Did That Doctor Successfully Remarry Today?
Chapter 28 - 27 Dr. Gao, I’m Feeling a Bit Hot

Chapter 28: Chapter 27 Dr. Gao, I’m Feeling a Bit Hot

Lying in the same quilt with Gao Chuan, Jiang An clenched a corner of the quilt with extra tension, remaining motionless for several minutes. Gao Chuan, with his eyes closed, also found it difficult to calm his mind, not knowing whether the persistent rain noise outside the window was to blame, or the presence of the girl by his side, in the dark the two lay side by side, each harboring their own thoughts.

"Dr. Gao?" Unable to fall asleep, Jiang An called out in a soft voice.

Immediately, a muffled response came from beside her: "Hmm?"

"Is there really no other way for grandma’s illness?" The girl’s clear voice sounded in his ear, and the man, upon hearing this, furrowed his brows slightly in the darkness, suddenly unsure of how to reply.

He wasn’t the only one who had been asked this question. As a doctor, he knew all too well what death meant. Grandma’s illness was already advanced and beyond hope, a fact well known to everyone in the Gao Family. The family’s wish was simply for the elderly lady to spend her last days in peace, departing this world without regrets.

The man’s Adam’s apple moved, but ultimately, not a word could escape his throat, as if stuck.

Jiang An understood the reason for his silence, and her heart sank along with it. Her lips moved slightly: "These past few days staying with grandma, I’ve noticed she often suffers from leg pain at night. My mother used to take a Chinese medicine for some time, and I plan to ask for the prescription after finishing my thesis, to try and alleviate grandma’s pain, even if just for a short while."

Her sincere words echoed through the room. When Jiang An did not hear a reply from the person beside her, she asked again, "Can I do that? Dr. Gao, I promise to minimize the dosage..."

"Yes." Gao Chuan answered first, his thoughts wandering upon hearing the girl’s suggestion. He had simply bound himself to her as a marriage partner to appease his family, yet she took the matter of his grandmother’s well-being more to heart than he did. There was no reason for him to refuse.

At Gao Chuan’s affirmative answer, Jiang An unconsciously relaxed, planning to call the old traditional Chinese medicine doctor for an appointment in a few days. As she was lost in thought, she heard Gao Chuan asking about her work: "How is your thesis coming along?"

"I’ve written the first draft, just need to perfect some data."

After a moment of silence, Gao Chuan said, "I saw the topic of your thesis the other day. I have some case data that might be useful for your reference."

He thought that by doing this, he would be repaying Jiang An’s kindness. Right after speaking, Gao Chuan did not expect the person beside him to get excited, sit up straight in bed, and clap her hands joyfully, "Really? That’s great, thank you, Dr. Gao."

Lying in bed, Gao Chuan lifted his eyes to see Jiang An, who was overjoyed in the dark, and he curved his lips into a smile in silence, finding the girl so easily contented.

"Let me tell you, Dr. Gao, I’ve looked through many books these past few days and haven’t found much data. You’ve really helped me a lot, maybe I can even submit it early!" Jiang An, realizing she had become too excited and feeling somewhat embarrassed, lay back down and thanked him.

"Mhm." The man replied calmly, his quiet voice a stark difference from Jiang An’s emotionally rippled state beside him.

Both maintaining a supine position, after their conversation, silence fell between them once again. Jiang An lay in the quilt, with half her leg exposed yet still feeling too hot, despite that it should’ve been cooler due to today’s rain. She turned her head to glance at Gao Chuan, who had yet to move, and asked with curiosity, "Dr. Gao, are you hot?"

Upon hearing the girl’s question, Gao Chuan suddenly opened his eyes. He had felt the scorching heat on his body several minutes before, but had forced himself to try to sleep, suppressing the feeling. Now, prompted by Jiang An’s question, the burning sensation surged once again. His face flushed in the darkness, and feeling the person beside him stir, her arm brushing against his, he took a deep breath. He heard a faint sound from beside him: "Dr. Gao, I’m so hot."

He didn’t even have to think about it; it must have been the soup he had before bed that was at fault. The restless flames were still burning slowly within him. The overheated man quickly got out of bed, glanced at Jiang An, who was still obediently lying there, and pretended to be calm, "I’m going to open a window."

Walking to the window, he slowly opened a slight crack, and the cool breeze began to trickle in, brushing against one side of his face. Yet the temperature of his body remained frighteningly high. Eventually, unable to bear it any longer, Gao Chuan headed out of the room and quickly escaped to the balcony of the small study room.

In the darkness, the man quietly lit a cigarette. Embers slowly ignited between his fingers, his gaze settling on the torrential rain outside the window, his clear eyes reflecting a light that was hard to discern.

——————

Last night, Gao Chuan suddenly said he was leaving for a bit and didn’t return all night. Jiang An slept alone in the room until dawn. Just as she came downstairs, she encountered Aunt Liu preparing breakfast. Gao Chuan was at the dining table, flipping through the morning’s newspaper. Noticing her descent, his eyes briefly met hers before quickly returning to the newspaper in his hands.

Remembering how last night, he had to stand on the balcony in the cold breeze for a long while to recover, the man’s eyelashes lowered, his expression showing no hint of change.

Aunt Liu, unaware of their separate sleeping arrangements the night before, hurriedly leaned in and asked Jiang An in a low voice about what happened last night, "How was it, did it work?"

The innocently-hearted Jiang An blushed instantly upon hearing Aunt Liu’s straightforward question, responding ambiguously and wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into, thinking about her silly appearance last night.

Today, on his day off, Gao Chuan spent the day with Jiang An at her grandmother’s house. They left in the evening, driving back home. By the time the two returned, it was around seven or eight in the evening. True to his word of providing Jiang An with data, Gao Chuan took her to his study and immediately sent her the data she needed off his computer.

Having just received the data, Jiang An eagerly started working on her thesis in the study room, while Gao Chuan retreated to the living room, watching TV softly.

Time flew by, and after taking a shower, Gao Chuan realized it was already midnight. He glanced at the study and saw no movement, turned off the TV in the living room, went to the kitchen to heat a cup of milk to bring to Jiang An, but upon entering the study, he found the girl had already fallen asleep on the desk, the computer screen still on.

Gao Chuan walked over, placed the steaming milk on the table, and lifted the girl in a horizontal embrace – the first princess carry since they were married. She was so light, no wonder the elders always told her to nourish her body.

Being picked up, the girl opened her drowsy eyes, and under the soft yellow light, she found herself nestled within a man’s chest. She lifted her eyes slightly to see Gao Chuan’s delicate jawline; holding her, he had already walked to her bedroom. Noticing the person in his arms stir, he lowered his head and their eyes met, his ears inexplicably turning red, as if he had been caught in the act.

Just as he felt nervous, the Jiang An in his arms let out a soft groan, weakly calling with narrowed eyes, "Dr. Gao."

Gao Chuan paused in his step, gazing at the girl’s bright eyes and radiant smile in his arms. Hesitating whether to put her down, he felt Jiang An nuzzle against his chest like a kitten, murmuring, "The thesis..."

Watching her close her eyes again, the man let out a sigh of relief and slowly laid her on the bed. Lowering his head, he watched her peaceful sleeping face and, inexplicably drawn, reached out to gently touch the girl’s upright nose. Perhaps feeling the touch, the girl shifted uneasily, turning her face to the other side.

Belatedly realizing what he had done, Gao Chuan hurriedly retracted his hand, relieved that he didn’t wake her, and left her room. Leaning against the door, he covered his forehead with his hand.

What is he... really doing...