Shen Fangyu felt as if a nerve in his brain had suddenly snapped. For a long time, it was as though he couldn’t hear the outside world at all, and even his consciousness felt hazy.
“Th-then… that’s a good thing,” he said distractedly. It seemed he could no longer quite understand what he was saying or why he was saying it. “Congratulations.”
Jiang Xu looked at him, his expression somewhat complicated.
“Why that expression?” Shen Fangyu said. “You should be happy.”
He straightened up, opened his laptop, and began searching for the latest news. Sure enough, Dr. Kenn’s article had caused a huge stir in the field, like a stone dropped into water sending waves in every direction. Discussions about it were everywhere.
He clicked into the journal’s website, but even after waiting a long time, the page still wouldn’t load. Foreign websites were already prone to lag, and right now countless colleagues from all over the world were probably rushing in to download and read Dr. Kenn’s article and the related data.
“The internet’s terrible,” Shen Fangyu said. “I can’t get into the site.”
Jiang Xu paused for a moment before speaking. “I’ve already downloaded it.”
“Looks like it really is your Wi-Fi,” Shen Fangyu said with a self-mocking smile in his voice. “Won’t get used to me. It only lets you log in, not me.”
Jiang Xu frowned slightly. “What are you talking about?”
Perhaps because he had drunk a little, his already exhausted brain felt numb. Shen Fangyu didn’t feel like hiding his emotions anymore. “What’s wrong with what I said? I’m just a guest, you know. Your Wi-Fi understands that too.”
Only he himself didn’t. “Stop acting drunk.”
Jiang Xu sent the data to him through WeChat, then turned on the projector in the living room, connected the computer to it, and started playing Dr. Kenn’s surgical recording. The entire video lasted more than four hours. The view was very clear. The two of them sat at opposite ends of the sofa, silently watching it from beginning to end. Occasionally they exchanged a sentence or two, just like when they used to study under Director Cui.
Dr. Kenn was cold and arrogant as a person, but his skills were undeniably superb. When unexpected complications arose during surgery, his judgments were decisive and accurate. He was an outstanding surgeon.
Four hours seemed long, yet on this night it felt strangely short. As a string of cheerful, excited “Congratulations!” sounded, the recording ended, and the darkened screen began scrolling through the acknowledgments. Jiang Xu reached out and pressed pause with the remote. The living room suddenly fell quiet, but neither of them spoke.
Normally, they would have immediately begun analyzing, discussing, and summarizing the surgery. But tonight the atmosphere between them felt strange. Jiang Xu said nothing, and Shen Fangyu didn’t either. Outside the window, the moonlight was cold. The earliest leaves that had sensed the coming of autumn had already begun to fall.
After a long silence, Shen Fangyu spoke first. “I’ve checked the literature. Because there are so few related cases, there’s currently no sufficient evidence proving that the risks of abortion surgery for men are necessarily lower than those of a cesarean section. Even though you’re doing an abortion, considering the potential risks, compared with laparoscopy, I’m inclined to perform an open surgery.”
He pointed at the projection. “Kenn used an open procedure. This is also the most complete surgical recording we have right now. Besides, the male body structure is different from a woman’s. An open procedure allows the surgeon to see the entire abdominal structure more clearly and directly.”
“I still need to watch the video a few more times and review the patient’s medical records. If you decide to let me perform the surgery, I’ll draft a preliminary full surgical plan and send it to you before tomorrow night. Try to keep your evening free so we can discuss it,” he said. “I’ll email Kenn now and try to communicate with him before the operation.”
“If you want to go abroad for the surgery–”
“Shen Fangyu,” Jiang Xu suddenly interrupted him. “I don’t want to discuss this with you right now.”
He couldn’t quite explain how he felt. He simply thought of the large plastic bags in the study, stuffed with clothes and toys. Not long ago they had bought her so many gifts, and now they were discussing how to kill her.
“It’s late,” Jiang Xu said. “I’m going to take a shower.”
