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“Dr. Shen, I’m really afraid of pain.”
Was he shy?
Or just embarrassed?
So easy to tease…
That thought made Chu Zhixia feel even better.
But soon, she couldn’t smile anymore.
Because Shen Qingshi told her that today’s procedure involved administering anesthesia and then opening the pulp of her tooth—it might be a bit painful and would take some time.
“Wait, wait, wait—”
Chu Zhixia had a lot on her plate with postgraduate entrance exam prep, so she hadn’t looked too deeply into what root canal therapy entailed. She vaguely knew it involved cleaning out necrotic material from a decayed nerve inside the tooth, but she had no idea about the exact steps.
“What’s ‘opening the pulp’? Will it hurt a lot?”
She sat up, gripping the armrest anxiously. It all sounded pretty terrifying.
Shen Qingshi adjusted the chair height and explained in simple terms she could understand:
“It’s similar to what you’ve imagined. You can think of it as digging a well into your tooth and using that opening to clean out the tissue inside.”
Digging a well…
That sounded… gentler than just “drilling a hole.”
But still, terrifying!
“How painful will it be?”
Actually, Chu Zhixia wasn’t someone afraid of pain. She had trained hard from a young age and was no stranger to injuries. But for some reason, in front of him, she suddenly felt afraid.
Seeing how frightened she seemed—her face had even turned pale—Shen Qingshi thought of her previous scan and gently reassured her with a calm, comforting voice:
“There’ll be anesthesia. You’ll barely feel anything. It’s tolerable.”
Pain sensitivity varies from person to person, and sometimes a small portion of nerve tissue still remains, causing discomfort. He’d seen such cases before.
Not wanting to delay his work, and since it was already late, she lay back down and opened her mouth slightly.
Then, after a moment’s thought, she reached out and gently tugged on the sleeve of his pristine white coat—then quickly let go, nervously whispering,
“Dr. Shen, I’m really afraid of pain.”
Her face was turned slightly to the side, one cheek puffed from the pressure of the chair, with a few strands of hair falling down. The overhead light reflected in her wide, wet eyes, making her look terribly pitiful.
“I know.”
His voice remained calm and professional, but if you listened closely, it was definitely gentler than usual.
Turns out, even the most upright gentleman had a soft spot for this act.
She’d gone about this the wrong way—should’ve worn a pitiful little white dress instead of a bold red one.
The treatment soon began.
But during the second half, she wasn’t sure if it was because of anesthesia resistance from prior procedures, naturally heightened pain sensitivity, or perhaps because the nerve hadn’t completely died—or maybe it was just the imagery of “digging a well” that was too intense…
The suction machine hummed nonstop.
It was very late.
Most of the department staff had already gone.
She didn’t want to disrupt his work, so she endured it as best as she could.
When he put down the suction tool and asked her to rinse, he still asked:
“Did it hurt?”
“A little.”
Tooth pain wasn’t so easily endured. Even though she could bear it, the pain made her salivate excessively. The rinse water was tinged with blood. Her jaw was sore from keeping her mouth open for so long. She rubbed her jaw and turned to him, her thick black hair slightly messy.
“The nerve wasn’t completely dead,” he explained patiently.
“So even with anesthesia, there might still be some pain. If it gets too much, just signal me with a ‘1’, and I’ll slow down.”
She couldn’t speak during the procedure because of the tools in her mouth.
“Why? You like drinking a little?”
He was so gentle. She didn’t even know if he treated all his patients like this. She raised her left hand and made a little “1” gesture, wiggling it.
Shen Qingshi helped her lie back down again and leaned in to look at her.
“Mm.”
He was replying to that hand signal.
“Then I’ll treat you next time.”
She smiled brightly. There was a bit of blood on the corner of her lips, and yet she still had the energy to joke.
Shen Qingshi picked up the disposable napkin draped around her neck and gently wiped her mouth. After glancing at her scans, he said no more and continued the procedure.
He was worried about hurting her.
Yet his hands remained steady.
Chu Zhixia probably didn’t even realize that Shen Qingshi was actually better at research than clinical practice—despite how perfect his clinical skills were. That’s how he’d managed to become an attending physician at a top-tier hospital at such a young age.
But in the end, Chu Zhixia didn’t use the hand signal.
She loved teasing beautiful people—but she also felt compassion for them.
Even though he was so composed and calm, she could tell that after a full day of clinic work, he must be exhausted.
She leaned back in the chair, quietly watching the focused look in his dark eyes.
But when he applied the medication deep into her tooth to kill the nerve, it really did hurt a bit, and she couldn’t help but frown slightly.
“Did that hurt?”
He noticed immediately. In fact, he’d been paying close attention the whole time, waiting to see if she would signal—but she never did.
Chu Zhixia replied,
“It’s okay.”
He was even gentler after that, full of patience as he sealed the tooth temporarily with soft material.
Finally, it was over.
Chu Zhixia let out a long breath and used her tongue to feel the treated side of the tooth. She rubbed her sore jaw, threw away the used bib, rinsed her mouth, then hopped off the dental chair.
Shen Qingshi didn’t say much. He turned off the overhead light, removed his gloves, and—his back to her—leaned slightly toward the computer to type up the medical record, reminding her of a few precautions.
“Dr. Shen.”
She waited until he finished, then suddenly spoke.
She didn’t know why—or where she got the nerve from—but she just felt like… he wouldn’t say no.
