Chapter 30: Schemes

It was only after Cen Mo lay down on the dental chair that she realized she had been tricked by Su Xingzhi.

He had always known that she couldn't handle overly flirtatious words. He had teased her on purpose, calling her "baby" just to make her so bashful that she automatically stood up and scurried into the clinic. Her mind was in a whirl, filled only with his words, and in her distraction, she forgot to be afraid. She followed the dentist’s instructions blindly until the sound of the drill started; only then did she snap back to reality, her body stiffening in alarm.

Her wisdom tooth had been growing for quite some time. Most of it had already emerged, but because it was positioned incorrectly, it had become inflamed time and again. The pediatric dentist was well-accustomed to dealing with children—his tone was incredibly gentle and soft—but when it came to the actual procedure, he was as intimidating as any other.

Cen Mo lay there with her mouth wide open. The anesthesia meant she couldn't feel pain, but the visual impact was still intense. Seeing those gleaming, spinning drill bits made her feel that passing out entirely would have been a better alternative.

A moment later, she heard the dentist gently explain, "Just a moment now. Half of your wisdom tooth is still embedded in the gum, so I’ll need to make an incision to remove it."

As he spoke, he swapped in a scalpel, which glinted as it hovered before her eyes. Subconsciously, she reached out and grabbed the nurse's uniform, feeling as if she were suffocating. She wished he hadn't explained it; having a mental image of the process was even worse.

Come to think of it, hospitals were truly magical places where even the bravest souls lost their nerve. Take Cen Mo, for instance: having spent much of her childhood in the countryside, she had never been afraid of poultry or insects, and she was once a champion brawler among the neighborhood kids. The only thing that made her shrink back was visiting a hospital. It was a primal, instinctive fear—the feeling of losing control over one’s own body, lying there like a piece of meat, waiting to be handled by others.

By now, her gums had likely been cut open. She couldn't feel it, but she heard the buzzing of the drill against her teeth. It vibrated so intensely that her head ached; it felt no different than having her skull drilled into.

About half an hour later, the wisdom tooth was finally removed, and a few stitches were placed in her gums. The anesthesia hadn't worn off yet, and her head still felt light and dizzy when she sat up. After rinsing her mouth for a long time, it still tasted of blood, and every breath carried a metallic tang. The dentist tidied his instruments and called her over to the outer office to go over the post-operative instructions.

Su Xingzhi was allowed in at that moment. He took Cen Mo’s arm, guided her to a stool by the desk, and then turned to examine her face, asking the doctor, "When will the swelling go down?"

"With the medication, she should recover in a few days. For now, be careful not to let food touch the wound, avoid spicy items, and stick to a liquid diet as much as possible..." the bespectacled, middle-aged doctor said as he wrote out a prescription and handed the slip to Su Xingzhi.

Looking at Cen Mo, the dentist asked, "How are you feeling now? Any unusual symptoms?"

"No." Cen Mo looked at him with a serious expression, then shook her head from side to side after a moment, unwilling to say more.

"Has the anesthesia worn off? If it starts to hurt, I can prescribe some painkillers." The dentist adjusted his glasses, his expression subtle. After a pause, he couldn't help but ask, "This patient, are you dissatisfied with my treatment in any way?"

Cen Mo had been staring blankly at the floor, but at his words, she looked up in slight surprise. "What?"

Because her mouth wouldn't open fully, her pronunciation was slightly slurred.

The dentist was a man of good temperament, likely used to dealing with children, and his tone remained gentle. "It's just that ever since you walked in, you’ve been angry. You hardly answered any questions. Our hospital welcomes feedback, so if you have any suggestions, feel free to write them down."

Beside her, Su Xingzhi suddenly let out a soft laugh. "It's alright, Doctor. She isn't angry."

The dentist nodded, looking slightly skeptical, but said nothing more.

Cen Mo felt mortified. She never imagined that one day, her nervousness would be mistaken for anger. She quickly stood up, thanked the doctor, and turned to leave the room, feeling completely speechless. She wasn't one to talk much when nervous, and when combined with her naturally serious facial expression, she often looked quite fierce. It wasn't intentional, but she couldn't help it.

Since the dentist had been very responsible, she felt a bit guilty. She turned to look at Su Xingzhi, who still had a hint of a smile on his face. He comforted her, "Don't worry, I've already explained it to him."

Cen Mo nodded. Once they reached the car, she didn't want to move much. As the anesthesia began to wear off, not only did the wound start to throb, but her head began to ache in sync with it. She let out a low sigh, leaned back against the seat, and covered her face, drifting into a daze.

Seeing her lethargic state, Su Xingzhi didn't disturb her. He placed the medicine on the backseat and started the car. Along the way, he stopped at the side of the road to buy a few things. Cen Mo, half-asleep and lacking energy, paid no mind.

