Chapter 56: A Visit to the Urology Department

The difference between Wang Jiexiang and Yin Xian was: when she started earning a decent salary and gradually saving money, the first expensive thing she bought was a phone.

—With a phone, she could reach Yin Xian anytime, anywhere.

Although Wang Jiexiang often nagged Yin Xian to save money, when it came to texting, she never considered the cost. Whenever she had free time and nothing to do at home, she’d send him messages.

【What are you doing? Busy?】

【It’s lunchtime! I had chicken leg rice with a marinated egg. Workaholic, it’s time for you to eat too!】

【Miss you, Yin Xian.】

【I’m home from work. Anything you feel like eating?】

【Working overtime today? If you can make it back before eight, I’ll wait and eat with you. Just so you know, dinner is your favorite—stir-fried beef with chili.】

Yin Xian usually only replied to the necessary ones from Wang Jiexiang’s barrage of texts.

Like the ones above—he read them all but only responded to the last one.

【Yes. Don’t wait.】

Not long after he sent that, his phone pinged again.

【Okay then, if you’re working late, eat something yourself. Let me know when you’re coming back and I’ll warm up the food.】

Yin Xian turned off his phone screen and got back to work.

Within just two months of buying the phone, Wang Jiexiang’s typing speed improved dramatically. Not because she was particularly smart—it was mostly because she had so much to say.

Her job at the department store was relatively relaxed. At the cosmetics counter, it was rare for customers to flood in.

When there were no customers and her tasks were done, Wang Jiexiang would go learn makeup tricks from other clerks. Bit by bit, she became friends with a perfume salesgirl named Qian Qian. At lunch, Qian Qian would always invite her to eat together.

According to Qian Qian’s observations, before every meal, Wang Jiexiang habitually pulled out her phone to type.

“Texting again?” she asked.

“Yup.” Wang Jiexiang finished typing, hit send, and slipped her phone into her pocket.

Qian Qian caught the scent of gossip. “You’re always glued to your phone. Who are you texting so much?”

Wang Jiexiang bit into her marinated egg and winked.

“My boyfriend.”

“Huh? You have a boyfriend?”

Qian Qian looked her over, surprised. “You look really young.”

“I’m twenty. Met my boyfriend when I was eighteen. We’ve been together for two years.”

“So you met him not long after coming to the city?” Qian Qian, who knew a bit about her background, was instantly curious. “How’d you two meet? Tell me your love story!”

“Love story” was a phrase that filled Wang Jiexiang with joy.

She swallowed the rest of her egg, cleared her throat, and began to narrate to Qian Qian.

“It was a winter two years ago. I couldn’t pay rent, and the landlord told me to move out. I had nowhere to go—and he was the one who helped me…”

By the time lunch ended, so had her story.

She cleaned up her meal box and got ready to go back to work. Qian Qian, still savoring the story, looked unsatisfied.

“I can tell you really love him. From how you tell it, he sounds like a saint.”

“You’re really the proactive one in the relationship, huh? If it were me, I couldn’t handle a guy like that.”

Wang Jiexiang didn’t like that comment.

“He’s proactive in treating me well.”

Qian Qian raised a brow. “Like how?”

Wang Jiexiang listed out things Yin Xian did for her: buying a fridge to keep food so she’d eat more, juicing carrots for her, taking her to the doctor, waiting for her after work, accompanying her to public bathhouses…

Qian Qian remained unconvinced.

“Hmm… sounds more like he’s your elder—guiding you, teaching you, watching your health and meals and all.”

Wang Jiexiang puffed out her cheeks and protested immediately.

“Well, when you live together, what else is there to care about besides everyday life?”

Qian Qian tried to articulate the odd feeling she had.

“I mean, young couples—young love—should have more romance and passion, right? When I was your age and dating, we were all over each other, madly in love. What you describe is very domestic. He does treat you well, but it’s all a bit too calm, too detached.”

That was just her opinion, but noticing Wang Jiexiang’s unhappy expression, Qian Qian quickly realized she might’ve said too much.

“Look at me, getting too personal.”

She smiled and deliberately shifted to a lighter, gossip-friendly topic.

“You’re young and living together… can you handle it? I mean, are you guys… harmonious in bed?”

Wang Jiexiang didn’t catch her meaning. “What kind of life?”

Qian Qian nudged her arm. “That kind of life.”

She smiled mysteriously and lowered her voice. “He has to be the one taking the initiative for that, right?”

Wang Jiexiang didn’t get why she was winking and making weird faces.

“Our life is harmonious. I’m really happy.”

Seeing her proud and open expression, Qian Qian suspected she didn’t understand what she was asking.

She leaned close to Wang Jiexiang’s ear, cupped her mouth, and fully spelled it out.

This time, Wang Jiexiang heard clearly.

As Qian Qian pulled away, Wang Jiexiang’s face turned beet red.

Her expression looked like she was hearing about these things for the first time.

Qian Qian waited for her answer.

“No, we haven’t,” Wang Jiexiang said.

“No way,” Qian Qian gaped. “You’ve been living together for two years.”

“But…” Wang Jiexiang tried to explain, “We sleep together every day.”

“In the same bed?”

“Yeah.”

“And nothing ever happened…”

Seeing this heading toward a dead end, Qian Qian stopped herself. “Maybe he’s just a very upright person. Or maybe you were too young when you got together.”

