw your message just now and thought you were still awake. Sorry for waking you.”

“Yeah, I’ve been so tired lately. I fall asleep the moment my head hits the pillow.” Yue Qi stood by the window, holding a glass of whiskey. He deliberately kept his voice groggy, pretending he’d just been roused from sleep. “What’s up?” he added, hoping Su Qing would take the hint and end the call quickly—before he succumbed to temptation.

“Christmas is in two weeks. Da Wang said he’s planning to make a big holiday meal, including a roast turkey. I’m going to build a gingerbread house. I wanted to ask if you’re free. Can you come?”

“No.”

“Huh…?” Su Qing was startled by the curt reply, wondering if he had misheard.

“I mean, I won’t be in town those days. I’m heading to central Taiwan for a training course and won’t be back for several days.” Yue Qi made a mental note to register for the internship training program with HR first thing tomorrow.

“Oh, you’ll be gone for several days?” Su Qing said, his disappointment evident. “What about New Year’s Eve? Can we meet then? I… I kind of miss you.” He mustered his courage to confess.

“…” Don’t do this. Don’t be so adorable. I might not be able to hold back.

“Sorry, I’m really busy,” Yue Qi replied, suppressing a sigh. He let out a fake yawn. “Anything else? I’m about to fall asleep…”

“Oh, right, sorry, sorry,” Su Qing apologized quickly. “You should get some rest. Let’s make plans when you’re back?”

“Goodnight,” Yue Qi said and hung up.

“…” Su Qing listened to the silence on the other end of the line and softly murmured, “Goodnight.”

His longing for Yue Qi went unanswered, leaving a faint sense of disappointment in his heart. Fine, this guy really must be exhausted. If you can’t come see me, then I’ll go see you.

Two days later, Su Qing decided to surprise Yue Qi with a lunchbox filled with love. Early in the morning, he forced himself out of bed to prepare the ingredients. Seizing the chance while Da Wang wasn’t around, he sneaked into the kitchen and made a simple teriyaki chicken bento. To top it off, he baked a fresh batch of Yue Qi’s favorite green pepper cookies.

In addition, Su Qing prepared an adorable Christmas gift. The day before, he had painstakingly assembled a small gingerbread house, decorating it with tiny cats and a cheerful Santa Claus both inside and out.

Lunchbox, cookies, gingerbread house, and Su Qing’s dashing charm—everything was ready. With a warm insulated bag and gift in hand, he happily set out to deliver lunch to the person he liked.

At 12:50 PM, Yue Qi finally wrapped up his morning clinic session. As he opened the door of the consultation room, he immediately spotted Su Qing sitting on one of the waiting room chairs across from the door, dozing off.

“Su Qing?” Yue Qi couldn’t just ignore him and walk away. He gave Su Qing’s shoulder a gentle nudge and called his name.

“You’re done with your morning patients?” Su Qing woke up with a start. Seeing Yue Qi standing in front of him, he beamed and got to his feet.

“What are you doing here?” Yue Qi glanced around at the now-empty consultation rooms, pretending to be oblivious. “Did you come for a check-up?”

“I came to see you.” Su Qing handed him the insulated bag. “You haven’t had lunch yet, right? I brought you a bento.”

“…” Yue Qi replied, “The hospital provides on-duty meals. I just had mine in the consultation room earlier.”

Just then, Su Qing heard the faint growl of someone’s stomach. Before he could say anything, Yue Qi quickly interjected, “That’s your stomach rumbling. Keep the bento for yourself. I’ve got surgery coming up, so I need to get ready.”

“…It wasn’t me,” Su Qing said, grabbing Yue Qi’s arm. “Wait, besides the bento, I have this too.” He handed Yue Qi another bag. “It’s a Christmas gift for you.”

Seeing Yue Qi’s puzzled expression, Su Qing hurriedly explained, “I know it’s not Christmas yet, but you said you’d be away during the holiday. I made a gingerbread house for you. It’ll last a while, so you can keep it in your dorm to add a little holiday cheer.”

“Thank you,” Yue Qi nodded as he accepted the paper bag. “I’m heading off now.” He gripped the bag tightly, eager to leave.

“I also baked green pepper cookies,” Su Qing said with a smile, trailing behind him. “I made them fresh this morning. You should eat them while they’re still warm.”

Yue Qi finally stopped in his tracks and turned back to look at Su Qing. His gaze swept over Su Qing’s smiling face, and he suppressed the aching pang in his chest. Forcing himself to speak, he said, “Boss Su, I actually… have never liked green peppers.”

“Ha? Really?” Su Qing was clearly stunned. “How come you never told me before?”

“It’s my fault for not saying it sooner.” Yue Qi remained calm and distant. “I don’t want to lie anymore, and I don’t want to continue this.”

“Ah,” Su Qing uttered softly, his mouth opening slightly but no words came out for a moment.

“This…” Yue Qi raised the paper bag in his hand. “Thank you, but don’t make these for me again.”

Yue Qi smiled politely at Su Qing, nodded, and turned to walk away.

“Yue Qi,” Su Qing took a few steps forward and softly called after him. “Did Director Han tell you?”

Yue Qi paused for a moment, but he didn’t turn around or respond. He quickened his pace and left.

Okay, I understand.

Su Qing slowly walked back to the tea house, where the cats gathered around, meowing a greeting. He took the insulated bag off his shoulder, pulled out the returned lunchbox, and ate it himself.

‘It really tastes good,’ Su Qing thought.

Yue Qi, holding the paper bag Su Qing had given him, walked briskly back to his small office.

He didn’t have surgery today, and he hadn’t had lunch yet. He’d told a bunch of lies and fled, now paying the price by being hungry and with a stomach ache.

Yue Qi took out the gingerbread house from the bag. The delicate little house was enclosed in a clear plastic box, with snow-like icing covering the roof. Through the hollowed-out window, he could see several cats inside.

The chubby one was Dahuang, the black-and-white one was Hua Dian, and there was a little black cat hanging out by the window. Such a playful little black cat—this must beTaxue. Outside the house, Santa Claus sat with two cats on his lap—Chacha and Jasmine.

So this Santa Claus is supposed to be you?

Yue Qi tapped the plastic box. “Santa Claus, can I make a wish?”

‘I hope Su Qing meets the right person and is happy for the rest of his life.’

He took out the other box from the paper bag and opened it to find the green cookies, which were, of course, his least favorite—green pepper.

Yue Qi picked up a green pepper cookie and began eating it seriously.

“Hey, did Su Qing make a mistake? Did he add sugar instead of salt? This clearly tastes like bitter melon.”

Otherwise, why would the cookie be both bitter and salty?

(To Be Continued…)


T/L: YUE QI… (•̀-•́)

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