Chapter 1

That night, I was sleeping naked when some bug bit me on the breast. It swelled up and hurt so badly I could barely breathe.

My roommate rushed me to the clinic.

Then I saw the doctor—and froze.

Shen Bai, the campus heartthrob I'd secretly pursued for all four years of college, took off his mask. Still writing in my chart, he said calmly,

“Lower your hands. Stop covering yourself and let me see.”

…

1

I kept both hands clamped over my chest.

When I refused to cooperate, the nurse scolded me.

“You're here for treatment. There's no need to be embarrassed. How is Dr. Shen supposed to examine you if you won't cooperate?”

“Hurry up. There are plenty of patients waiting outside.”

My own fault, really.

I'd been in too much pain to notice which doctor Mengmeng, the roommate I shared a rented apartment with, had booked.

On the way in, the swelling had been so bad that I'd kept my head down and hidden behind her in embarrassment. I hadn't even looked at the doctor's details on the door.

“C-could I see a different doctor?”

The nurse rolled her eyes.

“There are no slots left today. If you want someone else, book an appointment for tomorrow.”

“Well? Are you getting examined or not? If not, I'll call the next patient.”

She turned to leave.

“Yes! I am.”

Shen Bai set down the medical history I'd filled out at reception. His voice was even colder than before.

“Lower your hands.”

I gritted my teeth.

Shen Bai had no idea I was the anonymous creep who'd pursued him at college. What was I afraid of?

All this squirming and stammering would only make him suspicious.

With that in mind, I dropped my hands.

Then I leaned forward a little and deliberately thrust out my chest.

Closer would make his job easier.

“How's that, Doctor? Can you see properly? Should I lean forward some more?”

The nurse gaped.

“What on earth is wrong with you? Are you possessed?”

Shen Bai, unlike her, remained perfectly calm.

He examined me carefully.

“Did the pain and swelling come on suddenly?”

Only then did I remember that all I'd written on the form was “discomfort in the chest area, swelling, pain, numbness, and itching.” I'd left out the cause.

“It got like this after I was bitten last night.”

The nurse's expression turned strange.

I gave her a puzzled glance, then asked Shen Bai,

“Please have a look. Has the bite done any damage?”

His dark eyes rested on me. He was silent for a few seconds.

“Generally… well… an ordinary bite shouldn't cause anything this severe.”

“I can prescribe something for you to apply first. Come back in three days for a follow-up.”

He paused, apparently debating whether to say more.

Then he added,

“You should ask the person responsible to be gentler in future.”

Ask who?

The bug?

That was going to be a problem. Where was I supposed to find it?

“I don't even know what it was.”

Every time I remembered that bizarre-looking insect, unlike any I'd ever seen, I broke out in goose bumps.

2

Shen Bai's expression hardened.

“You didn't know them? And you let them bite you there? That was incredibly irresponsible!”

What was he talking about?

“I didn't let it bite me! I was fast asleep when it crawled in. How am I being irresponsible? I came to the hospital, didn't I?”

The nurse's jaw practically hit the floor.

She couldn't understand why Dr. Shen, famous for his unshakable composure, was arguing with a patient.

“Um… Dr. Shen, I know you care about your patients. You've always been conscientious and responsible.”

“But a patient's sex life is her own business. There's no need to offer that sort of advice.”

Wait.

Her what life?

At last I understood the look she'd given me.

I was furious—and frantic.

I grabbed Shen Bai's head with both hands and pulled his face right up to the bite.

“Doctor, can you see that tiny hole? An insect bit me!”

The nurse bent down to retrieve her fallen jaw.

Shen Bai stopped breathing the instant I pulled him close.

His face visibly reddened as he held his breath.

He tried to pull away.

But my reputation was at stake. I held on with everything I had.

I wasn't letting go until he'd had a proper look.

“What are you doing? L-let go of Dr. Shen!”

Having recovered her jaw, the nurse looked up. Her face darkened, and she stamped her foot in alarm.

Sweat broke out on Shen Bai's forehead. It ran into his eyes, stinging them shut.

Yet even with his eyes closed, the soft, full curves seemed to remain before him.

His Adam's apple moved. His voice came out a little hoarse.

“I've seen it. It is an insect bite. Let go.”

“Really? You're not just saying that?”

“Really. There's a puncture on each side, a little below the tip, about the width of a hair. They're in an awkward spot. I missed them during the first examination.”

The position and size were right.

I let go at once.

Shen Bai cleared his throat, typed a line into the computer, and asked me to describe the insect.

“Black head. A segmented body, alternating black and reddish orange.”

He thought for a few seconds.

“A toxic Paederus beetle. Contact with one usually produces streaks of redness, with burning and itching. Blisters and pustules often follow.”

“Depending on the toxicity, some patients develop widespread swelling and pain instead of the streaks.”

I could have cried.

“What do I do now?”

Shen Bai disinfected his hands and put on gloves.

“…It's very swollen. You'll have to support it.”

3

Oh, the indignity.

I held up the swollen breast with one hand. Through his thin glove, I felt the coolness of Shen Bai's fingertips as they touched the edge of the affected area.

He applied a little pressure.

“Mm…”

I clamped my mouth shut, then hurriedly explained, blushing,

“Sorry. I… I didn't mean to.”

“I'm checking the swelling,” Shen Bai said.