When they finally reached home, she breathed a sigh of relief. She kicked off her shoes, took off her coat, and went straight to the bedroom to lie down. Despite not having worked that day, she felt exhausted in every limb.

There was no sound from outside, so she assumed Su Xingzhi had left. After all, he was a busy man, and he had likely delayed his work to check on her. With that thought, she pulled the quilt over herself and slept for a while. Half an hour later, she was jolted awake by the throbbing pain in her gum. Remembering the medicine she had brought back, she prepared to head out to take some.

As she reached the bedroom door, she saw a tall man standing in her living room. Still groggy from sleep, it took her a moment to remember that Su Xingzhi had come home with her.

He hadn't left yet.

His black suit jacket was draped over the chair she usually sat in. He was wearing a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and he was holding a large block of ice.

"What are you doing?" Cen Mo asked, her voice muffled as she covered her face.

Su Xingzhi turned to look at her, his brows furrowed. "Do you only have this kind of large block of ice at home?"

"Yes." Cen Mo recognized it; it was a block from the freezer. She had frozen it in a sealed bag to save time, and it was quite a heavy, solid lump.

"I couldn't find ice cubes at the supermarket, so I have to make do with this." Su Xingzhi shook his head. He went to the kitchen, grabbed a sharp knife from the rack, and placed a basin underneath. He began to carve the ice block with the knife.

Cen Mo had only seen this technique in bars, usually performed by experienced bartenders, but she hadn't expected Su Xingzhi to know how. His movements were professional; he efficiently sliced away the excess edges until the ice block was slowly whittled down into a smaller, spherical shape.

The man’s large hands were turning red from the cold. His skin was fair, and the blue veins on the back of his hands were faintly visible. His fingers were long and straight as he turned the ice sphere bit by bit. After inspecting it from a distance, he took a towel and wrapped the ice block inside.

"If it has sharp edges, it will be uncomfortable, and it will melt faster." He turned to explain this to Cen Mo, then gestured for her to come closer. "Come here, a little closer."

She obeyed, walking a few steps until she was right beside him. He gently pulled her hand away from her face and replaced it with his own large palm, pressing it softly against her swollen right cheek.

His hand had been holding the ice for so long that it had lost all warmth, feeling cool and soothing. Under normal circumstances, Cen Mo might have pulled back, but she found herself liking the sensation, unconsciously leaning into his palm. It felt as if her toothache had subsided.

Gone was her usual stern demeanor; she felt like a kitten retracting its claws. Her expression softened, and she looked languid, her eyes half-closed as if she might drift off at any second.

Su Xingzhi cupped her cheek, swapped his hand for the towel-wrapped ice, and led her to a chair to sit down. He placed the medicine on the table. "Eat these. There are both anti-inflammatories and painkillers."

"Mm." Cen Mo rested her elbows on the table, supporting the ice pack with one hand. She looked up at him, her eyelids drooping as she asked listlessly, "Couldn't you have given me this sooner?"

When she was low on energy, her mind was slow to turn. It was only then that she realized he might have been taking advantage of her just now—he just wanted to touch her face, and she had foolishly leaned into it.

"The cold shouldn't go to waste," Su Xingzhi said nonchalantly. He wiped his hands with a tissue and brought over a bowl, setting it in front of her.

Cen Mo was too tired to talk, so she used her eyes to convey her confusion: *What is this?*

It was a bowl of thick, mushy porridge that gave off a faint scent of rice, very much like the baby food she had seen before.

"Multigrain porridge, processed in a blender. Your tooth hurts, so it's not convenient for you to chew," Su Xingzhi explained, tossing an empty takeout container into the trash.

Cen Mo glanced at it and recognized the logo of his favorite private kitchen. She had helped him order from there a few times before, but ever since she started making him bento boxes, Su Xingzhi had only been eating her cooking.

She picked up a spoon and stirred the mush. She wondered how she should go about eating it; even though she had stitches, there was still a hollow where the tooth had been, and it was best not to let food get stuck in there.

After pondering for a while, she tilted her head to the left, keeping the side without the extraction facing down, and carefully took a spoonful of the porridge. She didn't need to chew; she simply swallowed it.

Su Xingzhi had only turned away for a moment to wash his hands, but when he turned back, he saw her eating in such a strange, serious manner. He didn't know how she came up with such quirky ideas. A bit helpless, he took a straw out of a shopping bag and handed it to her. "Try using this. Just don't let it touch your teeth."

Cen Mo tried his method, and it worked, though it was a bit difficult to swallow. Eventually, she finished the bowl and no longer felt hungry.

"Get some good rest," the man said, stepping closer. He leaned down and patted her hair. "You don't need to go to work for the next few days."

...

Despite his words, Cen Mo didn't rest at home for long. She went back to work on the third day. The swelling in her cheek had subsided slightly, and though she didn't wear a mask, she threw herself back into her busy schedule. With her cheek still slightly puffed like a hamster's, she looked both adorable and resilient.