“You'd rather queue for someone else than come to me?” Han Fangchi, wearing gloves, sat on a stool next to He Lezhi's face and looked down at him. “You're something else, He Lezhi.”

He Lezhi's face was starting to go numb, and his speech was a bit slurred. He tried to smile and said, “I know I was wrong. Please be gentle, doctor.”

“Can't,” Han Fangchi said. “You just wait.”

“Don't,” He Lezhi pleaded. “I was really wrong, Fangchi.”

He looked at Han Fangchi with pleading eyes, a fragile, not-so-brave patient looking at his doctor.

Han Fangchi ignored him, a cold and indifferent doctor.

Han Fangchi sat beside him for a moment, then signaled for He Lezhi to open his mouth. He took something and poked around inside, asking, “Do you feel anything?”

He Lezhi shook his head slightly.

Han Fangchi poked a few more times and asked, “No feeling at all now, right?”

He Lezhi hummed an “mm” from his throat.

Han Fangchi stood up, kicked the stool away, and put the saliva ejector in his mouth. He Lezhi jumped in fright.

His fear was too obvious; his whole body trembled. Han Fangchi finally showed a hint of a smile. He let out a faint laugh, and He Lezhi could see the smile in his eyes above the mask. “Don't be afraid.”

“Impossible not to be,” He Lezhi said indistinctly.

Han Fangchi said, “It'll be quick.”

His last impacted tooth took over half an hour to pull. Two doctors used a hammer and chisel for a long time, and with every strike, He Lezhi could feel the pain in his nerve.

This time, that terrifying pain didn't happen.

He Lezhi kept waiting for the pain of the tooth being pried out, but it never came. That side of his face was completely swollen and numb, without any sensation. So he gradually relaxed and cooperated with Han Fangchi's instructions.

The Han Fangchi at this moment was very different from usual. He was more serious than normal, his expression focused. However, the tone of his instructions was still familiar, light and reassuring, which had a certain calming effect.

They had been friends for many years. Having a tooth pulled was a chilling affair, but because it was being handled by someone he knew, the voice, the movements, even the hands performing the procedure, were all incredibly familiar to He Lezhi, so he trusted him completely.

Later, He Lezhi's mind began to wander, letting Han Fangchi do as he pleased with his mouth. He simply closed his eyes.

When Han Fangchi switched instruments again and He Lezhi heard a snipping sound in his mouth, he opened his eyes in surprise. Han Fangchi's gaze met his for a moment. Their eyes locked, and He Lezhi asked with his eyes: Is it over?

Han Fangchi said, “Told you it would be quick.”

He Lezhi raised his phone to check the time. Only six minutes had passed since the procedure started. He looked at Han Fangchi in shock.

There was a smile in Han Fangchi's eyes again. He asked him, “What's with that look?”

He Lezhi couldn't speak. Han Fangchi gave him three stitches and had him bite down on a cotton roll when he was done.

He Lezhi bit on the cotton roll, feeling only a hot, swollen, dull ache.

Han Fangchi took off his gloves, pulled out two tissues, and wiped He Lezhi's chin. His hands smelled of disinfectant. His touch wasn't heavy, and because He Lezhi was anesthetized, he couldn't feel the action, only the numbness.

Tooth extractions inevitably cause bleeding. Han Fangchi got another tissue and wiped the blood from the corner of He Lezhi's mouth. A very faint touch could be felt on his lips.

This was special treatment. An ordinary patient would definitely not get this service; at most, an intern would hand them a couple of tissues to wipe themselves. Lying there, He Lezhi could vaguely feel that Han Fangchi's movements were very gentle—the treatment reserved for an acquaintance.

“All done. Get up,” Han Fangchi said, tossing the tissue away.

He Lezhi sat up. The pain he had worried about never happened. It seemed the last doctor's skills were really lacking; the comparison made the difference obvious.

“How was it so fast? That was amazing,” He Lezhi said, biting on the cotton roll, his praise sincere.

“Can't compare to Director Wang,” Han Fangchi said with a deadpan expression.

“I already said I was wrong!” He Lezhi clutched his chin and said with a laugh, “From now on, I'll definitely only look for Director Han... Forget it, I'd rather not look for you. I hope I don't grow any more wisdom teeth in this lifetime.”

Han Fangchi took off his mask, picked up the X-ray, and pointed to both sides of his upper jaw. “No rush. You still have two more chances to queue up at Director Wang's.”

Following his finger, He Lezhi saw the two clearly developing wisdom teeth.

He Lezhi looked at them in shock, then looked back at Han Fangchi.

Han Fangchi was amused by his expression and said, “It's also possible they won't erupt. No need to be scared yet.”

Because of the exceptionally smooth extraction process just now, He Lezhi wasn't so afraid of getting teeth pulled anymore. He felt that even if they did erupt, it wouldn't be a big deal.

“Go home and take Amoxicillin. I won't list all the foods to avoid. Don't brush your teeth tonight; you can use mouthwash. Get the stitches out in a week. If you think it's too much trouble to come back here, you can find a place nearby to get them removed. Don't lick the blood clot in the socket; dry socket is extremely painful,” Han Fangchi instructed him.

“Okay.” He Lezhi nodded repeatedly. “Don't scare me.”

“I'm not scaring you.” Han Fangchi smiled again and said to him, “If you have any problems, ask me anytime. Give me a call.”

He Lezhi still nodded. “Okay.”

The two had reached the door. Han Fangchi asked, “How did you get here?”

He Lezhi replied, “The subway.”

“Smart,” Han Fangchi said.

He Lezhi held his patient card and asked, “Where do I go to pay?”

Han Fangchi raised an eyebrow again, putting on that sarcastic expression, and said after a moment, “WeChat me 1800.”

He Lezhi started laughing. “Then forget it.”

Han Fangchi opened the door and said, “Go on, I won't see you out.”

He Lezhi said with a smile, “Thank you for today, Director Han.”

Han Fangchi just glanced at him as a response, still holding a bit of a grudge.

He Lezhi left the hospital feeling completely relieved. A matter that had been weighing on his mind was finally resolved. He would never have to suffer from the recurring pain of an impacted tooth again.

He Lezhi sat on the subway. Although he couldn't feel the pain from the wound, his sense of taste could pick up the metallic smell of blood on the cotton roll.

Having removed this troublesome tooth, He Lezhi was in a pretty good mood.

There weren't many people on the subway at this time. The car He Lezhi was in was even completely empty except for him. The air conditioning was turned up very high.

Another message came on his phone.

He Lezhi opened WeChat. He didn't recognize who it was from the profile picture.

It wasn't until he opened the chat and saw the pictures the other person had sent before, as well as the new messages:

——Hello, your rings are ready.

——[Image][Image][Image]

He Lezhi suddenly remembered that a few months ago, he had ordered a pair of engraved rings, originally planning to give them to Zhou Muyao for his birthday this year.

He Lezhi was stunned for a moment. Then he thanked them, paid the remaining balance, and gave them He Qi's address.

The window glass opposite him reflected He Lezhi's lonely shadow.

Unfortunately, ending a long-term relationship wasn't like pulling a wisdom tooth; there was no surefire way to solve it once and for all.

It always tactlessly popped up at inopportune moments to remind him—you lost your love, completely unprepared and without any warning.