The more she tried to smooth it over, the guiltier Wang Jiexiang felt.

“We got together when I was eighteen, but I’m twenty now. So, like, do normal couples do it? Couples who’ve lived together two years?”

Qian Qian nodded.

Wang Jiexiang fell deep into thought…

Wang Jiexiang had something on her mind.

That night, when Yin Xian came home, he immediately sensed something was off.

“You got home late? Why haven’t you taken off your makeup?”

Wang Jiexiang touched her face.

“Makeup? I did take it off—just left on some lipstick.”

He didn’t call her out and went straight to the dining table to eat.

Two sets of chopsticks and bowls were on the table—she’d waited to eat with him.

But during the meal, Wang Jiexiang was clearly distracted.

Yin Xian picked at the food with one hand and held his bowl with the other, chewing while glancing at her.

“Yin Xian!”

She suddenly reached over, grabbed his hand off the bowl, and held it in both of hers.

He stopped chewing, puzzled.

Staring into his eyes, Wang Jiexiang asked seriously:

“Are we a couple? Or do you just think I’m your roommate?”

“…”

Yin Xian thought she was being silly and didn’t answer.

After their shower, they returned from the bathroom.

Yin Xian sat at the edge of the bed, towel-drying his hair. Suddenly, Wang Jiexiang sat on his lap.

He lowered the towel and saw she had changed into a summer nightgown at some point.

Her lipstick was still on—actually, it was even redder.

“Yin Xian.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.

“What?”

Wang Jiexiang twirled her hair with her finger.

“Help me dry my hair,” she said coyly, batting her lashes.

Yin Xian’s face remained emotionless.

“Fine, sit to the side.”

“Nooo.”

She swung her legs and whined coquettishly.

“I want to sit right here.”

“Why?”

She drew circles on his chest with her finger. “Too far and my heart gets cold.”

“Wearing a summer nightgown, of course you’re cold.”

When Yin Xian stood up, she toppled onto the bed, landing flat on her back.

Ignoring her protests, he pulled a thick set of pajamas from the wardrobe.

It was a muddy yellow set with a bald monkey on it from so much washing. It was warm and cozy—she wore it often. But today, Wang Jiexiang absolutely did not want to wear it.

Without caring what she wanted, Yin Xian dressed her in it and buttoned it all the way up to the neck.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Wang Jiexiang glared at him.

He stood beside her and silently tossed a big towel over her head.

“What are you doing!” she yelled, fists clenched.

“Drying your hair.”

He started rubbing back and forth aggressively.

When he finally removed the towel—

Wang Jiexiang, her hair a frizzy mess, exploded.

“Hey!” she stood up with hands on hips. “You wiped off my lipstick! I look terrible now!”

Yin Xian immediately checked the towel for stains.

Seeing her plan fail miserably, Wang Jiexiang gave up completely.

She crawled under the covers in her monkey pajamas, turned away, and scooted to the far edge of the bed.

After washing the towel, Yin Xian returned to the room and turned off the light.

In the dark.

She asked, “Tell me the truth—do you just see me as one of the guys?”

Sleepy and groggy, he mumbled, “What kind of guy friend? One who fights for me, drinks with me? You’re too small for even that.”

Wang Jiexiang sat up and kicked him hard.

“Wang Jiexiang!”

Thick-skinned as he was, it didn’t hurt—but now he couldn’t sleep anymore.

Wang Jiexiang huffed and flopped back into bed, pulling the covers over herself.

The next day.

Business was good at the cosmetics counter. Wang Jiexiang wore a smile all morning, leaving Qian Qian no chance to chat.

Lunchtime.

Before they even sat down, Qian Qian pounced. “So? What happened?”

She didn’t really need to ask.

Wang Jiexiang’s private feelings were written all over her face.

“You haven’t done it in two years—that’s definitely a problem. I knew last night’s attempt would fail.”

Qian Qian was full of enthusiasm. “Come on, tell me! I’ve got experience—I’ll help you figure this out.”

Wang Jiexiang sighed and recounted everything that happened at home the day before.

Qian Qian propped her chin up, looking like a doctor listening to a patient’s symptoms.

When Wang Jiexiang finished, she clenched her fists, anxiously awaiting her diagnosis.

“So what do you think is going on?”

Qian Qian didn’t answer right away. She asked another question: “Are there other women around him?”

“I don’t know… are you saying…”

Qian Qian nodded.

Wang Jiexiang immediately rejected the idea.

“No way. He’s super busy with work, always doing overtime—sometimes too busy to even eat.”

“Always working overtime, too busy to eat.”

Qian Qian repeated the two key phrases.

“You sure you two are really in love?”

“Mm.”

“Then maybe…” Qian Qian said something shocking. “Take him to the hospital?”

Wang Jiexiang was confused. “For what?”

“The urology department.”

She offered her diagnosis, based on her own experience.

“If he’s not seeing someone else, then maybe he’s overworked and it’s affecting his body.”

Wang Jiexiang’s mind went blank.

Qian Qian patted her shoulder earnestly.

“Don’t think being young means being healthy. Take better care of your boyfriend. If there’s something wrong, get it treated.”

That evening.

Yin Xian came home.

Wang Jiexiang sat at the table, deep in thought.

Unlike the previous night, she didn’t pull any stunts, which spared him some trouble.

But what must come, would come.

Before bed, he turned off the bedside lamp.