“Did you drive here today? Would it be okay if I got a ride from you?”
Shen Qingshi’s fingers paused on the keyboard.
After finishing the medical notes and scheduling the next appointment, he slowly turned around.
He was so tall—even taller than Zhou Haoying—and had an exceptionally proportioned build. Small head, small face, broad shoulders, long legs, narrow waist… He was a perfect specimen for the camera. (Chu Zhixia’s professional instincts kicked in again.)
The clinic was empty, the workday finally over. Maybe the room felt a bit stuffy—he had taken off his mask. The lower half of his face was pale as he looked at her quietly.
“I had a friend’s gathering today, that’s why I wore such uncomfortable shoes. And I didn’t want to keep you waiting in traffic, so I just took the subway over.”
She spoke while straightening the hem of her close-fitting long dress.
It was a pair of pointed-toe, vintage-style, wine-red leather ankle boots.
The heels weren’t particularly high, but they were terribly uncomfortable—rubbing both front and back.
“My place is just behind the hospital, less than two kilometers away. It’s definitely on your way. I really can’t walk anymore. It hurts. I don’t want to have a toothache and sore feet at the same time.”
When he heard the word “hurts,” his brow seemed to twitch ever so slightly, but he said nothing.
After a moment of silence, just as Chu Zhixia thought she had guessed wrong and was sure to be rejected, she heard him say:
“Wait for me to change clothes.”
“Thank you, Dr. Shen!!”
She was so happy she could’ve jumped on the spot.
Ten minutes later.
Shen Qingshi wrapped up all his work, changed out of his white coat and scrubs, turned off all the lights, and headed toward the door. Chu Zhixia, enduring her “foot pain,” followed slowly behind him.
Shen Qingshi said, “Wait here, I’ll bring the car around.”
“Mm-hmm.”
She didn’t know where the hospital staff parking lot was, but it was probably a bit of a walk from here.
Dr. Shen, just as she had guessed, came from a well-educated and cultivated background. From the very first time they met, the refined quality of the shirt beneath his white coat already hinted at it—his demeanor and elegance were something innate.
Even the car he drove matched her guess: a very, very understated black Volvo—almost as if it had been picked specifically for work.
Chu Zhixia felt increasingly proud of her own instincts.
She hesitated for a few seconds but eventually sat in the passenger seat and carefully fastened her seatbelt.
Chu Zhixia was very self-aware. At this moment, there was no need to say much more. The ride was quiet—it was only a two-kilometer distance, after all.
“Thank you, Dr. Shen.”
When the car stopped at the entrance of a high-end residential community nearby, she opened the door to get out—only to suddenly hear him say:
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“What?” She held the door with one hand. Pearls on her shoulder sparkled, her long hair cascading over one side. She turned to face him, puzzled.
“If you were in pain, why didn’t you say so?”
As a doctor, he didn’t like it when patients stayed silent—like they didn’t trust him.
What’s more… she—
“You mean the pain?” she suddenly laughed, closed the car door again, turned toward him, and leaned in a little.
Shen Qingshi didn’t move away. The interior light was off. Only the streetlights outside illuminated the car.
His side profile, handsome and composed, looked like a stunning oil painting.
“Because I feel bad for you, handsome.”
Since he didn’t avoid her, she couldn’t hold back anymore. She reached out and gently hooked his perfect jawline with her pale fingertip.
Shen Qingshi was startled. He hadn’t expected such a bold move. He turned his head sharply, eyes clear and filled with surprise. Under his sharp yet calm gaze, she smiled, opened the car door, and stepped out.
“I just didn’t want to make your job any harder. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself.”
She left him with that and didn’t linger. She shut the car door, waved, and walked toward the community gate in her little leather boots.
She was someone with dignity. No matter how much pain she was in, she wouldn’t show it in front of strangers.
Red dress, black hair, a small Lady Dior bag in hand—she walked slowly, but with grace.
Inside the car.
Shen Qingshi sat in silence.
After a while, he seemed to let out a faint sigh, rubbed his brow, turned the steering wheel, and drove toward the underground garage near the residential complex.
He hadn’t just bought a car specifically for work—he’d also purchased a nearby, comfortable apartment.
When Chu Zhixia got home, it was already 9:00 p.m.
She had only recently bought this apartment too—it was part of a newly launched, very popular development, chosen specifically to help her prepare for the grad school entrance exam. Her family home was too far away, located in a suburban villa. That place was fine for studying for the preliminary exam, but not suitable for the final interview round. She needed a proper dance studio and, more importantly, she needed Zhou Haoying.
Zhou Haoying had never liked living in that house. He never felt it was truly home, and this was something Chu Zhixia understood.
Today had been exhausting—but also perfect.
She changed into pajamas, collapsed into the soft living room couch, pulled out her exam review notebook from under a pillow, and began writing:
Countdown: Day 23
Seeing the note “dentist” felt too miserable.
She crossed it out and replaced it with:
“Had some fun” — 2.5 hours.
Just as she was finishing, she suddenly froze.
Wait a second…
Did she forget to get Dr. Shen’s WeChat?!
AAAAAAHHHH!!
A single lapse ruined all her perfect planning!
[Author’s Note]
“Dr. Shen, I’m really afraid of pain.”
Aaaaaaah! Our Zhixia is way too flirty! But…
Once again, it’s a day where she still didn’t get his number… [sigh]