Yue Linze raised an eyebrow. “What was she doing skipping work today?” Ever since she started feeling unwell and skipped work, Tao Yu had learned from Old Chang and the others. She had been busy urging them to report their programs and had been staying at her post. Now that they had agreed, she started skipping work without any guilt.
No one was managing her anyway. Yue Linze thought of her and laughed, finding the irresponsible little prison guard quite amusing.
Seeing Yue Linze’s expression, Pangzi thought, “He’s beyond help, the boss is truly beyond help.” At the same time, he felt relieved that he had spoken up. Otherwise, if the boss found out from Tao Yu that they had met, he didn’t know what the boss might do to him.
Thinking this, Pangzi quickly said, “Boss, Officer Tao seems unwell. She went to the medical room.”
“Medical room?” Yue Linze frowned.
Although he was soft-hearted, the stubborn Pangzi immediately said, “I don’t know what she went there for, Boss, don’t ask me.” I don’t want to know!
“Alright, I got it,” Yue Linze said slowly and continued eating.
Pangzi found it a bit strange. “Boss, aren’t you going to see her now?”
“Why should I see her?” Yue Linze said casually and then ignored him. She probably caught a cold from being in the sea today. Tao Yu must hate him now. If he went to see her now, it would be like asking for trouble.
Pangzi’s eyes flickered, feeling something was off, but he couldn’t pinpoint what. After thinking for a while, he slapped his forehead. “Why am I worrying about other people’s business?”
Yue Linze stirred the porridge in his bowl, remembering how she had left without even saying goodbye. A hint of indifference flashed in his eyes. He might be interested in this woman, but it was just to pass the time. Since she didn’t appreciate it, he didn’t need to care too much about her.
As he thought this, an image of Tao Yu frantically looking for him flashed in his mind.
Meanwhile, Tao Yu finally made it to the medical room. As soon as she pushed the door open, she heard a two-person dance song playing on a phone. Looking inside, she saw Zhou Ying, now wearing a white coat, twirling a handkerchief. Tao Yu blinked and calmly said, “Sorry, I’m in the wrong place.”
She was about to close the door and leave, but Zhou Ying quickly stopped the music and casually tossed the handkerchief onto the table, calling her in. After Tao Yu sat down, he embarrassedly explained, “I scared you, Officer Tao. I was practicing a performance.”
“Performance?” Tao Yu raised an eyebrow.
Zhou Ying nodded. “Old Chang said there was a problem with their area, so they could only do one performance. He asked me to help out and add another one.”
That old fox probably knew Zhou Ying was easy to talk to, so he only planned to ask him for help from the start. Tao Yu silently rolled her eyes but didn’t say this to the naive Zhou Ying.
“By the way, what brings you here? Are you sick?” He initially thought Tao Yu was just coming to chat, but seeing her flushed face, he figured she must be ill.
Tao Yu nodded and sighed. “I have a fever, a high one this time.”
“Have you taken your temperature?” Zhou Ying immediately asked, quickly finding a thermometer and other instruments, finally looking a bit like a doctor.
Tao Yu took her temperature again, and Zhou Ying did a simple examination, confirming it was just a fever. He breathed a sigh of relief and prepared a syringe. “You need a shot. Loosen your belt.”
Tao Yu agreed and removed everything from her waist, leaning against the wall while waiting for him to prepare the medicine. Soon, seeing him approach with the syringe, Tao Yu’s face scrunched up. “Why is there so much?” The injection needed to be pushed in slowly, and with this much, it might take until tomorrow.
“A real man shouldn’t be afraid of a shot. Lie down,” Zhou Ying said, laughing at her expression. Ever since he met Officer Tao yesterday, he found her very approachable. Now, seeing her childlike side, he felt like she was a little brother.
Tao Yu sighed. “I’m just saying, I’m not refusing.” With that, she obediently lay down and lifted her shirt to expose her lower back.
“Officer Tao, you’re so thin! You’re like a girl!” Zhou Ying exclaimed. “Thinner than my girlfriend.”
Tao Yu scoffed. “If your girlfriend hears that, she might kill you.”
“My girlfriend wouldn’t. She’s so well-behaved,” Zhou Ying boasted about his girlfriend. “We’ve never fought. No matter what I say, she never gets angry, and neither do I.”
Tao Yu laughed. “So you two are quite loving?”
“Yes, even though we met through a blind date, we’ve always gotten along well… Just talking about her makes me miss her. I’ll call her later.” Zhou Ying said dreamily.
Tao Yu’s mouth twitched. “Please focus on giving me the shot and not think about other things.”
“Sorry, I couldn’t help it,” Zhou Ying laughed, walking over with an alcohol swab to clean her skin. He couldn’t help but admire, “Officer Tao, your skin is so good. I almost feel embarrassed, like I’m looking at a girl.”
……”Promise me, keep your mouth shut,” Tao Yu’s voice had just fallen when he jabbed the needle into her, without any hint of embarrassment. Tao Yu’s body tensed momentarily, and she said helplessly, “Can’t you give me a heads up?”
Zhou Ying smiled, “Sorry, Officer Tao. Please relax a bit.”
“…” Tao Yu rolled her eyes and finally tried to relax, and casually said to divert attention, “Although I know muscle relaxation makes injection easier and helps patients suffer less, don’t you think it’s a bit perverse to ask someone to endure pain while simultaneously telling them to relax?”
“Really?” Zhou Ying said seriously, “I’ll be gentler.” Although the prison doctor didn’t have much presence, he was still quite serious about his work.
Tao Yu’s mouth twitched, “Just do it quickly and end this torture.” Although she often gave injections to others, it didn’t mean she enjoyed receiving them – they were damn painful.
Zhou Ying agreed, quickly finished, and laughed while pressing a cotton ball on her skin, casually throwing the syringe into the trash, “Done, you can get up.”
Tao Yu pressed the cotton ball, about to make another sarcastic comment when the medical room door was suddenly slammed open. The two people inside were stunned. Tao Yu, recognizing who it was, frowned, sat up, threw away the cotton ball, and dressed while asking, “What are you doing here?”
“Heard the officer was sick, so I came to check on you,” Yue Linze’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.
You…” Tao Yu slowly uttered the first word.
Yue Linze, feeling that he had not suffered any loss and therefore would not be nervous, immediately clenched his fist, unconsciously standing as straight as a primary school student, waiting for Tao Yu’s judgment.
“Have you not seen a woman for too long, so you get excited when you see the opposite sex?” Tao Yu looked at him calmly, mercilessly attributing his feelings to a momentary impulse, “And have you forgotten that I have a fiancé?”
The small bubble in Yue Linze’s heart burst with a pop, leaving a small scar where it broke, but he seemed not to feel the pain, still smiling nonchalantly: “Let’s not mention your so-called fiancé, is the little prison guard now denying my feelings?”
He laughed happily, but the happiness was superficial. Tao Yu gave him a cold glance and frowned: “You’re just idle now. Instead of thinking about these unrealistic things, you should think more about your future life, find something you like to do. And, I don’t want to hear you call me little prison guard anymore. Please call me officer like everyone else.”
Her intention to draw a clear line was so obvious, avoiding him as if he were a venomous snake. Yue Linze’s smile faded, and the anger in his heart became increasingly apparent.
Tao Yu glanced at him, pursed her lips, and was about to walk away.