He was very tired today. After work he had gone to a dinner appointment, then suddenly received this news, and afterward sat motionless on the sofa, concentrating for four hours straight studying the surgical video.
“Don’t drag it out,” Shen Fangyu pressed his fingers against his brow. “Solve the child’s situation sooner, and you can go chase Miss Cao sooner too.”
His mood had already been low, and the alcohol only stirred it further. He was speaking without thinking. What he had actually wanted to say was… if he had known it was a blind date, he wouldn’t have tried so hard to get Jiang Xu to perform earlier.
Hearing this, Jiang Xu suddenly froze mid-movement. He looked at Shen Fangyu with disbelief, his voice trembling slightly with anger.
“We’ve known each other for more than ten years, Shen Fangyu,” he said. “In your eyes, am I that kind of person?”
“Jiang Xu…”
“Shut up–”
He sprang to his feet, blood rushing to his head, strode into the bedroom, and slammed the door shut. Shen Fangyu sat where he was, irritably wiping a hand over his face. After a while, with a loud bang, the door opened again, the door panel crashing against the wall. Shen Fangyu looked over and realized Jiang Xu was dragging a suitcase straight to the door to change his shoes.
“Where are you going?” Shen Fangyu abruptly stood up. “It’s so late. Whatever it is, we can talk about it tomorrow. Don’t go running around.”
Jiang Xu ignored him. He threw out a single word, “Get lost,” and pulled open the door.
Shen Fangyu hurried after him. He was already a little dizzy from the alcohol, and when he suddenly moved, the world spun before his eyes. He tripped over Jiang Xu’s shoes. By the time he got back up, the elevator doors had already closed.
He quickly changed his shoes and ran down the stairs. When he reached the parking lot, he realized Jiang Xu hadn’t taken the car. He ran back up from the basement, all the way to the entrance of the residential complex. Jiang Xu had just gotten into a taxi, leaving Shen Fangyu with nothing but a nose full of exhaust fumes.
Wearing only a thin shirt in the deep autumn night, Shen Fangyu was sweating all over from the run. Heat steamed above his head. It was already past midnight, and this area wasn’t an easy place to hail a taxi. Jiang Xu had probably booked the ride while still in the elevator. If Shen Fangyu tried to call one now, it would definitely be too late.
Shen Fangyu caught his breath. Forgetting all about looking composed, he frantically waved at passing cars. A gray sedan, perhaps seeing how desperate he looked, stopped in front of him. The kind-looking driver rolled down the window and leaned out.
“Hey, young man, what’s wrong?”
“Brother, could you give me a ride?” Shen Fangyu bent over, panting hard, pointing at the taxi disappearing in the distance that carried Jiang Xu away. “Help me catch up to that car. I’ll pay whatever you want.”
The driver looked him up and down. The young man was still wearing home clothes, clearly someone who had rushed out of the house without warning. He nodded.
“Alright, get in.”
As Shen Fangyu got into the car, the driver stepped on the gas and said, “Chasing your wife?”
“No…”
“Then your girlfriend?” the driver teased, clearly entertained by the situation. “Don’t worry, nothing to be embarrassed about. Your big brother here has been through it too. My wife has quite a temper, she runs away from home in the middle of the night all the time.”
Shen Fangyu’s mind was in complete chaos, and he couldn’t come up with any polite words. He forced a small smile at the driver and handed him two hundred yuan.
“No need. I’m not a taxi driver, I’m just helping you out,” the man waved his hand. “Couples fight at the head of the bed and make up at the foot of it. What kind of conflict can’t be resolved?”
The big brother was warmhearted. He had originally taken a night shift and planned to head home afterward, but now that he believed he’d encountered a fellow sufferer in Shen Fangyu, he was determined to help him catch up with the taxi ahead. The moment Jiang Xu saw Shen Fangyu getting into a car through the rearview mirror, he said to the driver, “Driver, shake off the car behind us. He’s chasing me.”
