Chapter 5- Words from the Heart

Jiang Xiao Shuai had just sent the last patient out the door when he noticed two familiar figures approaching from a distance. The muscles on his face twitched.

“Fuck me... less than three hours, and he’s back already?”

This time, Yue-Yue wasn’t in a good mood. She shoved Wu Qi Qiong straight into Jiang Xiao Shuai’s arms without a word, then turned and left.

Wu Qi Qiong groaned in Jiang’s arms, looking miserable.

“Dude,” Jiang Xiao Shuai muttered as he helped him inside, “I was joking with you! I didn’t think you’d actually do it! Why the hell did you really smash your head again? You really brought this back to me?”

Wu Qi Qiong managed a crooked smile.

“She’s breaking up with me again.”

Jiang Xiao Shuai sighed and began cleaning the wound. As he prepared the anesthetic and got ready for stitches, he tried to distract Wu Qi Qiong from the pain.

“What’s the reason this time?”

Wu Qi Qiong looked gloomy.

“She says I’m stingy.”

Jiang Xiao Shuai chuckled.

“You think I’m stingy?” Wu Qi Qiong asked, his tone full of grievance.

“I’ve only been working for two years. Low salary, little money, sure—but I’ve never been stingy with her. She said she wanted an iPhone, so I saved for three months, squeezed 5,000 yuan out of my teeth, and bought it. She wanted a set of cosmetics—over a thousand yuan—and I got it for her too, using the money I was planning to use to replace my own phone. That phone? I’ve been using it for five years. It’s fallen in the toilet four times, and I still haven’t changed it.”

Jiang Xiao Shuai didn’t hesitate.

“If you put it like that, then yeah—your girlfriend’s right to break up with you.”

Wu Qi Qiong’s eyes widened.

“Why?!”

Jiang Xiao Shuai shrugged.

“Because you don’t know how to save yourself.”

Wu Qi Qiong’s heart gave a sharp tug. He shook his head in frustration, but the sudden movement pulled at his stitches and sent a wave of pain through his skull.

“Ow—ow, fuck...”

“Hold still!” Jiang Xiao Shuai scolded, steadying his head.

Looking at him from this angle, now that Wu Qi Qiong had lost weight, he didn’t look bad. When he was fat, his face had no shape—like dough. Now, his jawline had come back, and he had some definition. He was still average, but at least you could call him presentable. Definitely not in goddess territory, but maybe not brick-worthy anymore either.

“So, doc... how long till I’m healed this time?”

“It’s not a serious wound. If you take care of it properly—one month.”

That month, Wu Qi Qiong came regularly for dressing changes. He was quiet, polite, and oddly gentle—like a model patient. The two of them grew familiar. Wu Qi Qiong started talking more—sharing everything.

---

**“There are three kids in my family. I’m the youngest. I’ve got two older sisters. My eldest is over forty now—her kids are in high school. My second sister moved to the South and just gave birth to a fat little boy this year.

“My dad had cerebral thrombosis for over a decade. He passed away less than a year ago. I was always the favorite—the youngest. My parents gave me everything. My second sister resented that a lot.”

He paused, looking off into the distance.

**“I was the pride of the neighborhood. First in class every year. People used to say, ‘No better kid from east to west.’ I never caused trouble, never slacked off. Helped Mom with chores, too.

“I remember one time, I missed swiping my card for the bus. Got pushed out before I could pay. I chased the bus from the terminal all the way to the starting station—just to pay. Then I walked home.”

Jiang Xiao Shuai glanced at him. Wu Qi Qiong continued, without prompting.

**“I never skipped a class in college. Won scholarships every year. One time, my girlfriend asked me to skip class and go shopping—I said no.

“The first time we rented a hotel room together, I didn’t even touch her. I just lay there and watched TV. She cuddled me, but I didn’t mess around. When I started working, all my coworkers would take office supplies home—pens, notepads, even USB drives. I never did. There were a few times I could’ve made some extra money under the table. I didn’t take it. If it wasn’t mine, I didn’t touch it.”**

He laughed softly, a sound full of bitterness.

---

Jiang Xiao Shuai finished wrapping the gauze around Wu Qi Qiong’s head. He looked at the man—this guy who kept smashing his head over love, who kept bleeding and walking straight back into the pain.

Even he couldn’t help but sigh.

“It hasn’t been easy for you, huh?”

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***