“Right. Go ahead, Doctor.”

The nurse went to fetch the medication. I lowered my eyes to the man working away in front of my chest.

A few years ago, this would have sent me delirious with happiness.

Back then, Shen Bai had been the star of our university: a top student, student council president, and a devastatingly handsome, aloof campus heartthrob.

I was just one of the many girls who liked him.

I hadn't even dared let him know who I was.

A secret crush.

Still, I was young, full of energy, and not always capable of keeping it to myself.

I'd fantasized about Shen Bai. I'd even drawn an adult comic featuring him.

On the back, I'd written,

“I'd love to see you on your knees like this, with your legs apart.”

I'd folded it into a paper airplane and sent it sailing into his desk.

I watched him unfold it, turn scarlet, and hastily stuff it into his bag.

Suddenly I understood why the sleazy men in TV dramas enjoyed teasing innocent girls so much.

Once I'd started down that road, there was no turning back.

I stayed up all night writing a novel with Shen Bai as the model for its hero: *Don't Treat Me Like That (Explicit Edition).*

I registered a spare email account and sent a chapter to his email address every day.

Naturally, he never replied.

Then, after chapter ten—the one about “using up three boxes in one night”—I suddenly received a response.

[If you had even a shred of common sense, you couldn't have written this!]

I replied without a care in the world.

[Hahahaha! I don't even have any shame, and you're expecting me to have common sense? All I need is for you to exist in my world, completely at my mercy. Tomorrow I'm going to write you doing hip thrusts while standing on your head~ Stay tuned.]

I kept writing on and off until the beginning of my fourth year, when the updates stopped.

Not because I'd stopped liking Shen Bai.

Because my internship was fucking exhausting.

Nobody comes home from work happy.

Fortunately, a year of hard work paid off. After graduation, the company kept me on.

Work and the pressures of everyday life gradually left me less time to think about him.

“Hiss—”

I sucked in a breath at the pain, and the memory broke off.

Shen Bai was gently disinfecting the area with an alcohol-soaked cotton pad.

“Does it hurt badly?”

Instead of answering, I blurted,

“I was in the class of 2019 at University D.”

His hand stopped.

He looked up at me.

4

I studied his blank expression carefully and confirmed that he hadn't recognized me.

Good.

Some things were better left to rot in the past.

The nurse returned with the medication.

Shen Bai withdrew his hand and told her,

“I've finished disinfecting it. Apply the medication, then take her to the infusion room for an anti-inflammatory IV.”

She quickly applied the medicine.

I got dressed and followed her out.

“Wait a moment.”

Shen Bai called me back.

I turned, puzzled.

“Is there something else, Doctor?”

He rested both elbows on the desk and laced his fingers together, his thumbs beneath his chin. A faint smile touched his face, as though he had no idea how devastating his next words would be.

“Nothing important. I just wanted to ask when you're updating *Don't Treat Me Like That.*”

“After following it for so long, I'm rather curious about what happens next.”

“Xu Ke. Long time no see.”

…

5

The nurse had already stepped outside.

I stood with one foot through the doorway, staring back as if I'd seen a ghost.

“You! You—”

“Remember to come back in three days. Next patient.”

Bang!

The next patient came in, leaving me stranded outside.

It wasn't until the IV bag was almost empty that I fully recovered from the shock.

Whatever had given me away, the damage was done.

At worst, I'd stop coming to this hospital. All I had to do was keep away from him.

I silently resolved to go somewhere else for my follow-up, even if it meant a longer trip.

After a night of misery, I went home and caught up on sleep. When I woke up, I cheerfully picked up my phone to scroll.

There was a friend request on WeChat.

The profile picture was a screenshot from *The Truman Show.*

Having survived the storm, the little sailboat had finally struck the edge of the world.

Username: S.

Request message:

[Shen Bai.]

The thought that he'd recognized me all along and still played dumb made me grind my teeth.

I was going to get him back.

I replied,

[I don't add strangers on WeChat. Send another request and I'll report you.]

Send.

Oh, yes.

That felt good!

Proud, aloof Shen Bai, humiliated like that by me—he'd probably be traumatized every time he tried to add someone from now on.

I didn't care why he'd added me.

As far as I was concerned, the past was over. There would be no further entanglements.

A few minutes later, another request arrived with the same profile picture.

[Apparently the gold bracelet found in the consulting room isn't yours.]

Gold bracelet?!

I looked down at my wrist.

Bare.

I'd splurged on that bracelet as a year-end present to myself. It had cost a fortune, and I hadn't even noticed losing it.

I accepted immediately.

My fingers flew.

[It's mine, it's mine! Did I leave it in the consulting room? Thank you for being so honest, Dr. Shen. I'll come and get it tomorrow. Could you please keep it safe for me until then? /pleading hands emoji/]

Send.

The message failed. A red exclamation mark appeared.

[S. has enabled friend verification. You are not friends with this user. Please send a friend request. You can chat once it has been accepted.]

Bastard!

Did he have to be so petty?

But he had my gold.

I swallowed my pride and sent a request.

Request message:

[The bracelet really is mine. Dr. Shen, please accept my friend request. Please?]

Request message:

[I was wrong just now. I got a bit carried away. You're the bigger person. Please don't hold it against me.]

Request message:

[I can transfer you fifty yuan as a thank-you.]

…