If the kindhearted driver Shen Fangyu met seemed to be acting out a family drama script about emotional relationship disputes airing at 8:30 p.m., then the driver Jiang Xu encountered was clearly a fan of Hong Kong gangster cop movies.
The short, overly dramatic driver narrowed his eyes upon hearing this and looked at Jiang Xu with solemn seriousness. “Don’t worry.”
Then he slammed on the accelerator and, in an instant, became the coolest guy on the streets of City A in the early hours of the morning.
The powerful backward force pushed Jiang Xu firmly into his seat. He watched as the driver kept the speed pressed right against the maximum limit, weaving wildly through the traffic-filled streets, changing lanes repeatedly and darting into narrow alleys again and again. After several thrilling maneuvers like this, the driver finally asked Jiang Xu, “Where did you say you wanted to go again?”
Jiang Xu, “……”
At the quiet entrance of an apartment building, under the midnight lights, the driver, who seemed to have mentally transported himself into a police action film, slammed on the brakes and delivered Jiang Xu to his destination. He helped Jiang Xu take the suitcase out of the trunk, rubbed his hands together, and asked, “So, how was my driving?”
Jiang Xu thought he was asking for extra money and reached for his wallet, but the driver quickly refused.
“I don’t take tips,” he said. His adrenaline was clearly still high, and he looked excited. “I just want to know… how do you think my driving was?”
Jiang Xu couldn’t quite understand why these days even hailing a taxi could lead to meeting a driver as dramatic as Shen Fangyu. He struggled to calm the churning in his stomach, barely suppressing the urge to vomit, and gave an awkward compliment. “Very good driving. Next time, maybe don’t drive like that.”
By the time Jiang Xu dragged his suitcase through the door of Tang Ke’s home, the driver beside Shen Fangyu had already stopped in confusion at a fork in the road. He and Shen Fangyu stared at each other for a moment before the man said, “You probably won’t catch your wife…”
Scratching his head, he continued, “I’ve always heard that taxi drivers in City A are fierce, but today I’ve finally seen it for myself.” He asked Shen Fangyu, “Did you see where that car went?”
Shen Fangyu was already a little dizzy, and there were countless identical taxis on the road. Long before the driver lost track of it, he had already been unable to tell which one it was.
“Why don’t you guess where your wife might go?” the man suggested. “Her mother’s house?”
Even though Shen Fangyu had denied several times that Jiang Xu was his wife, the driver still firmly believed he had angered his spouse into leaving. Shen Fangyu didn’t bother explaining anymore and simply followed along.
“His parents don’t live in City A.”
“What about siblings?”
“He’s an only child.”
“Then maybe a close girlfriend?” the driver said. “Think about whether she has any close girlfriends she might go to.”
Shen Fangyu slowly exhaled, rolled down the car window, and let the cold autumn night air rush in. The sudden shift from heat to chill made him shiver. A moment later, he dialed Tang Ke’s phone number.
The ringtone had just started when Tang Ke saw the caller ID and instantly muted the sound. He glanced toward the bathroom door, the sound of the shower was loud and showed no sign of stopping. Relieved, he took the phone and stepped onto the balcony.
“Shen Fangyu?”
“It’s me,” Shen Fangyu said. “Is Jiang Xu at your place?”
Tang Ke didn’t answer right away. Instead, he questioned him first. “Last time the two of you were playing Tai Chi in front of me, dodging the question. Tell me honestly, are you and Jiang Xu living together now?”
Just now Jiang Xu had arrived looking exhausted, dragging a suitcase. No matter what Tang Ke asked, Jiang Xu refused to speak. Now that Shen Fangyu had called, even if Tang Ke were slow, he could guess most of what was going on.
Jiang Xu lived alone. No matter how serious something was, it wouldn’t make him show up at Tang Ke’s house with a suitcase, unless someone else had been living with him. Their conversation during the last prenatal checkup had already felt strange, and tonight’s situation only confirmed Tang Ke’s suspicions.
“Has Jiang Xu gotten too comfortable with life and decided he needs to suffer a bit?” Tang Ke said in confusion. “How exactly did you trick him into letting you move into his house?”
“Let’s not talk about that first,” Shen Fangyu said. “Can I come over? I want to see him.”
“You should go back first. He’s in the shower right now. I’ll ask him later and get back to you.”
Shen Fangyu knew Jiang Xu’s temper well, so he didn’t say anything more. He hung up the phone helplessly and then said to the driver, “Could you take me back?”
Seeing his dejected expression, the driver couldn’t help trying to comfort him. “It’s okay. Just apologize properly. If she loves you, she’ll forgive you sooner or later.”
Shen Fangyu shook his head. “Brother, we’re really not lovers. Forget love, he probably… finds me very annoying. He probably wants to get rid of me.”
“Then are you pursuing her?” the driver asked. “But you can’t chase someone to the point of barging into a girl’s house in the middle of the night. That would make anyone uneasy.”
“Not that either,” Shen Fangyu said. “We’re just colleagues. You could say we’ve been working together on… a project.”
He sighed. “Our relationship has always been bad, and he didn’t want to work with me in the first place. Before, there were some external factors that forced us to do this project together. Now that those external factors are gone, he’s probably planning to end the partnership.”
Perhaps the quiet of the night and the presence of an enthusiastic, gossip-loving driver made the perfect catalyst for confession. By the time Shen Fangyu realized it, he had already said far too much to a complete stranger. The driver looked at him with bright, focused eyes, his thick eyebrows furrowed into a deep crease.
Shen Fangyu felt that he had said too much tonight. He waved his hand. “I just…”
“Got it, I get it,” the driver said. “You still want to keep doing it, right?”
Shen Fangyu didn’t respond.
“He wants to break up the partnership, but you don’t,” the driver said. “Is that what you two argued about?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then why was your colleague so angry?” the driver asked. “There has to be a reason, right?”
Shen Fangyu thought for a moment. “I said we should end the partnership, and he got angry.”
“Your logic doesn’t add up,” the driver said. “Didn’t you say your colleague wanted to end the partnership? Then why would he get angry?”
“I didn’t phrase it well,” Shen Fangyu said. “I offended him.”
“Hey, young man,” the driver said seriously, “I feel like you’re too close to the situation to see clearly. Let me ask you something, has your colleague ever seriously told you he wants to end the partnership?”
Shen Fangyu fell silent for a moment, then shook his head. “But ending it would be better for him.”
“You’re not him. How do you know he thinks it’s better?”
“But his attitude before was very firm.”
“Before is before,” the driver said. “My kid cries one minute and laughs the next. Even the weather can change in an instant, why can’t people change their minds?”
He advised, “Listen to me. First go apologize to your colleague. Then ask him properly whether he really wants to end the partnership. If he truly does, then fine. But if not, you two should talk honestly and make things clear. Don’t keep guessing each other’s thoughts. Even good relationships can turn into misunderstandings if you guess too much.”
What the driver said made sense.
But he didn’t know that this wasn’t a collaborative project, it was a child.
So Jiang Xu couldn’t possibly not want to end it. Jiang Xu was talented and had his own ambitions. The way he realized his life’s value wasn’t by having a bunch of children. To him, a child was a burden, an obstacle to moving forward. Shen Fangyu knew he couldn’t be selfish about this.
But he truly didn’t have the energy to explain all of that to a stranger.
The car returned to Jiang Xu’s residential complex. Shen Fangyu lowered his eyes and quietly slipped two hundred yuan under the seat.
Even though the driver hadn’t been able to help him, Shen Fangyu had felt his kindness. It wasn’t easy for the man to drive him back and forth so late at night. Shen Fangyu opened the car door and sincerely thanked him.
The driver watched his figure walk away, shook his head, and sighed. “Young people… always making life complicated.”